Viking upon first glance is a hack and slash game with a Norse mythological theme, and it does it well. But, is this just another attempt at a God of War clone? In a way yes and no.. does it detract from the game? In that regard I can certainly say no. However, is it a killer app? Unfortunately I wish I could say yes but it has some flaws that definitely keep it from being up there.

Graphics: 85/100
Viking certainly has some breathtaking visuals but they are far from perfect. The game uses the now common place normal mapping technique to give objects in the game the illusion of light and dark and dynamic textures that reflect light in a somewhat realistic fashion. We first saw this technique in games such as Doom 3 and Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay which back then were visually stunning. The technique has come a long way since then but in Viking it still has that glazed over look thats not all that realistic but it doesn’t mean the eye candy isn’t still good. Though you will notice a lot of textural glitches and hiccups now and again, while they can be rather noticeable they don’t detract too much from the overall experience. The character models are nicely rendered with a somewhat authentic period dress for the plethora of viking warriors and the undead legions of Hel, however the animation of the character models suffer from hiccups here and there, you’ll notice a jarring of your character as the sometimes jumpy camera tries to keep up. Now, the water in this game is the least appealing aspect of this game’s graphics.. now we’ve seen some pretty nice water in BioShock (hell.. we havn’t seen water that great since BioShock..) however, at least in other games it looked like water, in this game it looks more like a undulating fog with no defined edge as it rolls around and onto the shore, they could have put a little more work into the design.

Sound: 75/100
The sound in this game is pretty good however it’s nothing special: clangs, slashes and typical sounds associated with this genre, the sounds from the gore are pretty entertaining though. The music is great, it fits with the epic nature of this game however the developers decided to only have the music cue in at certain times and certain situations so most of the time you’ll be traversing the wilderness in silence but when the music does kick in it does really convey the mood very nicely. The dialogue is pretty good, with accents that somewhat fit the theme (however.. I don’t get why some speak in a Scottish accent while others have a Norwegian accent).

Gameplay: 77/100
I was really hoping this game would have a diverse fighting system, which it does to some degree but however, it does feel like it’s lacking at times. You start out with a Fast attack and a Slow attack which vary in speed and most importantly the amount of damage they do. These can be chained into combos which you learn from the spirit of a soldier in the Battle Arena for a nominal fee of course. This adds to the experience as you can upgrade your character as you progress and what is also nice is once you have purchased a new move the soldier will fight you to show you how to use the new move which makes learning them a snap. In addition to the usual hack and slash moves you have thrown weapons including an Axe and a Napalm like Fire Pot weapon, you are also armed with Runes that give you elemental powers that enchant your sword and enchant the swords of your comrades in your vicinity. These runes require energy which you can only get from slain enemies which is a pain in the ass as whenever you die you lose all the energy you’ve accumulated and the amount of energy you get from an enemy is determined by the way in which you dispatched them.. either by normal attack or a special finishing move which are a very nice touch. My major gripe however is the lack of diversity in weaponry because you don’t get any other weapons besides the sword and axe you start the game with, it’s not really a big deal I guess but it does get a little boring to use the same weapons over and over again, however the combat is fast and intense so that is forgiving. One of the best features in this game is the final battles in the several areas you must liberate from the Goddess Hel. They are huge epic battles with hundreds upon hundreds of enemies and ally warriors, however these scenes will at times cut the frame rate to a crawl but it’s not so bad that you can’t play the game. But these parts are one of the really redeeming qualities to some of the less then stellar aspects of this game.

Replay: 67/100
This game doesn’t have much going for it in the replay department, pretty much once you’ve liberated a large portion of the area in which you are in next to no random legion show up. There are hidden skulls in the major areas to find for some achievements but pretty much thats about all there is to do after you’ve beaten the game on all the difficulty settings. The game is fun but it can only hold up for so long when you’ve beaten it.

Overall I have to say the game is a fun departure from the usual hack and slash games that have been on the market as the Norse Mythos hasn’t been visited in many games in recent years with the PS2 game Rune being the only other one that comes to mind. While the game tries pretty hard to be like God of War it doesn’t quite match up but it is unique in it’s own respects. I would suggest renting it first to see if you like it, otherwise wait for the price to go down before embarking on this quest.

In a recent IGN interview with actor John Dimaggio who voiced the grizzled COG Marcus Fenix, information on what to expect was leaked albeit limited. What John had to say was that the Brumacks would be a featured enemy in the game. He also stated that there will be new allies to meet, tougher enemies and a slew of new weapons will be featured and I can personally say that is an exciting prospect since the weapons already in the first game were pretty sweet. Other then that not too much more information has been released as of now.

While it is cool that the Brumacks will be in this game, the fact is the Brumack was also featured in the recent PC release of Gears of War so fighting one isn’t exactly a new experience if you have played the PC version, but we must have faith because EPIC did not disappoint with the original and it can only be a fan boys wet dream to figure out what kind of obstacles Marcus will face in the next installment

In a response from the Microsoft run Gamerscore Blog regarding the recent news that Toshiba will be abandoning the HD-DVD format, the company writes:

We do not believe the recent reports about HD DVD will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace.  As we’ve long stated, we believe it is games that sell consoles and Xbox 360 continues to have the largest next-gen games library with the most exclusives and best selling games in the industry.  We will wait until we hear from Toshiba before announcing any specific plans around the Xbox 360 HD DVD player.  HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room along with playback of the DVD movies they already own.

I believe Microsoft is in an extremely vulnerable position right now, and is simply trying to deflect attention from the situation while it readies a response.  The demise of HD-DVD came along extremely quickly.  In early January Warner Bros. announced they would be phasing out HD-DVD in favor of Blu-ray, followed by several other similar announcements by Netflix, Best Buy and, last week, Walmart.  In just about a month and a half, the situation went from about neutral, to a full collapse for HD-DVD.

Microsoft had long been in the HD-DVD camp, supporting it directly through the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360.  However, they had stated numerous times that if Blu-ray turned out to be the winning format, they would have a solution for it.  This was likely something that Microsoft hoped to avoid, but that time has come.

With HD-DVD dead in the water, the next generation movie format has officially been determined.  Now consumers can finally make a purchasing decision without worrying about choosing the losing format.  However, where will those consumers turn?  Their choices are to get a standalone Blu-ray player (currently the lowest price one is $399) or for the same price pick up a Playstation 3 that can play both Blu-ray movies and PS3 games.  The choice seems obvious.  Suddenly Microsoft, with their Xbox 360 is left on the outside looking in.  Until they come out with a Blu-ray solution, they are extremely vulnerable.

Rumors are flying that Microsoft will have a Blu-ray addon available by May/June.   These next three months could turn the tide in the console race.

In a move that is sure to disappoint many sports gamers, EA and the NFL have agreed to extend their exclusive deal to make NFL licensed games till 2012. EA’s Peter Moore assures gamedaily that it was the NFL who sought this deal, not EA.

The NFL lives in a world where it feels above the common ideals of competition and innovation. As a monopoly itself, it is exempt from many of the rules and regulations that the rest of corporate America must adhere to with congressional oversight supposedly keeping it in line. Somewhere in all of this, however, the NFL decided that having competition in the video game market, where several publishers would have to seriously innovate in order to succeed, was less important than raking in a huge amount of cash up front.

In the end, the consumer pays the price for these actions. The NFL and EA both get paid, while the sports fan consumer is relegated to pay $60 for what ends up being a roster refresh. Without innovation, the Madden franchise has stagnated, and true sports fans are stuck.

In following with the tradition that began in Soul Calibur 2, the latest installment of Soul Calibur will feature a special character that will be unique to each platform, says 1up. These are Yoda on the 360 version and Darth Vader on the PS3, which seem like a natural fit to their respective platform.

While it remains impossible to battle Yoda against Vader, this inclusion adds a fun, albeit uncanonical twist to the series.

In their yearly Christmas Card, Rare has dropped hints that it is possibly working on a sequel to the successful fighting series Killer Instinct.  On the card, next to images of Viva Pinata characters and Banjo Kazooie is a stocking labeled “KI3″.  Now this is hardly a confirmation of anything, but it’s a not-so-subtle hint that Killer Instinct 3 is a real possibility.

[Via CVG]

The AP has released a list of what it deems are some of the best games of 2007, with Bioshock taking the top honor.  The credibility of the author has to come into serious question with his proclamation that Bioshock is available for Playstation 3, but he really begins treading on peoples’ toes with his statement that Halo 3 was the most overrated game of the year.  Check out the list for yourself over at ABC news.  Do you agree with it?

In their latest Weekly Update, Bungie has begun talking about the next round of Halo 3 downloadable content. From the post:

We’re playing the next batch of DLC. This first trio has been very well received. Eventually your Halo experience will be so swollen and engorged that you’ll have a hard time even remembering what the original map selection was. In the future, we’ll be bringing you more fully custom built maps and they may include one or more of the following:

• Symmetrical arena maps for competitive play.
• Returning classics demanded by the fans.
• Crazy new stuff you never expected.
• Unusual maps with lots of potential for interesting game types.
• Graphically spectacular settings.
• More Forge objects to use on new maps.
• Surprises.

We’ve really liked the newest maps, but the price was a little steep for just 3 additions. It sounds like maybe the next round of content will be a little more extensive.

Soltrio is what it is, it’s Solitaire. A single player card game that is played the world around, is it true to the real life game? Why yes it is, but is it good? I would say so.

Graphics: 80/100
First off for a card game this game is beautifully drawn. You have painted backdrops to add a little atmosphere to the otherwise plain game that Solitaire is, also the artwork on the cards is nicely done with the option of choosing between several different art sets for the cards. As with it’s pseudo-prequel Hardwood Solitaire III, the cards are fully animated when they are moved or shuffled which is really nice compared to some of the more mundane PC Solitaire games with static cards. Some visual effects are added for when you score points, But it also causes a problem. The cursor is made up of sparkling dots which can sometimes make seeing which card your actually on in a column of cards difficult at best.

A noticeable issue in this game is how it looks on a Standard Definition TV. For games that have a lot of cards on the play field it gets really eye straining if you do not have either a large TV or an High Definition set, other then that there is not much else to complain about.

Sound: 58/100
The sound is not the best, the biggest flaw in the audio department is the music. While the in game theme is magnificently done along with the menu theme as well the other music is horribly generic MIDI.. now in the days of compressed MPEG3 and other lossless digital audio formats why do they choose to use MIDI in a next gen game? It’s a real mystery. Unlike it’s cousin Hardwood Solitaire III, there is only ONE in game track. Now it is catchy and I find myself humming it when I’m not even playing the game but the monotony of it after an hour or so of playing makes you want to use the 360’s media player to add a little zest to the game.

The sound effects are nice, clean and never annoying. The sounds of the cards are realistic. The sound effects are just what you would expect from a relaxing game of cards.

Gameplay: 72/100
The fact is its Solitaire so if card games appeal to you then you will enjoy the way it plays. To mix it up a bit the developers included a Voyage mode which includes a treasure chest for each step on the journey around the Soltrio map. After completing 3 games of Solitaire you unlock a card graphic which can be used to create a custom card deck of your own. What makes this mode different then the Classic mode is that when you score points it fills in a power up bar that includes adding one reshuffle to games that have limited Stock Reshuffles, The ability to pick up any card from the Tableau, and the ability to pick up whole columns of cards in games that don’t allow it to name a few. This addition not only helps make some games with low chance percentages winnable but also adds an element of strategy as you have to use these power ups wisely.

Soltrio also features a Multiplayer mode which allows you to either play against another player or play along with a friend to complete a game of Solitaire, a rather fun addition though the game is really meant to be a single player game but it is a welcome feature none the less.

Replay: 77/100
Soltrio isn’t for everyone but if your a fan of card games then it does have a lot to offer since it does come with a decent amount of solitaire variations. Though unlike Hardwood Solitaire III which came with 100 variations, Soltrio requires you to purchase additional 9 Game Packs to expand upon the 18 that come with the game to reach that magic 100. While it is kind of a ripoff considering the base game costs 800pts it is well worth it if you want to get the most out of this great Solitaire game.

Overall, Soltrio is a great game for those who just want to sit back, relax and use their brains instead of killing things and blowing your friends up.

How many times have you turned down the volume on your headset, or fumbled to find the mute button in the middle of a match when you’ve got a foul-mouthed 10 year old babbling incoherently into your match of Halo? Have you found that playing with pre-teens is one of the major detriments of playing on Xbox Live? I certainly have had my fair share of these experiences, and typically play without my headset even on my head anymore.

Mark Wilson of Kotaku asks a simple question: Why doesn’t Xbox Live use age when forming matchmaking groups? As Microsoft repositions Xbox Live into a more community-based service, with Friends-of-Friends and online bio pages, it would seem logical that moving towards an environment where fostering friendship would be a good idea. With several hundred thousand players in a system like Halo, forming groups where the younger players typically played together, and the older players played together, would keep the two maturity levels from clashing.

Although, I might miss out on some of the entertainment. A couple weeks ago I was treated to an entire round of Halo where all I could hear on my headset was Akon’s “Sorry, Blame it on Me” sung by a little kid who replaced “You can put the blame on me” with “You can blame the Halo 3″. It was actually kind of funny.  Kind of.