Wii - Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars

Reviewed By: Mindesyn, Byronic Gaming, Canada

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars for the Wii is a 2-D fighting game that matches up well-known characters from Capcom's roster of games with some of Japan's most beloved characters from anime powerhouse Tatsunoko Production.

The game is a traditional fighting game in the vein of Street Fighter as it is 2-D based and use similar gameplay mechanics. The game has numerous modes, options and content to keep you busy. Modes include Arcade, Versus, Training, Survival, Time Attack, Shop, Gallery, Online, Options, and even a side scrolling item collection mini game during the credits, and a 2-D shooter mini game option.

Arcade consists of choosing 2 fighters to make up a tag team since the game is in tag team format. From Capcom's 30-year history comes characters like Ryu and Chun-Li from the Street Fighter series, Morrigan from Darkstalkers and company mascot Mega Man Volnutt from Mega Man Legends. Tatsunoko's near half-century of Japanese animation excellence is represented by the likes of Ken the Eagle and Jun the Swan from the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman anime (known in North America as Battle of the Planets or G-Force), cybernetic warrior Casshan and comedic action hero Yatterman No. 1. All together, there are more than 20 colorful combatants to choose from in order to form the ultimate tag team combination.

Completing Arcade not only gets you one of two endings, depending on which character in your tag team delivers the final blow, but earns you Zenny, the currency in the game that allows you to purchase content from the shop such as new stages, and alternative palette swaps for the character costumes.

Graphics were very similar to other Capcom vs. franchise installments that border on cartoon like. Combining many different anime and game characters into a single art style would be a big job, yet Capcom vs. Tatsunoko does it perfectly. Super attack animations were over the top, vibrant and colorful in tradition Tatsunoko fashion. Backgrounds and effects were animated but not interactive which was disappointing and basically a genre mainstay nowadays.

Voice acting wasn't anything special as far as fighting games go. Among the generic grunts, and martial art yells were few dialog moments, not being too familiar with most of the Tatsunoko roster I couldn't discern if the voice overs were fitting or not. Intensities and pitch were overly well done, that fit the situations and the game very well.

Gameplay was most like Street Fighter in the sense of controls and mechanics, the special bar is there, the health and timer, you tap up to jump, down to crouch, back to block and so forth. Team attacks and combination attacks were both present from various past Capcom vs. games.Characters were balanced to the point that it didn't really make a difference which character you choose besides special moves and general feel of their moves.
The controls were very similar as well, even with the multiple options on controller types, ranging from holding the Wiimote sideways, or with the Nunchuk, the Classic controller, and the Gamecube controller. I opted out for the simple Wiimote control scheme, which merges the special moves with one button and basic combo attacks with the other. Classic and Gamecube controller schematics were a bit more in depth and suited for more advanced players and a more old school Super Nintendo feel.

Overall Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars is one of the few good fighting games on the Wii and not well known and underrated. Its full of unlockable content and demands multiple playthroughs to unlock endings, costumes, and special gallery content. Not to mention that if you are unfamilar with the entire Tatsunoko franchise, this game does a fantastic job getting you acquainted with the series it represents. The online and versus is solid and competitive without being too spammy and the CPU difficulty is fair on the setting you choose. I highly recommend this title even if you are not a fan of Japanese culture or their animation. Bottom line is that this is a solid fighter on the Wii that is lots of fun to explore and unlock.

For Byronic Gaming I give this game 3.8 Franchise Crossovers out of 5.

Wii - Muramasa The Demon Blade

Reviewed By: Mindesyn, Byronic Gaming, Canada

Muramasa The Demon Blade for the Wii is an action RPG that takes place during feudal Japan's Genroku era, a volatile time marked by warring factions and grave civil unrest under the reign of the evil Shogun Tsunayoshi Tokugawa. Play as two heroes thrust into this treacherous climate as they venture across the dangerous countryside in a race to collect an array of legendary cursed swords before the vile Shogun can reach them.

The game is divided into two story lines neither having anything to do with the other besides a few cameos. The first story features Momohime the princess of Narukami whom is possessed by the soul of an demonic swordsman, and the other story line features Kisuke a renegade ninja with amnesia caught in a love story.

Muramasa The Demon Blade is one of the most underrated titles Ive seen thus far on the Wii. The graphics were superb, vibrant, and had smooth frame rate. The environments were beautiful and diverse, from the ocean, to the winter coated mountainous peaks, to rural farmland, to major cities. 2D has never looked so good. The action sequences were animated nicely and had enough flare to the battles to make them exciting and fun to watch. The art style was very unique, unlike anything Ive seen in a game before.

Voice acting in Muramasa The Demon Blade really stood out for a number of reasons. The first and most noticeable was that all the dialogue was done in Japanese, secondly every character you interact with has a voice actor, and lastly the intensity of the dialogue and tones were excellently done. There wasn't a single line that was out of context of the situation it was used in. The sound effects were fitting as well, and added a audio flare to match the visuals, not to mention very traditional to the Japanese culture. Music was very Japanese traditional as well. Very fitting to the environment it was used in.

The mechanics of the flow of the game is simple in structure. The game is a 2D action RPG side scrolling adventure. You go from screen to screen jumping and collecting souls, items, and engaging in random battles. When the battle system is engaged you draw your sword, and the controls alter slightly to include battle actions such as blade attacks, quick draws and secret arts. The battle system lets you equip 3 swords, each with different attack strengths and secret arts. To acquire more swords you need to defeat enemies and acquire souls in order to forge newer, stronger, blades. 108 in all. On top of the 3 swords you also equip an accessory that either boosts attack or vitality or has its own property. There are plenty of different accessories in the game to find and try out. On top of the battle system and forging system, there is also a cooking system when you acquire certain cookbooks. Cooking restores health, spirit, and sometimes gives an added benefit such as regeneration or improved attack and defense.

The controls were very hands on, precise and felt natural in the battle system. There were multiple control setups for different controllers, such as the Wiimote/Nunchuk combo, the Gamecube controller, and of course the Classic controller, which was my choice among the three. Moving around, and attacking were simple to learn and execute minutes into the game. The battle system doesn't really expand past the initial point of the tutorial besides differing secret arts, yet it never seems to feel repetitive or labored, it's fast paced and requires strategy later on, so its not just a case of button mashing. Another element to the game was that no matter how high a level you attain the enemies difficulty increases as well. So there is no way to become too overpowered thus making the game have a noticeable challenge through the entire experience. The bosses are fairly strong, but not frustrating in nature, yet you will find it rare to find a boss too simple to complete. The game has 3 endings for each character which lets you play through the game once, and the post game twice, which allows you to go back and replay bosses from both the characters story and the other characters story as well, obtain items you may have missed, complete enemy lairs, and acquire more souls to forge all the blades, thus giving a richer, more content filled game.

Overall Muramasa The Demon Blade is worth the time and effort to complete the game 100% It's enjoyable both in gameplay and in aesthetics. Gorgeous visuals, beautiful music, solid energetic voice acting, and amazing controls make for a top notch title to add to your collection. Poor sales are due to lack of marketing, and the lack of interest based around Japanese styled games in North America, not from the fact the game is poorly designed. I would only hope that Ignition Entertainment would be coming out with a sequel.

For Byronic Gaming I give this game 4.7 Muramasas out of 5.

Wii - Medal of Honor: Heroes 2

Reviewed By: Mindesyn, Byronic Gaming, Canada

Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 is a first person shooter for the Wii that takes place in the WWII era.

In this installment of Medal of Honor you take the role of a soldier on a top secret mission to strike a devastating blow against the Axis forces and save the Allied armies from a deadly new threat.
The action starts on the infamous landing in France's northern coast and continues through 8 campaign missions.
Along Campaign mode there is Arcade mode, which is similar to a rail shooter. You don't have to move your character, and instead it takes you around the level, and you are able to shoot at will and concentrate on your marksmanship. A wide and diverse choice of guns keeps the game fresh including machine guns, pistols, sniper rifles and of course rocket launchers.

EA Games have set up an online community for up to a 32 person multiplayer experience. Online modes include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Infiltration. Deathmatch is every man for himself. The player with the highest score wins. Your score is equal to your total kills minus your total deaths. In Team Deathmatch you create teams and the team with the highest score wins. Infiltration is basically capture the flag. Not alot of variety but enough to keep one occupied.

The graphics were very good for a Wii shooter. Very fast frame rate kept the game fast running and exciting. Smooth transitions and animations made the game flow together nicely. Death animations were sometimes over exaggerated but that just adds to the fun. Gunfire and explosions were at times pixelated, but usually only for big moments in the game. The maps were detailed nicely and gave the overall atmosphere a darker feeling much like Nazi Germany would be in the second world war. Overall a great looking game.

Sound effects and voice acting were done well enough nothing outstanding, just the same old generic sounding guns, most of the acting was German since the Axis force are the Nazis. The music was really dark, and brooding, very warlike. Fit the game, nothing more, nothing less.

Controls are a staple of any quality FPS and Medal of Honor 2 is no exception. The game is fully designed to use the Wii Zapper peripheral. The biggest thing about the controls is that no matter the skill level of the player they are accessible and comfortable to play with. Some innovative controls such as thrusting the zapper forward to stab with your bayonet, and putting the zapper on your shoulder for a bazooka, even throwing the grenades require a downward motion of the zapper. Keep the game fresh and unique. The only problem I had control wise, and alot of aiming based games for the Wii have this problem but, if the light reflection in the room is irregular, it makes aiming with the Wiimote sporadic and frustrating. Overall it's an effective and smooth control scheme.

Overall Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 is a very respectable and solid FPS title for the Wii, one of the best on the system, with the online the replay value is high, and the difficulty levels are fair but challenging. If you are looking for a ground breaking or unique experience this isn't it. It's another WWII FPS, In saying that however its still a good play and lots of fun.

For Byronic Gaming I give this game 3.8 Purple Hearts out of 5.

Wii - Bleach Shattered Blade

Reviewed By: Mindesyn, Byronic Gaming, Canada

Bleach Shattered Blade is a fighting game that is based off of the hit anime and manga series Bleach by Tite Kubo. The game isn't based directly on the storyline of the series however, in this particular arc Ichigo and his friends rush to find shards of the mighty executioner's blade to force open the gate leading back to their world. However, fierce supernatural foes seek the same powerful shards for their own gain. The Espada.

If you have ever watched the show you would know the main cast of Bleach consists of dozens of characters, and this game is no exception, with 32 characters to play in total after unlocking them all. 31 from the series and 1 character made specifically for the game and story arc, an Espada by the name of Arturo Plateado, rounds it out to 32.
The characters are fairly balanced to the point that their isn't much difference between many of the choices. Some of the more well known characters have their traditional attacks, special moves, and of course Bankais make an appearance for the select few. The game doesn't give away any spoilers so if you haven't seen the Bankai in the anime yet, you won't see a sneak peek in this game.

The game offers various modes of play including Episode mode where you play the storyline with selective characters, Arcade mode, where you choose any character and fight through 8 other opponents. Versus mode, where you are able to play against other players or against the computer. Training mode allows you to learn the basics of the game's controls. Urahara Shop gives you the opportunity to buy items such as costumes, characters, stages, and gallery. Gallery gives an in depth look at the art style of Tite Kubo and also lets you hear the English voice acting in the game.

The voice acting was a bit of a letdown since I have become accustomed to the Japanese voice actors portraying the characters for so long. The English voice overs, always seem so forced and unnatural, however in saying that, there are moments in the storyline that do shine in the English actors favour and it shows. Pronunciation of the Japanese names and moves were correct and fluid. The sound effects and music suited their purpose, nothing special, just generic fighting game sounds and music.

The opening FMV was a collaboration of clips from the series, including new ones for the new character, Felt like a traditional Bleach opening theme. The graphics where not superb did look rather sharp at times. Lots of flashy lights, and kanji indicating sound effects litter the air around your fighters. Treating it like a cartoonish style of fighting from the series. The absence of blood was a letdown since the series does show it from time to time, and a game consisting of Katana combat would endorse it, however the game does fine without it nonetheless.

Controls were based mainly on motion controls. 3 types of attack types, that you could alter holding the B or A buttons. The basic attacks were chops where you swing the Wiimote downwards. Slash, where you swing the Wiimote left or right, and Stab, where you push the Wiimote inwards towards your TV. To change the actions to certain special attacks you hold the B button and swing the Wiimote in the desired direction, same goes for the Critical attacks, except you hold the A button for those. Z guarded, C made your character use a technique called 'Flash step' which made your character run and move faster when you used the control stick. To activate Bankai, you shake the nunchuk to accumulate soul power and once maxed, flick the nunchuk to go into Bankai mode.

Overall this game does the series justice if you are a fan of Bleach. For a stand alone fighting title however it falls a bit short on the fact the controls are at times unresponsive to what you want to do, and the characters are a bit to similar in moves, and balances. Lots to unlock however will keep you busy, and it is a story arc to the series, that won't be shown. Could have used an online mode to up the value of the title, but really wasn't needed.

For Byronic Gaming I give this game 3.4 Bankais out of 5.

Wii - Madworld

Reviewed By: Mindesyn, Byronic Gaming, Canada

Madworld for the Wii is a highly stylized beat em' up, one of a kind experience. This mature title boasts over the top violence, tons of blood and gore, very coarse language, with not so subtle sexual overtones which overall makes for a unique and memorable experience.

You star Jack Cayman, an ex-marine and cop turned badass. Equipped with a prosthetic right hand in which a chainsaw is attached. You are entered in a game show named 'Deathwatch' where the contestants try to kill each other to survive and progress through the rounds. Through all the bloody mayhem and chaos a well thought out and complex plot unfolds as you make your way through the swarms of bodies.
Huge faceless corporations take over an island and trap the contestants in it, and they televise the bloodsport for betting purposes among other things.

The art style is what one would expect from Platinum Games Inc. The company only was established in 2009 with Madworld being its first title, but some might remember a company called Clover Studios who were responsible for such games as Viewtiful Joe and the underrated Okami. Distinct art styles in both of those games, and this game is no different. Sporting a sleek Sin City black and white art style with splashes of bright red blood. Gives the Wii bragging rights in the graphics department for once.

The voice acting was amazing borrowing the talents from industry mainstays Steven Blum (Who voiced Jack) John Di Maggio, and Greg Proops who star the commentators for the game, both inventive and entertaining. My only problem with the voice acting on the commentators parts is the lack of dialogue, if you take your time in the levels you often hear them repeat themselves an awful lot, whereas it's still humourous and entertaining, it can make the overall gameplay seem repetitive.

Speaking of gameplay and controls, for such a diverse game engine, the controls were surprisingly simple to understand and very responsive. Use the A button to soften em up, then motion controls were used to do finishers, or use items. The point of all the crazy themed violence is to dispatch other contestants in not only gory agonizing ways, but stylish ways. The more fancy the kill the more points are awarded, you can mash through the games with the basic killing styles, but the real depth lies in the inventive and creative ways you can kill the players. In the first level alone, you can stick a street sign through a player's skull, and slam him over and over into a huge spike, saw through hordes of contestants with your chain saw arm among many, many different interesting ways to kill. The boss battles usually have quick time events in which epic cutscenes take place amidst the combat, not to mention the finishers are just insane and plain fun to watch.

Overall the game is really a simple concept, great art style, music was fitting, voice acting was entertaining and served its role. Inventive, simple controls made for a enjoyable experience. Gameplay can get repetitive as any beat em' up styled game. Characters were unique and interesting including one over the top racial stereotype aptly named 'The Black Baron' who is a pimp who attempts to smack his ho around to demonstrate the mini games, and in return ends up getting owned by the scantily clad lass.
It's a shame this game didn't sell as well as it should have and at a lowered price no less. Pick this one up if you want to relieve some stress.


For Byronic Gaming I give this game 3.9 Chainsaw Decapitations out of 5

Wii - Castlevania Judgement

Reviewed By: Mindesyn, Byronic Gaming, Canada

Castlevania Judgement for the Wii is based on a well known gaming franchise created and owned by Konami called Castlevania.
Normally in the Castlevania series you star one of many vampire hunters, usually from the Belmont clan, and wield magical weapons in a side scrolling adventure through Dracula's demonic castle, Castlevania in order to kill Dracula. This game is more of a twist in the fact it is a 3D fighting game, that collaborates most of the heroes and villains through the franchises 24 year history.

Upon starting the game you are greeted with a very well done opening featuring an epic fight between the games two main protagonists Simon Belmont and Alucard. The graphics are well done for the scene, and it brings you into the Castlevania Gothic atmosphere.

However that's the highlight of the game. Upon starting the game, you have only the said two characters. You need to play through the game over and over again with different characters to unlock all 12 of them, 14 playable characters in all including one added just for this installment of the franchise, a mysterious man named Aeon whose power is time.

Playing through the various modes like Story, Time Trial, Survival, and the all new Castle mode wouldn't normally be so bad, the game's cut scenes, and voice acting is well done, the music is nothing short of masterpiece after masterpiece, and the whole experience (Being my first contact with the famed series) made me want to play the other installments. However the controls are just unresponsive, lagging at time, and awkward, the control layout on the Wiimote is at best unconventional, I played the entire game with the Gamecube controller, I tried the Wiimote/Nunchuk combo and the classic controller, but the Gamecube controller was by far the most manageable. To unlock all characters, and ability to use them, you need to play through the game about 26 times. Which becomes a chore with the controls.

Not only are the controls a bust, but the core gameplay mechanics are very shallow, basically you use basic attacks to string along a combo that is best used to spam to build up your hyper meter, to unleash a hyper attack, which is an epic, lengthy super attack, that is accompanied by a cut scene, these attacks almost redeem the entire gameplay, very well acted, and huge cinematic attacks that deal loads of damage are cool the first few times, but after playing the game so much and no way to skip the length of the attacks, they get old fast. On top of your Hyper attacks, regular attacks, and charge up attacks, you are able to pick up various secondary weapons, mostly projectile based, like holy water, crosses, daggers, and hearts.

The stages are interactive and hazardous as well, which adds another element into the fighting.
Some of the characters are incredibly unbalanced, and some are just impossible to use. Playing through the story mode and 'true story mode' is at times frustrating and annoying. Although the unlockables you get are pretty cool, you get concept art, (Done by famed Manga artist Takeshi Obata from Death Note fame) background music, and accessories, which you can add onto your favourite fighter's skins, and personalize them, a top hat on Dracula for instance. I believe the accessories were a way to customize your fighter for online play.

Too bad online play wasn't worth it, to say it was laggy was an understatement most fights were 5-10 second action followed by 5-10 seconds of frozen screens, and choppy battles. Dodging and blocking strategy was nonexistent with such a environment, basically all you do was spam super attacks and combos that a human player would have difficulty avoiding with a perfect connection let alone a choppy one. Which is a shame, because the online had good ideas that more fighting games should use. For instance, you have the options to fight in Ranked or Unranked matches with Friends, Randoms or a new Rivals option where you add people to your Rivals list if you found someone you had a good match with so you can find them again and sharpen your skills. Accessories were a nice add-on since there was quite a few of them. The other function of online was to connect your DS and Order of Ecclesia game to unlock bonus content, which I believe was just a secondary costume for the series latest heroine Shanoa.

The characters in the game were truly a good selection and the fact that the game is based on some time loophole that allows certain characters to interact with each other who normally wouldn't be able to added interesting commentary in the cutscenes, and made me want to play the other games to find out the history of each character. Although the games are notorious for being hard, the only hard part in this game was the Castle mode.

Castle mode consisted of going room to room on a predetermined map, and having handicaps or certain objectives to be met in order to move on. For instance 'Collect 8 items' or 'Kill all monsters' Which introduced the zombies, mermen, minotaurs, among other minor monsters. You go room to room on a preset path that is the same for every character, until you get to the last room and fight Dracula. Upon completing Castle mode, you unlock accessories, concept art, and other things to flesh out the game.

Overall as much as I enjoyed my first experience with the Castlevania series, I was severely disappointed in the game's controls, and expected more from a well known developer like Konami. Although a Castlevania game on the Wii has potential, it seems no one has an interest in pursuing something worthwhile with the series anymore. I enjoyed the characters and the music was perfect. Repetitive gameplay and atrocious controls ruined the experience though.

For Byronic Gaming I give this game 2.3 Holy Items out of 5

PS3 - Resistance: Fall of Man

Reviewed by: 007Ace,
Byronic Gaming, Canada

Resistance: Fall of Man, now there is a mouthful. This is a game I've been wanting to play since it was announced. Its original realistic, yet fantastic storyline was something I knew I would enjoy.

Having had a xbox, xbox360, and PC for years, I'm no stranger to the First Person Shooter. However I have rules to the types of shooters I'll play.

Im not a fan of war for the sake of war, and I don't really appreciate 'strategy'. I like to be able to run up to a guy smash him in the face, and move on without dying from a single stray bullet.
I like Sci-Fi, fantasy, adventure, action all that and Resistance puts it all together nicely.

The graphics are dated, I wont lie there, but not in the most obvious way. Theyv'e got great textures, the polygons are done well, the maps are open, and the physics engine is great. I found that it didn't have the typical shine, and over-bright, and reflection that we expect, and I'm not sure when exactly that became the norm.
The thing is, I'm not sure if that was on purpose because of the time this game takes place.
Moving on...
The weapons are smart and innovative, and there is nice flow to the weapons as well, you don't get a multitude off the start and just choose your favorites. You slowly but surely find (get handed) new weapons that will help you kill the baddies, and make your way through obstacles all that much easier.

I will admit Ive had some near controller tossing moments, but they were mainly in the first chapter of the game. I'm not going to tell you why that part is exceptionally difficult, because if your one of the very, very few people who have yet to play this game it may...
OK, I'll be honest, your health doesn't regenerate. there I said it. After the first chapter, however, it does. That's as far as Ill take it.
The controls are tight and everything handles like a dream. It delivers constant Frames/Second, and still looks great.
I love the story and Its twist on historical events. Especially the fact that America took forever to join another world war!
Online play is still full of people, and its 40 player maps work great, very little lag, which I couldnt say was true about that FPS on the 360... cough*halo3*cough ...which had deal breaking issues last I tried (couldn't connect to friends in the same town!)
The online maps are free now too, a definite perk to playing a launch title 3 years after launch :S

For Byronic Gaming, I give this title
4.0 Chimeran Skulls out of 5