Sony’s NGP looks like in an incredible step up from their first attempt at a handheld, and has got me all gitty with excitement. Everything I’ve seen so far looks almost full proof, but it’s what we haven’t gotten information on that’s got me a bit worried. Can we trust that Sony will deliver this time around? Honestly, I have no idea. Here’s what we like, dislike, and want from Sony’s next portable:

LIKE: Dual Thumbsticks

WHY: Why the hell not? I’m sure I speak for a lot of gamers when I say that dual thumbsticks is what kept handhelds of times past back from delivering a true console-like experience on the go. Most genres, most importantly the first person shooter, are now able to be played in true form. I’m fairly certain no one will miss the gimped aiming of using face buttons to attempt to recreate the experience.

DISLIKE: 3G Service

WHY: NGP stands for “Next Generation Portable”. Someone explain to me what is so next-generation about 3G service? When smart phones have been using the much, much faster 4G for quite some time (in technology years) and the NGP is proven to be one of the most, if not the most powerful portable device on the market, why would it only include 3G? I have a hard enough time getting a text off in my area (I live on Long Island, so it really shouldn’t be that much of a problem), so how does Sony expect me to download a game/play online? I understand it being nice to be connected all the time, but 3G may be a bit too slow to match the power this beast is already proven to have.

WANT: Quality, Not Quantity

WHY: The Wii sounded awesome when we first heard about it. Don’t deny it. Motion control sounded like something that could potentially add an entirely new dimension to gaming. Instead, “developers” decided to shovel heaps of trash onto store shelves that abused the systems features instead of embrace and use them in ways that could immerse the player further. Front and back touch screens, motion control, front and rear cameras; There’s a lot to work with hear. Developers; it’s not necessary for your game to use all (or any) of these features, unless they truly add to the experience. No Carnival Games, please.

Reality Fighters

LIKE: The Already Announced Lineup

WHY: Well, other than Uncharted, Call Of Duty, Killzone, Resistance, LittleBigPlanet and more being fantastic franchises to have announced for the NGP, it also shows that Sony is seemingly backing this thing to the fullest. We’ve seen footage of gameplay footage for Uncharted and Killzone, and both look damn incredible. If this is a hint at future endeavors, then I couldn’t be more optimistic.

DISLIKE: The Size

WHY: Portables. They’re meant to be….portable. The PSP-3000 is a bit to big to be considered portable to begin with. Sony’s NGP actually manages to be bigger than it’s predecessor. Quite noticeably bigger. If one good thing came of the PSP Go, it’s that Sony realized what portable meant. For that reason, I loved my PSP Go. It seems like a step backwards, and in a sense it is. If not for everything that Sony’s NGP is doing right, this would be more than a huge fault.

WANT: New IP’s, Please

WHY: Patapon. LocoRoco. Age of Zombies. All of these games got their start on Sony’s PSP, and helped to give the portable somewhat of its own identity. That’s why NGP needs new IP’s. Nothing sells a console like the best, original, console-exclusive titles. The franchises that began on the PSP were great, but a bit too few and far between. I may be asking a lot, but now’s the time to make it rain with titles that will make DS faithfuls jealous.

LIKE: No 3D

WHY: “B-b-b-but wait! 3D IS next-gen!”. Well, maybe. But it’s just not worth having when you look at what NGP has, and what it can already do. 3D means rendering two images at once; something that would take more processing power, more battery power, and hurt the visuals. When it comes to staring at a small screen for hours playing a game, do I really want my eyes to hurt faster than they already do without 3D? Maybe I speak for myself, but I’ve never sat through a 3D movie without having to take my glasses off and rub my eyes a few times. Sony made the right choice with leaving this feature out, and I have to applaud them for it.

Beautiful, is it not?

DISLIKE: The Likelihood of Having to Pay for 3G service

WHY: As I mentioned before, 3G service for such a device is just a bit too outdated and underwhelming when looking at something considered ‘next-generation’. So this is a simple one; a feature that’s already sub-par when compared to the rest of the device is disappointing in itself. Having to pay for that feature? Thanks, but no thanks Sony. If by some divine miracle it’s free, I’m sure it will suffice. There will most likely be a fee and possibly a data cap, so I’ll pass.

WANT: A Price That Won’t Require Taking Out A Second Mortgage

WHY: Aside from wanting to save money, it could mean the success/failure of Sony’s NGP. I would love for a $250 price to compete with Nintendo’s 3DS, but that’s about as realistic as the 3G service being free. $300 seems like the optimal price for the NGP, and would have me buying it on day one. Even if that means taking a bit of a hit fiscally in the beginning, it could mean a greater return in the long run. As long as the hardware, software, and value are there, they will come.

OVERALL: Love it.

WHY: The possibilities. Really, it’s the sheer possibilities of what this thing has the potential to do. My mind has been running away with ideas of an FPS where throwing a grenade required flicking the back touch screen, or taking a taking a penalty shot in FIFA with a similar motion. Uncharted’s scaling of cliffs with the touch screen and Reality Fighters using whatever plane your rear camera is facing as the fighting plane shows that developers are already getting the idea. Use of the NGP’s features should only get better with time, so let’s hope it lives up to my own personal hype.

Of course I love the trophies and the OLED screen and what not, but I could go on for days. What things do you guys like/dislike/want from Sony’s NGP? Leave some suggestions in the comments below.

Blacklight: Tango Down is a pretty generic first person shooter. Included in the package is, as you would expect, a simple offline mode alongside the main appeal of the title, the multiplayer. The offline portion, known as ‘black ops’, really has no point other than gaining experience. There is a story in there somewhere, but it’s really never touched upon enough to make sense, or make you care. Black ops has you going through certain missions, checkpoint by checkpoint, until you each the end. It’s about as interesting as it sounds. The option to go through it with up to 4 players could make it worth your while. By yourself, however, it’s just not worth it.

Thankfully, Blacklight: Tango Down has some very solid gameplay. For a downloadable title, which I hate saying, the production value is very high and provides for a better experience than you would expect. Everything runs smooth, the shooting feels great, and the pace of the online feels just right. Gadgets like the Hyper Reality Visor, revealing allies, enemies, health and more for a limited time is extremely useful and adds a little character to a seemingly ho-hum shooter. One of the gadgets, the digi-grenade, seems awesome on paper. It distorts the opposing players view with a cluster of pixelization, making it difficult to see. Unfortunately, that also makes it difficult to see said player. Bit of a blunder, but it can be overlooked. What can’t be, and just doesn’t make sense to me, is the iron sights for each gun. For some odd reason, when going into hard-aiming, the crosshair remains in place and just drops the gun a few inches below it. Obviously it increases accuracy, but it just seems and feels strange for the first few hours of playing. Complaints aside, this is still a great shooter and delivers a solid online experience.

The online modes, although what you would expect, are as fun as some of the best first person shooters out there. There’s your typical team deathmatch, domination and more; sticking with a formula that has already worked for so many other shooters, which is fine with me. The customizability from experience is impressive by any standards. There are a good number of guns, equipment, and armor that can be unlocked as you level up. Unlocks have always been a great incentive to keep playing any game, and Blacklight: Tango Down gets it right.

Presentation wise, Zombie Studios put a pretty admirable amount of work into such a wallet-friendly title. The visuals are sharp, pretty and inspired, while the electric tunes in the background help the vibe the developers were going for and set this game apart from other shooters; to an extent. Unfortunately, environments vary minimally and the soundtrack, after a good while, can get a bit annoying. Though, for the asking price, it’s really nothing to complain about.

So, to answer my original question, I do believe this holds up in todays market. That is, if you plan on playing this as a distraction in between other major titles. It most likely won’t keep you hooked long enough to max out the level cap and unlock every level, but for $14.99, it is without a doubt worth the cost of admission. At the moment, there’s a solid enough community to where you will always be able to find a match, so strike while the irons hot if you’re interested.

7.5/10

The first thing I noticed, that anyone noticed, is how clean and stylized the presentation is. I believe the fellow behind me exclaimed “Holy sh*t, the menus look sick!” I mentally agreed with him, and proceeded to choose my fighters. For the build that was available, there were about 20 fighters. My first time around, I chose Ryu, Doctor Doom, and Chun-Li. There was really method to my choices, I just didn’t want to keep the guy next to me waiting. Each fighter has 3 special moves that you’re allowed to chose one of. Again, I have no idea what difference these made, so I just chose the defaults. Then the match began.

For the first 15 seconds or so, I slammed buttons. For the first 15 seconds, it actually worked. Then, my opponent realized that I was clueless, and began to level me. After I lost, I laughed it off, and shook his hand. Instead of going off to another kiosk to play other games, I stepped back for about 20 minutes and watched what worked and what didn’t. I thought I had a grasp on what to do, so I jumped back in and played someone else.

Turns out, I actually won this time. I chose Ryu, Hulk, and Viewtiful Joe. Once again, this was on a whim. The difference was, I understood the importance of blocking at the right time, and actually switching my characters in and out. I know there are fans of the genre screaming at their monitors regarding my stupidity, but refer to sentence one of paragraph one.

The game plays and feels absolutely incredible. Everything runs extremely smooth, and is as responsive as could be. Even when I was slamming buttons, I was able to pull of some awesome looking moves that dealt quite a bit of damage. When I actually figured things out, it only got better. For only having a limited amount of time with it, I was shocked at how quickly it began to feel natural. Obviously I’d get my ass kicked by anyone who actually knows how to play well, but I’ll chalk this one up as a win for my own sake.

Oh and it looks pretty good too. Actually, it’s gorgeous. The animations are fluid, and the colors as vibrant as the comic books from which some of these fighters come from. Character models looked awesome, and certainly looked better than some of the overweight cos-players that populated the convention. Jokes aside, the special moves that fighters pull off look fantastic. Even when they were going to undoubtedly put an end to one of my fighters, I just didn’t mind because of the visual feast that led to my demise.

This was my first experience with the game. To be honest, I haven’t been giddy with excitement over a fighting game since….well, ever. Marvel Vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds was the talk of the show amongst the fellow gamers I spoke to, and for great reason. This game is going to be huge.

Oh, and apparently I’m the only one not obsessed with Deadpool. Someone want to clear that up for me?

Well, I kind of lied. Stay with me though. 3D Dot Game Heroes undoubtedly takes most of its gameplay mechanics and story progression from Nintendo’s beloved series, The Legend of Zelda. It’s quite obvious that this was the developers intentions. Appreciate it in all its retro-themed glory, and enjoy your slice of the Zelda pie on your Playstation 3.

3D Dot Game Heroes is a delightful, light-hearted romp that will invoke nostalgia and either remind experienced gamers of the games of old, or introduce newer gamers to what video games used to be. You’ll make your way through a number of temples in pursuit of rescuing “Dotnia” from the utter destruction of  monsters and such. It’s obviously formulaic, but it’s still great fun. The various allusions to other games will make the experienced gamer laugh, and even further appreciate what Silicon Studio has done here.

Gameplay in 3D Dot Game Heroes is, obviously and intentionally, akin to that of the Legend of Zelda. You’ll progress through the various temples of the game whilst acquiring new tools and items to assist you on your way. The entire world can’t be accessed from the beginning, but acquiring these items such as a boomerang, grappling hook, and more will help you reach previously unattainable destinations. Your sword is your main weapon, as expected. The more health you have, the larger it is. It’s a joy to see your massive blade at full health, because it looks ridiculous. The boss battles are easy to figure out, but sometimes are difficult to actually execute. For me, it’s the way a boss battle in a game like this should be. To be quite honest, I was surprised as to how fresh such an old formula could feel. In a market flooded by new gameplay mechanics, although not a bad thing, it’s nice to be reminded as to how gaming got to this point in the first place.

This is an incredible looking title, and easily one of the most aesthetically pleasing games of the year. 3D Dot Game Heroes is presented with a simple, 8-bit look, but modernized to fit the times. The semi-low camera angle presents an awesome depth of field effect, and everything is crisp as could be. All of the character models look great, and look even better exploding into a million blocky bits. It’s a wonderfully colorful experience. It’s virtually flawless from a technical stand point, and is a smooth experience all the way through. Developers take note; well-executed simplicity can be miles better than a title that tries to look too flashy for its own good.

The audio is good, but not great. The classic chippy tunes you would expect are here and sound great, but can tend to grind the gears of your mind when heard fifty too many times. The sound effects are basic and stand true to what the game is going for, so I can’t really complain. A little more variety here would have went a long way.

Other than the audio, I really only have one other complaint. The story really had nothing in it to make the player care. Some characters like the king are absolutely hilarious, and make the player want to see more. Most to all of the others just did nothing for me. Also, I often was confused with where to go next. I guess that’s the bad side of retro gaming.

Overall, 3D Dot Game Heroes is a great game. Simple but fun gameplay mechanics, excellent visuals, and nostalgia are what carries it. I can absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for something in the summer drought of gaming. It won’t blow your mind, but it’s an excellent time filler until the holiday season.

8.4/10

Calling it right now, Pacquaio or Pacquaio & Mayweather will be on the box art.

I’ve been looking for a great western game for too long now. I was one of the few who really enjoyed Red Dead Revolver, and was absolutely drooling the first time I read about Neversoft’s Gun. (In case you weren’t aware, Red Dead Revolver was not Rockstar Games’ project. It was originally Capcom’s doing, so this is Rockstar’s first true attempt). As soon as Red Dead Redemption was announced, I knew something fantastic was in the making. If it were anywhere close in terms of quality to Rockstar North’s critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto IV, I would’ve been more than satisfied. Also, this is not a true sequel. What’s here is more a spiritual successor, so don’t expect much to be translated over from the “original”.

Red Dead Redemption is the tale of one John Marston, a former outlaw who was abandoned by his posse and left for dead. A life he tried to leave behind him, Marston is now in pursuit of revenge and redemption (see what they did there?). It’s a bit cliche as a whole, but so well executed that even the sometimes semi-obvious plot points comes as a shock. This is one of the most well developed stories in a video game that I’ve played in years. Rockstar Games creates an unbelievably engrossing and organic world with Red Dead Redemption, but this is what we’ve come to expect. It’s the western we’ve been anticipating and hoping for, and it’s damn near impossible to put down.

In standard Rockstar fare, the presentation is absolutely staggering in every respect. Never before has there been such a fully realized, well crafted depiction of the west. Red Dead Redemption is set at the turn of the century near the border of Texas and Mexico. You’ll see examples of technology that were developing and brand new at the time, like the railroad system and automobile. The story and how it develops is only slightly based around some of these at-the-time technological wonders, but it provides for the perfect introduction to these new contraptions without them seeming out of place.

Other than that, this is what you would expect out of a western. It’s a wonderful story, with plenty of moments that will leave you floored. The characters in Red Dead Redemption are some of the best in recent memory. John Marston himself has quickly become one of my favorite video game characters of all time. Yes, he’s that good. The rest of the gang is equally as interesting, all thanks to some of the best voice acting in video games. The cut scenes are directed superbly, and help keep the plot more than interesting.

From a technical standpoint, Red Dead Redemption is astonishing. The game looks incredible, and runs quite well for such an expansive world. The various environments ranging from snowy mountains and heavily wooded forests to the vacant desert and towns all look great. Some of the weather effects like thunder and lightning are jaw-dropping. There’s minimal pop-in and aliasing, and the frame rate hardly ever dropped. It’s a bit of a shame that the ball was dropped in terms of resolution when compared to it’s Xbox 360 counterpart, but it can be easily overlooked.

Sound design is also spot-on. It’s obvious that serious attention to detail was given whilst creating some of the games many sounds. The voice acting is just about as perfect as it gets in video games, and the aural feast of gun shots ringing out while horses gallop thunderously adjacent a train barreling along is something worth experiencing undoubtedly. The soundtrack was expertly put together, and the few audio cues in some of the major parts of the game will give you goosebumps. In fact, I gave the entire soundtrack another listen through whilst writing this review.

Red Dead Redemption, for the most part, is Grand Theft Auto in the west. I know this. You, the reader, knows this. This game controls very similarly to GTA IV. The running, jumping, and gun play feel largely the same, with a cover system that’s a bit more refined. Now this is not a bad thing at all. The controls translate extremely well here, and refinements were made to aspects of the game to make it more fitting. One of the major ones, of course, is the horse back riding. I’m yet to ever play the game where riding a horse translates perfectly to a video game, but this is about as close as it’s going to get.

There’s a near-endless amount of things you can do in this game. Aside from the story, you’re presented with enough side quests to last you weeks on end. Bounty hunting, errand quests (that don’t suck) and more will add numerous hours to the already lengthy experience. I found myself on the way to start a mission, and being sidetracked for an hour by various missions along the way.  If that’s not enough for you, check out the extremely impressive online component.

I remember playing GTA IV online for the first time and thinking it was the greatest multiplayer experience since Counter Strike. That was for about an hour, until the novelty wore off and I realized it wasn’t all I expected. Rockstar San Diego adds to the good, and fixes the bad with Red Dead Redemption’s online. There’s your standard deathmatch, team deathmatch, and objective based modes. All of that works well, but it doesn’t have much lasting appeal. Free roam, on the other hand, is awesome. Up to 16 players is allowed, and up to 8 per posse. Yes, both posses can meet up and kill each other. There’s missions to be done around the world in order to increase XP and acquire unlocks consisting of characters, guns, mounts, and titles. With the right group of friends, it can be very satisfying and eat up hours upon hours of your free time.

Overall, I can’t stress enough how important it is you play this game. Obviously, it’s the greatest western video game of all time. You’re also looking at one of the best open world games in recent memory, and potentially the best game you’ll play this year. Aside from a few bugs here and there, it’s a near-flawless experience. The amount that’s been put into this game is admirable to say the least, so go pick up a copy and see what all the fuss is about.

9.9/10

In Freekscape: Escape From Hell, you play Freek. In short, he’s Satan’s eternal slave. As you would expect, he’s looking to escape hell and Satan’s indefinite servitude with the help of a holy trident he stumbles across in the beginning of his journey. There will be 40 levels to progress through in a Super Mario like manner, and each has a target time for those looking for more to do after it’s all over. It’s nothing outstanding, but it’s a fun, quirky way to progress the game and keep interest for it’s short duration.

Freekscape ultimately boils down to a puzzle-platformer, and a pretty good one in fact. Freek uses his trident to skewer various creatures through out hell that all have certain abilities. Some will help you jump up to higher platforms, and others break through walls. Clever puzzle design is what is what’s most important in a game like this, and that it has. It will begin easy, but end up requiring a good amount of thinking for those like myself. It’s a system that works well, and a light hearted platformer like this was needed in this sea of over done action games.

Graphically, Freekscape: Escape From Hell looks great for such an inexpensive title. For games this cheap, you wouldn’t expect to see it rendered in 3D. It’s not really technically impressive, but everything runs smoothly and looks pleasant.  There are obviously titles on the PSP that looks much better, but for what it’s worth I can’t complain at all. The sound, as well, is great. In its own way. There isn’t really much there, but there is a song that plays in the background of the game that will be embedded in you until you hum it out of your brain.

Overall, Freekscape: Escape From Hell is a game that you can only be happy for purchasing. It’s nothing worthy of mass recognition, but it’s definitely worth it’s asking price. It’s only $4.99. It’s surprising to see such well thought out gameplay and lovable presentation put into in such an inexpensive title, so my hat is off to Kidguru Games.

8.0/10

Wakeboarding HD is a quirky, arcadey take on the sport of Wakeboarding. You’ll spend your time pulling off ridiculous stunts, dodging numerous shark attacks, and launching over obstacles. In order to complete a level, you will usually be presented with three tasks to complete throughout the level. After you beat a level, the game progresses through a ‘world’ map until you reach the end. It’s a fairly short experience, but what’s offered here is actually pretty fun.

The gameplay is good. Nothing more, nothing less. Racking up points and dodging sharks can be really fun when it works well, which is 80% of the time. Unfortunately, Wakeboarding HD becomes pretty repetitive as the experience moves on. There are problems that seem minor, but ultimately end up costing you big time in some objectives. When falling off the board, you’ll be respawned about 20 feet further than where you fell off. If you were trying to collect a certain number of stars for example and you end up falling off your board before a big group of stars, looks like you’ll be missing most to all of them.

The controls are somewhat hit or miss, but mostly hit. You’ll use the L stick to move, using L2 and R2 to make sharp turns. All of the face buttons are used to launch off the wake of the boat pulling you in order to pull off a stunt. For the most part, the controls are responsive and offer up quite an enjoyable experience. There will be instances where sharp turns end up just a bit too sharp, and can end up completely throwing off an objective on a level, which will result in you having to restart the level in order to complete it. Although frustrating, it doesn’t entirely harm the overall experience.

Graphically, Wakeboarding HD actually looks really good for a downloadable title. The frame rate stays constant at all times, and I’m yet to see any screen tearing or aliasing of any sort. The colors are extremely vibrant and go along with the tropical theme of the game well. Visually, my only complaint with the game is that the character models are pretty poor. The sound is suitable but forgettable, not much to be mentioned here.

As for multiplayer, just don’t bother. It just doesn’t work the way it should, and is pretty disappointing.

Despite all it’s problems, Wakeboarding HD is overall a fun game. There is enjoyment to be had here for the right audience, but I just can’t recommend it as a whole. Sadly, that’s mostly because of it’s hefty 15$ price tag. If it were an outstanding experience, sure. But it isn’t. If you really want a wakeboarding game, definitely wait until the price drops.

6.9/10