QuikReview: Boom Blox from Quiksave on Vimeo.

The Quiksave team gives Boom Blox its due. All you need to know about the game, presented with that Quiksave sumthin' sumthin'.

We�re pretty used to this by now in the gaming world. Movies base on toys, television shows, books, older movies, and, of course, comics. Marvel comics, the majority. When looking at Marvel as a whole, Hollywood producers certainly have a rich tapestry to choose from. At this point, the comic-movie market essentially entails finding a character that hasn�t been used yet, and turning him or her into a cinematic phenomenon through extensive advertising. Hitting the video game world with the newest �big thing� is only a natural step, and many consumers are indeed happy to have further opportunities to engross themselves in this exciting, freshly over-hyped universe.



Now, to be fair, Iron Man isn�t just some leftover character that producers jumped on because he�s the best available; Iron Man is a a truly dynamic and interesting creation of the Marvelverse. He was part of the Avengers, so he�s a big deal, alright? Regardless, I�m not here to justify the accuracy of qualifying Iron Man as an interesting character and all-around badass. I�m here to talk about his transition to the world of next-gen gaming.

It�s important for a game releasing with a movie to highlight the same features as the film. Lately, this means the game needs to get the look right more than anything else. When looking at screenshots of Iron Man from the film vs. your in-game character, they are nearly identical. A lot of work went into making the player�s avatar as sharp, fluid and shiny as possible, and it pays off. It�s obviously the prerogative of the game�s visuals to work in tandem with the film so as to bring the player back to the experience they had with the movie. Sadly, the visual similarities cease at the tip of Tony Stark�s brilliantly rendered fingers, as ballooning out into the rest of the gargantuan stages you find yourself in is nothing but graphical filth.



Well, maybe that�s not completely fair, I should set the tone first. All the stages in Iron Man are enormous, so as to allow you some room to fly around in at super-sonic speeds. Up in the sky, it really doesn�t look so bad. Sure, it looks boring, but boring is real. Once you get up close, textures abandon their posts and flee to the hills, and the only thing left to catch your eye are the tanks and infantrymen who look like they escaped from a PS2. Again, most of your time is spent miles above these enemies, raining death upon them, so I suppose it could be forgiven for its lack of detail, at least a little.

On that note, you�d better absolutely love all the flying/hovering this game throws at you, as there�s really not much beyond it. The first mission, the �escape from the Taliban� sequence you�ve all hear so much about, is the only one not to focus on flying. Instead, you run through the corridor-like stage (at inhuman speeds) blasting away with your flamethrower. There�s definitely something wrong with that flamethrower, by the by, as hitting enemies with it never results in setting them ablaze, but makes them fall to their knees, reach into the sky to, I assume, curse my name one final time before falling into a gentle, eternal sleep.

The flight is actually well put together control-wise, with your ascension controlled by the left trigger. Holding it down gains altitude, and holding it halfway keeps you at your present height. Once you�re introduced to all the different buttons and maneuvers it can be daunting, but it is altogether a functional system. The only other problem is that the camera can really get you lost if you�re doing anything that involves turning. You�ll have a lot of time to get used to it, as every mission plays out in exactly the same fashion. You�re plunked down in the middle of a vast expanse, and give 3+ blips on your radar. �Go destroy those!� says Jarvis, the magical voice in your head. Fulfilling this objective rewards you with more blips to go annihilate, and the pattern repeats four or five times before the big ol� boss rolls out, but don�t get too excited. The boss fights are a true tragedy. A fifteen minute level of fighting helicopters yields the boss, a super helicopter. Tank level? Meet King Tank.



If those aren�t creative enough for you, just wait until you hear about the system with which to fight these brutes! The helicopter shoots missiles, right? Well, Iron Man can catch �em, �n toss �em back. Sure he�s got hand-cannons and the godlike powers of the Unibeam, but the missiles and only the missiles can penetrate the super-copter. Catch, throw back, repeat over 20 times. Now, as for the tank boss, (and every boss not gifted with flight) what you�ve gotta do is position yourself above him, and then find that right trigger on your controller, ok? Got it? Now hold it down for six minutes. What? You�re not a good aim? Don�t worry, the lock-on system is so forgiving it won�t matter. The game will do it for you! Wasn�t that fun? Even more frustrating, some of the bosses on the ground, like Whiplash, for example, can�t even fight back! They just scurry around until you kill them! Did I forget what �fun� was, or is that just a little ridiculous?

In between levels is the only place I found myself having anything that might be qualified as �fun,� and it was on the character upgrade screen. You receive money after every mission based on your speed, and the percentage of objectives you destroyed. It�s very simplistic, but you can upgrade your suit in different areas. For example, you can upgrade your core systems to increase your maximum health, or your repulsors to increase flight control. Even though it�s as basic as can be, it�s more than I was expecting in customization from a standard action game. Eventually you also gain the ability to unlock different suits, many of which reference different escapades of the comic book Iron Man. The HulkBuster armour is truly rad.



These movie games all end up feeling the same: a sad attempt at recreating the feelings of excitement and wonder in seeing a truly amazing character do truly amazing things. Putting that power in the hands of the player won�t create a positive experience unless some real thought goes into the product as a real game, not just a cash-grab feeding off the movie�s hype. The game needs to become its own product for it to succeed, and Iron Man does not. Yes, work went into making the game�s Iron Man a near perfect reflection of the suit we saw Robert Downey Jr. squeeze into, but not once was the tension, emotion, or action anywhere close to the level of that in the film.

Score: 4.5 - This game is embarrassing.

The latest installment in Nintendo's tried and true brand of racer with a little Wii-flare thrown into the mix. Announced not even a year ago, it's just behind Smash Bros. in making fanboys wet themselves with anticipation every few years. The Mario Kart series has seen titles on every Nintendo platform since the SNES, and has been a blockbuster success every time. Now, with hype reaching its peak a few days before launch, it looks like the Wii won't be the console to break the streak.

Synopsis
Not a game with a particularly stirring narrative, the Mario Kart series sees all the characters from the Marioverse putting their differences aside for some violent kart-racing along insane and precarious tracks built around extreme danger.

Pros:

The gameplay is what it's all about in Mario Kart, right? That tradition of quality doesn't abandon the franchise here, as the controls are functional and well thought-out. The new Wii-wheel Nintendo's been plugging like there's no tomorrow isn't as bad as we all feared it might be. It's surprisingly accurate, and though you'll find yourself overcompensating an awful lot the first few races, most people get used to it pretty quick, and hey, it is engaging and fun, loath as some of the hardcore may be to admit it. Shaking the Wii-remote to do tricks in mid-air is very rewarding; the only downside comes from using the wheel control scheme, as moving it around so much can skew your trajectory, often creating messy (and unbelievably frustrating) results. The experts said it, and now I believe them: Nunchuck-Wiimote is the way to go if you want to succeed.

As usual, the perk of having 4-player split-screen multiplayer is a huge plus, and now that Nintendo's reluctantly added in some online capacity to its big titles, you've always got someone to play with (assuming you've got some 14-digit friend codes handy). You also have an option to play online against random opponents, and I have to say that the online play is truly superb. Very quick connection times and a beautiful aesthetic to accompany the matchmaking make it a positive experience, perhaps the highlight of the game. The fact that both you and a friend can take on 10 racers across the globe is a beautiful thing. Virtually no lag nor dropouts are anywhere to be seen. Sure, it doesn't stand up to some online services, but for Nintendo, this is really a knockout.

Cons:

By now, all the hardcore Wii owners out there have come to terms with the fact that their games just can't stack up to the high-def beauties we see come pumping out of Microsoft and Sony studios. That being said, with titles like Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Galaxy Nintendo has shown that their little platform can look damn good in spite of its graphical inferiority on paper. Considering it comes from the same publishers as these other pretty titles, it's really a shame that Mario Kart Wii is just plain ugly. The characters were all built with coloured triangles! I understand that it had to be tuned down a bit to compensate for framerate and online play's sake, but gross. No change from Double-Dash is tragic, considering that this title is supposed to be an evolution of the series. Psst, Mario Kart! I can see your polygons!

Double-Dash changed the franchise, and at the time it was a desperately needed shift. Was anyone out there truly not sick of the same game four times over? Two people in a kart! Changes! Fun!! Turns out that's not the way Nintendo wanted to take the franchise, as we're back to one-per-kart fun. Yes, there are bikes, (faster karts) and yes you can do “tricks” in mid-air by having a waggle-fest, but this is the exact same game I've been playing for ten years. With two items that aren't recycled from other Mario Karts, (the annoying lightning-cloud and the POW block) and less than half the available tracks being new to this title, where's my incentive to buy this game?

Sure, there's online play, but personally I don't know my friend-code, and I don't care to learn my friend-code, much less my friends' friend-codes. The ranked-worldwide online, however, as stated above, truly shines.

Final Thoughts

The wheel is fun for a little while, but when it comes down to it, I want to feel in control of my racer, The Nunchuck-Wiimote combo is definitely the right choice in that respect. This game offers what Double-Dash did, without the dynamic two-character combinations. Double-Dash had special character-only items, giving the game a feel of some strategy regarding the combinations of driver and item-user. Mario Kart Wii has not taken one step forward in play options nor presentation. Mario Kart is always well put-together, always accessible to a wide audience, and always fun. This game is all of these things, but has nothing to make it better than any other installment in the series. $50 to play Mario Kart with wireless controllers, that's what this is.

Score: 7 - This game is pretty good.
Taken from Quiksave.net, published earlier.

Your weekly guide in wading through the sea of downloadable games. Let Tom hold your hand and take you on a journey through the marketplace. Separating the shining successes from the repetitive filth, this is DLC Do�s and Dont�s.

Do yourself a favour and go download flOw, if you haven�t already. This one�s an oldie, relatively speaking. flOw hit the PSN right at the launch of the PS3�s online marketplace, and it was immediately hailed as an independent and new experience that everyone owes it to themselves to try. It became the �cool� game, the �it� experience, created by a down-to-earth group, not a huge, faceless corporation. It had the street cred that Portal has now. You haven�t played Portal? You don�t know shit. Same with flOw a year ago.

In case you don�t know, the highlight feature in flOw is the use of SixAxis motion controls to guide your tiny plankton through various levels of ocean depths. The objective is to devour everything smaller than you to, in turn, make yourself larger and larger. Once you�ve spent enough time feasting on the weak, you can take on the big boys: Other plankton, amoebas, and small fish-like creatures await your challenge in your journey to become lord of the ocean (or just live out a sad microorganism�s life).

The minimalist art-style of this game is completely unforgettable. The beautiful white glow of your character coupled with its jagged and chic body design always seem unique and pleasing. 1080p doesn�t hurt, either. Also, the soundtrack is the most soothing thing I�ve ever experienced in a game. Many a time have I moved my cursor to flOw on the XMB and left it there, just to listen to the serene choral experience the game provides.

With seven different modes/lifeforms to play through as, a gorgeous theme and soundtrack, and a quirkily charming play style and premise, PS3 owners owe it to themselves to check out flOw. And hey, you wanna be cool, right?

Don�t bother with Undertow. I know it was free for a while, I know Microsoft�s been pushing it on its Live subscribers for some time now, but just don�t. Maybe the idea of battling undersea civilizations seems cool to you. Hell, it sounds pretty rad to me. Too bad its execution is the most tragic attempt at a strategy game I�ve seen in a while.

First of all, the play style wants to be an RTS, though you only have control of one unit at a time. When your side little diver meets his end, you can spawn as a different class of character if you wish, complete with different speed and range. The objective is to maintain control of your three glowing points on the map, and seize the enemy�s. So swim on over, spray your bullets all over the enemies, and hover around that glowing red area until it turns blue. Oh, too bad while you were busy completing that objective, they took two of yours. Back you go, little diver!

Now if that doesn�t sound like enough fun, hold onto your O2, little aqua-marines! Pathetic-voice-acting-island waits for you just beyond the reef of disturbingly ugly character models. Sure it had to be capped below 150 megs to see life on the XBLA, but does that justify pumping out a butt-ugly gaming experience? We�ve seen many examples of beautiful games that don�t just go the way of Unreal Engine Jr., crammed down until it�ll fit on a smaller game.

Undertow doesn�t know what it wants to be, but I know I want it off my hard drive.

We've been getting bi-weekly updates from Namco over the last few months on SCIV, and they might just continue all the way to launch day. Today's epic reveal features the confirmation of SC staples Talim and Yoshimitsu, as well as Rock, the lovable barbarian cloaked in animal hide.

Rock was featured in the first Soul Calibur game, but vanished from the series for the last few installments, and reappeared as an unlockable Astaroth-Clone in SCIII. He didn't have the interesting grapple-attack depth that A-town possessed, but his voice acting was phenomenal. "BANGOOOOO!"

The fact that Yoshimitsu's back means that come July 29th we'll all find someone to hate for overusing the dreaded sword-hop. How the hell does he do that!?

From PS3 Fanboy

Your weekly guide in wading through the sea of downloadable games. Let Tom hold your hand and take you on a journey through the marketplace. Separating the shining successes from the repetitive filth, these are some DLC Do�s and Dont�s.

Do you remember those Pok�mon things? There�s been a growing number of offshoot games in the Pok�verse, Mystery Dungeon, Ranger, and Pinball just to name a few. Back in the days of the N64, smack in the middle of the Pok�mon rise to power, Pok�mon Snap hit the scene. It hit the Wii�s Virtual Console a few weeks back, whether you�re a fan of the Pok�verse now, or ever have been, you owe it to yourself to check out this gem of a flashback.

Developed by HAL studios back in 1999, it was well reviewed in every category save playtime. It�s true, you can have this thing beat in a little under two hours, for sure. You�re only going through the same track on the same six levels, with very little diversity in that respect. However: there is depth here, if you look for it. Take pictures of the little guys you pass on your cart, and get graded on them based on the criteria of how centered the subject is in the shot, how close you get, and whether or not they�re doing an interesting action or pose. Fairly simple, and as you replay levels you figure out the best times to snap the little guys, and the optimal pattern for getting as many as possible.

Do this a few times, however, and then Professor Oak, the lovable guy, gives you the greatest gift of all: an endless supply of apples. Do you have any idea how much shit you can do with apples? You can feed them to Pok�mon, you can adjust the landscape with them, and you can use them to attack the little guys! You can cause them harm! How long, deep down inside, have you wanted to smoke Pikachu right in the kisser with a shiny, red apple? Not only is it remarkably therapeutic, but you can beat on some of them to the point of making them faint, and guess what? Picture of a Pok�mon you brought to the brink of death? BONUS POINTS! Oak�s twisted like that.

My point here is that as the game progresses, you gain a great deal of incentive to replay the stages to see the different ways this canned experience, this dance, plays out in front of your eager eyes. As for some specifics, the graphics are above average for the Nintendo 64, the sound is all true to the series and remarkably cheerful, and the gameplay experience is unique and charming. Up until now, every title I�ve picked up off the Virtual Console for nostalgic reasons has left me frustrated and quickly bored, but Snap is a game I can pick up for anytime and enjoy; whether I do a quick run-through to upgrade my score on a few shots, or dig deeper and look for new ways to manipulate the environment, I�m always smiling. This title, just under a decade old, completely withstands the test of time.

Don�t think that just because it got some serious clout from its PSP installment that the LocoRoco universe in infallible. What was once a charming, artistically exciting, outside-the-box masterpiece is now, on the PS3, little more than the most aggravating screen saver ever conceived in the form of LocoRoco Cocoreccho!

The original LocoRoco featured the player as a caring, omnipotent deity doing his darndest to guide the endangered LocoRocos out of harms way. The objective was to make it from point A to point B by separating the little guys out into miniature fleets to squeeze through tight tunnels and roll over pitfalls, singing a happy song all the way. The singing made it through to the sequel, but most of the gameplay was lost along the way, it seems. The little guys basically just march/hop through the level by themselves, never facing any serious danger. The fact that the game could potentially just play itself forever while you stare blankly, wondering where your $10 went is the main contributor to all the screen saver comparisons.

Where you come in, (should you choose to) is in manipulating the odd branch and platform via SixAxis controls. It�s plenty responsive and feels accurate enough, but you�d better really enjoy it, as it�s 90% of what you�ll be doing for the next hour. You have a main cursor on the screen in the manifestation of a glowing butterfly, and the press of a button makes any LocoRocos in the area do their best to hop in your direction for a short period. The main goal isn�t to make it through the level this time �round. The focus is on waking all the sleeping LocoRocos scattered through the level by shaking or nudging them however you can. Once enough of them are up and about, they�ll eventually make their way to a weighing station, and trigger what seems like a boss fight.

I spent a good hour and a half on what I assume is the first level, and then proceeded to fight a posse of angry clouds, bent on devouring my helpless army. The battle consists of using a cannon to fire at the clouds, with the LocoRocos themselves as the ammunition. Only problem here is that half the time you would make a connecting hit to an enemy, they�d just catch the LocoRoco in their mouth, and I could just watch in stupefied horror as the poor yellow ball screamed before he was chewed and swallowed. This happened three times before I was met with a lovely �GAME OVER� screen, and popped back into the beginning of the first stage, back to one lonely Loco.

To summarize, the few controls present are frustrating, as the little buggers never pay proper attention to your butterfly, the levels are fairly unimaginative, and it never occurs to the game to reward you in any way for wasting all that time. The sheer futility and agonizing repetition are the key reasons I would encourage you to stay away, but the fact that you�ll be listening to the same happy song on an endless loop is a good incentive as well.