"The job of a storyteller is to pull the audience into a world and keep them there. The job of the audience is to stay there until they get bored."

• 27Aug 08

  Commute in a galaxy far far away from traffic.

  Star Wars Battlefront Renegade Squadron for PSP is worth a second look at $17.99 from EB and with a score of 8.0 from GameSpot. This titles single player campaign takes place during the original trilogy and revolves around a band of rogues struggling to keep the Alliance alive. Renegade squadron allows you to customize your character in unique ways, for example creating a Wookie from the Black Sun crime syndicate. The first few missions throw you directly into the action and you'll find yourself trading hot plasma, on the ground and in space, with the likes of Boba Fett , IG-88, and Darth Vader.

  What's incredible about Renegade Squadron is just how many ways you can prosecute missions. This is a continuation of the Battlefront series meaning weapon loadouts are customizable and combat non-linear. Just when you think your Blaster Rifle, Grenade Launcher, Wrist Rocket, Personal Shield combo is the ACME of Storm Trooper stomping, you'll run into a mission where a Sniper Rifle and Remote Rocket Gun will give you twice the bang with half the effort.

  Layered over the ground combat is space combat, which will leave you excited in ways you haven't been since the original X-Wing. You'll enjoy missions such as retrieving a Holocron from the exploded remains of Alderaan, or destroying the gravity well generators of an Interdictor Cruiser so the Alliance can escape. Flight controls are dumbed down for the PSP, but you could never land in a Star Destroyers hanger and assault on foot after blowing up its shield generators in the original space sim. Each ship class, A-Wing, X-Wing, Y-Wing, and Transport have different flight characteristics reminiscent of older X-Wing titles.

  Last but not least, the cut-scenes in Renegade Squadron are excellent. Each sequence is presented web comic style with beautiful concept art conveying the gritty Star Wars universe from dusty backwater bars to high tech briefing rooms on capital ships. These cut-scenes are something to look forward to because they add to the Star Wars Cannon while setting up each mission.

  Renegade Squadron is a step closer to my Star Wars dream game which would be a GTA/X-Wing/Freelancer/KOTR mash up. I want to be able to pickup a mission in a bar, fly from ground to space, eject and board someone else's ship, shoot my way to the bridge, and fly that ship to another solar system. George, you can have my idea for free, or hell, I will pay you to make my game. In the meantime, on your way to work, everyone should check out Renegade Squadron, you'll enjoy it a hell of a lot more than pretending to check your Iphone.

  • Posted Aug 27, 2008 6:11 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
  • 1 Comment
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• 19Aug 08

  A PSP is the new cost effective way of avoiding eye contact on the train.

  Now that your hands aren't at ten and six due to gas prices, food prices, and the pay cut you take every year from inflation, you owe it to yourself to get your hands on something to make your commute enjoyable. The underrated PSP is now as low as $170 and the bargain bin at GameStop is your friend. Since I deal with gameplay at GameSpot, I thought I'd go back and dig up a game or two that we loved but previously didn't have footage for. Also, if you haven't played God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP), that should be your first stop.

  First Game

  Chili Con Carnage is a shooter focused on one thing, slow motion blasting fools. The action is spicy and so is the south of the border humor. The targeting system is elegant for the PSP, right bumper plus trigger kills people, left bumper plus trigger kills objects. There are a number of highly entertaining special moves that do anything from stacking your hands with guns like a Looney tunes character, to giving you machine gun guitar cases much like Desperado, to a bull attack that lets you run around at high speed smashing dudes. The music goes in tune with your killing streak so by the tenth body you'll be feeling it. Watch me tornado some fools.

  Next I'm playing Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (PSP)

  • Posted Aug 19, 2008 4:43 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 10Jul 08

  If you don't know what this is your parents hated you as a child.

  Remember 3d? Hint, it was directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

  

  • Posted Jul 10, 2008 10:02 am PT
  • Category: Movies
  • 3 Comments
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