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PS3 Review: Alice: Madness Returns

Posted by Rob on June 20, 2011 – 1:38 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, alice, alice in wonderland, alice: madness returns, american mcgee, big bad bob, bigbadbob, carpenter, collectible, game review, mad hatter, march hare, pc, PlayStation 3, PS3, queen, third-person, trophies, trophy, walrus, wonderland, xbox

Alice: Madness Returns is a sequel to American McGee’s Alice, which was released on the PC in 2000. I had never played it before (since I don’t play PC games) but I am a sucker for anything Wonderland, and had heard nothing but good things about the American McGee game. So when a new game was released on the PS3, I jumped at the chance to check out this twisted version of Wonderland, and came away from it with some mixed thoughts.

For starters, forget the blonde Alice persona you think you know…this Alice is a black-haired emo/goth chick and can definitely hold her own, whether it be the streets of London or an altered horrific Wonderland. The game is divided into chapters, and each chapter starts out in London where Alice is trying to discover the truth about her past. Eventually she stumbles into Wonderland, and that’s where the meat of the game takes place. Each chapter is set in a different area of Wonderland, ranging from the Mad Hatter’s steel works to the Queen of Hearts castle to a demented doll house area. Basically Alice navigates these areas in an attempt to discover how to stop a rampaging train that is in the process of destroying Wonderland.

LevelUp’s Rock Band Ottoman: The Ideal Storage Solution

Posted by Rob on June 17, 2011 – 9:07 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, amazon, big bad bob, bigbadbob, controller, cooptimus, drums, furniture, Gamestop, guitar, instruments, levelup, mic, microphone, moving, Nintendo, ottoman, plastic, PlayStation 3, PS3, rock band, rock band 2, storage, Wii, xbox

Like many gamers, I gave in to the addictive fun that is the music game genre. As a result, I have a few plastic instruments lying around the living room. It was a cluttered mess, and didn’t exactly look all that great in the open. I was also wondering how to safely pack the instruments (the drum set in particular) for the upcoming move.

I then remembered reading about ottomans that were specifically designed for Rock Band storage. I first went to Amazon, but didn’t like the one they had on there. Then I remembered reading an article on co-optimus about them, and went to see which brand was mentioned. It was an ottoman from LevelUp, and I believe the model I purchased is the “Rock Band Double Ottoman”. I searched online for it, and was surprised to find quite the deal for it at Gamestop of all places. It’s available on their website for the price of $89.99, with $20 or more S&H, depending on the speed you choose. The lesser quality ottoman on Amazon was $119 with free shipping, but I wanted this beautiful piece from LevelUp, so I was sold. I placed the order online on Sunday night and when I came home last night there was a huge box waiting for me.

I was super excited so I grabbed the nearest knife and started opening up the package. I couldn’t wait to see this wonderful piece of black furniture that would be solving my plastic peripheral woes.

Let the Chaos Begin

Posted by Rob on June 13, 2011 – 2:41 pm

Filed under My Personal Life
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blog, controller, geocache, Geocaching, guys weekend in, moving, Nintendo, PlayStation 3, PS3, south, south carolina, Wii, work, xbox

There is now officially less than two weeks before I hop in the car and make the grueling drive down to Myrtle Beach, SC to begin the next phase of my life. There is much to do around here and we just started packing up stuff yesterday. It was sad to begin boxing up my video games, particularly the Wii. To conserve space I popped all my PS3 and 360 discs into a binder, and that will go in a attache case with my controllers and other accessories for those systems so that I will still be able to play down south. I just didn’t see the point in doing the same with the Wii since it gets limited play time compared to the other systems, plus there are just sooo many accessories for it!

Also, this is my last week of work, with Thursday being my last day! Man, I will not missing being up at 2:45am…at least until Shell starts popping out some kids. She will be working into next week so I’ll be home doing a lot of the packing and other stuff that needs to get done before we leave.

That being said, I’m already backed up on here as it is. I have a draft about “Guys Weekend In” that was the weekend of June 4th as well as a geocaching adventure that is about 80% complete. I hope to have those finished by the end of the week, but don’t be expecting much else from me until the move is completed. Not that I have a hardcore following of fans who will say “hey, Rob’s been slacking off lately”…

When Co-Op Goes Bad: Hunted: Demon’s Forge

Posted by Rob on June 7, 2011 – 3:01 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, chat, co-op, cooptimus, gamefly, gears of war, headset, hunted: demons forge, PlayStation 3, PS3, RPG, skype, voice chat, xbox

On paper, Hunted: Demon’s Forge seems to be the perfect co-op game. There are two characters to choose from, a male human who is best suited for melee combat and a female elf who plays best from a distance with ranged weapons. These two characters have the ability to cast spells on each other to buff them up and can also toss potions to each other for health and reviving. There are also plenty of puzzles that you and your partner will need to work together on in order to advance through the game’s levels. This fantasy RPG actually plays more like Gears of War, from the third person view to the need to duck and cover to take out ranged opponents to the ability to crawl to your partner when you are down for a quicker revival. All of these facts lead to appears to be, in essence, the perfect two-player game.

PS3 Review: Mortal Kombat

Posted by Rob on May 2, 2011 – 9:40 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, animality, babality, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blood, co-op, fatality, friendship, game review, gore, kratos, marvel vs. capcom, mk, mk vs. dc, mortal kombat, mortal kombat 2011, mortal kombat 9, mortal kombat vs. dc, mvc, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, story, sub zero, tag team, test your luck, test your might, test your sight, test your strike, violence, x ray, xbox

My first impression of the new Mortal Kombat game was a pretty positive one. What was a stale franchise literally took a step back by changing from a 3D arena back to a 2D arena and also removed more “modern” features of the series. However, the changes resulting from going back to the basics, as well as some new innovations, have re-vitalized the franchise, and I think Mortal Kombat can arguably be one of the best fighting games on the market today.

As can be seen by the name of the game itself (going by simply “Mortal Kombat” rather than “Mortal Kombat IX, which it technically is), Mortal Kombat is a throwback to the founding games in the franchise. The roster encompasses most of the fighters from Mortal Kombat I-III, as well as a few other characters from later games, as well as the PS3-exclusive Kratos (twenty-seven fighters on 360, twenty-eight on PS3.) Also making a return are the stages themselves, as most of the stages are a re-imagining of previous ones, such as Goro’s Lair and The Pit. The return to a side-scrolling 2D fighter is a good change, and playing the game feels as if you’re on your Genesis in the 90s, only with incredible graphics and a lot more blood and gore. Each character can perform two finishers as well as stage finishers (see knocking opponents into The Pit) and babalities. Sadly the friendships and animalities did not make a return, but what does make a comeback is pure win.

Really Digging the New Mortal Kombat

Posted by Rob on April 22, 2011 – 6:05 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 2D, 360, 3D, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blood, fatality, fighting, gamefly, marvel vs. capcom, mk, mortal kombat, mortal kombat II, mortal kombat vs. dc, mvc, PlayStation 3, portal 2, PS3, scorpion, shao khan, street fighter, sub zero, x ray, xbox

Now I’m not a huge fan of fighting games, but I’ve been watching the new Mortal Kombat closely over the past few months. I think you can best describe the game as a “reboot” of the franchise. First off, the title, which is simply called “Mortal Kombat”, gives that very distinction. But there’s more…the slow dwindling of the series has been erased, and instead you are brought back to the days of MK-MK III, which is nothing but good stuff. So what’s so good about it?

Violence- this is what MK stand out from Street Fighter and other fighters back in the day. The over-the-top violence has been missing in some games, particularly in the horrid “Mortal Kombat vs. DC”, but it’s back…with a vengeance! Not only are blood and fatalities everywhere, but the introduction of the new “x-ray attacks” is also a breath of fresh air. It is exactly what it sounds like…it’s a devastating move that actually shows an x-ray of the character as they are getting pummelled. One of my favorites was Sub-Zero, who freezes the heart, rips it out, and then clobbers the opponent in the face. Oh, and let’s not forget Baraka who stabs the opponent in the throat, and then right through the eye sockets!

PS3 Review: WWE All Stars

Posted by Rob on April 3, 2011 – 11:05 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, acrobat, andre the giant, big bad bob, big man, bigbadbob, brawler, caw, co-op, combo, competitive, fantasy warfare, game review, grappler, hogan, kane, mysterio, online, path of champions, PlayStation 3, PS3, raw, shawn michaels, smackdown, smackdown vs raw, Star Wars, stone cold, svr, tag team, the rock, the simpsons, thq, triple h, trophies, wwe, wwe allstars, xbox

This game is one heck of a slobber knocker as THQ redeems themselves for WWE Legends of WrestleMania with their newest title, WWE All Stars. I have been following this game for quite a few months now, and the end product was as good as I expected. First and foremost, this is NOT a wrestling sim like the Smackdown vs. Raw series. All Stars is a fighting game in every sense of the word, from having insane moves, devastating combos, tons of lockables…and the simple fact that it’s easy to pick up and play but challenging to master. That being said, I did not intend to make this a comparison of All Stars and SvR, but I ended up doing just that. This game is definitely on the radar of any SvR fan, so I think it is inevitable to compare the two at some points as a means of giving examples of what to expect.

The roster of characters is pretty darn expansive for a fighting game. There are thirty wrestlers to initially choose from, with at least thirteen more revealed as future DLC. They are divided by old school legends and today’s current roster, and this really does make it the best roster for a WWE game ever. Tons of old favorites are represented like Stone Cold, Rock, Hogan, Macho Man, Andre, Ultimate Warrior and more, and they even have their classic attires. Then you have some of today’s hottest stars including Undertaker, Triple H, Edge, Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio, John Cena, and others as well. Together, it is a very well-rounded cast of wrestlers and is definitely one of the biggest selling points for the game.

But I’ve talked enough about all this basic info over the past three months, so now I’ll go more into what I got out of the actual game. Read More »

WWE Allstars: Challenging the Undertaker

Posted by Rob on March 26, 2011 – 7:46 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, amazon, big bad bob, bigbadbob, caw, dx, path of champions, paul bearer, PlayStation 3, PS3, randy orton, undertaker, wwe, wwe allstars, xbox

One of the game modes in the upcoming WWE Allstars game is “Path of Champions”, in which you will be able to challenge either the Undertaker, Randy Orton, or DX. You will have to fight your way through ten matches, all culminating in the final battle with your chosen opponent. Each Path of Champions storyline is opened by a vignette with that super star, and the Undertaker/Paul Bearer intro is just popping with classic greatness. Take a look at the video, which is voiced by Taker and Bearer themselves:

I think it’s safe to say that when this game arrives on Tuesday from Amazon, the first thing I’m going to do is create a BigBadBob CAW and then dive right in to challenge the Undertaker.

WWE Allstars Demo Available Now on XBLA…Later Tonight on PSN

Posted by Rob on March 22, 2011 – 11:03 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, amazon, big bad bob, bigbadbob, demo, marvel vs. capcom, mortal kombat, mysterio, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, Sony, street fighter, thq, ultimate warrior, wwe, wwe allstars, xbla, xbox

It’s almost here…only seven days to go until the release of THQ’s WWE Allstars video game. Today THQ released a demo on XBLA (and later tonight via PSN) that allowed players to check out a singles match as either Ultimate Warrior or Rey Mysterio. Since I hate Mysterio with a passion, I selected Ultimate Warrior and took Mysterio to school. I should note that I downloaded the 360 version because I didn’t feel like waiting for some random time tonight whenever Sony decided to update PSN.

Since it’s a different style of game, the controls are nothing like SvR’s, and I was hoping that the demo would come with a tutorial of sorts, which it does not. So there was a lot of guess work as I punched, kicked, and slammed Mysterio around. The first match went back and forth, and eventually Mysterio was able to squeak a win from me after hitting the 619. The second match I did better, and was able to give him a Gorilla Pres Slam for the win.

Additional Character Announced for WWE Allstars: Honky Tonk Man

Posted by Rob on March 20, 2011 – 9:02 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, dlc, honky tonk man, PlayStation 3, PS3, smackdown vs raw, wwe, wwe allstars, xbox

I previously reported on the roster for WWE Allstars, which contained the full game roster plus the first batch of DLC. THQ today revealed that at some time in April, there will be an additional wrestler available as free DLC. Speculation ran wild, and I heard rumors that it was Goldust, Rick Rude, Diesel, Rick Flair, JBL, and others. In the end, THQ announced that it was the Honky Tonk Man. THQ had a Facebook app going (which I did not participate in), and if the app got enough fans or likes or something like that, THQ promised to give fans an additional character.

While Honky Tonk Man is not who I preferred, a free character with more moves is going to be a welcome bonus to this game. Unlike Smackdown vs. Raw, I see myself playing with all the wrestlers in the game, since it is a fighting game. I sure hope they keep pumping out more DLC characters!

WWE Allstars Match: Steel Cage Match and Demo Details

Posted by Rob on March 17, 2011 – 3:38 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, cage, demo, eddie guerrero, mysterio, PlayStation 3, PS3, smackdown vs raw, svr, thq, ultimate warrior, wwe, wwe allstars, xbox

The past two weeks THQ has been releasing matches showcasing the wrestler classes. Last week they did something different, and instead talked their way through a steel cage match between Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio. Here’s the match:

The WWE Allstars Trophies/Achievements

Posted by Rob on March 17, 2011 – 1:28 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, achievements, big bad bob, bigbadbob, dc universe online, john cena, platinum, PlayStation 3, PS3, thq, triple h, trophies, ultimate warrior, wwe, wwe allstars, xbox

THQ has revealed the Achievements for WWE Allstars, as well as their achievement point value. Unfortunately, they did not reveal which of these would be which trophies, so I don’t know which are bronze, silver, or gold. Still, here’s the list:

Thoughts on the Mortal Kombat Demo

Posted by Rob on March 10, 2011 – 11:29 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, demo, fighting, finisher, gamefly, goro, marvel vs. capcom, mk, mortal kombat, mvc, PlayStation 3, playstation plus, ps+, PS3, scorpion, sf, shaolin monks, street fighter, sub zero, x ray, xbox

If you were to ask me what fighting game franchise was the most important to the genre, I would say both Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. I grew up with both, and to me, they are both equally important and have paved the way for what fighting games are to this day. Growing up, while I played both, I heavily preferred Street Fighter to Mortal Kombat. The realism and the gore of MK just couldn’t compete with the bright, quick, and flashy gameplay of SF II, so while I would play MK if at a friend’s house, I actually owned SF II.

The MK franchise has done a lot to try and keep itself fresh over the years. MK eventually left the realm of a 2D side-scrolling world and the arenas began to be 3D, in that you could run about a circular arena. Weapons were also eventually brought in to try and liven things up. One of my favorite MK games isn’t even a fighting game, but the awesome co-op beat em’ up Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Then MK looked at the success of the cross over franchise Marvel vs. Capcom, and decided to do a similar cross over in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. That game didn’t do well at all, as it took the violence that the MK series is known for and toned it down to such a degree that the game, while an awesome premise, just couldn’t deliver like the MvC series can.

WWE Allstars Match: Big Man

Posted by Rob on March 10, 2011 – 8:59 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, acrobat, andre the giant, big bad bob, big man, bigbadbob, caw, kane, PlayStation 3, PS3, thq, wwe allstars, xbox

Last week THQ shared a match with developer commentary to show off the acrobat class in WWE Allstars. This week they released another video, this one focusing on the “Big Man” class. The match features Kane (masked, which is the best Kane ever) vs. Andre the Giant (old school with a fro.) Here’s the match:

This match was a bit disappointed compared to the acrobat one. Not only was it two minutes shorter, but the player controlling Kane simply dominated Andre, so there wasn’t a good back and forth between the two characters. However, there was some pretty cool stuff. First off, I simply loved when Kane kicked Andre right out of the ring…that was ridiculous! It was also sweet to finally see the weapons in use, even though it has been confirmed for some time. All in all, the acrobat class was a lot more impressive than the Big Man class. Maybe one of the reasons the match was shorter was because the Big Man class is so powerful and causes a lot more damage…that will probably lead to shorter matches when they are involved.

As of right now, I think my CAW, BigBadBob, will be a grappler, so I can’t wait to see that match type revealed in the coming weeks.

WWE Allstars Match: Acrobats

Posted by Rob on March 5, 2011 – 12:26 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, acrobat, big bad bob, bigbadbob, hbk, john morrison, PlayStation 3, PS3, shawn michaels, smackdown vs. raw 2011, svr, svr 2011, thq, undertaker, wwe, wwe allstars, xbox

THQ has went ahead and popped a full match on youtube focusing on the acrobat class. The video is about eight minutes long, and includes a full match between John Morrison and Shawn Michaels, who are both in the acrobat class in WWE Allstars. While the match is going on, THQ representatives are giving commentary on the match and the game in general. It’s quite interesting and really gives a full feel for what the game is like. The game is very fluid, and the contact recognition is superior to SvR 2011, meaning that the wrestlers on screen actually connect, and you don’t see body parts floating through other body parts. As is to be expected, the acrobat class is fast and can reach the top rope extremely quickly, much like similar light weights in SvR. I also have to say that I like the look of the character selection screen…it’s just like SvR 2011 but it works so much better in Allstars, mainly because it gives it that fighting/arcade game feel. Another interesting fact mentioned is that a wrestler’s entire career is taken into account, so wrestlers like Undertaker and HBK who have been around for many years will be pulling off vintage moves that they may not necessarily perform these days.

Also, it is hinted that there will be other videos up in the near future focusing on the other classes; grappler, brawler, and big man.

Enjoy the video:

PS3 Review: Knights Contract

Posted by Rob on February 27, 2011 – 9:00 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, A.I., big bad bob, bigbadbob, bulletstorm, FPS, game review, gamefly, gretchen, heinrich, holda, killzone 3, knights contract, PlayStation 3, PS3, witch, xbox, xp

Last weeks new releases were mainly FPS (Killzone 3 and Bulletstorm) and I wasn’t feeling any of that. So I decided to gamble on a action beat em’ up that was getting little attention in the gaming media. I believed that I would enjoy this type of game over a FPS, but I was indeed wrong.

Knights Contract has a very interesting story/premise, but it just is not delivered well. You play as Heinrich, a knight who was charged with executing women accused of being witches. One of the witches you execute curses you, making you an immortal who just wants to die and move on. Eventually you meet up with this witch, Gretchen (who has returned from the grave), and the two of you become unlikely allies as you team up to take down the other resurrected witches who are trying to get revenge on mankind. The two of you will travel through a variety of bland environments where you walk to an area, beat up some enemies, walk to the next area, beat up more enemies, and rinse and repeat until you reach the boss. The catch in the game is that while Heinrich can’t die, Gretchen can, so you will be defeating enemies while ensuring that Gretchen is safe. If Gretchen dies, it’s game over. If you die (ie- lose your health), you will be downed for several seconds and need to rapidly pound on the x button to resurrect yourself and hope that Gretchen doesn’t die during this time.

Complete WWE Allstars Roster

Posted by Rob on February 24, 2011 – 10:49 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, dlc, exclusive, Gamestop, ign, kane, legends of wrestlemania, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, roster, stone cold, the rock, thq, undertaker, wrestling, wwe, wwe allstars, xbox

Today IGN finished unveiling the entire WWE Allstars roster, including the first batch of DLC. Here are your wrestlers:

Legends:

Andre the Giant
Bret Hart
Eddie Guerrero
Hulk Hogan
Jake “The Snake” Roberts
Jimmy Snuka
“Macho Man Randy” Savage
Mr. Perfect
Ricky Steamboat
Roddy Piper
Shawn Michaels
Sgt. Slaughter
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin
The Rock
Ultimate Warrior Read More »

WWE Allstars Uses Vintage WWF/WWE Archive Footage

Posted by Rob on February 23, 2011 – 9:59 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, hogan, kurt angle, legends of wrestlemania, PlayStation 3, PS3, tna, wrestlemania, wwe, wwe allstars, wwf, xbox

One of the neat little features in WWE: Legends of WrestleMania was that the game used WWF/WWE archive footage to help move the game along. When playing through the WrestleMania tour, the game would play some archival footage to help set the stage for the next match. A combination of wrestler promos and parts of the actual match were played, and this did nothing short of psych you up for the coming match. I thought it would be an awesome feature to have in WWE Allstars, and luckily it will be. Here are three “teasers” of what will be possible with the finished game: Read More »

First Half of the WWE Allstars Roster Revealed

Posted by Rob on February 17, 2011 – 12:33 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, hogan, ign, kane, PlayStation 3, PS3, roster, thq, triple h, undertaker, wrestling, wwe, wwe allstars, xbox

Today IGN released an article detailing the first half of the roster for the upcoming WWE Allstars game. The currently confirmed wrestlers are:

Legends:

Andre the Giant
Bret Hart
Eddie Guerrero
Hulk Hogan
Jake “The Snake” Roberts
Macho Man
Roddy Piper
Sgt. Slaughter

Current Superstars: Read More »

Is Gamefly Worth the Price

Posted by Rob on February 15, 2011 – 5:39 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, aliens vs predator, amazon, big bad bob, bigbadbob, blockbuster, fable, fallout: new vegas, gamefly, Gamestop, Ghostbusters, lost planet 2, mass effect, movie gallery, nhl '11, PlayStation 3, PS3, smackdown vs raw 2010, spider-man, two worlds II, wedding, xbox

I was fiddling around on my Gamefly account today, and I was surprised to find that they had a full log of every game I ever rented from them, started from 2008 to the present. I decided to use this information to my advantage and factor in how many games I rented for the year 2010 and, based on the yearly membership price, determine if it was worth it. Below is a list of all the games I rented in 2010: Read More »

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