Monday, May 10, 2010
Photo Dojo Released At Long Last
Finally, Photo Dojo is out. I heard about this months ago, played it at PAX, and now it's out. For the next couple weeks, it's free to download from DSi Ware. I suggest you check it out!
LittleBigPlanet 2?
I've consistently said there won't be a true LittleBigPlanet 2. MediaMolecule would not want to split the community and do anything to upset the ongoing ecosystem.
Now, however, news of LittleBigPlanet 2 got a little bit more plausible. Although the actual magazine isn't out yet, an advance look of an upcoming GameInformer issue appears to confirm that there is a sequel. Of sorts.
From the sound of things, the level editor is going to be miles beyond even the impressive editor in the first game. There's even mention of a working Command and Conquer clone? This I would have to see.
But no news on whether LBP2 would just plug into the existing network, allowing the two titles to share levels and content. At least there is word you can port your characters from one to another. Given that LBP is the only game I've ever gained Platinum on, I want to keep the streak going.
Update, it's for reals.
Now, however, news of LittleBigPlanet 2 got a little bit more plausible. Although the actual magazine isn't out yet, an advance look of an upcoming GameInformer issue appears to confirm that there is a sequel. Of sorts.
From the sound of things, the level editor is going to be miles beyond even the impressive editor in the first game. There's even mention of a working Command and Conquer clone? This I would have to see.
But no news on whether LBP2 would just plug into the existing network, allowing the two titles to share levels and content. At least there is word you can port your characters from one to another. Given that LBP is the only game I've ever gained Platinum on, I want to keep the streak going.
Update, it's for reals.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Free Release of Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries Available
Released way back in 2002, Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries is my favorite in the giant- walking-robot-shooter genre. I played the game's single-player campaign easily a half-dozen times, enjoying the campaign missions and the ability to salvage mechs and use those parts on your own rigs.
Now it's back, and it's free. The brilliant team at Mektek have lobbied Microsoft Game Studios to give up the code and release it free of charge. You can get it here. In addition to the game's stock missions and mechs, the Mektek team's additional mech packs are part of the distribution, bringing the total equipment available to astronomical levels.
If you've never played the game, now is as good a time as any. The jury's still out if we'll see the promising MW5 reboot, but at least we have MW4:Mercs to tide us over.
Now it's back, and it's free. The brilliant team at Mektek have lobbied Microsoft Game Studios to give up the code and release it free of charge. You can get it here. In addition to the game's stock missions and mechs, the Mektek team's additional mech packs are part of the distribution, bringing the total equipment available to astronomical levels.
If you've never played the game, now is as good a time as any. The jury's still out if we'll see the promising MW5 reboot, but at least we have MW4:Mercs to tide us over.
Engineer Gets His Due
Finally in the works is the Team Fortress 2 Engineer Update. Long wished for, the newly-released video is our confirmation:
Are we past update 100 yet?
Update: Yeah, 119. Whoops!
Are we past update 100 yet?
Update: Yeah, 119. Whoops!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Tecmo Bowl Throwback Released
To little fanfare, Tecmo Bowl Throwback was released yesterday on Xbox Live, and, supposedly, the Playstation Network. I've been watching my PS3, but still no love yet. But look out! It's imminent. I can't wait to go crazy with the Chiefs.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Guild Wars Designer Details Combat System
Welcome to Milden Gaming, an adjunct blog of ArenaNet.
*ahem*
The second part of the Guild Wars 2 combat system series from Eric Flannum, lead designer of Guild Wars 2, released today. The first part was released yesterday. In concert, the two articles detail a lot of the high-level concepts behind the combat system in Guild Wars 2, bringing some exciting and fundamental changes to the system.
First of all, the skill system has expanded from eight to ten skills available in a character load-out. Interestingly, five skills are determined by the weapons and class of the character itself. Weapons range from the sets that existed in the first game, and add new ranged options such as the single-handed pistol, double-handed rifle, and a new two-handed melee weapon, the greatsword. The choice of weapon then determines which skills fill out the first half of the skill bar. The other five can be chosen by the player.
Elite skills seem to be even more serious than the previous game. Still limited to one on the skill bar, the elite skills will likely have even greater impact on the game, but used less frequently, to make them seem more special.
Along with the changes to skills, the use of physical space and motion seems to be increasingly important in GW2. The designer uses an example of an attack that causes a character to leap up in the air after a team-mate used a skill to launch it skyward. There are also possibilities for environmental weapons. A character might pick up a boulder with a skill, or man a siege weapon, modifying the skill bar in a manner seen when assuming different forms in Eye of the North. Along with area-of-effect and flanking maneuvering, the use of space in Guild Wars 2 is light years beyond most games, even single-player titles.
The changes seem like great evolutionary steps in refining and bringing more options to the table in Guild Wars 2. I'm excited to see what more changes bring to the overall framework.
*ahem*
The second part of the Guild Wars 2 combat system series from Eric Flannum, lead designer of Guild Wars 2, released today. The first part was released yesterday. In concert, the two articles detail a lot of the high-level concepts behind the combat system in Guild Wars 2, bringing some exciting and fundamental changes to the system.
First of all, the skill system has expanded from eight to ten skills available in a character load-out. Interestingly, five skills are determined by the weapons and class of the character itself. Weapons range from the sets that existed in the first game, and add new ranged options such as the single-handed pistol, double-handed rifle, and a new two-handed melee weapon, the greatsword. The choice of weapon then determines which skills fill out the first half of the skill bar. The other five can be chosen by the player.
Elite skills seem to be even more serious than the previous game. Still limited to one on the skill bar, the elite skills will likely have even greater impact on the game, but used less frequently, to make them seem more special.
Along with the changes to skills, the use of physical space and motion seems to be increasingly important in GW2. The designer uses an example of an attack that causes a character to leap up in the air after a team-mate used a skill to launch it skyward. There are also possibilities for environmental weapons. A character might pick up a boulder with a skill, or man a siege weapon, modifying the skill bar in a manner seen when assuming different forms in Eye of the North. Along with area-of-effect and flanking maneuvering, the use of space in Guild Wars 2 is light years beyond most games, even single-player titles.
The changes seem like great evolutionary steps in refining and bringing more options to the table in Guild Wars 2. I'm excited to see what more changes bring to the overall framework.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
My 5th Birthday Present
Say hello to my little friend! It's my 5th birthday present on my main character in Guild Wars. Pretty cool, I think.
Five Years of Integrity and Fair Play
Guild Wars turns five this week. Actually I think it was April 22nd, but close enough. The game for me was an incredible experience, a giant world to explore and share with my friends, or strike out alone on my own to overcome any obstacle and make a name for myself.
The victories in the game were sweet. Conquering the core story missions, perfecting missions, clearing elite zones, vanquishing zones, and gaining titles. A successful dungeon delve, made possible with Eye of the North, was the best kind of experience, bringing an almost table-top RPG feel to video games.
There were frustrating times, too, not due to the framework of the game, but within the game, failures to prepare and react. The failures were fair, and never took away from the game, and in fact allowed you to keep playing even though you'd failed. This type of measured penalty, when other games, especially MMOs, imposed crushing penalties in the event of player failure and death, really opened up the game to me, allowing me and my colleagues to venture farther and wider without fear.
So it's with great hope that I read words from the Guild Wars II developers and smile, because it seems that they're at it again. Five years ago they broke away from all the things that made MMOs no fun to me, and they continue to rethink what it means to play in a persistent world.
I loved Guild Wars combat for the skills system. At the time, I was huge into Magic: The Gathering, and I saw the parallels from a very high level. In Guild Wars, you got to go out and collect the "cards" and build your "deck", where the cards were skills (usually elite ones) and your deck was your character's skill-set itself. It was hugely compelling to me, and to a lot of people, where you get to set things up the way you want while coming up with clever interactions. Guild Wars II takes that a step further by increasing the physics of the situation, by allowing objects and effects to interact the way you think they would, with conjured clouds and whatever. Add into that the increased amount of customization that come with a total of five races and so many classes, and you have a great mix to play the way you want.
One of the things that really hooked me in Guild Wars was that it merged online play with a single-player story experience. Especially in the first game, the sweeping, epic story of the fall of Ascalon and the flight westward really captured me. With Guild Wars 2, there will be even deeper story immersion, and it will come out with the choices that you make in the game itself. In Mass Effect 2 style, the story will wrap itself around your character, rather than the other way around. This, maybe more than anything else new, is what gets me the most excited.
A new way to play the game with other human players also promises to change the entire landscape within Guild Wars 2. The developers have talked a lot about wide open expanses and encounters involving dozens or hundreds of people. They system that they intend to set up will allow players to group organically rather than pair off into a bunch of five-man groups. When a huge monster sweeps down on a trade route, nobody travelling through is going to shout "Healer LFG" or "Group LF tank 7/8". Everyone's just gonna grab their weapons and start beating the crap out of the baddie. Healers will heal, tanks will tank, wizards will nuke. Under the GWII system, everyone who participated in the fight will get rewards. No kill-stealing, no loot-ganking. Doesn't that sound like a ton of fun?
In short, Guild Wars II promises to be an evolution, not a remake, of the first game. But it continues the core belief of fun and fair play, building a system where players can help each other rather than be huge jerks. There's no subscription fee. There's no competition for areas and monsters. Loot and character levels take a sideline to skill and planning. Sounds like fun to me.
The victories in the game were sweet. Conquering the core story missions, perfecting missions, clearing elite zones, vanquishing zones, and gaining titles. A successful dungeon delve, made possible with Eye of the North, was the best kind of experience, bringing an almost table-top RPG feel to video games.
There were frustrating times, too, not due to the framework of the game, but within the game, failures to prepare and react. The failures were fair, and never took away from the game, and in fact allowed you to keep playing even though you'd failed. This type of measured penalty, when other games, especially MMOs, imposed crushing penalties in the event of player failure and death, really opened up the game to me, allowing me and my colleagues to venture farther and wider without fear.
So it's with great hope that I read words from the Guild Wars II developers and smile, because it seems that they're at it again. Five years ago they broke away from all the things that made MMOs no fun to me, and they continue to rethink what it means to play in a persistent world.
I loved Guild Wars combat for the skills system. At the time, I was huge into Magic: The Gathering, and I saw the parallels from a very high level. In Guild Wars, you got to go out and collect the "cards" and build your "deck", where the cards were skills (usually elite ones) and your deck was your character's skill-set itself. It was hugely compelling to me, and to a lot of people, where you get to set things up the way you want while coming up with clever interactions. Guild Wars II takes that a step further by increasing the physics of the situation, by allowing objects and effects to interact the way you think they would, with conjured clouds and whatever. Add into that the increased amount of customization that come with a total of five races and so many classes, and you have a great mix to play the way you want.
One of the things that really hooked me in Guild Wars was that it merged online play with a single-player story experience. Especially in the first game, the sweeping, epic story of the fall of Ascalon and the flight westward really captured me. With Guild Wars 2, there will be even deeper story immersion, and it will come out with the choices that you make in the game itself. In Mass Effect 2 style, the story will wrap itself around your character, rather than the other way around. This, maybe more than anything else new, is what gets me the most excited.
A new way to play the game with other human players also promises to change the entire landscape within Guild Wars 2. The developers have talked a lot about wide open expanses and encounters involving dozens or hundreds of people. They system that they intend to set up will allow players to group organically rather than pair off into a bunch of five-man groups. When a huge monster sweeps down on a trade route, nobody travelling through is going to shout "Healer LFG" or "Group LF tank 7/8". Everyone's just gonna grab their weapons and start beating the crap out of the baddie. Healers will heal, tanks will tank, wizards will nuke. Under the GWII system, everyone who participated in the fight will get rewards. No kill-stealing, no loot-ganking. Doesn't that sound like a ton of fun?
In short, Guild Wars II promises to be an evolution, not a remake, of the first game. But it continues the core belief of fun and fair play, building a system where players can help each other rather than be huge jerks. There's no subscription fee. There's no competition for areas and monsters. Loot and character levels take a sideline to skill and planning. Sounds like fun to me.
Monday, April 26, 2010
More Details and Video for Okamiden
Another game I mentioned in my Top 10 for 2010, Okamiden is the sequel to the PS2 (and subsequent Wii port) Okami, first released in 2006. While at this point unlikely to come to the US in this calendar year, it should come out in Japan this year.
Kotaku released a short feature with a play-through of some of the game's sequences. The new video shown really highlights the bright and colorful art design, bringing the descendants of the previous game to life. The control scheme of the stylus and control pad lend themselves perfectly as an input method, allowing the drawing of spells on the touch screen with unprecedented accuracy. The combat itself looks great, similar to the previous title, still quick and acrobatic as it was on the PS2. Should be an excellent sequel and fun in its own right, whenever it does release outside of Japan.
Kotaku released a short feature with a play-through of some of the game's sequences. The new video shown really highlights the bright and colorful art design, bringing the descendants of the previous game to life. The control scheme of the stylus and control pad lend themselves perfectly as an input method, allowing the drawing of spells on the touch screen with unprecedented accuracy. The combat itself looks great, similar to the previous title, still quick and acrobatic as it was on the PS2. Should be an excellent sequel and fun in its own right, whenever it does release outside of Japan.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Nintendo 3DS This Year?
I've been following news of the 3DS for some time, ever since the official announcement from Nintendo. The official press release said that the new hardware was supposed to be shown in the flesh at the 2010 E3 and out by March 2011. However, a new update suggests that Nintendo may beat their prediction and release the hardware by October. Whether this is just in Japan or in other markets is yet to be seen. But I'm increasingly interested in the handheld space, and a more full-featured Nintendo product that is backward compatible with the DS could replace my existing Lite. More info in June with E3.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Tecmo Bowl Throwback Achievements
Real or fake, achievements have been announced for the upcoming Tecmo Bowl Throwback. As I'd previously posted, I'm certainly looking forward to the game. Tons of nostalgia and ripe for a remake. No release date yet announced, but I'm hoping that with the achievements coming out that it could be soon.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Changes Come to Kryta in Guild Wars Beyond
New updates to GuildWars, possibly to coincide with the upcoming fifth anniversary of the game, center around the ongoing conflict in Kryta and the war between the Shining Blades and the White Mantle. Still not entirely sure what the updates mean specifically, but keep an eye on the game updates page for more details. Today, you can get your White Mantle or Shining Blade character costumes; what they mean for the future is unknown.
Hey Look a Wii Game: Lost in Shadows
Little bit of old news, but a game that I haven't seen before and may be coming out in the next few months. Previously known as Tower of Shadow, the game Lost in Shadows is a puzzle platformer with an interesting twist: you are a shadow yourself, cast against the background of the game world. I see a major Team Ico influence, but I think it's an homage rather than a straight-up ripoff. The screens I've seen are just pretty. Should be something to watch.
A New Ferrari For Everyone!
... Well, everyone who works at Blizzard.
I feel like I was just talking about this, but they're at it again. With new pets and mounts put up on the in-game store, Blizzard made a blizzillion bucks at it. Hope they find a good use for the money, like using it for insulation in their secret volcano lair.
I feel like I was just talking about this, but they're at it again. With new pets and mounts put up on the in-game store, Blizzard made a blizzillion bucks at it. Hope they find a good use for the money, like using it for insulation in their secret volcano lair.
Circle Back Around on Valkyria Chronicles
One of my most favoritist games on PS3 is still Valkyria Chronicles. Certainly under-appreciated in the west, probably because it's not Modern Warfare, the game pushes all the right buttons for me: tactical turn-based combat, great art style, a good story, compelling characters. I haven't gotten any new games since March's Pokemon HeartGold, so I was looking through the box to break something old out. And Valkyria Chronicles was there.
Started from my cleared game save data and started a new game. There's a higher challenge level on the second play through, and it allows you to skip straight to the combat missions without having to watch each cutscene, although I've enjoyed still watching my favorites. You also start with all your squads leveled up and with any weapons you've collected along the way. I had fun playing through the first couple story missions, and I hope to keep going with it if time allows. Really puts a smile on my face. Except in the sad parts where I :(
For any of you new PS3 owners who haven't heard about or checked the game out, you really should. I'll even let you borrow my copy!
Started from my cleared game save data and started a new game. There's a higher challenge level on the second play through, and it allows you to skip straight to the combat missions without having to watch each cutscene, although I've enjoyed still watching my favorites. You also start with all your squads leveled up and with any weapons you've collected along the way. I had fun playing through the first couple story missions, and I hope to keep going with it if time allows. Really puts a smile on my face. Except in the sad parts where I :(
For any of you new PS3 owners who haven't heard about or checked the game out, you really should. I'll even let you borrow my copy!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Get Ready to Pay $100, WoW Fans
With news reaching us that the StarCraft II Collector's Edition now comes with a WoW in-game pet, my prediction is this: a lot of people with more money than sense buying the game for $100, plucking the card with code for said pet out of the nice shiny box, and then throwing the rest in the trash.
My feelings for StarCraft II are well-known. But the pet included in the box is both a shameless hook to bait WoW players and a smack in the face to anyone who really cares anything about StarCraft without caring a whit about MMO-based garbage. What a ploy to gain sales. Notwithstanding that the base SCII package is $59.99, approximately $10 more than other PC titles and approximately $59.99 more than I intend to pay for anything coming from Blizzard.
Ah well. Frankly I just liked to have things to complain about. If you like StarCraft, go crazy buying three games each for $100. Maybe you can put someone at Blizzard over the edge to get their third Ferrari.
My feelings for StarCraft II are well-known. But the pet included in the box is both a shameless hook to bait WoW players and a smack in the face to anyone who really cares anything about StarCraft without caring a whit about MMO-based garbage. What a ploy to gain sales. Notwithstanding that the base SCII package is $59.99, approximately $10 more than other PC titles and approximately $59.99 more than I intend to pay for anything coming from Blizzard.
Ah well. Frankly I just liked to have things to complain about. If you like StarCraft, go crazy buying three games each for $100. Maybe you can put someone at Blizzard over the edge to get their third Ferrari.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Five Years in Tyria
The end of April marks the fifth anniversary of Guild Wars, five years of gameplay in the best MMO experience ever, in my opinion. Although I haven't been back to the game in several months, I have many fond memories of April Fool's events, many dungeon delves, title accomplishments, fissure runs, and so much more. It's been a game great to play with friends and alone, with the satisfying action-based combat and customizable character skill sets that I enjoy.
Even better has been the price. Yes I ponied up for the first game and three expansions to the tune of $200. But, had I been paying a subscription for the game these entire five years, assuming the going rate of $14.95, I would be out an additional $897. Even for the fun times I had in Guild Wars, that's a pretty steep price.
With Guild Wars 2 potentially out next year, this is a scary figure. If NCSoft moves to some sort of subscription service, I will not be playing Guild Wars 2. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. But in any case, I'll always have my memories of the five years in Tyria.
Even better has been the price. Yes I ponied up for the first game and three expansions to the tune of $200. But, had I been paying a subscription for the game these entire five years, assuming the going rate of $14.95, I would be out an additional $897. Even for the fun times I had in Guild Wars, that's a pretty steep price.
With Guild Wars 2 potentially out next year, this is a scary figure. If NCSoft moves to some sort of subscription service, I will not be playing Guild Wars 2. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. But in any case, I'll always have my memories of the five years in Tyria.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Outstanding Gameplay Footage of Other M
Although Other M was non-existent at PAX East, a new video has surfaced of gameplay from the game that makes me even more excited for this upcoming Wii title. View it below (live game starting 30 seconds in):
Really looks great. Fast but measured 2.5D action combat, great boss fights, vibrant environments, and that great switch into first-person 3D view. This one is on the list for sure.
Really looks great. Fast but measured 2.5D action combat, great boss fights, vibrant environments, and that great switch into first-person 3D view. This one is on the list for sure.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
PAX East 2010 Final Day
Sunday was the best day. It's too bad that just as we got into the swing of things we had to wrap it all up. I started the day in the pitch your game idea panel, which was hilarious. The best idea and winner was iDrag, in which you use your iPhone as a way to connect with other players and then drag race. Probably illegal, but still has some hilarious potential.
Directly folling that panel was the Sunday PA Q&A which was really funny. There were a lot of words of thanks for setting up PAX East, several thank you's for the work done for Child's Play, and a lot of hilarious moments including a challenge for Mike and Jerry to arm wrestle. Mike won, but Jerry was quite worried that even in losing he may have damaged his gravy train's drawing implement. Maybe a tactical error, there.
After the panel I wandered around and got some merch. Went over to MC Frontalot's booth and said hey, got his new album Zero Day and a t-shirt, thanked him for the great show and went on my merry way. Picked up a PAX East shirt, had to do that of course.
The closing ceremony was later in the day, in which the final teams of Omeganauts battled for first place. Their trial was a relay of NES games, going in order from Super Mario Brothers to Rad Racer to Tetris and finally to Contra. The battle was tough and fraught with technical difficulties, ending in somewhat of a controversy, but it was entertaining nontheless. With a promise to meet back in one year, PAX came to a close.
We didn't want Sunday to end, so even after the actual event was over we gamed late into the night in the Boston Sheraton lobby. More Settlers of Cataan was played. We even tried to get Wil Wheaton to play with us, but he was pretty wiped out. I can't blame him. But even the fact that the conversation happened is the real reason for PAX -- getting together and acting like a real community. And I came away with the same feeling that Wil did. Gamers, as a group, are a welcoming bunch, and even though we're too often hanging out at home, when we get together, we're a close-knit group willing to put a lot of other things aside to accept other people and have fun.
Monday showed its face with rain and cold winds, the emotions of sadness at the end of the event made real in the very atmosphere. But we pressed on, ever westward, back home into the embrace of our loved ones. The promise remains -- let the accepting spirit of PAX live on in the days between in all that you do, act as Wil says and don't be a dick, until once again you can be welcomed home at another PAX.
Directly folling that panel was the Sunday PA Q&A which was really funny. There were a lot of words of thanks for setting up PAX East, several thank you's for the work done for Child's Play, and a lot of hilarious moments including a challenge for Mike and Jerry to arm wrestle. Mike won, but Jerry was quite worried that even in losing he may have damaged his gravy train's drawing implement. Maybe a tactical error, there.
After the panel I wandered around and got some merch. Went over to MC Frontalot's booth and said hey, got his new album Zero Day and a t-shirt, thanked him for the great show and went on my merry way. Picked up a PAX East shirt, had to do that of course.
The closing ceremony was later in the day, in which the final teams of Omeganauts battled for first place. Their trial was a relay of NES games, going in order from Super Mario Brothers to Rad Racer to Tetris and finally to Contra. The battle was tough and fraught with technical difficulties, ending in somewhat of a controversy, but it was entertaining nontheless. With a promise to meet back in one year, PAX came to a close.
We didn't want Sunday to end, so even after the actual event was over we gamed late into the night in the Boston Sheraton lobby. More Settlers of Cataan was played. We even tried to get Wil Wheaton to play with us, but he was pretty wiped out. I can't blame him. But even the fact that the conversation happened is the real reason for PAX -- getting together and acting like a real community. And I came away with the same feeling that Wil did. Gamers, as a group, are a welcoming bunch, and even though we're too often hanging out at home, when we get together, we're a close-knit group willing to put a lot of other things aside to accept other people and have fun.
Monday showed its face with rain and cold winds, the emotions of sadness at the end of the event made real in the very atmosphere. But we pressed on, ever westward, back home into the embrace of our loved ones. The promise remains -- let the accepting spirit of PAX live on in the days between in all that you do, act as Wil says and don't be a dick, until once again you can be welcomed home at another PAX.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
PAX East 2010 Friday and Saturday
Friday was the actual beginning of the con. I spent the morning walking in Boston, and checked out the Boston Public Library. There is some incredible artwork and architecture in the building, I highly suggest checking it out. Then it was back to the convention center for the start of the show.
This began the first part of standing around in lines. This was a big part of the experience. I liked the games that were done in the queue room, but after a couple days it got to be a little bit stale. There's a real opportunity for other vendors to leverage this time to do game demos and presentations. Wizards of the Coast could pick a couple people out of the audience and teach Magic the Gathering, or a game development company could do a live demo. There's a lot of time that vendors could reach a lot of people, and the people in line could be entertained while they wait. I felt this was a big missed opportunity.
After a bit of a wait (actually a couple hours) we finally got into the convention center proper. I went straight up to the expo hall and checked it out. I was a little underwhelmed with the Nintendo booth, but started my crazy campaign of Pokewalker connections. Went over and checked out the Split/Second demo which I really liked. However, I waited too long and didn't make it into the Wil Wheaton keynote, which kind of bummed me out. I heard it was fantastic.
Hung out in the handheld area for a bit, no one was really working on anything, and then met up with the rest of the crew later. We toured the expo hall and checked things out, then grabbed dinner at the mall. Back to the expo for another wait in line, and we prepped for the Friday night concerts starring the Protomen, Anamanaguchi, Metroid Metal, and MC Frontalot. Frontalot especially, being one of the biggest reasons I'd come to PAX. The wait was killer, things were late getting started, and I was kind of bummed to wait so long. But finally things got kicked off, and the longer the show went on, the better things got.
Finally MC Frontalot came on, and the show was great. He performed several songs from the new album Zero Day, full of great tracks. I picked the album up at the convention, even though it's not out yet, yay! I especially liked his performance of First World Problem from the show and of course the Penny Arcade Theme. I went to bed happy at 2am, and only the first day was over.
Saturday dawned late, since most of us were wrecked. I got to the floor late, and saw my first glimpses of some of the great cosplayers: dudes in Gears of War and Fallout 3 armor, ladies in Bayonetta getup, partners and groups. Cool to see. Went back to the expo hall, hung out in the room for a bit, and then back down to get our game on. We played a couple games of Settlers of Cataan, a couple with complete strangers. That was a ton of fun. All throughout PAX we had people asking us to game with them, it was a great community. We played Settlers to finish out the night, and went back to the room to crash in prep for the last day.
This began the first part of standing around in lines. This was a big part of the experience. I liked the games that were done in the queue room, but after a couple days it got to be a little bit stale. There's a real opportunity for other vendors to leverage this time to do game demos and presentations. Wizards of the Coast could pick a couple people out of the audience and teach Magic the Gathering, or a game development company could do a live demo. There's a lot of time that vendors could reach a lot of people, and the people in line could be entertained while they wait. I felt this was a big missed opportunity.
After a bit of a wait (actually a couple hours) we finally got into the convention center proper. I went straight up to the expo hall and checked it out. I was a little underwhelmed with the Nintendo booth, but started my crazy campaign of Pokewalker connections. Went over and checked out the Split/Second demo which I really liked. However, I waited too long and didn't make it into the Wil Wheaton keynote, which kind of bummed me out. I heard it was fantastic.
Hung out in the handheld area for a bit, no one was really working on anything, and then met up with the rest of the crew later. We toured the expo hall and checked things out, then grabbed dinner at the mall. Back to the expo for another wait in line, and we prepped for the Friday night concerts starring the Protomen, Anamanaguchi, Metroid Metal, and MC Frontalot. Frontalot especially, being one of the biggest reasons I'd come to PAX. The wait was killer, things were late getting started, and I was kind of bummed to wait so long. But finally things got kicked off, and the longer the show went on, the better things got.
Finally MC Frontalot came on, and the show was great. He performed several songs from the new album Zero Day, full of great tracks. I picked the album up at the convention, even though it's not out yet, yay! I especially liked his performance of First World Problem from the show and of course the Penny Arcade Theme. I went to bed happy at 2am, and only the first day was over.
Saturday dawned late, since most of us were wrecked. I got to the floor late, and saw my first glimpses of some of the great cosplayers: dudes in Gears of War and Fallout 3 armor, ladies in Bayonetta getup, partners and groups. Cool to see. Went back to the expo hall, hung out in the room for a bit, and then back down to get our game on. We played a couple games of Settlers of Cataan, a couple with complete strangers. That was a ton of fun. All throughout PAX we had people asking us to game with them, it was a great community. We played Settlers to finish out the night, and went back to the room to crash in prep for the last day.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
PAX Trip, Day 2
Had a great second day of travel from Cleveland to Boston. The travel was very smooth, made it from Cleveland to Boston in an unheard-of eleven hours. Especially with stops, that was some incredible time.
Once we got to the train stop, we were pleasantly surprised by the area we parked in. Nice new condos in a cool suburb. Great place to place our rides. We then took the train ride into Boston, which was pretty easy. We then took a short walk to our hotel, stopping to see a Mercedes SLK 55 on the way in, very nice. The city was crazy busy but the walk was good.
After we got into the hotel, we set our stuff down in our rooms. Unfortunately, our room wasn't going to work for three large men, and we managed to get switched to a suite. Great luck.
Then we decided to go out to eat. Got a good tip from the hotel, went to a place called Bukowski's, which was a tiny little bar but served food as well. Got a great stout called Murphy's, a nitro blend that was super-smooth. We were trying to meet another group who was wandering around slightly lost in Boston, and were holding a table for them. However, as we were holding the table, I saw a familiar face come into the place -- Wil Wheaton. No joke. The waitress was trying to find a spot for them, came over to us and said "Could they have this table?" I just about fell over myself offering up our table, sacrificing our friends spots for Wil. We tried to be cool through dinner, and once he got up to leave I told him good luck at the speech. He said thanks and said that he was nervous but was finally getting excited for it. It was pretty cool to met him, he seemed like a cool guy, and I'm glad he's going to be giving the keynote for PAX as one of the voices of the PA nation.
Afterwards, geeking out about meeting an icon, we all came back to the hotel, had some shots, and are currently hanging out in the hotel. Hell of a great first day, and it can only possibly get better from here.
Once we got to the train stop, we were pleasantly surprised by the area we parked in. Nice new condos in a cool suburb. Great place to place our rides. We then took the train ride into Boston, which was pretty easy. We then took a short walk to our hotel, stopping to see a Mercedes SLK 55 on the way in, very nice. The city was crazy busy but the walk was good.
After we got into the hotel, we set our stuff down in our rooms. Unfortunately, our room wasn't going to work for three large men, and we managed to get switched to a suite. Great luck.
Then we decided to go out to eat. Got a good tip from the hotel, went to a place called Bukowski's, which was a tiny little bar but served food as well. Got a great stout called Murphy's, a nitro blend that was super-smooth. We were trying to meet another group who was wandering around slightly lost in Boston, and were holding a table for them. However, as we were holding the table, I saw a familiar face come into the place -- Wil Wheaton. No joke. The waitress was trying to find a spot for them, came over to us and said "Could they have this table?" I just about fell over myself offering up our table, sacrificing our friends spots for Wil. We tried to be cool through dinner, and once he got up to leave I told him good luck at the speech. He said thanks and said that he was nervous but was finally getting excited for it. It was pretty cool to met him, he seemed like a cool guy, and I'm glad he's going to be giving the keynote for PAX as one of the voices of the PA nation.
Afterwards, geeking out about meeting an icon, we all came back to the hotel, had some shots, and are currently hanging out in the hotel. Hell of a great first day, and it can only possibly get better from here.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
PAX Trip Begins Today!
Finally heading out for the biggest nerd convention ever tonight. Massive road trip out east to Boston. It's going to be epic.
Games I hope to see:
Nintendo -- Other M and Mario Galaxy 2 demos
2k Games -- Civilization V
Ubisoft -- Prince of Persia
Twisted Pixel -- Comic Jumper
SCEA -- Maybe, just maybe, a GT V demo?
Acts and panels I hope to see:
Uber-geek Wil Wheaton talk at the keynote
MC Frontalot rock the mic, like instead of a silence
Bill Amend talk about his dead-tree comic at a convention founded by guys who make a digital comic
A PA panel of some sort
There's a ton of other things going down, and of course all the free play opportunities: throw down in some Smash Brothers, battle pokemans, get a game of Settlers going, and maybe play D&D several hundred miles from home. The trip starts tonight, arriving in Boston on Thursday, with the con officially kicking off Friday. It's going to be like nothing else.
Games I hope to see:
Nintendo -- Other M and Mario Galaxy 2 demos
2k Games -- Civilization V
Ubisoft -- Prince of Persia
Twisted Pixel -- Comic Jumper
SCEA -- Maybe, just maybe, a GT V demo?
Acts and panels I hope to see:
Uber-geek Wil Wheaton talk at the keynote
MC Frontalot rock the mic, like instead of a silence
Bill Amend talk about his dead-tree comic at a convention founded by guys who make a digital comic
A PA panel of some sort
There's a ton of other things going down, and of course all the free play opportunities: throw down in some Smash Brothers, battle pokemans, get a game of Settlers going, and maybe play D&D several hundred miles from home. The trip starts tonight, arriving in Boston on Thursday, with the con officially kicking off Friday. It's going to be like nothing else.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Oh Yeah, By The Way...
... Apparently C&C 4 comes out today. Clearly I couldn't be bothered to pay attention, since there are approximately eleven million games more interesting. Although there are no reviews up anywhere, it's not looking promising. This last chapter of the Command and Conquer saga could be a real stinker.
Heavy Rain Complete
I knew I was getting toward the end, but didn't know it was just about done. I finished Heavy Rain last night, and finally got down to the truth of the story. Expertly well done, great conclusion to the story, and as tragic as the events were, a pretty happy ending, mostly. Glad to see that the loose ends were tied up well in an epilogue of sorts, allowing you to enjoy your victory (or stare on in chagrin at your defeat). As I thought, Kasey did have her theory straight way before I had worked things out. I knew I kept her around for a reason.
Overall, the game is a big success. It keeps you tied to the stories and the characters that populate it, and really care about what happens to them. Even if the controls occasionally made me wander around like an idiot in the free-move mode, the quick-time events and on-rails sections are so superb it's worth the tiny frustration to get the game to its close.
I can't wait to discuss my version of the game's events with other players to see how what I did influenced the story.
Overall, the game is a big success. It keeps you tied to the stories and the characters that populate it, and really care about what happens to them. Even if the controls occasionally made me wander around like an idiot in the free-move mode, the quick-time events and on-rails sections are so superb it's worth the tiny frustration to get the game to its close.
I can't wait to discuss my version of the game's events with other players to see how what I did influenced the story.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Heavy Rain Filling Up My Evenings
Started playing Heavy Rain this weekend, and I just about can't stop. From the beginning the game gripped me with its visuals, control scheme, interesting and deep character cast, and mysterious story. I've played about five hours so far, and there have been so many good moments. It's hard to talk about the game without giving much away, so I won't post specifics, but there have been so many interesting and novel elements in the game, combined with so much emotional impact. It's really an amazing example of the new type of story-driven gaming we've seen from the likes of Quantic Dream and BioWare. If your tastes lie somewhere between story-driven shooters, mystery novels, and interactive media, the melding of media within Heavy Rain is not to be missed.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
New News for Civ V
Only recently announced, lots more details are now coming out about Civilization V during this week's Game Developer Conference. A big theater presentation about the new game is chronicled in a great write-up at Kotaku.
There are a couple really interesting things that have changed. First, the difference in combat and how units can share spaces. One of the things that have bugged me for the longest time is unit proliferation and how you can have a million infantry units. It's a bear to manage, and it feels like individual units are almost useless. I've been happier with modern strategy games like Demigod, Sins of a Solar Empire, and Company of Heroes where a handful of great units are preferable to hordes of vanilla ones. Well, it seems that Civ V is taking a page out of their playbook. Units in Civ V will now no longer stack in spaces (beautiful, beautiful hex spaces), requiring you to have fewer at any given time. This makes combat a far more manageable affair, and treats units more like armies rather than a smaller squad. Big change, and I really like it.
The other addition that interests me is this idea of city-states. Apart from multi-city civilization that are the main factions in the game, city-states may arise in the game. They are just that, a nation of one city, that you can trade with, fight, etc. It gives a little more dynamic political climate, some more unpredictability, and some more differences in the size of your potential enemies or allies.
The game just looks gorgeous, and I'm excited to try out a fresh take on the Civ series. Even if I am a latecomer to the franchise, I love the core gameplay of turn-based strategy and open-ended empire building. Should be good.
There are a couple really interesting things that have changed. First, the difference in combat and how units can share spaces. One of the things that have bugged me for the longest time is unit proliferation and how you can have a million infantry units. It's a bear to manage, and it feels like individual units are almost useless. I've been happier with modern strategy games like Demigod, Sins of a Solar Empire, and Company of Heroes where a handful of great units are preferable to hordes of vanilla ones. Well, it seems that Civ V is taking a page out of their playbook. Units in Civ V will now no longer stack in spaces (beautiful, beautiful hex spaces), requiring you to have fewer at any given time. This makes combat a far more manageable affair, and treats units more like armies rather than a smaller squad. Big change, and I really like it.
The other addition that interests me is this idea of city-states. Apart from multi-city civilization that are the main factions in the game, city-states may arise in the game. They are just that, a nation of one city, that you can trade with, fight, etc. It gives a little more dynamic political climate, some more unpredictability, and some more differences in the size of your potential enemies or allies.
The game just looks gorgeous, and I'm excited to try out a fresh take on the Civ series. Even if I am a latecomer to the franchise, I love the core gameplay of turn-based strategy and open-ended empire building. Should be good.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Of Course It's Good; But Will I Play It?
Two of the games from my Top Ten for 2010 released this week: God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII. Both reviewed very well, especially God of War III. The adulations will only increase in their adulation. Last week, Heavy Rain dropped, another critically acclaimed step forward in gaming. But specifically, in the God of War III case, do I even care?
We've been incredibly spoiled for choice in the past year to six months. The quality and scope of released titles have been unbelievably good. The uptick isn't just due to review score creep or the dumbing-down of gaming. There have been so many genuinely remarkable games released in the past year that it's staggering. Consoles are at that sweet-spot of maturity and acceptance, and the Windows 7 release has attracted more people to PC gaming. Developers are experienced enough that every game has a level of polish and innovation never seen before. But the quality and amount of games may be reaching a tipping point in the industry.
All this makes it increasingly hard to shoe-horn games into a busy schedule. The average age of gamers is going up if not growing up, and that can mean less time to play. We also play games that last longer now. Developers and publishers themselves are designing games to be more valuable to us, by adding multiplay or persistent worlds, downloadable content whether free or pay-for to lengthen the game experience, and generally make games better to make us want to play them more. And there are only so many hours in the day to fill up with gaming.
I think all this is leading up to a market for video games that may actually decrease. Even if growth in the market continues, the advance in the longevity of games defeats the growth of new entrants into the market. Even if you never sleep or work, there's still only so much time in a day and time before other games release. If the games increase in length and value in an attempt for publishers to attract customers, that decreases the availability for gamers to buy and presumably play those games. It's a vicious cycle, because if value and length of gameplay is the basis for competition, eventually all games will be perpetual experiences that you'd never stop playing. The market for video games may simply trend to one game per player per lifetime.
WoW of course is the ultimate example. Assuming games are a perfect substitute for one another, a WoW player may never buy another game (expansions don't really count) and keep playing the same one for the rest of their life. That's good for Blizzard, but the market shrinks as a result. The only way to achieve any more growth in the market is to add participants, and it's unlikely that people who play WoW will breed, or to rely upon people jumping ship to another game that they can play for the rest of their life.
Now, games aren't a perfect substitute, and not everyone can play the same game for the rest of their life. But already we, as consumers, pass on so many games and platforms due to time, not price or quality.
Of course I don't want game developers to make short, terrible games. Nor do I want fewer games to choose from. But from where I sit, those publishers and developers might be trying to cut up an ever-decreasing gamer time pie. What might happen in the near future is price increases in games to combat decreasing sales. Frankly, already games are too inexpensive for what we get out of them.
That long aside done, no, I probably won't play God of War III or Final Fantasy XIII. Not because I don't want to, just because I don't have the time.
We've been incredibly spoiled for choice in the past year to six months. The quality and scope of released titles have been unbelievably good. The uptick isn't just due to review score creep or the dumbing-down of gaming. There have been so many genuinely remarkable games released in the past year that it's staggering. Consoles are at that sweet-spot of maturity and acceptance, and the Windows 7 release has attracted more people to PC gaming. Developers are experienced enough that every game has a level of polish and innovation never seen before. But the quality and amount of games may be reaching a tipping point in the industry.
All this makes it increasingly hard to shoe-horn games into a busy schedule. The average age of gamers is going up if not growing up, and that can mean less time to play. We also play games that last longer now. Developers and publishers themselves are designing games to be more valuable to us, by adding multiplay or persistent worlds, downloadable content whether free or pay-for to lengthen the game experience, and generally make games better to make us want to play them more. And there are only so many hours in the day to fill up with gaming.
I think all this is leading up to a market for video games that may actually decrease. Even if growth in the market continues, the advance in the longevity of games defeats the growth of new entrants into the market. Even if you never sleep or work, there's still only so much time in a day and time before other games release. If the games increase in length and value in an attempt for publishers to attract customers, that decreases the availability for gamers to buy and presumably play those games. It's a vicious cycle, because if value and length of gameplay is the basis for competition, eventually all games will be perpetual experiences that you'd never stop playing. The market for video games may simply trend to one game per player per lifetime.
WoW of course is the ultimate example. Assuming games are a perfect substitute for one another, a WoW player may never buy another game (expansions don't really count) and keep playing the same one for the rest of their life. That's good for Blizzard, but the market shrinks as a result. The only way to achieve any more growth in the market is to add participants, and it's unlikely that people who play WoW will breed, or to rely upon people jumping ship to another game that they can play for the rest of their life.
Now, games aren't a perfect substitute, and not everyone can play the same game for the rest of their life. But already we, as consumers, pass on so many games and platforms due to time, not price or quality.
Of course I don't want game developers to make short, terrible games. Nor do I want fewer games to choose from. But from where I sit, those publishers and developers might be trying to cut up an ever-decreasing gamer time pie. What might happen in the near future is price increases in games to combat decreasing sales. Frankly, already games are too inexpensive for what we get out of them.
That long aside done, no, I probably won't play God of War III or Final Fantasy XIII. Not because I don't want to, just because I don't have the time.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Title Created Just for Cory
That title is Tecmo Super Bowl Throwback. Seems that Tecmo is getting back into the video game scene, and I'm personally pretty jazzed up about it. I loved the game back in the day, and it's about time the overly-complicated Madden series had some kind of alternative. As long as you can continually run back and forth down the field to avoid potential tacklers, Throwback will be a fun, old-school throwback classic retro good time.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Crysis: Warhead Complete
I picked up the Crysis Maximum Edition on Steam on sale last fall for $13. It was less than regular Warhead alone, so I just got it all. I'd never played Warhead, and although it was some time before I got to it, I was in for a delight. Although the fresh feel of the original game was worn off just a little, some new innovations added some kick to the experience. Several big boss fights were a great highlight, combined with the great stealth-action-shooter gameplay of the first game. I had a great time rocking through the game up to its explosive conclusion. Expertly paced, amazing graphics, tight controls, an open environment in which to accomplish your goals, there still hasn't been a better first-person shooter than Crysis and Crysis: Warhead.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Super Mario Galaxy 2 Dated, Looking Ridiculously Fun
Another one of the games I'm most looking forward to in 2010, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the sequel to the biggest Nintendo title from 2007. Lots of new information came out during this week's Nintendo Media Summit.
One of the most satisfying parts of the first game was the outstanding visuals and colorful and dynamic environments that made up its levels. It seems that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is no different, as shown in the newly-released screenshots. The super-large land looks particularly fun, and should be great to run around in.
Another one of the things I liked most about the first game was all the boss fights. Early in the game you get a great introduction to a crazy piranha plant, and the Bowser fight is memorable and challenging as well. The sequel promises to have just as many great fights. Gobblegut (a massive, earth-worm-like dragon who features in the Wired article) looks like a fun encounter, and the mechanical Malletoid (shown here by 1Up). The sense of scale has always been great, as you battle over-large enemies that dwarf Mario.
As always, there are new gameplay mechanics. The big new twist is Yoshi, allowing transformations and abilities that Yoshi can perform to help Mario reach new areas and overcome obstacles. Excavation is accomplished through the use of Yoshi's drill, allowing the exploration of the internals of planetoids. Undoubtedly we'll see a handful of goofy new powerups as well.
The game seems to be coming along nicely, and should another great installment of the Mario adventure franchies. Super Mario Galaxy releases on May 23rd.
One of the most satisfying parts of the first game was the outstanding visuals and colorful and dynamic environments that made up its levels. It seems that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is no different, as shown in the newly-released screenshots. The super-large land looks particularly fun, and should be great to run around in.
Another one of the things I liked most about the first game was all the boss fights. Early in the game you get a great introduction to a crazy piranha plant, and the Bowser fight is memorable and challenging as well. The sequel promises to have just as many great fights. Gobblegut (a massive, earth-worm-like dragon who features in the Wired article) looks like a fun encounter, and the mechanical Malletoid (shown here by 1Up). The sense of scale has always been great, as you battle over-large enemies that dwarf Mario.
As always, there are new gameplay mechanics. The big new twist is Yoshi, allowing transformations and abilities that Yoshi can perform to help Mario reach new areas and overcome obstacles. Excavation is accomplished through the use of Yoshi's drill, allowing the exploration of the internals of planetoids. Undoubtedly we'll see a handful of goofy new powerups as well.
The game seems to be coming along nicely, and should another great installment of the Mario adventure franchies. Super Mario Galaxy releases on May 23rd.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Metroid: Other M Dated, Details, Shows Loads of Promise
News coming forth from the Nintendo Media Summit 2010 revealed lots of details for upcoming titles this year, including the high-profile Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M. I wrote about Other M in my anticipated games for 2010, and the new details coming out is getting me excited.
First of all, the increased in narrative and story, even giving voice to Samus Aran for the first time, is one of the things I'm most looking forward to in the game. (1 Up has good info on the intro.) Previous incarnations, from the Metroid Prime series to the portable and 8- and 16-bit versions have always been light on story. The story, then, picks right up from Super Metroid, an over fifteen-year gap between the two games, and presents a narrative that gives new life to the universe.
The presentation of the gameplay also really interests me. The game manages to merge the viewpoints of the two generations of the Metroid franchise: the 2D titles of the NES, SNES, and GBA, and the 3D Prime trilogy. You'll be able to swap between a stylized side-scrolling fighting in a flat plane and a first-person visor view reminiscent of Prime simply by pointing the Wii remote at the screen. Other M makes a nod to its roots and its most recent offering while merging the two into something more than the sum of its parts. Battles will use both interface methods to tackle enemies, giving you options during the fight.
The core of the game is a adventure-action game in line with the franchise. Exploration, boss fights, and puzzles will surely be part of the experience. But it's certain that nothing before has looked as good as this Other M. The game is dated for release on June 27th.
First of all, the increased in narrative and story, even giving voice to Samus Aran for the first time, is one of the things I'm most looking forward to in the game. (1 Up has good info on the intro.) Previous incarnations, from the Metroid Prime series to the portable and 8- and 16-bit versions have always been light on story. The story, then, picks right up from Super Metroid, an over fifteen-year gap between the two games, and presents a narrative that gives new life to the universe.
The presentation of the gameplay also really interests me. The game manages to merge the viewpoints of the two generations of the Metroid franchise: the 2D titles of the NES, SNES, and GBA, and the 3D Prime trilogy. You'll be able to swap between a stylized side-scrolling fighting in a flat plane and a first-person visor view reminiscent of Prime simply by pointing the Wii remote at the screen. Other M makes a nod to its roots and its most recent offering while merging the two into something more than the sum of its parts. Battles will use both interface methods to tackle enemies, giving you options during the fight.
The core of the game is a adventure-action game in line with the franchise. Exploration, boss fights, and puzzles will surely be part of the experience. But it's certain that nothing before has looked as good as this Other M. The game is dated for release on June 27th.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Lots More on Command & Conquer 4
First of all, the extremely disappointing fact that there will be no LAN play available from C&C4. I'm sure this is all done in the name of convenience and security for the player, but the real purpose is content control. It's both DRM and map limiting to prevent players from running their own games. I'm sure they'll be selling maps for C&C just like those Infinity Ward criminals. However, I am a fan of the series, and if the game is decent, I may still invest in it. No one else I know really plays it, so the multiplayer isn't that big of a concern for me.
More interesting, however, are the evolution of the game-play options within Tiberium Twilight, specifically the decreased important of gathering materials with which to build your armies. Combined with a mobile base and ninety-some playable units, and we should have a rocking good time. The game is out in three weeks on March 16. Crushing DRM is certainly a reason not to buy, but I'll reserve judgement until its release.
More interesting, however, are the evolution of the game-play options within Tiberium Twilight, specifically the decreased important of gathering materials with which to build your armies. Combined with a mobile base and ninety-some playable units, and we should have a rocking good time. The game is out in three weeks on March 16. Crushing DRM is certainly a reason not to buy, but I'll reserve judgement until its release.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Civilization V Announced
I really only got into Civ IV recently, so the announcement of a fall 2010 release of Civilization V is a most timely event to keep the fever going. Screenshots from Kotaku show an intensely detailed world rendered by a new graphics engine that promises to deliver a great-looking experience. But gameplay has always been the thing for Civilization. Given that Firaxis was bought up a couple years back, there might be questions about how much control they would have over their venerable franchise. I suppose we will have to wait, and hope.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Burnout Paradise DLC Deal
Back in January of this year, fans of Burnout Paradise saw the writing on the wall (or the posting on the Twitter) that there would be no more DLC forthcoming. After huge updates like the free Bikes pack (that also included day/night cycles and weather), endless new cars, and the excellent new area Big Surf Island, there will be no more.
However, Criterion and EA are offering us, the fans, a special deal. For $30, those who don't own the game can get the game and every single piece of DLC. For $20, current game owners can unlock every DLC offered. That's one heck of a deal. The offer runs only until March 31st, and is only available on the PS3. Certainly one to consider.
However, Criterion and EA are offering us, the fans, a special deal. For $30, those who don't own the game can get the game and every single piece of DLC. For $20, current game owners can unlock every DLC offered. That's one heck of a deal. The offer runs only until March 31st, and is only available on the PS3. Certainly one to consider.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Sins of a Solar Empire: Diplomacy Released
Sins of a Solar Empire released its second and final micro-expansion yesterday, Diplomacy. Unlike the previous Entrenchment, which put in new units like starbases and artillery cruisers and mines, Diplomacy adds more subtle changes to the game in the form of differences in player relationships. Probably the most exciting feature is the ability to issue missions to pirates and other player factions in the hopes to deliver a feint or put pressure on another opponent. Also added is a diplomatic victory option for those particularly suited to owning a quadrant without all the annoying rebuilding after planetary bombardment. More information is available in a guided tour from an Ironclad developer.
Although I've been in the beta program, I'm eager to try the 1.0 version. We'll have to get some multi-player set up!
Although I've been in the beta program, I'm eager to try the 1.0 version. We'll have to get some multi-player set up!
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time Story Mode Complete
I completed the story mode of Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time yesterday evening. Great conclusion to the story and a couple good boss fights, very satisfying. I did not complete a bunch of the collectible stuff by the end, but luckily there is an option after completing the story that you can go back in time before the last boss battle and continue to explore the galaxy, searching for components, plans, and other collectibles.
I chose to continue my search, and in doing so I picked up the ultimate weapon, the RYNO V. A combination mini-gun and rocket launcher, the RYNO V (aka Rip You a New One) mows down enemies and plays Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture as you blast away. I literally could not stop giggling it was so hilarious. I love this game so much.
I chose to continue my search, and in doing so I picked up the ultimate weapon, the RYNO V. A combination mini-gun and rocket launcher, the RYNO V (aka Rip You a New One) mows down enemies and plays Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture as you blast away. I literally could not stop giggling it was so hilarious. I love this game so much.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Crysis 2 Dated
We've seen teasers for Crysis 2 as far back as August of last year, but now the game has been dated for Q4 of 2010. We'll see if they're able to stick to that date. While everyone wants to get a holiday release out there, this being the first time the series has come to consoles, including the complicated PS3 platform, it might be a stretch. However, I'm hopeful. I loved the hell out of the original game and the follow-up Warhead, and the second installment could help bring the innovative open-world style and breathtaking graphics to a landscape of bland, mostly-on-rails shooters.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Quest for Booty Complete, Crack in Time Purchased
Finished Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty last night, and immediately went out and picked up Crack in Time. Just from playing the beginning of Crack in Time, I feel like it's the best of the bunch, and the first couple were really good. Of course it's had a couple extra years of polish, but the first couple levels really pop and the interview with Quark to start out the game sets a hilarious tone. This is going to be fun.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction Complete
Finished Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction last night. Great ending, good fight at the end and makes me interested to play the next game in the series, the downloadable smaller Quest for Booty. A lot of things about this series really appeal to me, from the quick action gameplay to the high production values and great voice work and humor in the cut-scenes and story elements. I can't believe I haven't played them before, they're exactly my style. Picked that up Quest for Booty last night and should be ready for the snowy weekend coming our way.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Updates to Prepare for Coming of Diplomacy
Updates just went out for Sins of a Solar Empire and the first expansion Entrenchment. The updates are in preparation of the imminent second and final expansion Diplomacy, which I preordered and have been playing since October because the nice folks at Ironclad Games decided to let pre-orders in early. Diplomacy is scheduled out in 1.0 form this month, and with this update as its harbinger, we should see it imminently.
Mass Effect 2 Complete
Finished the single-player story of Mass Effect 2 last night. I'm really at a loss for words.
I was having a conversation with a friend a couple nights ago, about how there's a certain plausibility that I like about the universe of Mass Effect 2. It feels genuine, everything is explained, and even the science isn't too far removed from what could be possible. You can buy into what they're selling, and I think that makes the events that take place in the universe between the characters that much more impactful. You believe that the character exists, and you can feel sympathy to what is going on with them.
Throw all that out the window in the final mission in Mass Effect 2. Without going into too many details, they break every rule and throw realism out the window. The ending was fun, don't get me wrong, but it was so incredibly outlandish that it seemed I lost the actual Mass Effect 2 somewhere along the way and played the end to some other game that happened to have all the same characters as Mass Effect 2.
There were some great moments, though. Some of the best run-and-gun action with a real reason to hurry, as someone's life depended on you being quick about it. The interpersonal events, the choices that you make, will make you second and third-guess yourself, and that's the game's strong point. I think I can write off the ridiculousness and take hold of the grounding effects of the relationships between the strong characters, the love and loss and shared trials of the cast of great individuals. No matter how implausible or outright silly their task, they accomplished it at great odds and did it together, and that's how I'll remember the game.
Especially because I have no words to explain anything that happened in the story. Seriously, what just happened?
I was having a conversation with a friend a couple nights ago, about how there's a certain plausibility that I like about the universe of Mass Effect 2. It feels genuine, everything is explained, and even the science isn't too far removed from what could be possible. You can buy into what they're selling, and I think that makes the events that take place in the universe between the characters that much more impactful. You believe that the character exists, and you can feel sympathy to what is going on with them.
Throw all that out the window in the final mission in Mass Effect 2. Without going into too many details, they break every rule and throw realism out the window. The ending was fun, don't get me wrong, but it was so incredibly outlandish that it seemed I lost the actual Mass Effect 2 somewhere along the way and played the end to some other game that happened to have all the same characters as Mass Effect 2.
There were some great moments, though. Some of the best run-and-gun action with a real reason to hurry, as someone's life depended on you being quick about it. The interpersonal events, the choices that you make, will make you second and third-guess yourself, and that's the game's strong point. I think I can write off the ridiculousness and take hold of the grounding effects of the relationships between the strong characters, the love and loss and shared trials of the cast of great individuals. No matter how implausible or outright silly their task, they accomplished it at great odds and did it together, and that's how I'll remember the game.
Especially because I have no words to explain anything that happened in the story. Seriously, what just happened?
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Pershings Rule the Field
Rarely do games go long enough in Company of Heroes to really enjoy some of the end-game units, but last night we played a match where I had ample opportunity to run around with a Pershing tank, granted by the American Armored specialty. I was tearing up bases and chasing down Hetzers, as you can see. After rolling through two enemy bases, I encountered this Hetzer, after I'd demolished his twin. I had a lot of backup in the form of Shermans and Sherman Calliopies which can rain down the destruction. But this Hetzer stopped and decided to take a stand. I rewarded it with a shot to the face. You can see the results.
Thanks to my teammates for defending the points while I marched my Shermans around like it was Georgia. Good match.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Rumbling Down the Spirit Tracks
Even with much noise about Mass Effect 2, I haven't given up on Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. I played a bit more this weekend, managed to visit the last of the train spirit guys and open up the last temple in the fiery mountains. The boss fights have been the highlight of the game, although pretty much everything is fun. Looking forward to delving into the last temple and cleaning it out of whatever mean baddie lurks at the heart of the dungeon.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
I was able to borrow a copy of the first outing of Ratchet and Clank on the PS3: Tools of Destruction. I'd played the demo of A Crack in Time and loved it, but I wanted to check out the previous game first. I haven't been disappointed.
Tools of Destruction is a fun, funny, light-hearted and explosive romp through varied and interesting environments. The focus of the action, the weaponry and combat, is simple and entertaining. The sheer breadth of weapons, from seeking missiles to nanite swarms and tornado launchers to disco balls, any given fight is yours to approach as you see fit. Get up close and personal with the shotgun-like shard gun or whip your foes into submission with the shock ravager, or just blanket the area with plasma fire. Different foes are weaker against certain weapons, but it's never a mystery what is appropriate, so you never struggle for a suitable weapon to cut through the swaths of foes.
Besides the action, the story and dialog is actually interesting and funny. You play as (presumably) the last survivor of a legendary race, trying to find the secrets of your people before an arch-villain does so, and uses those secrets against you. But the tongue-in-cheek and deliberately corny delivery of some of the lines is great for laughs and contributes to the mostly unserious tone of the whole game.
And that's really what I like about Ratchet and Clank. It's lighthearted all around, from the story to the gameplay, rewarding without being punishing. In other words, perfect for spending hours playing on a weekend. Looking forward to finishing this and grabbing A Crack in Time.
Tools of Destruction is a fun, funny, light-hearted and explosive romp through varied and interesting environments. The focus of the action, the weaponry and combat, is simple and entertaining. The sheer breadth of weapons, from seeking missiles to nanite swarms and tornado launchers to disco balls, any given fight is yours to approach as you see fit. Get up close and personal with the shotgun-like shard gun or whip your foes into submission with the shock ravager, or just blanket the area with plasma fire. Different foes are weaker against certain weapons, but it's never a mystery what is appropriate, so you never struggle for a suitable weapon to cut through the swaths of foes.
Besides the action, the story and dialog is actually interesting and funny. You play as (presumably) the last survivor of a legendary race, trying to find the secrets of your people before an arch-villain does so, and uses those secrets against you. But the tongue-in-cheek and deliberately corny delivery of some of the lines is great for laughs and contributes to the mostly unserious tone of the whole game.
And that's really what I like about Ratchet and Clank. It's lighthearted all around, from the story to the gameplay, rewarding without being punishing. In other words, perfect for spending hours playing on a weekend. Looking forward to finishing this and grabbing A Crack in Time.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Return to Liberty City on PC and PS3
Finally announced for the PC and PS3 platforms, Rockstar will release their big DLC packages The Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony on March 30th. The extra content has been available for nearly a year on XBox Live, but is now trickling down to less-favored platforms.
The packages had wide critical acclaim, but I think I may have moved on from GTAIV. The technical issues and DRM that hampered the title on the PC really got in the way of my enjoyment. It was certainly a good game that I had a lot of fun with when it worked, but it was hard to get past the graphical bugs and continual disk read errors. At $40, unless the games are bug-free, I wouldn't consider subjecting myself to that frustration again.
The packages had wide critical acclaim, but I think I may have moved on from GTAIV. The technical issues and DRM that hampered the title on the PC really got in the way of my enjoyment. It was certainly a good game that I had a lot of fun with when it worked, but it was hard to get past the graphical bugs and continual disk read errors. At $40, unless the games are bug-free, I wouldn't consider subjecting myself to that frustration again.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
My Thoughts on Mass Effect 2
I picked up Mass Effect 2 yesterday and spent a couple hours playing the intro and beginning sections of the game, and I was blown away by the entire experience.
From the beginning, I imported my character, which game me a bunch of bonuses like starting at level 2, and a lot of resources in the form of bonus credits and research materials. The intro also played according to my choices from the last game, and allowed me to reconfirm some of the actions I took. For example, when recalling memories, I could either confirm the previous game action or remember it differently, and I assume that would actually change the fact for the future of the game. The memory recall really brought a lot of the game back and helped cement your place in the world, and was a great reintroduction to your character and the universe. It's great to feel that the game wraps itself around the decisions you've made and will continue to make.
The gameplay is similarly stellar. I was worried a more shooter-y feel would ruin it, but I really prefer it. Controls are sharper, weapons feel better and more impactful, and the visual cues to damage you give and take are great, from the energy bars displayed to blood spatters and reactions to the force of a grenade or shotgun blast. You really feel like you're doing some damage. Now, I was a little disappointed in the "hide and heal" health mechanic. Similar to Modern Warfare health, if you hide and don't damage, you heal up. When you take damage, you apparently grow really gross red veins around your monitor, like it's alive. Very strange. Can I just have a health bar please? It would make medipacks relevant, which I still haven't used yet.
Apart from the core gameplay, the dialog sessions and mini-games are engaging and engrossing. Being able to meet up again with characters from the past and having a drink with them, or the new renegade and paragon options where you can interrupt conversation with an action really pulls you into the world and puts you in Shephard's shoes. The characters here feel like they bow and bend to your will, like you are some incredible force of gravity that warps the world around you, and that's exactly how you should feel, being the star of a game. Of course the voice acting is top-notch, with Martin Sheen putting in an incredible performance and all the other characters bringing a depth and malice to their roles. I've also had a lot of fun with the hacking games, a kind of pattern matching exercise against the clock to either find specified code segments or connect circuits against the clock. A big improvement from the "frogger" recreations in the previous installment.
Only a short way into the game, I can tell this is going to be a fun ride. Although I know the ending will of course be a setup for the already announced final episode in the trilogy, it will be a great time getting there, even if the conclusion won't really be that. But, of course, when that does come, you'll have an even greater wealth of history and decisions to fold into the final chapter.
From the beginning, I imported my character, which game me a bunch of bonuses like starting at level 2, and a lot of resources in the form of bonus credits and research materials. The intro also played according to my choices from the last game, and allowed me to reconfirm some of the actions I took. For example, when recalling memories, I could either confirm the previous game action or remember it differently, and I assume that would actually change the fact for the future of the game. The memory recall really brought a lot of the game back and helped cement your place in the world, and was a great reintroduction to your character and the universe. It's great to feel that the game wraps itself around the decisions you've made and will continue to make.
The gameplay is similarly stellar. I was worried a more shooter-y feel would ruin it, but I really prefer it. Controls are sharper, weapons feel better and more impactful, and the visual cues to damage you give and take are great, from the energy bars displayed to blood spatters and reactions to the force of a grenade or shotgun blast. You really feel like you're doing some damage. Now, I was a little disappointed in the "hide and heal" health mechanic. Similar to Modern Warfare health, if you hide and don't damage, you heal up. When you take damage, you apparently grow really gross red veins around your monitor, like it's alive. Very strange. Can I just have a health bar please? It would make medipacks relevant, which I still haven't used yet.
Apart from the core gameplay, the dialog sessions and mini-games are engaging and engrossing. Being able to meet up again with characters from the past and having a drink with them, or the new renegade and paragon options where you can interrupt conversation with an action really pulls you into the world and puts you in Shephard's shoes. The characters here feel like they bow and bend to your will, like you are some incredible force of gravity that warps the world around you, and that's exactly how you should feel, being the star of a game. Of course the voice acting is top-notch, with Martin Sheen putting in an incredible performance and all the other characters bringing a depth and malice to their roles. I've also had a lot of fun with the hacking games, a kind of pattern matching exercise against the clock to either find specified code segments or connect circuits against the clock. A big improvement from the "frogger" recreations in the previous installment.
Only a short way into the game, I can tell this is going to be a fun ride. Although I know the ending will of course be a setup for the already announced final episode in the trilogy, it will be a great time getting there, even if the conclusion won't really be that. But, of course, when that does come, you'll have an even greater wealth of history and decisions to fold into the final chapter.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Mass Effect 2 Reviews Are In
Mass Effect 2 releases to general audiences today, and the reviews are in. Overwhelmingly they are glowing, from Gamespot's 9.0 Editor's Choice, to an even higher IGN review, and Kotaku has many good things to say as well.
I was never really doubting the fate of the game, as it was in good hands, and it's not like it's something they've never done before. But it seems like they've delivered above and beyond. We've had a large number of sequels in the past year, making it seem like new franchises are taking a back seat to teams cruising on previous successes. But if the polished and sprawling games like Assassin's Creed II and Mass Effect II are what we get instead of brand-new worlds, I think I'm okay with that.
Hopefully my PC and mostly DRM-less game is waiting for me at the shop this morning.
I was never really doubting the fate of the game, as it was in good hands, and it's not like it's something they've never done before. But it seems like they've delivered above and beyond. We've had a large number of sequels in the past year, making it seem like new franchises are taking a back seat to teams cruising on previous successes. But if the polished and sprawling games like Assassin's Creed II and Mass Effect II are what we get instead of brand-new worlds, I think I'm okay with that.
Hopefully my PC and mostly DRM-less game is waiting for me at the shop this morning.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Gratuitous Space Battles Pickup
After writing about the game back in September, I had to try the demo which I just discovered recently. It's pretty fun actually. So fun I decided to get the whole game.
Most of the game consists of building your own starfleets from a number of ship hulls and tons of weapons and other components. You're able to configure your strike fighters and bombers, long-range or AA frigates, support cruisers, or hulking behemoths bent on wiping out your enemies. Once configured, you can issue commands to your ships, and then send them into battle. Once in the fight, you actually have no direct control over the ships. It's really an interesting concept. After the battle, you can view statistics and see what worked and what didn't. Really a statistician's (and nerd's, probably) dream.
Probably the most interesting component of the game is the online level creator. You can build your fleet how you want it, and then issue a Challenge to other players. Through the Online Challenge interface, you can select, download, and play these Challenges and play against other player's fleets. There have been some pretty interesting ones. A rating system for difficulty and enjoyment allows players to rank the levels that they play, and the cream rises to the top, as it were. Cool system for expanding on the missions within the game.
And it's a good thing that there are player-created missions, because unless I'm missing something, there are only a handful of missions within the game. But at least there are the missions you can play with wave after wave of enemies.
That's all beside the point, because the game is really about making huge ships and then making them explode in interesting ways. And this definitely cuts to the chase and gets the job done.
Most of the game consists of building your own starfleets from a number of ship hulls and tons of weapons and other components. You're able to configure your strike fighters and bombers, long-range or AA frigates, support cruisers, or hulking behemoths bent on wiping out your enemies. Once configured, you can issue commands to your ships, and then send them into battle. Once in the fight, you actually have no direct control over the ships. It's really an interesting concept. After the battle, you can view statistics and see what worked and what didn't. Really a statistician's (and nerd's, probably) dream.
Probably the most interesting component of the game is the online level creator. You can build your fleet how you want it, and then issue a Challenge to other players. Through the Online Challenge interface, you can select, download, and play these Challenges and play against other player's fleets. There have been some pretty interesting ones. A rating system for difficulty and enjoyment allows players to rank the levels that they play, and the cream rises to the top, as it were. Cool system for expanding on the missions within the game.
And it's a good thing that there are player-created missions, because unless I'm missing something, there are only a handful of missions within the game. But at least there are the missions you can play with wave after wave of enemies.
That's all beside the point, because the game is really about making huge ships and then making them explode in interesting ways. And this definitely cuts to the chase and gets the job done.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
4^10 and Epic Space Goodness
Wow this is my 400th post. Not too shabby I guess.
Moving on to relevance, just found the Mass Effect 2 trailer. Wow, it gives me chills. Martin Sheen's voice acting is fantastic. I can only hope the rest of the game carries this serious tone, great story, and expert voicing throughout. Enjoy below:
Moving on to relevance, just found the Mass Effect 2 trailer. Wow, it gives me chills. Martin Sheen's voice acting is fantastic. I can only hope the rest of the game carries this serious tone, great story, and expert voicing throughout. Enjoy below:
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Mass Effect 2 Preordered
Lots of buzz around Mass Effect 2, and of course it's coming out next week, very much looking forward to it. The first chapter was one of my favorites from 2008. I hope they don't mess it up too badly by being Modern Warfare in Space. I think we'll be fine, though. They chattered endlessly that DA:O was going to be so dark and scary awful that you'd cry yourself to sleep -- or just not sleep. And see how that turned out? I only virtually killed one child through the course of the game. Hardly gritty noir stuff there. So I don't think they'll ruin Mass Effect too badly.
Over the weekend, I put my money down and reserved a disk-based copy. I purchased Dragon Age over the Internets, but I've learned my lesson about doing that with EA games. They destroy you on the DRM. DA:O was rendered unplayable after literally every patch, and eventually I had to do things that broke the EULA just to play it. So I'll be getting a hard copy and doing DRM like it's 1995 -- with a disk check. It would be pretty cool if they got you to bust out the manual and look up the eighth word on the fifth line of page 22, but I doubt it will happen.
Over the weekend, I put my money down and reserved a disk-based copy. I purchased Dragon Age over the Internets, but I've learned my lesson about doing that with EA games. They destroy you on the DRM. DA:O was rendered unplayable after literally every patch, and eventually I had to do things that broke the EULA just to play it. So I'll be getting a hard copy and doing DRM like it's 1995 -- with a disk check. It would be pretty cool if they got you to bust out the manual and look up the eighth word on the fifth line of page 22, but I doubt it will happen.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A Brief Intro to Spirit Tracks
I was gifted with The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for Christmas, but didn't play at all until I finished Assassin's Creed 2. Now that I'm into the new Link adventure, I am just loving it. It has a lot of charm, and I welcome the companion in the form of spirit Zelda. Her witty and insightful comments bring a lot of life to the game.
The game itself has a huge amount of charm, from the environments and towns to little touches like the train and Link's hilarious facial expressions. It's the perfect game to play in and laugh along with.
I've only gotten into the first couple dungeons, but the two boss fights so far have been a delight. I didn't have to think too hard to figure out how to defeat them, but the second was a perfect challenge, requiring you to draw paths and evade your enemy, leaving me with a half sliver of heart at the end. The game so far has been perfectly paced. I'm looking forward to returning to it!
The game itself has a huge amount of charm, from the environments and towns to little touches like the train and Link's hilarious facial expressions. It's the perfect game to play in and laugh along with.
I've only gotten into the first couple dungeons, but the two boss fights so far have been a delight. I didn't have to think too hard to figure out how to defeat them, but the second was a perfect challenge, requiring you to draw paths and evade your enemy, leaving me with a half sliver of heart at the end. The game so far has been perfectly paced. I'm looking forward to returning to it!
Monday, January 18, 2010
God of War Complete
Even though it's been out several years, I just completed my first ever play-through of the original God of War as part of the newly-released God of War Collection on PS3. The graphical update stands up pretty well, even though some of the pre-rendered movies look a little dated.
My overall experience with the game was pretty mixed. There were high points, and then there were really low points. Some of the platforming sections of the game were intensely hard and unforgiving. In fact, most of the stretch of the game in Hades was ridiculously punishing, including the insta-death falls from the horizontal spinning blades of death. Not content only to test your will to throw a controller in one dimension, the vertical blades of death didn't kill you outright, but only forced you to replay the same stupidly difficult section endlessly until you passed it. My relief was short-lived, as I was then greeted by yet another set of vertical spinning blades of death. Yay.
Prior to Hades, there's a section were you have to kick a box across the room in a race to (once again) avoid instant death. You have to get your timing exact, otherwise you have to play it over again, watching the same annoying intro screen. Then there's the Blades of Hades section (not actually in Hades, but in Pandora's Temple) where you have to tight-walk on wooden beams and avoid more spinning blades. What is with these spinning blades? One mis-step, then, and you either fall off straight away or get chopped and pushed off, and you start over.
So, the platforming sections were pretty bad. However, the fights for the most part were intense and rewarding. Especially towards the end of the game, when your Blades of Chaos are maxed you, you can string together immense combos, working your enemies over in a mix of speed and brutality. It was most rewarding, strangely, in Hades, where the toughest sets of normal enemies meet you, and one brief section in Athens facing pumped-up, towering giants. You have so many weapons and moves at your disposal, you can work anyway you want, and this free-form battle system that aids you just enough to never worry too much about targeting or the camera is the greatest strength and greatest enjoyment in the whole game.
It is then incredible that these fight sections are the briefest of the entire experience. For a game that bills itself as a brutal brawler, you do a whole lot of jumping over ridiculous obstacles. I played the game through on normal, and I never once got offered "Easy Mode" (a result of dying too much) on combat sections. Maybe once or twice would I fail a fight, but then get the right of it, and move on. In the platforming sections, it would take me dozens of tries to get it right. Incredibly frustrating.
The final fight of the game then was just the icing on a terrible cake. I simply could not win. By that time, it was 2am, I was incredibly pissed after pulling my butt through Hades and beating two fights already, and the only way I won was by giving into Easy Mode for the first time in the whole gaming and winning with like three button presses. FYI, Easy Mode is Easy. Why couldn't Normal Mode be Just A Bit Challenging?
Given my experience with the game, I doubt I'll play God of War II, or even look much at the new installment coming out for PS3 in the next couple months. I was originally interested in it, but if they put any insta-death platforming sections in that force me to endlessly play the same section of gameplay again, it's not worth my time.
My overall experience with the game was pretty mixed. There were high points, and then there were really low points. Some of the platforming sections of the game were intensely hard and unforgiving. In fact, most of the stretch of the game in Hades was ridiculously punishing, including the insta-death falls from the horizontal spinning blades of death. Not content only to test your will to throw a controller in one dimension, the vertical blades of death didn't kill you outright, but only forced you to replay the same stupidly difficult section endlessly until you passed it. My relief was short-lived, as I was then greeted by yet another set of vertical spinning blades of death. Yay.
Prior to Hades, there's a section were you have to kick a box across the room in a race to (once again) avoid instant death. You have to get your timing exact, otherwise you have to play it over again, watching the same annoying intro screen. Then there's the Blades of Hades section (not actually in Hades, but in Pandora's Temple) where you have to tight-walk on wooden beams and avoid more spinning blades. What is with these spinning blades? One mis-step, then, and you either fall off straight away or get chopped and pushed off, and you start over.
So, the platforming sections were pretty bad. However, the fights for the most part were intense and rewarding. Especially towards the end of the game, when your Blades of Chaos are maxed you, you can string together immense combos, working your enemies over in a mix of speed and brutality. It was most rewarding, strangely, in Hades, where the toughest sets of normal enemies meet you, and one brief section in Athens facing pumped-up, towering giants. You have so many weapons and moves at your disposal, you can work anyway you want, and this free-form battle system that aids you just enough to never worry too much about targeting or the camera is the greatest strength and greatest enjoyment in the whole game.
It is then incredible that these fight sections are the briefest of the entire experience. For a game that bills itself as a brutal brawler, you do a whole lot of jumping over ridiculous obstacles. I played the game through on normal, and I never once got offered "Easy Mode" (a result of dying too much) on combat sections. Maybe once or twice would I fail a fight, but then get the right of it, and move on. In the platforming sections, it would take me dozens of tries to get it right. Incredibly frustrating.
The final fight of the game then was just the icing on a terrible cake. I simply could not win. By that time, it was 2am, I was incredibly pissed after pulling my butt through Hades and beating two fights already, and the only way I won was by giving into Easy Mode for the first time in the whole gaming and winning with like three button presses. FYI, Easy Mode is Easy. Why couldn't Normal Mode be Just A Bit Challenging?
Given my experience with the game, I doubt I'll play God of War II, or even look much at the new installment coming out for PS3 in the next couple months. I was originally interested in it, but if they put any insta-death platforming sections in that force me to endlessly play the same section of gameplay again, it's not worth my time.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Platinum Sackboy
Last night, with a little help from my friends, I got the platinum, 100% complete trophy on LittleBigPlanet. So yeah, just about as complete as you can get.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Now They're Just Messing With Me
I posted a couple days ago about the release date on Gran Turismo 5 slipping to a to be announced time. I posted several weeks ago about the impending Toyota FT-86, my new great love in sports cars. Well, it seems that Toyota and Sony Computer Entertainment have teamed up to taunt me with a video of my future car in my future video game. I'd be really upset if I weren't so excited about the prospect of piloting this and so many more cars at some point in the next twelve months.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The Soldier of Mass Effect 2
This guy's voice annoys me, but the demo of what the Soldier class can do in Mass Effect 2 really gripped me. I played as a Soldier in my first play around, and loved the assault rifle and pistols. It's probably going to be my route for the second time around, and it's good to see that the tightened up combat in Mass Effect 2 has a place for a dude with a lot of guns.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
I Suppose It Was Inevitable...
... that Gran Turismo 5 would be delayed again. But, word is, it is. Of course, the date was only really announced for Japan, and rumors are that the delay is for a simultaneous world-wide release. However, the realist in me has to be prepared for the worst -- that GT5 is simply a ploy to get people to buy PS3s, and that the game is not in any way real.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Going on Four Years with Company of Heroes
Company of Heroes is one of those games that just hasn't stopped being fun. Given that it has a great multiplayer component, and the folks I play with are generally pretty good and affable chaps, it's no surprise I keep coming back to it. Also, it puts a huge stupid grin on my face.
Had a match last night, a 2v2 with the humans as the Allies. I was the British and just let loose with some crazy artillery barrages. In particular, this AT squad met with an unfortunate end.
These guys are doomed.
Told you.
Had a match last night, a 2v2 with the humans as the Allies. I was the British and just let loose with some crazy artillery barrages. In particular, this AT squad met with an unfortunate end.
These guys are doomed.
Told you.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver Get US Release Dates
Never much of a mystery, it was sure that the US versions of Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver would get a March-ish release. However, that's now been confirmed, and both will be available on March 14th. I can say with only a small amout of schoolboy shame that I will be buying both copies -- and taking for myself which my son doesn't want.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Assassin's Creed Complete
Finished up the story mode of Assassin's Creed last night. Managed to collect up all the hidden fragments as well. I really liked the ending, and events leading up to it. Little echoes of the first game, in how Ezio approaches the final fight. The ending added a lot to the fiction of the world, and really gets me excited for the end of the trilogy. There are a few ways they can go with this, and all could be cool. Also, the game had one of the best end credits sequences ever.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Music in Games: Two Great Tastes That Taste Great Together
The games I've been into lately, and many in the past, have had such a great collection of music. LittleBigPlanet sports such a great set of licensed music that make it a joy to leap around playful environments. Assassin's Creed, which of course I've been into a lot recently, has some incredible original music by Jesper Kyd. Since so many games I've been playing recently have great music, I've been collecting tracks from soundtracks included with games (like Dragon Age), free downloads from the creator (Kyle Gabler), or via the Amazon MP3 store (which has great selection and no useless DRM). So I wanted to share some of my favorites below. Which games do you think have had great music, original or licensed?
My current list:
My current list:
- Sia - Breathe Me (Prince of Persia)
- Lisa Miskovsky - Still Alive (Mirror's Edge)
- Jesper Kyd - Venice Roofops (Assassin's Creed II)
- The Daniel Pemberton Orchestra - Rock The Jungle (LittleBigPlanet)
- The Go! Team - Get It Together (LittleBigPlanet)
- Christopher Tin - Baba Yet (Civilization IV)
- Jeremy Soule - Land of the Golden Sun (Guild Wars)
- Jeremy Soule - Festival of Lyss (Guild Wars)
- Jeremy Soule - Guild Wars Theme
- Inon Zur - Dragon Age: Origins Theme
- 30 Seconds to Mars - This is War (Dragon Age: Origins)
- 30 Seconds to Mars - 100 Suns (Dragon Age: Origins)
- Cafe Tacvba - Volver A Comenzar (LittleBigPlanet)
- Kinky - Cornman (LittleBigPlanet)
- Kyle Gabler - Best of Times (World of Goo)
- Shira Kanmen - Downstream (Braid)
- Jami Sieber - Maenam (Braid)
New Info for Gran Turismo 5
With the announcement of the official cover to Gran Turismo 5, more details are coming to light from various sources. GT Planet has uncovered more details about game modes and features, including environmental factors like night racing and weather, as well as game modes and cars relating to Indy Racing League and NASCAR. Now that the cover has been teased, the game should be right around the corner, or as my wife says, "Just a couple more years!"
Monday, January 4, 2010
Restoring the Family Lands in Assassin's Creed II
Having just a ton of fun with Assassin's Creed II. There's always something new and interesting to do. The story missions have been a great source of entertainment, and the story that takes you from city to flooded city is full of action, romance, mystery, and more than a few laughs. I've made it maybe halfway through, and the mystery is really heating up, providing more backstory into Desmond's ancestry and the ancient conflict between Templar and Assassin.
However, probably the most fun I've had is filling up the family estates with an incredible amount of collectibles. The Villa Auditore at Monteriggioni holds all the paintings, codex pages, feathers, seals, weapons, and armor that you collect throughout the world. They're all rewarding, especially the art gallery, where you can browse through the Renaissance artwork you purchase and collect in your dealings. The status of the estates provide a valuable mark against you can gauge your progress within the game, and gives a great deal of satisfaction when you can cross something off your list. It's one of my favorite parts of a nearly flawless game.
However, probably the most fun I've had is filling up the family estates with an incredible amount of collectibles. The Villa Auditore at Monteriggioni holds all the paintings, codex pages, feathers, seals, weapons, and armor that you collect throughout the world. They're all rewarding, especially the art gallery, where you can browse through the Renaissance artwork you purchase and collect in your dealings. The status of the estates provide a valuable mark against you can gauge your progress within the game, and gives a great deal of satisfaction when you can cross something off your list. It's one of my favorite parts of a nearly flawless game.
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