OnLive (Cloud Gaming) Review

Two years ago, a new cloud based game system was introduced at GDC 2009. What the system basically did was stream the game onto your computer. So, any low end computer could play a HD game on it without having to upgrade or buy a new PC. The way OnLive works is that several games are hosted on OnLive’s servers. When you buy them, you can instantly play any game on the service at any given time, as long as you have a PC that play video and that has a fast internet connection.

OnLive’s idea is very neat, and almost seems like its way ahead for its time. Over Easter weekend, OnLive was having a sale, and I hopped in and bought FEAR 2 for $5. This gave me unlimited access to the game. Now say if it wasn’t on sale, I could of bought either a 3 day or 5 day pass for the game if I only wanted to try it out. You can also try most of the games out for free for half an hour. Lastly, OnLive does offer a subscription based service for $10 a month, which enables you to have unlimited access with any game within its catalog.

OnLive can be played through a variety of ways. OnLive can be played on a PC, Mac, TV, and you can watch other people play through Android & iPhone devices as well. The TV accessory is sold directly through OnLive with a gamepad for $100. However, the OnLive service itself is free to play online, and you all have to do on a PC & Mac is download the free application. Thankfully, the adaptor is not required.

OnLive offers a TV Adapter & Gamepad combo for $100.

Even though, I already own a gaming PC, I tried OnLive out on both my main desktop PC and my laptop as well. Though 95% of my gameplay experience, I had zero to few problems while playing. The games are very responsive, and the video quality is good while running a high speed internet connection. On my laptop, I noticed some pixelation and OnLive was constantly saying it had network problems, but this only seemed to happen very rarely. Overall, the service is very smooth, and is perfect for anyone who has interest in the PC platform, and can’t afford to keep upgrading a PC or buying new PCs to play the latest games.

The video quality is certainly something to note. The quality is decent, but not amazing. The games look good, but not nearly as good as they should be. Even though a quality drop in video is rare, the service should at least offer higher resolutions so the games will look better. It feels like its YouTube quality, rather than me actually playing it on my PC or Xbox 360. The only games I tried out were FPS’s which usually require precise control, and all have fast paced gameplay. Though the games I played, I noticed no sort of “lag” and I never died due to a delayed control response or anything like that.

OnLive lets you watch other gamer's play games.

OnLive also lets you watch other players play a game. I noticed that anybody can watch you play a game, which I feel is a little creepy, but it didn’t bother me while I playing my game. OnLive also includes a friend system, and a voice chat system so that you can talk to your friends while they either watch you (or them) play a game or you can play a game together with them.

All in all, I feel that OnLive is a very neat idea. I don’t think many hardcore gamers will like it due to the video quality, but I feel more casual gamers will enjoy it due to being playable on lower end PCs. It’s said that OnLive may be built into some televisions in the future, and will more open up more gamers to the service. The catalog at this time is decent, with nearly two dozen publishers backing the service such as Ubisoft, Epic Games, THQ, Atari, and more. Despite the large support for the service, the game catalog is still rather small, but will likely grow as time goes on. I even saw that new games such as FEAR 3 will be playable on the service once it is released.

OVERALL RATING – 7.5/10

Pros – Can play any game within the catalog on any PC and Mac without having a super gaming PC. Quality is acceptable, and the gameplay is very responsive.

Cons – Video Quality may drop at any given time depending on your connection; video quality isn’t as good as it should be, game catalog doesn’t have many interesting or new games.

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition Review (3DS)

Hadoken!  Street Fighter breaks its way onto the 3DS with a bang!  Is it just a meaningless port, or is it actually worth your hard earned money?

Street Fighter and I haven’t exactly had the best of history together.  I was first introduced to the game when was around 10.  I used to always be stuck at my grandma’s house during the summer, and I occasionally hung out with the kid next door since he also had a Sega Genesis.  One day, my friend dropped his Sega down the stairs and it pretty much killed it.  In result, he gave me a whole bunch of games.  The best game of the bunch was Street Fighter II: Special Championship Edition.  Man, was this game badass or what?  Even though I struggled with each battle, I always attempted to at least beat the story mode of each character.  The biggest issue I had was not knowing any of the special moves, so in result, I always got my ass kicked into an oblivion.  Ever since then, I haven’t bought a Street Fighter game… until now.

Fast forward to 2011… the 3DS launch line up is announced, and it’s pretty much filled with halfassed ports and shovel ware.  Street Fighter would have fell into this category, but it’s obvious that Capcom was the only developer that gave a damn about making a quality launch title for the 3DS.  Super Street Fighter IV was originally a sort of expansion to the already existing Street Fighter IV on the Xbox 360 and PS3.  The expansion added tweaks, new characters, stages, and whatnot.  The 3DS version is more or less the same thing except it’s portable.  Let’s get into this review, shall we?

Presentation:

Super Street Fighter IV is a game that gets you pumped up and ready to go for anything.  Why?  Because even the freaking menus are in 3D!  The game has probably of the most wonderful controls that I’ve used yet for a 3DS game.  Remember how I mentioned that SFII and I had issues because of me not knowing the moves?  Well pathetic noobs such as myself, can now cower down to the touch screen and instantly activate a special move.  This means the game is no longer about remembering overly complicated button combinations, and it’s more about timing & strategy than ever before.  Sure, experienced players may hate this version because of this, but let me assure you, I can still kick people’s asses that constantly spam specials and button mash.  I feel this is the perfect version for any new Street Fighter player.

Graphics:

SSFIV obviously can’t look as good as its console version.  However, good graphics don’t make a better game, right?  Regardless of this, SSFIV still looks amazing on the 3DS.  The 3D effect adds in some cool depth to the graphics, and gives you the feeling that you’re actually standing between the fighters.  The 3D versus mode is far by the stupidest addition the game.  If you’re playing a 2D style fighting game, the last place you want to be is behind your fighter.  It doesn’t even give you an advantage.  One thing I have to nitpick about is the static backgrounds. Even the people in the background are just completely frozen.   My question is: Why?  I’ve seen several fighters between the PS1/2 eras with busy backgrounds in fighting games.   Did time just freeze in the world of Street Fighter? 

Sound:

The music in SSFIV are obvious remixes to the classic SFII soundtrack, as well as adding new tracks here and there.  The voice acting in the game is superb in my opinion, and the goofiness of some of the characters really gives the game some comic relief when it’s needed. 

Gameplay:

This is where SSFIV plays out in spades.  Where do I start?  First of all, the game has 35 characters!  All of them have their own unique moves, specials, stories, and costumes.  The game features the usual story (starts with a movie, ends with a movie), versus, 3D versus, and online multiplayer modes that are expected in most fighting games today.  A unique addition to the package is the Streetpass mode where when if you pass by another person that has Streetpass enabled on their 3DS system, a set of your Street Fighter figures will duke it out.  Whoever wins, will level up.  Lastly, the online multiplayer seems to have semi-lag free matches.  The matches I played weren’t unplayable, but I can tell between a few matches I had that lag was indeed slowing the game down a bit.  Also, everyone online seems to suck.  Just sayin’! ;)

Lasting Appeal:

There is a whole lot to do in SSFIV.  The gameplay is fun, the characters are interesting, and the online play is a blast.   It will take a good bit of time to clear the game with every character, and long time to unlock every icon, title, and if you live in a big city, level up all of your streetpass figures.  I can see 3DS owners playing this game for a very long time. 

For new 3DS owners, I highly recommend it.  I mean, what else are going to get from such a lackluster launch lineup of games?  Super Street Fighter IV is without a doubt the best 3DS launch title.  Ubisoft & EA need to take notes on what Capcom has done here so they that their ports simply don’t reek of trashy shovel ware.  

TL;DR – THE FINAL RUN DOWN

Presentation – 8/10 – The new touch screen option to instantly use your specials without complicated button combinations was a well needed addition to such a hardcore fighting series.  New & Old players will both feel welcome.  The menus are well done, but I don’t get actually on why all of them had to be in 3D.  Lastly, if you do want to play the game without the help of the touch screen, using the L & R buttons for complex moves isn’t actually comfortable.  You’re probably going to make your fingers move onto the touch screen after you get sick of trying big moves out.

Graphics – 8/10 – SSFIV looks fantastic, however the static backgrounds makes me wonder if the character models is all Capcom worked into.  Why couldn’t the backgrounds have a little life? 

Gameplay – 9/10 – The gameplay in SSFIV is a wonderful experience, and is the most entertaining 3DS game I’ve played yet.  It’s also probably the only game I’ve been coming back to constantly next to Ghost Recon.

Sound – 8/10 – Classic Street Fighter music, along with some new tunes as well.  The English voice actors in my opinion sound really good.   The music isn’t exactly catchy or anything, but it still catches my attention when I hear a classic SF tune.

Lasting Appeal – 8/10 – With 35 characters, SSFIV will be keeping you busy for a very long time.  Mastering them and learning which ones you’re best with, as well as competing with other people online will keep you on this game until some new quality games come out.

OVERALL SCORE – 8.5/10

BUY, RENT, or AVOID – BUY.  Buying this game is a no brainer.  If you own a 3DS, you have to own this game as well.

The Sims 3 Review (3DS)

Hey, yo.  I'm back... with a unexpected review!  Enjoy.
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The Sims 3 is the sequel to the highly successful PC Sims series, and now it finally makes the leap over the Nintendo’s new portable. Is it worth checking out, or should you be picking up something else?

Before anything, I just want to throw out that I have a soft spot for this franchise. I remember a decade ago when my brothers bought this, and we were all wowed on how amazing it is to basically be god in a video game (sadly, we missed out on the SNES and the awesome ActRaiser game at that time). The Sims on PC to this day, is still a fun little game. The later titles are better graphically, but all of them haven’t really changed except with a few games adding in storylines (weird, I know!) and simply more items, jobs, etc. The Sims on the 3DS is really a bit of a breakthrough for the series. I’ve always wanted a Sims game on a portable console that was actually… well, The Sims. The Urbz and The Sims 2 on the DS were both amazing games in their own right, but they weren’t the Sims games you expected them to be. The Sims 2 Pets on the PSP and The Sims 3 on iOS devices attempted to do the same thing except with lousy controls, and for the PSP game, excessive loading times. Now, let’s see if the 3DS can finally do The Sims right!

(I’ll be using IGN’s five categories, as I can’t think of anything better to call each section).

Presentation:
When you think of The Sims on the 3DS, you’re probably thinking the touch screen is going to give you an advantage in control. Well, yes and no. The Sims 3 and I have one very big issue with each other. The buttons are very small to press on the screen, and the game almost has to be played with a stylus at all times. Now I have to admit, giving the Sim him or herself commands through the touch screen is a very nice touch, but trying to navigate through the tiny menu on the bottom screen is really a frustrating experience. Also, whatever happened to seeing my Sim’s erm… personal needs? It annoys me when I have to wait for a cube to show up telling me that my Sim needs to eat, shower, and pee. One huge issue the game has is the camera which can only be controlled with the touch screen via a digital analog stick and not with one of the buttons, what were they thinking?!

Graphics:
The Sims 3 is decent looking game. If you want to know what “decent” is, think of somewhere in between Dreamcast and PS2 quality (graphically of course). A lot of the textures look very dated, and the character models have clunky animation and seemingly freeze for several seconds when given a new command. I give the character models a little credit, as they do look pretty good for 3DS standards, but every object in the game has large jags that seem to really stick out. The 3D effect the game gives you for the top screen, does add some depth to the world, but ultimately fails since you occasionally lose the 3D sweet spot since you constantly have to switch between the top and bottom screens due to the control. I recommend playing this game in 2D, since 3D offers little to nothing for The Sims 3.

Sound:
The Sims 3 has the classic Sims sounds that you would expect. The Sims language, music, and classic sound effects are all here. While none of them are out of the ordinary, the music the Sims play on the radio still sound really catchy, despite them being in The Sims own language.

Gameplay:
If you haven’t played a Sims game before, you basically have one role. Play the role of God or basically “big brother”. Your sim has free will over themselves so unless you tell him/her otherwise, he or she will do whatever they feel like doing. Most of the time it’s slacking off, being a slob, and wasting time… and this is where you can jump in to help them. Your Sims will need to be told when to shower, eat, crap, and to go to work. While the game usually does this for you, it does feel better to go and do it yourself. Eventually you will want to go out of the usual routine and you will want to your sim to get a boy/girlfriend. Get married. Have kids. Get a promotion. Learn new things. You know the typical stuff in life. The Sims is really a game that can go on forever. Thankfully, the 3DS does retain of the classic Sim gameplay, but to deal with all of the awkward control and bad camera, your journey with your sim may end sooner than you expect. Thankfully, the game does offer some unlocks in terms of new items, as well new clothes for your Sim. Whether or not you find this as an incentive to keep on progressing with your Sim is completely up to you.

If you compare the 3DS version to the PC version, you will largely be disappointed. EA should have just named this game “The Sims” rather than “The Sims 3” just as they did with Madden. The game does cut out several things that The Sims 3 did add in such as actually driving to work (you just walk off the screen to go to work now). I also noticed that you can only start the game with one character, rather than having the option to have a family or simply a bachelor pad with a friend. Don’t get me wrong, nothing of huge value was lost with the move from PC to 3DS; just don’t be expecting something new with the 3DS version with the exception of the poorly used 3D effect.

Since this game does literally go on forever, I noticed the game does finally let you build your own home. I haven’t gotten around to testing out how big your home can be, or how much stuff you can put into it. But most portable Sims games before this one forced you to live in only pre-built houses, such as The Sims 2 (DS)’s hotel room or The Urbz (another DS Sims title) penthouse. I give it a plus for finally letting you build you own pad, but with the game’s bad controls, I doubt you would have to patience to make one without putting the game down.

Lasting Appeal:
The Sims 3 can be satisfying experience if you can get used to a crappy camera, bad controls, and the mediocre graphics. Under all of the game’s crap is a game that really does have a good gameplay experience, that is, is you have to patience to deal with it. All in all, for casual gamers, I don’t recommend The Sims 3 at all. The controls are confusing at best, and the camera is so awful that most people would be done with in less than an hour. A hardcore Sims fan might have the patience to deal with it, but in the end, they will probably be begging to return to the vastly superior PC version within minutes of playing this game.

TL;DR – THE FINAL RUN DOWN
Presentation – 5/10 – The menus are hard to use and the camera can only be controlled through a digital analog stick on the touch screen. The only credit it gets is letting me command the Sims with the touch screen.
Graphics – 5/10 – Wasn’t expecting much. And yeah, we didn’t get much either. I’ve seen Dreamcast games that looked better.
Sound – 8/10 – The usual Sim sounds and music was a real hard category for the game to fail on. Thankfully it at least did this right.
Gameplay – 7/10 – Addicting gameplay, but only if you have the time and patience to let the game stick to you.
Lasting Appeal – 3/10 – I have a hard time playing this game for more than 15 minutes. I get annoyed on how this game even bothered to even have a 3D effect since it makes it nearly impossible to play when it’s on. It’s like how people ported PS2 games during the Wii’s launch and forced every port to have poorly done motion controls.

OVERALL SCORE: 5/10


BUY, RENT, OR AVOID? – AVOID. Sorry, EA. How about porting the original Sims to this thing instead? I’m sure you might be able to that right.