Game Curmudgeons

Ah, Birdman. Possibly one of the worst superheroes ever, now working as a somewhat less terrible lawyer. Still not good, still reliant quite often on dumb luck and Avenger as he ever was.

So, how’s the first video game (that I can recall, at least) featuring our winged failure? Well, it’s about like everything he does. It’s a half-hearted effort that has moments of genius, and plenty of “eh.” In reality, the game could have been five episodes of the show to begin with, and it often feels they shoehorned it into the Ace Attorney framework. Phoenix Wright he ain’t, but he tries.

The whole thing is a little clunkier, and the humor is different (though up to the standards of the show certainly). The animation is slightly below show quality, which isn’t high to begin with. The vast majority of the visual elements are recycled, but it wouldn’t be true to source otherwise. And to keep things just as true to the show, the voice actors have all returned (with the exception of Colbert, who’s stand-in does a pretty good job anyway).

A definite upside is that the major points are all done in FMV. Dialog, events, character interactions. There’s text to be read while examining areas and going back over testimony, but having the majority of the game animated and a lot acted, it adds a ton to the authenticity.

The investigations and court cases are funny, certainly, but weak. While it works in televised humor, the somewhat non-sequitur presentations of evidence require some real leaps of logic. And sometimes an eye to spot tiny, almost invisible items in the game to advance. While it’s hilarious when it happens, getting there, well, frustrating. Add to the fact that pressing most statements only gets a canned response of the “No, no need for that” variety, and it feels like the wrong kind of low budget, and the content is very, very limited.

It took me about 5 hours to play through the game, with two very short chases, and three longer ones. None of any real difficulty, and none I put too much effort into. For those who blast through Ace Attorney games (if you’ve already beaten Apollo Justice, for example), this one will take all of two hours. Slower players won’t get more than eight. A lot funny, not a lot of content.

Harvey Birdman:Attorney at Law gets 2.5 out of 5 canes. At $40, it’s too expensive for a budget game, which it clearly is. If it hits XBLA or drops to 20 dollars, it’s a good laugh, but you’d be better to spend your money on the DVDs of the show. Damn fine rental, though.

CD Projekt doesn’t care to sit idly by, it seems, and has seen fit to fix the issues with the prior release. Major complaints, like load times, the lacking English dialog, and the clunky inventory panel? Fixed.

New NPC character models, more animations for dialog, and totally redone facial animations and lip-syncing are on the list too, to really solidify the immersiveness. The new enhancements will be sold in boxed form, and freely available to any who already own the game. And as if it wasn’t big enough already, this is estimated to have 10 more hours of content for an already long game.

For the TL;DR version, click the cut.

Moar! »

Mass Effect comes out on PC in may, according to EA games. No more complaints from anti-console PC gamers!

Straight from the press release:

Optimized for the PC, Mass Effect for the PC incorporates the following features:
• Optimized controls designed specifically for the PC.
• High resolution visuals – Mass Effect for the PC features highly detailed textures, characters and environments.
• Fully customizable controls – PC gamers can re-map the control scheme any way they like.
• Run & Gun Control – Players can assign biotic powers or skills to ‘hot keys’ allowing them to play Mass Effect with a heavier focus on action.
• New decryption mini-game.
• New inventory screen GUI and functionality – The enhanced inventory system makes it easier for players to equip and modify their weapons and armor.

Yes, that’s right, improved GUI. Let’s hope the PC release fixes one of the game’s two major issues(the shitty UI, and the infinite elevators, specifically), maybe both.

Previous coverage of Mass Effect can be found here and a review here.