Spike's Game Trailers

Greetings! This is the Full Effect's first blog and I'll be reviewing/highlighting Spike TV's June 21 show of Spike's GameTrailers. In total, four games were exclusives for the show. The Lord of the Rings Conquest, Call of Duty: World at War(trailer only), Star Wars: The Clone Wars(trailer only), and UFC 2009 were all segments of the show.

First off, for all you fanboys, get ready to crap yourself. The Lord of the Rings Conquest looks amazing. The game developers at Pandemic really out did themselves. If you are unsure of Pandemic's history, check out Star Wars Battlefront I and II. That being said, the LOTRC does to LOTR what Battlefront did for Star Wars. In the game, players will play battle sequences from the beginning of Tolkien's master trilogy to the end. Even more exciting, if you haven't read or seen the trilogy Frodo and the defenders of Middle Earth destroy the ring, is an alternate ending. Instead of victory for the forces of good, Sauron, aka ultimate badass, gets the ring and the forces of evil work backwards all the way back to the Shire. Finally, for those of you who wished you were able to kick Elijah wood in the teeth, now's your chance. Hugo Weaving, Smith in the Matrix and Elron in the LOTR series, provides narration for both the good and evil campaigns. Just as exciting will be the multiplayer. Just as you could pit the likes of Chewbacca vs. Darth Vader in Battlefront, you can set up the matches not seen in the story or the movie. The only time we got to see Sauron in the movie was in highlights. Now he can become a playable character and players can test his abilities against the all loving Greybush...I mean Gandalf. What really impressed me the most was the multiplayer game where one character is Frodo and the rest are Ring Wraiths. Instead of vehicles you'll be able to control trolls and ents and oliphants, yes I read the stories go ahead and wedgie me, and you will plow through hordes of enemies.

The other highlight of the show was UFC 2009. Yes, it is a little ballsy for potty mouthed Dana to come out with yet another mixed martial art video game. The original UFC came out for the Playstation, the Dreamcast and for the GameBoy color...nuff said. Also owned by UFC owners Zuffa, Pride's mediocre PrideFC came out for the Playstation 2. Dana though assured viewers that those games came out before Zuffa took over UFC and Pride so they take no responsibility for the flops. Zuffa went with THQ, famous for Saints Row and WWE games, to provide the full onslaught of ground and pound. As a fan and a practicer of mma, I am pleased with the way this game looks. Full body scans were used to detail the fighters and the physics of the ring useage look realistic. Gameplay looks a little choppy, but then again, so is ground fighting. Zuffa was smart to use the highlight of their upcoming light heavyweight championship bout of Forest Griffen and Quinten 'Rampage' Jackson as the demo fight for the game. Also making an apperance in the trailer was mma referee Mario Yamaguchi. The game features all your favorite guard passes, sweeps, takedowns and ko's with a fully functinal 360 degree camera view. The realism of the styles of each fighters will also keep fans/gamers entertained. The biggest problem is that it is not expected until sometime next Spring. Are we not entertained? Not for a while.

All in all, the future of gaming looks positive. Look for more reviews soon. To view this episode of GT check out http://www.spike.com/full-episode/lord-of-rings-conquest/27798. Until then...keep gaming!