Keefer Madness

Quick Game Review: Mondo Solitaire — More Solitaire Than You'll Ever Need

// May 9th, 2011 // No Comments » // Apple, Game Reviews, Reviews, Software

Solitaire is probably the most popular application on all Windows machines — it helps that it’s on every version of the OS since Windows 3.x. On the Mac, it’s not the same. No solitaire is included, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t options out there.

Look no further than Mondo Solitaire by Ambrosia Software. A native Mac application, Mondo Solitaire has more iterations of solitaire than anyone will ever need — most I wasn’t even aware of their existence.

In terms of reviewing the ins and outs, there’s not a whole lot you can say. The graphics and sound are what you would expect from a digitized card game. They look and sound good, and aren’t annoying, nor do they get in the way of the digital card solitaire gameplay.

This is a short review — basically if you own a Macintosh and enjoy Solitaire, Mondo Solitaire by Ambrosia Software is a wonderful diversion. At $9.99 through the Mac App Store, the game is a lot of fun, and will give you more variety in your solitaire playing than you’ll ever need.

Mario Kart Wii Review / Nintendo's Poor and Broken Online Implementation

// September 6th, 2009 // No Comments » // Game Reviews, Gaming, Reviews

Our Nintendo Wii had sat idle for quite awhile — after an initial daily usage/play of Wii Sports and Wii Fit. But, the Wii’s been resurrected in the past few weeks with the purchase of Mario Kart Wii. Graphically, the game looks pretty much like its Gamecube predecessor, but the Wiimote as a controller adds some fun. The game’s classic Mario Kart, so if you’re a fan of the series, MK Wii will be your cup of tea. If not, there’s nothing to see here. I’m a big fan so this one is a lot of fun. Offline, there’s a lot of hours to put into the game, trying to win all of the eight cups in 50cc, 100cc and 150cc. There are ton of unlockables for the game — a ton of characters and karts and bikes. To unlock some, you’ll need to put in a ton of hours. Now the online is a lot of fun, lag-free but pretty flawed.

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Scene It! for Xbox 360 Makes Me Long For More You Don't Know Jack Titles

// March 21st, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Game Reviews, Gaming, Reviews, Xbox 360 Review

So we just snagged a great deal on a used copy of Scene It! for the Xbox 360 at our local Game Stop – $19 (though I see now you can get it new for $30). That’s great for a game that retails for $60 with its four specialized buzzer controllers. Amanda and I just ran through 2 games of it to give it a whirl and its a lot faster paced and nicer looking that its grandfather DVD game counterparts of the same franchise. The 360 version allows for four people to buzz in on every question and it moves at a better pace. The clips are varied, and even include some HD content thrown in for good measure, along with a fair amount of old time films for the real film buffs, or at least those more cultured than us and the gang we hang out with.

Regardless, the game is a blast and good for a group of four (or more in teams I guess). We’ve only now played two games, but I also like the feature that it remembers the the questions you’ve already seen to both keep it fresh, and simultaneously keep it fair. I believe there are plans to offer add-on packs for the game to keep the questions new with extended play.

The other thing though, is the in-between narrations that blast and congratulates players reminded me of the old You Don’t Know Jack franchise and made me long for those titles to be resurrected for family play on the Xbox 360 console. It would be great to extend the use of the include wireless buzzer controllers to the YDKJ franchise. Doubtful, but would love to see the games come back.

Gears of War 2 Rocks

// November 13th, 2008 // No Comments » // Game Reviews, Gaming, Reviews, Xbox 360 Review

So my copy of Gears of War 2 for the Xbox 360 (as opposed to what other system, right?) arrived this afternoon. Finally! It couldn’t have come at a better time – it’s been a rough and stressful week, and it’s only Wednesday. Anyway, as soon as I got home, I started playing through the single-player campaign mode on the second to hardest skill level and got stuck pretty quickly – damn incoming mortars.

Ultimately though, the real fun came tonight playing with guys from work in the Horde mode. The level we were on, I found good spots to perch and take on the waves and waves of exponentially harder villians. I’ll be diving more into the game as the days and weeks progress. For any fan of the first game, this is more of the same, but that’s not a good thing. They’ve expanded on the theme ever so slightly and the scope of levels, enemies, etc. is bigger and harder. If the first was a lot of fun for you, so too will this one. But if the first wasn’t your cup of tea (I’m sure there are a few of you out there… somewhere), this one won’t be either.

Grand Theft Auto IV Initial Review and Thoughts

// May 11th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Game Reviews, Gaming, Reviews, Xbox 360 Review

So I snagged “Grand Theft Auto IV” for the Xbox 360 last week and finally got to put some real time in with it last night and I’m really enjoying it. Thus far, I’m not finding anything crazy different from the prior games, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The previous games were hours upon hours of fun and this one will be too.

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Rock Band Rocks, Except For the Faulty Hardware

// December 10th, 2007 // No Comments » // Game Reviews, Gaming, Reviews, Xbox 360 Review

So last Monday when I was working from home, I also took the time to call around to see if any of the local Game Stops had any of the Rock Band Special Editions in for the Xbox 360 (Special Edition is just the game, the drum kit, guitar and mic). None did initially, but I’m glad I called around, as a couple just said no, while others informed me that they expected some via UPS later that day.

Late that afternoon, I snagged one from the closest Game Stop and since I had sold my PS2 hardware and all the games back, I had a massive store credit. Brought it home and did a little drum and guitar playing solo. Lots of fun!

But the real fun came yesterday when Bret, Tina and JC came and we had a full band. It really rocks with a group of people, and there’s a good variety of tasks in the career mode. We really were rocking out on a lot of tracks and had the most success and fun when Bret was on drums, Tina on bass, JC on vocals and me on guitar.

The only downer came toward the end of our extended session. Reports have been widespread about faulty hardware (EA Acknowledges Rock Band Guitar Defect, Promises Replacements, Rock Band Users Discovering Hardware Issues).

I was hoping since I didn’t get a box from the initial release batches, I’d be fine. But by the end of Sunday’s extended jam session, only upstrums were working on the Fender Rock Band Guitar. My guitar strum bar is slightly limp, hanging down from its usual centered home position. Luckily, EA is doing a two day turnaround on the faulty equipment, so a new guitar should be here Wednesday or Thursday this week – plenty of time before the next D’ Bagz jam session commences this weekend.

Local play was great, but is greatly enhanced by having a few friends in the room with you. I have yet to play online. I tried late Saturday night to, but gave up on trying to hook up with people to play with. I kept getting kicked out of the initial join “lobby.” I’m thinking I didn’t have enough experience. Maybe I’ll make it through on a couple of instruments solo and with the D’ Bagz before any further foray.

Despite the hardware issues, I highly recommend this game, especially if you have a few buddies that will be into it with you. The price tag is steep, but oh so much fun. I feel that I’ve already got my money’s worth, but there’s still a lot of fun, achievements, content and songs yet to unlock and/or tackle.

Worms Armageddon: Game Opens a Delightful Can of Worms

// July 27th, 2002 // 1 Comment » // Game Reviews, Gaming, PC Game Review, Reviews

The Worms series has been alive and exploding worms since the old 8-bit Nintendo.

The newest in the series from Team 17, Worms Armageddon, adds features and improves slightly on its most recent predecessor, Worms 2.

The game is a team vs. team game. While there is a one-player mode, it comes to its full potential in multi-player mode, either with several people hunched around one screen, mouse and keyboard, or via a Local Area Network (LAN) or an Internet server.

Teams consist of warrior worms that can be customized with names to your liking and even sound files. Our team members found sound schemes for everything from "The Simpsons" to "Pulp Fiction."

So rather than a missed shot resulting in a scolding from a worm with a high-pitched voice, you can hear Homer Simpson yelling "D’oh!"

Teams take turns trying to eliminate all of the worms not on their team. If you were a worm, how would you take out the enemies? Team 17 decided to give the worms 60 different choices, all with their own quirks, tricks and situational uses. The favorites on my team are the Holy Hand Grenade (paying a little homage to Monty Python), the banana bomb, which explodes and then distributes several clusters of volatile bananas. There’s also the Super Sheep, capable of bleating its little heart out before donning a cape and taking to the sky in an explosive kamikaze mission.

Sound weird? It is – but it was instantly addictive and fun to play with a group of people. The game builds on the old game Scorched Earth, in which opposing tanks fired at one another relentlessly with a plethora of weapons.

Most everything can be customized in the game, giving great and varied play. Players can build the landscapes and choose which and how many weapons to start with. There are so many options I’ve yet to totally tweak all the settings.

The game play is very similar to Worms 2. A few weapons have been added, while others areabsent. The biggest additions are improved graphics on each landscape and a couple of more powerful weapons.

Sadly, the multiple random cartoon intros that Worms 2 started up with are gone and they are sorely missed.

But side by side, Worms 2 and Worms Armageddon are pretty much the same game. Neither will disappoint you when you’re looking for a fun multiplayer game with a bit of a sense of humor and a lot of options.

Team 17
Rating: ages 11 and up
Requirements:
Pentium-100,
Windows 95/98,
32 MB RAM,
2x CD-ROM,
50 MB free hard drive space, 1 MB SVGA card,
16-bit sound card

Originally printed in the News & Observer and NandoNext.

Dark Angel: Short-Lived Fun From Short-Lived Series, But Fun For Fans

// March 19th, 2002 // No Comments » // Game Reviews, Gaming, PS2 Review, Reviews

Dark Angel was a great little show on Fox, created by T2′s James Cameron and starred the beautiful Jessica Alba as Max, a genetically enhanced soldier in a post-apocalyptic near future. The first season of the television show was great sci-fi / action. The second season stretched a little and my interest waned, as did others, as a third season never popped up.

The Dark Angel game, available on the PS2 and X-Box appeared on the market months after the series went defunct. It was most likely in development before plans to cancel the series took place and Sierra decided to still release it.

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Top Gun's Change of Pace Arcade Play, Mission Variety Make Worthwhile Title

// March 19th, 2002 // No Comments » // Game Reviews, Gaming, PS2 Review, Reviews

A lot of my focus and enjoyment from the PS2 thus far has been through sports and driving games (and always will be), but I’ve always had a thing for the iron eagles of the sky and really loved the 80′s flick, Top Gun. While Top Gun: Combat Zones does not have a thing to do with the Top Gun movie, besides the F-14s and dogfighting, it does share the delight of flying the not-so friendly skies.

The game is split into three eras, a Vietnam-era, Desert Storm and a near-present Middle-East skirmish. Each of the eras have a series of training missions that must be completed before tackling the real combat missions. The training missions seemed to fall into one of two categories: ones that could easily completed in one or two tries, and ones that got tedious, taking uncountable attempts to successful accomplish. These training missions do really prepare you for the enemies you’ll face.

Top Gun: Combat Zones is not a straight fighter sim though, it really leans toward being an arcade fighter, but that’s just fine in my book. The controls are pretty simple to master and turning seems pretty realistic to the actual fighters’ movement through the skies. For example, just as real naval aviators do, to really turn the F-14 efficiently, the plane has to be put nearly on its side to execute quick turns. The buttons are laid out nicely for the default control setup and after the first couple training missions, maneuvering the aircraft becomes second nature.

One of the cool facets of the game, which is also one of the reasons the game isn’t considered a true simulation is the fact that points are throughout. While success of your mission ultimately rests on whether you destroy your targets, score is being kept throughout the game for much more than just the number of bogeys you blow out of the sky. Your score is greatly enhanced by dare devil maneuvers, such as low-altitude flying, soaring under obstacles such as bridges, cranes, etc. and having close brushes with obstacles. While we’re not talking, edge-of-your-seat excitement, the bonus scoring is a nice touch and essential to get the highest rankings for missions.

Missions consist of two main types — dog fighting and bombing missions. The dog fighting can be extremely tough and frustrating. Locating enemies in the sky is difficult, as the radar is two dimensional, while the sky is obviously a three dimensional plane. It’s really tough to visually identify the planes, and can become really frustrating. The fighters I’ve encountered thus far tend to keep a fairly high altitude. Often, bogeys can be located a little easier by ascending a few thousand feet.

The bombing runs also are not without their share of frustration, as these are usually the missions that have to be done over and over again. Your aircraft can take a fair amount of damage (honestly a lot more than a jet could handle in real-life conditions), but all the missions are timed. During the first two eras of missions, failures most often come from time expiration, rather than the plane being shot down. The bombing runs consist of multiple targets, meaning you will have to criss-cross your fighter over a section of land countless times to succeed and move on to the next training or wartime skirmish. One hint is to take your first pass or two to destroy anti-aircraft batteries and tanks. This allows you to concentrate on locating and lining up bombing targets on subsequent passes. Quicker missions, withless damage to your aircraft also translates to bigger bonus points upon mission completion.

The graphics are pretty nice overall, and the sense of flying is decently realistic. The land-based graphics, such as the mountains, canyons, bridges and buildings look nice, as do the explosions that take out those structures.

I love the replays, the close-ups and different angles look like they came right out of the Top Gun movie. My only complaint is that a lot of the camera angles are way too shaky. It seems the developers were going for realism with their fighter-mounted camera views, but I’d gladly sacrifice a bit of realism for a steady shot of my F-14 cutting through the air at supersonic speeds. Why shoot for total realism here, when I get extra points for putting my aircraft at risk by soaring under a rock formation?

This game isn’t mind blowing or a must-have for your Playstation 2 library, but it is decent fun and a game that you can sit down and play, without investing major time. The game is definitely a welcome addition to my collection, providing a change of pace from some of my other games that require major time investment to progress.

I have yet to play Ace Combat 4, but it is supposed to be even better than Top Gun: Combat Zones, so you might want to rent that one prior to this. If the store happens to be out of AC4 copies, Top Gun is still worthy of checking out.

Road Rage Loses Appeal Faster Than Game's Load Time

// January 23rd, 2002 // No Comments » // Game Reviews, PS2 Review, Reviews

The Simpsons Road Rage sounded like a great concept for the die-hard Simpsons freak. The concept is sound, but in practice, it’s amusing and fun initially, but very swiftly becomes monotonous and lacks any real challenge or fun.

The premise of the game is billionaire Montgomery Burns has taken over Springfield’s mass transit system with a fleet of nuclear busses, that have exorbitant fares. The citizens strike back, using their personal vehicles to taxi others around the city to earn enough money to buy the mass transit system back.

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