Pads & Panels

Title: “Desperate Escape” DLC for Resident Evil 5

Platform: 360 (Also PS3)

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom

Review By: Eric Stuckart

“Desperate Escape,” the second “lost chapter” from Resident Evil 5, falls much more in line with the typical gameplay of the core game. Where “Lost in Nightmares” used a minimalist’s approach to building tension through puzzle solving and atmosphere, “Escape” opts to take a different approach, throwing waves upon waves of the Majini, those infected with the Type 2 and 3 Plagas viruses, at the player. Chronologically speaking, this episode takes place toward the end of the main game, detailing Jill Valentine’s and Josh Stone’s escape from the Tricell Facility. The duo must make their way out of the facility and to the helicopter on the roof, and the amount of enemies really doesn’t diminish throughout. To cap off the hour-long mission is a timed survival match that ends up almost feeling like an intense retread of the Mercenaries mini-game. Speaking of which, the DLC also unlocks two more characters for the Mercenaries Reunion game: Josh Stone and Rebecca Chambers, from Resident Evil 0. (more…)

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It’s another very busy week for Trailer Madness. We’ve uploaded all the big videos from Nintendo’s media summit, starting with Super Mario Galaxy 2. In addition, we’ve got one for the upcoming Plain Sight, and 2K Sports weighs in with two MLB 2K10 videos. The latest Star Trek Online trailer features some new content. And Greed Corp sends in a whopping four videos. This is Trailer Madness 18!

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Media Summit Trailer

(more…)

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We love games, and we love writing about them here at Pads & Panels. We love it so much that no matter how much we get up on the site here, it’s never enough to quench the thirst of gaming journalism for some. That’s why our latest segment of Pads Around the Internet sees even more great articles published at other sites by our writers. Here’s the best of what’s related to Pads & Panels’ interests.

Zen Bound (iPhone) Review

Tomena Sanner (iPhone) Review

South Park: The Complete Thirteenth Season Blu-ray Review

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So what an interesting, top-loaded week for video game news it was, eh? First, I couldn’t use my PlayStation 3 on Monday because, well, apparently the PlayStation thought it was Feb. 29, even though 2010 is not a leap year. Or something like that. Basically, Sony explained that there was some sort of clock bug, in which the console and the network weren’t synced properly, which could have caused data and Trophy loss to anyone who used the console until it was fixed, which happened, as Sony promised, within 24 hours. I risked running mine offline to watch a Blu-ray, and don’t think I experienced any problems. But it’s a good thing I haven’t picked up Heavy Rain yet, or I might have been really pissed.

The other big news came at the end of the day Monday, and unraveled over the rest of the week. It started with a report from G4TV that security had stormed the offices of Infinity Ward, and Jason West and Vince Zampella, two of the studio’s heads, had not been seen since a meeting with Activision execs earlier in the day. Later, readers on sites like Kotaku brought to light a Facebook post by West stating he was no longer employed. Later, LinkedIn updates from both West and Zampella seemed to support this, and it was finally confirmed that Activision fired both men after an investigation into “insubordination” and “breach of contract.” (more…)

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It’s funny how things change. When I first met Bill six years ago, I really wasn’t into video games that much. I grew up playing some of the classics and have had a lifelong adoration of Mega Man, Mario, Samus and Link, but I really wasn’t too into it. I went for from having nothing but a broken NES and a Super Nintendo a very long time, to buying a PS2, which I sold because my temporary obsession with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Kingdom Hearts wore off. So when I met Bill, I was an obsessive music journalist who pretty much only spent his free time listening to music, either on disc or in the live setting, or looking for new music.

I was the entertainment editor of our college newspaper, and I was pretty hard-headed most of the time. I didn’t really like new ideas; I didn’t like the fact that we had to sometimes cover material that I found boring; and I really scoffed when Bill offered to do some video game reviews. I ended up sticking him to movie and music reviews partially because he was up for it, partially because he was so damn good at it. If memory serves correctly, I cracked and let him write one game review, for Shadow of the Colossus. And it was a great story, but I still wasn’t sold on video games. (more…)

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Product: Wi-Fi Detector Shirt

Company: ThinkGeek

MSRP: $29.99

Review by: Bill Jones

Most T-shirts simply feature some sort of corporate advertisement or designer artwork, but this ThinkGeek creation is the definition of a functional garment…sort of. The Wi-Fi Detector Shirt lives up to its name. In the center of the black shirt is a glowing decal with a symbol that will be immediately recognizable to laptop users. It’s an 802.11 tower, with waves coming out of each side – a fully functional Wi-Fi detector.  The waves light up blue depending on the strength of the signal and the proximity of a Wi-Fi connection…so nowadays, pretty much all the time. It’s a nerdy novelty, but its practicality really only extends to letting someone know if a connection is nearby before pulling out a phone or laptop. Don’t expect it to display whether those connections are encrypted or open, though, and while washing is possible, it requires removing the decal and battery pack, which takes three AAA batteries. To prove one is the top geek on the block, the Wi-Fi Detector Shirt will get the trick done, but for everyone else, it’s just a bit too much of a hassle and too pricey to recommend.

For more info, www.thinkgeek.com

Pads & Panels received the shirt courtesy of ThinkGeek for review purposes.

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Title: Viva Piñata Original Soundtrack

Format: CD

Publisher: Sumthing Else Music Works

Review by: Bill Jones

Viva Piñata, for those not in the know, is a game in which players build a garden with the goal of sustaining a menagerie of…piñatas. It’s a God-game, essentially, where players create and destroy, and life takes its course in the process. It was released in conjunction with a television series of the same name, and like the insides of its characters, it is packed to the brim with sugary charm. It’s a delightful timewaster that makes for a good break from all the action on Xbox 360. Viva Piñata’s soundtrack is very much like a movie score, entirely instrumental and designed to accent gameplay while not drawing attention to itself. As such, the 25 tunes contained on the Sumthing Else release are competently composed. The arrangements are great for the laid back atmosphere of the game, and on CD, the two-and-a-half minute musical blurbs convey the different weather conditions and happenings of the game, but there are no standout melodies, nothing to truly grab hold of the listener outside of the game. They aren’t arranged in a way that tells a story, and ultimately, the songs are better left in the game.

For more info, www.sumthingdigital.com

Pads & Panels received a copy of the soundtrack courtesy of the publisher for review purposes.

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Game of the Month – February

BioShock 2 (360, PS3, PC)

Publisher: 2K Games – Developer: 2K Marin

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BioShock 2 had some high expectations after the original masterpiece. While it doesn’t quite live up to the first, it’s still worth going back to Rapture as Subject Delta, the first Big Daddy bonded to a Little Sister. BioShock 2 offers more weapons, tonics and plasmids to help gamers take on the mother of the Little Sisters. Multiplayer with a BioShock spin is also a welcome edition to keep the replay value high.

–Kevin (more…)

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Game of the Month – January

Mass Effect 2 (360, PC)

Publisher: Electronic Arts – Developer: BioWare

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Mass Effect 2 was chosen as our “must-have” for the month of January because of its superb storytelling, its deep characters and the fact that it is just so damn fun to play. Despite its technical issues, this is a game that can easily consume more than forty hours of a gamer’s life and then get him to do it all over again, if only to see the game from an alternative perspective. BioWare made every attempt to streamline the game and eliminate the flaws that plagued the first Mass Effect, and have succeeded for the most part. For fans of both shooters and role-playing games, Mass Effect 2 is an outstanding game that holds a lot of appeal.

–Dan (more…)

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Title: “Drake’s Fortune Multiplayer Pack” DLC for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Platform: PS3

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: Naughty Dog

Review by: Bill Jones

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is an absolutely fantastic game. It’s so good we gave it the #1 spot on our list of Best Games of 2009. So it’s hard not to want more. And given, it impressed more on the side of its fantastic story integration in the single-player campaign, but its multiplayer mode happens to be a lot of fun as well, so as fans we’ll definitely settle for more on the multiplayer side of the game. “Drake’s Fortune Multiplayer Pack” as its name implies brings gamers back to the first title with two new maps inspired by the first game – The Flooded Ruins and The Facility. The former features the focal point of the Customs House, and it’s smart to keep a vertical eye on enemies. The latter is almost symmetrical, working around a U-Boat in The Bunker. It’s fantastic for elimination games. The $5.99 total package also includes six skins based on characters or variations from the first titles, as well as 12 new Trophies. (more…)

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