Throwback Thursday (3/8/2012)

Its Thursday again, everyone’s favorite day of the week.  So lets get started.  Today’s game is the definition of a throwback.  Everything about this game is memorable, from the gameplay, to the announcer.  If you didn’t already guess, today’s pick is…

NBA JAM

If you had one sports game as a kid, this was the game to have.  No mater your skill level you could play this game.  The controls were super easy, and you could play with a friend.  Everything about this game appealed to me as a kid.  High flying dunks, a silly announcer, and the ability to push the other players to get the ball.  The only real complaint with this game, that I could remember, was that some of the all-stars weren’t in the game, mainly Jordan.  Other than that this game was a hit. So much so, that there is another NBA Jam that came out for PS3 and XBox 360.  This updated version is similar to the original except with updated graphics.  The game, like the original knows it is a joke and puts in classic unlockables like “Big Head Mode”.  Just look at it and tell me this game isn’t awesome, I mean, this sound track “is on fire.”

Now you can play the original here, but I recommend playing it on console or just getting the new version.  You wont regret it.

They Did One Thing Excellent Through

On Monday (if you didn’t read it go back and check it out) I posted a rather long review on the Battlefield 3 beta.  In that review I only looked at what they did wrong and what they need to fix.  This is the second half where I talk about what they did correctly, or rather what is already complete for the release.

The fist thing that stood out at me was the sounds in the game.  They are phenomenal.  Everything sounds crisp and clear.  The guns sound like the actual guns the player is firing.  The game balances the the sounds properly, for example gun shorts aren’t the only thing you hear.  If you’re a sniper, camping out on the little island in the pond, between head shots you can hear wild life like bugs crawling around and birds.  There is also the occasional breeze.  Maybe I find all of this amazing because I’m using really good headphones, but I’d like to think they took the time to get all of this right.  My absolute favorite part of the intricate sound is when another player spots an enemy, you hear chatter between NPC soldiers.  This also happens when you move from one MCOM group to another.  For example, when you destroy the first two stations in the park you hear a jet pilot radio in  ” Be advised I just blew a big f*cking hole in the ground, we should be able to enter the subway system through there.”  Lastly, something I find cool, if you are defending and you are about to deplete all of the attackers re-spawns the song from the trailer starts to play and get louder.

I’m posting this late, because I saw an article on another website quoting EA/DICE claiming that “the sound in BF3 is going to be better than it was in the beta.”  Now this may be only for the console visions, but in my opinion its flawless.

Battlefield Beta Review In The Works

check back here tomorrow for an update on our review of the BF3 beta.

Battlefield 3 Beta Goes Live Tomorrow

For all of you who who don’t know Battlefield 3 is going to be running an open beta for everyone, and I mean EVERYONE.  This beta is not just going live for PC, its going to be available for all platforms (sorry Wii no one loves you anymore).  The beta is going to be simple, it is only going to consist of one map and one game type.  The map is called “Operation Metro”. This map take place in the street of Paris with what seems like a large underground section to play in.  The game type is everyones favorite Rush.  I’m okay with that because I assume they are going to be testing their server strength, but I would have liked to been able to try out more multiple maps.  I say this not out of greed, but simply because I believe EA/Dice could get valuable data from players and might want to change the maps a bit before release.  Gears 3 did this and it worked. Okay now lets recap:

Map: Operation Metro

Game type: Rush

When: Starting tomorrow September 29th

Where: On all platforms (so you have no excuse not to play it….Again sorry no Wii)

How: If on PC go to  Origin, The rest should be on your consoles store/marketplace

So remember people this is a beta not a demo, if you want this game to be great remember to give feedback about glitches and problems.  Also remember this a Battlefield, work as a team and have fun.