10/06 Update: Since we no longer write for the Edmond Sun, this section is temporarily housing our podcast links for our iTunes feed. All of the columns are in the archives menu if you feel like exploring.

These columns (as well as the 'releases') come from weekly content that we write for the Edmond Sun, out of Edmond, OK (though we live in Chicago). This page contains the archives for said column, many of which are in their pre-published, unedited state. Some titles and editing by Brendan Sinclair.

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Digging Deeper
Saturday, January 14, 2006

For all of you lucky/resourceful Xbox 360 owners out there, you might find yourself running a bit dry of quality launch games already. I don't blame you either - the gaming press have been less than reliable in regards to covering the launch games, tearing through them to make deadlines, and considering it's quite a wide array of games, having some very odd standards of judgment right off the bat. Fear not, however, as I'm here to tell you about three fairly fantastic launch games you might only be getting around to checking out now.

It's pretty common understanding by now that Perfect Dark Zero was a bit of an inconsistent mess, and if you're anything like me (beat it with a pal co-op, played a couple dozen games online) you're about ready to trade it in. King Kong was fantastic and excelled in every aspect of great game design, but was over in 6-7 hours. And while Call of Duty 2 is almost inarguable fantastic, it can only take you so far. Enter Quake 4, the grossly under-appreciated fairly straightforward shooter of the system's young life. Most of the reviews focused on how long it had been in development for (a while, which is entirely irrelevant) and how inconsistent the frame rate was (it's not the best, but it didn't bother me and I'm a sticker for things like that), and forgot to tell you that it's a damn fun game amidst all of their bitching. For starters, it's looks and sounds fantastic - you might be in a maze of military and alien bases a fair percentage of the game, but there's never a lack of interesting machinery and wonderfully mangled bodies to take in as you wander. You'll hear soldiers screaming on the other side of a wall, doors being torn off their hinges before an enormous beast charges at you, and plenty of creepily ambient noise to bump you to the edge of your seat. It also does an admirable job at being cinematic, especially as far as linear simplistic shooters go - squadmates will be torn to shreds just as you're getting to know them, Corporals will bark orders at you before shoving you into an outdoor battlefield crawling with enemies, and things have a way of exploding around you, more often than not. It's fast, it's pretty and it's gratifying, and thanks to a number of well-done vehicular segments, it doesn't get old. It's Quake, really, and it's nice to be able to enjoy it in all it's relative glory from my couch.

Kameo, on the other hand, is about as innocent, magical and enjoyable as anything you'll find on one of Nintendo's systems. In fact, it's most closely comparable to Zelda is mood and art design, and that's obviously quite the compliment. The whole dynamic of the game involves shape-shifting between different creature forms you gradually unlock (up to a total of ten by the end of the game), all with fairly different ways of navigating the environment and taking down enemies. You can, for example, turn into the boxing plant, beat a troll senseless, turn into the water creature and coat said troll with oil, then turn into the dragon and stir fry the situation. The various worlds you'll explore all look downright stunning, the closest you'll see to a Pixar film come to life for quite some time - glowing mossy caves filled with lingering fireflies, rocky mountain crags surrounded by waterfalls, and of course, every enemy looks fabulous (and requires a specific approach to defeat). The story is a bit of a throwaway, but every corner of the game is interesting and polished, and the very dynamic approach to otherwise basic combat makes every conflict enthralling. If you can man up and get past the slightly kiddie look, you'll find one of the most entertaining and graphically astounding games for any system yet.

Lastly, we have the woefully ignored Condemned. A first-person, crime-solving hobo-beating adventure at heart, it's lack of specific genre classification probably holds it back a bit in theory. But it shouldn't, as it's a finely tuned, well-scripted exercise in compellingly creepy game design. Most of the combat is intensely visceral melee fighting; pipes, two-by-fours, locker doors, etc., and when you get hit, YOU GET HIT. Getting nailed by a sledgehammer in the chest by a bloodied maniac as you round a corner looks exactly how you'd picture it, and is equally as terrifying as you just imagined. It's VERY linear and scripted, but the latter makes for some very cool moments, such as getting pushed down an escalator, never cutting away from your first person perspective. There are even a couple dozen crime scene investigations, which have you searching for clues and looking over freshly murdered bodies with several tools of the trade (camera, blacklight, etc.). Oh, and you're being framed for the murder of a cop, which I should probably mention. The story and atmosphere are great, and while the physics are a bit inconsistent (you can smash faces, but not certain lights) it's an incredibly immersive experience overall.

So that's it. I know sixty bucks is kind of a risky prospect for most, but I promise you'll enjoy the games I just mentioned if their descriptions sounded even the least bit intriguing to you. The 360 release schedule doesn't really pick up until mid-March (Burnout, Oblivion, Ghost Recon), but I think you'll find the launch quite a bit deeper than it initially seemed if you ignore the press and do the judging for yourself. Feel free to ignore me as well; I just enjoyed these three games thoroughly, and I think that you might too.

- Nick


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