Statement

I, Tomonobu Itagaki, hereby announce that on the 14th of May 2008 I filed a complaint in the Tokyo District Court against Tecmo Co., Ltd. for unpaid completion bonuses, and against the President of Tecmo, Yoshimi Yasuda, for such unlawful acts as unreasonable and disingenuous statements made towards me, claiming damages in total of 148 million yen. I also announce that this complaint was delivered to the defendants on May 22nd of the same year.

In addition, I hereby announce that I have today submitted a letter of resignation to Tecmo Co., Ltd. stating that I will resign as of the 1st of July, 2008.

Before the start of development on Dead or Alive 4, Tecmo Co., Ltd. had agreed to pay a completion bonus to me for this Xbox 360 title, which I produced. However, when the time came for the actual payment, Tecmo Co., Ltd. went against its previous agreement and refused payment. President Yoshimi Yasuda chose not only to violate this agreement, but also turned defiant, telling me “if you are dissatisfied with the decision not to pay the bonuses, either quit the company or sue it.” In addition, he made demeaning remarks about me to my subordinates and colleagues, causing me significant emotional distress and worsening my personal relationships and work environment. Thus, I have no choice but to resign from Tecmo Co., Ltd.

The conduct of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its president Yoshimi Yasuda towards me has been unbefitting of a publicly-listed company.

I have filed this lawsuit with a strong intent to question the social responsibility of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its President Yoshimi Yasuda, as well as condemning them for their unjust acts. Today, in addition to announcing the reasons for this lawsuit, I make clear my reasons for resigning.

To All Game Fans

I truly feel sorry to all the fans of the games I have made. Ninja Gaiden 2, which will launch on the 3rd of June will be the last Ninja Gaiden I will create. I will also never be able to make Dead or Alive 5. I regret the circumstances that have forced me to leave Tecmo, where I had worked for so many years, and I regret the disappointment this will cause my fans.

However, I can no longer continue to work with President Yoshimi Yasuda, a man who chooses not to honor promises even when he is able to do so.

I truly hope that nothing like this happens again in the future.

Tecmo Co., Ltd. Creative Officer

Leader, Team NINJA

Tomonobu Itagaki

• Includes Collectible Poker Chip Key Chain
• Limited Edition Bonus Disk
• Exclusive Strategy Video: With insider tips and secrets from the developers, pro gamers, and Frag Dolls you won't get anywhere else.
• Pro Gamer Interview: Get an exclusive look at the life of a pro gamer with MLG player FinestX.
• MLG Pro Circuit '07 Season Highlights: Watch the pros take on the most heated matches of '07.
• Tom Clancy's EndWar(TM) Sneak Peek: Join the Frag Dolls for a hands-on look at the latest thrilling game in the Tom Clancy arsenal.

Ingredients:

• L-glutamine 100,00 mg
• L-tyrosine 100,00 mg
• Betaine 50,00 mg
• Vitamin C 75,00 mg
• Vitamin E 10,00 mg
• Niacin amide 18,00 mg
• Selenium 30,00 µg
• Calcium pantothenate 6,00 mg
• Vitamin B6 2,00 mg
• Vitamin B2 1,60 mg
• Vitamin B1 1,40 mg
• Vitamin B12 1,00 µg
• Folic acid 200,00 µg
• Biotin 150,00 µg
• Caffeine 5,00 mg
• Soy lecithin 250,00 mg
• Essence of victory?
  

Why It Won: Zelda games come around more frequently than Mario games and so aren't held to the same absurd scrutiny. In fact, after a lifetime of mostly-identical storylines (the princess is kidnapped, oh noes!) it wouldn't be altogether ridiculous to wonder when something new would come along for Link to do besides spend all day fishing, blowing into an ocarina, and looking for pieces of the much-elusive Tri-force. I'd all but discounted the series as an ad-tedium retread of the same concepts when The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass came along and I, feeling sorry for my oft-neglected DS, decided to give it a whirl.

Contra 4: This was the first game in a long time to "feel" like a Contra game. The fast-paced shooter is one of the best portables released this year and deserves recognition, but the joy it takes in its difficulty makes it a game not for everyone, and besides taking advantage of both screens the only real reason for this game to be on the DS is because it would look ridiculous on any other platform. What the game needs is a boomerang you control by drawing its path with the stylus.

Ubisoft recently unveiled a new trailer for its Tom Clancy's EndWar, a real-time strategy game set in World War II that is currently being developed for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Enjoy.

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]]> Thu, 24 May 2007 15:56:00 -0500 Shiva Stella http://www.gamebump.com/go/new_splinter_cell_conviction_trailer http://www.gamebump.com/go/new_splinter_cell_conviction_trailer http://www.gamebump.com/go/new_splinter_cell_conviction_trailer# This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

Ubisoft recently unveiled a new trailer for its Splinter Cell: Conviction, set to launch this holiday season for the Xbox 360 and PC. Enjoy. 

divxMovie('http://files.gaminghorizon.com/t_splintercellconviction_ubidays07.divx',true);

]]> Wed, 23 May 2007 12:50:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/tomb_raider_anniversary_on_june_5 http://www.gamebump.com/go/tomb_raider_anniversary_on_june_5 http://www.gamebump.com/go/tomb_raider_anniversary_on_june_5#
The title is a remake of the original Tomb Raider, now powered by the same engine utilized in Tomb Raider: Legend, which released last year for current and next-generation consoles.  Originally written by Shiva Stella]]> Tue, 15 May 2007 11:30:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/x05_splinter_cell_4_announced http://www.gamebump.com/go/x05_splinter_cell_4_announced http://www.gamebump.com/go/x05_splinter_cell_4_announced#

“Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory™ received record-setting reviews and countless awards,” said Yves Guillemot, president and CEO of Ubisoft. “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell® 4 will be even more thrilling and heart-pounding than its ground-breaking predecessors. This new version will both enrich the gaming experience on current consoles and take full advantage of the capacities of next-generation consoles to deliver players the most fabulous gaming experience ever.”

The game is expected to launch in Spring 2006.

You know what they say, “What happens in Vegas... is a really annoying ad campaign that I wish people would stop quoting.”

The latest addition in the Rainbow Six series for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 takes the action to Sin City itself, Las Vegas. The elite team of counter-terrorist, counter-hostage, counter-everything officers are tasked with infiltrating gigantic casinos and other Vegas hotspots to stop hostage-takers, terrorists, and all other forms of badness.

The title shares a lot of elements with Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, this game’s older second-cousin. Like in GRAW, the events all play out in a linear storyline spanning only a few hours; and when a mission is over, the player is taken straight to the next mission via helicopter and is briefed in-flight. There’s no mission briefing screen; there’s no time to study a map and spend  a lot of time scrutinizing over minute details, which was something that was one of the defining elements of earlier Rainbow Six games. For that, Rainbow Six: Vegas is a lot less deliberate and a lot more kinetic, as decisions are made on-the-fly and there will always be a new threat. 

Unlike GRAW, however, and more like Rainbow Six, is the wide array of options for performing different tasks. The E3 demo we were shown this year started off with the player’s team dropping out of a helicopter onto the roof of a casino and having to decide how to get into the building.  There are stairs from the roof, yes, but stairs are a tactical nightmare from an encroachment standpoint (one guy at the bottom of the stairs with a keen eye and a quick trigger finger and you’re hosed). The other option is to repel down the side of the building. 

Repelling in R6: Vegas is more refined than we’ve seen in other games featuring the same ability (oddly enough, almost all of them are Tom Clancy games). You can repel downward at any speed you wish; you can stop to look into windows and even shoot at enemies through windows while repelling, and now you can also flip upside-down and descend head-first, allowing you to control your weapon better and to shield most of your body from the window. 

You can also be sneaky with repelling; it isn’t all about shooting baddies through glass. You can snake the fiber-optic camera through windows and cracks to get a better look around, and while doing so you can target enemies and specify which of your teammates should attack whom for a terrifically orchestrated breach. This “enemy tagging” technique can be used at any time using the snake cam, including under doors, around corners, and so on.

Other new(ish) gameplay features are wall-hugging, a staple these days for intrusion; the ability to blind-fire out of corners or over cover (sticking the gun up and shooting without the character being able to see what he’s aiming at); and some great team-based breaching maneuvers for getting through doors, across rooms, and other mundane activities that become much more complicated when around any corner could be a mean guy with a gun. 

The game itself is really quite beautiful looking. Ubisoft is pretty famous for spectacular lighting and graphical effects, and what we’ve seen so far doesn’t disappoint. Because Rainbow Six: Vegas is being developed for the PlayStation 3 and looks to be one of the launch titles for that system, looking amazing isn’t really an option here  - but it’s still hard to tell what a final product on the PS3 will look like, as nearly everything we’ve seen has been running on development kits. Even on the Xbox 360, which we had a chance to look at (but not play) on during E3, the game looks flat out jaw-dropping. You heard me, I said “flat out.” 

The only real stitch here is the fact that there were no hands-on demos available at E3 in May - the only way to see the game was to watch a Ubisoft staffer play through and narrate what he was doing. Usually when they only allow developers to play the game on the show floor it means that the game will probably crash if you do anything but the “right” thing, but the game was still six months away from its launch date at the time. As long as everyone keeps doing his job, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. 

Fans of the Rainbow Six roots might not like the abandonment of the whole “mission briefing” approach that defined the series on the PC, but sales charts seem to indicate that gamers prefer a more fast-paced, GRAW-style design. As the lines between all the different Tom Clancy series are so blurry anyway, you might as well just consider this a sequel to Advanced Warfighter that takes place in Vegas and not in the future. If that concept excites you, you can put all your money on Rainbox Six: Vegas this November and let it ride. Sorry, I had to make one corny Vegas pun.  ]]> Sun, 23 Jul 2006 20:10:49 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/tomb_raider_legend_officially_announced http://www.gamebump.com/go/tomb_raider_legend_officially_announced http://www.gamebump.com/go/tomb_raider_legend_officially_announced#

“In setting the stage for the Tomb Raider franchise moving forward, we took ourselves back to Lara’s origins, asked ourselves the hard questions and challenged ourselves to think differently,” said Chip Blundell, vice president of brand marketing, Eidos Inc. “Who is Lara Croft? What makes her tick? How is she relevant today? Only by answering these questions could we ensure that gamers get the experience they deserve with the character they love.”

“Even before the first title launched, Lara Croft had to fight her way into the Tomb Raider franchise, since at the time most game characters were muscle-bound blokes,” said Gard. “The Lara Croft character is resilient and totally unstoppable. In Tomb Raider: Legend, we explore these core personality traits and reveal the Lara Croft gamers have been waiting to see.”

The character model that you see below features natural structure, realistic textures, detailed facial features, reactive eyes and fluid motion, all of which make her part of a living environment. Crystal Dynamics also stated that Lara Croft will have new controls, so expect Lara to do various new things that you are not used too seeing in past versions.

There will be three versions spanning across the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC. No word on a PSP version as of yet. Gaming Horizon will have a full preview of Tomb Raider: Legend on April 12. So bookmark the page!

“Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® 3 will deliver the future of gaming and of warfare in one stunning package, as well as projecting a global political future that has always been a hallmark of Clancy titles,” said Tony Kee, vice president of marketing at Ubisoft North America. “Armed with next-generation technology and the proven ability to create innovative multiplayer content, Ubisoft will enable players to become the soldier of the future and immerse them in the kind of urban warfare that could be fought 10 years from now.”

Other platforms include PlayStation 2, GameCube, and PC. Check out the very first screenshots of the Xbox 360 version below.

More than a decade has passed since the inception of the Tomb Raider series back in 1995, when Tomb Raider I hit the market on the original PlayStation and firmly defined the modern platform genre. Eidos Interactive’s Core Design introduced the popular world to what would become Britain’s greatest digital superstar – Lara Croft, the archeologist lady of mystery who specialized in ancient cultures, updated weaponry, and shrewd wit. From the franchise’s early beginnings, it was clear that Eidos had lucked upon a character and a series that would bring in the cash to fund other projects, but this was despite the lack of quality that further installments possessed. The game of Tomb Raider soon became the race to push out a new Lara adventure just in time for Christmas, and to increase sales, each rendition boasted a “remade” Lara that effectively turned her into a pinup girl that decorated the rooms of adolescent males everywhere – a pinup girl selling bad games.

After the previous “remade” Lara, as featured in

Takes a hit for shortness, needed interactivity. Combat tweaked; love the grapple.

Very detailed environs, reworked Lara, visually impressive tombs. Some generic models, though.

Strong voiceovers. Solid music when you get it. Good sound effects.

Had a great time except for those damned motorcycle portions.

Get pulled through it, go through it again, then check out the extras and the mansion.

]]> Mon, 12 Jun 2006 13:39:00 -0500 Shiva Stella http://www.gamebump.com/go/phantom_hourglass_details_screens http://www.gamebump.com/go/phantom_hourglass_details_screens http://www.gamebump.com/go/phantom_hourglass_details_screens# This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

The Splinter Cell series has seen action on every current platform; even the portables like the DS, N-Gage, and mobile phones had some incarnation of it. However, Sam had yet to make an appearance on the PSP – until now. Splinter Cell Essentials marks Sam’s triumphant appearance on Sony’s little machine, but does it continue SC’s trend of excellence?

Splinter Cell Essentials borrows a few levels from each of the previous SC games, so think of this more as a compilation more than anything else. There are a few new levels though including some from the upcoming Double Agent console title, and the way it’s all tied together is interesting. Essentials takes place after the events of Double Agent. Sam visits his daughter’s grave on the one-year anniversary of her death and is then caught by the government on charges of treason. Treason you ask? You the come to find that Sam had left Third Echelon after his daughter died and it was reported that Sam had been associating with terrorists.

This leads Sam into the interrogation room where he’s hounded by Homeland Security officials into revealing information about himself and why he’s been dawdling in terrorism. Someone will mention an old mission of Sam’s, though with loads of wrong information and so Sam corrects them. Thus, the old levels that Splinter Cell fans have come to know are presented as flashbacks, exploiting Sam’s daredevil heroics. The old levels aren’t exactly like vets will remember them. Some enemy placement and patterns have been changed to keep things fresh. However, it’s nothing substantial that will totally change the way you attack the area.

There are nine total missions in the story mode plus an extra three bonus missions. Those familiar with SC will easily blow through Essentials while those new to the series will have a much tougher time due to the numerous trial-and-error sections each level contains. But, at least it’s not easy to get lost because all the levels play in a very linear fashion.

We’re going to move on to the bad now. However, I’d like to note that this isn’t all that’s good about SC Essentials; it’s just that the negatives tend to cancel out what was done right.

Visually, Splinter Cell Essentials looks pretty good. The character models are relatively robust and animate well. But, it’s not without it faults. The backgrounds and environments look muddy and the biggest hindrance to the gameplay is how dark the game is overall. In some missions, particularly ones that take place indoors, it’s impossible to make out some things. And SC vets know that hiding in the shadows is your best friend, but the lighting effects don’t do a very good job at letting you know if you’re hidden well enough or not. This will make you dependent on the light meter that is displayed in the bottom right corner.

The sound, thankfully, is a saving grace. Whereas one might be dependent on the light meter due to the complete darkness, you won’t really need to rely on the sound meter as much. Sam’s footsteps sound solid and always reflect what kind of surface he’s walking on, whether it’s on a bare floor or through a leaf-littered forest area. You’ll want to play with a good set of headphones to really appreciate the subtlety of it. Heck, being able to hear the slightest sounds may save your bacon on occasion.

Sam comes with his complete repertoire of moves – hanging/shimmying along pipes, split-legged wall climbing, lethal/non-lethal attacks, etc. Thankfully he controls just like his console counterpart. Analog is used for movement, D-pad for inventory and other functions like backing up against a wall and weapon switching, and the face buttons to control other function like crouching and jumping. That sounds fine and all but then you get to the camera control.

The camera control is simply atrocious. The default scheme works like this – tapping circle snaps the camera back behind Sam while holding circle in conjunction with the analog nub gives complete camera control. Yes, that means you must be stationary to change the camera to an angle you like. You can alleviate that problem by using the other scheme which changes camera control to the face buttons. While that fixes the changing the camera on the fly problem, you now have to exit camera mode to do any functions that are controlled by the face buttons. The static camera is a pain in the first place, but making adjustments just as painful is a bad move.

Load times – we all loathe them, there’s no escaping that. PSP launch titles were plagued with overly long ones though most developers have been doing a good job reducing them as of late. Ubisoft must have missed the memo on this one because Essentials contains a lot of long load times. Starting up the game seems like it takes an eternity. And don’t even get me started about how long it takes to get started again after dying. Luckily, you can save anywhere at anytime, which is a blessing and a curse at the same time. Being a portable game, saving anywhere makes it perfect for on-the-go gaming, but it decreases the difficulty a bit because you can always save every few moments to avoid losing your progress due to death.

The moronic AI also doesn’t help the difficulty. Actually, I should change that to sometimes moronic as there are times when enemy soldiers are fairly competent. But, there are other times when you can walk in front of a soldier and not raise any attention. How you ask? If you’re in complete darkness (light meter in full black), then you’re almost undetectable to the eye. Kind of cheap, but what can you do when the enemies are legally blind? Again, at least they aren’t deaf because making too much noise will definitely bring Sam unwanted attention.

There’s also an ad hoc multiplayer mode, but the reason why I haven’t mentioned it until now is that it’s neither very functional nor fun. Two players can face off in a deathmatch on four different maps. Four – that’s it. And then you have to deal with the dark environs again, so good luck trying to find whom you are trying to kill. The introduction of framerate issues makes it even more of a mess.

The idea of a PSP Splinter Cell is great especially when it packs console content and more. Unfortunately, the execution is way off, leaving disappointed on-the-go Splinter Cell fans in its wake. The dark muddy visuals and horrendous camera issues are a far cry from what we’ve seen in this series. If you’ve played the console Splinter Cell games, then there is really no need to pick this up. Splinter Cell Essentials is nonessential for any Sam Fisher fan.

The tried and true SC gameplay is here, but the horrible camera controls kill it.

Characters look good and animate well but the darkness that hinders play is disappointing.

Makes up for the mediocre graphics.

If you can get past the controls, you’ll be fine. But it’s a big “if”.

Three bonus missions are all that’s extra. Oh and there’s a fairly useless multiplayer mode too

]]> Tue, 18 Apr 2006 15:48:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tom_clancys_ghost_recon_advanced_warfighter_360 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tom_clancys_ghost_recon_advanced_warfighter_360 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tom_clancys_ghost_recon_advanced_warfighter_360# This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Brian Mohr.

Up to this point in time, few titles on the Xbox 360 have really been thought of as “next-generation,” but Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter is taking the lead in that regard by giving gamers everything they expect out of the latest console. Originally scheduled to be a launch title for the 360, Ubisoft took their time to get it right and it’s paid off in full.

In the game, players take on the role of Ghost Leader Captain Scott Mitchell whose mission it is to find an intelligence device that went missing after a spy plane went down in Nicaragua. You find that the item is in the Mexican capital of Mexico City just as the Canadian Prime Minister, U.S. and Mexican Presidents decide to hold a meeting to sign a security agreement. As the story goes on, it is obviously going to be up to you and the Ghosts to save the day both for the President and the world.

Obviously what makes Advanced Warfighter stand out on the 360 is the graphics; they are simply outstanding. Starting out, you’ll go through a training mode, but after that you jump onto a helicopter that flies you over Mexico City. The metropolis looks stunning and you can see for miles how massive the city really is. If you didn’t know better you’d think it was real. Once you land, the graphics are seamless - there is no change in what you see, whether it is your view from the sky or on the ground. Continuing with the city, there is a nice variety of buildings and textures that give each area of the city you walk into its own distinct look. The lighting effects are wonderful - sunlight can be almost too realistic as you’ll find glare blinding your view.

Beyond that the character models and weapons are great too. All your characters and enemies look very realistic and move impressively. You can zoom in with your scope and see fine details like realistic facial features and movement of clothing on your teammates. The weapons are stunningly detailed and the game does give you the ability to blow holes into walls and even through various items like barrels and more. Explosions are very well done also as items will blow apart and even tip or flip vehicles.

There is more to GRAW than just graphics though. The sound is crisp. Each gun has a different sound effect, and explosions make you feel like you’re there. It actually even kind of makes you jump if an explosion happens near you. The game features some music as well including background music that fits the tone of the action, while in helicopter rides there is some rock music which is a little unusual. One other thing to note is the tremendous voice work in the game. Your teammates and enemies will yell and scream when they are injured or under fire.

Of course, controls and gameplay are just as important to the experience as graphics and sound and thankfully Ubisoft didn’t disappoint. Movement is pretty much like every other shooter utilizing the analog sticks. Pushing in on one stick lets you snipe while the other lets you crouch or crawl. While in snipe mode, a nice new feature instilled in the game is the ability to aim your shots better by holding your breath in which a meter comes on screen for so many seconds. Players can also stick to walls and peak around the corners.

The AI is relatively smart as your players will follow commands pretty well – most of the time. You want to move your teammates to an area just push up on the D-pad or to have them come to you, push down. The game does allow you to select whether you want your teammates to go guns blazing or more passive, which will save their behinds on occasion. Thankfully though, you have unlimited health packs to restore your teammates on the fly. One other nice option in the game is that you can issue commands to an ally tank, helicopter, or robotic UAV’s which help you root out your enemies with the simple use of the D-pad.One final thing related to the game’s single-player experience is that the game is versatile and relatively long. The campaign mode will take approximately 10 to 12 hours of play to beat which is pretty long for a single-player game. Along with that is the fact that the game itself is mostly open-ended. Throughout the game, your goal is to get to various locations on the battlefield and GRAW really recommends you taking different routes. Even when you’re under fire you can often get an advantage on your opponent by flanking a corner on them. One other note is the enemy AI is pretty intelligent especially on the harder level where they will dive for cover.

Certainly the single-player game is worthwhile, but what will keep you playing this game for months is the multiplayer component. In this mode you can play with up to 16 players online over 10 maps. There is also an additional four mission cooperative campaign that can be played with 16 players against 16 AI enemy opponents. The online mode features plenty of customizable options too including various games modes like elimination, territory and objective with various types of play including solo, team and co-op. Finally, as if it really needed to be said, there is really no slowdown in the online game and it looks just as great as the single-player campaign.

Really it is hard to find much wrong with this game because Ubisoft pulled out all the stops to make Ghost Recon a great title on a next-generation platform. There were, however, a couple issues. The one that probably needs the most tweaking is in matchmaking. Overall I found getting into a game to be a pretty long and arduous process even when I selected quick match as I had to wait almost 15 minutes once I fired up my console to actually get to play. Despite that slight drawback, every other aspect of online play is great and once you get into the game it’s worth the wait.

The only other issue related to GRAW is your teammate AI. Overall it is pretty solid as your teammates do try to get under cover when they can, but at times they have a tendency to expose themselves to fire or they just won’t listen to commands once in a while. These issues aren’t terrible drawbacks, but they do make your playing experience a little more chaotic.

Since the Xbox 360’s launch in November, there hasn’t really been a game that is requiring prospective buyers to go out and get the console, but Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter is the first must-have game of the next-generation. In just this one box, Ghost Recon features an impressive and versatile single-player mode as well as a stimulating multiplayer experience. Both of these options will provide players plenty to do for months to come. So if you’re looking for a game to play on your new 360 or a reason to get the $400 console, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter is it and definitely is worth the $60 price tag. Now I can’t wait to see what else Ubi has up their sleeve for the Xbox 360.

GH is easy to pick up and play, but the controls are deep as well. The AI is impressive too.

Simply the game is stunning and is arguably the best looking game on the 360.

Lots of weapon sound effects, chatter amongst your teammates and enemies puts you in the game.

Advanced Warfighter is fun and looks and sounds amazing.

There is plenty of replay value with full single-player, co-op and online components.

]]> Sun, 26 Mar 2006 22:11:00 -0600 Brian Mohr http://www.gamebump.com/go/ubisoft_ships_splinter_cell_essentials http://www.gamebump.com/go/ubisoft_ships_splinter_cell_essentials http://www.gamebump.com/go/ubisoft_ships_splinter_cell_essentials# This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

Ubisoft announced that they have shipped Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Essentials to retailers.

The game immediately follows the events of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent. This time around Sam Fisher is under arrest as the NSA is investigating him for being an insubordinate agent. Realizing he is caught in the conspiracy, Fisher must figure out a way to clear his name. In the game you'll play as Sam when he was a Navy Seal before the original Splinter Cell. Essentials will include new gadgets, moves and multiplayer mode in order to play spy vs. spy deathmatches.]]> Tue, 21 Mar 2006 23:56:00 -0600 Tim Grube http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_tom_clancys_ghost_recon_advanced_warfighter_3605 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_tom_clancys_ghost_recon_advanced_warfighter_3605 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_tom_clancys_ghost_recon_advanced_warfighter_3605# This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

Over the years, Ubisoft has presented the Tom Clancy series as the prime franchise for the most incredible looking models and exciting gameplay. We all saw those leaked screenshots back in the day – especially the one that presented a character from the Ghost team before a yellowish haze and an explosion in the background. Many of us doubted that the image was from in-game content, but Ubisoft proved us wrong. The quality of that very same screenshot is portrayed throughout the entire game, making everything look incredibly real. You can tell Ubisoft spent a great amount of time exploring the Xbox 360’s capabilities and this is the result.

Gaming Horizon had a chance to sit down and play an early copy of the game and we are all very impressed with what we saw. Once launched, you select the mode you’re interested in: campaign, multiplayer, or instant action. Campaign mode is self explanatory and contains the main enchilada of the game for players who want to dash into single-player. Instant action allows you to play with one to four players via your console. Multiplayer, which most gamers will immediately flock to, launches either Xbox Live, system link, or local play windows.

The storyline is what many would describe as highly fictional, i.e. somewhat “out-there”. GRAW is entirely based in Mexico in the year 2013. The player is part of the US Army, which has implemented the Integrated Warfighter System; IWS combines advanced weapon systems, satellite communication devices and enhanced survivability into one fully integrated combat system to train the “perfect” soldier. The player’s job is to take control of Mexico City (the capital of Mexico) with all of these new enhanced weapons and communication accessories. The key here is to be a ghost (hence the name) and infiltrate the city without being seen. Obviously, some of these technologies are far fetched in today’s world (maybe the government has something going on in Area 51 that we don’t know about) but having a game that allows you to take control and use accessories that could very well be used years from now is still quite remarkable.

Visually, GRAW is simply jaw-dropping, featuring stunning characters, explosions, weapons, and environs. As before we were quite skeptical with the system because not a lot of companies were using its full potential (rather common among launch titles); fortunately GRAW gives us a tantalizing glimpse into the future and reveals what even newcomers to the 360 can do. However, I’m definitely concerned with the world models, vehicles, and random objects scattered about areas. The world is quite massive, but various items (buildings, benches, etc.) that dot the landscape, while large, still feel incomplete, and as the areas are so expansive, there are invisible walls that restrict you from going too far off the beaten path; while this is convenient for players who are easily lost, it’s still a shame that this method of fencing in levels, so prevalent in the previous generation of consoles, is continuing. There are some other redeeming qualities in GRAW’s graphics, though, like the fact that almost anything can be shot with a result. For example, if you need to get to an area and there is a window blocking your entry you can simply shoot it out and proceed through.

The game’s most impressive aspect concerns the fresh technology Ubisoft built from the ground up, primarily the cross-com. Cross-com is a communication device powered by satellite technology that is attached to a soldier’s monocle and provides full situational awareness and command of the battlefield. There are endless things you can do with this device; you can command the Ghost squad and remote allied forces and drones as well as direct artillery and air strikes. In the early missions you’re forced to utilize the drone to send it over to check on one of the squad mates. Once you send the drone over, you’ll see what is going on in that part of town. The cross-com can also be used to see what the squad sees and receive visual and auditory Intel from allied forces.

There is one significant problem area in GRAW that plagues the game’s presentation value and enjoyment level, and that’s the character voiceovers. During intense battles, if you receive a new order it’s hard to hear what the commander has to say. You literally have to turn the TV’s volume up or check the goals by pressing the back arrow. Sure, the back arrow is there for instances like this, but you should be able to hear the commander loud and clear when he’s being broadcast live over the air.

The various missions that we took on in instant action were quite interesting. The four we had a chance to take a look at in campaign mode were the Old Town, Wharf, Treasury, and the Temple. Each area had its own mission which ranged from evacuating US citizens to an extraction point to finding where the enemy was storing and selling weapons. I’m sure that most gamers are familiar with these mission types, but on the whole GRAW manages to switch up objectives well enough to keep the gameplay enticing.

Unfortunately we were unable to test the Xbox Live experience, but we were able to glimpse its structure determined for the final version. Once you click multiplayer and go online you have the ability to create your “identity”. You can choose your class, the class appearance, face, controller setup, and various other items. Once you get your guy all spruced up you can select a game type, i.e. ranked match, player match, and so on. There are also four different types of leaderboards: universal, class, mode, and type. Each leaderboard is sorted according to your preference. If you choose class leaderboards then the game enables you to select a class type and see who’s currently rockin’ GRAW online in that area.

Ubisoft has an incredible title here that will sell very well. Gamers have been eagerly anticipating a game of such high caliber for the Xbox 360 since the system’s launch, and finally Ubisoft delivers. The jaw-dropping graphics are to die for. The visual presentation is very unique and makes you feel like you’re right there in the game. Character voiceovers could be improved, but you tend to get used to it if your TV volume is up. Loading times also play a factor here, but this will more than likely be fixed in the final product. The game is expected to be in stores on March 7 for the Xbox 360 and for the Xbox it will be shipping March 9 in the US and March 16 in Europe. The PC version is set to release this May. Gaming Horizon will have a full review once final code arrives. In the meantime, be sure to view our ]]> Fri, 03 Mar 2006 14:01:00 -0600 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/mechassault_to_raid_the_ds http://www.gamebump.com/go/mechassault_to_raid_the_ds http://www.gamebump.com/go/mechassault_to_raid_the_ds# Fans of the MechWarrior universe on the go will have something to look forward to later this year, as Majesco Games announced today that it is bringing an original third-person shooter version of MechAssault to the DS.

MechAssault: Phantom War "fuses [...] game play elements from the series with new features that take advantage of the unique mechanics of the Nintendo DS," said Ken Gold, vice president of Marketing for Majesco Entertainment. "The touch screen lets players intuitively 'touch' the cockpit controls to hack into giant 'Mechs, eject pilots, switch weapons and check battle techniques."

According to Majesco, the game will feature:

• More than 20 types of 'Mechs, tanks, and other vehicles
• Fully upgradeable weapons
• Wireless multiplayer connectivity with up to four players
• 24 single-player campaigns
• Unlockable 'Mechs, maps, and cheats

Some of the new features include: Multiplayer reward system New “Free-for-Allâ€? game type The return of three classic maps – 747, Mint and Bunkers Enemy use of Lock Fusers in single-player game play presents new challenges to the player 20 new weapons – 42 overall Six brand new weapons never used before in a Rainbow Six game 14 fan favorites from franchise historyGaming Horizon will have a full review soon.]]> Mon, 13 Feb 2006 12:54:00 -0600 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/ubisoft_announces_rainbow_six_critical_hour http://www.gamebump.com/go/ubisoft_announces_rainbow_six_critical_hour http://www.gamebump.com/go/ubisoft_announces_rainbow_six_critical_hour# Ubisoft has announced a new release in the Tom Clancy Rainbow Six series, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Critical Hour.

The game again puts players in the role of Team Rainbow as you battle it out through seven single-player missions. Many of the missions will feature updated classic maps and weapons. Critical Hour will also feature online multiplayer for up to 16 players.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Critical Hour is scheduled to release Spring 2006 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

The game will include more maps, missions and weapons than Ghost Recon 2 along with 11 brand new single player missions and an expanded multiplayer experience. Summit Strike is scheduled to release for the Microsoft Xbox August 2005.

The Tom Clancy name carries a lot of weight among the military book/movie/videogame crowd. For us gamers there’s the Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell, and Ghost Recon series which are undoubtedly some of the most realistic SWAT, special ops, and military games out there. The first Splinter Cell game was one of the first big hits on the original Xbox, so it is only fitting that Microsoft scored yet another Clancy game for its Xbox 360.

The launch of the Xbox 360 is now barely a month away and with the console’s launch come lots of highly anticipated games. Unfortunately, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter won’t be one of them since Ubisoft recently announced that the game will not be available until 2006. But don’t despair, the game looks like its shaping up to be one of the best military shooters to hit any platform when is finally does hit retail shelves.

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is the third installment in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon series. The Ghost Recon games put players in the boots of soldiers in combat scenarios using a mixture of present day and future military technologies. The original Ghost Recon game was set in Eastern Europe in 2008, while the second game is set in 2011 in Korea. The new game takes place in Mexico City in 2013. In keeping with the futuristic setting of the game, the soldiers at the player’s disposal are armed with a plethora of new technologies that are currently only in the planning stages of the real military’s arsenal.

The story unfolds in true Tom Clancy fashion. While not many details have been released, it is clear that an incident involving renegade soldiers occurs in Mexico City. The protagonist of the game is Captain Scott Mitchell who commands the “Ghosts,” a highly trained Special Forces unit, who are sent in to handle the situation. Along the way, the Ghosts will have to rescue the President of the United States, recover stolen nuclear launch codes, and eliminate the enemy soldiers.

The game places the player in the shoes of Captain Mitchell, who has four other Ghosts at his disposal. The 360 version of the game uses a third person perspective to allow the player to have a better idea of what is around him, which is especially useful when trying to find effective cover in a firefight. The AI has also been enhanced in this installment - your Ghosts will not fire until ordered to do so and will make effective use of cover. When ordered to do so, your soldiers can effectively flank the enemy, but the enemy can also do the same to you. Similar AI behavior has recently been featured in games such as Brothers In Arms and it adds a whole new layer of challenge to the shooter genre.

The sound has been updated to provide a more authentic military feel. The developers went out to a weapons range to record the audio for the weapons used in the game and the voice acting is also exceptional. The voices in the game utilize three stress levels. The Ghosts are programmed to vocally react to the threat level in the game. When calm, Ghosts may provide lots of information in a calm tone of voice, but when under fire the Ghosts’ voices are more strained and they may not have time to relay as much information to the player. In addition, the enemy soldiers in the game will shout orders to each other in Spanish, creating a highly authentic feel to the battlefield.

The graphics have also been updated as you can see from the screenshots. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is undoubtedly one of the best looking games so far on the 360. All the bells and whistles are present including High Dynamic Range lighting, high polygon counts, and advanced particle physics. The urban environments look highly realistic and the motion capture looks great as well.

One of the key gameplay features in this installment of the Ghost Recon series is the new Heads Up Display, dubbed the “Cross-com.” The Cross-com identifies friendly or enemy units in the game by outlining them in green or red. It also features a picture in picture window that allows the player to see the battlefield from different perspectives, such as from satellites or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles that may be over the area. The Cross-com is actually under development for the United States Army, which shows the level of detail and authenticity Ubisoft is trying to add to the game.

The single-player portion of the game is expected to last about 20 hours, featuring 12 levels. All the levels are set in Mexico City, so it looks like there will be a fair amount of replayability to the title as gamers go back to try scenarios from a different angle, or perhaps try to accomplish objectives in a different order.

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter will likely be one of the best military shooters ever when it is released next year. The visuals reach a level of realism not seen amongst the current generation of consoles. While it is unfortunate that Ghost Recon won’t be a launch title for the 360, it looks like it will be well worth the wait. Predicting the quality of a game that is months away from release is always a risky endeavor, but Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is showing all the signs of being a terrific success. If you’re a gamer who is at all interested in authentic military shooters, it looks like Ghost Recon is a must-buy. ]]> Thu, 27 Oct 2005 12:39:00 -0500 Shiva Stella http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tom_clancys_ghost_recon_2_summit_strike_xbox http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tom_clancys_ghost_recon_2_summit_strike_xbox http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tom_clancys_ghost_recon_2_summit_strike_xbox# This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

As an expansion to the successful Ghost Recon 2, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike stands as an affordable addition to an already solid game, with a new campaign mode and the same multiplayer havoc that fans crave, presented in a simple and direct style that enables players to jump into the action either offline or on. UbiSoft has proved once again that when it comes to Tom Clancy, they know what they're doing. 

Gamers are cast as Captain Mitchell and sent to Kazakhstan on a hunt for Asad Rahil, a Pakistani terrorist who has committed numerous crimes against innocent civilians including devastating a small village with chemical weaponry. On top of this chaos, the region's president has been assassinated, creating even more uncertainty and unrest. When the UN steps in to stabilize the area they're met with hostiles from Rahil's army, further complicating matters and causing the Ghosts to be deployed to terminate Rahil. It's not as gripping a campaign, but it's presented well and ties the missions together for a believable product.

If you're familiar with any Ghost Recon game then you already know that the bulk of the gameplay has you serving as squad leader and guiding a small team through enemy territory on to target objectives. You can issue on-screen or voice commands, and on the whole the unit will act accordingly thanks to the adequate AI. You can have your subordinates shoot targets and/or offer cover fire (suppress), flank left/right of you (to surround an enemy/structure), take a knee (hold position), regroup (gather on you), hold fire, attend to a member's medical needs (medic), attack an oncoming vehicle (including tanks, helicopters, and armored cars), protect a target, or demo a target (plant a charge or designate it for air-drops). Your AI buddies will seek out cover and may even spot hostiles before you do, which is a great help to counter-balance the ease with which a player dies - one shot in the right spot will bring Captain Mitchell to his knees.

The cheap AI banter makes traversing these great landscapes more entertaining, as running between snowy mountaintops or through miles of grasslands eventually takes its toll on the boredom scale. Enemies are scattered around targets, and objectives change as the level progresses; Mitchell may have to take out a defensive structure, shoot down helicopters, terminate a pack of dangerous tanks, destroy enemy convoys, pin-point structures for air-drops, assassinate members of Rahil's army, and so on. Environments feature differing weather patterns and may splash rain onto the screen or spill a gentle snow on the ground, accompanied with appropriate sound effects like lightning strikes or fierce, chilly breezes. Character models are highly detailed as in their parent game, and Summit Strike features nice water reflections from rivers/lakes, tire tracks from armored cars, burnt markings from air-drops, and minute graphical attention for every wisp of grass that's guided by a small gust of wind. Spotting a full moon overhead or a bright sun on the horizon adds further realism and gives the game a presentation boost.

It wouldn't be Ghost Recon without a plethora of gadgets and high-tech weaponry, and Summit Strike delivers - at the start of each mission you select a preferred main gun, support weapon (pistol variant), explosives (grenades), and a heavy-hitting weapon (rocket/grenade launcher) if the level calls for it. Main guns are separated into four classes - rifleman, gunner, grenadier, marksman - and feature numerous options, including standard rifles, submachine guns, differing grenade launchers, and specialized sniper rifles (the scope view on the MB sharpshooter is particularly impressive). The targeting or scope view changes per weapon, and if you're so inclined you may even control Mitchell and have him fire at targets via voice commands (but I wouldn't recommend it).

Along with advanced weaponry the gamer has a useful radar display that alerts as to impending targets, a squad indicator that presents each member's health status (green for good, red for nearly dead, depleted for goner, etc), air-strike commands (for missions without team members, as in the "lone wolf" mode), night vision view, a detailed satellite map for each area (with indicators), a rate of fire (ROF) indicator that can be modified to single-shot, three-round burst, and full auto, and lasers that designate drop targets.

After you've gone through the entire campaign mode and seen the real breadth of the game, you'll probably want to hop online via Xbox Live and score some multiplayer kills. All the standard Xbox Live features are present - you've got a friends list, a player count (people you've recently played with), a team option (i.e. clan management), leaderboards (who's who among Summit Strike players), downloadable content (new levels, etc), in-box (in-game email messages), competitions (set up, join, or play in a tournament), and sign out. The team/clan management is a great inclusion for the hardcore, and competitions exclude all non-clan members. As a team leader you can recruit players, promote/demote members, name a General, send friend requests, and kick idiots.

If you're anti-social and would rather jump in shooting people and forgo teams and tournaments, multiplayer through Xbox Live definitely allows for that. You can create a match where you serve as host, let the system pick a quick match for you, or select game features you want in optimatch. All modes enable observer viewing (originally made popular in Sony's SOCOM), re-spawning options, and a slew of differing game types, 24 in all, including hamburger hill (keep a central area under your control), helo hunt (bring down helicopters), seek and destroy (think: tag), recon (work with others to accomplish mission objectives), mission (complete regular missions online), firefight (team up to destroy all hostiles), and your typical capture the opponent's base, search and rescue hostages, and last man standing (the team with someone still alive wins). If you're not interested in co-op play you can always go team-killing and join the squad-based games.

If offline play is more your style and you've finished with campaign mode, UbiSoft included some minor gameplay options - training, mission, helo hunt, lone wolf, recon, defend, and firefight. By now these should be rather self explanatory; in lone wolf you trade team AI for explosives and air-strikes; in firefight you remove all opponents; in defend you hold your position against waves of hostiles; and so on. If you’re completely bored of both Xbox Live and single-player fun, the offline multiplayer/split-screen mode is a final option.

For $29.99 I've essentially got very few complaints. My biggest concern with Summit Strike (or my Xbox, depending upon your point of view) is that on several occasions I've had the misfortune of encountering Xbox errors that caused me to reset the game, usually corrupting the campaign save I was working on at the time and usually while on particular levels. Take this tip to heart: have multiple campaign saves! The game saves to your active campaign by default, so if you've just completed a mission and want to save in your second slot, you've got to manually enter the slot's name (my default was CS, my second CS2). I highly recommend this safety precaution because nothing sucks more than completing seven levels and being kicked to level one because you forgot to create a second save. Except encountering that error twice without a third save. That definitely sucks more.

If you're going to focus on voice commands for either your team or Captain Mitchell, speak clearly. Slurring your words and mumbling into the microphone won't get you as far as proper pronunciation. 

I spotted some AI hiccups, but mostly where the enemies were concerned. Would you as a lone combatant run over to a huge pile of dead bodies, get down on the ground, and stay there – completely vulnerable – looking around for a killer who has just terminated five of your best friends? Not unless you're a Summit Strike hostile, apparently, though the easy kills make up for the game's difficulty. When UbiSoft claims that "in the world of Ghost Recon, one shot can kill", they're not kidding. Be prepared to die a lot.

Voiceacting is done adequately considering the game's genre, but you won't find intense cutscenes or award-winning voiceovers. 

This is a great stand-alone expansion to Ghost Recon 2 at a wonderfully affordable cost. It won't remake the third-person shooting genre or earn UbiSoft a gold star, but it's definitely worth picking up if you're a shooting game freak (and I use the term literally). A plethora of options, a well-presented campaign mode, and Xbox Live play (there's even offline multiplayer if split-screen is your thing) secure it as a decent addition to your collection. Just remember to have multiple game saves and you'll have a blast.

The same as its parent game's, with new offline/online missions.

Visually pleasing, but nothing extraordinary. Nice attention to detail.

Good when it counts, but minimal voiceacting. Solid effects.

If you enjoyed any Ghost Recon, you'll enjoy Summit Strike.

Large online offering, but most modes are simply modifications and not new.

]]> Mon, 12 Sep 2005 12:21:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tom_clancys_rainbow_six_lockdown_xbox http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tom_clancys_rainbow_six_lockdown_xbox http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tom_clancys_rainbow_six_lockdown_xbox# This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Aaron Thomas.

The Rainbow Six series has long been one of the more popular games on the Xbox and Xbox Live. Focusing more on realistic squad tactics than arcade action, it has earned a strong following of hardcore players. This time around, Ubisoft wanted to make the game more accessible, and they’ve done so with Rainbow Six: Lockdown. The core gameplay elements that veterans of the series enjoy are mostly intact, but the number of concessions made for newcomers may turn off the very same people that made the series so popular.

While many may go straight to online play, Lockdown has a solid storyline that once again follows Domingo “Ding” Chavez and his squad mates. For the first time, you’re able to control the team’s sniper, Dieter Weber, in some arcade-style sniping levels. The team is trying to recover a deadly virus named “Legion” that has the unpleasant effect of near-instantaneous death on anyone unlucky enough to come into contact with it. You’ll have to stop the terrorists to prevent them from releasing the lethal virus, and of course deal with some plot twists along the way. The campaign mode consists of 14 missions, which is plenty long if you’re the slow, plodding type. However, skilled players or people adept at “run and gun” play may find it a bit short.

There are plenty of weapons to use, and each person can have their gear customized (main weapon, secondary weapon, and two other items, like grenades and mines) before each level. Your squad mates are horrible marksmen, often finding only 1-2% of their shots actually hitting their targets. This problem can be compensated somewhat if you use the strongest and most accurate weapons going into each mission.

Lockdown’s squad mechanics are simple and easy to use. Commanding the team is done by aiming the on-screen reticle at an area, pressing A, and then choosing an action on the d-pad. If it’s a complex maneuver, another set of options opens up, and it too is chosen via the d-pad. After you’ve inputted the commands, the team reloads their weapons and carefully gets in position. They won’t execute the command until you press the black button, which gives you time to enter through another door, or simply get in position to help clear a room. Unfortunately, at least for fans of the series, strategy is much less important this time around, so simply walking into a room and popping the bad guys as fast as you can is sufficient enough to get you through most of the game.

Of course, a big component of the game is its online aspect, which like the campaign mode, has also been re-tooled. Up to 16 players can compete in deathmatch or objective-based games. Co-op play for up to four people is also present, and can be played via system link as well. To add depth to the online modes, Ubisoft has introduced Persistent Elite Creation, or PEC. This system lets you create a character from one of four classes (Commando, Engineer, Medic, and Spec-Op), and gives you credits based on your in-game performance. Credits can be used to purchase new weapons, clothing, and even to repair worn out armor and equipment. It’s a little intimidating at first, since others may already have built up characters, but it provides strong incentive to put in extra time to get good.

Ubisoft went with a new composer for the game’s music this time around, and while it’s certainly different than past titles, it fits the game nicely. Most of the time there’s no music, but when the action picks up, so does the music, which helps get your adrenaline pumping. In-game Dolby Digital sounds great with the echo of weapons firing, grenades exploding, and people yelling, coming at you from every direction.

Ally intelligence has been improved, but the bad guys were apparently absent the day extra I.Q. points were handed out. Sure they’ll run from grenades, but they don’t appear to fear gunfire, simply standing and staring at the barrel of your gun for a few seconds before reacting. You’ll very rarely witness complex attack patterns, and most areas have just one or two soldiers that don’t react unless hit with a bullet. Like an old Nintendo 64 game, a guard will simply stare at the wall unflinching while his comrade is blown away by a machine gun. Sometimes a person in the other room will hear the gunplay and comment on it but they don’t investigate, and sometimes simply walk away.

Lockdown also fails to use its audio to create tension or give clues. Remaining silent doesn’t do much for you, as guards will rarely attempt to locate the source of the noise. In addition, the ability to overhear guards is worthless since they often speak as if they are talking to someone else, even if they’re alone. If you hear someone asking a question, it’s reasonable to expect to find at least two people in the room, not one person standing behind some shelves, impervious to the world.

The addition of the heartbeat sensor is an “improvement” that falls flat. By hitting the select button, it’s possible to see living people through walls. This takes any element of surprise there may have been out of a room, since you know how many people are inside as well as their positions. Since it has batteries that must recharge you can’t leave it on all the time, but they fill back up quickly, and since there’s rarely any sense of urgency, you can simply wait around until it’s ready to use again. Fortunately, you don’t have to use it if you don’t wish.

Lockdown’s visuals are disappointing, especially considering the amazing things that developer, Ubisoft Montreal, is usually able to accomplish on the Xbox. Progressive Scan is supported, but it’s really no better than the interlaced display. The color palette is drab and uninteresting, and building interiors are taken straight from the book of lame game clichés. Character animations are also shoddy and unlifelike. Very, and I mean very little of the game is destructible, which means shooting out lights to take advantage of your night vision is out of the question, as is shooting away cover to get to a hiding enemy. Not only does it hamper the gameplay options, but it makes it hard to suspend disbelief when you toss a grenade into a room and the only long term damage it does is char the floor a bit. It is pretty cool when your visor cracks after taking too much gunfire, and because it actually makes it tough to see, it forces you to really focus on what you’re doing, bringing out your best effort.

It’s always tough to judge a game’s online performance from a technical standpoint because you never really know if problems are on your end, someone else’s, or the result of poor design. I will say that I was not alone when I repeatedly had problems with lag, which was so bad it often rendered the game unplayable. Even in cases where it wasn’t so severe, it always seemed to pop-up often enough to cause problems. Finding a game to join is certainly easier than some other online titles, but it’s still not as easy as Halo 2’s matchmaking service. Waiting four or five minutes for a good game is pretty frustrating, especially after seeing how well the process can be handled.

If the game’s minor problems were fixed, this would be a very good game. As it stands, the horrible enemy A.I., shoddy collision detection for bullets, and inconsistent online play keep it from being a game you’ll want to spend days and weeks with, honing your skills. It’s certainly enjoyable for awhile, but for the third game in the series, its lack of polish is a tremendous letdown.

If you’re going to spend time with the game online, this is a solid package.

Ubisoft Montreal can do better. How does it look worse than the last game?

If the soldiers didn’t carry on conversations with themselves, this would be higher.

If you were turned off by the difficulty of the previous games, this will be fun.

The PEC system and robust system link support give the game strong replay value.

]]> Mon, 12 Sep 2005 10:07:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_makai_kingdom_chronicles_of_the_sacred_tome_ps2 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_makai_kingdom_chronicles_of_the_sacred_tome_ps2 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_makai_kingdom_chronicles_of_the_sacred_tome_ps2# This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Eric Dayday.

Nippon Ichi is most likely not as familiar to most of you as, say, Square Enix/Squaresoft. They have been churning out RPGs in Japan for years – most of them selling very well. On this side of the Pacific this company is more notable as the brainchild of La Pucelle: Tactics, Disgaea, and Phantom Brave, all of which were received fairly well by the RPG fanbase here in the states. Earlier this summer, we were treated with Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana, and a mere month later, NIS America has blessed us with Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome. Following the same vein as their previous strategy RPGs, is Makai Kingdom different enough to stand out amongst them?



Before I get into anything about the graphics or the gameplay, let me get this out of the way – Makai Kingdom is just plain funny. It continues the trend of comedic value that Disgaea and company set. The script is hilarious and wryly written, and the delivery of the lines is spot-on most of the time. However, I will say that it is weird to hear Crispin Freeman, who voices the main protagonist stuck-in-a-book Lord Zetta, hit some of those spots. I’m used to hearing him in much more serious roles (Togusa from Ghost in the Shell: SAC or Regal from last summer’s Tales of Symphonia).

Now you may be asking yourself, “Lord Zetta is stuck in a book?” Indeed he is folks. The absurdity that is the story is another one of Makai’s funny parts. Lord Zetta is an overlord, and is in fact the most powerful overlord in the universe due to his manna power. However, one day he finds the secret tome in his overworld and sees that the tome predicts that Zetta’s foolishness will bring doom to his beloved overworld. Slighted by this comment, Zetta destroys the book, but in doing so he also destroys his overworld, thus fulfilling the tome’s prophecy.

With Zetta stuck as a book, he is dependent on someone else to do the grunt work for him – that is where you come in. With the ability to bind souls to objects, you will be able to create a small little army to do Zetta’s dirty work for him. What object you decide to bind a soul to will affect the created character’s base stats. A rock, for example, will give a +1% bonus to defense which is ideal for a frontline warrior, whereas a weed will create one with a +1% bonus in intelligence but a -1% penalty in attack, which would have you lean towards making a magician or witch. Of course, you don’t have to make them those job classes, but it would be smarter to take advantage of those bonuses or make those penalties less of a weakness.

This leads us to Makai’s main strength – customization. There are only a handful of job classes available at the start, but as you level up in certain ones, you’ll open up a lot more strong jobs, such as archers, the Nippon Ichi staples Prinnies, and the irresistibly cute Hell Kitties.

As complicated as these types of games are, equipment is thankfully simplified; anyone can equip anything and everything. The catch is that some jobs are better with certain weapons and armor, and by equipping them with those armaments, it will grant them bonuses to stats like attack and movement. The game helps you see what items a character excels with by attaching the word “expert” to the end of the item’s name. It’s safe to say that trying to fill up one of your underlings with “expert” weapons is the route to go, though there are times where you will want to keep someone’s hands empty, which I’ll get to later.

For those familiar with Nippon Ichi’s previous strategy RPGs, Makai Kingdom plays almost exactly like those with a few tweaks here and there. For those who aren’t, I’ll outline the basics of Makai’s. At the beginning of the battle, you use Zetta to invite characters into the battlefield. Instead of the usual grid-type movement most associated with Final Fantasy Tactics, we get a sort of free-roaming moving mechanic. A red circle will show the radius in which the character can move, but you can move him/her anywhere within that circle. Attack works almost the same. A red circle just like when moving will show you where you can attack, and then you use a wire grid frame to select what the unit will attack. Area attacks will not distinguish between enemy and friendly units so going all-out during battles isn’t always the best strategy to use.

Makai’s battle system is turn-based, not initiative-based. This means you can do whatever you want and when you’re finally done, you end your turn so that the enemy can do the same to you. This adds another layer of strategy as you can use hit-and-run tactics since your target can’t move until you have finally ended your turn. Of course, this is a double-edged sword and the computer AI isn’t afraid to pull the same kind of tactic. And because you can have all of your characters act in a single turn, the ability to combo on a single enemy becomes another useful strategy. Having multiple units focus on a single enemy will unleash tons of damage upon them.

I mentioned that Makai Kingdom features some new battle mechanics, the first of which is the introduction of facilities and vehicles onto the battlefield. Facilities are just buildings, but if you happen to have a few characters in a building during a battle, they will receive some sort of stat bonus. Hospitals will restore hit points, placing a character in a school will give them 50% more experience per turn, and characters deployed from a shop will earn money bonuses. It is always advantageous to use facilities, but earning new facilities takes massive amounts of manna (which is earned during fights and definitely takes some time to gather); wishing for a new facility may even cost you the life of one of your units. Also, if a building is destroyed while some units are still in it, you will lose those you had in there for the rest of the battle.

Vehicles, which can be bought if you have the right facilities on the home overworld, control just like a regular foot unit, and is in fact controlled by one of them. The vehicles will take damage before the unit controlling it does, so don’t be afraid to let a vehicle take a bruising every now and then. Suffice to say, vehicles easily have the advantage over foot soldiers as they are usually much more powerful and can cover ground a lot quicker. However, you cannot use any of the unit’s personal skills unless you remove them from the vehicle, which isn’t such a big deal considering that turns aren’t based on initiative.

The last innovative mechanic is extensions. In some battles, throwing an item out-of-bounds or destroying a key character/item will open up an extension of the battlefield. Doing so will make the area larger, in some cases doubling and tripling the size of the map. Battles don’t end when all the characters are defeated – instead Makai Kingdom opts for a points system in which you can choose to end the battle if you’ve met the minimum point requirement or to continue fighting. Because of that feature, it’s smart to find these extensions wherever you can as they usually lead to areas with more treasure and much tougher enemies, which almost always equals more experience.



Makai Kingdom is a great game and all, but I had a hard time shaking the “been there, done that” feeling because this really is just Disgaea and Phantom Brave with a new story and some slightly new battle features despite the back cover advertising it as “much more than just Disgaea with a fresh coat of paint.” It’s basically the same game most of us have been playing for years, but fortunately the additions to the gameplay freshen it up enough to at least give some players incentive to try it out.

The story isn’t all the great either, but then again, I don’t think most people will be playing this game for its story. It’s definitely not enough to play through multiple times. However, for the completionists out there, this game is right up their alley as I can see gamers logging in well over 150 hours trying to get every little facility and vehicle and then laughing on gaming forums about how their first apprentice is now level 9999. (Note: yes folks, levels go past the 99/150/255 barrier here. Hell, Lord Zetta starts out at level 2000)

And as complicated as this game is, power leveling can make things a lot easier. Hit a roadblock? Then head on over to the free dungeons where you can beat up on enemies over and over again until you’re at a level at which you’ll overpower everything on the map. This turns progression into a matter of spending time to level rather than using strategy to win a fight.

The graphics aren’t all that great either. They actually look borderline PSone-ish at times. I don’t mind the chibi characters at all, but the entire package screams “outdated graphics.”

The battle maps are quite a challenge to traverse also. Though the movement system isn’t grid-based, the maps look like they were meant for it as you’ll see plenty of sharp corners and blocky rises everywhere. Trying to position a unit in the spot you want can be a battle itself sometimes. Even worse is targeting an attack. There is a radius in which you can aim an attack, but if you reach the limit, sometimes you won’t even know it because the camera will continue on in whatever direction you were pressing while the target cursor remains trapped on the outer radius of the target circle. It would’ve been nice had they cleaned that up a bit.

Lastly, the throw mechanic seems virtually useless. To throw something, you have to throw whatever you have in your hands, like a weapon, away, pick up the item you want to throw, throw that, then pick up the weapon and re-equip. It’s just too much hassle for so little a reward. The main reason why you’d throw something is to open up extensions and most of the time you can just kill the “key” character to do so. Throwing is really just another unnecessary complication that didn’t need to be left in.



Despite Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Ground retreading a lot of ground that Nippon Ichi has already covered, it’s still a pretty darn good game. This isn’t going to attract the casual gamer, as the amount of micromanaging in this game will turn most of them off, and it won’t push the numbers of a Final Fantasy, but it will definitely satisfy the niche market that is the hardcore RPGer. There’s plenty to do with some hefty gameplay elements that ought to keep them busy for hours on end. If you’ve been a fan of NIS for a while, then you won’t be disappointed at all as long as you aren’t looking for an entirely new experience; for everyone else, be warned that if you aren’t willing to invest a chunk of your life into this, you’ll need to look somewhere else on the shelf.

There is so much to do and master. Your heads will spin when you see the customization options.

Love the chibi characters, hate the outdated graphics.

Excellent voiceacting; some tracks will start you whistling, but others seem recycled.

Its overcomplicated nature zaps some of the fun, but not all of it. Game sports awesome humor.

You won’t play it through multiple times, but you will log 100+ hours if you want everything.

]]> Tue, 09 Aug 2005 17:37:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tom_clancys_splinter_cell_chaos_theory_ds http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tom_clancys_splinter_cell_chaos_theory_ds http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_review_tom_clancys_splinter_cell_chaos_theory_ds# This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Aaron Thomas.

It’s broken, and it’s not fun.

Proof that things CAN actually be beaten with an ugly stick.

There’s sound and it’s bad. There’s music and it’s bad.

It’s more fun playing pretend with the empty game box than actually playing the game.

If by some miracle you can find three people to play, you get some replay value. Congrats.

]]> Tue, 02 Aug 2005 12:53:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_makai_kingdom_chronicles_of_the_sacred_tome_ps21 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_makai_kingdom_chronicles_of_the_sacred_tome_ps21 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_makai_kingdom_chronicles_of_the_sacred_tome_ps21# This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Aaron Thomas.

Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome is the latest RPG from Nippon Ichi Software America, who you may or may not know from games like Disagaea: Hour of Darkness, La Pucelle: Tactics, and Phantom Brave. Makai Kingdom is a turn-based strategy game, with plenty of the style you’d expect from Nippon Ichi. Despite being pushed back before, the current release date is July 27th, and it looks like this date will stick.

In Makai Kingdom, you control Lord Zetta, a former ruler who has now merged with the tome that he destroyed because it predicted his downfall. His kingdom now destroyed, it’s up to you to piece together an army and reclaim his kingdom, or what’s left of it.

Combat is turn-based and takes place from an isometric perspective. Some of the combat is standard fare – you can attack with a katanas, battle-axes, and even modern weapons, but it quickly becomes more involved and more bizarre. Not only do you turn everyday objects – like flowers, rocks, and trees – into warriors by adding a soul to them, but you can customize them into a wide variety of classes.

Makai Kingdom also places emphasis on creating buildings, which like troop creation, has its own twist. Building structures to assist an army isn’t anything new, but summoning weapon factories, hospitals, and dog houses to the battlefield certainly is. You can load troops into the buildings, where their attributes will be increased, and then unleash them onto the battlefield onto your overmatched foe.

The battle maps are randomly generated, ensuring that no battle will ever play out the same way twice. The graphics aren’t anything to write home about, at least from a technical standpoint, but they certainly have a distinctive style to them, and any RPG or strategy fan will quickly point out that great graphics aren’t necessary for a game to be great.



It’s certainly not going out on a limb to say that Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome is a game that is going to appeal to a very select group of people. This statement in no way means that it’s going to be a bad game, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to change anyone’s opinion about the genre. In other words: For hardcore fans only.

For a more complete indication of what you'll be in for on this one, view the included movie file of this game in action by clicking here. Can we say  "Tactics with guns and freaky weapons"?]]> Wed, 06 Jul 2005 22:01:48 -0500 Shiva Stella http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_lara_croft_tomb_raider_legend_ps21 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_lara_croft_tomb_raider_legend_ps21 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_lara_croft_tomb_raider_legend_ps21# This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

If you remember the tagline for Eidos’ Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness then you’re already amused by the series’ irony. “Out of the tombs and into hell” was splattered across every gaming site on the Internet, and intrigued gamers waited anxiously to give the industry’s leading lady a next-generation, honest chance. Lo’ and behold, the game…sucked. It suffered from horrendous slowdown, AI that simply didn’t work, and plagued controls.

Almost immediately after its release Eidos shocked everyone by repositioning the series, stripping it from Core Design and handing it to Crystal Dynamics, the company responsible for Gex and the Legacy of Kain/Soul Reaver franchises. The pressure was on, and Crystal Dynamics was charged with nothing short of overhauling the series to bring it into the modern era. To do this the developing house – along with Lara’s original creator, Toby Gard – embarked upon a “soul searching” quest, finally asking the big questions – “Who is Lara Croft? What makes her tick? How is she relevant today?” The result: a return to Lara’s roots in Tomb Raider: Legend.

Very little is known of Legend’s plot. It involves the standard globetrotting to eight different locations, including jungle, snow, mountainous, and underground areas. The bulk of these gorgeous environments consist of tombs, and judging from the available screenshots, are reminiscent of the underground/cavernous areas in the original. The Himalayas are cited as key to the storyline, which brings to mind the famed airplane crash from the original’s background story. It’s unknown whether the levels progress on a non-linear timeline (i.e., Chronicles) or follow Last Revelation’s timeline jumps from past to present, though it’s confirmed that Lara, while in search of another ancient artifact, confronts a foe long-thought dead. The enemy’s name – and why he’s concerned with the artifact – remains a mystery.

To navigate throughout these tombs Lara requires precision controls, a feature that enabled the previous versions to exist but was MIA in AoD. The switch to analog controls was troublesome and crippling; lining Lara up for jumps, performing the most basic maneuvers, and just repositioning her to look around was difficult. Crystal Dynamics has revamped the control scheme in Legend, increasing its functionality and comfort. It’s uncertain if the game allows for D-pad use, but it’s a good guess that the analog control system was at least completely re-worked (compared to AoD’s controls this can only be a good thing). Lara performs her favorite moves – swan dive, back flip, handstand, etc., - and does so smoothly. Her model receives another facelift with a higher polygon count, detailed facial features, reactive eyes, and a complete new look thanks to the original’s character designer.

There’s no word on enemy types but Lara retains her usual weapons, the dual pistols, now paired with an updated “move and shoot” system and goodies. High-powered binoculars, a personal camera for dark areas, frag grenades, communication devices, and a new magnetic grappling hook are introduced. A lock-on system is in place, and judging from trailer footage actually uses a targeting icon, unlike AoD. Another new feature is Lara’s ability to shoot destructible objects in the environment, like barrels. Any opponent near said barrels gets splattered with splinters and firepower, assuming they’re stacked with something inflammable. When a bad guy goes down Lara can even steal his weapon, though she’s limited to only one rifle at a time. Melee combat for close-quarter fighting is present and hopefully nothing like AoD’s dysfunctional stealth/melee system, but then again details are sparse.

Legend, as a return to Lara’s roots, probably removes itself from the action emphasis AoD had and focuses on puzzle and platform gameplay. To help players find their next destination/clue Lara turns her head to the location, indicating the relevant area. In trailer footage arrows designate important directions. The camera, while controllable, is said to move and pan the area naturally.

There’s an online component but Crystal Dynamics hasn’t commented on it yet, though Xbox Live (and probably PS2 network play) is confirmed. An Xbox 360 and PSP version are rumored to be in the works, too.

Judging by the drastic change of development teams and redirection of the series, this is probably Lara’s last chance to appear in a reputable title published by Eidos. If Crystal Dynamics gives Legend an entirely re-worked precision control system, ups the interactive environment feature, grants it an innovative online mode, and strengthens the storyline then a comeback is possible. If it’s plagued by horrible AI, terrific slowdown, and repetitive gameplay, however, the formula is dead. Maybe Lara can join the long list of videogame celebrities in another DDR remix? Hey, even the British know how to get down.]]> Mon, 30 May 2005 19:43:00 -0500 Shiva Stella http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_tom_clancys_ghost_recon_advanced_warfighter_3603 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_tom_clancys_ghost_recon_advanced_warfighter_3603 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_tom_clancys_ghost_recon_advanced_warfighter_3603# This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

Note: This article was originally posted in two weekly installments during the weeks of September 19th and 27th 2004. For archival's sake, both parts are being reprinted here. All mentions of dates (past and present) should be considered relative to the time in which they were written.

Since January of 2003, when we first announced that industry newcomer Infinium Labs intended to make a new game system, there has been an endless debate as to the system’s validity and the company’s legitimacy. It seems like every time we lose interest in the controversial Phantom, Infinium lands themselves in the media spotlight for some fantastic claim or some PR fiasco. Just recently, the company’s financial security has been brought into question, and I’m beginning to wonder if all the fanatics who’ve been calling the Phantom “vaporware” for two years might be right on the money.

Rough Beginnings

The Phantom started off on a bad foot. Infinium Labs issued a press release stating that they will soon release a revolutionary gaming platform. The end. What were the system specs? What media format will the system use? What third-party developers were lining up? Who is Infinium Labs? None of these questions were answered and fans threw a fit. You can’t just come from nowhere, say you’re going to put a game system on the shelf, and disappear for five months. Not in this era.

Questions Arising

We had a reader go by Infinium Labs and take pictures of their "facility" ( that's when we found out it was a strip mall in the Florida Keys ) only to find out it was a single desk in a 100 x 100ft room with two phones and no furniture. That was about 4 months ago.

This made many people question whether Infinium was in fact a real company or just a front, perhaps a scam to fraud investors into handing over gobs of money.

The HardOCP writers took it upon themselves to further investigate Infinium and its CEO, Timothy M. Roberts. In September of 2003, HardOCP published this soon-to-become famous article:

Behind the Phantom Gaming Console

This article is very well done, and shows that Tim Roberts’ resume lists eight separate CEO positions in a span of eight years. One company is owned by his mother, and was located in a different state than where Roberts was living at the time. Several companies Roberts listed on his resume had gone bankrupt, one within a year of its beginning.

This article fanned the flames of Infinium Labs detractors.

Legal Mumbo Jumbo

HardOCP’s hard-hitting exposé drew an incredible amount of attention, including that of Infinium Labs itself. Five months later, on February 19, 2004, Kyle Bennett, editor-in-chief of HardOCP received a cease and desist letter (excerpt follows) from an international law firm, Morrison and Foerster LLP (www.mofo.com – go figure):

We hereby demand that you immediately remove the Article and Infinium's proprietary images and marks from your website and the Internet, print a retraction of the Article, and cease and desist from disparaging Infinium Labs and its principals in any way, including, but not limited to, making distorted and misleading statements about them or repeating distorted and misleading statements made by others. Your activities may provide sufficient grounds for Infinium and Mr. Roberts to assert a number of business tort and other claims against you, including, without limitations, trade disparagement and trade libel, trademark infringement, tortious interference, and unfair business practices. Furthermore, your statements and use of Infinium's proprietary images were obviously published with the intent to tarnish Infinium's image and dilute the value of its name. Such conduct is actionable under federal law, Section 43(c) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. | 1125(c), and various state laws.

After you have taken down the Article and printed a retraction, Infinium would once again welcome an opportunity to participate in a call or in-person meeting with you to provide you and your writers with accurate and complete information about the company, its products and its management. We encourage you to pursue the truth, but in the alternative, Infinium is preparing to commence formal legal action against you within ten days of this letter to halt your continued publication of false and misleading information that is causing ongoing financial harm to Infinium.

A week later, Bennett filed his own lawsuit. Detailed in this article at GameSpot, the lawsuit was what’s commonly known as a "Declaratory Judgment Act," which allows a person being threatened with legal action to force the issue to be decided, instead of it being a back-and-forth game of “My lawyers are more expensive than your lawyers!”

Attacking the gaming media is not a smart move for a company trying to prove itself as a gaming company. Infinium Labs thought they could outwit a little news website and make the derogatory article go away by paying a law firm to put some big words on a piece of paper, but in turn they branded themselves as having something to hide.

Shouting Sweet Nothings In Our Ears

Infinium Labs had still told us nothing about their game system. In March, 2003 they launched the first version of their website (http://www.phantom.net) and a brief video about the phantom. Neither were very informative at all, but they were both made by 2advanced studios, one of the best (and most expensive) design studios on the planet. The site and video might not have told us anything specifically, but it did tell us that Infinium seemed to have more than plenty of money to throw around.

For months, Infinium Labs stayed under the radar. It would be months before we heard a thing from or about Infinium Labs or their Phantom, and by that point we had all but abandoned hope for the fledgling company. It’s no secret that dreams are broken or fulfilled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, but would the Phantom be able to revive itself after a year-long hiatus with a flashy booth and girls in skimpy clothes?

Note: The contents of this page were originally printed one week after the contents of the previous page (September 27th, 2004). All mentions of dates should be considered relative to the time they were written.

A Foreword

The saga continues. It’s getting harder and harder for me to write opinion pieces regarding Infinium because, as soon as I have an outline laid out, Infinium Labs is back in the limelight for some fantastical new claim or media blunder. The past is unchanging, which is why History teachers will always have a job. Since its cursed beginning, the Phantom has always been taking flak from gamers, so there isn’t much I could accomplish by venting how I feel about this or that aspect of Infinium Labs or their hardware. Rather, it is my hope that I can help out the uninitiated by unloading what I know about the topic.

Since my somewhat-famous pictures hit the net, I’ve become the sort of informal Senior Phantom Correspondent here at Gaming Horizon, and as the holder of such a daunting title I feel it would be the most prudent use of my position and experience to chronicle these events. I do not mean to blatantly insult Infinium Labs by any of this (and I’m not just saying that because a lawyer told me to), I think only time can tell how the Phantom will be received.

I’m doing this so that the Phantom-bashers will know what they’re bashing for. I’m doing this because victories are oft forgotten, but mistakes live on. I’m doing this because if I don’t, somebody more popular than I am will do it, leaving me with nothing to do but write pithy opinion pieces.

Shake Them Maracas!

In early 2004, a few weeks before the gaming news orgy we all call E3 was scheduled to take place, we received word that Infinium Labs would have some sort of presence at the expo. Jokes were made by all, but I personally was interested to see how they played their cards. We had yet to see an actual, physical Phantom. At that point, all we had to go on was a few CGI rendered prototypes that (to me) looked like really angry alarm clocks.

The night before E3, there was a small press-only event put on by a marketing company called Pepcom. The event was eFocus, a Cinco de Mayo themed expo where hardware companies that would be showing at E3 the next day were allowed a table and a tablecloth with which to amaze the media (no billion-dollar booths). It was a nice little event, companies like nVidia and Benq Electronics (that would have obviously have been eclipsed by game studios’ fanfare at E3) had the opportunity to have a one-on-one with the press. There were tacos, there were margaritas, there were… “Hey, is that the Phantom?!”

I had probably walked by them twice before I noticed “Infinium Labs printed on a white placard taped to a table in the back corner. My heart fluttered as I looked up to the tabletop. “This is the Phantom?” someone next to me said. “Sure is,” said the man behind the table, beaming like Miss America. “Where is it,” I thought, “behind the family-size George Forman Grill?”

I must have been dreaming. I’m looking at the “System that we’ll never see?” Well, I guess this is the kind of thing that happens when you’re a game journalist: history is made. I was having to fight with a few people to get a good look at the system, and to take some pictures. When I got my hands on the keyboard and mouse thingy, I tried my best to break the interface. The guy said that the interface/GUI would be totally customizable with themes. Really? That’s nice, but can it play games?

I was told that, because they were unable to get a broadband line, they couldn’t download any games onto the system and therefore couldn’t play any. I scratched my chin, turned my head 90 degrees to the left and looked ten feet away at the Voodoo PC table where they had two computers with broadband.

Ok, well that’s 31 flavors of suspicious. Can I at least get a press kit? Nope, ran out.

Things were looking up already.

Take One Part Bright, Add One Part Shiny

The next day I woke up and was delivered by bus to my first E3. It took several hours for the shellshock to wear thin enough for me to pay any attention to what was going on. On my quest for more free t-shirts I stumbled across Infinium’s booth. Well, I can’t say I stumbled upon it – the thing was a monster.

Inside the silver walls were a half dozen “living room” setups, each with a 40 inch Plasma TV screen and a big honkin’ surround sound system, which seems like a more logical setup than a bunch of arcade cabinets with Phantoms locked behind Plexiglas. Stationed at each of these was a spokesperson armed with a microphone, demonstrating the specifics of the system. People were piling around in droves, trying to see with their own eyes That Which Shall Not Be Seen.

Whether the eFocus broadband was a lie or not, they definitely had connections at E3. Each of the systems running had Unreal Tournament 2004 playable, and a few cheap spelling and puzzle games you’d get for free in a box of Trix.

Probably the most surprising thing to come out of E3 was the announcement of the Phantom Gaming Service. Apparently, Infinium’s claims to “revolutionize the industry” were speaking of the system wherein you can pay something like $29.99 a month to be able to download as many games as you want, you even get the actual console for free if you sign up for a two year contract. If you’re not hip to monthly payments, you can just outright buy the console and pay for each game individually.

Infinium’s booth generated a phenomenal buzz. It wasn’t that the Phantom was amazing, it was that it was real. It was like seeing Duke Nukem Forever on a store shelf, something that by all rights was not expected to happen.

Obviously, their “booth” cost a fortune. For a company with no product, Infinium Labs was certainly waving around its wallet.

Maddening Silence

Nothing, and I do mean nothing happened. Infinium had gotten pretty good at their drive-by announcements, and for months after 2004’s E3 there was nary a peep from the company.

This industry lives and dies by screenshots and demo videos. Other than UT2004, we had no idea what games would be available on the Phantom. Infinium hadn’t even released the developers or publishers they were working with.

It’s stuff like this that make us question the legitimacy of a product. Had I not touched one with my own fingers, I would have been right on board with the “It’s fake!” crowd.

Infinium Watchdogs

In the months following E3, with questions on everybody’s lips, some groups took it upon themselves to find the truth.

Where Is Phantom? opened their virtual doors and became the roadmap for Infinium’s potholes. Ex-Infinium employees and overall naysayers flooded the forums, anxious to dish out the latest rumor they heard at a watercooler. WIP? is still one of the best resources for Phantom news, in fact they were the first with details regarding the outcome of the HardOCP vs. Infinium Labs suit.

Broken Piggybanks

September 8th, 2004 I reported here that, according to the quarterly financial report filed with the SEC (available in its entirety at Yahoo! Finance), Infinium Labs needed almost 70 times the amount of money they had then.

Here is their reporting of their projected costs for 2004: According to this, they need just under $70 million to stay alive through December. As of that filing, the company had a little over $134,000 to their name. What happened to the almost $10 million they earned earlier in the year? Did Infinium blow all of their money on E3 and other hype?

Legal Mumbo Jumbo Strikes Back

No “months of silence” here. Just nine days later, Where Is Phantom? reported the verdict in the lawsuit between allegedly slanderous hardware review website HardOCP and the allegedly doomed-from-the-beginning Infinium Labs.

As I summarized here, the Judge ruled that Infinium Labs must surrender a whole slew of financial documents before September 30th, 2004, including the identities of all company investors (something that had been a controversial secret), and the personal income taxes filed by Timothy Roberts, CEO of Infinium. It seems like the Judge was just as curious as to the sources of Infinium’s money as HardOCP was.

And to think, if Infinium Labs had just taken the bit of criticism and not thrown themselves in a legal battle, they would never have to reveal anything.

I’m anxiously awaiting the 30th.

Thus Concludes Our Broadcast Day

Everything that’s happened since then happened after the first part of this series went live, so you should have already read it.

Is it coming? Stop asking me. I think all the mystery surrounding the company has been mostly in regard to Infinium’s fishy finances. When reports come in as to the content of the documents turned over to the court, it may be possible to determine whether or not to expect to see a Phantom sitting next to your television anytime soon.

I hate to point out the bleeding obvious, but it is called the “phantom” after all.

Ok, that was tacky.