Legendary Delivers For Controls

This game, which was developed by Spark Unlimited (of Turning Point infamy) was released a couple weeks ago, but we put it on the back burner in favor of making sure that the highly anticipated games were covered.

It seems that the majority of you just weren’t interested in this one, because normally if we haven’t posted on a game within a day or two of its release, we get emails asking “why haven’t you posted on this game yet?! What are the controls?!”

Not that we mind of course … but no one has asked about this game and it’s been out for weeks. I guess that says something… Read the rest…

Reader Mail: Why is Legacy Overlooked?

We recently received an email from a reader that we wanted to share:

I never imagined a group of like-minded people existed beyond my realm of gaming; I’m consistently struggling to navigate quality games with control schemes foreign to my hand’s muscle-memory. The legacy scheme is the set I’ve grown up playing all console shooters, be it Goldeneye or Halo, I have amassed over 11 years mastering the legacy scheme.

I often ponder why this scheme is overlooked. There’s no dissertation needed to study the intricacies of why the scheme should be inclusive in console games, it would only be natural to permit users of software to navigate in a desired preferable manner. Why induce a level of hardship on gamers who’s sole desire is to enjoy a game that a “default” or “southpaw” gamer
does.

I am very content that developers still keep their eyes on gamers like us (thank you Bungie and Epic!). I’ve weathered through Fallout 3 and Bioshock because of their outstanding quality, but the lack of customizable controls tarnishes the replayability.

Thank you Alt-Controls for existing!!!

Sincerely,

Matt Klein

Well put. I don’t think this needs much additional commentary from myself, but it really makes you wonder why alternate and customizable controls are overlooked by developers so often. And that goes for all styles, be it Southpaw, Legacy, Legacy-Southpaw, plus the implementation of button mapping.

What Are You Playing?

A simple question: What games are occupying your time now that most of the major releases of the year are available?

Currently, I’m on working on my second run through the Quantum of Solace campaign. I have one more level to go before I finish it again, which I will probably smash through right after this post.

Once I’m done that, next in my sights is Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. I still hate that DC characters are in it, but I can’t resist trying an MK game. I’ve followed the series since I was kid.

And I’ve asked the lady to pick up Gears 2 and COD: World at War for X-Mas, so if none of you are able to get a hold of me during the holidays, you’ll know why.

I know that SAKY is occupied with Left 4 Dead, and frankly, considering how much he’s been anticipating that one, I’m surprised he’s been able to write coherent emails and carry on a decent phone conversation.

But enough about us. What are you guys and gals playing now? Out of the recent releases, which ones have lived up to the hype? Which ones have let you down? Did anything catch you off guard?

And for once we’re going to bend the rules, and we’ll talk about any games that you’re playing - it doesn’t necessarily have be a shooter or a “site applicable” title. Remember, this site is not only a prong to hassle game developers about the inclusion of customizable controls; it’s also a gathering place for alt-control players.

Discuss!

Tomb Raider: Underworld

Here is a trailer for the upcoming Tomb Raider: Underworld -

Like recent Tomb Raider titles, I would imagine that this one is not going to offer Southpaw or Legacy control schemes; though it will likely make use of an auto-lock targeting system, so hopefully most of you will still find it to be fairly accessible.

Look for this one to launch on November 18th in North America and on the 21st in Europe on multiple platforms.

Review: Quantum of Solace

Now I would imagine that a number of you are putting this one on hold for the time being, or possibly skipping it altogether in favor of your Gears 2, COD: World at War, Left 4 Dead, Mirror’s Edge, Resistance 2, etc.

But, if you are a fan of GoldenEye 007 for the N64 and the COD series, you really need to play this game. I’ll be as bold to say that it is the best Bond game since Rare’s N64 masterpiece. I did enjoy Everything or Nothing and From Russia with Love, but those were third person games of course. Quantum of Solace is without question the best FPS Bond experience we’ve had in over a decade.

Treyarch has outdone themselves with this title, and hopefully it will help their company earn back some of the respect they lost from the FPS crowd after COD3. Now, I’ve said before that I did enjoy COD3, but I definitely preferred 2 and 4 by Infinity Ward. I think though, that gamers were perhaps a tad harsh on Treyarch for their work on COD3. But make no mistake, they have put together an excellent game in Quantum of Solace. Read the rest…

LEFT 4 DEAD DEMO

Alternate Controls:
-Southpaw

I got my hands on the Left 4 Dead early Demo this past Thursday and my lazy self is just getting around to this. Left 4 Dead is developed by Turtle Rocks Studios, under Valve. This game uses the same game engine as all those games in The Orange box, Source. I must say that I had the highest hopes for the control options in this game but my hopes were crushed upon reviewing this Demo. As stated above this title only supports Southpaw. In addition to that the game doesn’t have button mapping found in it’s Orange Box brethren. Replacing that, instead, is four preset controller layouts. Really these are just hard times for Legacy guys.
Read the rest…

G-Day: Gears of War 2 Launches

Today marks the day that Xbox 360 owners have been pining for since Cliffy B Cliff Bleszinski of Epic first announced the existence of the sequel to one of the top games on the console.

The wait is over - today you can get your hands on Gears of War 2. And in typical Epic fashion, we don’t need to worry about controls since all four stick configurations are offered as mitch822cc already confirmed.

To mark what will likely go down as another historic day for gamers, here is the opening cinematic from Gears 2 for you to enjoy. No spoilers, so don’t worry:

Enjoy the video and your Gears of War 2 weekend. Feel free to let us know your thoughts on the game, which of course has been receiving favorable reviews.

More Good News: Quantum of Solace

Did everybody forget about the release of Quantum of Solace, the potential GoldenEye successor built on the Call of Duty 4 engine?

Fans of GoldenEye and COD will definitely want to check this one out, as we can confirm that all four standard stick layouts are available, along with three button layouts.

There still are not a lot of reviews available for this game, but the two I found speak quite high of this game:

“…what I feel that I can say is that if the talented team of game developers who wowed gamers so long ago with that particular N64 title, set to work to produce it again now with current generation technology, then Quantum Of Solace would be the game that they would create. Or to put it another way: this is GoldenEye for a new generation. And praise doesn’t come much higher than that.”

(videogamer.com, 9/10)

“Quantum of Solace is hugely enjoyable, and a complete surprise.”

(thesixthaxis.com, 8/10)

A note to COD players, you’ll want to use the “Legacy / Southpaw” button layout: This maps the buttons in the same manner as the famed Activision series.

Good News Has Come! Gears of War 2

Alternate Control Schemes Offered: Southpaw, Legacy, Legacy-Southpaw

Alternate Button Combinations: Ability to swap aim/shoot triggers, Ability to invert the X and Y axis.

New option since Gears 1: Ability to separate the roadie run to the X button (the “use” button is then pushed over to Y and combined with “point of interest”)

Well the obvious good news is that all 4 of the stick configurations are indeed offered in Gears of War 2! Also lefties are not forced to switch the trigger to the left side (as some past titles have made the mistake of doing).

Where I get confused though is, why oh why, didn’t they make that alternate roadie run button a shoulder button instead of X. The X button doesn’t really fix much as far as I can see. (This would have saved people from the issue I’m about to bring up.) And with no further delay…

Note to Legacy/Southpaw users: Now when using the chainsaw, you still keep the standard legacy configuration when the chainsaw is revved up. Awesome! (Basically you can aim left and right with your left stick like normal.) The incredible omission here is that Epic DIDN’T do the same with the roadie run. Basically we are stuck still switching over to the right stick to navigate while in a roadie run. Ugh!

Overall, Gears of War 2 is about as much as we could ask for from a alt-control friendly game. Add in custom button mapping and we would have had perfection here. I can’t wait for Friday!

COD: W@W beta *UPDATED

After this past weekend’s fiasco with the beta codes I posted I received this E-mail from Gamestop/EB Games today:

If you’re experiencing difficulties accessing the Call of Duty World at War Beta, beginning tomorrow morning, Tuesday, November 4, at 2:00am PST you will be able to access the Multiplayer Beta. You will no longer need a beta code to access. Simply enter the Xbox Live Marketplace, click on “Game Demos” and locate Call of Duty World at War to download the beta. If you have further issues regarding the beta you can contact the Activision hotline at 1-800-229-3399.
Read the rest…