I've got a bit of a mixed bag for you today. First off, let's talk about games!
I've been a game collector for over 10 years now (and a gamer for over 30). It's been my main hobby, and the focus of most of my spending money, for a long time. But sometimes in life you have to tighten that belt up a bit. So here lately I've been saying that my game collecting is on hiatus. Times are tough, money's tight, and I just can't necessarily afford to go spending anything on games I know are just going to sit on a shelf. That's why it's nice to see so many games right now dropping so low in price. Of course, it seems to happen at the end of every generation. Gen 7 is winding down, and many of its games are getting to be pretty cheap. But I've even noticed it with gen 8 already! Just the other day I found a number of Wii U games that had come down quite a bit in price. Not any of the really big titles, of course, but still some solid stuff.
If you own any of the gen 7 consoles, or a Wii U, now would be a great time for you to get out there and do some bargain hunting. Be sure to check your locally owned independent game stores first, as that helps your local economy and is just more fun, but if you don't find anything you like there you can always do Amazon. It's a good time to be on the look-out for cheap games! Oh, and by the way, I did manage to pick up that Mass Effect 3: Special Edition for Wii U that I talked about in a previous post, and I got it for very cheap.
Now on to movies! I'm a Netflix subscriber. I've had it for a number of years now. In fact, I no longer have cable in my house, and I don't even really miss it. Netflix and the internet give me pretty much everything I need. That said, I haven't used my Netflix much lately. I barely watched it at all for the past couple of months. I've been watching a ton of stuff on the net. But, the other day I got on Netflix just to see what was new, and wound up adding almost a dozen movies to my instant queue. Mostly horror flicks. Over the next few weeks I'll be checking them out. I've got some supernatural horror, ghost stories, monster movies, etc., as well as some suspense thrillers and that sort of thing. I've got a few Asian horror movies, a lot of Hollywood stuff, some independent movies also, it's a pretty good mix.
If I find anything in there that really stands out, I'll be sure to mention it here. If any of you have any recommendations, I'm always open to them! Let me know in the comments, or on Twitter.
Lastly, I'd like to promote one of my favorite podcasts. If you're into the paranormal at all, or even just like to be entertained while hearing about some really out-there stories, please check out Mysterious Universe! If you follow me on Twitter you might have seen me talking about them there last week. I've been listening to MU for a few years now. No one else I've ever listened to strikes just the right balance between being serious about the subject matter and being humorous and entertaining. These two guys, Ben and Aaron, are among the top in their field. They're funny and engaging, but also know when to let the creepy stories they talk about just be creepy. Far too many of the paranormal podcasts and radio shows I've come across feel the need to constantly joke about the subject matter in a way that makes me feel like the hosts aren't being respectful.
It's one thing to be a skeptic, skepticism is healthy, but why would I, as a listener, want to listen to a show where the host comes off like they're laughing at me for listening to their show? When I listen to Mysterious Universe, I always feel like they're laughing with me. I'm not sure how to put it any better than that. There are plenty of other paranormal shows on the internet, and I do listen to a number of them, but MU is always my first recommendation to people.
That's it for today! Thank you for reading! If you have any recommendations for me, be they movies, games, or paranormal podcasts, leave a comment here, or follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI.
Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
More Strider/Soulcalibur II jumps on the bandwagon
If you read my last post, you'll remember that I was complaining about 3rd party developers ignoring Nintendo. The new Strider was my prime example. Well, just a couple of days after I made that post, Double Helix, the developers of the new Strider, said that a Nintendo version would be done if the demand was there for it. Now don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not claiming any influence in that decision. But I'm very happy to hear about it. If you're a Nintendo fan like me and would like to see the new Strider on the Wii U, be sure to tweet @DoubleHelixGame and @Capcom_Unity. Use the hashtag #StrideronWiiU.
I know, Twitter campaigns don't work, blah blah blah. It doesn't take much time out of your day to send a couple of tweets, and these companies can't know what we want if we don't tell them.
In related news, Namco Bandai has announced an HD remake of Soulcalibur II, which was an awesome game. But, once again, it's not for Nintendo! This one is really mystifying to me. Here's a bit of backstory for those who don't know. Soulcalibur II was originally released back in 2003 for GameCube, PS2, and Xbox. Each version of the game got an exclusive character. The Xbox version got Spawn, Todd McFarlane's comic character. Very cool. The PS2 version got Tekken's Heihachi. Kind of an odd choice, putting a fighter who just uses his fists into a fighting game known for using weapons, but still decent. The GameCube version got Link. Now, the GameCube was not one of Nintendo's greatest successes. It was, in fact, the third place console in sales during gen 6. Despite that, it was the GC version of Soulcalibur II that sold the most. People loved being able to play as Link! I knew a lot of guys that had the game back then, and not a one of them had any other version. Even today, when you go to retro game stores, the GC version isn't exactly rare, but you see it far less than you do the PS2 or Xbox versions. People kept their GC Soulcalibur IIs!
So now it's getting redone in HD, and we won't be able to play as Link? Boo! Boo, Namco! This remake is coming out on Xbox 360 and PS3. I have read that Spawn and Heihachi will be appearing in both versions of the game. So, after reading that I did understand a bit more why Nintendo wasn't getting this. If it were on the Wii U, Nintendo would expect their version to have Link in it. But if that happened, Microsoft and Sony might complain about Nintendo getting an extra character. And of course, there's no way Nintendo would allow Link to appear in the 360 or PS3 versions. But still, platform-specific bonuses like this happen all the time. See Kratos appearing in Mortal Kombat on PS3. It happens. So why is Namco ignoring Nintendo?
It's not like they have a bad relationship. Namco is helping to co-develop the two new Super Smash Bros. games coming for Wii U and 3DS! If Nintendo trusts Namco enough to let them co-develop one of their biggest franchises, I'd guess they're pretty tight. So why would Namco not try to recreate the success of the GC version of Soulcalibur II by making this remake on Wii U with Link?
Okay, enough of this. My apologies for waving the Nintendo banner for a second post in a row. I promise next time I'll find something else to talk about. As always, thanks for reading! Please tell your friends about the blog, and follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI.
Today's music: Listening to my Reds beat up on the Giants in a double header!
I know, Twitter campaigns don't work, blah blah blah. It doesn't take much time out of your day to send a couple of tweets, and these companies can't know what we want if we don't tell them.
In related news, Namco Bandai has announced an HD remake of Soulcalibur II, which was an awesome game. But, once again, it's not for Nintendo! This one is really mystifying to me. Here's a bit of backstory for those who don't know. Soulcalibur II was originally released back in 2003 for GameCube, PS2, and Xbox. Each version of the game got an exclusive character. The Xbox version got Spawn, Todd McFarlane's comic character. Very cool. The PS2 version got Tekken's Heihachi. Kind of an odd choice, putting a fighter who just uses his fists into a fighting game known for using weapons, but still decent. The GameCube version got Link. Now, the GameCube was not one of Nintendo's greatest successes. It was, in fact, the third place console in sales during gen 6. Despite that, it was the GC version of Soulcalibur II that sold the most. People loved being able to play as Link! I knew a lot of guys that had the game back then, and not a one of them had any other version. Even today, when you go to retro game stores, the GC version isn't exactly rare, but you see it far less than you do the PS2 or Xbox versions. People kept their GC Soulcalibur IIs!
So now it's getting redone in HD, and we won't be able to play as Link? Boo! Boo, Namco! This remake is coming out on Xbox 360 and PS3. I have read that Spawn and Heihachi will be appearing in both versions of the game. So, after reading that I did understand a bit more why Nintendo wasn't getting this. If it were on the Wii U, Nintendo would expect their version to have Link in it. But if that happened, Microsoft and Sony might complain about Nintendo getting an extra character. And of course, there's no way Nintendo would allow Link to appear in the 360 or PS3 versions. But still, platform-specific bonuses like this happen all the time. See Kratos appearing in Mortal Kombat on PS3. It happens. So why is Namco ignoring Nintendo?
It's not like they have a bad relationship. Namco is helping to co-develop the two new Super Smash Bros. games coming for Wii U and 3DS! If Nintendo trusts Namco enough to let them co-develop one of their biggest franchises, I'd guess they're pretty tight. So why would Namco not try to recreate the success of the GC version of Soulcalibur II by making this remake on Wii U with Link?
Okay, enough of this. My apologies for waving the Nintendo banner for a second post in a row. I promise next time I'll find something else to talk about. As always, thanks for reading! Please tell your friends about the blog, and follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI.
Today's music: Listening to my Reds beat up on the Giants in a double header!
Friday, July 19, 2013
New Strider? Great! Not for Nintendo? Boo!
You may not have heard yet, but Capcom has announced a brand new Strider game! The trailer looks pretty fantastic. I love it any time a game comes out that is 2D and has an old school style, even if it's not based off of an old series. But here's the thing I have an issue with. This game is coming for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, and PS3. No Wii U. Sorry Nintendo. Even though your NES was the first home system Strider appeared on, you don't get this game. Even though Capcom is bothering to make versions for the now-last-gen 360 and PS3, both of which aren't quite as powerful as your current system, they're still not bothering to make it for you.
Are Wii U sales really that bad? I know the month-to-month numbers are very low, but I was under the impression that the Wii U still has better lifetime sales than the Xbox 360 and PS3 did at this point in their lifetimes. Plus, it's July! This is always a slow time of year for the industry. We've only really had two blockbuster AAA releases all year, Bioshock Infinite and The Last of Us. Sales are slow all around. Or is it something more than that? Is there a grudge in place here? There are many third party publishers that used to work closely with Nintendo, companies like Capcom, Konami, Square-Enix, Tecmo-Koei, and EA, who now are not. Or in some cases they'll put out a couple lazy ports then complain it's Nintendo's fault when they don't sell well. Is this all because of the way Nintendo used to treat the third parties back in the NES/SNES days? I can't imagine these publishers, companies whose main goal is to make money, would lose out on profit just to spite Nintendo. It can't be denied, however, that Nintendo used to be pretty heavy handed with the third parties. But hey, newer third parties, that weren't around or weren't as big back in those days, do this too.
Could it be, as so many people around the internet say, that third parties don't like to put stuff on Nintendo's systems because their games are always outsold by Nintendo's own games? Nintendo's first party games do tend to sell more than anything else on their systems. Let's look at one example in particular. When the Wii U launched, EA made a Special Edition version of Mass Effect 3 for the system. The Mass Effect series was very popular in gen 7, selling huge numbers on both Xbox 360 and PS3. It was very cool to see it appearing now on a Nintendo console. How did is sell? Abysmally, by all accounts. Why was this? Was the draw of New Super Mario Bros. U just too strong? Well, that might have been part of it for some people. Let me tell you my opinion on the matter. I love the Mass Effect games. I very much enjoyed the multiplayer on ME3. I had plans to buy it on Wii U so I could continue playing the online for free (my original copy is for 360, and I don't currently have Gold). It was listed at $60, which I thought was a bit high for a year old port, but I loved the game so much I was considering it. Then some information came out. The Mass Effect Trilogy, a bundle of all three games, was announced as coming out at the same time as the Wii U version, but only for Xbox 360 and PS3. It was to sell for the same price as ME3 on the Wii U. On top of that, EA also said that there was no plans to bring the ME3 DLC to Wii U at all. Upon hearing all this I abandoned my plans to buy ME3 Special Edition. I may still pick it up eventually, if I find a cheap, used copy.
How could EA expect Mass Effect fans to be happy with a $60 year old port with no DLC support, when the entire series was being re-released, with DLC support, for the same price on older consoles? And then they had the nerve to complain that it didn't sell well and blame Nintendo for that! The tinfoil-hat-wearing part of me thinks it was all a conspiracy. They wanted sales of ME3 to be low so they could use it as an excuse to stop making games for Nintendo.
Okay, I'm going to stop myself here, before I get into fanboy territory deeper than I already have. Bear with me, folks, please. Yes, I do accept the fact that I can be a fanboy at times. But, that said, I do own all the systems, and always find great games to play on each. I love me some Halo, Fable, and Gears of War. I love Uncharted, Infamous, Jak and Daxter, and plenty of other Sony games as well. To this day the only controller I feel comfortable playing a Tony Hawk game with is a DualShock. So why should I care what games show up on which system if I have them all? Nintendo just happens to be my favorite. Even before the NES days, Donkey Kong was one of my favorite games on my parents' old Atari 400. Nintendo is always going to be my favorite company. They've given me so many happy memories. I just hate seeing them brushed to the side of the current game industry. Many out there might say they're doing it to themselves. I say Nintendo is still making the exact same kind of quality, fun games that they have been for more than 30 years. So it bugs me to see an old school series like Strider coming back as a modern 2D game, but not on Nintendo systems. Especially since the 360 and PS3 are getting a version.
That's it for my little rant. If you're a big Sony or Microsoft guy, don't let it scare you off! I like those systems too, I promise! Before I finish, let me also say that if you're a fan of horror movies, get yourself to the theater and see The Conjuring! I just got back from a screening before I started typing this out. It was one of the best horror movies I've seen in years! Great atmosphere, lots of good scares without relying too heavily on jump scares or so-called "cheap" scare tactics. Some really nice practical effects, and most importantly it didn't fall victim to dumb-ending syndrome. So many otherwise-good horror movies have been ruined by the writer not knowing how to end them properly. This was a very well written movie based off of a supposedly true story. Go see it with a bunch of friends!
As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI!
Are Wii U sales really that bad? I know the month-to-month numbers are very low, but I was under the impression that the Wii U still has better lifetime sales than the Xbox 360 and PS3 did at this point in their lifetimes. Plus, it's July! This is always a slow time of year for the industry. We've only really had two blockbuster AAA releases all year, Bioshock Infinite and The Last of Us. Sales are slow all around. Or is it something more than that? Is there a grudge in place here? There are many third party publishers that used to work closely with Nintendo, companies like Capcom, Konami, Square-Enix, Tecmo-Koei, and EA, who now are not. Or in some cases they'll put out a couple lazy ports then complain it's Nintendo's fault when they don't sell well. Is this all because of the way Nintendo used to treat the third parties back in the NES/SNES days? I can't imagine these publishers, companies whose main goal is to make money, would lose out on profit just to spite Nintendo. It can't be denied, however, that Nintendo used to be pretty heavy handed with the third parties. But hey, newer third parties, that weren't around or weren't as big back in those days, do this too.
Could it be, as so many people around the internet say, that third parties don't like to put stuff on Nintendo's systems because their games are always outsold by Nintendo's own games? Nintendo's first party games do tend to sell more than anything else on their systems. Let's look at one example in particular. When the Wii U launched, EA made a Special Edition version of Mass Effect 3 for the system. The Mass Effect series was very popular in gen 7, selling huge numbers on both Xbox 360 and PS3. It was very cool to see it appearing now on a Nintendo console. How did is sell? Abysmally, by all accounts. Why was this? Was the draw of New Super Mario Bros. U just too strong? Well, that might have been part of it for some people. Let me tell you my opinion on the matter. I love the Mass Effect games. I very much enjoyed the multiplayer on ME3. I had plans to buy it on Wii U so I could continue playing the online for free (my original copy is for 360, and I don't currently have Gold). It was listed at $60, which I thought was a bit high for a year old port, but I loved the game so much I was considering it. Then some information came out. The Mass Effect Trilogy, a bundle of all three games, was announced as coming out at the same time as the Wii U version, but only for Xbox 360 and PS3. It was to sell for the same price as ME3 on the Wii U. On top of that, EA also said that there was no plans to bring the ME3 DLC to Wii U at all. Upon hearing all this I abandoned my plans to buy ME3 Special Edition. I may still pick it up eventually, if I find a cheap, used copy.
How could EA expect Mass Effect fans to be happy with a $60 year old port with no DLC support, when the entire series was being re-released, with DLC support, for the same price on older consoles? And then they had the nerve to complain that it didn't sell well and blame Nintendo for that! The tinfoil-hat-wearing part of me thinks it was all a conspiracy. They wanted sales of ME3 to be low so they could use it as an excuse to stop making games for Nintendo.
Okay, I'm going to stop myself here, before I get into fanboy territory deeper than I already have. Bear with me, folks, please. Yes, I do accept the fact that I can be a fanboy at times. But, that said, I do own all the systems, and always find great games to play on each. I love me some Halo, Fable, and Gears of War. I love Uncharted, Infamous, Jak and Daxter, and plenty of other Sony games as well. To this day the only controller I feel comfortable playing a Tony Hawk game with is a DualShock. So why should I care what games show up on which system if I have them all? Nintendo just happens to be my favorite. Even before the NES days, Donkey Kong was one of my favorite games on my parents' old Atari 400. Nintendo is always going to be my favorite company. They've given me so many happy memories. I just hate seeing them brushed to the side of the current game industry. Many out there might say they're doing it to themselves. I say Nintendo is still making the exact same kind of quality, fun games that they have been for more than 30 years. So it bugs me to see an old school series like Strider coming back as a modern 2D game, but not on Nintendo systems. Especially since the 360 and PS3 are getting a version.
That's it for my little rant. If you're a big Sony or Microsoft guy, don't let it scare you off! I like those systems too, I promise! Before I finish, let me also say that if you're a fan of horror movies, get yourself to the theater and see The Conjuring! I just got back from a screening before I started typing this out. It was one of the best horror movies I've seen in years! Great atmosphere, lots of good scares without relying too heavily on jump scares or so-called "cheap" scare tactics. Some really nice practical effects, and most importantly it didn't fall victim to dumb-ending syndrome. So many otherwise-good horror movies have been ruined by the writer not knowing how to end them properly. This was a very well written movie based off of a supposedly true story. Go see it with a bunch of friends!
As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
The Video Game Years
For those of you keeping track, yes, I meant to have this up last night. Sorry.
I'd like to talk to you today about a very cool show over at Retroware TV. There are plenty of great shows on Retroware, from Pat the NES Punk to 16-Bit Gems, The Game Chasers, and more. Now imagine all of those guys getting together to talk about the history of the games industry, year by year. Picture VH1's I Love the '70s/'80s, but for video games. The guys from Retroware, plus special guests from other major classic gaming sites, tell not only the history of what happened each year, but also their own stories on how it impacted them. They started in 1977, the year the Atari 2600 came out and started gen 2. Each year gets a number of 10-or-so minute episodes dedicated to it. They are currently up to 1981. Personally, I can't wait until they get to 1985 and start talking about the very early days of the NES.
A month or so ago they had an Indiegogo page set up asking for donations for the show. Up until that point they had been putting them together in their spare time for no money. But considering the amount of editing and technical work that had to be done for each episode, they didn't want to keep asking people to work on them for free. The Indiegogo goal was met very easily, and Retroware has promised to keep producing the show as long as they can. They've said they'd like to get as far as the Dreamcast, which came out in 1999. That's a lot of episodes!
So please, if you like learning about the history of the video game industry and want to be entertained while you do it, get over to Retroware TV and check out The Video Game Years! The show is very well made and the guys at Retroware are clearly having a great time making it. And watch their other stuff while you're at it, it's all quality.
Before I'm done, I want to quickly touch on the new head of Microsoft's Xbox division. Don Mattrick's replacement has been named, and it's Julie Larson-Green. Julie's been at Microsoft for almost 20 years and was one of the people who made Windows 7 happen. Now she's in charge of Xbox. I know a lot of people are upset that a woman with no video game experience has been put in this position. Stop that. She's clearly an intelligent person. Give her a chance to show what she can do. It's not like she won't be surrounded by people that do have video game experience that can help her learn the industry. And honestly, could she be any worse than Mattrick?
As always, thanks for reading! Please tell your friends about the blog, and be sure to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI!
I'd like to talk to you today about a very cool show over at Retroware TV. There are plenty of great shows on Retroware, from Pat the NES Punk to 16-Bit Gems, The Game Chasers, and more. Now imagine all of those guys getting together to talk about the history of the games industry, year by year. Picture VH1's I Love the '70s/'80s, but for video games. The guys from Retroware, plus special guests from other major classic gaming sites, tell not only the history of what happened each year, but also their own stories on how it impacted them. They started in 1977, the year the Atari 2600 came out and started gen 2. Each year gets a number of 10-or-so minute episodes dedicated to it. They are currently up to 1981. Personally, I can't wait until they get to 1985 and start talking about the very early days of the NES.
A month or so ago they had an Indiegogo page set up asking for donations for the show. Up until that point they had been putting them together in their spare time for no money. But considering the amount of editing and technical work that had to be done for each episode, they didn't want to keep asking people to work on them for free. The Indiegogo goal was met very easily, and Retroware has promised to keep producing the show as long as they can. They've said they'd like to get as far as the Dreamcast, which came out in 1999. That's a lot of episodes!
So please, if you like learning about the history of the video game industry and want to be entertained while you do it, get over to Retroware TV and check out The Video Game Years! The show is very well made and the guys at Retroware are clearly having a great time making it. And watch their other stuff while you're at it, it's all quality.
Before I'm done, I want to quickly touch on the new head of Microsoft's Xbox division. Don Mattrick's replacement has been named, and it's Julie Larson-Green. Julie's been at Microsoft for almost 20 years and was one of the people who made Windows 7 happen. Now she's in charge of Xbox. I know a lot of people are upset that a woman with no video game experience has been put in this position. Stop that. She's clearly an intelligent person. Give her a chance to show what she can do. It's not like she won't be surrounded by people that do have video game experience that can help her learn the industry. And honestly, could she be any worse than Mattrick?
As always, thanks for reading! Please tell your friends about the blog, and be sure to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI!
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Don Mattrick leaves Xbox
Apparently Don Mattrick has resigned as the head of the Xbox division for Microsoft. If you're reading this blog I'm sure you know about the issues going on over there in the past couple of months. Microsoft first announced their new system, the Xbox One, would have all kinds of restrictions in order to block used games and such. Don Mattrick, as the face of the Xbox division, had many chances to try and spin it to look good for consumers. Instead he kept sticking his foot in his mouth, saying things like, "People without internet can just stick to Xbox 360." I'm paraphrasing there, but that was the gist of what he said. And of course he and others from Microsoft went on to say that these restrictions couldn't easily be changed.
Shortly thereafter, the restrictions were changed.
Many people have been wondering if Mr. Mattrick would be keeping his job. As someone who keeps kind of close tabs on the game industry, I can say that Microsoft's image was definitely hurt by what happened. I've heard plenty of people say, even after the restrictions were done away with, that they had no interest in getting an Xbox One, specifically because they didn't trust Microsoft anymore. So it wouldn't have been a surprise to me to hear that Mattrick had been fired. Instead, he has resigned his position at Microsoft to become the new CEO of Zynga! If you're not familiar with Zynga, they're the company that makes Farmville and numerous other popular Facebook games.
So I have to wonder two things. One, did Mattrick leave Microsoft voluntarily? It's possible they might have wanted to get rid of him, but gave him the option to "resign" on his own to save face. I guess lucky for him Zynga was hiring if that was the case. And two, why would Zynga want this guy? Zynga already has kind of a bad reputation as being the maker of annoying Facebook games, and also has been accused of too-closely copying other games. Why would they want a guy who's proven himself to be less than stellar in the PR department like Don Mattrick? Only time will tell where this is all going to go. It may be interesting to see what Mattrick can do with Zynga.
In the meantime, Microsoft has yet to name Mattrick's replacement. Apparently for now all of Mattrick's former top men will be reporting directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. I can't help but wonder if they'll bring someone in who will try to fix the damage done by the Xbox One restrictions. I'm not sure how they could do that, exactly, or even if I really want them to, but it'd definitely be interesting.
Thanks for reading, folks. As always, tell your friends about the blog, and be sure to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI. And leave some comments below if you like!
Shortly thereafter, the restrictions were changed.
Many people have been wondering if Mr. Mattrick would be keeping his job. As someone who keeps kind of close tabs on the game industry, I can say that Microsoft's image was definitely hurt by what happened. I've heard plenty of people say, even after the restrictions were done away with, that they had no interest in getting an Xbox One, specifically because they didn't trust Microsoft anymore. So it wouldn't have been a surprise to me to hear that Mattrick had been fired. Instead, he has resigned his position at Microsoft to become the new CEO of Zynga! If you're not familiar with Zynga, they're the company that makes Farmville and numerous other popular Facebook games.
So I have to wonder two things. One, did Mattrick leave Microsoft voluntarily? It's possible they might have wanted to get rid of him, but gave him the option to "resign" on his own to save face. I guess lucky for him Zynga was hiring if that was the case. And two, why would Zynga want this guy? Zynga already has kind of a bad reputation as being the maker of annoying Facebook games, and also has been accused of too-closely copying other games. Why would they want a guy who's proven himself to be less than stellar in the PR department like Don Mattrick? Only time will tell where this is all going to go. It may be interesting to see what Mattrick can do with Zynga.
In the meantime, Microsoft has yet to name Mattrick's replacement. Apparently for now all of Mattrick's former top men will be reporting directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. I can't help but wonder if they'll bring someone in who will try to fix the damage done by the Xbox One restrictions. I'm not sure how they could do that, exactly, or even if I really want them to, but it'd definitely be interesting.
Thanks for reading, folks. As always, tell your friends about the blog, and be sure to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI. And leave some comments below if you like!
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Game & Wario
Sorry I haven't updated lately. I've been having problems with my wisdom teeth, and it's had me in no mood to do much of anything. I'll try to do better.
I'd like to talk a bit about Game & Wario. In the past I've written reviews for games, or at least what I called reviews. I'm not going to do that anymore. I've never really liked reviews. Everyone has different tastes. Who am I to say what is good or what is bad? All I can really do is say what I like and what I don't. So I'm going to do that now with this game.
I've seen some reviews from around the web for this, and most of them haven't been spectacular, but I've really been enjoying the game. If you've played any of the numerous WarioWare games you'll know what to expect with this one, but at the same time you won't. It's a bit different. That might be why they didn't actually call this a WarioWare game. Instead of numerous crazy microgames, you're given a series of minigames to play. About a dozen are single player, and a handful more for multiplayer. Each game is much more involved than the microgames we used to see in Wario games, and they feature multiple difficulty levels. Playing through and beating all the games on all the difficulties will take you some time.
Nintendo tried to incorporate the Wii U Gamepad into the games, clearly, with many featuring touch and tilt controls, but there's not much groundbreaking here. The real gem is the minigame called Gamer. This is the one minigame that really shows what dual screen gaming can be. You play as the kid 9-Volt. You're supposed to be in bed, but you're playing a handheld game. On the Gamepad screen is the game. These are the traditional WarioWare-style microgames. They all use just the d-pad and A button. On the TV you see 9-Volt's bedroom. You have to pay attention for clues that your mother is about to come in and check on you. If she catches you up, it's game over. And she can come from all over. At times she even comes out of the TV like the little girl in The Ring! If she comes in, you need to hold ZL and ZR to pretend you're asleep. If you do this too long, though, you'll actually fall asleep and it's game over. The entire time this is going on you need to also concentrate on the microgames on the Gamepad. Fail too many times and it's game over! So you really need to split your attention between the Gamepad and your TV. It's a very cool game that gets really tough, and it shows what kind of stuff the Wii U is capable of brilliantly. It's just a shame this is the only minigame that does. All of the others are fun, but they're not anything we haven't seen before on the DS systems.
When all is said and done, I would recommend the game to those who are a fan of the WarioWare series, or those looking for something fun to waste time with on the Wii U. And you can spend a lot of time on it. There are 240 collectibles to get, each requiring a token to spend in a virtual vending machine. You only get the tokens from playing the minigames, so you'll be playing a lot if you want to unlock everything. Considering how much time you can put into it, I'd say the game is a pretty good value at $40.
Have you played it? Let me know what you think in the comments below. As always, thanks for reading. Tell your friends if you enjoy the blog, and follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI!
I'd like to talk a bit about Game & Wario. In the past I've written reviews for games, or at least what I called reviews. I'm not going to do that anymore. I've never really liked reviews. Everyone has different tastes. Who am I to say what is good or what is bad? All I can really do is say what I like and what I don't. So I'm going to do that now with this game.
I've seen some reviews from around the web for this, and most of them haven't been spectacular, but I've really been enjoying the game. If you've played any of the numerous WarioWare games you'll know what to expect with this one, but at the same time you won't. It's a bit different. That might be why they didn't actually call this a WarioWare game. Instead of numerous crazy microgames, you're given a series of minigames to play. About a dozen are single player, and a handful more for multiplayer. Each game is much more involved than the microgames we used to see in Wario games, and they feature multiple difficulty levels. Playing through and beating all the games on all the difficulties will take you some time.
Nintendo tried to incorporate the Wii U Gamepad into the games, clearly, with many featuring touch and tilt controls, but there's not much groundbreaking here. The real gem is the minigame called Gamer. This is the one minigame that really shows what dual screen gaming can be. You play as the kid 9-Volt. You're supposed to be in bed, but you're playing a handheld game. On the Gamepad screen is the game. These are the traditional WarioWare-style microgames. They all use just the d-pad and A button. On the TV you see 9-Volt's bedroom. You have to pay attention for clues that your mother is about to come in and check on you. If she catches you up, it's game over. And she can come from all over. At times she even comes out of the TV like the little girl in The Ring! If she comes in, you need to hold ZL and ZR to pretend you're asleep. If you do this too long, though, you'll actually fall asleep and it's game over. The entire time this is going on you need to also concentrate on the microgames on the Gamepad. Fail too many times and it's game over! So you really need to split your attention between the Gamepad and your TV. It's a very cool game that gets really tough, and it shows what kind of stuff the Wii U is capable of brilliantly. It's just a shame this is the only minigame that does. All of the others are fun, but they're not anything we haven't seen before on the DS systems.
When all is said and done, I would recommend the game to those who are a fan of the WarioWare series, or those looking for something fun to waste time with on the Wii U. And you can spend a lot of time on it. There are 240 collectibles to get, each requiring a token to spend in a virtual vending machine. You only get the tokens from playing the minigames, so you'll be playing a lot if you want to unlock everything. Considering how much time you can put into it, I'd say the game is a pretty good value at $40.
Have you played it? Let me know what you think in the comments below. As always, thanks for reading. Tell your friends if you enjoy the blog, and follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI!
Friday, June 21, 2013
Xbox 180: the fallout
Now that Microsoft has decided to do away with all of the anti-consumer restrictions on the Xbox One you would think everything would be okay. But, no. Apparently there is a group of people out there that really liked the policies. I touched on this in my last post, and about the fact that the family sharing was going away with the restrictions. To the people that think that all-digital and game licenses are the future: Just get a gaming PC. PC gaming has been like that for some time now. Services like Steam have grown quite popular delivering people digital downloads of games. And I totally get why some people are into that. It can be very convenient, I'm sure. But console gaming is a different entity from PC gaming. We console gamers continue to want the right to loan our games around, to buy cheap used games, and to have meaningful libraries of games on our shelves. Not pointless discs that eventually won't do anything anymore because some server shut down. Seriously, this isn't meant as an insult or an attack or anything, check out PC gaming. You'll probably really like it!
As for the family sharing issue, I think Angry Joe said it best (NSFW). The people that raised their voices to get Microsoft to change their policies aren't the ones that took family sharing away. Microsoft chose to do that themselves. There doesn't seem to be any reason for it, either. Did they just do it out of spite? They could still implement this feature for digital versions of games if they wanted to, they're just not. So if you want that back, let them know. They're clearly listening. Then again, we never got the full details of the family sharing. There were rumblings about it not letting you share the full game, rather just a demo version, which would be kind of dumb considering most games have demos anyway. Ah, whatever, we'll likely never know for sure.
Lastly there's the conspiracy theory going around. Yes, I'm breaking out the tinfoil! Did Microsoft plan this whole thing? Maybe they announced the restrictions knowing everyone would hate them, hoping that when they reversed their decision everyone would celebrate them for listening to their customer base. It's something that's not completely without precedent. If that was the case here, though, I don't think it worked. In my experience, both online and in my daily life, people are still pretty upset with Microsoft. Going from, "We're gonna screw you good!" to, "Okay, we decided not to screw you," isn't going to make people like you. Oh sure, we're all very happy that the decision was made, and I do plan on getting an Xbox One myself eventually, but it still makes Microsoft look bad. As I said above, console gamers are not PC gamers, and we tend to have long memories. We're not going to just forget that Microsoft tried to impose those restrictions on us. And there's still the fact that Xbox One costs $100 more than PS4, mostly so they can bundle the Kinect in with it, which is something most people don't want in the first place.
I'm not trying to be super negative, here. It was a big deal for Microsoft to change their policies to suit their customers, and, as long as it wasn't a ruse the whole time, they deserve to be applauded for that. I just can't help but think that it's too little, too late. The PS4 is cheaper, has more exclusives, doesn't force a camera on you, and never tried to tell you how you can use your own games. Combine that with all the fantastic looking games coming from Nintendo this year, and Microsoft may have a rocky start with its Xbox One. Only time will tell, though. The PS3 had a rough start, and it eventually wound up passing the Xbox 360 in sales. The 3DS also had a slow start, and it's currently the best selling video game system world wide. We'll just have to wait and see.
As always, thanks so much for reading! Be sure to tell your friends if you like the blog, and follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI.
As for the family sharing issue, I think Angry Joe said it best (NSFW). The people that raised their voices to get Microsoft to change their policies aren't the ones that took family sharing away. Microsoft chose to do that themselves. There doesn't seem to be any reason for it, either. Did they just do it out of spite? They could still implement this feature for digital versions of games if they wanted to, they're just not. So if you want that back, let them know. They're clearly listening. Then again, we never got the full details of the family sharing. There were rumblings about it not letting you share the full game, rather just a demo version, which would be kind of dumb considering most games have demos anyway. Ah, whatever, we'll likely never know for sure.
Lastly there's the conspiracy theory going around. Yes, I'm breaking out the tinfoil! Did Microsoft plan this whole thing? Maybe they announced the restrictions knowing everyone would hate them, hoping that when they reversed their decision everyone would celebrate them for listening to their customer base. It's something that's not completely without precedent. If that was the case here, though, I don't think it worked. In my experience, both online and in my daily life, people are still pretty upset with Microsoft. Going from, "We're gonna screw you good!" to, "Okay, we decided not to screw you," isn't going to make people like you. Oh sure, we're all very happy that the decision was made, and I do plan on getting an Xbox One myself eventually, but it still makes Microsoft look bad. As I said above, console gamers are not PC gamers, and we tend to have long memories. We're not going to just forget that Microsoft tried to impose those restrictions on us. And there's still the fact that Xbox One costs $100 more than PS4, mostly so they can bundle the Kinect in with it, which is something most people don't want in the first place.
I'm not trying to be super negative, here. It was a big deal for Microsoft to change their policies to suit their customers, and, as long as it wasn't a ruse the whole time, they deserve to be applauded for that. I just can't help but think that it's too little, too late. The PS4 is cheaper, has more exclusives, doesn't force a camera on you, and never tried to tell you how you can use your own games. Combine that with all the fantastic looking games coming from Nintendo this year, and Microsoft may have a rocky start with its Xbox One. Only time will tell, though. The PS3 had a rough start, and it eventually wound up passing the Xbox 360 in sales. The 3DS also had a slow start, and it's currently the best selling video game system world wide. We'll just have to wait and see.
As always, thanks so much for reading! Be sure to tell your friends if you like the blog, and follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Microsoft pulls an Xbox 180
Boy, I'm glad I posted my feelings about the Xbox One when I did! If you haven't heard already, Microsoft has announced a complete reversal on it's Xbox One policies. You will no longer need to check in to Xbox Live in order to play games, and there will be no restrictions on used games. This is fantastic news, as it addresses two of my major problems with the system.
And, of course, there's still the Kinect. But since Microsoft has said we'll be able to turn it off (but not disconnect it) I could see just doing that and covering it up with something while I play. When I'm not playing the Kinect will be disconnected.
There's one negative to all this, though. Apparently the option of sharing a game with up to ten people on your family list has been taken away. I know a lot of people are grumbling about that, but I'll gladly give that up if it means the bad things go with it.
Video game fandom is full of arguments, has been since gen 2 and probably always will be. I know there are some out there that will maintain that the original Xbox One policies weren't bad, and that by reversing them Microsoft are holding us back. In some ways I can understand that argument, but I can't help but see this as a major victory. Here's where I run the risk of sounding all preachy and hoakey, but it's more than just a victory for gamers. It's a victory for consumers in general. We should have the right to use the products we buy as we see fit. Now obviously Microsoft was completley in their rights to make the Xbox One with restrictions like they were going to, but we as consumers told them in no uncertain terms that we didn't like it and weren't going to buy it, and they listened.
So yes, I will be getting an Xbox One. Eventually. The thing's still $500, after all! It's tough to keep up with three consoles at once. Nintendo will continue to be my priority. I'll have to make a decision between PS4 and Xbox One, and right now I'm still leaning towards PS4, but time will tell.
As always, thanks for reading! If you like my blog, please tell your friends about it, and be sure to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI.
- With the online requirement gone, there is no longer any worry about games not working in the future. Twenty years from now if I feel like firing up my copy of Halo 5 I will be able to do so, as it should be!
- With used games working the same way they always have, I can now loan a game to a friend, sell it to an independent retailer (or buy a game from one), list it on Craigslist, or do whatever I want with it.
And, of course, there's still the Kinect. But since Microsoft has said we'll be able to turn it off (but not disconnect it) I could see just doing that and covering it up with something while I play. When I'm not playing the Kinect will be disconnected.
There's one negative to all this, though. Apparently the option of sharing a game with up to ten people on your family list has been taken away. I know a lot of people are grumbling about that, but I'll gladly give that up if it means the bad things go with it.
Video game fandom is full of arguments, has been since gen 2 and probably always will be. I know there are some out there that will maintain that the original Xbox One policies weren't bad, and that by reversing them Microsoft are holding us back. In some ways I can understand that argument, but I can't help but see this as a major victory. Here's where I run the risk of sounding all preachy and hoakey, but it's more than just a victory for gamers. It's a victory for consumers in general. We should have the right to use the products we buy as we see fit. Now obviously Microsoft was completley in their rights to make the Xbox One with restrictions like they were going to, but we as consumers told them in no uncertain terms that we didn't like it and weren't going to buy it, and they listened.
So yes, I will be getting an Xbox One. Eventually. The thing's still $500, after all! It's tough to keep up with three consoles at once. Nintendo will continue to be my priority. I'll have to make a decision between PS4 and Xbox One, and right now I'm still leaning towards PS4, but time will tell.
As always, thanks for reading! If you like my blog, please tell your friends about it, and be sure to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
My problems with the Xbox One
Okay, by now you've probably read all kinds of things about the Xbox One. I doubt I have anything new to add, so I'm going to keep this relatively short.
I'd love to hear what you think! If you're all for the Xbox One, tell me why. Post in the comments below. Of course, if you agree with me I'd like to hear that too. Tell me what system or systems you plan to get this generation. And don't forget to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI. Thanks for reading!
- Required internet connection: First and foremost, I'm a game collector. I love to play games, but I also love having shelves full of old games that I can pull out and play at any time. The Xbox One is not designed for people like me. The fact that you have to connect to Xbox Live once a day to authenticate, or else your games won't work, means that at any time Microsoft decides to shut down the Xbox One's servers all the games you spent all that money on, the entire system itself for that matter, all become useless. All that money, gone. Now, I know Major Nelson has said they won't do that, they'll change it at the end of the generation so the games will still be playable. Of course he said that. What else would he say? I'm sorry, but Microsoft has given me no reason to trust that that will be true. From a business standpoint it makes much more sense for them to say, "Nope, can't play those games anymore. You should buy our new system! We'll be offering downloadable versions of all the old games there. You'll just have to pay for them again!" Kind of like what Sony is doing with the PS4. The big difference is that my PSX, PS2, and PS3 will still work.
- Used game blocking: This is not just a video game issue, but an issue for all consumers. If I buy a game and decide some time later that I'm done with it, I should be able to sell that game. Whether it's to a major retailer, an independent retailer, on an internet auction site, or just to a friend, I should be able to do whatever I want with it. Now, I'm a collector, so I don't sell my stuff, ever, so this isn't a big problem to me personally, but it's the principle of the matter. There's also the fact that I buy a lot of my games used, and I like to do it from independent retailers. It's my understanding that I won't be able to do that on Xbox One. Only major retailers that sign up with Microsoft's program will be able to carry used games. Not cool.
- Kinect integration: It's always on, it's always watching, always listening. You can't disconnect it or your system will stop working. Why? Oh, because Microsoft wants to collect large amounts of personal data on you and your family, that's why! The new Kinect can see in the dark, can read the emotions on your face, can even tell how fast your heart is beating! Did that new Call of Duty ad get you excited? Kinect can tell, and it's going to send that data off to Activision. Then there's the whole PRISM scandal. Look, it's not my intention to get all political on this blog. If you want to know more about that you can look it up for yourself. Suffice it to say that any kind of camera that's always on and always connected to the internet I don't want in my house. Yes, I know they said you can turn it off, but it still has to listen for voice commands, and you still can't actually disconnect it from the system. If you could do that I'd probably be okay with it.
I'd love to hear what you think! If you're all for the Xbox One, tell me why. Post in the comments below. Of course, if you agree with me I'd like to hear that too. Tell me what system or systems you plan to get this generation. And don't forget to follow me on Twitter @RevLink_GI. Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Two quick game reviews
I've been going for easy achievements still, and that means quick game reviews!
Terminator: Salvation
This game tried very hard to be like Gears of War. It's play style is very similar, but it just doesn't come close. It's not a terrible game, but it's not a good game either. You'll tear through it in a day, easily getting all the achievements, and then you'll be done with it and never think about it again. You can play this game co-op, if you want, but it's not really necessary. Of course, if you have a friend who wants to get some achievements too, go at it.
As for the story, this game is actually a prequel to the latest Terminator movie (which I still haven't seen, shame on me). The premise is pretty basic. While out on a mission, John Connor gets a distress call from a group of resistance fighters trapped behind enemy lines. He decides to go after them, even though the rest of his group thinks it's a suicide mission. That's about it.
The game is pretty simple, but it's short and does have a few cool vehicle levels. Rent it, or get it used if it's really cheap.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
A lot of people have decried this as one of the worst games on the 360, but I actually enjoyed it. I'll admit, it was very poorly designed, but I still had fun with it. Maybe it's my soft spot for all things Marvel.
This game loosely follows the movie of the same name. Aside from just dealing with the Silver Surfer, Dr. Doom, and the US Army, though, you'll also go up against classic FF villains the Skrulls, Red Ghost, and Terrax. And no, just like in the movie you never really see Galactus.
You run through each level switching between members of the FF on the fly (or you can have up to four player co-op), beating up enemies and solving simple puzzles while you collect points to power up your heroes. Each character has a unique set of super powers. The problem is that you'll spend a good 90% or more of the game as Thing. There's just no point in being anyone else. He's the strongest, and even on the highest difficulty he just tears through the enemies as long as you keep him powered up. Not only will you spend most of your time as Thing, you'll also keep doing the same move over and over. His ground pound move sends out a shockwave that affects all enemies around you, and is really strong. It even affects flying enemies! So even though you have a good variety of moves in the game, you'll spend the whole time using just one.
There are a few times when the game forces you to be the other characters. Each one has their own solo level. Human Torch actually has three, but they're all flying levels, usually chasing after the Silver Surfer. Mr. Fantastic has to stretch his way through a space station hallway filled with lasers, and the Invisible Woman goes on a sort of stealth mission through a military base. Oh, and Thing has a very short solo mission where he has to plow through a room full of enemies (replaying this mission over and over is a good way to power everybody up, by the way).
So yes, this game is hugely flawed in its design, but it still plays well. I had a fun enough time with it that I didn't even gripe too much that the difficulty achievements don't stack. Yes, you will have to play this through twice to K it. The game is pretty short though, and if you get all the collectibles on your first play though, you can just blast through the second one, only stopping on Thing's solo mission to power up.
If you find this game cheap somewhere and you're a big Marvel fan, pick it up. It'll be a good couple of days' playing time. Or just rent it if you want more easy achievements.
Terminator: Salvation
This game tried very hard to be like Gears of War. It's play style is very similar, but it just doesn't come close. It's not a terrible game, but it's not a good game either. You'll tear through it in a day, easily getting all the achievements, and then you'll be done with it and never think about it again. You can play this game co-op, if you want, but it's not really necessary. Of course, if you have a friend who wants to get some achievements too, go at it.
As for the story, this game is actually a prequel to the latest Terminator movie (which I still haven't seen, shame on me). The premise is pretty basic. While out on a mission, John Connor gets a distress call from a group of resistance fighters trapped behind enemy lines. He decides to go after them, even though the rest of his group thinks it's a suicide mission. That's about it.
The game is pretty simple, but it's short and does have a few cool vehicle levels. Rent it, or get it used if it's really cheap.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
A lot of people have decried this as one of the worst games on the 360, but I actually enjoyed it. I'll admit, it was very poorly designed, but I still had fun with it. Maybe it's my soft spot for all things Marvel.
This game loosely follows the movie of the same name. Aside from just dealing with the Silver Surfer, Dr. Doom, and the US Army, though, you'll also go up against classic FF villains the Skrulls, Red Ghost, and Terrax. And no, just like in the movie you never really see Galactus.
You run through each level switching between members of the FF on the fly (or you can have up to four player co-op), beating up enemies and solving simple puzzles while you collect points to power up your heroes. Each character has a unique set of super powers. The problem is that you'll spend a good 90% or more of the game as Thing. There's just no point in being anyone else. He's the strongest, and even on the highest difficulty he just tears through the enemies as long as you keep him powered up. Not only will you spend most of your time as Thing, you'll also keep doing the same move over and over. His ground pound move sends out a shockwave that affects all enemies around you, and is really strong. It even affects flying enemies! So even though you have a good variety of moves in the game, you'll spend the whole time using just one.
There are a few times when the game forces you to be the other characters. Each one has their own solo level. Human Torch actually has three, but they're all flying levels, usually chasing after the Silver Surfer. Mr. Fantastic has to stretch his way through a space station hallway filled with lasers, and the Invisible Woman goes on a sort of stealth mission through a military base. Oh, and Thing has a very short solo mission where he has to plow through a room full of enemies (replaying this mission over and over is a good way to power everybody up, by the way).
So yes, this game is hugely flawed in its design, but it still plays well. I had a fun enough time with it that I didn't even gripe too much that the difficulty achievements don't stack. Yes, you will have to play this through twice to K it. The game is pretty short though, and if you get all the collectibles on your first play though, you can just blast through the second one, only stopping on Thing's solo mission to power up.
If you find this game cheap somewhere and you're a big Marvel fan, pick it up. It'll be a good couple of days' playing time. Or just rent it if you want more easy achievements.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Game review - The Orange Box
I have a confession to make. I've never played Half-Life. Never. Now, I know to some of you that might sound blasphemous, but I'm not much of a PC gamer so it's not that big of a deal to me. The biggest reason I wanted to check out The Orange Box was for Portal, and Portal was the first game from the collection that I played.
This was a very cool game. Great concept, great execution, and incredibly frustrating difficulty at times. The story, while too short, was compelling and humorous. It's the extras that bring the hardcore difficulty. The extra challenge maps, super hard versions of the last six rooms in the story, were hard but doable. It's the medal challenges that will have most people pulling there hair out. The last six rooms each have three medal challenges, one for the least time, the least steps taken, and the least portals used. I'm telling you, even with cheat codes some of these are obscenely hard. But overall, this is a very fun game that is totally worth the time to play through. I only wish it had been longer.
Moving on to Half-Life 2. I actually really enjoyed this game. Like I said earlier, I never played the first game, though I did read the Wiki article on it before playing this. Half-Life 2 turned out to be a fun shooter, but with some pretty nasty difficulty, especially if you're going for all the achievements. All three games, Half-Life 2, HL2: Episode One, and HL2: Episode Two, had some achievements that would have been really difficult if it hadn't been for one thing: cheat codes. Hey, I'm not proud, I don't mind using them. I paid my dues on the NES and SNES back in the day.
Anyway, these are some pretty fun games if you want to take the time to go through all of them, and you can get the achievements pretty easily as well. The story is very cool, also, but I'll warn you that Episode Two ends on a cliffhanger. I have no clue when Episode Three will be out, or if the 360 will even be getting it. I know The Orange Box came out a few years ago, and I haven't heard anything about Episode Three yet.
The only game in the collection that I didn't get to was Team Fortress 2. It looks like a cool online shooter, and I've heard a lot of good things about it, but I don't know anyone else who has the game. I don't usually like playing team games with random people, so I never checked it out. Maybe someday I will, and I'll write a review on it then.
My final verdict: This is a great collection of some really fun games. If you see it cheap somewhere and you're looking for a good shooter or a really unique puzzle game, pick it up.
This was a very cool game. Great concept, great execution, and incredibly frustrating difficulty at times. The story, while too short, was compelling and humorous. It's the extras that bring the hardcore difficulty. The extra challenge maps, super hard versions of the last six rooms in the story, were hard but doable. It's the medal challenges that will have most people pulling there hair out. The last six rooms each have three medal challenges, one for the least time, the least steps taken, and the least portals used. I'm telling you, even with cheat codes some of these are obscenely hard. But overall, this is a very fun game that is totally worth the time to play through. I only wish it had been longer.
Moving on to Half-Life 2. I actually really enjoyed this game. Like I said earlier, I never played the first game, though I did read the Wiki article on it before playing this. Half-Life 2 turned out to be a fun shooter, but with some pretty nasty difficulty, especially if you're going for all the achievements. All three games, Half-Life 2, HL2: Episode One, and HL2: Episode Two, had some achievements that would have been really difficult if it hadn't been for one thing: cheat codes. Hey, I'm not proud, I don't mind using them. I paid my dues on the NES and SNES back in the day.
Anyway, these are some pretty fun games if you want to take the time to go through all of them, and you can get the achievements pretty easily as well. The story is very cool, also, but I'll warn you that Episode Two ends on a cliffhanger. I have no clue when Episode Three will be out, or if the 360 will even be getting it. I know The Orange Box came out a few years ago, and I haven't heard anything about Episode Three yet.
The only game in the collection that I didn't get to was Team Fortress 2. It looks like a cool online shooter, and I've heard a lot of good things about it, but I don't know anyone else who has the game. I don't usually like playing team games with random people, so I never checked it out. Maybe someday I will, and I'll write a review on it then.
My final verdict: This is a great collection of some really fun games. If you see it cheap somewhere and you're looking for a good shooter or a really unique puzzle game, pick it up.
Game review - Lego Rock Band
I love Rock Band. I love the Lego games. So it's only natural that I'd like the idea of them together, and wouldn't you know it, I was right! This game is the more "family friendly" entry into the Rock Band series. It's rated E, as opposed to the other games which are rated T. This does pose one small problem. A good number of the downloadable tracks from other Rock Band games won't work in Lego Rock Band because they've been deemed unsuitable for the E rating. Same goes with the songs from the first Rock Band, if you've transferred them to your hard drive.
The game is also a bit easier than the other Rock Bands. Songs that have, say, a four point difficulty rating on guitar in Rock Band 2 might have five red points (the equivalent of devil heads) in Lego Rock Band. And, of course, all the characters in the game are Lego people. The notes that scroll down the play field are even Lego pieces. Other than these minor differences, this game is pretty much like any other Rock Band.
The tour mode, while still kind of repetitive, is fun, and has a lot of funny moments with your Lego people band. The achievements are pretty easy. With a bit of time, anyone could score 960 points. The flawless instrument achievements in this game aren't restricted to the expert difficulty, you can do them on any setting you want, including the new super-easy setting. The last 40 achievement points that many, including probably me, won't get is to score a perfect solo on The Final Countdown on expert. Very tough. Still, 960 is pretty good. Only the completionists will have a problem with that.
Lastly, there's the song selection. Now, everyone has different tastes in music, especially rock fans. I'm not really going to get into my views on specific songs, though I will say I was mostly happy with the music in this game. The only specific song I'll touch on is the Ghostbusters theme. Two words: freaking awesome.
So, if you like Rock Band then pick this game up. Despite the Lego look it plays just like all the other Rock Band games, just maybe a bit easier.
The game is also a bit easier than the other Rock Bands. Songs that have, say, a four point difficulty rating on guitar in Rock Band 2 might have five red points (the equivalent of devil heads) in Lego Rock Band. And, of course, all the characters in the game are Lego people. The notes that scroll down the play field are even Lego pieces. Other than these minor differences, this game is pretty much like any other Rock Band.
The tour mode, while still kind of repetitive, is fun, and has a lot of funny moments with your Lego people band. The achievements are pretty easy. With a bit of time, anyone could score 960 points. The flawless instrument achievements in this game aren't restricted to the expert difficulty, you can do them on any setting you want, including the new super-easy setting. The last 40 achievement points that many, including probably me, won't get is to score a perfect solo on The Final Countdown on expert. Very tough. Still, 960 is pretty good. Only the completionists will have a problem with that.
Lastly, there's the song selection. Now, everyone has different tastes in music, especially rock fans. I'm not really going to get into my views on specific songs, though I will say I was mostly happy with the music in this game. The only specific song I'll touch on is the Ghostbusters theme. Two words: freaking awesome.
So, if you like Rock Band then pick this game up. Despite the Lego look it plays just like all the other Rock Band games, just maybe a bit easier.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Game Room update
I felt the need to make another post about Game Room. So far I'm really digging the concept of this game/application. The selection of titles available for it so far is pretty decent, and from what I hear there are supposed to be new games every week. There is, however, one very glaring problem so far. This thing is glitchy as hell! I've had more problems with Game Room than any other 360 game. I've had achievements not unlock for me, only to unlock way later when I'm not sure why. I've had achievements unlock that I shouldn't have gotten (not a bad glitch, admittedly, but still a glitch). I've even had trouble actually buying new games. Worst of all is the challenge system. Trying to send a challenge to a friend is never guaranteed to actually work, and completing a challenge can be even worse. Sometimes after you complete a challenge, the game will attempt to contact the server to let the other players know, but it won't be able to do it, so you'll have no choice but to forfeit the challenge. This is frustrating, to say the least.
I don't want to be too down on this, it's still a very cool idea. I just think Microsoft released it a bit before it was ready. It's desperately in need of a patch. On the bright side, not everybody seems to have these problems. They're only affecting about half of the people I've talked to. So it could be that you won't have any problems. I think I'm going to hold off on playing any more Game Room until a patch is released. Some of you might want to do the same.
I don't want to be too down on this, it's still a very cool idea. I just think Microsoft released it a bit before it was ready. It's desperately in need of a patch. On the bright side, not everybody seems to have these problems. They're only affecting about half of the people I've talked to. So it could be that you won't have any problems. I think I'm going to hold off on playing any more Game Room until a patch is released. Some of you might want to do the same.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Game review - Game Room
Okay, for those of you that are achievement whores and completionists, I want to issue you a warning about the new Xbox Live Arcade game, Game Room.
Game Room is kind of a non-game game, actually. What it is, is a room that you fill up with classic arcade and console games. You can play these games and earn medals and such, and you can go to your friends' arcades or invite them to yours. It's a very interesting idea. The problem is, you have to buy all the games you want to place in your room. With Microsoft points. 240 points a piece, or $3. That's better than standard Live Arcade games, but still adds up if you want to add a lot of games to your room. And you will want to do that, because that's how you earn achievements in Game Room. You have to play a lot of games, earn medals, and unlock new items and themes for your arcade. Depending on how good you are at the games you play, you may have to spend upwards of $70 to get the complete 1,000 achievement points. Yes, I said 1,000.
Now, this on the surface is okay by me. It's not too different from Family Game Night. Some people may not like it, and that's fine, you just don't buy it. But here's the kicker. Game Room is free to download (only the games you add to it cost money), but the moment you load it up you get a five point achievement. There's no going back after that, you can't remove the game from your list. If you're a completionist, you'll have no choice but to buy up a bunch of games to get the rest of the achievements.
Now, personally, I don't have a big problem with this, but I know a lot of people are upset about it, so I wanted to make sure you have all the information beforehand. If you're a completionist, and you're not interested in spending a lot of money on classic games, don't load up Game Room.
On the other hand, if you're like me and you love classic games, check it out. It's a very cool concept.
Game Room is kind of a non-game game, actually. What it is, is a room that you fill up with classic arcade and console games. You can play these games and earn medals and such, and you can go to your friends' arcades or invite them to yours. It's a very interesting idea. The problem is, you have to buy all the games you want to place in your room. With Microsoft points. 240 points a piece, or $3. That's better than standard Live Arcade games, but still adds up if you want to add a lot of games to your room. And you will want to do that, because that's how you earn achievements in Game Room. You have to play a lot of games, earn medals, and unlock new items and themes for your arcade. Depending on how good you are at the games you play, you may have to spend upwards of $70 to get the complete 1,000 achievement points. Yes, I said 1,000.
Now, this on the surface is okay by me. It's not too different from Family Game Night. Some people may not like it, and that's fine, you just don't buy it. But here's the kicker. Game Room is free to download (only the games you add to it cost money), but the moment you load it up you get a five point achievement. There's no going back after that, you can't remove the game from your list. If you're a completionist, you'll have no choice but to buy up a bunch of games to get the rest of the achievements.
Now, personally, I don't have a big problem with this, but I know a lot of people are upset about it, so I wanted to make sure you have all the information beforehand. If you're a completionist, and you're not interested in spending a lot of money on classic games, don't load up Game Room.
On the other hand, if you're like me and you love classic games, check it out. It's a very cool concept.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Some quick game reviews
Okay, once again sorry for the delay in posting. I had a pretty busy few weeks, but now I've got some time to catch up, so here are some game reviews.
First up, Ghostbusters!
I was very excited about this back when it came out, but at that time my 360 was busted, so I never got around to buying the game. I finally got a chance to play it recently and it was flat out awesome. This game was actually written by Harold Ramis and Dan Ackroyd, and it's an official part of Ghostbusters canon. Not only that, but it stars the same cast as the movies. Yes, Ackroyd, Ramis, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson voice the Ghostbusters in this game! So this game is pretty much Ghostbusters 3. If you're a long time fan of these movies this game will be a total treat for you.
As far as the actual gameplay goes, it's pretty great. There's a bit of a learning curve, but once you figure out how to wrangle those ghosts into the traps, you'll be busting like a pro. On the higher difficulties, the game can be quite a challenge. Getting the achievement for beating the game on its highest difficulty was just plain hard, but doing so made me feel really good about my skills. Just as good as beating The Force Unleashed on its highest setting did.
There is online multiplayer for this game, but I didn't play it. It sounded really cool, a lot of different modes where you both co-operate and compete with your fellow players. Problem is, two of the online achievements are currently glitched. They simply can't be unlocked, no matter what you do. So, no K'ing this game. Sorry, achievement whores. But you can still squeeze 800+ points out of the offline achievements.
Next, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga.
I played the first Lego Star Wars on GameCube. This was Episodes I-III. I ran through the story mode, but never bothered to do anything else. Lego Star Wars II (Episodes IV-VI) I played on my 360, and because of the achievements I finished it 100%. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga was the perfect opportunity for me to revisit Episodes I-III and score some achievements at the same time.
If you've played either of the other Lego Star Wars, then you've already played at least half of this game. But if you love the Lego games and/or Star Wars, and you're looking for 1,000 easy achievement points, you'll want to pick this up. It takes a lot of time to K this game, but it's still easier than Lego Star Wars II. It takes much less money to buy the score multipliers in this game.
At the moment, I'm playing The Orange Box, Lego Rock Band, and Saw, so expect reviews on them soon.
First up, Ghostbusters!
I was very excited about this back when it came out, but at that time my 360 was busted, so I never got around to buying the game. I finally got a chance to play it recently and it was flat out awesome. This game was actually written by Harold Ramis and Dan Ackroyd, and it's an official part of Ghostbusters canon. Not only that, but it stars the same cast as the movies. Yes, Ackroyd, Ramis, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson voice the Ghostbusters in this game! So this game is pretty much Ghostbusters 3. If you're a long time fan of these movies this game will be a total treat for you.
As far as the actual gameplay goes, it's pretty great. There's a bit of a learning curve, but once you figure out how to wrangle those ghosts into the traps, you'll be busting like a pro. On the higher difficulties, the game can be quite a challenge. Getting the achievement for beating the game on its highest difficulty was just plain hard, but doing so made me feel really good about my skills. Just as good as beating The Force Unleashed on its highest setting did.
There is online multiplayer for this game, but I didn't play it. It sounded really cool, a lot of different modes where you both co-operate and compete with your fellow players. Problem is, two of the online achievements are currently glitched. They simply can't be unlocked, no matter what you do. So, no K'ing this game. Sorry, achievement whores. But you can still squeeze 800+ points out of the offline achievements.
Next, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga.
I played the first Lego Star Wars on GameCube. This was Episodes I-III. I ran through the story mode, but never bothered to do anything else. Lego Star Wars II (Episodes IV-VI) I played on my 360, and because of the achievements I finished it 100%. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga was the perfect opportunity for me to revisit Episodes I-III and score some achievements at the same time.
If you've played either of the other Lego Star Wars, then you've already played at least half of this game. But if you love the Lego games and/or Star Wars, and you're looking for 1,000 easy achievement points, you'll want to pick this up. It takes a lot of time to K this game, but it's still easier than Lego Star Wars II. It takes much less money to buy the score multipliers in this game.
At the moment, I'm playing The Orange Box, Lego Rock Band, and Saw, so expect reviews on them soon.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Game review quickies - 3/2/10
Since my 360 had been broken for the better part of last year, I wanted to up my gamerscore a bit now that I have it back. So recently I played a few quick games to do just that. Here are the reviews.
Fight Night Round 3
I'm not big on sports games in general, boxing games in particular, so I have to admit I took the cheap route to the K in this game. Set the game to easy, turn off DQs, then just groin punch your way to victory. You rarely lose a fight this way. The game only has eight achievements and you can get them all in about five hours. An easy K. Now, if you wanted to take the time to learn the game legitimately, it seemed like it could be fun. Using the right stick to control your punches was something I hadn't experienced before. If you like boxing games, you might really dig this if you take the time to learn it. Or, you could do like me, spend a night punching people in the groin and get an easy K.
TMNT
This game was actually more fun than I thought it would be. This is the first Ninja Turtles game I've played since the NES days, so I don't know how they've been lately, but this one is decent. Of course, it still has lots of problems. Publisher Ubisoft put their stink all over this game, giving the Turtles all kinds of Prince-of-Persia-style moves, running up and along walls, swinging from poles and things like that. It's pretty cool, except for that you don't have to push a button to get them to do it, they just do it. As a result, you wind up running all over places you don't mean to, and often off into pits and dying. A lot. Fortunately, there are checkpoints every few minutes, so it's not that big of an issue. The combat is okay, but very simple. The game was obviously intended for a younger audience. The best part is that the twenty-three achievements are all very easy to get. Most of them you get just going through the game, and the ones you don't only require you to replay one level. I got all thousand points in one sitting. Easy K.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
This one will take a bit more time than the others, but it's a fairly easy K as well. It's far from a perfect game, but in the end I still had fun playing this. It was developed by Traveler's Tales, the same folks responsible for the current Lego crossover games (Star Wars, Indy, Batman, etc.) and actually plays pretty similar to them. There are only six levels in this game, each with a number of sub-missions you must complete. The combat kind of sucks. Have you played any of the Lego Star Wars games? You know how when you're controlling a Jedi, and you swing your lightsaber at an enemy directly in front of you, but somehow you still miss? Yeah, this game is like that. It gets pretty annoying, especially because many of the achievements are to kill so many enemies with certain characters. Still, it's not terrible. I managed to get every single player achievement just going through the game. You will likely want to find a guide for this, though, as you have to collect a great number of hidden treasure chests to get all the achievements and some of them are tough to find. There are two co-op achievements. If you have a friend who wants to play with you (either local or online) you can get these easily. If not, just do what I did and find an easy mission in the first level, sign in another controller, and run through that mission the required number of times. Sounds annoying, but it was actually quick and easy to do. Two days playing time, and I have another thousand points for my gamerscore.
Jumper: Griffin's Story
Okay, here's where things get ugly. I actually started playing this game a long time ago. Like at least a year. I got to the end of the third level and got stuck, so I quit and never came back. After playing the games above, I saw this turd sitting on my shelf and figured I'd try and go back to it. There are only twenty achievements in this game, each worth fifty points. I already had a few from before, but ones I still needed included beating the game, beating it very quickly, and beating it without dying. I was not optimistic. But then I figured the game out. See, you have to understand that this is a bad game. Horrible camera, questionable fighting controls, uneven health pickups, etc. The fighting is based around teleportation (this movie is a prequel to the movie Jumper from a few years back, with Sam Jackson and Hayden Christensen), and to attack guys you press a button and teleport to that side of their body and attack. You have to watch this little ring around your targeted enemy's feet and try to press the button that corresponds with the green spot on that ring. If you hit it you build up your meter for power moves. If you hit the red spot on the ring, the enemy will block and counter you. Sounds simple enough, but the enemies always move around, thus moving the position of the ring, thus changing the context of your buttons. You have to think quick, and that gets pretty tough when there are five other enemies all trying to attack you at once. But once you figure out the rhythm, once you get the game down, it starts to get a lot easier. As you progress through the game and upgrade your weapon, it starts to get even more easy. At the end of the game you get a sword that literally cuts through dudes like a hot knife through butter. And the best part is, you can carry all your collectibles, weapon upgrades, and experience over to a new game after you beat it. So, muddle through it once, learn the combat system, and collect all the weapon upgrades, then you can start a new game and basically be unstoppable. On my second run through, I had no problem beating it without dying, and I did it in about a half an hour, too. After that it's just a simple matter of finding the collectibles, and you can use a guide for that. So this game is not an easy K, at first, but if you can force yourself to figure it out the achievements will soon fall into place for you.
So there you have it. Four games that, with a little work and patience, can really pad out your gamerscore. Rent them if you just want easy points, or if you're like me and have a compulsive urge to collect, pick them up on the cheap from your local used game store.
Fight Night Round 3
I'm not big on sports games in general, boxing games in particular, so I have to admit I took the cheap route to the K in this game. Set the game to easy, turn off DQs, then just groin punch your way to victory. You rarely lose a fight this way. The game only has eight achievements and you can get them all in about five hours. An easy K. Now, if you wanted to take the time to learn the game legitimately, it seemed like it could be fun. Using the right stick to control your punches was something I hadn't experienced before. If you like boxing games, you might really dig this if you take the time to learn it. Or, you could do like me, spend a night punching people in the groin and get an easy K.
TMNT
This game was actually more fun than I thought it would be. This is the first Ninja Turtles game I've played since the NES days, so I don't know how they've been lately, but this one is decent. Of course, it still has lots of problems. Publisher Ubisoft put their stink all over this game, giving the Turtles all kinds of Prince-of-Persia-style moves, running up and along walls, swinging from poles and things like that. It's pretty cool, except for that you don't have to push a button to get them to do it, they just do it. As a result, you wind up running all over places you don't mean to, and often off into pits and dying. A lot. Fortunately, there are checkpoints every few minutes, so it's not that big of an issue. The combat is okay, but very simple. The game was obviously intended for a younger audience. The best part is that the twenty-three achievements are all very easy to get. Most of them you get just going through the game, and the ones you don't only require you to replay one level. I got all thousand points in one sitting. Easy K.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
This one will take a bit more time than the others, but it's a fairly easy K as well. It's far from a perfect game, but in the end I still had fun playing this. It was developed by Traveler's Tales, the same folks responsible for the current Lego crossover games (Star Wars, Indy, Batman, etc.) and actually plays pretty similar to them. There are only six levels in this game, each with a number of sub-missions you must complete. The combat kind of sucks. Have you played any of the Lego Star Wars games? You know how when you're controlling a Jedi, and you swing your lightsaber at an enemy directly in front of you, but somehow you still miss? Yeah, this game is like that. It gets pretty annoying, especially because many of the achievements are to kill so many enemies with certain characters. Still, it's not terrible. I managed to get every single player achievement just going through the game. You will likely want to find a guide for this, though, as you have to collect a great number of hidden treasure chests to get all the achievements and some of them are tough to find. There are two co-op achievements. If you have a friend who wants to play with you (either local or online) you can get these easily. If not, just do what I did and find an easy mission in the first level, sign in another controller, and run through that mission the required number of times. Sounds annoying, but it was actually quick and easy to do. Two days playing time, and I have another thousand points for my gamerscore.
Jumper: Griffin's Story
Okay, here's where things get ugly. I actually started playing this game a long time ago. Like at least a year. I got to the end of the third level and got stuck, so I quit and never came back. After playing the games above, I saw this turd sitting on my shelf and figured I'd try and go back to it. There are only twenty achievements in this game, each worth fifty points. I already had a few from before, but ones I still needed included beating the game, beating it very quickly, and beating it without dying. I was not optimistic. But then I figured the game out. See, you have to understand that this is a bad game. Horrible camera, questionable fighting controls, uneven health pickups, etc. The fighting is based around teleportation (this movie is a prequel to the movie Jumper from a few years back, with Sam Jackson and Hayden Christensen), and to attack guys you press a button and teleport to that side of their body and attack. You have to watch this little ring around your targeted enemy's feet and try to press the button that corresponds with the green spot on that ring. If you hit it you build up your meter for power moves. If you hit the red spot on the ring, the enemy will block and counter you. Sounds simple enough, but the enemies always move around, thus moving the position of the ring, thus changing the context of your buttons. You have to think quick, and that gets pretty tough when there are five other enemies all trying to attack you at once. But once you figure out the rhythm, once you get the game down, it starts to get a lot easier. As you progress through the game and upgrade your weapon, it starts to get even more easy. At the end of the game you get a sword that literally cuts through dudes like a hot knife through butter. And the best part is, you can carry all your collectibles, weapon upgrades, and experience over to a new game after you beat it. So, muddle through it once, learn the combat system, and collect all the weapon upgrades, then you can start a new game and basically be unstoppable. On my second run through, I had no problem beating it without dying, and I did it in about a half an hour, too. After that it's just a simple matter of finding the collectibles, and you can use a guide for that. So this game is not an easy K, at first, but if you can force yourself to figure it out the achievements will soon fall into place for you.
So there you have it. Four games that, with a little work and patience, can really pad out your gamerscore. Rent them if you just want easy points, or if you're like me and have a compulsive urge to collect, pick them up on the cheap from your local used game store.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Game review - Assassin's Creed II
I loved this game. Straight up loved it. I loved the first one too, and this one just expanded on that. Seriously, I think this is my favorite new series from this generation. Here's my spoiler-free review.
This game picks up right where the first one left off, continuing the story of Desmond Miles. At the beginning of the game, Desmond and Lucy (who now looks a lot less creepy and a lot more like her voice actor, Kristen Bell) break out of the Abstergo building and get back to an Assassin safehouse to do more digging into the past. This time, instead of the Crusades-era Middle East, we visit Desmond's ancestor Ezio from Renaissance Italy.
This game doesn't feature a hub, like the original's Kingdom. Instead you can pay to travel directly to and from any city you've already visited. Yes, pay. There is a money system in this game, and it actually adds a lot to the game. There are a ton of different things you can buy. You can buy an assortment of main weapons and small weapons. As opposed to the standard sword and short blade you had in the first game, you can now pick from a number of different kinds of swords, each with different stats, or even hammers. You can also pick a number of different daggers. There's even a cestus you can buy to give your fists an extra wallop. Aside from the weapons there are a number of different pieces of armor you can buy and a handful of upgrades to your item pouches. Need more throwing knives? Buy a bigger knife belt.
There are other things to buy, also. You can spruce up your home by buying paintings, or change the color of your outfit with various dyes. Or you can choose to spend money improving your home town by renovating the buildings there. The best part is, spending money on most of these things adds to the value of your town and therefore increases your income. If you keep up with it, by the end of the game you'll never want for money. It's very similar to the system used in Fable II.
In fact, I'd say this game is very much like a cross between Fable and Grand Theft Auto. The gameplay itself is pretty much exactly like the first Assassin's Creed, which is to say nearly perfect. The Fable part comes from the money system, and the GTA part comes from the mission structure. In the first game you got your missions directly from the head of the Assassin Order, and you went and carried them out with some help from the local Assassin's Guild. In this game missions pop up on the map and you go to them and start them, very much like GTA.
I loved this game to death, but there are still a few flaws. First, the control is still missing that little bit of polish that would make it perfect. You will wind up running up walls you didn't mean to, or getting stuck climbing structures in spots you shouldn't. It's a minor irritation, but I hope they fix it for the next game. Plus, some of the combat has issues. The timing needed to pull off counters is demanding sometimes, and doing some of the new special moves like throwing sand in people's faces or sweeping people (both of which have achievement associated with them) can be tricky to pull off in actual combat. Also, there's not as much Desmond in this game. There are only three times in the game you get to control him, the beginning, the end, and around the midway point of the game. Some people may find that a plus, but I enjoyed the Desmond breaks in the first game. Each one was like another little clue to what was going on.
Speaking of which, this game features some nasty puzzles! This was one of my favorite parts of the game. Hidden throughout the programming of the Animus are twenty glyphs, placed there by the mysterious Subject 16. Before he died, 16 apparently figured out the truth behind the Pieces of Eden and what the Templars have been doing with them throughout the centuries, and he left the information behind in these glyphs. When you find one, you have to figure out a puzzle, then you're shown a snippet of video. After you finish all twenty puzzles, you get to see the whole video and discover the truth of the Pieces' origins. These twenty puzzles, loaded with information on the Templars' nefarious activities, easily provided the creepiest moments of the game.
I'll say it again: I loved this game. If you liked the first one, you'll definitely like this one too. It's better in almost every way. Now please, please Ubisoft, bring on Assassin's Creed III! I need to know what happens next!
This game picks up right where the first one left off, continuing the story of Desmond Miles. At the beginning of the game, Desmond and Lucy (who now looks a lot less creepy and a lot more like her voice actor, Kristen Bell) break out of the Abstergo building and get back to an Assassin safehouse to do more digging into the past. This time, instead of the Crusades-era Middle East, we visit Desmond's ancestor Ezio from Renaissance Italy.
This game doesn't feature a hub, like the original's Kingdom. Instead you can pay to travel directly to and from any city you've already visited. Yes, pay. There is a money system in this game, and it actually adds a lot to the game. There are a ton of different things you can buy. You can buy an assortment of main weapons and small weapons. As opposed to the standard sword and short blade you had in the first game, you can now pick from a number of different kinds of swords, each with different stats, or even hammers. You can also pick a number of different daggers. There's even a cestus you can buy to give your fists an extra wallop. Aside from the weapons there are a number of different pieces of armor you can buy and a handful of upgrades to your item pouches. Need more throwing knives? Buy a bigger knife belt.
There are other things to buy, also. You can spruce up your home by buying paintings, or change the color of your outfit with various dyes. Or you can choose to spend money improving your home town by renovating the buildings there. The best part is, spending money on most of these things adds to the value of your town and therefore increases your income. If you keep up with it, by the end of the game you'll never want for money. It's very similar to the system used in Fable II.
In fact, I'd say this game is very much like a cross between Fable and Grand Theft Auto. The gameplay itself is pretty much exactly like the first Assassin's Creed, which is to say nearly perfect. The Fable part comes from the money system, and the GTA part comes from the mission structure. In the first game you got your missions directly from the head of the Assassin Order, and you went and carried them out with some help from the local Assassin's Guild. In this game missions pop up on the map and you go to them and start them, very much like GTA.
I loved this game to death, but there are still a few flaws. First, the control is still missing that little bit of polish that would make it perfect. You will wind up running up walls you didn't mean to, or getting stuck climbing structures in spots you shouldn't. It's a minor irritation, but I hope they fix it for the next game. Plus, some of the combat has issues. The timing needed to pull off counters is demanding sometimes, and doing some of the new special moves like throwing sand in people's faces or sweeping people (both of which have achievement associated with them) can be tricky to pull off in actual combat. Also, there's not as much Desmond in this game. There are only three times in the game you get to control him, the beginning, the end, and around the midway point of the game. Some people may find that a plus, but I enjoyed the Desmond breaks in the first game. Each one was like another little clue to what was going on.
Speaking of which, this game features some nasty puzzles! This was one of my favorite parts of the game. Hidden throughout the programming of the Animus are twenty glyphs, placed there by the mysterious Subject 16. Before he died, 16 apparently figured out the truth behind the Pieces of Eden and what the Templars have been doing with them throughout the centuries, and he left the information behind in these glyphs. When you find one, you have to figure out a puzzle, then you're shown a snippet of video. After you finish all twenty puzzles, you get to see the whole video and discover the truth of the Pieces' origins. These twenty puzzles, loaded with information on the Templars' nefarious activities, easily provided the creepiest moments of the game.
I'll say it again: I loved this game. If you liked the first one, you'll definitely like this one too. It's better in almost every way. Now please, please Ubisoft, bring on Assassin's Creed III! I need to know what happens next!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Game review - Gears of War 2
I wasn't a huge fan of the first Gears of War. I thought it was a fun game, but the multiplayer held little interest to me, and as a result I was finished with the game once I completed the campaign. Gears 2, however, seemed like a much better game to me. I can't really explain why, since the two games play almost exactly alike. I just had a lot more fun with Gears 2. Maybe it's because the achievements were a lot easier in Gears 2. I only managed to get 100 points out of the first Gears, but I have 585 so far from Gears 2.
If you haven't bought this game yet and you're interested in it, be sure you get the Game of the Year Edition! It comes with all of the download content, giving you access to like 19 extra multiplayer maps, an extra campaign mission, and 750 more achievement points. I found mine brand new for $30, so it's totally worth it.
I haven't had a chance to play the multiplayer yet, but I have a lot of friends who play it so I'm sure I will soon. I did play the training missions against bots, and it seemed cool. The new Horde mode, which basically pits you against waves and waves of enemies, is very cool but almost impossible to play alone. You need friends for this.
Whichever kind of gamer you are, if you stick mostly to campaign missions or play a lot online, this game has you covered. And for the price it is these days, you can't go wrong. Check it out.
If you haven't bought this game yet and you're interested in it, be sure you get the Game of the Year Edition! It comes with all of the download content, giving you access to like 19 extra multiplayer maps, an extra campaign mission, and 750 more achievement points. I found mine brand new for $30, so it's totally worth it.
I haven't had a chance to play the multiplayer yet, but I have a lot of friends who play it so I'm sure I will soon. I did play the training missions against bots, and it seemed cool. The new Horde mode, which basically pits you against waves and waves of enemies, is very cool but almost impossible to play alone. You need friends for this.
Whichever kind of gamer you are, if you stick mostly to campaign missions or play a lot online, this game has you covered. And for the price it is these days, you can't go wrong. Check it out.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
1 vs. 100 - 2/10/10
Sorry I haven't updated in a while. We've had some pretty heavy snow lately here in the Cincinnati area, and I haven't really had much to do. Not anything blog-worthy at least.
I have been playing some 1 vs. 100 on Xbox Live, though. After making a handful of top 100 appearances, I managed to actually get into the mob during one of the live shows. I'm the first person I know to get in, so I was pretty happy about that. I made it a little more than halfway through before getting stumped by some question about when the postal service started using zip codes.
Tonight while playing extended play, I set a new personal best. I had a streak of 34, and actually held the number one position for a long time. I wound up missing two questions near the end and got bumped down to sixth place, but I still made the top ten, which is very cool. My brother Sawdust almost made the top ten as well in that game.
By the way, I may have mentioned this before, but my 360 has been broken for some time now. I've sent it away to be fixed, and should be getting it back anytime. So expect me to start posting more game reviews soon. There are a lot of titles I need to catch up on.
I have been playing some 1 vs. 100 on Xbox Live, though. After making a handful of top 100 appearances, I managed to actually get into the mob during one of the live shows. I'm the first person I know to get in, so I was pretty happy about that. I made it a little more than halfway through before getting stumped by some question about when the postal service started using zip codes.
Tonight while playing extended play, I set a new personal best. I had a streak of 34, and actually held the number one position for a long time. I wound up missing two questions near the end and got bumped down to sixth place, but I still made the top ten, which is very cool. My brother Sawdust almost made the top ten as well in that game.
By the way, I may have mentioned this before, but my 360 has been broken for some time now. I've sent it away to be fixed, and should be getting it back anytime. So expect me to start posting more game reviews soon. There are a lot of titles I need to catch up on.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Game review - God of War: Chains of Olympus
Right away I know what you're thinking. This game came out quite some time ago, why review it now? Well, because I just now got around to playing it. Hey, it happens. To me, it happens a lot. So get used to reading reviews here on things that have been out for a while. I'm sure there are plenty of you out there who might not have played this game yet, either. So here you go.
Chains of Olympus is the PSP entry into the God of War series. It would have been real easy for Sony to just make a portable version of one of the PS2 God of War games, but instead they took the time to create a wholly original entry into the series. Set before the original God of War, this game sees Kratos as a servant of the Gods, going where they command to act as muscle. While repelling a Persian invasion, Kratos sees the sun fall from the sky, and has to figure out what has happened to Helios, the sun god.
The controls for this game are slightly dumbed down from the PS2 games, to fit with the limited number of buttons on the PSP. This really isn't a problem, though. The game plays just as good as its big brothers do, if not better in some cases. The secondary weapon you get in this game, the Gauntlet of Zeus, allows you to lay some serious beatdowns on your enemies. I'd have to say it's my favorite secondary weapon out of the whole series. In fact, I might even say that this game as a whole is my favorite of the series. The quick time events were a bit more demanding, but other than that I can't think of a real negative for this game. If you're a God of War fan and you own a PSP, you owe it to yourself to get this.
Chains of Olympus is the PSP entry into the God of War series. It would have been real easy for Sony to just make a portable version of one of the PS2 God of War games, but instead they took the time to create a wholly original entry into the series. Set before the original God of War, this game sees Kratos as a servant of the Gods, going where they command to act as muscle. While repelling a Persian invasion, Kratos sees the sun fall from the sky, and has to figure out what has happened to Helios, the sun god.
The controls for this game are slightly dumbed down from the PS2 games, to fit with the limited number of buttons on the PSP. This really isn't a problem, though. The game plays just as good as its big brothers do, if not better in some cases. The secondary weapon you get in this game, the Gauntlet of Zeus, allows you to lay some serious beatdowns on your enemies. I'd have to say it's my favorite secondary weapon out of the whole series. In fact, I might even say that this game as a whole is my favorite of the series. The quick time events were a bit more demanding, but other than that I can't think of a real negative for this game. If you're a God of War fan and you own a PSP, you owe it to yourself to get this.
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