DJ Hero

This week were getting into the groove. It's time to get down and get funky.  Activision has release it's latest in it's "Hero" games, DJ Hero.  Allowing you get up on the ones and twos (well ones) and spin some wax.  So let's get scratchin'.  YEAAAAAAAA BOY!

Story:

Activision must have decided that stories were no longer needed.  Because continuing the trend from the latest Guitar Hero games there is no story.  Which really for these rhythm games really isn't needed.  They are played for the fun and connection to the music.

Gameplay:

If you are familiar with the Guitar Hero or Rock Band games, then you have a good idea of what the gameplay will be like.

If not the basics are you will be hitting the buttons in time with onscreen "notes" as they pass the "hitzone."  The difference here is that you have a crossfader and turntable for scratching.  Some notes that come down will have arrows in them.  If they are arrow that go both ways then you have to scratch the turntable back and forth while holding down that button(s) when they pass the "hitzone."  If the arrow goes in only one direction then you move the turntable in that direction while holding down that button(s).  If the track that note is coming down slides to the left or right then you move the crossfader to the direction the track is going.

Starpower from Guitar Hero gets renamed "Euphoria," but it's still the same thing.  Glowing notes will come down every so often, play them all without missing and you gain Euphoria.  You can use Euphoria to temporarily increase your multiplier.  Another way to increase your multiplier it to do "rewinds."  After you play enough notes perfectly the rewind indicator will light up.  At that point when ever you want you can spin the record backwards (at least one complete rotation) and you can replay the same section you just played with a double multiplier.  (Note, don't do this while you have Euphoria active, it will instantly shut that off.)

And that's the basics, there is more, but that's starting to get into the more advanced things.  The game provides tutorials for everything you can do.  As an added bonus, unlike Guitar Hero, you can't fail a song.  That said though you don't get points or stars either for playing poorly or not at all.  Stars are important as getting stars allows you to unlock things such as other DJs, turntables, headphones, clothes, venues, but most important other setlists and songs.

Controls:

DJ Hero can only be played with the turntable controller.  It won't even let you get past the welcome screen with a regular controller.  You can play co-op and the guitar only setlist with a guitar controller, but you need the turntable controller.

I'll be honest, when I first saw pictures of it I thought it was a bit two simple and sparse.  I mean the guitar controller had 5 colored buttons, the strum bar, whammy bar, etc.  There is actually more than enough here to keep you busy, if not a little flummoxed.  The controller is pretty solidly built, a bit more heft than the guitar controller.  One nice thing is they thought of all the left handed people out there.  It can come apart to swap the crossfade section to the opposite side for them. The turntable moves very smooth, and it's easy to get a some fast spin action on it.  Just be careful when performing a rewind that it doesn't get a way from you.

Graphics and Sound:

The graphical style is more cartoon urban than it's cartoon rock brethren, which is to be expected.  Fun and colorful, the environments are very much like the clubs they should be set in.  Sound is great as is expected when it's a music game.  Musicly it's a bit all over the map, but it all fits together well.  I found myself head boppin' as I played some of the songs.  Kind of hope they put out a soundtrack CD.

The full set list is at the end of this blog post.

Overall:

Unlike it's Guitar Hero and Rock Band predecessors,  DJ Hero is poised for a more niche market.  Guitar Hero and Rock Band can both encompass a wide variety of music styles, rock, country, pop, metal, funk, techno, even hip hop and more.  Plus more people can wrap their head around the basics of playing a guitar, drumming or just plain singing, than playing a turntable.  DJ Hero is kind of limited in it's variety,  hiphop, techno, mash-ups, etc.  That's not to say there is a limit, but I don't see this being as popular Guitar Hero and Rock Band. It's also an investment in a controller that at the moment is only good for one game (currently the regular version retails around $120.00).  It's kind of like when Guitar Hero first came out, limited with a lot of potential, but a bit of a investment of time and money.

That said I encourage people to try it out if you get a chance or buy it if you can.  It was fun to play, especially if you enjoy song mash-ups.  Developer FreeStyleGames did a great job on putting it together.  Granted I didn't get much higher than medium playing through, but then again I wasn't that great at Guitar Hero or Rock Band at first either.  Time and practice and I'm pretty sure I can look like Grandmaster Flash or DJ ZTrip (both are unlockable characters too).  The no failing a song and the co-op with a guitar or two player with a second turntable controller can make for just as much fun as Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

I give it a 4.5.  Lots of fun, but limited for now.  Thinking about it though I could easily see this become part of Guitar Hero if Activision wanted to get some more out of it.  Lots of nu-metal/rap-metal bands have a DJ.

DJ Hero is rated T for Teen for Lyrics, Mild Suggestive Themes.

The DJ Hero Setlist;

• 2Pac - "All Eyez On Me" vs. The Aranbee Pop Orchestra - "Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)"
• 50 Cent - "Disco Inferno" vs. David Bowie - "Let's Dance"
• 50 Cent - "Disco Inferno" vs. InDeep - "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life"
• Afrika Bambaataa - "Zulu Nation Throwdown" vs. Freedom Express - "Get Down"
• Beastie Boys - "Here's A Little Somethin' For Ya" vs. DJ Shadow - "The Number Song (2009 Version)" (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
• Beastie Boys - "Intergalactic" vs. Blondie - "Rapture"
• Beastie Boys - "Lee Majors Come Again" vs. Daft Punk - "Da Funk" (Produced and mixed by Cut Chemist)
• Beck - "Where It's At" vs. DJ Shadow - "Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)"
• Bell Biv DeVoe - "Poison" Beat Juggle
• Bell Biv DeVoe - "Poison" vs. Beastie Boys - "Intergalactic" (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)
• Bell Biv DeVoe - "Poison" vs. Cameo - "Word Up!"
• Benny Benassi - "Satisfaction" vs. Tiësto - "Elements Of Life"
• Billy Squier - "The Big Beat" vs. N.E.R.D. - "Lapdance" (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Black Eyed Peas - "Boom Boom Pow" vs. Benny Benassi - "Satisfaction"
• Bobby "Blue" Bland - "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City" vs. 2Pac - "How Do You Want It"
• Bobby "Blue" Bland - "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City" vs. Connie Price & The Keystones - "Fuzz And Them"
• Boogie Down Productions - "Jack Of Spades" vs. David Bowie - "Let's Dance" (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
• Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers - "Bustin' Loose" vs. The Zombies - "Time Of The Season" (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
• Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers - "Bustin' Loose" vs. Young MC - "Bust A Move"
• Common - "Universal Mind Control (U.M.C.)" vs. Masta Ace - "Jeep A** Gutter (Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir RMX)" (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• Cypress Hill - "Insane In The Brain" vs. Classics IV - "Spooky"
• Cypress Hill - "Insane In The Brain" vs. David Axelrod - "The Edge"
• Daft Punk - "Around The World" vs. Young MC - "Bust A Move"
• Daft Punk - "Da Funk" vs. N.A.S.A. - "Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip"
• Daft Punk - "Megamix 1"
• Daft Punk - "Megamix 2"
• Daft Punk - "Robot Rock" vs. Hashim - "Al Naafyish (The Soul)" (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• Daft Punk - "Robot Rock" vs. Queen - "We Will Rock You"
• Daft Punk - "Short Circuit" vs. Boogie Down Productions - "Jack Of Spades"
• Daft Punk - "Technologic" vs. Gary Numan - "Cars"
• Daft Punk - "Television Rules the Nation" vs. No Doubt - "Hella Good"
• David Axelrod - "The Edge" vs. Eric B. & Rakim - "Eric B. Is President"
• Dizzee Rascal - "Fix Up, Look Sharp" vs. DJ Shadow - "Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul)"
• Dizzee Rascal - "Fix Up, Look Sharp" vs. Justice - "Genesis"
• DJ Shadow - "Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)" vs. D-Code - "Annie's Horn"
• Eminem - "My Name Is" vs. Beck - "Loser"
• Fedde Le Grand - "Put Your Hands Up For Detroit" vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn - "I Can't Stop (David Penn Remix)"
• Foo Fighters - "Monkey Wrench" vs. Beastie Boys - "Sabotage" (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Foreigner - "Juke Box Hero" vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs - "DJ Hero" (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Foreigner - "Juke Box Hero" vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs - "DJ Hero" (DJ-Guitar mix, produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Gang Starr - "Just To Get A Rep" vs. Mobb Deep - "Shook Ones, Pt 2" (Produced and mixed by J. Period)
• Gorillaz - "Feel Good Inc." vs. Blondie - "Atomic"
• Grandmaster Flash's - "Boom" vs. "Tap" (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
• Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool, DJ Demo - "Here Comes My DJ" vs. Gary Numan - "Cars" (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
• Gwen Stefani - "Hollaback Girl" vs. Gorillaz - "Feel Good Inc."
• Gwen Stefani - "Hollaback Girl" vs. InDeep "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life" (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)
• Gwen Stefani - "Hollaback Girl" vs. Rick James - "Give It To Me"
• Herbie Hancock - "Rockit" Beat Juggle
• Herbie Hancock - "Rockit" vs. N.E.R.D. - "Lapdance" (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
• InDeep - "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life" vs. Cameo - "Word Up!"
• Jackson 5 - "I Want You Back" vs. Gang Starr - "Just To Get A Rep" (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)
• Jackson 5 - "I Want You Back" vs. Third Eye Blind - "Semi-Charmed Life" (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Jackson 5 - "I Want You Back" vs. Third Eye Blind - "Semi-Charmed Life"
• JAY-Z feat. Pharrell - "Change Clothes" vs. 2Pac - "All Eyez on Me"
• JAY-Z - "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" vs. Eminem - "My Name Is"
• JAY-Z - "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" vs. Jackson 5 - "I Want You Back"
• JAY-Z - "Excuse Me Miss" vs. Rick James - "Give It To Me"
• Jean Knight - "Mr. Big Stuff" vs. Masta Ace - "Born To Roll"
• Jurassic 5 - "Jayou" vs. Billy Squier - "The Big Beat"
• Jurassic 5 - "Jayou" vs. Herbie Hancock - "Rockit"
• Kid Cudi - "Day 'N' Nite" vs. Black Eyed Peas - "Boom Boom Pow"
• Kool Moe Dee - "How Ya Like Me Now" vs. Reel 2 Real featuring The Mad Stuntman - "I Like To Move It"
• Little Richard - "Tutti Frutti" vs. Shlomo - "Beats" (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)
• M.I.A. - "Paper Planes" vs. Eric B. & Rakim - "Eric B. Is President" (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• M.I.A. - "Paper Planes" vs. Wale - "Lookin' At Me"
• Marvin Gaye - "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" vs. David Bowie - "Let's Dance"
• Marvin Gaye - "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" vs. Gorillaz - "Feel Good Inc."
• Motorhead - "Ace Of Spades" vs. Noisia - "Groundhog" (DJ-Guitar mix)
• N.A.S.A. - "Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip" vs. Isaac Hayes - "Theme From Shaft"
• Noisia - "Groundhog" Beat Juggle (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• Paul van Dyk - "Nothing But You" vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn - "I Can't Stop (David Penn Remix)"
• Public Enemy - "Shut 'Em Down" vs. Beck - "Where It's At"
• Public Enemy ft. Zakk Wylde - "Bring The Noise 20XX" vs. Justice - "Genesis" (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Public Enemy featuring Zakk Wylde - "Bring The Noise 20XX" (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Q-Tip - "Good Thang" vs. Billy Squier - "The Big Beat" (Produced and mixed by J. Period)
• Queen - "Another One Bites The Dust" vs. Beastie Boys - "Brass Monkey" (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Queen - "Another One Bites The Dust" vs. Daft Punk - "Da Funk"
• Rihanna - "Disturbia" vs. Kid Sister - "Control"
• Rihanna - "Disturbia" vs. The Killers - "Somebody Told Me" (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Rihanna - "Disturbia" vs. The Trammps - "Disco Inferno"
• Shlomo - "Beats" vs. Billy Squier - "The Big Beat"
• Street Sweeper Social Club - "Fight! Smash! Win!" vs. Beastie Boys - "Intergalactic" (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Tears For Fears - "Shout" vs. DJ Shadow - "Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)"
• Tears For Fears - "Shout" vs. Eric B. & Rakim - "Eric B. Is President" (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)
• Tears For Fears - "Shout" vs. Eric Prydz - "Pjanoo"
• The Aranbee Pop Orchestra - "Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)" vs. LL Cool J - "Rock The Bells" (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)
• The Scratch Perverts Beats and Pieces (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• The Killers - "Somebody Told Me" vs. Eric Prydz - "Pjanoo"
• Vanilla Ice - "Ice Ice Baby" vs. MC Hammer - "U Can't Touch This"
• Vanilla Ice - "Ice Ice Baby" vs. Paula Abdul - "Straight Up"
• Wale - "Lookin' At Me" vs. Black Eyed Peas ft. Tippa Irie - "Hey Mama"
• Weezer - "Beverly Hills" vs. Evidence, The Alchemist, Aceyalone, Rakaa & 88 Keys - "Fresh Rhymes And Videotape" (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Wild Cherry - "Play That Funky Music" vs. Gang Starr - "Just To Get A Rep" (DJ-Guitar mix)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

I'm about to make a shocking confession.  I have never played through a Call of Duty game at all.  In fact, prior to this game I owned only one, Call of Duty 2, but have yet to get around to playing it.  Too many games, never enough time.  Well that all changed recently when I got COD: Modern Warfare 2.  Does the game live up to it's hype?  Can Infinity Ward improve on what they started?

NOTE:  This is a mature rated title. How mature?  When you start the game it tells you there are scenes that graphic and disturbing and asks if you wish to play on with the game as is or skip the disturbing part.  If you click to continue as is it asks you a second time, "Are you sure?"  If you select to continue it will never ask you again, but if you have second thoughts you can change the setting in options.  Also if you selected to not play through the disturbing parts at the start, when you reach the a chapter in question it will ask if you wish play it or skip it.  Again it will ask "Are you sure?" if you click to play it.  This game is rated M for Mature for a reason. 

Story:

Basically, you could say it's World War III unfolding.  The game picks up 5 years after the events of COD: MW.  You start out as U.S. Army Ranger Private Joseph Allen in Afghanistan where you help retake a city.  General Sheppard, impressed by you, recruits you into his special ops.  And that's as much story as I'm gonna give you.  I don't want to spoil anything for anyone.  Suffice to say the story is well told through cut scenes and in-game acting.  You will play several characters in this game, since the story unfolds very movie like.  Moving from one part of the world to another.  I like the story enough that I have gone out and purchased "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" so I can learn the whole story.

I will say the story is short.  I finished it off around 10-11 hours, but I died a lot too (Rambo tactics don't always work).  I'm hearing a good player can do it around 5-7 hours.  This does not take away from the game though.  A game like this doesn't need an epic 30 hour story.  To me it felt to be just the right length.

Besides, a majority of the game will be played in multiplayer battles online. More on that later.

Gameplay:

COD: MW2 is planted firmly in one of my favorite genres, the first-person shooter.  It's very well done.  While I sort of miss the days of the "pack-mule" hero that could carry 20 weapons and 1000's of rounds, they are long past and the rule of the day is realism.  Well realism to a point.  I mean where else are you gonna get shot up multiple times and just "walk it off" by hiding behind some cover for a few moments.

Still everything else does play well and realistic.You have a limit of two weapons, a rifle and a pistol, plus some hand grenades and flash/bang grenades.  Infinity Ward keeps things things simple and supplies you with everything you need to finish each chapter.  They start you in each chapter with a set up that you can use through the whole chapter.  But they also litter the battlefields with various weapons, so you can pick and choose as you go along.  If one weapon doesn't seem to work well for you, pick up a different one.  Eventually you'll find a set to your liking.

Online multiplayer is kind of limiting at first.  You have to work your way up to unlock various loadouts, gametypes, and other perks such as custom loads, various looks for your character, titles, ranks, etc.  All this come from just spending time in multiplayer.  As you play you earn experience points depending on how well you do in the battles. The better you do the more points you get.  Be prepared to die a lot, it all just takes time and practice.

Controls:

Controls on the console were very smooth and very easy to pick up.  Your first couple missions are basically tutorials.  Anything new thrown in along the way is taught quickly.  Over all you can kind of think of the whole storyline as a tutorial for the online multiplayer.  Left stick for movement, right stick for camera.  Left trigger aim, right for firing your weapon in hand.  Left and right bumpers were for flash/bang and frag grenades respectively. A jump, B crouch, Y switch weapons, and X reload/use.  Similar layout for the PS3.

Graphics and Sound: 

Graphics were smooth, at no time online of off, did I have any slowdown.  They were crisp and clean.  The only complaint is looking at some of the M1A1 tanks they are missing details, but then again I spent 8 years on tanks in the Army, they probably got a day on them and a stack of Army approved pictures.

Sound was top notch also.  At no point did any sound effect sound odd.  Voice acting talent was very A-class.

Overall:

To me this game lives up to the hype around it and then some.  I enjoyed the game and will be playing through first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to compare the progress Infinity Ward made.  I could not find any fault.  The game gets a 5 out of 5.  If you like good war movies or good FPS games then this is one for you.  Considering it sold a bazillion copies on it's launch, you should have not problem finding people to play online.  We might even cross paths.....just give me a few moments before you shoot me.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is rated M for Mature for Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Language

 

FIFA Soccer 10

This week with the Seattle Sounders making a good run into the MLS Cup, I thought we'd take a look at FIFA Soccer 10.  Granted I don't know soccer well, but then again I don't know many sports well.  The basics, put the ball in the goal, I know.  So let's hit the pitch.

Story:

No story, but you can create a pro.  In create a pro you simply create a player and try to take him up through the ranks to become a world wide superstar.  You do this by winning, unlocking accomplishments and achieving goals set for you in each match by your team manager.  Creating your pro can be pretty in depth.  Hair style, eyes, nose, ears, chin, height, and weight are some of the things you can adjust.

Almost every country that has a Football/Soccer league is represented and you have your choice which you wish to play in and which team you want to play on.  I, of course, chose Seattle Sounders.

Gameplay:

The game play of FIFA 10 depends on what mode you are playing.  If you are playing Pro Season then the game centers on the pro you created and is played in a unique view to the position that pro plays.  If you play in a regular game then the view is that of the game from the side.  Regardless the controls are the same.  If you are unfamiliar with soccer, EA has included tutorials for each aspect of offense and defense.  They came in very handy for me to learn some of the game.  I ended up playing the Pro Season a lot because I liked the view better.

Controls:

While the controls are fairly simple, the tutorials are there for a reason, there is a lot more to soccer than just kicking the ball around.  I would highly advise watching each tutorial and then practicing the moves a bit before jumping into the game proper.  Even the beginner levels can be a bit of challenge if you don't know what you are doing.

Gameplay:

After the title screen the game drops you right into it.  You start out on a 1 on 1 practice field, just you and the goalie.  Pressing start takes you to the main menu.  Once in an actual game, the gameplay itself was pretty fluid.  The game was pretty good about telling me when I was starting to get offsides, and in general were I should be or should be going in relation to the action and my players position.  This was done by arrows at the players feet or a flag above the players head.  As the game went along I started getting a feel for things.  I still have some problems dribbling the ball, but passing I'm getting pretty good at.  Scoring in games I still have yet to do, but one on one I up to about 50% of the time.  While some asspects are still a bit fuzzy to me, I'm slowly getting it.

The tutorials while helpful are just videos.  I would have like something more like "this is how you do it" and then the game has you try to do it.  As it stands now I have to watch the tutorial, remember how something was done as I back out through the menus to the practice field to try it.

Graphics and Sound:

Graphically it looks pretty good.  I'd say right up there with Madden.  Players look pretty realistic and move pretty realistically too.  Sound was very good too. Sounds of the ball being kicked, other players on the field and the crowds cheering are all there.  The commentary even sounded fairly timely during play.

Overall:

Like I said earlier some aspects of the game are still fuzzy to me, but I was having fun.  I actually want to finish the season I started and really work on scoring goals.  For my first football/soccer game I'm going to have to give it a 3.5 out 5.  I'm intrigued enough to want to keep playing, but the learning the game is not easy.  Demos are available if you want to save some money to see if you like it, or rent it if you want try some of the deeper aspects or have played an older version of FIFA.  True football/soccer fans I think might really like this though.

FIFA Soccer 10 is rated E for everyone.

Torchlight

Well this week we jump back to the PC and boot up a new dungeon crawler called Torchlight, by Runic Games. Runic has some grand plans for Torchlight and this is it's first step.  Grab your sword and let's go cut up monsters.

Story;

Runic has built a good story for Torchlight.  From their web site;

The adventure is set in the mining settlement of Torchlight, a boomtown founded on the discovery of rich veins of Ember – a rare and mysterious ore with the power to enchant or corrupt all that it contacts. This corruptive power may have dire consequences however, and players set out into the nearby mountains and depths below to discover the full extent of Ember’s influence on the civilizations that have come before.

As players will learn as they they adventure forth, Ember is the root of many things in the world of Torchlight.  You learn more about Torchlight and the mines as you complete quests.

You start out as one of three classes.  You can choose from Destroyer, Alchemist, or Vanquisher.  Each have their own reasons for being in Torchlight.  The Destroyer is a fighter class.  He is drawn to Torchlight after "hearing of the evils that have befallen it."  Great with melee weapons, he will hack and slash his way through the mines.  The Alchemist is a mage class.  Because Ember plays heavily into his power he is in Torchlight for his own ends.  Spell casting is his forte.  Lastly is the Vanquisher, a ranger/archer class. She (yes she) is there "to investigate the mysterious slayings and missing town folks." Bows and traps are her specialties.  Each character can be improved over the course of the game.  As you level up, you will be able to assign points to your stats.  Learn new skills in your skill tree, and learn new spells that you find or purchase.  While each character is the basically the same at start for everyone, as you play you will tailor the character more and more to your own tastes.  Making the character more unique.

Gameplay;

As per usual with an action RPG game I always take the fighter.  They are always pretty straight to the point, plus there is something about hacking and slashing your way through this type of game that is always satisfying.  The gameplay is very Diablo-esque, which a lot of people seem to be saying.  That is not a bad thing either.  Diablo is a great game to be compared to, especially when compared favorably.  But there are other things to the game, parts of it seem inspired by World of Warcraft and some seem to be from Baldur's Gate; Dark Alliance.

After choosing your starting class you choose your pet, a cat or a dog.  While they can help in a fight they are there for more than just that.  The have their own inventory pack.  So when you get over loaded with loot you can store stuff on them.  Fill their pack up too?  Well you can send them back to town to sell everything they are carrying.  I loved that option.  I've always hated either stopping to go back to town to and sell all the stuff you picked up or trashing the least valuable items so I could explore more.  Now just load up the pet and send them on their way.  Usually they are gone for about a minute.  No more interruption in the game.

Speaking of no interruption, that has a nasty drawback.  You'll be playing the game and look up and suddenly realize hours have gone by.  I'll be honest to make my deadline for this review I did not get to play as much as I really wanted, because I was having too much fun to keep track of time.

Another nice element is that each level is randomly build as the game goes along.  So this also keeps each persons play through unique

Control;

Mouse and keyboard controls, pretty intuitive for anyone familiar with most PC RPG games.  Runic wanted to keep it fairly simple and it is.  For the most part I did pretty much everything with the mouse.

Graphics and Sound;

Sound are very good.  The voice acting was also pretty good, no groan inducing lines or overacted parts that I heard.  Graphically the art style reminded me a bit of cartoons or manga, which I found to be a nice change of pace from what most action RPGs look like.

Overall;

I really liked Torchlight.  Like I said it was a time sucker and I really just scratched the surface.  I never got around to the level editor to create my own levels, which could be shared.  I never got around to the fishing mini-game and so much more.  Sadly though the game does not have any online co-op, but really it's not missed.  Runic has some grand plans for Torchlight.  Which includes plans for a MMO based on the world of Torchlight.  If made as well as this, I'd say they would give World of Warcraft a good run for it's money.

For all the fun I had I give it a 4 out 5, only because it was such a time sucker.  There is lots of fun to be had, hours of fun if you are not careful.  This is an awesome game from Runic and I look forward to see what they do next.

Right now the only way to get the game is through digital distribution.  So you can got to your favorite digital download game site (Steam, Direct2Drive, Wildtangent, Perfect World, Encore, GamersGate, or Gameware.at) or go to Runic Games' web site and buy it from them directly.  And really for $20, you can't go wrong with this game, it's worth every dime.  If you are more thrifty, they do have a demo version so you can try it out first, but I really think you'll end up buying it.