When you think of Disney, you don’t normally think..producers of a kick ass, highly addicting racing game keeping you up way too late into the wee hours. Well that’s exactly what what happened to me. I clearly underestimated Disney’s ability to turn it up a notch and completely take hold of senses with Split/Second. This game rocks! It has such a pick up & go pace about it. I found myself compelled to finish the solo-campaign as well as constantly go back for more in the multi-player arena.

Split/Second’s premise is that you’re a contestant on a reality show of sorts called coincidentally, ‘Split/Second’. Through a variety of different kind of races (elimination, position based, time challenged, and a few others). Each awarding you more credits the better you do. Additionally, unlocking new cars rather easily and new ‘episodes’ are they are referred to throughout (remember, think a tv show were you’re racing to keep your viewers glued to their set(s) by the destruction being caused to the tracks and other racers by your skills). With earned powerups while racing from successful drifting, jumps, and from what I’d like to call it tailgating – you have the ability use powerups that trigger various environment hazards to try and take out your opponents. If done too soon or too late, you may even wreck yourself…something I’ve done oh too many times. Regardless, you’ll wind up going back for more over and over. In my first sit down I thought I’d play a race a two..2.5 hr later lol…well, you get the point.

Graphics are top notch, no complaints there and I never witnessed any slow down even with alot going on on-screen, in the race and in the background. One of the things that I particularly like about Split/Second, is its choice of music. Gone are the ‘drill it in your brain’ – just plain loud rock type tracks that after a while just never seemed to fit IMHO in fast paced driving games. Instead, they opted to go the pulse route, with pumping instrumentals to get your heart beat..umm…racing! Great game, quick menus and very little load times..with a hot soundtrack to boot? It’s why I’m still jonesing for a race or two before I even get home some days.

Multi-player breaks down like so, you can battle against a friend in 2 player split screen co-op, or go online to play in 8 player match-ups. What’s really worth the bucks is that its not just straight racing. You get 1st to choose what type or racing you’re up for: head to head against 7, survival mode, among some others. At last count I think there were about 12-16 different locales to choose from as well. Cars unlocked in the solo campaign are eligible for use in multi-player (unlike in Blur) as well. Coolness.

Pros:

• Fast paced, and highly addicting gameplay
• Well thought out and gorgeous looking levels
• Driving feel just right, not too over sensitive – nor stiff (with enough variety between cars)

Cons:
• Havng to wait at times to join a multi-player game in a lobby instead of simply spectating
• No mention of new tracks via DLC yet (at time this was written)

Feed Your Console gives Split/Second a score of 8.5/10.

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Assassins Creed: Brotherhood

You’re immediately thrown into the “action”, yes action over sneaking (yay!), from the get go. You’re mission..to find you’re daughter long thought to be killed in an accident. It’s just possible she never died earlier in the series. Who stands in your way?, your old employers Third Echelon of course who might just have set the whole thing up. Some old friends as well as enemies are all there. Again, the action in this game is quick, loud and exhilarating for this series. I for one love this new spin. The sneaking genre needed to change and I’m glad Ubisoft realized this as well. Oodles of weapons that at some point you’ll be able to upgrade to their maxed out limits rather quickly, and oodles of ways to use the new combat fighting system! This was a new take on how to bring down some poor joe but with a twist. To make it so that you’d actually want to put away your firearms at times, stealth kills give you the ability to pre-target enemies and then with a one button touch, execute them. It works so well here. Good job Ubi’!!

Graphics and sound are as exceptional as you’d expect from a Ubisoft title, and are not to be overlook, but don’t need too much mention here. They’re excellent. This is one of the best looking games on the 360 in my opinion. No lag, no slow down…ever, and that’s with seemingly alot going on on any given occasion on screen (backgrounds, etc).

Multiplayer keeps this title fresh. Co-op it up with a buddy for side missions (story in co-op or 3 special missions ones) designed to be played with a pal, or create (or jump in) a session for some good ‘ol multiplayer action (3 modes). Sweet!

Now, what really makes this worthwhile is that for some reason Ubisoft has decided to release free DLC every Thursday since it’s launch. We’re talking free weapons for in-game use, stealth outfits for multiplayer, etc. A precedent, one of which I’m still thinking is too good to be true!

**Note** At launch there where issues with the Collectors Edition sets (the USB sticks not working), however I think Ubisoft has made up for it by provided most of the content free on their site (interviews, soundtrack, pics, etc.).

Pros

• Everything warrants a purchase of this game if you’re into to non stop action shoot-em-ups with a great story an interactive interrogations scenes.
• Free weekly DLC (for now).
• Vast array of multiplayer options.

Cons

• Bad update bug that lingered for the first 2 days of release and plague many 1st day game purchasers. Luckily it was fixed in days but still..was brutal.
• There were still a few levels where stealth was necessary, painfully difficult at times but…doable.

Feed Your Console gives Splinter Cell: Conviction a 8.5/10.

I really must ask… A basketball player that has not been in the league sine 2003 (as a player) and a retired Hockey All Star – are planning on being the selling feature for these two titles?!? REALLY?

Maybe the Madden Curse is real and it’s expanding to the other sports titles… using Retired Athletes may be soon be the only option to protect a sports career.

I kid of course – MJ and Gretzky are both fantastic Athletes and covers are well deserved for both.

The game puts you in the shoes of retired Outlaw John Marston who is trying to track down some of his old gang mates in an effort to save his wife and child who are being held by corrupt government officials (who knew right? Gov employees…Corrupt? That’s impossible). As far as the story goes, that’s as much as I’ll tell you to avoid spoilers.

The gameplay mechanics are almost identical to those found in the Grand Theft Auto Series. As the protagonist, you have certain goals and rely on the help of others to get you the information required to meet said goals. They in turn use the main character as a very efficient errand boy who gets things done. Much like GTA, if you do something wrong the police come after you but now they place bounties on your head which can be paid off by a simple visit to the telegraph office or with a pardon letter or just completely avoiding the town for a prolonged period of time.

During the course of the game, it’s easy to get distracted by the myriad of mini missions and side quests that jump out at you as you and your trusted steed trail blaze across the Wild West. Some of the missions include proving your prowess with firearms in an old fashioned duel, saving the damsel in distress or returning hijacked horses and carriages.

The world in RDR is massive and I wonder if it’s possibly bigger than the wastelands of Fallout 3 and GTA because it sure seems to take a long time to get from point A to B at times…There’s even an achievement that requires you to get from Blackwater, USA to Escalera, Mexico before sundown. Racing across the countryside can wear on one’s nerves though, if all you want to do is see what’s coming next in the story (you’ll find that the story is rather engrossing) then the sheer size can seem daunting and rather annoying at times – Luckily there is fast travel available via stagecoaches but even then sometimes it can mean travelling in the opposite direction before getting to one.

The online aspect of the game is quite entertaining and though I only had minimal time playing it due to internet issues as of late, I can see myself playing this for months to come. Free roaming gives you the ability to just randomly traverse the world on your own in MMOG fashion having to fend for yourself against other players or join up with friends and create a posse and take on the world together. Free Roam could use more missions but the real meat and potatoes of the game come from the gang or free for all matches where you engage in team or free for all matches.

Rockstar has just turned this series into a triple A title and with more DLC coming in the future, this game is potentially a contender for Game of the Year on many lists. Now git on lil doggy – I have a damsel to rescue.

Pros:

• Great story – as good as the best Western movies (so I’ve been told…I don’t like Westerns)
• Incredible voice acting – Memorable characters
• Replayability – There’s so much to do and see
• Online – Online game modes are insanely fun

Cons:

• Size – The world may be a little too big sometimes with too little going on during the long travels

Feed Your Console give Red Dead Redemption 10 out of 10

As usual, there are no spoilers in this review so feel free to read on.

The game is set in a small sleepy rural town in the mid North Western USA, Bright Falls. Complete with vibrant landscapes and wildlife, the town features some very quirky characters and unapologetically takes its cue right out of the cult classic TV series of the early 90s, Twin Peaks. You play the part of title character Alan Wake a best-selling author suffering from writer’s block who’s on vacation with his wife. When his wife Alice goes missing, it’s up to Alan to find her through the pages scattered throughout Bright Falls of a manuscript he doesn’t remember writing. He comes to the realization that a dark presence is at work and it’s up to him to save the woman he loves.

The game’s narrative is much like a book. As Alan completes certain tasks or reaches checkpoints, Alan narrates certain aspects to the gamer allowing for the story to progress much like a living book.
The graphics are beautiful. The town and environments are just as beautiful in the dark(sometimes more so) as they are in the light and the character models look incredible – Hey Alice, can I give you my phone number? (the actress is seriously hot and her model looks just like her). The only thing that’s not quite right is the lip syncing and this weird grimace that Alan Wake has that says “I just got kicked in the pills”. Apparently they’re working on a fix for that. When walking through the town or the forest at night, the baddies (known as “The Taken”) come at you in various forms and they are ‘effin creepy man, especially the sound that accompanies them which bring me to my next point.

The sound in this game is AMAZING! The sound directors and writers deserve huge props for some of the more intense and gripping soundtracks and sound effects I’ve experienced in a game for a in a long time. Whenever the music started to pick up the pace, my heart raced along with it – couple that with the ambient sounds of the game and the noises/voice of the Taken and you’re likely to find yourself sitting slightly higher in your seat and perhaps even turning the lights on.

This game has something I’ve been missing from all my so called “Horror survival games” – The scares. Truly feeling like the situation is dire or that feeling of dread as you round a corner to thematic music, second guessing the wind in the bushes or the silhouette in the distance is what made games like Resident Evil 1-3 so near and dear to me (sadly they lost that dynamic). The game had moments that made me jump and feel great moments of relief when it was all over.

Any avid book reader will tell you there’s nothing like a page turner which is exactly what Alan Wake is. Great Job Remedy – This game shall never leave my game collection and will go down as a classic title from this generation of consoles.

Feed Your Console gives Alan Wake 10 out of 10

Pros:

• Graphics – Simply put, beautiful
• Engaging Story – Keeps you wanting more(please make more)
• Sound Effects and soundtrack – Both of which will raise your heart rate
• Scare moments – this felt more like survival horror than anything in recent years

Cons:

• It ended – Seriously, why is the game over?
• Lip Synching and strange mouth movements by Alan – Reportedly a fix is forthcoming

** Thanks to Xbox for for supplying a review copy to Feed Your Console,/h6>

]]> http://www.feedyourconsole.com/2010/05/review-alan-wake/feed/ 2 http://www.feedyourconsole.com/2010/05/prince-of-persia-the-forgotten-sands-trailer/ http://www.feedyourconsole.com/2010/05/prince-of-persia-the-forgotten-sands-trailer/#comments Mon, 17 May 2010 20:37:56 +0000 Mvern78 http://www.feedyourconsole.com/?p=1963 The official launch trailer for Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is here… and it looks fantastic – catch a glimpse of the prince in action, with new elemental skills, new weapons and a new look.

See the official site for more details

]]> http://www.feedyourconsole.com/2010/05/prince-of-persia-the-forgotten-sands-trailer/feed/ 1 http://www.feedyourconsole.com/2010/05/ubi-announces-two-new-titles/ http://www.feedyourconsole.com/2010/05/ubi-announces-two-new-titles/#comments Thu, 06 May 2010 23:54:35 +0000 Mvern78 http://www.feedyourconsole.com/?p=1873 HAWX 2 and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood have both been confirmed by Ubisoft as upcoming titles for the 2010 Fall Gaming season.

AC:B was leaked yesterday to Kotaku by an inside person at a Gamestop retail location with this image:

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood – via Kotaku

Text from the box would indicate that this is a multiplayer game and that you will continue on with Ezio and build a team of assassins to take on the Templar infestation.

Live and breathe as Ezio, now a legendary master assassin, in his struggle against the Templar order. Lead your own brotherhood of Assassins and strike at the heart of the enemy. Rome.

HAWX 2 – the sequel to the one million plus unit seller, takes players back to the sky to live as one of the elite pilots of the High Altitude Warfare eXperimental squadron. HAWX 2 will be available on all current generate systems in the Fall 2010.

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