UFC Undisputed 2010

UFC Undisputed 2009 was the greatest interpretation of MMA in video game history.  While that may seem like high praise, considering its past titles its not hard to see why.  Undisputed 2009 had everything that a UFC fan could want in a game with detailed fighters, different fight styles, great commentary, and the intricacies of the sport which make it unique and enjoyable.  With THQ's history with the annual WWE Smackdown Vs Raw franchise, there really was no doubt that Undisputed would become an annual title.  Did 2010's title do enough to warrant another purchase?

The first thing that you'll notice with this years UFC is the amount of fighters has increased and the level of detail has improved.  In 2009 it's pretty easy to tell which fighters were created using the in-game create a fighter feature (Amir Sadollah for one).  Each fighter in the new game was rendered individually and with over a 100 fighters in the game, it's nice to see fighter specific traits for each individual like Machida's stance or Rashad's odd jabs.  Second thing you'll notice is the huge tweaks to the gameplay.  They added in a sway maneuver which allows you to duck and dodge incoming strikes to add a whole new level of countering.  You can now submission transition meaning you can go from attempting a kimura to trying to lock on an armbar.  If you understood the last two moves then you'll definitely appreciate the changes the game has added gameplay-wise.  Cage mechanics were also put into the game allowing you to use the cage to your advantage.  Throw in an improved ground game and you have an MMA game that seems almost impossible to beat (looking at you EA). 

The career mode is also improved but unfortunately still has ways to go.  I'm 12 fights into my career and my character has stats that are laughable considering the competition they're putting me up against.  They've added a fun Event mode which lets you play through past UFC cards or create cards of your own including the intro videos and the overall presentation.  Create-a-Fighter has become more detailed and the work that you can create is amazing given the time and effort you put in. 

The feature that I was most excited about when I heard of the improvements were the fight camps.  Tragically I was more then disappointed with the results.  Thoughts of epic training sessions, camp against camp fights, customizable banners or gyms were thrown out the window when I was given a half-hearted effort which meant as much as Halo 2's old clans (worthless).  It shouldn't matter too much as long as the online fights are smooth right?  I completely agree with you itallic writing but sadly, they do not.  Online games are a laggy mess and with the precise timing you need for some of the counters, this results in many frustrated gamers like yours truly.  Occasionally I'm blessed with a great connection but more often then not I'm forced to watch world class fighters fight in what seems to be quicksand.  The major concern seems to be that most gamers can't even get into a lobby with errors showing "this session is no longer available".  My main concern is that at level 8 online with only 3 fights under my belts I'm being matched up against level 100+ with close to 1000 fights.  How does that even make sense?

Pathetic

Steep Learning Curve

Terrible Online Servers

Might not be enough content added for casual fans of 2009

Career Mode is still boring

Very Nice!

Gameplay seems to be a perfect representation of MMA

Larger roster and better graphics

More fight styles plus tons more character specific traits

Less flash KOs meaning more skilled fights

Deep and rewarding fight system

FINAL GRADE: B+

UFC Undisputed 2010 is not only a great sports title, but a great fighting game.  Fans of both genres should have a blast playing if they can learn the deep control scheme.  For fans of the UFC this game should be a no-brainer providing a very enjoyable experience.  For casual fans, or those with 2009's title, 2010 may not offer enough to warrant another $60.  I would have easily given this game at least an A- if the online wasn't so broken but as it is, this title is lucky to get a B+. 

The Karate Kid (2010)

The Karate Kid is a classic movie from the 80s that had one decent sequel and two mildly entertaining follow ups.  With the resurgence of 80s properties the last few years (Transformers, GI Joe) I was actually pretty excited to hear that one of my favorite underdog tales was to be remade and looked to be taken in a different direction.  Did the Karate Kid (or Kung Fu Kid) live up to my expectations though?

It's inevitable that I'm going to be asked whether I enjoyed the original more or preferred the remake but in both films defenses I don't really think that it's fair to compare the two side by side.  Granted they share the same name and similar premise, the differences are pretty strong and evident from the opening scene.  For one, Jaden Smith is much more younger then Ralph Macchio's character in the 80s film and the remake is set in China.  Secondly, Smith is taught Kung Fu from Jackie Chan and to be perfectly honest, the kid really does look like he can fight and is learning actual martial arts.  No disrespect to Pat Morita, but Jackie Chan actually knows his Kung Fu whereas Morita was a comedian.  Not once in the original trilogy (not including The Next Karate Kid starring Hillary Swank) did I ever believe that Macchio could hold his own.  Whereas Smith's character (Dre) truly looked like he could fight, Macchio (Daniel) was content with just constantly getting bailed out by Morita (Miyagi).  So before I continue, I don't want to compare the two films anymore because to be perfectly honest, I might actually prefer the remake. 

(Very Mild Spoilers) The story is basic 80s fodder that we've all watched before with a main character that gets bullied (Dre), who finds a way to overcome his adversities in the unlikeliest place (Mr. Han), and proves himself in a grand fashion (Kung Fu Tournament).  In the Karate Kid Dre and his mother move to China due to her career.  Dre goes to a park near his new apartment and a girl (Mei Ying) catches his eye.  This causes one of the local bullies (Cheng) to become angry and beat Dre up.  Dre, Cheng, and Mei all go to the same school and this obviously causes conflict.  Dre becomes interested when he happens upon a school teaching martial arts when he sees that Cheng is one of the students there.  After a school trip, Dre decides to fight back against the bullies.  A chase ensues until the bullies finally catch him in a corner.  As they begin to beat him up, Dre is saved by his maintenance man Mr. Han.  Dre asks Han to teach him Kung Fu to help solve his problems, but Han suggests to just go to the school that Cheng is taught at and attempt to solve things peacefully.  Like the original film, Cheng is taught by a ruthless master and in order to prevent Dre from continuously getting beat up, Han enters him in a Kung Fu tournament. 

The acting in the movie is actually better then one would expect.  I enjoyed Smith's performance although some parts seemed artificial (unsurprising given his age).  He reminded me of Will Smith's younger acting roles and given time, I can see him becoming a budding young actor.  What was more enjoyable was seeing Chan and Smith's interactions.  Their chemistry was great and I enjoyed thier training together.  The supporting cast was decent in their own right too having Taraji Henson playing a supporting mother.  The other characters were pretty one-dimensional and could easily be cast as "love interest", "bully", and "Bad Guy". 

SUMMARY

Overall I'd say that I enjoyed this movie.  At a little under two and a half hours, I was surprised that it didn't feel like it dragged.  The movie had parts that made me laugh, parts that literally had the crowd (myself not included) cheering, and an overall feel good story.  The scenery was gorgeous, the story was entertaining, and the action/training scenes were enjoyable.  Even if you feel that the original couldn't be topped (probably more because Nostalgia) or you're just looking for a good movie I'd say that it's worth checking out.

FINAL GRADE : B+

Alan Wake (Xbox 360)

Alan Wake was introduced at E3 in 2005 and has been finally released 5 years later.  A "Psychological Action Thriller" as the box art displays is a pretty good summation of what entails, but was Wake worth waiting 5 years to play?

You are the world renowned writer Alan Wake, on vacation with your wife Alice at Spring Falls, a quirky little town surrounded by a lake with lots of small town folk.  You book a stay in a little cabin by the lake and are trying to just relax and enjoy your vacation when Alice tells you this trip was a way to get you to be inspired to write another novel.  In your anger you storm out of the cabin, leaving Alice behind to clear your thoughts.  As you venture further, you hear your wife scream and once you turn, you see all the lights of the cabin have been shut off!  You race back to the cabin, calling out to Alice, but your cries are in vain because Alice's own shrieking is drowning them out.  You look out toward the lake, some 40 feet below, as you see Alice's silhouette through the water.  Without hesitation you take a deep breath and dive in after your wife.  Then in a flash, you wake up in the drivers seat of a car, blood dripping down your forehead as the car is dangling off the side of a highway.  This is the beginning of Alan Wake and what follows is a great story, some may say, worthy of a big screen adaptation.  You are attempting to find your lost wife and are trying to uncover the mysteries of Bright Falls.  Along the way you must deal with all sorts of terror caused by the Taken (things trapped by the Darkness). 

The Taken are beings or objects enshrouded by a dark presence.  These take the form of people, objects, and even animals.  While covered in Darkness, your enemies are near invincible and only can be destroyed by first removing the darkness by ways of flashlights or other light sources.  The game shines (no pun intended) in the way it uses light as not only a source of comfort, but as a weapon.  You will definitely need to cling tightly to that flashlight because more then half the game you're covered in darkness.  Enemies can be around every corner and sometimes you may think your eyes are playing tricks on you, but its true that you actually did see something scurry a couple yards ahead.  Speaking about enemies, the enemies are sometimes a pain.  Often they come in pairs but other times you're bombarded by close to 6 enemies at once.  Not only do they gang up on you, but they like to circle around you so while you're dealing with one enemy, another sneaks up behind you and hits you with a hatchet.  When you're playing on the harder difficulties, one hit could mean the end for you because some enemies actually combo into you, taking you down in one quick swoop. 

The enemies are competent enough, but the game shows its age in other ways.  There are times where you can't see enemies around you because of the placement of the camera (similar to the problems in Resident Evil 5).  Also, you're supposed to be collecting Coffee Thermos (for Lord knows what) as little collectibles which don't seem to have any purpose to Alan as a character.  Finally, as you get further along in the game you are tested with what seems like an endurance round as swarm upon swarms of enemies are thrown at you at once, giving you little time to recover.  This is not to take anything away from the game as a whole, but it shows some of the older gameplay mechanics this game has since it's been in production for close to 5 years. 

The main focus it seems as to why this game has got such high praise is because of the story and to be honest, I did enjoy it.  Is it the best story I've played this year?  No..that'd be Heavy Rain.  This game has a great pacing though and truly feels like it could be a episodic series.  The presentation is broken into chapters and Alan plays through each one usually ending in a cliffhanger.  The credits roll and then the next chapter immediately starts giving players a summary of last episodes events.  With this type of gaming, you could limit yourself to one chapter a day and not feel the need to plow through to the end (unless you really want to.)  Without giving too much of the story away, Alan finds these manuscript pages along the way from a novel he doesn't remember writing, but strangely the pages seem to be foreshadowing upcoming events.  The more pages you find, the more of the story you can uncover.  Even though I was able to read what would be coming in the future, it actually helped build tension as I went along, worrying about when the events would take place.

SUMMARY

Pathetic

Enemies sometimes cheap

Short Game

Some awkward animations

Some cheap scares and dated game cliches

Very Nice!

Great Story with Excellent Pacing

Lighting Mechanics are beautiful

Sound is amazing as is the musical score

Combat is fun as is the creative ways you can use the environment to destroy enemies

FINAL GRADE: B

While I enjoyed the game and my experience playing through it, I don't really feel compelled to run through it again.  Aside from beating it on the nightmare difficulty (unlocked after completing the game on hard) and collecting miscellaneous objects, there doesn't seem to be any other reason to play through it.  You won't get the same experience the second time through as you did with the first.  Definitely an enjoyable game and worthy of a playthrough, but I can't say it's worth a purchase yet.  Have to see about the upcoming DLC, but as a standalone, worth at minimum a rental.