Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends

Enter Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends, a simulation-style racing game that features 51 Ferrari vehicles and races throughout the company's history. Players compete on the typical assortment of famous courses across three distinct decades. It's made by Slightly Mad Studios, the developers of Shift and Shift 2, two games that competed directly with Forza and Gran Turismo and still managed to carve out a following.

So what does Ferrari Legends bring to the table to set it apart from the pack? Not a whole lot, to be honest. There's the Ferrari hook, but let's do some math here. 51 Ferraris? That's a lot, but Forza 4 features 36 Ferraris and hundreds of other cars to boot. Maybe the Ferrari pull will make this a good stocking stuffer for someone's Ferrari-loving dad at Christmas time, but most racing fans won't be satisfied by such narrow appeal.

The premise, which sets you on a course through three eras of Ferrari history, doesn't really amount to much. Early era races begin with a sepia-toned vintage look before blending in the full color visuals. Later races feature modern era cars and faster speeds. Either way you'll make your way through each era in a dull, linear slog that requires you to finish races one at a time with no diverging paths. Racing game career modes are ultimately just a big pile of races, but the way they're presented can have a huge effect on how fun it is to keep playing. In that respect, Ferrari Legends couldn't be more boring.

The linear progression is made worse thanks to extremely uneven difficulty from one race to the next. It's not uncommon to snatch a 10-second lead on your opponents on one race, only to retry the next race again and again. One particularly difficult time trial required me to lower the difficulty to easy and cut across chunks of the track to finish it in time. When your only options are to cheat or simply stop playing, the latter starts to become quite appealing.

Those frustrations are made even worse when put in contrast with a game like Forza 4. That game's rewind function should be a racing game standard. It's detailed difficulty settings allow you to fine tune your assists like ABS and traction control. Going for higher difficulties provides substantial bonuses in Forza 4. Ferrari Legends, on the other hand, offers no such rewind function, and only provides three assist settings: Novice, Normal, or Pro. Forza offers learning AI that adjusts to your ability and play style automatically. Ferrari Legends offers Easy, Normal, and Hard, where Easy can sometimes still mean "balls hard."

In some respects it's not fair to compare Ferrari Legends to Forza 4 because the game simply doesn't set its sights that high. There are no options at all for modifying your cars. The driving physics seem closer to an arcade game, with the car turning on a central pivot rather than all four wheels. Crashes send cars careening all over the track in comical, almost Daytona USA-style form. Damage is never more than mildly cosmetic in even the most terrible crashes.

The game's AI is just as likely to run right into you and cost you the race as they are to drive off into the grass to avoid you. They're so random and unpredictable that it adds a bit of fun to the larger races. I caused a pile-up so bad in one race that I crossed the finish line with a 35-second lead. That unpredictability can hurt bad when you get spun out in the last corner of a ten minute race, though, and you'll never miss Forza 4's rewind function so badly.

Even the game's most unique feature (besides its undying love for Ferrari) is pretty half-assed. Each race is introduced with a paragraph of flavor text that reads like race car driver fan fiction. There's a cast of characters, drama over the decades, defections to other racing teams, and even hints of a love plot. It's pretty great stuff that would've given the game a unique flavor if it wasn't just a block of text.

What's truly crazy about my laundry list of complaints is that I can't even say my time with Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends was that awful. Swimmy driving physics or not, this game is assembled just well enough that it can still be fun. I just can't possibly recommend it when I know that all the racing games I've played in the last few years (including the developer's own Shift games) are more engaging. The genre is just so good all-around that even the bad ones aren't all that bad.

[Reviewed on Xbox 360]

Via: Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends

Magic: the Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 review

Thankfully, DOTP 2013 had made a few minor enhancements which perhaps justify the new SKU. Though awkwardly implemented, players can finally choose which lands to tap when casting spells, a feature which was bizarrely missing from the first two Duels products. The A.I. still makes some rather routine mistakes (the brand managers I met at E3 were unwilling to explain why the computer still casts all his creature spells before combat, one of the game's most cardinal sins), though overall seems to make fewer outlandish decisions, previous A.I.s often known to needlessly commit suicide when confronted with a complicated board state. There's still some odd bugs here and there (I still don't know what's wrong with that jittery time bar), but the overall polish seems to shine through. 

The game's biggest fault is the multiplayer mode: Planechase, which though providing the potential for some truly hilarious situations, is most indicative of the game's tendency towards randomness. Planchase involves a stack of "Plane" locations, which influence the board in a variety of ways (damage is doubled, players lose creatures every turn, etc). Players also have access to a special six-sided die which they can pay mana to roll, either triggering that planes's special effect, or warping the players to a new location. Again, it's really cool when the die roll comes up in your favor, leading to situations where I started turn one with a 7/7 monster in play, or had all of my attacking creatures cloned to attack every other opponent. But then there's situations where the same random favor seems to fall only to your opponents, leaving you crushed as they continue to reap cheap rewards, your own die rolls sadly coming up blank. This can be especially infuriating when the game's A.I. incorrectly identifies you as the threat, opponents quickly ganging up to take you out while inexplicably ignoring the guy in the corner with 100 life points and a swarm of deadly creatures.

Again, the real problem here is that the game lacks Magic's fundamental feature: the ability to fully customize one's own deck. After all, this is what justifies the randomness of the actual game, as each card you pull from the top was specifically chosen for inclusion by yourself. Though players can edit the existing decks with cards specifically unlocked for them, but cannot build their own unique creations, limiting the fun to what has been pre-determined by committee. There's a full online multiplayer component to Duel's, but gone is the reward for smart and cunning deck-building, with luck of the draw as the only remaining component.

Point is that a game with as much history as Magic: the Gathering deserves more than this simplistic simulator, something a bit more ambitious for players who truly want to delve into the game, but aren't ready to start dropping their paychecks on Magic Online. However as long as consumers are content with piloting the game's pre-constructed decks to largely random conclusions, I suppose there's no real reason to add any sort of expansive content (though I still believe Duels is begging for a legitimate quest mode, ala Cardfighter's Clash).

Anyhow, for ten bucks, you get a decent distraction and a redeemable code you can bring to your local retailer for a promotional pack of cards. Based on that value alone, you really can't go wrong, assuming you can ignore the vaguely disgusting marketing that pops up to reward your various accomplishments ("You beat the boss! Reward yourself by spending money!"). If you've been looking for a way to get your collectable card game fix without breaking the bank, this is the best thing we've got. You simply can't argue with the price.

Via: Magic: the Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 review

Skyrim: Dawnguard review

The Dawnguard expansion pack, which can be accessed by level 10 players and above, is started by a courier’s message/invite or asking throughout Skyrim about the Dawnguard. Players are then invited to Fort Dawnguard to be greeted by their rugged leader, Isran. Cutting to the chase, Isran details the problem at hand, and since it’s still somewhat of a mystery, you’re asked to find out what the vampires are up to. After a lengthy “start up” quest, you discover a friendly vampire who’s quite confused to what’s going on. Your new “buddy” then takes you to a mysterious castle far to the west where you’re introduced to the Vampire Lord, who just so happens to be the father of the girl you just brought home. He cynically describes his plot to overthrow Skyrim’s leaders through an Elder Scroll that they’ve now attained. To add to the drama, he gives you two options: become a vampire or become their prey.

In our first playthrough we chose to decline the Vampire Lord’s offer and follow up on the Dawnguard’s mission to stop these evil creatures. Their journey took us throughout Skyrim (and beyond) for a twelve-hour ride that highlighted this enlightening plot. The early missions do start off a bit slow, though it’s primarily to introduce the new characters and plot, but as action intensifies, Dawnguard shines. One of the add-on’s best moments pit players and their ally against two ferocious dragons…on ice. Another confrontation near the end of the DLC features the entire Dawnguard faction against the evil vampires on a bridge strewn with trolls that are available to Dawnguard members. These action sequences are heavily focused even throughout the normal cave/fetch quests, and actually help the narrative intensify to its outstanding climax and resolution.

Dawnguard’s uniqueness, though, is revealed through the vampire questline. Their side off the DLC features several new additions including health draining and the ability to fly (and who doesn’t wish to fly?).  These new abilities aren’t a one-time deal, though. An entirely new skill tree is presented to vampire players that certainly offer some interesting gameplay, in contrast to the Skyrim we’ve all come to know and love.  The vampire section of Dawnguard features several more graphical hiccups due to these new abilities, but they’re nothing that ruins the overall experience.

For $20 and considerably shorter than some previous Elder Scrolls add-ons, folks may be hesitant to check out Dawnguard, but after a hefty amount of time in the DLC, we can tell you that it’s a worthy addition to the series name. Dawnguard offers up to twenty hours of content that’s heavily action focused and unique in its own sense. Despite some issues with frame rate and character responsiveness, Dawnguard presents itself in a fantastic way: beautiful scenery, eerie characters, and of course, dragons. If you’ve invested hundreds of hours already into Skyrim, or are looking for something off the beaten path, then Dawnguard will warm your heart, or leave a mark on your neck…your choice.

Via: Skyrim: Dawnguard review

Spelunky review

Putting you in the shoes of a miner/explorer, you’ll work your way through a series of randomly generated dungeon areas, using a few bombs to blast your way through areas while also collecting treasure and defeating enemies (well, some enemies, anyway) by bopping on their heads or blowing them up.  As you go further into the game, the challenge scale picks up heinously, resulting in you dying – quite often, at that.  It’s just part of the thrill of learning what Spelunky has to offer, though.  The patient will truly persevere.  Everyone else will go looking for the “easy” option in the menu system.

There’s nothing wrong with Spelunky’s gameplay.  In fact, it’s a little more balanced than you’d expect for an old-school platforming adventure.  Not only are there some great tactics to learn here, but there are also items in the environment that can easily work for or against you, depending what you do in a stage.  One minute, a rock can come crashing down on enemies, giving you a clearer shot at the next room.  The next, that rock becomes your worst nightmare when it crushes someone you were intending to save.  Who says you should have things easy?

With its various rooms and infinite replayability with the “never the same level twice” approach, Spelunky definitely sits in a league by itself.  But, again, it helps if you’re fully prepared for it, because you will die often – especially by the time you get to the ridiculous final boss.  If you’re looking for something to do outside of that, the game does offer a four-player local co-op mode, though it’s only fun for carefree party sessions, not serious players looking to move forward.

While Spelunky has updated from the original 8-bit-style version, Yu and his team have done a splendid job with the game’s presentation.  The graphics, in all their HD glory, are excellent, with solid animations and plenty of colorful enemies to encounter and secrets to find.  The caves look great too, even if their terrain tends to repeat later on in the game.  As for the music, there are some awesome tunes, as well as a few that you won’t have a problem skipping, just for the sake of sounding like elevator muzak.

For a ten-dollar download, Spelunky will give you your money’s worth, especially if you grew up in the NES era, where no Mega Man was ever too tough for you to tame.  Though the multiplayer mode is somewhat unnecessary and the difficulty pushes way too far forward at times, there’s value to be found here.  Like the main hero, you just gotta dig for it. 

Via: Spelunky review

Battlefield 3: Close Quarters review

If you’re a regular player of Battlefield 3, your first thoughts of Close Quarters were probably along the lines of: “They are totally just tailoring this for COD fans, hoping to sway them over to Battlefield 3.” In reality, there may be some truth behind that, but after a few matches in the Close Quarters maps, we noticed how true the add-on was to the core multiplayer experience. First off, team play is still crucial to success (if not more) and actually becomes more of a necessity when the action is sped up in tight areas. If you run lone wolf, expect to get shot repeatedly from behind – run with your squad, though, and you’ll be taking out suckers in troves, keeping your deaths minimal thanks to medic support. Those worried about another gameplay feature, HD destruction, within these confined maps should not fear, as the Close Quarters maps cater especially to wreckage.

As we just teased, the Close Quarters maps are incredibly unique, not only to Battlefield 3 but to the entire series. Whereas all Battlefield maps have been mostly horizontal in design, the four Close Quarters maps are predominantly vertical. Whether you’re fighting in a scrap metal plant or a business tower, you’ll quickly notice that these new maps play with one focus in mind: constant movement. The verticalness of the four maps also compliments the game’s destruction mechanism as well. One instance we were covering a point in the new conquest domination matches and noticed debris falling from the ceiling above, which was shaking from constant RPG hits. As you’re a part of the action, you’ll quickly notice how you’re always in the action, which isn’t always something seen in the game’s regular multiplayer due to several factors.

Along with the intense gameplay, weapons, and new maps, Close Quarters also introduces new modes for players to try out. One of these, which we alluded to earlier, is conquest domination. Though it’s nearly a clone to conquest (hence the name), the domination aspect keeps it entirely fresh. For instance, points are capped much quicker and will be overtaken constantly, so you’ll always be on the move to take back your flags. Though you’ll still see some lopsided outcomes in conquest domination, for the most part you’ll be playing down to the wire, unsure on who may pull out a victory. Yes you’ll most likely die a lot in the new confined spaces, but the fun is present and in full force.

Map packs are interesting to judge on a “to buy” “don’t buy” basis, because it usually depends how often someone plays the game. Nevertheless, Close Quarters is for everyone and should be played by everyone. The add-on reveals another side to Battlefield 3 and it impresses on every level. Whether Close Quarters helps you fall in love with BF3 or recharges your love for it, you can bet your investment in the new maps will outweigh the cost that it comes with.

[Reviewed on Xbox 360]

Via: Battlefield 3: Close Quarters review

Mini Ninjas Adventures review

But now we have Mini Ninjas Adventures, a spin-off of sorts that works exclusively with the Kinect.  Our heroic ninja once again returns, along with his band of misfits, as they do battle with an evil warlord who awakens just for the sake of being a nuisance.  He’s got various renegade ninjas at his disposal, but thanks to your powerful skills, you stand a chance at pushing them back.

As you might expect, you play the game by doing movements in front of the Kinect device.  You’ll jump from side to side by stepping to the left and right, putting you directly in line of sight with enemies or, in some situations, avoiding their incoming strikes.  You’ll start out with a sword attack, which you can use for a quick swipe or a strong full-circle swing.  But over the course of the game, you’ll pick up new weapons and abilities, including a bow and arrow set and shuriken throwing stars.  And just like the original, when you defeat enemies, they turn into harmless creatures.  Humanity wins again!

In addition to your techniques for attacking, you can also call upon defensive skills to keep enemies at bay.  You can call in your non-playable cohorts to strike enemies from a distance, or use a helpful little field goal kick to knock them back, giving you a little room to regroup and formulate a battle plan.

Like most Kinect games, Mini Ninjas Adventures does tend to get repetitive, and there are times you’ll need to recalibrate depending on where you’re standing by the sensor.  But in the outset, this experience isn’t that bad at all.  You’ll keep pushing yourself to see what lies around the corner as you go through a series of stages, eventually reaching a showdown with the warlord.  There’s hardly any replay value here, but this gives someone the ample opportunity to be a ninja without the need to go through that pesky training.  Or, for that matter, donning a unitard.

While Mini Ninjas Adventures doesn’t look as good as the original game that came out a while back, the developers at Side-Kick did a noteworthy job with the game’s backgrounds, making you feel like you’re dwelling in the middle of a fantasy world.  The animations are pretty good too, and the outfit designs easily let you know who the good and bad guys are.  However, the game could’ve eased up a bit on loading times.  Getting to a stage can easily take well over one minute – a huge no-no for a downloadable title that’s right on your hard drive.

The audio is okay, too.  The voiceovers that tell the story of the game don’t overdo it, not do they dwell into corny Saturday night kung fu territory.  The sound effects and music are also good, though they sound like leftovers from the original game.

There aren’t too many Kinect Arcade games that are worth their asking price, as most of them sail by on the basics of motion without really involving you in an experience.  But, outside of Fruit Ninja Kinect, Mini Ninjas Adventures is probably the most fun you’ll have with a blade in your hands.  Though the loading is a bit strenuous and the lack of replay value is noticeable, the game still cuts fairly deep.  And that's just what the Kinect Arcade market needs...

Via: Mini Ninjas Adventures review

NCAA Football 13 review

The first thing you’ll notice is the gameplay.  The quarterback has some new step-off animations – 20, in fact – that make passing feel a little more fluid.  There’s also indicators to let you know how your receivers are positioned, though I felt there were instances where the defense reads them just a little too closely.  (Thankfully, the “blind swats” that were such a pain in previous versions are gone – the defender now has to see the ball to take a shot at it.)  The running game shows some signs of improvement as well, with better read-outs of hot routes and the ability to change it on the fly if you deem it necessary.

While most of it does lean on the same old stuff we’ve seen in previous years, NCAA 13 as a whole operates like a great sports sim.  Very rarely will you find an instance where something didn’t go as planned – save for user error or simply playing as a low-level, stat-drained team.  You can adjust sliders however you please in the game, should you feel you need work on your passing game or how you run on the field.

And as always, NCAA 13 packs on the modes for players to try out.  The newest of the bunch is Heisman mode, where you can take one of a dozen past winners – including cover star Barry Sanders – and run them through their paces for a superstar season.  While lacking in overall innovation, it’s nice to see these achievers get the recognition they deserve in game form.  And, hey, you can shut your friends up about who can do more in a Heisman season.

Aside from that, most of the modes from the series make a return.  The mascot football mode is a bit ludicrous, but well worth trying out if only to silence your buddies by dominating them with dudes in Air Force Falcon uniforms.  Road To Glory is once again back, where you can create a player from scratch and run them through a high school-college career, earning XP and making them a better-rounded player.  The addition of extra goals and Reaction Time (a cool little slowdown feature) are nice here.  Finally, Online Dynasty lets you make the run for records through either Xbox Live or PlayStation Network, setting up conferences and changing around staff to see if you can perform better in your league.

Though not all the schools made the cut in this game (which is a bit weird, considering it’s the “ultimate” NCAA package), we did see plenty of our favorite universities represented with mascots, authentic fields and player celebrations in the game.  And even if actual player names aren’t included (NCAA rules, I guess), it’s still a decent overall experience.

That said, the graphics can lack a bit in certain areas.  From a distance, the crowds don’t really look that much different, even if your team is romping and stomping a long-time rival.  Also, some of the environmental effects and camera angles don’t change much, even with extreme weather conditions.  Just something for EA to keep in mind with next year’s go-around.  Otherwise, the game looks marvelous.  Especially the menus and the replay system.  Talk about ESPN inspired.

As for audio, Brad Nessler and Kirk Herbstreit once again return for audio commentary, and though there are times they sound slightly disjointed (especially when meshed with Erin Andrews’ sideline reports), they offer some good rapport as your team marches forward.  The crowd noises are quite enthusiastic and fun to listen to, and the authentic themes for each school are a blast.  More cannon fire would’ve been nice, though.  (Yes, some schools still use cannons.)

Though not quite as trend-setting as last year’s rendition, NCAA Football 13 is still a good game of pigskin, packed with features and a strong presentation that fans of the sport will happily embrace.  At the very least, it’ll tide you over until you see if Madden NFL 13 can make the grade or not.  That’s a month and a half of Online Dynasty domination.  See you on the field.

[Reviewed on Xbox 360]

Via: NCAA Football 13 review