We get the release of the first multiplayer ‘Assassin’s Creed’ title and a console version of ‘NBA Jam’ all in one week? Seems amazing, right? Well, it’s not all good.
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (360, PS3)
While playing ‘Assassin’s Creed’, have the thoughts “Boy, this game could use multiplayer!” or “If only I could play against a friend” or “Damn, I got Cheeto dust all over the analog sticks” crossed your mind? If so, ‘Brotherhood’ is the answer to two out of the three.
Whether it works or not we’ve yet to see, but ‘Brotherhood’ introduces multiplayer into the mix. You can compete in at least five different multiplayer modes, using different characters that you can level up as you go. There are also special characters that can only be obtained via pre-order, so that’s annoying.
There’s a single player campaign too – a direct continuation of where ‘Assassin’s Creed II’ left off. You’ll go back to 1499, escape Rome, and attempt to re-establish the Brotherhood. Probably by killing people.
NBA Jam (360, PS3, Wii)
You’re browsing Amazon and you see that an HD remake of ‘NBA Jam’ with updated rosters is available for the Xbox 360 and PS3. It features the classic 2v2 game mode with additional features coming in the near future. Now, how much would you pay for something like this? $20? Maybe $30? Yeah, try $50.
As excited as I am that ‘NBA Jam’ is back and in great form, I don’t think there’s any way to justify $50 for something that was supposed to be DLC for ‘NBA Elite 11’. Does it look great? Sure it does. But I can get the original on eBay for $5, a system to run it for $20, and still have enough money to go out for dinner.
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (360, PC, PS3, Wii)
Wait, is it 1998 again? Nope, still 2010. That must mean we’re seeing a reboot of a sequel – a feat even Hollywood hasn’t managed yet.
‘Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit’ brought a lot to the franchise, but is best remembered for adding police chases to the otherwise typical racing game. The new version of ‘Hot Pursuit’ brings those back, and allows players to pursue a career as either a cop or a racer.
It’s not a simulator by any means and should be easy enough for non-racing fans to get into. Thankfully, the developers have dropped the pretense of a story and made the game about racing and nothing else.
William Henley
I never got Assasians Creed. I rented it from GameFly (back before I switched to Blockbuster). I thought I would love it, but I found the play control awkward. Also had WAY too long of an introduction and tutorial stage. Really turned me off to the series. Pitty – it looked like an otherwise awesome game.
However, I LOVE the Need For Speed games, and Hot Pursuit was my favorite of them all! I may blind-buy this one!
Dick Ward
AuthorI really enjoyed the first despite the long introduction. The second though – yikes. I played for four hours without doing anything cool. I haven’t played again.
I wish developers would take it easy with their stories and cutscenes… if I wanted to watch a movie, I’d watch a movie 🙂
William Henley
I agree. Or at least, give people the option for plot synopsis and to skip the cutscenes. I am fairly okay with it in Final Fantasy – the cutscenes are part of the story, and cutscenes are usually fairly short. At least they give me a chance to stretch on those long gaming sessions. Story scenes in King’s Quest were cool too – the adventure game genera thrives on story.
The cut scenes in Assassian’s Creed, though, pretty much ruined what should have been a cool game.
mlemaire
Interesting. I played a fair amount of the first Assassin’s Creed and got bored so stopped. Then I tried the second one, figuring “what the hell” and quite enjoyed it. Sure, the story is needlessly convoluted and often overshadows the gameplay (not always in a good way), but I found it much more enjoyable than the first. I guess it really depends on what you’re looking for. However, having a new Assassin’s Creed a year (or so?) later just seems silly. Add in the notion of MP and I’m not entirely convinced it’s worthwhile.
On another note, I definitely agree with the foolish pricing of NBA Jam…50 bucks? For shame!
Dick Ward
AuthorPart of the problem with Creed II for me was that I had to do the tutorial sections all over again.
It just doesn’t make sense. If the story picks up directly after the end of the first game, why do the creators assume I need a refresher? So much time wasted 🙁
William Henley
I may put Creed 2 in my Blockbuster que and see what I think.
Jane Morgan
I wish we were getting Burnout 6 rather than Need For Speed. Maybe in 2012…
mlemaire
Burnout 6 would be awesome. I would prefer if it’s like the ones prior to Burnout Paradise as I hated that whole open world idea. Works great for a GTA/sandbox style game, not so much for a racer in my opinion.
Tim
Agreed. I played for maybe 2 hours and then sent it back. Open world approach ruined it for me. So I just went back to playing Burnout 3 and Burnout: Revenge.
JoeRo
I’m actually most excited about the new HD pacman game coming out this week. It is amazing.
http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Pac-Man-CE/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258410877