The Expendables is total ’80s cheese, with all the blood and gore audiences of the ’90s demand from their hard R-rated actioners. However, I would still say this is toned down from Sylvester Stallone’s 2008 throat-ripping return to Rambo. Taking that into consideration I can admit I had some fun with this film, but the idea of bringing a large group of action stars together doesn’t really pay off as much as you may think it would.
Despite the large list of names, Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham are pretty much the stars of the show, though Jet Li’s name is included in the opening credits as the other top-line star. The rest of the crew all gets second-billing and the film treats them as such. As for the trailers selling Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis as part of the cast, they get their five minute scene, but that’s it.
The story centers on a group of goofy-named mercenaries for hire made up of their leader Barney Ross (Stallone), knife specialist Lee Christmas (Statham), martial arts expert Ying Yang (Li), demolitions expert Toll Road (UFC fighter Randy Couture) and weapons specialist Hale Caesar (Terry Crews). This group has been hired to infiltrate the not-so-real South American island of Vilena where they are expected to overthrow General Gaza (David Zayas) who’s ruling the island like a dictator after entering into a deal with James Monroe (Eric Roberts), a dirty ex-CIA agent interested in starting up a little drug trade of his own and using the people of Vilena as slave labor.
Those curious about the cast members I’ve left out, but you’ve seen featured in the marketing, don’t worry I have you covered. One time pro wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin plays one of Monroe’s henchmen, Mickey Rourke is a tattoo artist that once ran with Barney and the gang and Dolph Lundgren’s Gunner character is a bit of a story all his own that I won’t spoil for you here.As for the movie, if you’re looking for anything more than a bunch of explosions and bloodshed then you’ve come to the wrong place. Of course, if you are interested in this movie I have a hard time believing you are actually looking for anything else. You can trust me on this aspect, you get what you’ve come for, but I can’t say it’s so good it’s going to blow you away. However, the opening moments do offer a torso removal that sets the bar so high the extreme violence throughout can’t top it.
Stallone directed the film from a script he co-wrote with Doom co-writer Dave Callaham, which should give you a clear indication of what to expect in that department. For the most part it’s a “men on a mission” story, but with the involvement of so many men it’s hard to get a bead on any one of them outside of the paper thin background Rourke’s character offers on Barney and the relationship woes Christmas is involved in with Charisma Carpenter. And although I like the small bit of comedy Li adds to the film, Stallone doesn’t do much to show off his talents as Statham gets most of the glory in terms of the hand-to-hand fight scenes.
For what it’s worth, The Expendables is a fun hard-R actioner, but fun in the sense you know what you’re paying for and aren’t expecting much else. No new ground is broken here, but you will see gunfire, explosions and a large amount of chaos. I will say this for Stallone, his average is at the very least above the average of most others in this game.
Theaters: August 13, 2010
Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eric Roberts, 50 Cent, Charisma Carpenter, Giselle Itie, Terry Crews, Brittany Murphy, David Zayas
Distributed by: Lionsgate Films
Genres: Action,Adventure
Running Time: 103 minutes
Produced by: Avi Lerner,John Thompson,Robert Earl,Kevin King Templeton
Screenwriter: Sylvester Stallone
Executive Producers: Boaz Davidson,Trevor Short,Danny Dimbort
Friday, October 8, 2010
RESIDENT EVIL – AFTERLIFE 3D (2010) REVIEW
Which brings us to Resident Evil: Afterlife, the first video game adaptation filmed with the 3D technology used in James Cameron’s Avatar. In many ways, it’s strikingly modern. Falling three dimensional droplets of water perfectly bookend a few fight scenes, 300-like slow motion nicely stutters breakneck action sequences allowing the viewer full appreciation of Alice’s samurai quickness, and hideous, CGI-ed beasts accentuate the fantastical, undead video game elements so many players fell in love with. But for all its twenty-first century camera tricks and eye-popping visual aids, Resident Evil: Afterlife doesn’t seem to comprehend that it’s not 1985. Story arcs can no longer exist merely to structure the action. We need real characters, we need real motivations and for God’s sake, we need a reason to give a shit.
Alice (Milla Jovovich) is a genetic anomaly, living in a wasteland populated almost entirely by zombies. The nefarious Umbrella Corporation, led by Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts), has been hunting her for years in an effort to harness her DNA, but all their vile aims, thus far, have failed abysmally. In return, Alice has devoted her life to finding other survivors and when the fancy strikes her, turning the umbrella inside out. Periodically, she’s joined on her quest by fellow human Claire Redfield (Ali Larter), but tragically, since we saw her last, she’s developed amnesia. This slight mental disability, thankfully, only proves a minor hiccup, and soon the pair commandeers a plane and hits up an old prison in an attempt to save a few fellow lost souls.
In a wild stroke of luck, one of those fellow lost souls turns out to be an ass-kicking machine named Chris Redfield (Wentworth Miller), who, wait for it, happens to be Claire’s long-lost brother. Along with the other survivors, Alice and company hatch a plan to escape and find Arcadia, a supposedly bristling utopia where disease-free people carouse. The plane initially seems like the right way to escape, but as it won’t hold everyone, the gang must forage through the sewer system to find a boat. We all know good things never happen in the sewer.
The problem with Resident Evil: Afterlife is not the story arc, it’s how that arc is compromised again and again in ways eerily-reminiscent of old, hollow video games. Take one of the side characters, a perky girl who may as well not have a name. The only real fact we learn about her is that she was a champion swimmer. How bizarrely handy when they need someone to dive into the water. Don’t worry about her though. She won’t be around after her skill is no longer needed. Take Claire’s amnesia. Why does she have amnesia? Because she can’t just start out cooperating with her brother. Then who would be left to triumphantly join forces? Take the hooded-goliath like creature who shows up to knock the prison walls down. Why, unlike the other zombies, is he able to use weapons and conceivably, powers of reason? Does he work for the Umbrella Corporation? Is he acting on his own agency? That’s right, he must be a boss, which means we must be at the end of a level.
In a lot of ways, Resident Evil: Afterlife is a product of this exact moment. It’s excited about its graphics, hung up on the new 3D technology at its finger tips, but in even more ways, in all of the important ways, it’s an adaptation which will soon feel decades behind its time. Just as the Spider-Man trilogy seemed trivial and surface-level after The Dark Knight, Resident Evil: Afterlife will lose all value when the luster of its new, cutting-edge graphics fades. Every day, new games like God Of War and Uncharted are being released that use violence to further the story arc. The novelty of cartoonish killing without well-developed backstory is over, soon the third dimension for third dimension’s sake will seem idiotic and outdated. What will that leave Resident Evil with? A few zombie fights in a sewer. We all know good things never happen in the sewer. Unless, of course, they involve
Theaters: September 10, 2010
Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
Starring: Milla Jovovich,Johnny Messner,Boris Kodjoe,Wentworth Miller,Ali Larter,Kim Coates
Distributed by: Sony Pictures
Genres: Action,Adventure,Sequel,Fantasy,Sci-Fi,Shot-In-3D
Running Time: 90 minutes
Produced by: Jeremy Bolt,Bernd Eichinger,Robert Kulzer,Samuel Hadida,Don Carmody
Screenwriter: Paul W.S. Anderson
Alice (Milla Jovovich) is a genetic anomaly, living in a wasteland populated almost entirely by zombies. The nefarious Umbrella Corporation, led by Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts), has been hunting her for years in an effort to harness her DNA, but all their vile aims, thus far, have failed abysmally. In return, Alice has devoted her life to finding other survivors and when the fancy strikes her, turning the umbrella inside out. Periodically, she’s joined on her quest by fellow human Claire Redfield (Ali Larter), but tragically, since we saw her last, she’s developed amnesia. This slight mental disability, thankfully, only proves a minor hiccup, and soon the pair commandeers a plane and hits up an old prison in an attempt to save a few fellow lost souls.
In a wild stroke of luck, one of those fellow lost souls turns out to be an ass-kicking machine named Chris Redfield (Wentworth Miller), who, wait for it, happens to be Claire’s long-lost brother. Along with the other survivors, Alice and company hatch a plan to escape and find Arcadia, a supposedly bristling utopia where disease-free people carouse. The plane initially seems like the right way to escape, but as it won’t hold everyone, the gang must forage through the sewer system to find a boat. We all know good things never happen in the sewer.
The problem with Resident Evil: Afterlife is not the story arc, it’s how that arc is compromised again and again in ways eerily-reminiscent of old, hollow video games. Take one of the side characters, a perky girl who may as well not have a name. The only real fact we learn about her is that she was a champion swimmer. How bizarrely handy when they need someone to dive into the water. Don’t worry about her though. She won’t be around after her skill is no longer needed. Take Claire’s amnesia. Why does she have amnesia? Because she can’t just start out cooperating with her brother. Then who would be left to triumphantly join forces? Take the hooded-goliath like creature who shows up to knock the prison walls down. Why, unlike the other zombies, is he able to use weapons and conceivably, powers of reason? Does he work for the Umbrella Corporation? Is he acting on his own agency? That’s right, he must be a boss, which means we must be at the end of a level.
In a lot of ways, Resident Evil: Afterlife is a product of this exact moment. It’s excited about its graphics, hung up on the new 3D technology at its finger tips, but in even more ways, in all of the important ways, it’s an adaptation which will soon feel decades behind its time. Just as the Spider-Man trilogy seemed trivial and surface-level after The Dark Knight, Resident Evil: Afterlife will lose all value when the luster of its new, cutting-edge graphics fades. Every day, new games like God Of War and Uncharted are being released that use violence to further the story arc. The novelty of cartoonish killing without well-developed backstory is over, soon the third dimension for third dimension’s sake will seem idiotic and outdated. What will that leave Resident Evil with? A few zombie fights in a sewer. We all know good things never happen in the sewer. Unless, of course, they involve
Theaters: September 10, 2010
Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
Starring: Milla Jovovich,Johnny Messner,Boris Kodjoe,Wentworth Miller,Ali Larter,Kim Coates
Distributed by: Sony Pictures
Genres: Action,Adventure,Sequel,Fantasy,Sci-Fi,Shot-In-3D
Running Time: 90 minutes
Produced by: Jeremy Bolt,Bernd Eichinger,Robert Kulzer,Samuel Hadida,Don Carmody
Screenwriter: Paul W.S. Anderson
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 empowers players more than ever to to define their gameplay experiences in a dynamic and ever-changing WWE. Along the way, gameplay scenarios change based on player decisions, allowing for more spontaneous WWE action in and out of the ring. Players can also enjoy a greater level of interactivity and have increased control of their destinies in the game’s popular Road to WrestleMania story-driven mode.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 has more creative tools than ever to customize their Superstars, finishing moves and story designs. In addition, searching and sharing content are greatly simplified with improvements to the highly regarded WWE Community Creations feature, which generated nearly 10 million downloads, including more than 7.5 million Created Superstars, 500,000 story designs and 500,000 finishing moves in its franchise debut.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 also features more than 70 of today's prominent WWE Superstars and Divas. In addition, a new physics system will ensure all matches and object interactions look and feel unique, dynamic and unpredictable to capture the full essence of the WWE Universe.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 has more creative tools than ever to customize their Superstars, finishing moves and story designs. In addition, searching and sharing content are greatly simplified with improvements to the highly regarded WWE Community Creations feature, which generated nearly 10 million downloads, including more than 7.5 million Created Superstars, 500,000 story designs and 500,000 finishing moves in its franchise debut.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 also features more than 70 of today's prominent WWE Superstars and Divas. In addition, a new physics system will ensure all matches and object interactions look and feel unique, dynamic and unpredictable to capture the full essence of the WWE Universe.
Gran Turismo 5: One Last Lap Before Launch
Gran Turismo 5 was announced in 2006, a few months before the PlayStation 3 was even released. It was before I worked in the videogame business. I've moved three times since then, fallen in love twice, had five different jobs, grown my hair halfway down my back, and then shaved it all off again. I've been to seven weddings, including my brother's, witnessed two funerals, and got to explain my Metroid Prime opus theory to Shigeru Miyamoto in a top floor suite in a Manhattan skyscraper. And that's the short version.
After all that time Gran Turismo 5 is almost here. If it hasn't already been certified and sent off to the disc-pressing factories, it will be imminently. As the November 4 launch date nears Sony came to New York with a demo build to show off GT5. For old time's sake. The demo was lovingly setup in a sturdy bucket seat with Logitech's officially licensed Gran Turismo wheel and 3D mode enabled. The demo was limited to two modes: Arcade, and Time Trial. There were two other options available in the menu—Drift Battle and 2 Player Battle—but both were crossed out with a forbidding red line. There was nothing in the demo that hasn't been shown before, but it provided one last look at the product of Kazunori Yamauchi's half-decade of love, labor, and car parts.
The most exciting thing I experienced was driving in Toscana, a dusty rally track set against the orange sky of a setting sun. I was racing with the traction control turned on but the feeling of sliding on the loose sand with the rumbling wheel pulling one way and then the other was fantastic. Completing a lap on this track in my Ford Focus RS WRC 07 '08 was a genuinely physical experience. My shoulders were tense the whole time and my forearm muscles were constantly trying to counterbalance the unbridled steering wheel. As I made it into the second lap, the sun dipped below the horizon, turning the sky dark blue and adding a small touch of eeriness to the race. The atmosphere was dramatic, a driver cutting through the desert in the middle of the night, relying on his headlights to keep him from catastrophe.
For the next race I took a tiny Fiat 500 1.2 8V Lounge SS 08 onto a city track, Tokyo R246. The aesthetic contrast with Toscana was immediate; the shifting desert sky traded for a changeless blue Tokyo afternoon, and long shadows crossing the asphalt. The feedback from the wheel provides a great sense of speed, pulling more as the speedometer climbs higher, while rumbling at different intensities when I drifted onto a patch of grass or one of the red and white safety runners. The car accelerated slowly and lost even more acceleration ability in higher gears, which felt about right for a small two-dour coupe shaped like a lunchbox from the future.
The last track I tried was the Super Speedway in Indiana, home of the Indy 500. I took a Zonda R '09 onto the track and got to let the engine roar into 6th gear with the accelerator floored for a few exciting seconds on the long straightaways. On a couple turns I'd let my speedy thrillseeker override caution and consequently went slamming into the barrier walls. This experience was disappointingly muted. After playing Need for Speed: Shift last year, I'd grown attached to the violent sense of disorientation and full body shake in that game's collisions. Going 110 miles per hour and slamming into a cement barrier only produced a small rumble and no real visual disruption. Yamauchi has reluctantly included a damage system in Gran Turismo 5, but it doesn't feel damaging. It's mechanical and detached, the product of a man more interested in the small differences of peak performance than the visceral consequence of failure.
It's easy to forget that games are built for our benefit, to give us experiences we couldn't have had on our own. The hype cycle of announcements, first trailers, and first hands-on sometimes give me the opposite impression: that we exist first as servants of the videogame industry, and as self-sacrificing buyers who funnel money into the ever-increasing pyre of visual splendor that remains so cherished in the game world.
A lot has changed since Gran Turismo 4 came out. I'm far removed from where I was the last time I sat down to tinker in Yamauchi's garage, pushing myself forward by half-second increments, fueled by millimetric tweaks. Playing Gran Turismo 5 one last time before it jumps the nest, everything felt remarkably familiar. The game has an exceptional physics simulation, bright and photorealistic visuals, a genuine cockpit view, and, at long last, car damage. Yet, it still feels the same. Or rather, the part of me that this kind of simulation appeals to feels the same. I haven't given it much attention over the last several years. GT5 reminded me it's still there. You could call that a lot of things, but one of them would have to be a gift.
After all that time Gran Turismo 5 is almost here. If it hasn't already been certified and sent off to the disc-pressing factories, it will be imminently. As the November 4 launch date nears Sony came to New York with a demo build to show off GT5. For old time's sake. The demo was lovingly setup in a sturdy bucket seat with Logitech's officially licensed Gran Turismo wheel and 3D mode enabled. The demo was limited to two modes: Arcade, and Time Trial. There were two other options available in the menu—Drift Battle and 2 Player Battle—but both were crossed out with a forbidding red line. There was nothing in the demo that hasn't been shown before, but it provided one last look at the product of Kazunori Yamauchi's half-decade of love, labor, and car parts.
The most exciting thing I experienced was driving in Toscana, a dusty rally track set against the orange sky of a setting sun. I was racing with the traction control turned on but the feeling of sliding on the loose sand with the rumbling wheel pulling one way and then the other was fantastic. Completing a lap on this track in my Ford Focus RS WRC 07 '08 was a genuinely physical experience. My shoulders were tense the whole time and my forearm muscles were constantly trying to counterbalance the unbridled steering wheel. As I made it into the second lap, the sun dipped below the horizon, turning the sky dark blue and adding a small touch of eeriness to the race. The atmosphere was dramatic, a driver cutting through the desert in the middle of the night, relying on his headlights to keep him from catastrophe.
For the next race I took a tiny Fiat 500 1.2 8V Lounge SS 08 onto a city track, Tokyo R246. The aesthetic contrast with Toscana was immediate; the shifting desert sky traded for a changeless blue Tokyo afternoon, and long shadows crossing the asphalt. The feedback from the wheel provides a great sense of speed, pulling more as the speedometer climbs higher, while rumbling at different intensities when I drifted onto a patch of grass or one of the red and white safety runners. The car accelerated slowly and lost even more acceleration ability in higher gears, which felt about right for a small two-dour coupe shaped like a lunchbox from the future.
The last track I tried was the Super Speedway in Indiana, home of the Indy 500. I took a Zonda R '09 onto the track and got to let the engine roar into 6th gear with the accelerator floored for a few exciting seconds on the long straightaways. On a couple turns I'd let my speedy thrillseeker override caution and consequently went slamming into the barrier walls. This experience was disappointingly muted. After playing Need for Speed: Shift last year, I'd grown attached to the violent sense of disorientation and full body shake in that game's collisions. Going 110 miles per hour and slamming into a cement barrier only produced a small rumble and no real visual disruption. Yamauchi has reluctantly included a damage system in Gran Turismo 5, but it doesn't feel damaging. It's mechanical and detached, the product of a man more interested in the small differences of peak performance than the visceral consequence of failure.
It's easy to forget that games are built for our benefit, to give us experiences we couldn't have had on our own. The hype cycle of announcements, first trailers, and first hands-on sometimes give me the opposite impression: that we exist first as servants of the videogame industry, and as self-sacrificing buyers who funnel money into the ever-increasing pyre of visual splendor that remains so cherished in the game world.
A lot has changed since Gran Turismo 4 came out. I'm far removed from where I was the last time I sat down to tinker in Yamauchi's garage, pushing myself forward by half-second increments, fueled by millimetric tweaks. Playing Gran Turismo 5 one last time before it jumps the nest, everything felt remarkably familiar. The game has an exceptional physics simulation, bright and photorealistic visuals, a genuine cockpit view, and, at long last, car damage. Yet, it still feels the same. Or rather, the part of me that this kind of simulation appeals to feels the same. I haven't given it much attention over the last several years. GT5 reminded me it's still there. You could call that a lot of things, but one of them would have to be a gift.
Killzone 3: Headshots with Move
This year Sony showed up to the New York Comic-Con in a big way. Bringing almost all of their big-name hits, the company was showing off new builds and slightly improved versions of the games that we last saw at Gamescom in Germany. Killzone 3 was in attendance with Sony Move support and jet packs ready to go.
The level we sunk our teeth into took place on a series of floating platforms and ships floating just off shore of a frozen coastline. The elements beatdown on environment with swirling snow and wind-blown particles filling the screen. At points it appeared as though there couldn't possibly be more visual effects fit onto one screen.
As we plowed through Helghan troops in the tight corridors of the ships the hallways swayed with the choppy water below us. It was reminiscent of first level of the original Modern Warfare, where the level seems to bob rotate around the player. You can get motion sick just watching it play out, so imagine what its like with Move drawing you further into the experience.
The rollercoster ride continued when we picked up one of the claw like jet packs worn by one of the Helghast. It doesn't so much allow players to torpedo through the air, as it boosts them upwards for short periods of time. The vertical platforms of the structures popping out of the water were the perfect setting to use this new toy.
As platforms exploded and collapsed in the heat of battle, we had to boost up and over the wreckage to the next firefight while somehow avoiding incoming fire all levels of the structure. The jet pack had claw like mandibles that hang down in front of the player, and these are equipped with jets. This means you can see when the jet pack is firing, giving players something to visual focus and helping them to keep their bearings.
Haters gonna hate... then die.
We already know that Move works, but its inclusion in Killzone 3 gives it a draw not unlike seeing a racing game in 3D. The screen bounces and twists with the action, and as you gesture and point at the screens feelings of vertigo and excitement are all the more palpable.
The level we sunk our teeth into took place on a series of floating platforms and ships floating just off shore of a frozen coastline. The elements beatdown on environment with swirling snow and wind-blown particles filling the screen. At points it appeared as though there couldn't possibly be more visual effects fit onto one screen.
As we plowed through Helghan troops in the tight corridors of the ships the hallways swayed with the choppy water below us. It was reminiscent of first level of the original Modern Warfare, where the level seems to bob rotate around the player. You can get motion sick just watching it play out, so imagine what its like with Move drawing you further into the experience.
The rollercoster ride continued when we picked up one of the claw like jet packs worn by one of the Helghast. It doesn't so much allow players to torpedo through the air, as it boosts them upwards for short periods of time. The vertical platforms of the structures popping out of the water were the perfect setting to use this new toy.
As platforms exploded and collapsed in the heat of battle, we had to boost up and over the wreckage to the next firefight while somehow avoiding incoming fire all levels of the structure. The jet pack had claw like mandibles that hang down in front of the player, and these are equipped with jets. This means you can see when the jet pack is firing, giving players something to visual focus and helping them to keep their bearings.
Haters gonna hate... then die.
We already know that Move works, but its inclusion in Killzone 3 gives it a draw not unlike seeing a racing game in 3D. The screen bounces and twists with the action, and as you gesture and point at the screens feelings of vertigo and excitement are all the more palpable.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 review - PES is back!
The new version of Pro Evolution Soccer threatens to redress the balance in the battle to be King of football games. Disappointed with poor showings in the last couple of versions, many PES fans have turned their back on the series in favor of the slicker FIFA titles. If you’re a Pro Evo fan then take note, it’s safe to come back now.
Having been glued to the demo of Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 this morning, I can safely say that it’s recaptured the feel-good factor of previous releases (i.e. anything before PES 2008). Rather than dithering around with silly little changes, Konami has ripped apart the tired gameplay of the last few iterations of Pro Evo and essentially started from scratch.
Defending is not as automated as it was, and now you really have to have your wits about you because the defenders no longer automatically trail the opposing attack. Attacking too has been revitalized by a new passing system and the inclusion of assignable flicks and tricks. Graphically, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 looks better than ever, more game modes and leagues are included, and extras like the stadium editor and special content provided added value.
The key date for your diaries now is September 15th. This is not only when the PC demo of Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is released but, not-so coincidentally, is also the day when you can download the FIFA 11 demo and see how to the two match up. For now, go check out my review of PES 2011 on Softonic and let me know what you think if you’ve already tried the demo on the PS3 Network.
Update: You can now download the demo of Pro Evolution Soccer 2011. Let me know your thoughts, and check back soon for my post about how it compares with FIFA 11.
Having been glued to the demo of Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 this morning, I can safely say that it’s recaptured the feel-good factor of previous releases (i.e. anything before PES 2008). Rather than dithering around with silly little changes, Konami has ripped apart the tired gameplay of the last few iterations of Pro Evo and essentially started from scratch.
Defending is not as automated as it was, and now you really have to have your wits about you because the defenders no longer automatically trail the opposing attack. Attacking too has been revitalized by a new passing system and the inclusion of assignable flicks and tricks. Graphically, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 looks better than ever, more game modes and leagues are included, and extras like the stadium editor and special content provided added value.
The key date for your diaries now is September 15th. This is not only when the PC demo of Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is released but, not-so coincidentally, is also the day when you can download the FIFA 11 demo and see how to the two match up. For now, go check out my review of PES 2011 on Softonic and let me know what you think if you’ve already tried the demo on the PS3 Network.
Update: You can now download the demo of Pro Evolution Soccer 2011. Let me know your thoughts, and check back soon for my post about how it compares with FIFA 11.
NBA 2K11 Review
It's fitting that NBA 2K11 prominently features Michael Jordan. After all, His Airness is the greatest basketball player of all time and NBA 2K11 is the greatest basketball game ever made.
2K Sports has delivered the most finely polished and fully featured sports game I've ever played -- and I've played a lot of sports games. The amount of work put into 2K11 is staggering -- perfect recreations of Jordan's historic games, streamlined controls, NBA teams that play and feel like their real-life counterparts, a franchise mode that includes sensible GM logic and intelligent team building.
This is one of the most incredible year-over-year improvements of a game imaginable. Madden, EA's NHL series, MLB 2K, and just about everyone else has been served notice. There are no more excuses for half-assed annual updates. Bring it every year or you will get booed out of the building.
NBA 2K11 is where amazing happens. When you first start the game, you get a slick visual treat hyping the greatness of Michael Jordan. And then the game transports you into the tunnel of Chicago Stadium for Game 1 of the 1991 NBA Championship. Jordan turns to look into the camera, right at you, and asks, "Are you ready?" Then he turns, runs out onto the court and the magic of NBA 2K11 begins. Before you ever see a menu, ever create a franchise, ever even get a whiff of all that 2K11 has to offer, you're playing in the finals with the Bulls, battling Magic Johnson and ushering in a new era in NBA history.
Unquestionably, the highlight of NBA 2K11 are the Jordan Challenges. MJ's greatest games are legendary and you get to relive them, tasked with equaling his stat lines. Can you average 11 assists in the '91 series against the Lakers? Or drop six treys and score at least 35 points in the first half against Drexler and the Trail Blazers to earn the famous Jordan shrug? Or light up the Knicks for 55 points in Jordan's return from retirement?
2K Sports created each of these 10 memorable moments with a surprising level of detail. The commentary for every game is custom-fitted with discussions on Jordan's potential in "The Arrival" game and talk of how much John Starks has frustrated Jordan in the "Double Nickel" game in Madison Square Garden. Each game is a window into NBA history and won't just give you an appreciation for No. 23's greatness but the quality of teams he went up against. Magic, Ewing, Dominque -- they play as they did in their prime. No opponent is a chump, even if Michael is destined to beat them all.
Complete all 10 Jordan Challenges and you can play a special version of the My Player career mode, bringing a rookie Michael Jordan into the current League to develop his talent and see how he stacks up against today's greats. Put him on the Heat if you want to be really unfair to the rest of the League.
The quality presentation continues outside of the Jordan-specific elements. There's a slick half-time show that accurately sums up the game and a really hot Player of the Game presentation when the final buzzer sounds. My favorite, though, is a fairly hidden (but awesome) feature you can find at the end of games called Pressbook. This is a slideshow gallery of photos (usually around 50) from the game. These snapshots often pick the best moments at compelling angles and can be uploaded for others to see. Posterize someone online? You've got a snapshot of it waiting for you at the end of the game.
More importantly, most of the NBA has been accurately captured. There are hundreds of unique animations for players and so many nice little touches that a big-time hoops fan like myself couldn't have loved the experience more. I was playing against the Lakers, and Kobe threw down a slam but landed off-balance. As he regained his balance, he extended his arms and did his little airplane move he throws out on very rare occasions. I watched Greg Oden shuffle down the court like an old man who'd lost his cane. I'm not trying to knock on Oden, but that's exactly how he checks out of plays when he's crashed the boards on the other end!
This isn't the first hoops game to throw in some flair on marquee players, but the unique traits extend to the bench. I know we toss around the phrase, "It looks like a real game" too often, but this time I mean it -- I watch probably a hundred NBA regular-season games a year (I'm hardcore, baby), and 2K Sports got this right.
Sure, there are a few mishaps along the way. Don Nelson looks like a melted marshmallow and Kobe looks like an alien, but the good far outpaces the bad. Add to the mix dynamic crowds that slowly fill in during the first quarter or don't even show for a Bobcat's game and you have the most accurate portrait of the NBA to date. And that 2K Sports got not only the current era but a decade's worth of MJ's history right is pretty impressive.
2K Sports has delivered the most finely polished and fully featured sports game I've ever played -- and I've played a lot of sports games. The amount of work put into 2K11 is staggering -- perfect recreations of Jordan's historic games, streamlined controls, NBA teams that play and feel like their real-life counterparts, a franchise mode that includes sensible GM logic and intelligent team building.
This is one of the most incredible year-over-year improvements of a game imaginable. Madden, EA's NHL series, MLB 2K, and just about everyone else has been served notice. There are no more excuses for half-assed annual updates. Bring it every year or you will get booed out of the building.
NBA 2K11 is where amazing happens. When you first start the game, you get a slick visual treat hyping the greatness of Michael Jordan. And then the game transports you into the tunnel of Chicago Stadium for Game 1 of the 1991 NBA Championship. Jordan turns to look into the camera, right at you, and asks, "Are you ready?" Then he turns, runs out onto the court and the magic of NBA 2K11 begins. Before you ever see a menu, ever create a franchise, ever even get a whiff of all that 2K11 has to offer, you're playing in the finals with the Bulls, battling Magic Johnson and ushering in a new era in NBA history.
Unquestionably, the highlight of NBA 2K11 are the Jordan Challenges. MJ's greatest games are legendary and you get to relive them, tasked with equaling his stat lines. Can you average 11 assists in the '91 series against the Lakers? Or drop six treys and score at least 35 points in the first half against Drexler and the Trail Blazers to earn the famous Jordan shrug? Or light up the Knicks for 55 points in Jordan's return from retirement?
2K Sports created each of these 10 memorable moments with a surprising level of detail. The commentary for every game is custom-fitted with discussions on Jordan's potential in "The Arrival" game and talk of how much John Starks has frustrated Jordan in the "Double Nickel" game in Madison Square Garden. Each game is a window into NBA history and won't just give you an appreciation for No. 23's greatness but the quality of teams he went up against. Magic, Ewing, Dominque -- they play as they did in their prime. No opponent is a chump, even if Michael is destined to beat them all.
Complete all 10 Jordan Challenges and you can play a special version of the My Player career mode, bringing a rookie Michael Jordan into the current League to develop his talent and see how he stacks up against today's greats. Put him on the Heat if you want to be really unfair to the rest of the League.
The quality presentation continues outside of the Jordan-specific elements. There's a slick half-time show that accurately sums up the game and a really hot Player of the Game presentation when the final buzzer sounds. My favorite, though, is a fairly hidden (but awesome) feature you can find at the end of games called Pressbook. This is a slideshow gallery of photos (usually around 50) from the game. These snapshots often pick the best moments at compelling angles and can be uploaded for others to see. Posterize someone online? You've got a snapshot of it waiting for you at the end of the game.
More importantly, most of the NBA has been accurately captured. There are hundreds of unique animations for players and so many nice little touches that a big-time hoops fan like myself couldn't have loved the experience more. I was playing against the Lakers, and Kobe threw down a slam but landed off-balance. As he regained his balance, he extended his arms and did his little airplane move he throws out on very rare occasions. I watched Greg Oden shuffle down the court like an old man who'd lost his cane. I'm not trying to knock on Oden, but that's exactly how he checks out of plays when he's crashed the boards on the other end!
This isn't the first hoops game to throw in some flair on marquee players, but the unique traits extend to the bench. I know we toss around the phrase, "It looks like a real game" too often, but this time I mean it -- I watch probably a hundred NBA regular-season games a year (I'm hardcore, baby), and 2K Sports got this right.
Sure, there are a few mishaps along the way. Don Nelson looks like a melted marshmallow and Kobe looks like an alien, but the good far outpaces the bad. Add to the mix dynamic crowds that slowly fill in during the first quarter or don't even show for a Bobcat's game and you have the most accurate portrait of the NBA to date. And that 2K Sports got not only the current era but a decade's worth of MJ's history right is pretty impressive.
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