Garden Warfare gives same PvZ personality with different packaging

The flowers and flesh eaters are at it again, but this time they're packing a bit more heat. PopCap Games' tower defense series, Plants vs. Zombies, is fairly well known among the gaming community with releases on PCs, phones and everything in between. The point of the game is to plant as many flowers as you can and strategically place them in positions advantageous to complete zombie annihilation. It's a fun little game that has you playing for hours with its upgrades and addictive zombie slaying antics(is it just me, or are most zombie killing games pretty sweet?).

The series received a sequel, "Plants Vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time," which offered much the same as the first but was still well received, scoring an 8.6 on Metacritic. A Plants vs. Zombies game was even released on Facebook and Apple chose "Plants vs. Zombies 2" as the runner-up 2013 iPhone game of the year. So what happens when you take a popular game combine it with and amazingly popular genre and put the result on next gen systems? Well, it goes a little something like this.

And if plants and zombies wasn't enough, they throw in a yeti for good measure.

"Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare" combines the fun-loving, joke-filled personality of the PvZ series and throws in guns. It's pretty much as easy as that. Despite the overly simplified analysis, that's not to say this makes for a terrible experience. As a matter of fact, there's loads of fun to be had with friends as far as Garden Warfare goes, and I think that's what PopCap really strived for here. There are so many shooters out there that take themselves too seriously, and "PvZ: Garden Warfare" doesn't fall into that trend as a third-person shooter filled with smiley sunflowers and jackhammer-riding zombies.

The gameplay will instantly feel familiar to anybody who's played a shooter before and the hit detection is pretty accurate(something that developers who specialize in shooters can even mess up). Both the plants and zombies will have four base units they can deploy into battle and each of those units will have subclasses with unique attributes; so even if you're technically playing the same class as someone else, the way each subclass plays keeps the mayhem fresh. PvZ fans will have a permanent grin as they play the series'  most memorable characters that have made the transition from stationary guards to fully mobile soldiers.

Your starting lineup. At point guard, we have Sunflower!

However, it's not all run-and-gun as each unit has a set of three cooldown abilities to spice up their strategy. For example, the game's heavy hitter, the chomper, has the burrow, goop and snare ability. The goop slows enemies, the snare holds them in place and the burrow allows the chomper to move underground and possibly gobble up an unsuspecting enemy. These actions all compliment the Chomper's namesake attack, the chomp. Not only are the abilities fun and fluid for the most part, but they neatly fit the personalities of the characters PopCap has made popular in PvZ, a fact both players new and old to the PvZ series will love.

The multiplayer is where "Garden Warfare" shines its brightest as both local and online play will keep players entranced for hours. Two people can team up locally to defend their garden against zombies for as many waves possible. The longer you stay alive, the more coins you get and the more coins you get the more you can unlock in the game. On this premise, players will be at it for hours trying to unlock every last character, item, and skin mod. Stickers can also be used to purchase potted plants in the defend your garden mode. Potted plants help you mow down your zombie foes and make the overall experience more enjoyable as a nod to the original game.

Unfortunately, only one player can take part in the online play. It seems like a missed opportunity considering the local play is a blast, but the upside is that both plants and zombies are playable in this mode. This is the first time where players can use the zombies which adds a whole new lineup of characters to choose from. There are plenty of modes to choose from including a capture the flag style game, team deathmatch and classic deathmatch where only the base units in the game are playable, creating a level playing ground for first time players and seasoned veterans. Matches go by fairly quickly and the lobby system is both simple yet effective as players can view battle statistics, chat and buy stickers in between matches.

Casey Jones makes an appearance as a zombie!

Levels are randomly selected and range from a pirate ship to a mining town with a train running through the middle. Although the maps aren't anything to write home about and the selection could be better, they do exude the PvZ mood with vibrant colors, a playful and goofy messages that add personality to the play, and that's what "Garden Warfare" is all about.

At the end of the day, this smirk-inducing, third-person shooter is a hell of a lot of fun. Silly, laid back, more addictive than crack-fun. But that's about it. There's no story(which, I mean, what would you expect anyways?), local play desperately needs to be upgraded to four players and more maps would be nice, but for $40 ($30 on the PS3) there's not much to complain about. Despite it's February release on the Xbox consoles, there should be plenty of Sony fans happy to see "Garden Warfare" finally make it's transition to PlayStation. So, if you like fun, plants, zombies, guns or any combination of the bunch, pick this up. It'll be a nice little appetizer until titles like "Evolve," "Destiny" and "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" can subdue our hunger. Plus, when's the next time you'll be able to say you killed a member of the undead with a potato? Well... besides "Dead Rising."

"Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare" gets an 8 out of 10 on the sweetness scale.

The Last Guardian’s Last Chance

Be warned: this article may become very heavy-handed and whiny. I apologize for any use of foul language or backhanded comments.

This is a sore subject for me and one that has taken quite some time to come to terms with. However, I think “The Last Guardian” only has one more shot at giving me hope for a release and that’s the 2014 Tokyo Game Show. I know it sounds harsh to give up on a game, but it would be better for my outlook on games and mental health if I just learn to let go. After all, I have somewhat patiently waited for the titles release since 2009 when the game “began development.” Since then, I have attended a community college, moved on to a university, made the decision to pursue a career in journalism, closely followed all E3s and TGSs and constantly gotten my hopes up for any scrap of information Team Ico could muster up. The best I got was a teaser trailer only making me salivate in anticipation even more. Oh yeah, and the former director of Team Ico’s, Fumito Ueda, separation from Sony(although he is said to still be part of the game’s development). Rumor after rumor surfaced about the game and it’s progression, and keeping up with the title’s trip to completion has been a roller coaster ride of spotty information and endless delays. But I’m keeping my faith for the “The Last Guardian” for one last video game expo. If I don’t get some good news from Tokyo, I won’t expect it ever. But if I’m going to be honest with myself and you all, what are the chances some good news could be over the horizon Sep. 18-21? Will this year be the one we get some definitive, credible news about a release?

Sit. Stay. Finally get released... Good boy!

I think as a gamer whom fell in love with Team Ico and its two instant classics, “Shadow of the Colossus” and “Ico”, I want to say yes; but as journalist who tries his best to stay impartial no matter what the topic is, I want to firmly say maybe.

Yeah, I know, not the answer most of you wanted to hear, but what more can I really say? It isn’t a for sure and absolute no because Sony defended the title’s legitimacy when people questioned where “The Last Guardian” was at E3 2014. They said if the game had been cancelled and there was no chance for a release, the public would surely be informed. However, it wouldn’t be the first time a promise wasn’t kept in the gaming world. Release dates being moved back is a harsh norm in the industry and projects are tossed out regularly. Just look at Battlefront 3! Half-Life 3! Another Duke Nukem game! Okay, that one did have a release, but we don’t talk about that… The fact of the matter is that it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities to see “The Last Guardian” cancelled. Heck, people have speculated that for years now. I just get the feeling that Sony knows how foolish it would be to put the kibosh on such an anticipated piece of software.

Awww, he's taking baby steps! Just like development...

Like I said, both of the games Team Ico created were a huge success. So much so they were given a rerelease on the PS3(it was rumored at one point that a Last Guardian demo would be on the Team Ico collection). If “The Last Guardian” did make an appearance on the PS3 or PS4 or both, Sony would turn a huge profit. Especially at a time where there isn’t a huge PS4 library to boast about. I see no reason that the game should just be dropped. Why put so much time and effort into something you know will sell if you’re just going to give up on it years later? Granted, I’m not the most knowledgeable on video game development. But I think it’s a valid point. So, in the end, I guess this article turned out to be aimed more at Sony than anyone else.

Sony, if you’re reading this, hear me now and heed my advice. Have Team Ico release a trailer with more in-depth information about the game (gameplay and consoles the title will be released on), set a definite release date, DON’T CHANGE THAT DATE and, above all else, keep trucking along on this game and hold yourselves accountable. I hope that’s not too much to remember. You did say that we should expect the game to still be released unless you say otherwise, and as of yet you haven’t.

Now, getting back to addressing my usual readers, I truly expect to see something about “The Last Guardian” at Tokyo Game Show whether it be a new trailer or an announcement that will leave Team Ico fans rolling their eyes. There will be something- I just hope it’s the former and not the latter. In the case there is nothing, well… I think that’ll be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for me. It’ll be my chance to forget about a possible release entirely, and maybe that’s the kind of chance I need. After all, one can only take having their dreams crushed so much. Just ask the 30 people crying in the corner every E3 at the lack of a new F-Zero title. That’s why this year’s TGS will be the last chance for “The Last Guardian.” Hey, if Kingdom Hearts 3 can happen… why not this?

What games are you crossing your fingers for at this year’s TGS? Let me know in the comments below, and share this article so we can hear what other people have to say! :]3

No Man's Sky or Every Man's Hype?

For all of you out there who have seen gameplay, read articles or watched the 2014 E3 trailer for “No Man’s Sky,” you’re probably thinking the exact same thing everybody else is… “Oh my God! When does this game release? Ugh, how long do I have to wait for this? I want to discover planets and unknown life forms and shoot down space pirates RIGHT NOW! Shut up and take my money so I can zip around the universe at light speed!” For those of us who have seen any form of Star Trek (except Deep Space Nine *cringe*), we might be at an excitement level above that even. Needless to say, with all the craze over this space exploration title it seems “No Man’s Sky” is turning into every man’s hype at an alarming speed. But what do we really know about the game? Well, let’s break that down.

Jurassic Park status confirmed

First, we know that the game will allow us to travel through an ever-expanding galaxy thanks to a planet-generating algorithm created by developer Hello Games. Now I know what you’re thinking. “That’s good enough for me. Sign me up, I’m sold, end of article!” But just bear with me. We also know that when a player discovers something not seen by others (an animal, substance, plant, etc.) that player will have the opportunity to claim their finding as their own. Sidenote: I feel like there are going to be a lot of inappropriate/stupid sounding things in this galaxy. I know if I was the first to find a planet, I would be tempted to name it Planet Buttlicker IV or something ridiculous like that. On top of that, there is space combat, asteroids can be blown up with lasers (always a plus) and if you’re not careful a wild space rhino can kill you. We know there are multiple climates and players can swim underwater to expand their travels. So, okay, we know a decent amount… but what does it all add up to?

To me, it doesn’t really mean a whole heck of a lot.  With all of this information, there are so many more questions begging to be answered. Can new spaceships be built? Is there a job system and will people be able to specialize in certain professions? What will the currency system be like? What does discovering something really do besides make me feel like Christopher Columbus? With a game this encompassing, there is so much that sounds great on paper, but can be a challenge to implement successfully into actual gameplay, and I really don’t think “No Man’s Sky” is an exception to that. After all, this is the same crew who created “Joe Danger,” a game that was well received, but nowhere near as ambitious as a procedurally generated, open universe, space exploration title that is getting the hopes up of everyone who has ever been a child. I mean, the staff working on this game is less than 20! I feel like if I was going to create a universe I might want at least, oh, I don’t know, maybe 1,000 people helping me. But hey, I guess too many cooks can ruin the dish… or the procedurally generated galaxy in this case.

It's like angel dust for your eye holes!

Now, by no means am I saying I think this game will fail. I might cry if it does, but titles this open and imaginative promise a lot to their audience. I just hope that when the game nears release, many of those promises can be kept. At the very least, when the game comes out I want to be able to fly something that resembles a Millenium Falcon and be someone who seems like a smuggler with a buddy of mine who can be a race of alien that is tall and covered in shaggy hair. Oh, and he has to speak in this amazing dialect that consists mainly of obnoxious howling sounds. That’s not too much to ask for, is it?

Until then, I’ll just assume that NMS is going to be a perfect specimen and fulfill my every gaming wants and desires, getting me more and more hyped with each tidbit of information that surfaces in the months leading up to its debut. At least… that seems to be the popular way to look at games nowadays. 

Batman: Arkham Knight & How I missed the last generation

By now, I'm sure all of you know and are already going crazy over "Batman: Arkham Knight." It was showcased at this year's E3, and garnished much media attention. This really doesn't come as much of surprise considering how well both of  "Arkham Knight's" predecessors did("Arkham Asylum" sold almost 2 million copies in its first three weeks of release, and Arkham City sold 2 million copies in its first week of  release, making it one of the fastest selling games ever.)

Dat Batmobile thooooo.....

I was watching this trailer on YouTube and thought about how cool it was that developers, Rocksteady Studios, added in the Batmobile, one of Batman's gadgets he didn't have access to in previous installments. I toyed with the idea of picking up the title and began to become excited for the game's 2015 release, but the funny thing was, besides a few play sessions on a friend's "Arkham City," I had never played OR owned "Asylum" or "City." The most I had ever really done with the popular franchise was watch my friend play it for hours on end. Leveling up, unlocking new gadgets and tediously searching for riddler trophies, my buddy seemed to really enjoy the game; and for the little I played and the large portions I watched, it seemed to be a game I would thoroughly enjoy too. I knew many people found the games to be engaging and fun. I knew I would like the combat. The voice acting was top notch (Mark Hamill, Mark Hamill, Mark Hamill), and the art style was dark and stylized like any good Batman game should be. I just never took the time to pick it up and let myself have fun with it. That got me thinking...

"With such a popular game as "Arkham Asylum" and Arkham City," how could I have missed it?"
"What other great games did I miss from the last generation?"

I always thought gaming's last generation(PS3, X360, Wii) was a tad bit lacking on software selection. But was it really? From there, I tried to make a mental list of all the games I'd wanted to pick up, whether it be out of pure hype or actually researching a game and liking what I'd seen(hopefully the 2nd). Here's the list that I came up with.

• "Arkham Asylum" and "Arkham City" 
• "Red Dead Redemption" 
• Gears of War series
• The Uncharted series
• The Bioshock series
• "Mad World" 
• "No More Heroes"
• Mass Effect series
• "Skyrim"
• Just Dance series... joking... I totally play that one...

But seriously, look at all of those games! Like, really? All of those titles looked great to me. And not in the way where you see a trailer and pray the rest of the game will be as good. I looked up gameplay, asked friends, read reviews and played some demos. Everything pointed toward a purchase. I just didn't get around to actually grabbing the goods.Naturally, school and work get in the way again with it's stupid homework and self-betterment bologna! Such wasted potential. The good news is that I can get most, if not all, of this stuff for a steal now!

It just sucks that I waited this long, because a considerable amount of enjoyment that comes from buying a game is experiencing it with the rest of the people who picked it up around the game's release. I just have to remember that for the remainder of this generation.

In the end, my point is that if you love games and want to play something, you should stop at nothing to do so. Borrow from a friend. Trade in games you don't want anymore *cringe* Gamestop *cringe*. Actually fork over the dough to obtain a decent title . I don't care how you do it, just do it. Because now that I'm really enjoying this generation, it makes me wonder just how much I missed from last generation.

Now that I've come to terms with my foolish, neglectful behavior all that's left to do is wait to get my grubby hands on the new stuff and play the old stuff while I wait for it. I won't let Batman slip away this time! This should be good news for any of you that watch my stream. For those of you who don't and would like to- my stream is twitch.tv/justanotherhero4711. I think I might start with Arkham City or Red Dead. Hmmmmm... Dark Knight or deadly desperado. Decisons, decisions.

Take care and play on, everyone!

Evolve: Which hunter looks the coolest?

Well, I think the best answer is all of them. Who wouldn’t want to play as the assault class and shoot a million-and-a-half holes in the big, bad monster?  At the same time, why do that when you could be the medic and singlehandedly be the team’s go-to guy? That’s a huge aspect of Evolve that I love, though - the diversity. Not only are there four different classes to fight for your play time, there are three unique characters per class! Each of these characters have their own personality, voice and storyline, giving players a chance to bond with their favorite hunter and become even more entranced with the gameplay. So, although all of these options look more than appealing, there are a few that have gotten me pretty pumped to snag a copy of “Evolve.”

                Personally, when I start to get interested in a game, I get most worked up over the characters I’ll be spending my time with. My selection tends to vary from game to game, but a safe bet for me is usually the standard hero-esque character. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a good hero or heroine. However, Evolve isn’t really the type of game where there is a standout good guy. Everybody exudes this sort of bounty hunter, gun-for-hire feeling. This isn’t a bad thing by any means. It just made me seek out a character for a reason other than wanting to save the world or having a really sweet looking sword. Obviously, my next choice would be someone that has a really sweet looking space dog. Sweet looking swords and pet space hounds are pretty equivalent in my book, by the way. The hunter I speak of is the mysterious trapper, Maggie.

Click on this picture to see the E3 2014 Evolve trailer

                Okay, to be honest, I don’t know much about her besides the fact that her name is Maggie, she uses a machine pistol and she likes to trap monsters, but did I mention she has a space hound!? Regardless of this lack of knowledge, I believe my fondness isn’t without merit. Maggie’s pet Trapjaw[insert “it’s a trap” joke here],Daisy, acts similarly to a hunting dog and sniffs out the monster’s location. This allows the party to follow a fleeting monster and waste less time searching for a hiding foe. Plus, it’s just a cute, but deadly interstellar puppy. There’s not much to dislike. Being a trapper, Maggie also has access to the mobile arena, which contains the monster in a circular force field. This appeals to me because the thought of having to chase the monster for a large portion of a match sounds extremely annoying. Nobody wants that.

                Maggie takes her hindering abilities a step further with her “Moby Dick” style weapon, the harpoon. Not only does the harpoon deal damage, but it’s main purpose is to bring the monster’s movement to a halt - another ability that will make the other hunter’s jobs much easier and effective. Last, but not least, Daisy can revive downed hunters. So, not only does this creature keep the team close to the monster, it also makes sure they stay alive? I was totally on board as soon as I found that out. No questions asked. Shut up and take my money… I’M BUYING ME A SPACE DOGGY! The only downside to Maggie and her four-legged friend is the inevitable depression I will spiral toward after Daisy gets brutally devoured by the monster for the first time. I have to hold back a few tears just thinking about it.

                A close second to Maggie is the lovable, yellow robot, Bucket. He’s a support class hunter and specializes in surveillance and laser-guided missiles. Bucket also uses flying sentry guns, which, to me, means he has robot buddies who can help him out of tight situations, or at least that’s the way I’m choosing to look at it. So, let’s see here… cool robot nickname… check. Missile launcher with flying robot pals… check. The only confirmed playable robot so far… check. Well, that settles that. If he’s in anywhere near the same league as fellow robots R2-D2, Wall-E, Johnny 5 or Mega Man, I’ll be spending hours tearing up those monsters with this mechanical mofo.

              Turtle Rock Studios made a great decision by creating multiple hunters for each class, and I, for one, was pleasantly surprised by the E3 2014 reveal. It got me excited for the game’s release and impatient for the reveal of the last 4 hunters in Evolve. My only request for the title is downloadable character costumes. I’ll be crossing my fingers for an alternate C-3PO skin for Bucket! Take care, guys. :]3