I’ve got Charlie all over my living room!!!!
1/7/2011
Review by: Matt Hastie
So the holidays are over and you’ve got some cash burning a hole in your pocket? Or maybe you already blew all of that money but want something fun and inexpensive? We here at NRQ have got two great solutions for you!
Battlefield Bad Company 2: Vietnam (Multiplatform) 1200 MSP or $15
2010 was a great year for gaming. Not only did we get epic titles but we finally got some quality DLC. One major standout is Bad Company 2’s Vietnam DLC, though it’s more of a full expansion. The four main classes of BFBC are still in place and you still have the tech tree to unlock, but other than that it’s almost a whole new game. You’ll have period weapons and vehicles at your finger tips such as the Flamethrower, M1A1, and the Huey Chopper to help you rain down some hell on your enemies. Also, due to the period weapons you no longer need to fear being sniped by a medic across the level as the recon class are the only ones with scopes. Most players are going to be forced to change their play styles a tad since long range is not an option for most classes.
The game types are still here so there’s going to be more flags to cap and MCOM stations to hit. The levels available for play are all modeled after real locations and battles that took place in Vietnam, and each is stunning. While some of BFBC2’s levels seemed a little too pristine before the action starts, all of Vietnam’s maps are already torn apart. You’ll have trenches and bombed out fox holes to hide in, as well as plenty of brush and tunnels to wait in ambush. The destructible environments are still a great tactic to use, but with more of the action taking place in a jungle scene it’s not one you’ll employ as often.
One of the biggest stand outs is the sound. When you are in a vehicle or on a base you will be treated to the songs of the time with tracks like “Fortunate Son” and “Wild Thing”. While the music does tend to get a bit repetitive, you’ll still have fun flying a Huey with “Ride of the Valkyries” blasting in the background. The jungle sounds alive, gun fire and explosions in every direction, the sound of grenade launchers firing near by, the VC shouting behind you. Every Vietnam movie moment is here for you to play out any way you see fit, and you’ll be full immersed from the beginning.
All in all you have a solid new game to play online with few shortcomings. Sight and sound are the real stars of this expansion since the core aspects of BFBC are still in place. While weapon balancing is mostly in check due to the fighting being up close and personal, the flamethrower at times still feels a bit overpowered. If you’ve been a fan of BFBC’s online or are looking for a more team based shooter definitely pick this up!
Welcome to die X Chickens
X-Men Arcade (Xbox 360, Playstation 3) 800 MSP or $10
For you nostalgia monkeys you have no where else to look that the X-Men Arcade game that is back in full glory. Not much has changed except that you no longer have to pour quarter after quarter into a machine. All of the ridiculous music, bad dialogue, and button mashing are here. Some new additions though give this classic some extra fire power. Before each play you’ll have the ability to change a few options for the game. You’ll be able to choose between a 4 and 6 player cabinet, whether it’s the US or Japanese version of the game, level, and difficulty.
The game features drop in play for both co op and online play, keeping with the feel of playing on the original arcade machine, but now you don’t have to worry about your buttons sticking or it being out of order. The version you play only depends on whether your mutant attacks consume health first or a power up first. In the Japanese version health and power drops occur more often. Cyclopes, Storm, Colossus, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler are still here, and someone will always be complaining about having to play as Dazzler. The game is quick; you can beat it on average in 25-30 minutes depending on difficulty and how many players you have.
Another new addition is the online play with the options of quick join, search, and host. Quick join gave me some trouble as I kept dropping into games that were already at the end or stuck at character select. Search allows you to find the difficulty, version, level and how many players are currently in a game. Want to see the chaos of 6 players all doing their mutant attacks at once? The only thing more fearful than that is the lag. The games I dropped in on had decent latency, but the game’s quality and fun fall when you press a button and do the action a second or two later. Maybe others haven’t had the same problems online as I have but I found the best option was to just create my own game and let other users come to me.
Though not much has changed about the game, it’s still a blast. On the other hand since only online play and a few custom options have been added, few might see this as a good buy. It’s not terribly long, but with leader boards for points and quickest completion of the game you might stay around longer. For the most part it’s a party game, whether it’s a one man or six man party. The online play is definitely fun and unique but can be frustrating at times. If you love comics and played this game in the arcades of yore then it might be right up your alley.
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