Resistance: Retribution Review

Resistance: Retribution Review

Resistance: Retribution successfully migrates the series' exciting action to the portable platform, with only a few bumps along the way.

The Good

• Intense, fast-paced action
• Clever, well-balanced shooting mechanics
• Impressive environments and rich visuals
• Challenging enemies
• Solid suite of online multiplayer modes.

The Bad

• Cover can be too sticky
• Directional pad actions are a bit awkward
• Some spotty voice acting.

Resistance: Retribution is the first portable outing for Sony's grim alternate-history franchise. The Resistance series, like many other shooters, has thrived on the dual analog-stick controller of the PlayStation 3, and at first glance the leap to the PSP's single analog stick and face-button control scheme may seem a bit daunting. However, from the first moments of Resistance: Retribution, it is clear that the fast-paced, intense action of the Resistance series is well represented here thanks to clever controls, a powerful arsenal, and vibrant levels. Despite being less epic in scale than its forerunners and having a few rough edges, Resistance: Retribution is a remarkably successful shooter that looks great and is a lot of fun to play.

The bigger they are, the more bullets they absorb.

The key to Retribution's success is the control scheme. You use the analog stick to move, the face buttons to aim, the shoulder buttons to fire, and the D pad for miscellaneous actions. Aiming precisely with four separate buttons is an unwieldy task, so to smooth things out, Retribution features an aim-assist window. This is a bracketed targeting area in the middle of the screen. If you frame your enemies within the brackets, your reticle will automatically target them and you can blast away without having to constantly tweak your aim. You can easily switch between bracketed targets with a tap of the face button, and your reticle will stay locked-on as you strafe back and forth as long as you keep your enemy in the window. It is an elegant and intuitive solution to the aiming problem, and though it may sound like aim assist would make the game too easy, there are a number of factors that keep everything in balance.

The first factor is your relentless enemies. They fill the air with projectiles and advance on you aggressively. Many can be vanquished with a steady stream of aim-assisted bullets, but others require you to look down your sights (temporarily removing aim assist) and shoot them in their big, nasty heads. Some of the larger enemies are much tougher, so you'll need to use your weapon's powerful secondary attack or, better yet, use a bigger weapon. The second factor that keeps the action tense is that these secondary attacks, as well as big guns such as the rocket launcher, do not use the aim assist. This requires that you toggle your zoom (using the slightly awkward D pad up button) and work a bit harder to get your aim right. Fortunately, the large groups of enemies or towering monstrosities that you'll be firing at present a sizable target. There's a great balance to the combat: The aim assist does enough to keep the action going at a good clip, but it doesn't do so much that it takes away the challenge or the fun.

Of course, the action isn't all about aiming and pulling the trigger. Maneuvering around the levels is just as crucial to your survival. If you run up to a low barrier or a protruding wall, you'll slide into cover and (hopefully) out of the range of most Chimeran weapons. Sometimes you can accidentally slide into cover when you don't want to, and then the magnetic pull that was once your savior becomes your bane. Slowed and exposed, you have to quickly pop out if you want to survive. This can be aggravating if you are just shy of a checkpoint, but for the most part Retribution takes the Resistance series into the realm of third-person action successfully. There are even some swimming and mech-piloting sequences that provide an exciting, though generally easier, change of pace.

Retribution also breaks new ground for the Resistance series with its brash protagonist, James Grayson. This British soldier is court-martialed by his countrymen and fights alongside the French for much of the campaign, giving him an excuse to lob obscenities and vulgar epithets at characters of both nationalities. His quips oscillate between cliched and hilarious, but it is nice that, unlike Nathan Hale and the cast of the two previous games, Grayson and the supporting characters from Retribution have actual personalities and motivations. The story, told through competent cutscenes and serviceable (but occasionally spotty) voice acting, focuses as much on their relationships as it does on their struggle against the Chimera. The plot twists are often predictable, and the scope of the characters' struggle feels less epic, but the intriguing conclusion and Grayson's loutish attitude make it a worthwhile chapter in the Resistance saga.

Like shooting fish in a barrel. With a gatling gun.

Taking Retribution online lets you fight in battles with up to seven other players through an ad hoc or infrastructure connection. The five game types cover the multiplayer basics: Free-for-All, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Containment (territory control), and Assimilation (one team converts opponents to their side by killing them). These are filled out by a good feature set, including a ranking system, clan support, and chat capability for those with an appropriate headset. Games generally run smoothly and, though there's nothing particularly unique here, Retribution's multiplayer is still rock-solid fun.

What is unique is Retribution's ability to connect to Resistance 2. With both games fired up and both systems connected via USB cable, you can "infect" your PSP. This gives Grayson the glowing eyes and black uniform sported by Nathan Hale in Resistance 2, and endows him with regenerative health and the awesome magnum that shoots exploding rounds. This novelty lasts as long as your PSP is powered on and makes you a bit tougher without significantly changing the difficulty level. The other feature lets you play Retribution with your PS3 controller. This makes playing the game more comfortable, and nixes the aim-assist window in favor of a reticle. Some may prefer this traditional setup, but it's practical only if you have the video-out cables to play your PSP on your TV. Even if you do, Retribution looks so good that it is a shame to blow up the image and stretch it out. The different environments that you travel through are uniquely designed and feature a rich color palette, and the dramatic lighting and smooth animation let the action shine brilliantly.

Allowing the action to shine is what Resistance: Retribution does best. The slick controls perform admirably with only a few minor stumbles, letting you flex your impressive arsenal as you battle through hordes of fiendish enemies. The scope of your journey is a bit narrow, and Grayson may very well offend gamers with ties to France (or England, for that matter), but the excitement and intensity packed into Resistance: Retribution are undeniable.

Major League Baseball 2K9 Review

Major League Baseball 2K9 Review

MLB 2K9 for the Wii is still a flawed distortion of baseball, but it's definitely a better bet than its Xbox 360 and PS3 cousins.

The Good

• Wii Remote motion-sensor controls feel right
• Believable animation.

The Bad

• A few issues with the controls when hitting and pitching
• Truly ugly visuals
• Play-by-play is dull and generic.

Scientists have long pondered the existence of other universes in which the physics are totally different than they are here. In these strange dimensions, up would be down, fast would be slow, and Major League Baseball 2K9 would be a realistic depiction of the national pastime. However, in our own mundane reality, 2K Sports' latest look at the grand old American game skews baseball so much that you seem to be viewing the diamond action through a fun-house mirror. Although the Nintendo Wii version of the game is superior to its Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 counterparts due to the catchy, motion-sensing controls and some much-improved on-field animations, this remains a frustrating experience that never quite feels like real baseball.

You'd best make sure the Wii Remote is securely fastened to your wrist.

Most features are identical to what they were in MLB 2K8 for the Wii, so you still have the options for single games, franchise play, playoffs, situational play, and the home-run derby, as well as matches against buddies on the couch. The Internet support offered in the 360 and PS3 versions of the game has been dropped on the Wii, as has the living-roster frill that lets owners of the other consoles automatically update their lineups based on what is taking place in the real Major Leagues. The interface has been refurbished with the addition of nested menus, so despite the wealth of options they're easy to navigate. Some items aren't where you might expect them to be, but after you spend about five minutes figuring your way around, you can navigate the interface with the Wii Remote almost as easily as if you were using a mouse.

Hitting, pitching, and fielding are carried over largely intact from last year, with Wii Remote movements and the Nunchuk handling just about everything. Taking swings is accomplished by wielding the Wii Remote like a bat, swinging it as if you were taking real cuts. Getting good wood on the ball is tough, though, because you have to time your Wii Remote swing to coincide with pitches crossing the plate and also target one of nine boxes in the strike zone by moving the Nunchuk's control stick. This is a real test of your reflexes, given that fireball hurlers such as cover boy Tim Lincecum don't give you a lot of time to figure out where a pitch is headed. The game is unforgiving when it comes to pitch location. If you predict an inside pitch, for instance, and get a ball low and away, at which point you'll either whiff or slap the ball weakly to the opposite field. As you might expect, this presents you with a pretty stiff challenge at the plate. It also presents your forearms with a repetitive motion that can be rather ache-inducing over the course of a nine-inning game.

Stepping onto the rubber has its issues as well, but for entirely different reasons. Whereas hitting is perhaps a little too difficult, pitching is far too easy. You select a pitch type and location with the Nunchuk and hold down the B button on the Wii Remote to begin a windup, then pull the Wii Remote back and flick it forward to emulate the motion of releasing the ball. That's it: instant Nolan Ryan. The only challenge comes from a collapsing red-yellow-green target that you have to hit when flicking the Wii Remote forward, and even it doesn't seem to affect your pitch too much. Even though you're supposed to time your release to keep you in the green, firing while in yellow or red rarely seems to result in a mistake in which you lob one down the pipe. Catchers also work with you, calling pitches and picking locations. They do a reasonably good job of switching up pitches and moving the ball around, too, so the end result of all of this is that you can pitch on automatic. Considering that you rarely have to worry about 450-foot consequences to a mistake, you can easily paint corners and mow down a dozen or more batters in just about every game.

Fielding also runs pretty much on autopilot. You move fielders around with the Nunchuk and throw to bases using the D pad on the Wii Remote with little muss or fuss. It can be a bit challenging in the beginning to coordinate your actions; it feels awkward using both hands and two separate controllers to pull off plays that you would normally make with a gamepad. But after a few innings, it seems like second nature. And better yet, the Wii version of MLB 2K9 isn't afflicted with the strange fielding animations that plague its sister games on the 360 and PS3. For example, infielders rarely double-pump for no reason, which results in much fewer botched double plays and absurd infield singles. Even the overall pace of fielding is much more realistic here. Outfielders take their time on routine tosses into second on grounders hit for singles, and infielders move more naturally when they make plays.

No amount of animation can mask the ugliness of the player models.

Unfortunately, though these superior animations help the baseball feel of the game, they do virtually nothing to improve its cosmetic appearance. This is an ugly game, loaded with jaggies and weird visual glitches such as blimps floating by overhead with absolutely no details at all, looking like weird holes in the sky. Players don't look much like their real-life counterparts, either. General body size seems to be dead-on, although the faces are often so generic that they might have been picked out of random police lineups instead of Major League rosters. However, audio is actually better here than it is on the other consoles, largely because it has been scaled down to match the Wii's technical capabilities. All that is provided here is a generic play-by-play from Gary Thorne, that consists largely of single-line observations about what the catcher is calling for and comments on good or bad swings. The soundtrack doesn't seem to have been cut down for the Wii, though. You get blitzed with the same bizarre, kitchen-sink mix of tunes here as you do on the other consoles, with the music varying wildly between Europe's "The Final Countdown," Latin hip-hop, and Judas Priest's "You've Got Another Thing Coming." The only difference here is that the music often plays in the background during at-bats, apparently to compensate for the pared-down play-by-play.

MLB 2K9 for the Wii isn't a great baseball game, but superior controls and animation make it a bit better than its 360 and PS3 siblings. Nevertheless, considering that you have to accept some serious trade-offs when it comes to the ugly graphics, difficult batting, and a more limited feature set that lacks online multiplayer, it's arguable whether this is really a step up. Like Chicago Cubs fans say every September: Wait till next year.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Review

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Trivial Pursuit Review

Trivial Pursuit Review

There are plenty of good trivia questions, but this is a flawed port of the classic board game.

The Good

• Facts and Friends mode is delightfully sinister
• Answering trivia questions is fun.

The Bad

• No online multiplayer
• Geography pops up in every category
• Every question is multiple choice.

It's hard to deny the joy in proving that you are the king of trivia. There is something inherently satisfying about dropping knowledge bombs on a variety of arcane subjects, and Trivial Pursuit has long been the arbiter in matters of trivia superiority. Electronic Arts' attempt to bring the hugely popular board game to the home console definitely captures the essence of the original game, packing in a ton of head-scratching questions that will leave savants and scholars alike gasping at their unexpected ignorance. However, though the trivia is as potent as ever, the overall package does little to take advantage of its newfound digital home. The lack of online multiplayer and the overabundance of geographic questions mean that there is little reason to play this version over any of the cardboard originals, and its high price makes it hard to recommend over comparable video trivia games already released.

Hopefully she doesn't move too frequently.

There are three game modes in Trivial Pursuit. Classic mode follows the standard rules, where you must accumulate a pie wedge for each category. The ending rules have been tweaked, though, so that the active player chooses the final question category instead of having his or her competitors select it. Using the traditional method, would-be-champions would have to answer questions outside of their comfort zone, creating a tense and satisfying conclusion. In this version, the last question seems like little more than a victory lap. One new mode is called Clear the Board, a single-player quest to earn the most points while still collecting every pie piece. You can land on each space only one time, so answering a high percentage of the questions is necessary to achieve success. Though this mode is fun conceptually, playing Trivial Pursuit by yourself is lonely.

The final mode is called Facts and Friends, and it's a clever spin on the classic formula. Here, there is only one wedge for each category, which makes for a frantic fight for the most popular colors. But the strategy goes deeper than that. Before each question is asked, you bet if your opponent can answer it correctly, and you can even steal a piece if you know the answer but your opponent doesn't. There are also bonus spaces that let you steal pie pieces from other players or earn more points for every correct answer. This is by far the most exciting aspect of this game. Being able to pluck pie pieces from your buddies is rewarding, and snatching victory away from an overconfident friend in the waning moments scratches the evil itch deep inside the belly of every trivia fiend.

Trivial Pursuit isn't all thieving and griefing, though; there are plenty of questions to answer as well. The usual categories are on display--history, geography, literature, entertainment, sports, and science--with questions from as recently as 2008, along with more historic offerings as well. The questions are as cunning as you would expect, but the difficulty comes from an overreliance on geographic knowledge. Every category includes questions that require you to point to a map for the correct answer. Sure, you may know where the final Tour de France stage is held, but can you point out Paris on a map of France? There is no reason geography should be sprinkled so liberally in science and sports when there is an entire category already devoted to map expertise. Although that quirk makes this game more frustrating than the board game, the fact that every question has a multiple-choice answer makes the game ultimately lean toward the easy side. Even a blind baboon can guess correctly when there are only four choices, so victory may not feel as satisfying to some as it does in the board game.

The most exciting thing about the visuals is the shiny board.

The biggest problem with this digital port, though, is the lack of online multiplayer. Being able to challenge players outside of your living room would have added a compelling reason to play this over the standard board game editions, and its glaring absence makes this game a bad value. The single-player Clear the Board mode is a lousy alternative to having access to a world of trivia fans at the push of a button. Both the visuals and the audio are also lacking. Some questions include pictures of animals, cities, or notable objects, which adds a little life to the package. However, the rest of the game lacks frills. The announcer dishes out such clever lines as "I reckon your score is so big it can be seen from outer space," but he repeats himself far too often, so you have to listen to his inane observations dozens of times per match.

Despite its problems, Trivial Pursuit is still fun because the formula tickles the inner trivia nut in everyone. But this flat port of the classic board game doesn't do much to lure you away from the cardboard original. The lack of online multiplayer is a big missed opportunity, but even players content to play locally will run into some issues. The overabundance of geography trivia is a bit off-putting, and trivia buffs may not appreciate the easier multiple-choice format. Facts and Friends mode is a silly twist on the formula, but Trivial Pursuit is too expensive and uninspired to be worthwhile.

Blue Dragon Plus Review

Blue Dragon Plus Review

The Blue Dragon franchise's penchant for blandness continues in this adequate but uninspired sequel.

The Good

• The summoned shadows look really cool
• Good story, highlighted by excellent cinematics
• A fun variety of spells and items to mess around with.

The Bad

• Combat gets monotonous
• Constant story interruptions mess with the pace of battles
• A bunch of interface and control quirks.

Blue Dragon's mouthy Marumaro is one of the most annoying characters to ever appear in a role-playing game. He returns in Blue Dragon Plus, though his squeals have been tamed, which makes his noisy enthusiasm more charming than grating. In fact, this sequel to the Xbox 360 RPG offers a much better narrative in general, warmed with heartfelt character interactions and a few honest surprises. Sadly, the half-baked blend of RPG and real-time strategy elements is just as frustrating as it is fun, and though the game gets off to a good start, it eventually becomes bland and tedious. Like its predecessor, Blue Dragon Plus gets the job done, in a generic sort of way.

Shu and his can-do attitude are back, but less annoying than before.

Marumaro isn't the only returning personality. Blue Dragon Plus throws every main and bit character into a blender, which ultimately works to the game's benefit. You'll spend less time with the ever-zealous Shu and his nondescript pals, and more time exploring other relationships, old and new alike. There are some new additions, but the most emotional and unexpected moments involve familiar faces, a fact that lends gravity to the game's ending sequences. The plot itself is less spectacular; it sends this motley crew through a cube world as they chase after an evil dragon called Balaur. However, it is brought to life in a series of lovely cinematics and sweeping orchestral cues. Unfortunately, one of Blue Dragon Plus's primary contrivances doesn't work so well from a story perspective: Almost everybody and their brothers can now summon a shadow. These shadows are the titular blue creatures, and in the Xbox 360 original, the ability to control one was an extraordinary talent. In Blue Dragon Plus, practically every character possesses one, yet Shu and company seem perpetually surprised when they encounter yet another shadow user. Their ubiquitous presence doesn't just make shadows old hat, but is practically a mockery of one of the original's few unique qualities.

This surplus of shadows may annoy Blue Dragon fans, but it serves the gameplay. You control up to four parties of four characters each as you slowly make your way across the cube and fight the various enemies that you encounter there. Yet though Blue Dragon featured rather traditional turn-based battles, combat in Blue Dragon Plus functions like a real-time strategy game in which you lead your units by selecting them and then choosing a target to attack or a spot to occupy. Other games on the DS, such as Heroes of Mana and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, have embraced similar mechanics to varying degrees of success. Unlike in those games, however, you control only up to four units at a time in Blue Dragon Plus, and you micromanage each character's skills and items during the course of the battle.

On one hand, this smaller group of characters diminishes some of the frustrations those other games have wrought. Blue Dragon Plus's pathfinding works like that of Heroes of Mana: The map consists of an invisible grid of squares that character sprites must navigate as they move from one point to another, rather than freely moving from one location to another. This can make moving your heroes into the desired position occasionally frustrating, and the mediocre pathfinding means you have to keep a close eye on every character because party members can't always be trusted to follow your movement orders efficiently. Luckily, the limited party size keeps these frustrations at a minimum, and most maps are large enough to allow you room to maneuver.

On the other hand, the small party size and large maps lead to tedium over time. You lead your party across the level, unleashing various special attacks and buffs, most of which involve summoning an impressive-looking blue shadow. The shadows look terrific, and they are easily the visual highlight of this generally attractive game. At first, it's fun to manage skills and items and watch shadows in action, but over time, the repetitive nature of battle wears thin. Small groups of foes may be scattered across the map, and once you defeat one cluster, you make your way to the next, a pace-breaking design element that's made all the more dull by the slow movement speed of even your fastest units. Furthermore, some battles are interrupted over and over again by story exposition, which breaks any sense of flow that may have accumulated. The best levels avoid these pitfalls by pitting you against boss characters, which are fun to fight because you must be more conscious of unit position and proper use of spells and items, especially if the boss is immune to one type of attack while susceptible to another. Most of the time, you move from one small pocket of enemies to the next with only the occasional additional objective to mix things up. It's a shallow and predictable framework, and it grows old long before the game comes to an end.

Leading your party around is simple enough using the stylus, and though the touch controls generally work well enough, a few interface improvements could have made it a whole lot better. Whenever you issue an order, the units that you had selected are then deselected, an avoidable issue that serves as one of Blue Dragon Plus's chief aggravations. If you lead your entire party to a location and want to issue another order once they arrive, you'll need to select them all again before you can issue that order. This is a break from standard RTS control methods, and it comes with absolutely no benefit. Thanks to crisp unit sprites, selecting an individual unit is usually simple, and it won't take you long to remember which one possesses which skills. However, choosing a unit when the screen gets cluttered with enemies, or when facing a large boss, can be more difficult. You can use a selection icon to scroll through your four characters easily, but icons representing each unit would have been even more welcome.

You know you want to summon a shadow. All the cool kids are doing it.

Even with the limited variety in basic combat design and scattered design issues, the array of skills and items at your disposal can make for some enjoyable battles. Eventually, you will have four different parties exploring the cube simultaneously, and though parties have some mandatory members, you can mix and match for some fun combinations. As each character levels, he or she will earn new spells, and the items that you find or purchase are equipped on an individual basis, so you'll need to put thought into how each character is equipped. The role-playing elements are light, but each party member's distinctive abilities make it fun to swap characters around, and the various accessories and items that you can find and equip make the time you spend within menus more enjoyable than the time spent during battle.

It has its ups and downs, but Blue Dragon Plus is ultimately a game that you will neither love nor hate. Although its gameplay is quite different from that of its console predecessor, it is equally unimaginative, doing nothing to stand out on a platform overflowing with quality games. Blue Dragon enthusiasts will welcome the opportunity to spend time with some old friends, and even newcomers will garner a few hours of enjoyment from the simple combat. Nevertheless, it's too shallow to remain novel for long, and though the story is good, it simply can't support the weight of a 25-hour game alone.

Resident Evil 5 Review

Resident Evil 5 Review

Resident Evil 5 is a fun and frantic evolution of RE4's breakthrough gameplay and the series' horror themes.

The Good

• Beautifully detailed graphics and character animations
• Having a partner enhances the fun and excitement while adding tension
• Real-time menu system keeps you immersed
• Plenty to do once you've beaten it.

Thirteen years ago, Capcom helped revolutionize the action-adventure world with Resident Evil, a game that would define an entirely new genre dubbed "survival horror." In the years that followed, the series continued to build upon the standards set by the first game, until 2005, when Resident Evil 4 radically departed from its predecessors and broke new ground as a more action-oriented game. Resident Evil 5, the latest offering in the long-running series, expands on the action-heavy formula of its forerunner and is built from the ground up to support cooperative gameplay. Though it can no longer be considered a survival horror game, Resident Evil 5 manages to retain and effectively translate the most important aspect of that genre--tension--into its new mechanics, crafting a fun, collaborative experience that will keep you on your toes the entire time.

Hey Sheva, is there a vet around here? 'Cause these pythons are sick!

Ten years after the destruction of Raccoon City, former S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team member Chris Redfield is an agent of the B.S.A.A. This paramilitary anti-bio-organic weapon organization travels the globe to seek out and destroy Umbrella's creations, which have fallen into the hands of terrorists following the collapse of the multinational pharmaceutical company. When Chris gets a tip that a known weapons dealer will be making a big deal in the remote African nation of Kijuju, he heads there to put a stop to it and learn what he can about the mysterious doomsday project known only as Uroboros. Chris is joined by Sheva Alomar, a local B.S.A.A. agent, and together they battle wave after wave of infected villagers, horribly mutated monsters, and even series archnemesis Albert Wesker.

The core combat mechanics haven't fundamentally changed since Resident Evil 4--the action still unfolds from an over-the-shoulder perspective, certain battles or cutscenes are accompanied by brief quick time events, and you still have to stop moving to fire your weapon (though you gain a bit more mobility thanks to your newfound ability to walk sideways). Resident Evil 5's slow movement and gunplay take some time to get used to, and folks expecting a run-and-gun game may find the action too sluggish for their tastes. Fortunately, this slowness isn't really an issue within the game, because enemies are deliberate with their attacks and are better handled with a cool head and steady aim.

Regardless of how similar the combat in Resident Evil 5 is to its predecessor, the addition of a second character makes encounters feel quite different. Teamwork is necessary to take down more-powerful enemies and bosses, and having someone there to watch your back goes a long way toward keeping you alive. Furthermore, there have been radical changes to the inventory management system. The immersion-breaking briefcase from the previous game is gone, and enemies no longer politely wait for you to rummage through your things because bringing up your armory doesn't pause the action. At any given time, you can store up to nine items per character, four of which are bound to the directions of the D pad for easy access. This new system works extremely well and successfully conveys a sense of urgency whenever you go through your gear. It's often necessary to trade items with your partner, and keeping track of who has what at all times is crucial, because rummaging through your things while a boss beats on you is painful.

It's tough to stay frosty in the sweltering heat, but Chris always manages to keep a cool head.

Sheva's artificial intelligence makes her a competent companion, though her degree of skill seems to rely more on her armaments than anything else--she is extremely good at using burst fire with a machine gun, for example, but tends to waste ammo when equipped with a handgun. That said, at no point does she feel like extra baggage that needs babysitting (unlike some of the series' previous companions), and she can hold her own in a fight. Sheva really shines when there's someone else controlling her. Resident Evil 5 supports both split-screen and online co-op play through Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, and exploring Kijuju with a friend greatly enhances both the experience and the fun factor. Every game has the potential to go multiplayer, since split-screen is as simple to initiate as hitting Start on a second controller, and other online players can join in on a free-for-all or invite-only basis if your game session is set up to allow this from the get-go.

Despite these conveniences, there are some frustrating hurdles that need to be leaped over before a partner can begin playing. Co-op isn't drop-in, so if someone joins, gameplay is interrupted and immersion is broken to some degree. For split-screen, this means immediately returning to the main inventory screen to confirm armaments and then restarting from the last checkpoint. With online co-op, it's a bit more troublesome, because the player who joined has to sit on the sidelines until the host either restarts from the last checkpoint or continues on to the next. Another major problem is that players' main inventories are isolated from one another, and though you can trade healing items and ammunition, weapons are off-limits for exchange, making some battles more difficult if you're playing with a less-well-equipped partner.

Having a partner around to watch your back is great in case you get grabbed by an enemy.

Resident Evil 5 isn't a survival horror game, but that doesn't mean it hasn't learned a great deal from the genre. Tension is the central element of survival horror games, and in the past it has been conveyed by the gloomy settings, the sense of isolation, and the frustratingly clunky camera angles and controls--all RE5 does differently is convey this feeling through other outlets. Having a partner introduces new types of tension, because you're forced to rely on each other's support, find ways to manage both of your inventories during battles, and cover larger areas since enemies can appear from almost anywhere. Waves of enemies wax and wane with just the right frequency, and while the brightly lit environments make them less scary, they can be tough to deal with because they attack in large numbers and are smarter, faster, and stronger than their counterparts in previous games. Major encounters and boss fights are doled out with excellent pacing, and since you're never sure what to expect around the corner, you have to remain vigilant. The active inventory management system helps keep that anxiety up as well.

RE5 is easily one of the most visually stunning games available, and its huge variety of environments are meticulously detailed in every way. There are lots of large, open areas, and you’ll constantly be on the move through them since there are usually so many enemies. In-game cutscenes are top-notch (though sometimes a bit over the top), and Chris and Sheva are incredibly well animated, especially their faces. Though the dialogue is often full of the series' trademark goofiness, the voice acting is competent, and when paired with the excellent facial expressions, it breathes a great deal of realism into the characters. Likewise, the fantastic orchestral soundtrack heightens the gameplay with everything from the low-key, ambient tracks that play during downtimes, to the frantic, upbeat songs that accompany the massive boss battles.

On the first play-through, Resident Evil 5 lasts about 12 hours, which is considerably shorter than its predecessor. Once you're finished, though, there's still plenty to see and do. There are hidden B.S.A.A. badges scattered throughout most levels to find; you can strive to get better scores or times in each chapter to show off on the online leaderboards; and there are three initial difficulties available with a fourth unlockable. In-game points can be spent on collectible trophies of various characters and enemies, on additional costumes and graphics filters, and on special infinite-ammo versions of guns that you've fully upgraded. Finally, the Mercenaries minigame returns in a format very similar to its last incarnation in Resident Evil 4 but with support for co-op.

Sometimes, you need a bit of teamwork to jump a gap or otherwise push on.

Resident Evil 5 successfully builds on the foundation of its predecessor while taking it in a drastically different direction. Having a partner introduces new degrees of gameplay depth and dramatic tension that make the game that much more exciting to play. Though the slow, deliberate movement and shooting may not appeal to everyone, this new sequel’s frequent large-scale battles and co-op play still offer a fun and exciting adventure.

Crystal Defenders Review

Crystal Defenders Review

This Final Fantasy-themed tower defense game is bland and uninspired.

The Good

• Battles require a good amount of strategy to complete.

The Bad

• Gameplay is derivative
• Complete lack of story or other rewards
• Visuals are bland
• Only 12 maps.

There are certain expectations Final Fantasy games carry with them. The expansive franchise is known for its interesting characters, epic stories, riveting musical scores, and cutting-edge visuals. Crystal Defenders transports the classes, monsters, and world from Final Fantasy Tactics into a tower defense game, but unfortunately nothing else has made the transition intact. The charmless visuals and repetitive soundtrack quickly smother the hope that this will delight the senses, and the complete lack of story or any personality makes it even more difficult to become engrossed in these skirmishes. But it is the unimaginative realizations of defensive tactics that make this experience feel so flat and lifeless. The strategy is adequate for those desperate to indulge, but there are more engaging, clever, and fun tower defense games to play.

What would a flan do with crystals anyway?

Monsters are after your precious crystals! While there isn't any story to speak of in Crystal Defenders, the name alone gives you a taste of what to expect. Sentient balls of fire, frowning zombies, and gelatinous slimes will march in single file from one end of the map to the other in a desperate attempt to smash, or possibly steal, your precious stones. It's unclear what their motivations are, or why they would risk their lives for shiny minerals, but there is no time to worry about such concerns during battle. Your job is to stop them.

There are only 12 maps in Crystal Defenders, each available from the outset, so your success in battle will not result in a tangible reward. Each map has 30 waves of different bad guys parading by, and you deploy your troops both between and during rounds. There are only a handful of different character types, but you'll have to place them intelligently if you're going to vanquish all these potential thieves. The standard fantasy archetypes are on display, including a strong but slow soldier, a weak but fast white monk, and an eagle-eyed archer who can nail enemies floating tauntingly above the earth. With only a limited pool of funds, you'll have to choose wisely which characters to unleash on the unsuspecting enemy and where to place them. Although there is some satisfaction in successfully clearing a map, the gameplay is far too basic to be engaging for long.

Later levels add more-specialized character types--such as an extremely slow but powerful dragoon--and magic gems that beef up your stats, but these don't make the gameplay any more exciting. There is a severe feeling of disconnect between you and what is happening on the battlefield. You can place troops where you please, but once a fight begins, you have no say in how the tide turns. Recent tower defense games, such as Pixeljunk Monsters and Lock's Quest, have given you a character to control, which personalizes the experience more than the disembodied cursor you move around in Crystal Defenders does. It's one thing to deploy troops from your untouchable ivory tower, but it's far more engaging to take part in the war yourself, not only choosing the best tactical strategy for your troops, but fighting on the battlefield with them as well. In comparison, Crystal Defenders lacks a sense of urgency.

Intelligence on both sides of the war is nonexistent. Monsters walk along a preset path, never varying their speed nor attacking your forces. Although this is common for the genre, the friendly AI is just as stupid which can be infuriating at times. They have a radius wherein anyone who enters their range will be mercilessly attacked. Unfortunately, they don't exhibit any battle acumen, so they have no idea which enemy within their circle of death should be dealt with first. For example, if it takes two swipes from a soldier to finish off an antlion, they will often attack only once before they move on to the next in line. Given that an enemy needs only a sliver of life remaining to steal your precious crystals, it can be maddening to watch your last line of defense happily let every monster saunter past when another blow would have finished half of them for good.

Even the best laid plans can crumble under the might of marshmallows.

The archaic visuals don't help matters. The character models look like they were pulled straight from a Super Nintendo game. These sprites have only a few frames of animation each and lack any sort of definable details. The monsters don't react to anything that happens in battle, cycling through the same walking animations even when they get an arrow in their skull or see their identical-twin friend die right in front of them. Allies are just as unresponsive to outside stimulus, reacting the same no matter how the battle is going. The graphics are every bit as bland as the gameplay, completely devoid of personality. The maps are colorful but dull. It's easy enough to tell which path is for enemies and which is for your own troops, but, like the rest of the game, they meet the lowest requirement and give nothing more.

Crystal Defenders is a stripped-down tower defense game that doesn't make good use of its Final Fantasy source material. Although it is a structurally sound attempt in the genre, it is so lifeless and uninspired that it fails to entertain for long.