Empire was an interesting novel written, somewhat ironically, by Orson Scott Card that has an interesting premise. It muses upon the possibility of America plunged into a second civil war created by the vacuum of power left by the assassination of the President of the United States, as well as several of his closest colleagues. The stakes are high as the nation cannot withstand such a gaping wound for long, and the Restoration immediately makes move to wrest power from the right-wingers that occupy the office at the time of the attack. At one point during the novel, it compares the United States to the Roman Empire in its scope from its prominence to its inevitable decline where it becomes crushed under its own gravity. Oddly enough it is a conspiracy of mammoth proportions that destroys the country and centralizes power in the hands of one man, Averell Torrent. However, we know that this series is a trilogy, and we also know that Shadow Complex doesn’t take place in the events of the first book. So what happens after Mr. Torrent sits upon his perch of infinite power? Does he do right by the people? Does the Restoration become disbanded after its attempted and failed coup? Let’s put it this way, Jason Fleming of the Shadow Complex would be stretched out on a beach somewhere enjoying Hennessy and Coke with his better half and none of us would give a shit about August 19th, 2009.

From what I can gather, Jason Fleming is a hiker. Like all outdoorsy protagonists, Mr. Fleming’s girlfriend, Claire, is just as surefooted on mountain trails. Somehow they happen upon the Restoration, the paramilitary group from the first book, in their travels and this is where our tale begins. Claire is assumed to be a government agent of some sort and is kidnapped which of course is Jason’s cue to action. It will be interesting to see whether or not Averell Torrent becomes the King Bowser in this story because you get the impression that he was behind the Restoration and their terrorist activities in the first book. After all the drama of his ascension, these Restoration gentlemen are still up to their old tricks. Jason Fleming ain’t no punk though…. Jason Fleming’s a gangsta… Jason Fleming ready to trek across a rather expansive 2D world in search of his Claire because, after all, dishes don’t wash themselves.

You start off with a pistol, and like all all enjoyable 2D platformer shooters of the past, you have unlimited ammo. This game has drawn comparisons to other greats such as Metroid and that was one of the conventions it employed: unlimited ammo. Sure you may have to reload your gun every now and again but at least you don’t have to search the land for precious bullets in which to ventilate your numerous opponents. As the game progresses you gain access to upgrades for your weapons and there are even things that go boom in the night like grenades and rocket launchers. Unlike your primary weapons, these explosives are a finite resource not unlike middle eastern oil. If the comparisons to Metroid are valid, it will be a joy to seek out other, more powerful, weapons in order to explore sections of the world previously unavailable. Upgrades to your attire eventually increase your strength and dexterity which allow for some bone crunching melee attacks as well.

The Xbox Live Arcade service will also continue to raise the bar in what we can expect to see as far as fifteen dollars is concerned that’s for sure. I thought that Battlefield 1943 looked amazing but if Epic teaches us nothing else about its work, they can make a video game as beautiful as it is compelling to play. It’s what you can consider pseudo 3D, as the main character traverses a 2D terrain, but you will also encounter enemies in the background as well. That may be a little unusual for those unaccustomed to this at first, but again, Epic has a knack for displaying innovation in the most ergonomic of fashions. Before you know it, you are sending agents of the Restoration to the creator regardless of where they stand foreground or background. The lighting and particle effects that I have seen make the action more organic and give the combat a more visceral edge than some other titles such Bionic Command Rearmed. I thought that the camera zooming in during a brutal melee attack was a nice touch as it really accentuates the brutality of Jason’s eventual augmented abilities. Epic once again has redefined what we can expect for our money. I would hate to be a developer with the intention of releasing a fifteen dollar title on XBLA after this summer, but then again, when someone ups the ante it allows no one to rest on their laurels and that’s a good thing for us as gamers.

For me, this game seems to come equipped with some sentimental value, which is paradoxical considering one can’t reminisce about what hasn’t happened yet. It would seem that 2D platformers that we have all loved at some point, providing we were actually playing them when they were prevalent, represented the pinnacle of gaming due to hardware constraints. Now the diligent programmer can recreate entire cities, as well as the people that populate it, with nearly all of the subtle nuance that is a result of the culture clash within. Even with all of this immersion, I oftentimes yearn for those days where my heart was racing as I clambered through waves of enemies to pump rockets into Mother Brain. I was on the edge of my seat, silently praying that my hands, slick with sweat, wouldn’t miss the button that would send me to the credits and eventually to a half dressed Samus Aran. Now this a rare sensation to be sure, but you can bet your quarters that I’ll be feeling it come August…

When I was still in grade school I developed this weird fascination with the world of Greek mythology. This likely as a result of watching Clash of the Titans when I was still a wee lad but it left such an impression on me I felt compelled to read these stories of bickering gods and the quests that they would charge mere mortals to endure. Some of the most memorable stories that I can recall have dealt with the everlasting punishment exacted upon the unfortunate few from the gods. Prometheus was chained to a mountain where he was doomed to have his liver pecked out daily as it would forever regenerate so his pain would only be perpetuated as the sun set and then rose again. Atlas was forever destined to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders. Pandora and her wretched box (no pun intended) was sent to punish mankind for being in league with the bringer of light. Yet it is Sisyphus that reminds me most of the frustration that World at War players are experiencing. Now I don’t have an exact number of individuals that have been stricken with this most annoying bug but it would be Sisyphus who can empathize with these unfortunate players. You see, he was supposed to roll a boulder to the top of a mountain, and after the arduous deed was done, he would watch in tired horror as it rolled back down to the bottom as if he did nothing all day. He also suffered from the compulsion to try, try again…. see where I’m going with this?

Activision released Call of Duty: World at War to great enough fan fair as it was the successor to the most amazing Modern Warfare yet it could not eclipse its former’s greatness. Yeah, it had the slick graphics engine that debuted with Modern Warfare and it even went a step further with the entertaining zombie mode but still… something was just missing. This is neither here nor there as rabid fans now had new maps in which to battle for world supremacy. The genius of the multiplayer that was Modern Warfare was that the more you played, you would level up as each kill brought you experience. This in turn would unlock a whole new dimension to the arcadey experience which is multiplayer gaming. They would even have double experience days where you would reap twice the fruit for your labors. Your character would evolve with perks as well as new uniforms, guns, etc. You knew that as a noob if you stepped in the arena with a prestige you were as good as fucked… proper fucked Tommy. Now Call of Duty: World at War hits the scene and many just couldn’t get enough of this system. Many players invested the time to climb these ranks, that they now so know and love, so they can brag to the next man about their superiority with any weapon they touch. Why not? We all paid sixty dollars and not many games deliver on that expense now do they?

There is trouble in paradise apparently, Treyarch is making no friends with this one I assure you. On the World at War board there are many players that are suffering from a glitch in the Matrix that causes all of their hard work to be all for naught. Imagine for a moment all the time it takes to prestige and compile all the perks that you love and most certainly rely on to be gone in the blink of an eye? Or the seconds it takes to log off. Imagine being a black belt only to find yourself barely wearing a white belt on your way to the Octagon? Perhaps this is an isolated incident? Now I personally don’t have World at War to share the torture that my fellow players have gone through but surely I would know someone close to me in the community that can cosign this trauma right? My fellow host Mr. Mortal has felt the effects of this half assed programming error.

It’s ok though, surely Activision in their quest to turn a profit would not let something so glaringly annoying to go unchecked. I mean after all, why would anyone continue to invest in a franchise that makes it extraordinarily unrewarding to keep playing? As we know, the map packs that they have released and subsequently charged extra for have sold extremely well. So with the millions that they have reaped off of the gaming community they must have invested but a fraction to correct this terrible calamity from ever occurring to another person… or so you would think. These complaints have fallen on deaf ears and responses have come through arrogant lips. Please refer to the Episode 8 podcast to see how the developer responded to Mortal’s query into the matter via Twitter. Refer to the board to the players that were pretty much told “Damn dude… that blows huh?” by Activision. Customers are fickle, as many in the industry know, Titans become memories at the faux pas committed by the board members at any given moment. Just as Sisyphus (Activision) had the arrogance to ignore the consequences of crossing Zeus (gamers) maybe we’ll see this gaming giant relegated to the second string as a more receptive publisher fills that void…

What is it about World War II that compels us to pick up the controller for the umpteenth time to resume our imaginary hostilities towards the Germans, in this case the Japanese? Perhaps war was more simple then where the technology was only advanced enough where the killers saw the white of their prey’s eyes before sending them to hell for their audacity to stand. Battlefield 1943 puts you in the thick of this mayhem and it does this all the while making you forget that you only paid fifteen dollars to witness it. The latest downloadable game from Electronic Arts is a throwback to the original Battlefield 1942 in that the maps are preserved from its predecessor but it also makes it current by making employing some current conventions as you will see…

First of all, although it may sound rather superficial, the graphics look great. As you and your squad mates take off towards the island of Iwo Jima because the fastest bastards have taken to the skies for the birds eye view, you’ll notice the rich blues of the ocean as well as the lush green foliage that enrich the landscape. You commandeer the first jeep you see as the way to the first village is just a little far to go by foot, which may clue you in as to how large these maps are in comparison to some games in the genre, and you floor it, hoping to capture the first flag and declare the town in the name of the Americans (or Japanese depending on which uniform you wear). You climb up a lookout tower and gaze through your sniper rifle with your breath stifled in your throat only to find out that on the far side of the island, your enemy is already on its way to put in a world of hurt whether on foot, in a tank, the aforementioned jeep, or a plane mounted with machine guns and a bomb that will send you back to a spawning point or perhaps destroy an adjacent building as well. This comes courtesty of the Frost Bite engine from Bad Company that allows for a decent of destruction within the environment. No more hiding behind paper thin walls to avoid a round from a tank. This is Battlefield 1943, not Ticklefield, only soldiers need apply.

There are three classes to choose from, each demand their own gameplay, and none will stop you from switching classes every now and again. First comes the Rifleman, with his rifle you can send powerful rounds quite a distance away or you can shoot grenades from this versatile weapon to eradicate foot soldiers or even jeeps. Next the Infantry, which packs a machine gun that can extinguish troops from a relatively short distance or you can even lob grenades to draw campers out of hiding. He also packs a bazooka that will put a tank to bed without much trouble which is important as tanks can be formidable in the right hands. A wrench is also at the ready to repair vehicles, which is interesting, but I found it of little use given the disposable nature of the vehicles. Even so it can be convenient at the right moment. Which brings us to the Scout. This class employs the sniper rifle, which is deadly from long distances in the right hands. The scout also has a trusty sidearm for close encounters with the agressor, but a little luck may be necessary if it’s infantry with a machine gun lubed and ready for your ass. Also, remote bombs are included so you can rig a bridge to blow and just wait for a tank to go by unawares. It is my understanding that there was a medic class in the original game that is no longer here. This is where 1943 has become sort of modernized in that your character has the Wolverine-ish ability to heal after absorbing many bullets which Call of Duty and many others made famous. I mean after all, health packs are now obsolete in the pantheon of first person gaming and Wolverine don’t need no stinking medic. In conclusion, depending on the play style you are in the mood for, there are different ways to enjoy the environment.

The controls are tight and responsive, I had no trouble drawing a bead on a soldier and making him pay for being slower on the trigger. I also found the vehicles to control rather well with the jeep not suffering from floaty physics which would’ve made the terrain difficult to navigate. The tank is similar to the jeep in control scheme but you have to keep an eye on which way you are aiming versus which way you are driving. The HUD shows you this with a simple diagram that is unimposing and it helps tremendously. Flyboys can take to the skies in one of the planes if you are lucky enough to get one… everyone wants to dogfight it seems. It may feel a little strange at first but I don’t find the mechanics that bizarre where I couldn’t just get busy the first time. I always was a fan of flight simulators while simultaneously being afraid of heights and this may have prepared me for what lied here. However I find the whole affair to be kinda sluggish in this game, and while enjoyable, I doubt I will lose sleep because I can’t get to a plane as easily as I may have liked.

Anyone who follows the podcast here will quickly identify that perhaps I am not the right person to review this game as I rarely indulge in multiplayer gameplay. I faithfully pay my fifty dollars every year to make sure that I can do it but not too often will you see me in a room laughing at the demise of others under the wrath of my trusty rifle, gun, fist, etc. However, in anticipation of the podcast, I sat at SkricLee’s house watching the game in action and found myself wanting to seize the controller from my host and start poppin’ cats my damn self. I was actually puzzled as to why this was and as I sat there, mystified by my compulsion to play this game it hit me: the large maps are what did it for me. I don’t like to be confined in a multiplayer experience as I get smoked damn near the same time I spawn by a camper. This frustration goes back to my days playing Counterstrike back in college, which I loved, but at the same time no one would confuse me for the professional hitman. Between that and switching between classes sealed the deal. Fifteen dollars flew out of my bank account and nearly six hundred megabytes of my hard drive became occupied. All in all, this whole experience has redefined what I can expect from Xbox Live Arcade as far as size and scope. With only three maps and a useless fourth coming soon, one may make the inference that it may get old quickly but as long as the community stays strong here, I don’t see that a possibility until Bad Company II supplants 1943 as my multiplayer game of choice….