Released May 17, 2011 for 360, May 18, 2011 for PC, June 5, 2011 for PS3
"A war away from war."
Zion, a valley plagued, not by nuclear fallout, but by man, religion, and war. Utah's Zion National Park is now home to barely civilized tribes of which can only speak fragments of English. It's here that the courier finds himself amidst a brutal tribal war in Fallout: New Vegas' latest expansion; Honest Hearts.
Joshua Graham, who is repeatedly mentioned in New Vegas as a proverbial boogeyman of the wastes, tells of the imminent war between his tribe, the Dead Horses, and the savage White Legs. It's a war Graham must help the Dead Horses fight in order to atone for his sins against God, sins committed as Ceasar's once trusted legate. It's up to the courier to decide how he will deal with the battles within Zion to not only preserve the well-being of the tribes but to make it safely back to the Mojave and consummate his own war at Hoover Dam.
Honest Hearts is an intriguing look into how a part of the Fallout world, seemingly insignificant, mimics the war, greed, and pride displayed everywhere else in the wastes. It tells a great story and brings dynamic characters such as the God-willed Joshua Graham to life.
If New Vegas players passed up Dead Money because of its linearity, be content as Honest Hearts brings back much of the unhindered exploration omitted by the last add-on. New areas, weapons, armor, allies, and quests lie in wait in the heart of Zion. (Not to mention every major NPC's weapons and armor will be given to the courier upon departure of the valley.)
There are to two things that impede this otherwise brilliant add-on. Unlike Dead Money, Honest Hearts suffers major slow down and freezes as the main game does. Honest Hearts is also rather short. It can be completed in just about two hours. (although the gameplay will definitely vary as to how much exploration of Zion the player actually does.)
Honest Hearts is a definite improvement on Dead Money and while the experience may not last too long, those looking to recreate their New Vegas experience under a more solemn semblance; Zion awaits.
Details -
Genre: First Person Shooter, RPG, Third Person Shooter
ESRB Rating: M for Mature (Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs)
As make-up for last week's lack of posting, I'm going to do two posts today. This one for fun and another later which will have my reviews for the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Honest Hearts and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.
Now back around the time of middle school and my freshman year of high school, I had, apparently, plenty of time to combine footage of my favorite video games with hit songs of the day. I thought I was pretty good at it. In fact I believe I'm the best in the world of doing this sort of thing. There's probably no one better. Now, that I'm considerably older I haven't the time to make these silly little videos with as much care as I'd like to give it. Or in simpler teams, it's a tremendous waste of time.
One of my first Video Game Music Videos I made was of Resident Evil 4 set to the tune of "Passive" by A Perfect Circle. I thought the theme of the song (pessimism) was displayed well with all the footage of Leon dying. There are A LOT of parts that match and I believe you will obtain a broader sense of life just by watching this. So, do your life a favor and watch this masterpiece. You're welcome.
E3 is finally over and gamers everywhere are still buzzing with the convention high. New consoles, new games, and new announcements are all apart of the e3 formula and 2011's convention wasn't lacking in any of those departments. Let's take a look back at everything that made e3 2011 a memorable one; from Microsoft's press conference to the final day at the booths.
Microsoft:
-Microsoft kicked e3 with a 5 minute playthrough of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. There wasn't much else special; just another upgrade to the CoD series. (The player's controller shutting off was probably my favorite part.
-The new reboot of the Tomb Raider series was showcased with cave spelunking! Lara Croft waded through waters, surviving and completing puzzles. What I found discouraging was Croft's whiny, noisy, and overall crybaby voice.
-A dashboard update will be available this fall that will bring Youtube, Bing (with Kinect voice capabilities ie yelling at your tv to look up tentacle hentai).
-Gears of War 3 present. Same old same old.
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-Of course, we all knew that Kinect would be a major priority for Microsoft but by the end of their Kinect showcase I wanted to shoot myself. So . . . much . . . gimmicky . . . crap . . . can't . . . take . . .in . . . all . . . the . . . casual. Anyway, here's a list of the Kinect titles displayed: Disney Land Adventures, Kinect Star Wars, Tim Schafer's Sesame Street Once Upon A Monster (that's a long drop from expecting Psychonauts 2), Dance Central 2, Kinect Fun Labs.
-Fable Journey was touched on. A first person, wave your arms around to cast a spell, RPG. Seemed kind of interesting but eh.
-The final Kinect title that was shown was Ryse. A dark Roman gladiator type brawler. Swing your arms to decapitate your enemy!
-Can you believe that it's been 10 years since Halo hit the shelves! Well, in celebration Microsoft is rereleasing the classic FPS with updated HD graphics.
-Are you ready to finish the fight? . . . again? That's right Halo 4 has been announced! Not only that but it's going to be a trilogy! Master Chief's duty will never be done.
Overall, Microsoft gave a unimpressive briefing. Absolutely nothing was a surprise. Nothing but FPSs. And Kinect as far as the eye can see. It was truly disappointing and at times painful to watch. I'll give Microsoft a grade of D just for announcing a few new games even though we saw them coming a mile away.
Sony:
-Sony started off by apologizing for the PSN outage. Maybe I would have accepted their sincerest apology if Kevin Butler had returned to grovel at our knees. But to prove that they have not given up on the consumers, and to prove their are still devoted, they will put up more apps on PSN including Cinenow which shows on demand movies and tv shows.
-A trailer for Uncharted 3 was shown as well as an onstage demo.
-A trailer for Resistance 3 was shown of course.
-Here's some pretty cool new; the PSP God of War titles Ghost of Sparta and Chains of Olympus will be remastered in HD and headed for the PS3!
-Everyone's been waiting for the Team Ico HD collection but Sony has made the wait harder as the collection will now be in 3D. I'm not a fan of 3D but the idea of seeing the epic colossus fights sound pretty awesome.
- Kobe Bryant tests out the Move enabled NBA 2K11.
-An Infamous 2 trailer was shown which I thought was a waste time seeing as how the game would be released the day after the Sony conference.
-Oh, and LittleBig Planet 2 will be Move enabled in an update this September.
-The sequel to Warhawk, Starhawk is set for a 2012 release. I was half expecting it to be Move enabled.
-For the Sly Cooper fans, Sly 4 was revealed in an intriguing trailer. (But if you played the Sly collection, you already knew this news was coming.)
-Back to the Move capable stuff, Dust 514 is an intriguing PS3 game in that in can to connect to Eve Online for the PC.
-They showed a trailer to the much anticipated Bioshock Infinite. Also, they announced a Bioshock game for the NGP.
-They announced a Move enabled Star Trek game based on the newest film.
-I was actually surprised how much exclusive stuff they will offer if you choose to buy a game for the PS3. A Mt. Fuji level will be offered in SSX, Need for Speed: The Run will offer 7 PS3 exclusive cars and Battlefield 3 will have the entire Battlefield 1943 on disc.
-Playstation Suite ill offer connectivity to mobile phones or whatever I don't care.
-Now the time we have all been waiting for, the reveal of Playstation Vita, the next generation successor to the PSP. This baby will include 2 analog sticks, multi-touch 5 inch screen, motion sensing tech, touch sensors in the back of the system, front and back cameras, wifi, and 3G wifi capabilities. Also, it's a phone just so you know with service exclusively from AT&T. And I kid you not, the people actually snickered, laughed and booed when Kaz Hirai announced this. It was truly a priceless e3 moment.
-A social app called Near will act as a Sony social network that will keep track of friends, trophies, and online activity.
-Official Game for the Vita: Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Ruin which can connect to Facebook and Twitter and it is able to transfer content to the PS3, Modnation Racers, Wipeout (cross platform play), LittleBig Planet, Street Fighter X Tekken will be on the Vita with exclusive character Cole McGrath from Infamous!, Sound Shapes, Project: Gravity, Hustle Kings, Super Stardust, Reality Fighters, Hot Shots Golf, Shinobido 2: Tales of the Ninja, Dynasty Warriors, Dragon Crown
-The games and the Vita will all be available by Winter. The Vita itself will cost 300 for 3G and 250 for wifi only. That's actually a pretty good deal right there.
-Sony had a lot going for it. They didn't focus on the Move but instead included them in games they were either going to announce or integrated them into already existing games. It's a definitely plus that they didn't spend half their show on the Move as Microsoft did with the Kinect. New game announcements and the Vita helped make Sony's 2011 e3 conference a pretty damn good one. I give them a grade of B.
Nintendo:
Perhaps the most anticipated of all the e3 conferences took place on Tuesday after all the others had finished. Nintendo's 2011 e3 agenda: 3DS, new console
-Reggie Fils-Aime detailed a bunch of 3DS games that we had all been anticipating since the dawn of the system. Trailers for Mario Kart (Holiday), Star Fox 64 3D which allows for video chat during gameplay (September), Super Mario 3D (2011), Kid Icarus Uprising which will utilize AR cards (2011), Tetris, Cave Story 3D, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries, Resident Evil: Revelations, Pacman & Galaga Dimensions, Tekken 3d, Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D.
-Luigi's Mansion 2 was announced for the 3DS! After 10 long years this cult classic makes a return to gamers' hands. Luigi will now explore more than one mansion as he searches for someting (could Mario be missing again?)
-Reggie announced the new console to be the WiiU. Although the only thing that was showcased was the capability of the controller, it was enough to keep the audience intrigued.
-This odd new device includes a 6.2 inch touch screen, two analog sticks, a d-pad, XYBA buttons, ZL/ZR buttons, L/R triggers, mic, speakers, camera, stylus, gyroscope, accelerometer
-A video that showcased the Wii U controller's features. You will be able to switch your game from the big screen to the Wii U controller to play while someone watches the big screen.
-Using the stylus you can draw and color on the controller which can also display on the tv.
-The WiiU will be backwards compatible with all Wii games and Wii equipment including the Wiimote, Zapper, Balance Board, etc.
-You will be able to make video calls.
-The video concluded with some impressive CG images of Link fighting a giant spider. Could we have a new Zelda on our hands?!
-Super Smash Bros. was confirmed for both the WiiU and 3DS and they will be interactive in some way.
-Confirmed games: Lego City Stories (Lego GTA?), Darksiders II, Tekken, Batman: Arkham City, Assassin's Creed, Ghost Recon Online, Dirt, Alien Colonial Marines, Metro Last Light, Ninja Gaiden 3.
-EA expressed great interest in the WiiU and promises many new titles to the system.
Nintendo really gave it their all at this e3. The WiiU took the show with its innovative game mechanics, jaw-dropping graphics, and its re-embracing of the hardcore market. The 3DS, although we knew about most of them, did a great job showing off its new eShop features. Nintendo definitely earned an A.
After a 15 year run of developing and publishing exceptional video games that take us to crime infested cities, terrain, and even schools, Rockstar puts us in the shoes of the law and takes us to the dark and corrupt setting of 1940's Los Angeles. Not only does L.A. Noire offer a unique style of detective gameplay and gunplay, it also brings an interrogation arrangement seldom pulled off right in modern games. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of L.A. Noire are the realistic facial expressions pulled off by the cutting edge Motion Scan technology. However, it all comes down to whether or not these mechanics are defined well enough to create a great gaming experience.
L.A. Noire tells the tale of World War II veteran, Cole Phelps, as he works up the ranks as a detective in the LAPD. In order to do so, the player must use a mixture of gunplay, detective work, chasing, and interrogating in order to solve every case and earn promotions (going from patrol to traffic to homicide, etc). All of these gameplay mechanics are blended perfectly as to not overly exhaust the fun out of one or another. So, hardcore players need not worry about spending hours just looking for clues as there is a fair share of gunfights to satisfy (or maybe pacify).
The biggest gripe I had with the gameplay was how much the game holds your hand throughout the cases. In car chases, if the car is too far ahead, it will actually slow down until you catch up to it, then the bandit will speed up. While searching for clues, there will always be text telling you that you should turn a watch a certain way to see a name engraved or press A to look behind a picture frame to read a message. The ability to skip action sequences and use intuition points (the ability to show where all hidden clues are on the map) would have been enough hand holding but changing A.I. to lower the difficulty is unnecessary.
The gunplay is taken straight from Red Dead Redemption (same engine, no duh). The biggest difference is that you cannot collect and upgrade your weapon. Rather you start off with a pistol and can pick up a variety of weapons that enemies drop. The player cannot, however, keep these weapons and use them on the next case. That's the major problem with the depth of the gunplay; it seems as if it only touches on the shooting and quickly switches to something else. The dodging, aiming and firing, however, are just as you remembered in Red Dead Redemption.
The clue collecting is straight forward; search an alleyway or a home, and walk Cole until you hear a chime to signify a clue is nearby. Pick up the clue and see how it will aide your case. You can use these clues to build up your case against interrogating a suspect. A suspect will respond to a question that Cole asks in their own way. It's up to the player to decide whether he is telling the truth or lying. In order to do this, the player must take notice of the facial expressions and body movements that the suspect does (nervouse twitches, worried expressions will always reveal a liar). There are three options; truth, doubt and lie. If a person is lying but you can't prove that he is, you doubt him. If he is lying, and you have hard evidence, you outright accuse him. You then have to search through all the evidence and choose the right one that corresponds to the response given. This is an amazing gameplay mechanic that intertwines unique gameplay with the Motion Scan technology in an almost flawless way.
The musical score fits the game perfectly. From chase scenes, to crime scenes, to interrogations, the music and chimes take the player to 1947 and keep them there until they are done playing. The radio plays classic 40's jazz and big band hits that'll keep your foot tapping whenever your patrolling the streets looking for gangsters to ruin their day.
The acting is phenomenal. I say acting because it's no longer just voice acting. L.A. Noire's technology brings the actor into the game itself. These actors bring the player an unparalleled emotion by using both voice and expression. Aaron Staton of Mad Men brings Cole Phelps to life. I didn't find any of the actors unbelievable in their delivering of the characters. It's all the reason why L.A. Noire is such a story telling power house.
The facial animations that Team Bondi and Rockstar have been promoting are gorgeous. It's amazing how the actors have to provide not only a voice but must react to real situations presented in the game. It is a real shame that the beauty of the faces really bring out the flaws of the body animations and environments that would have otherwised gone unnoticed. The body animations are puppet like and sometimes do not cooperate with facial animations. A lot of the environments' textures are bland or do not load properly during cutscenes while shadows are laughably pixelated. In any other game, these would be minor flaws but in a game where the facial animations are a definite step forward in graphical technology, it's a shame that everything else is somewhat lacking in quality.
The lack freedom of L.A. Noire is a definite setback compared to games like Red Dead and GTA. The player is able to select the option of simply exploring L.A., searching for badges, uncovering landmarks, and answering dispatch calls. Unfortunately, the player cannot make Cole go on a trigger happy happy rampage or even throw a few punches on unsuspecting civilians. The player cannot draw his weapon or fists while on duty (hell, Cole can't even run over pedestrians with their ninja-like reflexes). The player is left upholding the law with no other choice. (We want to at least HAVE the option to cap a few innocents, right?)
L.A. Noire is very story driven. In some aspects this is a good thing and in others this is not. Rockstar provided a riveting tale and intriguing cases taken from actual crimes that hold its own in entertaining the player even if the gameplay falls short at times. The story, being as appealing as it is, can take away the focus of the gameplay and aim it directly at the story. (i.e. skipping action sequences). It's evident that Rockstar wanted a unique gameplay experience and they definitely have one but with certain instances during the game it seems they wanted to rush the player out of brilliant action sequences so they can sit back and relax to watch the cutscenes. It's incredibly unfortunate that such brilliant gameplay and potential exploration was sacrificed at the cost of story which should never be the case for a video game. Other than these apparent flaws, L.A. Noire is an incredibly deep and unique experience that any gamer should at least try. The game, although lacking in replay value, definitely offers players an unforgettable experience even if you'll find yourself spending a significant amount of time watching rather than controlling.
Details -
Genre: Action, Detective
ESRB Rating: M for Mature (Blood and Gore, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence)
Quick Review:
