ornery

Here’s a tease:

Historical fiction tale and science fiction soap opera about a man who relives his ancestors’ memories through a special machine, Assassin’s Creed is a satisfying fusion of the stealth and platforming techniques pioneered by publisher Ubisoft with its Prince of Persia and Splinter Cellfranchises. And each year fans cringe at the prospect that the ambitious saga is spreading its potential thin with an annual release model.

The fourth entry in as many years, Revelations has players catching up with Italian assassin Ezio Auditore. Now a much older gentleman, Ezio arrives in 16th century Istanbul in search of physical recordings of the memories of the life of Altair, the first game’s protagonist. As Ezio uncovers Altair’s memories, there’s a bit of Inception going on: you’re reliving the memories of a man reliving the memories of another man. But, in choosing to address the existing mysteries of the series rather than create new ones, Revelations manages to close Ezio’s story with grace, and legitimize Altair’s brief presence in the series.

My last review for the year. I need the next few weeks to devote to Skyrim.

Check out the full review at sfbg.com and look for a Best of 2011-type article sometime in December.

Whether it’s fair to compare Battlefield to Call of Duty or not, people are going to do it. And EA was asking for it.

I’ve got an actual link for you this time: Combat Fatigue at sfbg.com

Again, not sure why this isn’t on the online version of sfbg.com, but pick up the paper this week!

A taste:

“UK developer Rocksteady clearly set out to make the best, most comprehensive Batman game ever, and when you see the number of characters, backstories and knowing winks contained in Arkham City you’d be hard pressed to say they didn’t succeed. The story goes: after Arkham Asylum’s fall in the first game, Gotham’s villains have been relocated to a cordoned-off section of downtown Gotham City. At a protest rally, Bruce Wayne is kidnapped by Professor Hugo Strange, who reveals he has a nefarious plan in place for Arkham. Why on Earth would they put a prison in the center of the city? Now trapped within its walls, Batman decides to find out.

If you feared Arkham Asylum might have been unduly elevated for being the first competent video game about Batman, rest easy: Rocksteady knows their Batman. The Caped Crusader glides and grapples across the city with incredible, fluid movement, and, whether you are battling the Joker, Mr. Freeze or one of Two Face’s two-toned toughs, combat has a wonderful rhythm that rewards intricate combos and looks just as amazing if you’re mashing buttons.

Arkham City also gives you the opportunity to experience the guilt that comes with knowing you can’t attend to all of the crime and villainy that inhabit Arkham at once. There are criminals and puzzles left by The Riddler on nearly every inch of the decaying urban landscape, and if there’s an issue it’s that all this content can be overwhelming. Not only is scattering the city with glowing green question marks disorienting, but it serves to make Arkham City feel less authentic and more like a goofy comic book – which isn’t much of a complaint considering the source.”

“It’s bigger, it’s slicker and it’s exactly what you’d expect.”

I’m not sure why this never showed up at sfbg.com, but here’s a bit of what went in the paper:

“On a technical level, the game plays like butter. Three years of burnish and there’s nary a hiccup across the lengthy 10- to 15-hour campaign. According to Epic Games’ outspoken Design Director Cliff Bleszinski, Gears 3 was designed to appeal to fans and newcomers alike and the difficulty has been scaled back radically; Hardcore difficulty is roughly equivalent to Normal difficulty of previous games. However, even with thought paid to newcomers, Gears 3isn’t the best entry point for players who don’t already understand why muscle-ripped gladiators (including a couple new female soldiers) must take chainsaw-rifles to squishy aliens.

Second only to Call of Duty, the fervent multiplayer of Gears has long dominated Xbox Live. Gears 2 set records for simultaneous online players when it was released, but it lost some subscribers to glaring bugs and balancing issues. Learning from past mistakes, Gears 3 ran a successful beta which left its online modes running hassle-free. In addition to competitive multiplayer, the co-operative Horde Mode returns with a currency system that allows you to purchase and upgrade weapons and fortifications to help tackle wave after wave of enemies.

Following two entries that ostensibly changed the industry, what is strange to see is a Gears game that’s content with being a greatest hits package. It’s bigger, it’s slicker and it’s exactly what you’d expect. Which is fine. At this point the franchise is in that upper tier of games that will sell well to consumers who don’t even identify as gamers. Once you’ve hit that benchmark, your game is pretty much critic proof.”