411 Games Fact or Fiction 12.03.07: Assassin's Creed's Review Scores, a New Golden Age of Video Games, the NiGHTS Sequel and Remake and More!
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 12.04.2007
411's Rod Oracheski and Greg Bruno give us their thoughts on whether or not Assassin's Creed delivered, the need for PS3 owners to upgrade their controllers, the idea that we are in another "golden age of video games," the chances that the remake of NiGHTS will outshine the update, the new Friends of Friends update for Xbox Live, and whether the current developers of Guitar Hero need to branch out to compete with Rock Band in this edition of Fact or Fiction Games.
We're back with another edition of Fact or Fiction. This week Rod Oracheski and Greg Bruno return to give us the 411 on some of today's most important video game news and issues. Those who frequent the Reviews section will most likely remember Rod for his PS3 and Xbox 360 reviews. He recently did reviews for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360), SEGA Rally Revo (Xbox 360), and Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3) and is currently working on a review for Conan. Greg just came back from a short break and is currently working on a new column.
Let's go -
1. While reviews for Assassin's Creed have been "generally favorable" all around, they aren't what most would have expected after all of the pre-release buzz that surrounded the game. You are surprised by this.
Rod Oracheski: Fiction
Averages in the mid-8 range for a first-run title are pretty good, and about what I expected it to receive. The game had severe negative buzz in the months leading up to its release after poor showings at trade shows, where glitches like floating corpses left gamers wondering if it'd be done on time, and the whole "won't fit on a DVD, won't fit in the PS3's memory" debate didn't exactly inspire trust.
By the time it hit the shelves, however, the majority of the glitches were gone, though I should note that I only played the 360 version and I understand that the PS3 one has a considerable number of problems - some being patched soon. The game gets pretty repetitive, which is probably the primary reason the scores aren't higher, but it provides some of the best "chase and combat" sequences available today. I'm looking forward to a polished sequel already, which I expect to score a bit better.
Greg Bruno: Fiction
From what I understand, this game pretty much delivered on all it promised. Intense fighting, awesome scenery, a unique storyline, and cool crowd interactions. If some people were expecting sometime much more than what was delivered in the final product, that's their own fault for hyping themselves up so much. Sure, as with all games, there's a few hiccups. I don't see how it could be considered as failing to deliver by any means.
Score: 1 for 1
2. The addition of rumble is a good enough reason for PS3 owners to upgrade their SIXAXIS controllers to DualShock 3s.
Rod Oracheski: Fiction
Having played with an import controller, I can say that it "feels" better in your hands with the added weight and the rumble is nice to have back, but is it really worth shelling out for a new controller when your current ones work just fine? Not really.
To be honest, I still feel like I got burned after shelling out $660 for the machine and $50 for an extra controller less than a year ago, so replacing those controllers already just seems like a ripoff. I'd replace them if Sony did a "send in your SIXAXIS and get a DS3 for $10" deal or something like that. Another $50 just to have rumble? No thanks.
While I wouldn't replace a controller I already had, I'd buy a Dual Shock 3 instead of a SIXAXIS in the future.
Greg Bruno: Fiction
Hey, Sony? Umm, I thought rumble was so last gen? So... then why are you putting out rumble controllers? Do you really think that gamers will shell out more money for something you told them was unnecessary in the first place? Anyway, anyone who trades in controllers they already have for this has too much money on their hands. Honestly, if you're that willing to spend it, just mail it to me.
Score: 2 for 2
3. The BBC is right - "videogames are enjoying a golden age."
Rod Oracheski: Fact
People can look back at older systems through rose-colored glasses all they like, but games today are generally bigger and more immersive than ever.
There are still shovelware titles galore, licensed crap to avoid, and franchises that just won't die - but the overall quality of games just keeps going up. Even licensed games have the potential to be good now, something that was just unheard of in the past, and played-out franchises are getting next-gen refits that make it all seem new again.
That said... this isn't the end of it. Games aren't going to plateau here, or decline in future years. Developers are always looking for the next way to make games better, and whether that's motion controls, online features, better graphics/sound, or new gameplay mechanics that more powerful consoles allow, things are still going to get better.
It's a great time to be a gamer, unless you're on a budget.
Greg Bruno: Fact
Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony (in that order) are certainly experiencing one of the greatest generations of gaming in a very long time. Online gameplay is to this generation what 3D was to consoles two generations ago. We're experiencing a mass amount of incredible games with the promise of even better ones to come. I'm not saying games have peaked, though. I think things will just be getting better and better for us gamers.
Score: 3 for 3
4. The PS2 remake of NiGHTS into Dreams is going to be better than the Wii's upcoming NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams.
Greg Bruno: Fiction
I don't know much about this title, since I never got too into the NiGHTS games. However, I do think they will use this to tout the Wii's unique game controls. I can see this being a big seller on the Wii. As for the PS2, sure, it'll be good and all, but I don't think it'll be as popular.
Rod Oracheski: Fiction
The PS2 version looks to be staying pretty true to its roots, so it'll be a solid (and likely underappreciated) title. The Wii version... I don't know. It's going to feature motion controls, so there's a 20% chance it'll be great and an 80% chance they shouldn't have included motion controls. I don't know if either one will really be "better" than the other. They're going to wind up being totally different games.
Score: 4 for 4
5. Friends of Friends, the new feature that will be included in the upcoming Xbox 360 Fall dashboard update, is a good idea.
Greg Bruno: Fact
This is a great way for gamers to expand their friends list. For instance, a friend of mine was playing a game of Halo 3 the other day with one of our buddies from high school (Andrew High School, Class of 2002. Damn, I'm getting old!). Anyway, he said he didn't remember his gamertag offhand so I will be able to just check it out for myself through his list. I think this is a great idea.
Rod Oracheski: Fact
Like Greg said, this is a great way to liven up your Friends list. You know the people you like to get together with are like-minded gamers, so it makes sense that their friends would fall into the same category. I'd say it'll be more useful for checking out potential additions though. Instead of sending out blind requests and hoping for the best, check your friend's friend list and invite some people to a game. If they work out, fine - add em on. If not, better luck next time.
Microsoft is making it easier to fill that list, so when are they going to expand it? Some of us are already forced to prune our lists of people we haven't played with in a while just to add on some new ones. Let's bump that limit up!
Score: 5 for 5
6. The makers of Guitar Hero should follow Rock Band's lead and release other instruments and peripherals, such as a mic and drum set.
Greg Bruno: Fiction
If you want to get technical, the makers of Guitar Hero DID release all those peripherals under the name of Rock Band since Harmonix and Red Octane did the first GH game. Anyway, if I wanted to play the drums, I'd go to Rock Band. If I wanted to play guitar, I'd still play Rock Band. Guitar Hero seems pretty pointless at this stage.
Rod Oracheski: Fiction
They've got enough on their hands just keeping the guitar-game enthusiasts from leaving. Guitar Hero IV needs to be a lot better than Guitar Hero III was (no - that doesn't just mean give us harder patterns with more button pressing) if they want to keep this franchise from dying off.
Guitar Hero II was awesome when you were playing on the harder difficulties. It really felt like you were playing the notes you were hearing, instead of just following a pattern that had nothing to do with it. Guitar Hero III doesn't have that feeling, and they need the new development team to recapture that before trying to branch out.
It's a bad time for Activision execs. Both Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk franchises need good remakes - and they need them quickly.
Score: 6 for 6
We end this week with a perfect score of 6 for 6. Now, because wisdom is necessary for one to launch from the Sword of Acala, returning to a column that bestows knowledge is always in your best interest. So, if you want to guarantee your victory over the mysterious stone, make sure that you check back next time for more fact or fiction!
