When Halo: ODST was discussed during the Microsoft Press Conference at E3, the excitement among the crowd was less than many expected. Of course, the game was stuck in the middle of a press conference filled with thrilling demos and great surprises but it seemed as though many believed Halo was made of a now archaic game formula. With more realistic shooters such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare receiving praise and enjoying a large online following, Halo is seen by some as relatively lack luster despite a devoted fan base.

Nevertheless, I decided to take a look at Halo ODST on the show floor at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. Bungie was not showing off the single player or cooperative campaign that was shown during the Microsoft Press Conference, instead the press was allowed to play the new mode Firefight.

Of course, the Halo part of the game does not mean that you will be in Master Chief’s armor. Instead this installment of the Halo franchise will have players taking control of a shock trooper. Bungie representatives would not disclose any more details about the storyline, especially when asked about whether or not Master Chief would make an appearance.  What they did speak about was the large amount of changes to ODST in the last year. A year ago the game was described as a 3 to 5 hour expansion pack—something that has changed dramatically. The game will ship with two discs, the first including a significantly longer campaign and the second including the various multiplayer modes. Bungie and Microsoft are positioning the game as a full episode in the expanding Halo story arc.

Halo: Combat Evolved revolutionized first person shooters on consoles and the controls became progressively better through the subsequent sequels. The best way to describe Halo ODST in terms of controls is that the game includes a tune up of the gameplay and controls seen in Halo 3.  These changes are epitomized by the weapons, which are now much more satisfying to fire due to better sound effects and larger amount of damage dealt to enemies.. Although the game includes the now iconic battle rifle, pistol and plasma weapons, the shock troopers play quite differently than Master Chief. The shock troopers do not enjoy the heavy armor that protected Master Chief and thus the strategy used to fight the Covenant must be amended.

The difference in armor is reflected in the large difference in the health system. No longer will the shields deplete and recharge, rather there is a stamina meter which when cut down, lowers overall health. This system can be described as a close relative of the first Halo’s health system in which players were required to find health packs after taking large amounts of damage.  Jumping into an area with a high enemy density is now risky, so shock troopers must rely on silence weapons and help from their squad mates in order to complete the mission.

As previously mentioned, the only game mode available to play was the new multiplayer mode Firefight. In this game variant, four friends are able to fight together against progressively difficult waves of enemies. The difficulty is derived from the limited amount of ammunition, increasing amounts of Covenant foes and the new health system. Although health packs will respawn after every wave, the player must rely on allies to help defeat the Covenant and manage the amount of damage received.

The Beatles. The name is instantly recognizable to almost everyone.  Over a ten year span from 1960 to 1970, the group from Liverpool recorded some of the most influential and revolutionary albums, enjoyed enormous success, and served as manifestation of the cultural revolution of the times.

There are a lot of music games out for virtually every platform, yet none of them have ever included this legendary band’s music. The Beatles are notoriously protective over their likeness and intellectual properties, something that has aggravated fans for years. Luckily (through what was undoubtedly an expensive purchase), EA, MTV Games, and Harmonix were able to sign a revolutionary licensing agreement which allows the use of the Holy Grail of music libraries. For the first time you are able to experience life as John, Paul, George and Ringo.

At the MTV Games booth at E3, I had the opportunity to check out the game. As expected, Harmonix kept the basic setup of the successful Rock Band games. The prospect of playing new songs made the appointment highly anticipated.  The first song we played was I Wanna Hold Your Hand, a song written early in the Beatles’ odyssey.

A Harmonix representative explained the basics of the game and also informed us that the game supported backup singers, a key component of the Beatles’ sound.  I sang lead.  I noticed there were two other icons on the karaoke section of the screen.  These icons allow the guitarist and bassist to sing along in harmony. When playing I Feel Fine I came to the realization that singing and playing guitar simultaneously was a difficult task. Luckily, when playing an instrument, singing can do nothing but help the player. In other words, you won’t fail the song if you are incapable of handling two things at once.

The next song we played, I Am the Walrus, was important to the demo as it showed diversity unseen in the previous Rock Band games. As aforementioned (and something everyone should know), the Beatles dramatically changed both physically and musically during the 1960s. They morphed from a pop group with mop-top haircuts to psychedelic visionaries with extravagant wardrobes and facial hair.  I Am the Walrus is a key song to play in order to understand why the game generates excitement.

After playing music from early in the Beatles’ career, this song made it seem like a completely different game. Of course, the musical style is vastly different, but it is the visual style that changes and creates an entirely new ambiance.  You are no longer playing to the screams of teenage girls. Instead the dazzling colors representative of the psychedelic drug experience are constantly swinging in patterns across the background. The group members also reflect the changes as they don extravagant costumes and sport unruly hair and mustaches.

In past Rock Band games, the user-created band would play all the big cities in a variety of developer created venues. However, in the Beatles Rock Band, you will not only experience the Beatles’ career by playing as the members of the band, but also by playing their most important locales. The early songs are played in places such as the set of the Ed Sullivan Show and Shea Stadium, while the later songs could be performed on the rooftop where the Beatles played some of their last songs. These settings add an extra sense of immersion, something that was missing from other band specific music games.

The experience of playing as the Beatles is complimented further by the addition of replicas of the Beatles’ instruments in the special edition version of the game. Besides looking similar, the instruments feel much sturdier than those bundled with previous versions. The drums in particular are a large improvement over those packaged with Rock Band 2. Eventually cymbal attachments were released for the Rock Band drum set, but in Beatles Rock Band, the Ludwig drums include the cymbals which greatly enhance the experience.

After playing a few more songs, it became clear that Beatles Rock Band was one of the most impressive games at the show. Allowing players to be members of one of the greatest bands of all-time is an experience that developers of music games have attempted to create for years. The small taste of what should be a robust final product made it clear that the Beatles Rock Band is shaping up to be a must-have game when it is released on September 9.

One doesn’t know quite what to expect when starting Red Faction Guerrila.  The franchise has been plagued by vicissitudes of quality. The original Red Faction was a critically acclaimed, commercially successful first person shooter while Red Faction II was by and large a disappointment. Red Faction Guerilla keeps within the franchise’s futuristic Mars setting, but reinvents almost every other component.  Volition’s fresh creation is a strong one, largely due to the fundamental enjoyment provided by the destruction system, Geo-Mod 2.0.  Red Fraction Guerilla provides a satisfying single player campaign spearheaded by the addictive destruction, while the multiplayer component is a surprisingly strong addition which polishes the overall experience.

The player takes control of Alec Mason, a new immigrant to Mars seeking work among the colony’s lucrative mines.  Soon after he arrives on the planet, his brother shows him the workers are practically slaves. The Earth Defense Force, the liberators in the previous Red Faction games, has now become the leaders of a police state.  Although there is potential for a deeply immersive story, the narrative basically boils down to a simple tale of revenge as Alec seeks to punish the EDF who gun down his brother.

Welcome to Mars

The building in the background can be completely destroyed: every pillar, window, and wall.

The only help you need is weaponry. Luckily you will have an ever-growing and evolving arsenal at your disposal. There are a plethora of traditional weapons, such as machine guns, rocket launchers, and remote mines, but the best weapon is undoubtedly the ostrich hammer. This hammer, the main tool of all miners, is an amazing weapon for toppling buildings and also for killing enemy soldiers.  Regardless of which weapons the player chooses to use, demolition always unfolds differently—a testament to the enormously successful destruction engine.  There are many weapons, almost all of which can be upgraded throughout the course of the game. Upgrading weapons requires salvage, the game’s currency of sorts, which is collected among the rubble of destroyed buildings and also attained through the completion of side missions.

The side missions are spread throughout the six regions and offer varying levels of entertainment. Missions based around destruction are particularly fun while other, such as transporting vehicles, seem to fall flat. Nevertheless, by the end of the game, the lack of variation between the types of side missions made even the destruction based side missions seem less enjoyable. In addition, the fact that the player has to travel long distances in vehicles to arrive at these missions does not help alleviate the feeling of tediousness.

Get used to these types of images, you’ll see them a lot.

Red Faction: Guerilla is an upcoming open world third person shooter that I recently had the opportunity to preview at a THQ sponsored event in Las Vegas. Initially, I was a bit skeptical about the game’s premise as Guerilla was a large departure from the formula of the franchise. Red Faction was one of the more entertaining shooters of last generation due to the player’s ability to manipulate the environments using a wide range of inventive weapons.  After a largely disappointing sequel, THQ and Volition have reinvented the franchise.

The player takes the role of Alec Mason who recently moved to Mars after he was unable to find work on the economically depressed Earth. However, upon Alec’s arrival he realizes that the miners are practically slaves and that the Earth Defense Force created a totalitarian police-state. The EDF was the liberator of Mars in the previous Red Faction games, but it becomes apparent to all Martians that their true motive behind the intervention was because of lucrative natural resources.

The strengthening resistance, known as Red Faction, is fighting a guerilla war against the EDF. The rebels attempt to disrupt the heavily guarded infrastructure which extracts and refines the natural resources on the planet. Not politically inclined, Alec does not want anything to do with the resistance movement despite his brother’s fervent belief in the cause. This all changes after Alec witnesses some of the brutal measures which the EDF utilizes to maintain complete control.

Joining up with Red Faction, the player’s goal is to assist the resistance by destroying EDF infrastructure. There are six major regions in the game that need to be reclaimed from EDF control. This is no simple task as the player has to destroy EDF buildings and outposts as well as complete a number of side and plot-propelling missions. Alec has a large arsenal with which to both demolish and protect the multitude of destructible buildings.  A powerful mining sledgehammer, remote and proximity mines, and rocket launchers are but a few of the weapons you will have at your disposal.  These will come in handy as there are lots of things to blow up.

Although there is a cover system in the game, most players will find that the run-and-gun strategy is the most effective. The run part of the strategy should be emphasized due to the sheer amount of enemies you will be facing. During the course of play, if the EDF is alerted to your presence, whether by trespassing or by causing a “disturbance”, they will continue to pour into your position.  Despite some strategically placed ammo crates, it soon becomes clear that the player simply does not have enough ammunition to survive against the hoards of enemies. Thus, the way to escape the enemies and a certain death is to retreat back to a resistance strong point which will lower the heightened level. This is much easier said than done, but the tension that is created because of the increasing strength and size of the EDF forces is both memorable and exhilarating.

Upon taking control of Alec for the first time, I felt compelled to see how the damage system worked. Most players will probably spend a large amount of time at the beginning of the game destroying buildings to acquaint themselves with the world, but also because destroying buildings is extraordinarily fun.  In addition to driving the story forward, players will also find destruction important for the salvage left behind. This salvage, seen as luminescent pieces of metal, serves as the currency of sorts on the planet. It can be traded in at the guerilla camps to upgrade skills with various weapons as well as unlock new tools of destruction. With the enormous amount of destructible elements in the game, the upgrading system provides another reason for demolition (if you needed another reason).

Every player will find their own way to  obliterate buildings. I used the sledgehammer and remote mines almost exclusively in my quest to wreak havoc, which rudely introduced me to the game’s physics engine. Buildings will not fall after a certain amount of hits in one area, but rather, their various points of support must be attacked. The buildings many times are complex structures composed of multiple levels, but this complexity makes their demolition all the more exciting. With these monumental collapses comes a serious danger to the player as many times you will be squashed by crashing debris. This danger can be used to your own advantage as hoards of EDF soldiers will take cover in buildings and thus can also be crushed.

Taking any advantage you have over the EDF is important as their hold on Mars is very strong. After the player has the initial tutorial style missions in the Parker region, he will be able to travel to others of varying sizes and difficulties. To move throughout the world, Alec has the use of civilian, military and construction vehicles and eventually different types of jetpacks. The increase in movement speed is combined with a very helpful way point system which allows the player to select any point on the map and have a marker appear on the appropriate path.

Within the regions there are nine types of guerilla actions with which Alec will help colonists in the fight against the EDF. These missions range from attacking strongholds and convoys to rescuing captured colonists and information. However, one of the most entertaining was the Demolitions Master. In these side missions, players will have to destroy a target in a specific time span using limited ammo. Like all missions in the game, Demolitions Master gives the player salvage for completing them successfully. However, the time element allows for a great deal of competition while the physics engine allows for multiple strategies. The one slightly disappointing element of this mode was the lack of online integration which could have allowed players to easily compare times and scores with those of their friends.

Nevertheless, Red Faction Guerilla includes many multiplayer modes that you can enjoy with your friends.  THQ allowed us to play against other members of the press in a couple of the modes, all of which worked surprisingly well. The multiplayer includes traditional death match and capture the flag modes, but they were reinvigorated by the great weapons and the inventive implementation of different jetpacks (in addition to a propulsion jetpack there are increased speed, force push jetpacks etc.).

However, the most enjoyable multiplayer mode was one which uses the destruction mechanics from the single player in a competition between friends. Similarly to the Demolitions Master in the single player, this mode gives players a specific time limit and amount of weaponry to cause the most damage possible. While so many games tack on multiplayer, the initial look at some of the exhilarating multiplayer modes make me expect the game to have a strong online community.

After playing Red Faction: Guerilla, I can easily say that this should be a game on your radar. The name of the game is destruction—an element that is enormously entertaining. Although there are some things that need to be ironed out, the core gameplay combined with imaginative world attracts deserved attention to the game. The addition of a very promising multiplayer mode makes the game all the more compelling. Look for Red Faction: Guerilla and a review from TalkXbox in early June.

Grand Theft Auto IV was showered with game of the year awards last year. Virtually every outlet in the video game industry praised the trials and tribulations of the East European immigrant, Niko Bellic. The gameplay was phenomenal, the graphics impressive, and the expansive world and voice acting unprecedented. GTA IV is the next game in the top selling franchise which was a large element of the amazing success of the Playstation 2. The sales impact of the Grand Theft Auto franchise prompted Microsoft to pay for exclusive rights to the first downloadable content package for GTA IV.  This episode, entitled The Lost and Damned, contains both improvements and additions to the award winning GTA IV formula.  The low price makes it even more enticing.

The Lost and Damned tells the story of Johnny Klebitz and his biker gang, The Lost. The narrative begins with Johnny serving as the leader while the president, Billy Grey, is in court-mandated rehab for narcotics possession.  Unshaken by his trouble with the law, Billy has grandiose plans for the gang. Much to the Johnny’s chagrin, Billy begins a war with The Angels of Death, the consequences of which will create conflict within the Lost and dire effects on the gang members. Although Johnny’s story is compelling, it does not come close to the emotional transformation Niko Bellic underwent. That being said, the story is better than the average video game story and made all the better by superb voice acting which adds significant weight to much of the dialogue.

Johnny Klebitz means buisness

Through a campaign that lasts approximately 8-10 hours, you take control of Johnny and attempt to alleviate the increasingly grim situation in Liberty City.  The journey of The Lost and Damned is largely entertaining as it is filled with plenty of twist and turns which will garner close attention. You will even run into familiar faces from GTA IV, including Niko Bellic. In other words, the majority of the missions are new and don’t just place the player in previous GTA IV missions from the perspective of another character.

As The Lost and Damned is episodic content and not an expansion pack, you won’t see any new locations. However, you will encounter new cars, motorcycles, weapons, side missions, and multiplayer modes which all help create a refreshing gameplay experience.  The side missions in particular are a very nice addition to the core formula of GTA IV. One of the few complaints previously held against the game were the cutbacks in the amount of missions and activities available to the player outside of the main quest line. An improved version of the fan favorite gang wars from GTA: San Andreas make a return in The Lost and Damned as well as motorcycle races reminiscent of the 1991 classic Road Rash (baseball bat violence included).

Along with the new gameplay elements in The Lost and Damned, there are many smaller additions that make the new content an improvement over the GTA IV experience.  Riding motorcycles is much easier in The Lost and Damned. Where in GTA IV turning was sometimes difficult and the bikes would often times flip arrantly after hitting a curb, these inconsistencies are largely eradicated in The Lost and Damned.

There are two new mini games, arm wrestling and a card game, as well as hilarious new shows on the TV and websites on the faux internet.  More impressive are the 50 new songs which make driving around the city much more enjoyable (if you are a Rock Band player many of these will be familiar). The music selection helps establish the biker culture, largely because it includes songs that bikers would probably listen to (AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Iron Maiden, Mötley Crüe etc.).

The double barrel sawn-off shotgun is one of the new weapons in The Lost and Damned

The biggest improvement made over the GTA IV standalone experience is made not in the single player, but rather in the multiplayer. The new multiplayer modes of Bike Races, Own the City, Lone Wolf Biker, Club Business, and Chopper v. Chopper are much more fun than those originally found in GTA IV. All of the variants are fresh and inventive, allowing players to use the new weapons and vehicles effectively while also showing off much of the detailed Liberty City through interesting means. Own the City was particularly enjoyable as it was a gang war throughout the entire city (one of the bigger improvements in the single player) made all the better because of the ability to play with your friends. The improved multiplayer modes will also be more easily accessible to players with the new “instant action” allowing you to jump directly into a game without having to wait in any sort of lobby system.

One questionable change in The Lost and the Damned is the visual presentation. Although the game includes graphics equally as technically impressive as those in GTA IV, there is a new color pallet that makes the game appear much darker. Some will argue that this new look is keeping with the dark tone of the storyline, yet I found the visuals to be distracting, often times taking away from the visual splendor that was so apparent in GTA IV’s Liberty City.

Despite the questionable change to the graphical presentation, The Lost and Damned is a very well developed piece of content for one of the best games of last year. The story combined with the improvements to the gameplay experience creates an easily recommendable purchase, especially because of the relatively low price. If you aren’t a fan of GTA IV, this content will most likely not change your mind. However, if you cannot get enough of Liberty City, you will definitely be pleased with these additions and improvements.

Real Time Strategy is a genre of video games that’s rarely seen on consoles.  RTS enthusiasts argue that a game controller simply doesn’t have enough buttons to allow quick movement to build units and structures during fast paced battles that epitomize the genre.  After little success in previous attempts, EA’s goal is to make the lucrative and popular RTS genre work on consoles. Although the initial efforts showed promise, the same doubts that fettered earlier creations are still among the largest criticisms. Determined to address these problems, developer EA Los Angeles resurrected the popular series to create Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, the first installment developed for consoles in addition to the PC.

Before we discuss anything else, the verdict on the controls must be delivered as it is the biggest deterrent for gamers. Simply put, Red Alert 3 has the best controls of any console RTS. While not completely perfect, it’s easy to use and works extraordinarily well. The new controls coupled with the series’ signature, superbly acted live action cut scenes and imaginative units and storylines, create a core experience that is very good. Despite these strengths, some of the game’s shortcomings such as uninspired missions, poor graphics and a lack of options for online play overshadow momentous gains in the control scheme.

Red Alert’s universe is based off an alternate history of sorts—one in which the collapsing Soviet Union discovered time travel. This allowed them to assassinate Albert Einstein, the source of their ideological enemy’s invincibility, before he was able to make his breakthrough discoveries. The deed caused drastic effects on the space time continuum. In this alternate universe, the Allies (Western Europe and the United States), the Soviet Union, and the previously non-existent Empire of the Rising Sun (Japan) are all vying for a world power monopoly. As any historian will tell you, it is quite obvious that this one act would not have altered history to the extent to which it does in Red Alert’s universe. However, Red Alert’s story is not meant to be a hardcore, authentic simulation, but rather a source of pure entertainment.

As this game is not meant to be realistic, some of the most satisfying elements are the outlandish unit types available. The Soviets scour the battlefield with war bears, the Allies control the sea with laser-dolphins, and the Rising Sun utilize anime-inspired robots including the behemoth that is the Samurai Executioner. However, the main source of entertainment in the game is the superbly funny dialogue found in the live action cut scenes courtesy of great work by experienced actors including Tim Curry (Premier Cherdenko), George Takei (Emperor Yoshiro), and J.K. Simmons (President Ackerman). The accents and stereotypes are exaggerated, which further embellish the ironic storylines.  More importantly, they make the game funny, something very rare in video games.

The single player experience includes the distinct campaigns of the three factions. Each campaign is made up of nine missions of varying length, composed of drastically different experiences to be had with each of the factions. The Soviet campaign proves to be the most enjoyable as the locations and structures of the missions blend well with the faction’s specific units. The Allied and Empire of the Rising Sun’s campaigns are less inventive, particularly due to increased restrictions on building units. The Allied campaign should be specifically noted as having the weakest of the three. These missions take the player away from building units and resource management and put them in charge of only a small group of units or their specific hero, Tanya.

The core gameplay is based around ‘rock-paper-scissors’ like strategy using the game’s ground, naval, and air units. This basic formula is improved with the addition of secondary attacks and forms.  Oftentimes specific units will be able to counter their biggest weaknesses with this new gameplay element.  An example of this is the Empire’s helicopter robot unit which can convert between a powerful air unit and a fierce anti-air ground unit.  Whereas these helicopters would traditionally be helpless against fighter jets, in Red Alert 3 they can morph into their secondary form and completely change the balance of the battle.

The biggest differences between the factions are their modes of production. The Soviets build their structures through traditional means by choosing the spot and watching it being built. The Allies build their structures in a queue and then begin forming in the selected spot. This is an obvious advantage to the Allies as they do not have their structures in the weak “building” status for as long.  However, the Empire also has an advantage in that it isn’t necessary to build in close proximity to the base. This element does have its disadvantages however.  Playing as the Empire requires a closer eye on the building process due to the fact that they must engineer a drone-type-unit which has to move to position and is prone to being attacked.

Another important aspect of many of the missions is the addition of the co-commander. This is another commander from your faction that builds their own base while trying to aid you in your objectives. The player has some limited controls over the co-commander’s actions.  Using the left bumper and a direction on the directional pad, the player can direct the co-commander to hold position or attack a specific target. This co-commander can be helpful, but its inclusion has large consequences as the difficulty setting has an astronomical effect on their performance. On the medium or high difficulty the co-commander is usually eviscerated quickly leaving the player in a very weak position.  Furthermore, the co-commander often finishes mission objectives before the player has the chance to complete secondary objectives.  This can be very frustrating as a restart is the only way to finish the other objectives.

The real reason for the co-commander mechanic is because of the revolutionary cooperative campaign play.  Red Alert 3 is the first RTS to include a cooperative online campaign and playing with a friend definitely ensures a more compelling experience.  The large scale battles are obviously more fun with the help of a friend as a human partner eradicates balancing problems with the difficulty.  However, in an inexcusable design flaw, the game has no matchmaking process. This will prohibit a large amount of gamers to join the new online campaign as it is impossible to play if no one on their friends list has the game.

As mentioned before, the revamped control scheme is the largest differentiator between Red Alert 3 and any other console RTS game. Using a selection wheel (that is accessed by pulling the right trigger) the player has a way to control all aspects of the battlefield with relative ease. This fast reaction time is due to the easier selection of units with a highlighting selection process and the ability to view the entire map in greater detail thanks to the ability to enlarge the mini-map. That being said, the ease of controls does not make them fully accessible to non-gamers.  Even experienced players will find that the tutorial is a necessity to obtain knowledge of all the commands.

Whereas the game is technically advanced in the control scheme, the graphics are lackluster.  Red Alert 3 has a larger array of colors compared to other games of similar themes, yet individual units lack almost any graphical detail and there are some severe clipping issues associated with their movement. The low detail does mean that the frame rate is steady throughout the game, even during the most hectic battles, but this is no substitute for mundane graphics. Interestingly enough, where the graphics are bland, the sound in the game is invigorating. The effects of weapons and the voice acting create an immersive experience. Furthermore, the soundtrack is memorable as it includes many guitar riffs while implementing sounds from each faction’s specific music styles.

Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 includes many elements that can make real time strategy games successful on consoles. The creation of an adequate control scheme and an online campaign are breakthroughs that when combined with the humorous and entertaining story should equal a superb package. However, it is because of the shortcomings specifically in mission design, graphics and online options that do not allow Red Alert 3 to be recommended outright unless you are a fan of the genre.