Game Room: March Roundup

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Mar 31, 2011

Game Room: March Roundup

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters

Augusta National is no longer hallowed grounds reserved for only the elite of the golfing community. Heck, you can play in your boxers while munching on Cheetos if you want. For the first time ever, Tiger's video game includes the course that made him famous and the results are spectacular. Each hole is rendered perfectly down to the last azalea and the course plays as tough as it looks on TV. Small mistakes balloon into huge numbers that knock you off the leaderboard. If you have a Wii or a PlayStation Move, you can turn on the True Aim perspective for the most realistic stroll through Augusta short of actually getting onto course grounds. You even get Jim Nantz whispering in your ear during every shot along the way to winning one of those handsome green blazers. Score: 9.5 out of 10 Video Review: Tiger PGA Tour 12: The Masters

Shift 2 Unleashed

In the increasingly crowded field of racing games, Shift 2 lays claim to the invention of the helmet cam. This view adds a greater level of immersion as it tilts your view as you enter corners or make aggressive wheel movements. Racing from the helmet cam in a nighttime race is sure to get your racing juices flowing. The career mode is fairly standard as your earn experience points that advance your driver level, opening new challenges and car classes. Race types include basic lap races, drift, time attack and endurance. Shift 2's track graphics and car models look great and the audio across all the vehicles is also vey well done. The game features 120 licensed cars and 35 tracks with 120 layouts. EA has included the very cool Autolog feature from last year's Need for Speed Hot Pursuit that allows you and your console friends to keep track of and challenge each other's record times. Score: 8.5 out of 10

MotoGP 10/11

Racing fans wanting to gets their kicks on two wheels have been at the mercy of the MotoGP series for several years now. But fortunately the newest incarnation of the motorcycle racing franchise has returned with a much improved product. The centerpiece in MotoGP is the career mode that initially takes you through a season as you fight your way up the rankings to assemble a team and acquire sponsorships to get your onto better bikes. It's fairly standard fare but it works well and has a clean interface. The big improvement is the improved handling of the bikes. The physics overall feel more accurate than last year's game, and more realistic in the differences between bikes classes, and after you tune and upgrade an existing bike. MotoGP is friendlier to beginners with a full array of assists that will make the game's learning curve easier to digest. The graphics across the 18 tracks and the bike models in the game are pretty solid. The audio of the bikes is handled well as your progress from starter to expert rides. Multiplayer options are standard, but do include a co-op mode where you can tag team a race to capture the checkered flag. Score: 8 out of 10

MLB 11: The Show

With 162-game seasons and a first-person experience that includes slugging away in the minors before sticking with a big league team, baseball video games demand a lot of your time. Amazingly, The Show comes through with a product that won't bore you no matter how many virtual innings you log. The cut scenes, stadium animations and facial close-ups remain as crisp as ever, but what stands out this year in The Show are the sheer variety of in-game animations that never slowdown gameplay. Simply put: The Show looks amazing no matter what part of the game you're in. The Move motion controller finally gets a worthy gameplay mode this year, too. Home Run Derby is equal parts realistic and addictive, offering a true feeling for what it feels like to crank a dinger in a major league park. Just be sure to fasten the wrist band and do some back stretches before letting out your inner-Josh Hamilton, violent cuts are contagious once the Derby gets going. Score: 9.5 out of 10 Video Review: MLB 11: The Show

Major League Baseball 2K11

The latest build of MLB 2K has taken great strides towards closing the gap on The Show. The big addition is a refined control system. Attention to player attributes make fielding a far more realistic experience. Instead of button mashing, your skills on the diamond will be measured by your ability to handle the toggle sticks. In addition to more control over the strength and accuracy of throws, you're also forced to deal with player shortcomings. The worse the fielder, the worse read he gets on a sharp drive to the gap. Same goes for hard-hit grounders. Team-specific broadcast presentations are a nice touch for a game that has greatly stepped up its visuals this year. Score: 8 out of 10

Top Spin 4

Top Spin 4 arrives on the relative heels of two of the most successful, engaging tennis games since Pong: Nintendo's crossover smash Wii Sports and EA Sports' Grand Slam Tennis. But rather than depend on the arcade-style action of those Wii-exclusive titles, 2KSports' latest tennis sim places heavy emphasis on ultra-realistic gameplay framed by a true-to-life, TV-style presentation. Each of the four colored buttons corresponds with one of four basic shot types -- flat, slice, top spin and lob -- while the shoulder buttons allow you to deploy them as control or power shots. The variety of shotmaking allows for sophisticated point construction that will please tennis junkies. Licensed tournaments include three of the Grand Slams (the Wimbledon stand-in is played in Dublin), three Masters 1000 events (Indian Wells, Miami and Paris) along with the ATP World Tour Finals in London. Thirty-three other tournaments -- from the clay of Madrid to the carpet of Kiev -- lend an authentic, globetrotting feel to the extensive career mode, where you build a player up through minor Challenger tournaments before cracking the top flight. The character creation tool is deep, but there's no shortage of real-life talent: Current stars include Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki, while playable legends include Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl and Michael Chang. The steep learning curve of Top Spin 4 might not be a hit with casual fan, but gamers in search of a faithful tennis sim won't be disappointed. Score: 8 out of 10

Fight Night Champion

The latest installment in EA Sports' iconic boxing series includes updates and refinements of all the features Fight Night devotees have come to love since the series debuted in 2004. New features include full-spectrum punch control and one-punch KOs, which add a true-to-life element of sudden death to the proceedings. But the big highlight here -- and the feature that makes Fight Night Champion worth a spin even for non-boxing fans -- is the Hollywood-inspired "Champion Mode." You take control of fictional boxer Andre Bishop and guide him through a story (written by Monster's Ball screenwriter Will Rokos) that establishes context for a variety of game play challenges and situations. More than 40 minutes of cinematic cut scenes introduce a robust cast of characters as you trace your fighter's rise, fall and ultimate redemption. The gritty thematic elements of "Champion Mode" plus the brutal refocus on player damage are a faithful testament to a sport Jimmy Cannon famously called the "red-light district of professional sports" -- and it's got the M for Mature rating from the ESRB to prove it (an EA Sports first). A deep roster of more than 50 real-life boxers include new additions David Haye, Chris Arreola, Fernando Vargas and Eric "Butterbean" Esch, along with old favorites Manny Pacquiao, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali. Fight Night Champion is a must-own for boxing junkies and worth a try for lapsed fans or non-hardcores. Score: 9 out of 10

Crysis 2

Crysis 2 is the latest sci-fi first-person shooter from EA. You play as the character Alcatraz, who is an unwitting combatant after he's given a powerful Nanosuit and then left to fend for himself. The Nanosuit has three primary modes: stealth, armor and strength. Stealth allows you to be nearly invisible with a cool cloaking effect that makes you feel like The Predator. With armor active you can stand toe-to-toe with many foes and take some serious damage. Strength mode is persistent in many actions you routinely do like melee, jumping and sprinting. Each time you use the suit's abilities your power meter is drained. It recharges pretty fast, but you have to learn the timing to master it. The different suit abilities allow you to play the game your way, though you really need to use all of the suit's goodies to avoid defeat. The story in the game is a tad convoluted as you end up fighting the military, corporations and alien invaders. The story feels more immersive thanks to the amazing visuals that shine across the remains of a broken down New York City circa 2023. The game levels have nice sandbox feel and for the most part your radar and way points keep you headed in the right direction. Enemy AI is at times very realistic in dogging fire, rushing your position and flanking, but you will come across some enemies running in place and into walls. Multiplayer is pretty solid though there's some balance issues with sniping and cloaking. On the whole Crysis 2 raises the bar for the rest of the shooter offerings in 2011. Score: 9.5 out of 10

Nintendo 3DS

To answer your question, Yes, the 3D really does work. And you don't need the funny glasses, either. Simply hold the 3DS about 10-14 inches from your face and adjust the 3D slider accordingly, and you will be playing video games in glorious 3D. You have to be looking straight into the 3DS, though, because any kind of side view will just look fuzzy. The launch titles take full advantage of the 3D effect, especially Street Fighter IV 3D Edition and Ridge Racer 3D. But the real beauty of the Nintendo 3DS is that you don't even have to buy games to enjoy it. Built-in games include the hit Face Raiders (take a picture of your buddy and then shoot his face all over the room) and Augmented Reality Cards. You can even take 3D pictures. Perhaps Nintendo's best innovation is the social aspect of the 3DS. Using "StreetPass," you can leave your 3DS in sleep mode as you walk around town; there's also a built-in pedometer for you to keep track of your walking. You will automatically pick up "friends" when you walk by other people with the 3DS in sleep mode. The next time you open the 3DS to play, you'll find their Miis stored in your hard drive, complete with game info such as ghost laps in Ridge Racer. The 3DS will set you back $249.99 and comes in your choice of two colors: aqua blue or cosmo black. The launch games are priced at $39.99. Score: 10 out of 10

Madden NFL Football 3DS

If you really need a football fix during the NFL offseason -- which could be even longer this year with the lockout -- then this is your best bet. There are two ways to play: 5-on-5 and 11-on-11. The 5-on-5 mode is a lot more fun and the frame rate doesn't lag the way it does with 11-on-11. The big downside is the lack of multi-player, even on wireless. On the plus side, you can draw your own plays at the line of scrimmage, and you can play a full season (no stats) based on last year's schedule and win Super Bowl XLV. Score: 6.5 out of 10

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D

Soccer fanatics will be pleased with the latest version of this franchise. All the big club teams and star players are represented, as is the UEFA Champions League mode. More important, the game play is smooth and proves once again to be a perfect fit for the DS platform. PES features traditional multiplayer and StreetPass, in which you create your own team and it plays games automatically against other StreetPass uers. Finally, the graphics are gorgeous, especially on the instant replays. Score: 8.5 out of 10

Ridge Racer 3D

This longtime racing franchise could prove to be the biggest hit among the launch titles for the 3DS. Even if you are used to Ridge Racer titles, you may never have played one that lets you drive this fast. The myriad of cars and tracks are available, as always, but this time in perfectly rendered 3D. The familiar drift mechanic is back, though now you have an option to play with a "Drift Button" that makes it easier to negotiate corners. Multiplayer is available for up to four players, and with StreetPass you can compile Ghost Race data from other gamers and challenge their times. Score: 9 out of 10

Nintendo DS: Best of the rest

Here's a look at additional launch tiles for the DS: Pilotwings Resort by Nintendo (pictured): Fly by plane, rocket belt or hand glider on the familiar set of Wuhu Island, although like you've never seen it before in 3D. It's a relaxing game with enough challenges and game modes to keep you satisfied. Fans of this franchise will not be disappointed, and newbies will like having it as eye candy to show off the powers of the new 3DS. Score: 7.5 out of 10 Lego Star Wars III The Clone Wars 3D by LucasArts: It's hard to have more fun than this on any of the launch titles. Unlike the clunky console version, the nuance of switching between characters and the challenge of solving puzzles while fighting enemies is executed wonderfully here. Playing levels with different characters yields different rewards, making the replay value very high. Score: 9.5 out of 10 Steel Diver by Nintendo: Use the built-in gyroscope sensor to hunt for targets as if you were on a real submarine manning a periscope. Just watch out because you might get dizzy (and look a little silly) from spinning around. The variety of game modes keeps the title interesting. Score: 7 out of 10 Nintendogs Cats: Golden Retriever and New Friends by Nintendo: It's easy to make fun of anybody who would play this game, but the minute you adopt your new pet and start playing catch with it, you won't be so quick to criticize. Play at your own risk (extremely addictive!). Score: 8 out of 10

PlayStation Move Heroes

Move Heroes assembles an all-star cast of PlayStation franchise characters by bringing together Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Dexter and Sly Copper & Bentley. All three of those sets have starred in successful games, so the expectations for this game were potentially higher than they should've been. Move Heroes has a silly plot that ultimately pits the characters in a series of mini-games that take place on location-themed levels. In the mini games your primary goal is to defend or collect Whibbles, a hapless alien species, and to stay alive. In your way is an army of robots that you combat by shooting, whipping and smashing. The Move controller mechanics work with mixed results. Shooting is the best experience, but the whip is clumsy and can leave you standing in the middle of a pack of enemies when you miss. The game tracks achievements through leaderboards and offers a lackluster co-op mode. It has some replay value if you like to go for medals and hidden items, but some of these tasks are overly difficult. Score: 6 out of 10

Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars

If you really feel the need to play Star Wars characters in Lego form, then you should check out the 3DS version of this same title, The console version has decent graphics and decent enough game play mechanics but the multiplayer split-screen is awkward and the puzzle-solving is much less than intuitive. Longtime fans of the series may enjoy the new characters and weapons, ships, etc., but casual gamers may want to pass. Score: 5.5 out of 10