The last 5+ years or so have been difficult on PC gaming. Console gaming has been around for 30+ years, but it's safe to say that it started to reach it's true pinnacle of popularity with the creation and release of the Xbox 360. Since that point console gaming has become a staple in almost every American household whether you own a 360, Wii or PS3. Console gaming has a level of accessibility that PC gaming has never had. In order to be a console gamer all you need is a TV and that is it, the console does the rest. There's no need to make sure you have the most up to date hardware to run the most current games. There's no frustration involved in building your own rig every 5 years to update your system as technology grows. It's even significantly less expensive. Most high end gaming PCs will run anywhere from $1000 to $3000. Now, I'm of the belief you don't need a $3,000 rig to enjoy games, but that's just me. Regardless, a console will cost you less than $500 while a PC will cost much more. It's just not convenient for most Americans, so they go for the easier and quicker option that is the console.
PC gaming has yet to die during this console uprising, however, and I would say that it's still thriving. Yes, a lot of people have jumped the PC gaming boat for consoles, but PC gamers tend to be true to what they love and what they love is PCs. Not only has PC gaming had increased competition with consoles, but PC game creators have to battle an environment that is much more susceptible to piracy. It's not easy to pirate games for your console, but all anyone needs to pirate games for their PC is an internet connection and a half decent torrent website. This has caused problems for the PC gaming world and has encouraged many PC game manufacturers to abandon their PC past and go strictly console due to the fact that they do not want to lose money. So how exactly to you combat this? What do you do as a company to overcome this adversity? Digital distribution...
Digital distribution has been around since the content delivery program Steam was introduced in late 2003 (digital distribution may have been around prior to that, but that is my first early knowledge of such systems). Steam had the idea of distributing gaming content digitally instead of physically, or distribute digital copies along with standard physical copies in retailers. Now, a lot of content has gone digital over the past 5+ years; music, movies, TV, video games, etc. Personally, I have been against digital distribution this entire time. I like physical copies. I like knowing I can hold the thing I paid $50 for. I like knowing if something happens to my computer, I still have my physical copy to hold onto. I enjoy having and seeing box art and I figure if I'm going to pay $50 for a game I want something physical. In the past month or two, however, companies have been slowly winning me over with digital distribution. There's one factor that is causing my views to change and that is simply cost.
I have a very difficult time justifying spending $50 on a digital copy of a game when I can get the physical copy for the same price. If I'm receiving less in my purchase (meaning no physical version of the game itself, no manufacturing of boxes, DVDs, etc) I would expect the price to be lower. I'm not particular sure what the cost of producing physical aspects to a game release are, however, I would expect the price for a digital copy to be at least $10 cheaper then the physical copy. Is that really so much to ask? If you're going to win me over with digital distribution, lower the price because I feel like I'm getting ripped off to a certain extent. This is one issue that has caused me to hesitate in converting to digital only content. One factor in cost, however, that is winning me over are sales. Steam typically runs sales on their games on a weekly basis. Other digital distributors such as Impulse (Stardock) and Direct 2 Drive have had their marketing departments hard at work lately and have been getting more ads out there to showcase their sales. Most recently, I purchased World of Goo from Impulse for a mere $10, 50% off it's normal price of $20. I've also purchased, in the last couple of weeks, Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City from D2D (Direct 2 Drive) for $5 each. Both of those titles are a tid bit old, but honestly, who can pass up the $5 price tag? Even as I type this out I'm contemplating buying another $5 game from D2D, Defense Grid. This is a game that I barely know anything about, but have heard a few PC gaming podcasters talk about from time to time. Once again, $5? Who can't afford that?
I think digital distribution companies have something going here. They have been winning over PC gaming fans for a little while, but I feel like they haven't reached the tipping point yet. By providing content in this manner through various sales it not only wins PC gamers over for digital distribution, it also makes lesser known titles and companies more well known. The chances of me purchasing Assassin's Creed prior to the D2D sale were slim to none, same with Defense Grid. Not only am I buying games on sale, but in doing so I've started to contemplate switching to digital only content for my PC. It's quick, it's easy. It doesn't involve me having to search for a game at a retailer and it also does not force me to figure out what to do with all my empty boxes. These digital distributors as well as PC gaming companies really have something going here and I feel if they keep offering great titles for great prices they will reach their tipping point and we will reach and entirely new era in PC gaming.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: September 29, 2009
For the past month or so the only games that have really dominated my gaming time have been ones I've been playing on my laptop and one game above all has been taking up all my time. That game is Plants vs. Zombies. Now, I'm sure I've discussed this before, but as I grow older my memory starts to fail and I am far too lazy to go back and read my previous posts, so pardon me for any repetitiveness.
The big accomplishment in gaming this weekend is that I finally beat Plants vs. Zombies adventure mode. Now, one would think after being done with such a feat you would be done with the game entirely, but no. Pop Cap has this amazing ability with their games to create so much more content even past the main mode for the game. I feel like after completely adventure mode I've really only scratched the surface of what this game contains. In the process of beating adventure mode, I unlocked three other modes; mini games, puzzle and survival. Each of the other modes as at least 24 more games to play. That estimate might be off a bit as I'm pulling that number from screen shots in my own head. Needless to say I have hours upon hours left of Plants vs. Zombies playtime.
The best part (or maybe the worst) is the fact that I'm finally accumulating enough money in the game to buy sweet stuff. See, Plants vs. Zombies starts out relatively simple with about 6 slots to place your desired plants in. You use these plants to combat incoming zombies of various different forms. As expected with most games, the zombies you fight start out relatively simple and then get progressively harder as you move along. You also accumulate money throughout the course of the game as it is dropped by random dying zombies. I'm not really sure if it was because I suck or what, but it took quite a while for me to accumulate enough cash to really have a positive effect on my game play. In fact, I didn't really start collecting that amount of cash until I had beat adventure mode. I suppose this is one beef I have with the game. They give you all these sweet prizes and extras to purchase, but you never have enough cash to buy them until you've moved onto the other modes. I would have loved to have more slots for plants when I was fighting the end boss in adventure mode, but alas, I did not have the $10,000 needed. Later on in the game you're even given a "Zen Garden" in which you can grow plants that also give you money. To me, it always feels like an adventure mode is the main component in a game such as this, but after beating it, it feels like it's just the beginning. I suppose I view that entire situation in a sort of neutral way. It's nice to have so much more left to play, but at the same time I would have liked a few extras earlier on.
All in all, I absolutely loved the game. As I stated in previous posts I wasn't sold right away and it took a bit of play time to get me hooked, but once I was hooked that was it. Not only did I get hooked, but I even got my girlfriend interested in it, which is a task in itself considering she does not play video games at all. I would highly, highly, highly suggest anyone and everyone to purchase this game. It brings loads and loads of casual gaming fun.
The big accomplishment in gaming this weekend is that I finally beat Plants vs. Zombies adventure mode. Now, one would think after being done with such a feat you would be done with the game entirely, but no. Pop Cap has this amazing ability with their games to create so much more content even past the main mode for the game. I feel like after completely adventure mode I've really only scratched the surface of what this game contains. In the process of beating adventure mode, I unlocked three other modes; mini games, puzzle and survival. Each of the other modes as at least 24 more games to play. That estimate might be off a bit as I'm pulling that number from screen shots in my own head. Needless to say I have hours upon hours left of Plants vs. Zombies playtime.
The best part (or maybe the worst) is the fact that I'm finally accumulating enough money in the game to buy sweet stuff. See, Plants vs. Zombies starts out relatively simple with about 6 slots to place your desired plants in. You use these plants to combat incoming zombies of various different forms. As expected with most games, the zombies you fight start out relatively simple and then get progressively harder as you move along. You also accumulate money throughout the course of the game as it is dropped by random dying zombies. I'm not really sure if it was because I suck or what, but it took quite a while for me to accumulate enough cash to really have a positive effect on my game play. In fact, I didn't really start collecting that amount of cash until I had beat adventure mode. I suppose this is one beef I have with the game. They give you all these sweet prizes and extras to purchase, but you never have enough cash to buy them until you've moved onto the other modes. I would have loved to have more slots for plants when I was fighting the end boss in adventure mode, but alas, I did not have the $10,000 needed. Later on in the game you're even given a "Zen Garden" in which you can grow plants that also give you money. To me, it always feels like an adventure mode is the main component in a game such as this, but after beating it, it feels like it's just the beginning. I suppose I view that entire situation in a sort of neutral way. It's nice to have so much more left to play, but at the same time I would have liked a few extras earlier on.
All in all, I absolutely loved the game. As I stated in previous posts I wasn't sold right away and it took a bit of play time to get me hooked, but once I was hooked that was it. Not only did I get hooked, but I even got my girlfriend interested in it, which is a task in itself considering she does not play video games at all. I would highly, highly, highly suggest anyone and everyone to purchase this game. It brings loads and loads of casual gaming fun.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Brutal Legend Demo Impressions
Before I booted up the Brutal Legend Demo, I was worried that I might not like the game as much as I liked Psychonauts (or as much as I wanted to). I was worried that it could not be as funny (but let's be honest here Jack Black misses the mark about half of the time) as Psychonauts and that I would be ultimately disappointed.
I am here to let you know that this is not the case. The demo (and likely game) is more witty and clever than I had originally anticipated and having had a taste I officially do not want to wait any longer.
Not only is the dialogue funny but the game's design (classic Tim Schafer) is funny from the get go when the game's design subverts what is going on and asks you if you would like to hear curses or bleeps or if you want to see blood or not (and of course I will not spoil for you how it asks you this (or which ones I chose)).
My only concern is that I noticed that the game throws a lot of weapons and combos at you from the very beginning. It gives you one weapon, and then another, and then a combo - and another. If the same pace continues throughout the games entirety the control system is likely to become convoluted (granted this is only a small sample). I would not even be sure if I was completing the game in the correct fashion. Too much to think about when playing might take away from where the game really shines.
At the end of the day we all knew that I was going to pick up this game regardless so my opinion might not hold much weight for the general skeptic.
On Rocktober 13th you know where to find me.
I am here to let you know that this is not the case. The demo (and likely game) is more witty and clever than I had originally anticipated and having had a taste I officially do not want to wait any longer.
Not only is the dialogue funny but the game's design (classic Tim Schafer) is funny from the get go when the game's design subverts what is going on and asks you if you would like to hear curses or bleeps or if you want to see blood or not (and of course I will not spoil for you how it asks you this (or which ones I chose)).
My only concern is that I noticed that the game throws a lot of weapons and combos at you from the very beginning. It gives you one weapon, and then another, and then a combo - and another. If the same pace continues throughout the games entirety the control system is likely to become convoluted (granted this is only a small sample). I would not even be sure if I was completing the game in the correct fashion. Too much to think about when playing might take away from where the game really shines.
At the end of the day we all knew that I was going to pick up this game regardless so my opinion might not hold much weight for the general skeptic.
On Rocktober 13th you know where to find me.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
WAIM: September 24, 2009 - Too Much Gaming, Too Little Blogging (Road to Recon pt2)
It has been a week of one-hundred percent Halo gaming one-hundred percent of the time. Other than attending a wedding over the weekend (congratulations to Matt and Jamie) I have been strictly playing Halo 3 multiplayer (for the Road to Recon "feature") and for the past couple of days ODST has been occupying my 360 drive.
I have been trying, and failing, to get to the rank of Lieutenant in the "new" EXP system. I have been failing mainly because I did not know that you need fifty experience points in any playlist to attain this goal. I currently stand at forty-one EXP in the social rumble pit playlist so I can say with some conviction that this achievement will be mine in the coming hours/days.
I managed to nab the Vidmaster: Brainpan achievement last night after finishing up the campaign of ODST. The ones on Citadel and Longshore were annoying finds but the one on Heretic is a cinch.
I always manage to forget how much I love the Halo series when I am not playing it but I am glad that I have such a deep appreciation for the games. I know that it is the Xbox's most popular game and the truth is - this is not without reason - these games are fantastic. Bungie puts all of their care and love into these games and you can truly feel this oozing out of every well crafted detail of the Halo universe. Halo, as an entity, makes me proud to be a gamer.
I have been trying, and failing, to get to the rank of Lieutenant in the "new" EXP system. I have been failing mainly because I did not know that you need fifty experience points in any playlist to attain this goal. I currently stand at forty-one EXP in the social rumble pit playlist so I can say with some conviction that this achievement will be mine in the coming hours/days.
I always manage to forget how much I love the Halo series when I am not playing it but I am glad that I have such a deep appreciation for the games. I know that it is the Xbox's most popular game and the truth is - this is not without reason - these games are fantastic. Bungie puts all of their care and love into these games and you can truly feel this oozing out of every well crafted detail of the Halo universe. Halo, as an entity, makes me proud to be a gamer.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: September 23, 2009
Yea, yea, yea...I suck at this whole updating on a consistent basis, I'm well aware of that. I apologize for my delay of an update. As per usual, life is hectic and I just haven't had the time. With that, comes the fact that I've had very little time to do any actual gaming as well. I do have any update in regards to my casual gaming experiences since installing a bunch of games on my laptop!
One of the best decisions I could have made when setting my laptop up for casual gaming was purchasing Plants vs. Zombies. Now, I never understood the hype when the game first came out and even after playing a bit of the demo I wasn't 100% sold, but the game was $10 on Steam...so I figured, why not? I must say, holy crap! That game is ADDICTING! Once I got past the first few levels, I was 100% sold. I've mostly been playing the game when I've been away from home at State College or in those moments right before I go to bed. I'm not really sure how far into the game I am, but I assure you, it gets more and more fun as time goes on. I would seriously urge anyone who owns a computer (PC or Mac) to purchase this game. It's definitely worth it. The game is also slated to come out for the iPhone, as well as XBLA, so there's absolutely ZERO excuse for not purchasing this game.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've also put in a little bit of time playing Diablo II. I'd like to do a full play through of the game prior to Diablo III coming out and with Blizzard busy with finishing Starcraft II as well as WoW: Cataclysm, I would expect that I have a good amount of time to complete this task.
Other then those two, I really haven't played much over the past couple of weeks. I did, however, purchase Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for $5 each from Direct 2 Drive. I was never 100% sold on digital only game distribution, but these distribution companies are easily winning me over with these sales. I think that's the key, however. There's really no sense in charging $50 for a digital copy of a game when I can purchase it at a retailer for the same price AND get the box art and all that fun stuff. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I still love box art and physical copies. If digital distributors could start lowering their prices below what they sell for at retail, then I would most definitely be drawn to that much more. Not only have the digital sales been pulling me towards purchasing online, but they have also pulled me towards playing my PC more in general. I'm pretty sure I haven't touched my Xbox for a couple of weeks now. I realize that PC gaming isn't quite as popular as console gaming these days, but these digital distributors definitely have some good ideas going on to maybe shift those numbers somehow.
One of the best decisions I could have made when setting my laptop up for casual gaming was purchasing Plants vs. Zombies. Now, I never understood the hype when the game first came out and even after playing a bit of the demo I wasn't 100% sold, but the game was $10 on Steam...so I figured, why not? I must say, holy crap! That game is ADDICTING! Once I got past the first few levels, I was 100% sold. I've mostly been playing the game when I've been away from home at State College or in those moments right before I go to bed. I'm not really sure how far into the game I am, but I assure you, it gets more and more fun as time goes on. I would seriously urge anyone who owns a computer (PC or Mac) to purchase this game. It's definitely worth it. The game is also slated to come out for the iPhone, as well as XBLA, so there's absolutely ZERO excuse for not purchasing this game.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've also put in a little bit of time playing Diablo II. I'd like to do a full play through of the game prior to Diablo III coming out and with Blizzard busy with finishing Starcraft II as well as WoW: Cataclysm, I would expect that I have a good amount of time to complete this task.
Other then those two, I really haven't played much over the past couple of weeks. I did, however, purchase Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for $5 each from Direct 2 Drive. I was never 100% sold on digital only game distribution, but these distribution companies are easily winning me over with these sales. I think that's the key, however. There's really no sense in charging $50 for a digital copy of a game when I can purchase it at a retailer for the same price AND get the box art and all that fun stuff. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I still love box art and physical copies. If digital distributors could start lowering their prices below what they sell for at retail, then I would most definitely be drawn to that much more. Not only have the digital sales been pulling me towards purchasing online, but they have also pulled me towards playing my PC more in general. I'm pretty sure I haven't touched my Xbox for a couple of weeks now. I realize that PC gaming isn't quite as popular as console gaming these days, but these digital distributors definitely have some good ideas going on to maybe shift those numbers somehow.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Monday MUpdate: Game Over!
And by that title, I really mean congratulations to two of my best friends, Matthew and Jamie Bevins! The two of them just got married this weekend and I took the honors of best man, and it was a real blast and a half. Remember the first time you ever beat Mario and you found the castle that the princess actually was in? I kinda imagine that's what they feel like right now. So congrats to them and many happy returns!
However, because they got married, I didn't get in a whole lot of gaming, so this column being fairly short is completely their fault. If anyone needs their e-mail addresses or Facebook account URLs for complaints, I'd be happy to provide them.
HOWEVER, before all the fun and games and dinners and unrolling of walkways, I did type up a very extensive review of a game that came out last week called Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2! I basically skipped all responsibilities I had and spent the day it came out playing it, and then, through out the next couple nights, I had my review all done. I know what some of you are thinking: "Matt, your review is clearly going to be biased due to your extreme love of Marvel and the first game!" Well, no! You're wrong! In fact, I am just as harsh, if not more so, on this game as I was to Batman: Arkham Asylum, and if you read my review of that I essentially bent it over and tore it a new one. So, with that in mind, if you'd like to read my extensive review of Marvel: Ultiamte Alliance 2, head on over to Multiversity Comics to get the whole skinny on all the hate I (Hulk) smash down.
And on that note,
However, because they got married, I didn't get in a whole lot of gaming, so this column being fairly short is completely their fault. If anyone needs their e-mail addresses or Facebook account URLs for complaints, I'd be happy to provide them.
HOWEVER, before all the fun and games and dinners and unrolling of walkways, I did type up a very extensive review of a game that came out last week called Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2! I basically skipped all responsibilities I had and spent the day it came out playing it, and then, through out the next couple nights, I had my review all done. I know what some of you are thinking: "Matt, your review is clearly going to be biased due to your extreme love of Marvel and the first game!" Well, no! You're wrong! In fact, I am just as harsh, if not more so, on this game as I was to Batman: Arkham Asylum, and if you read my review of that I essentially bent it over and tore it a new one. So, with that in mind, if you'd like to read my extensive review of Marvel: Ultiamte Alliance 2, head on over to Multiversity Comics to get the whole skinny on all the hate I (Hulk) smash down.
And on that note,
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Road To Recon: The First Night (Halo 3)
Recon armor has become the pinnacle of achievement in a game that has been around for almost two years. Most hardcore Halo fanatics have all the achievements that are currently attainable and are waiting with bated at the prospect of being able to freely acquire this in-game gold (though its "value" is sure to depreciate when most folks have it). I have decided to chronicle my journey to have no life for your entertainment purposes.
Recon armor was previously awarded to only those who were seen fit to wear it in Bungie's eyes and for all intents and purposes, I am of the belief that it should have stayed that way. With the release of ODST though we are going to be able to unlock it on our own by way of unlocking all of the Vidmaster Challenge achievements.
On the seventh of this past March I unlocked the 7 on 7 achievement which you are awarded when you reach 7 EXP in any playlist on the seventh of the month. That was technically the beginning of my journey but since we are ramping up to the release of the game in just one short week I thought that I might as well make a fun week out of it. Lucky for you I like to write it all down.
So last night I was working on the Vidmaster: Lightswitch achievement - attaining the rank of Lieutenant in the new playlist based EXP system (yeah I play Halo that much and it is funny because I really do love it more than most games) - and I was enjoying myself thoroughly as I always do. There was even a group of girls playing and they were not half bad. This achievement should be earned by the end of today and then I get to really have a lot of fun trying to earn the Vidmaster: Annual achievement (but more on that later).
Recon armor was previously awarded to only those who were seen fit to wear it in Bungie's eyes and for all intents and purposes, I am of the belief that it should have stayed that way. With the release of ODST though we are going to be able to unlock it on our own by way of unlocking all of the Vidmaster Challenge achievements.
On the seventh of this past March I unlocked the 7 on 7 achievement which you are awarded when you reach 7 EXP in any playlist on the seventh of the month. That was technically the beginning of my journey but since we are ramping up to the release of the game in just one short week I thought that I might as well make a fun week out of it. Lucky for you I like to write it all down.
So last night I was working on the Vidmaster: Lightswitch achievement - attaining the rank of Lieutenant in the new playlist based EXP system (yeah I play Halo that much and it is funny because I really do love it more than most games) - and I was enjoying myself thoroughly as I always do. There was even a group of girls playing and they were not half bad. This achievement should be earned by the end of today and then I get to really have a lot of fun trying to earn the Vidmaster: Annual achievement (but more on that later).
Monday, September 14, 2009
Monday MUpdate: It's pronounced "fl-ow-er"
I think, as a note, that people should generally understand that my articles from here on out will be mostly about the PS3. While it was not discussed publicly here, our fearless leader Nate recently had a minor spat with another internet entity, and throughout the general "dialogue" (in quotes because in reality it was more of an attack) it was pointed out that we focus mainly on the XBOX even though we are a general video gaming website. Now, those who have been following for a prolonged period of time will remember that the top of the website used to point out that we focus mainly on the XBOX (because the XBOX is awesome) but when Kara was brought on board, she introduced the element of girls playing video games, which is just plain silly the PC gamer into the fold. Therefore, in order to help diversify, I'm taking my new ownership of the PS3 as a subtle sign to myself that I should give it the love it deserves and focus mainly on the PS3. So from here on out, if you don't actually have any interest in the PS3, I won't be offended if you don't read this column anymore.
I had been promising several mini reviews now from some time, haven't I? Originally when I came on board, reviews were all I did. They were wordy, they were precise, but I feel like they were OK. Then, as I stopped being a bum and got a job, I had to start playing games less and less, and now that I have a job and go to night classes, I play games even less than that. This past week I rented some games for my Playstation 3, and I only ever managed to play one of them and I was less than half way through when I returned it. It's kind of sad, really. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 comes out in less than 24 hours and I'm kind of scared to think I won't be able to dedicate myself to it at all hours of the day (which means I'll be up until 2 in the morning playing it, probably). Regardless of this fact, I feel like I got in a good deal of standard PS3 gaming before my night classes happened to allow me the ability to look fondly back at my memory and bring to you, the faithful reader, some high quality mini reviews. Last week, I tackled Fat Princess, a humorous interpretation of capture the flag that caused quite a stir in my home city (mainly because people are idiots). This week, I bring to you a review of the highly serene Flower (which, despite what Nate may tell you, is not pronounced flow-er).
Let me start by saying that Flower is the single most serene and enchanting game I have ever played in my entire life. I feel like bothering to meditate is absolutely pointless now because I have this game. For those who don't know, the Playstation 3 menu system is different from the XBOX 360 dashboard in that (among other things) when you put the XBOX 360 disc in, a tiny little image will now appear on the dashboard under your section to show you what game you have to play, and if you open up that extra special menu, you'll have a themed background. With the PS3, when you highlight a game or a game disc for gaming purposes, the entire screen changes into a huge advertisement for the game. The Flower music shows a gentle breeze and plays some calm piano music for you, and honest to God, I could just leave this image on and sit and relax. In fact, I do this sometimes, and I'm known to leave this menu on if I leave the apartment for short periods of time for my cats. It's just that wonderful.
In Flower, you essentially play the smoke monster from LOST except you're made of flower petals and instead of tormenting people you collect other flower petals to make you even more epic. That's it. That's the entire game. There is no final boss, there is no real point to it. You start out as a single flower petal, you float around collecting other flower petals, and once you've collected enough you win the level. It sounds so simple, yet for some reason when I hand people the controller to play the game they just don't get it. It's easily one of the best purchases I have ever made though. The absolute sheer and quiet brilliance of the game is just so forthcoming that, in the words of James Franco, itsmells like God's vagina is just so good. Within the game are, of course, hidden elements of commentary toward the modern day appreciation of nature, and this becomes painfully obvious later in the game as the sky becomes darker and the world grows scarier with the introduction of massive amounts of power lines, but don't worry. You and your petals will fill the world with such beauty that you easily eradicate any and all man made disasters (you know, except for those buildings...).
Along with the 100% stunning soundtrack (which you in part help create as every flower you collect hits a musical note), the game's graphics are beyond amazing. This is the game that really shows the PS3's engine capabilities as you soar straight into the grass and it looks like you're actually outside running your hand through a lush field. You'll see all sorts of environments as you fly through the game, but none of it ever clips or looks half assed. On top of that, for a game that should have an excessive amount of bloom (for those who don't get the term, pop in Fable II and look at the sun), you'd be surprised to find that it never comes in to play as a blinding factor. There is so much going on here and it runs so smoothly it absolutely blows my mind. It's pretty obvious why this game is only available on the PS3, to say the least - the PS3 is the only system (besides a PC) that can handle this game's insane rendering. Add to that the excellent sound effects placed in the game for the wind and movement and, when you play this in high definition on a nice TV, it really looks like a window outside that you have control over. The irony of the game in itself is that it heavily promotes being outside in nature's natural beauty, and some of the Trophy's include putting the controller down and taking a five minute break or not playing for a week, and yet the game looks better than the grass outside my window does!
If I had to give Flower a grade, it would be an A++. Any owner or potential owner of the PS3 should own this game as it is essentially the Playstation 3 game. In my short time as a PS3 owner, no other game has shown me the true and wondrous capabilities of the system in a way that makes me want to denounce my previous religion and swear only to Sony's. I'm still waiting on my digital audio cable in the mail from Amazon (which is a whole other disastrous story which I'll get to another time), I can't wait to fully maximize my experience with surround sound. This game is absolutely beyond amazing and is hands down the best game I've played all year.
I had been promising several mini reviews now from some time, haven't I? Originally when I came on board, reviews were all I did. They were wordy, they were precise, but I feel like they were OK. Then, as I stopped being a bum and got a job, I had to start playing games less and less, and now that I have a job and go to night classes, I play games even less than that. This past week I rented some games for my Playstation 3, and I only ever managed to play one of them and I was less than half way through when I returned it. It's kind of sad, really. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 comes out in less than 24 hours and I'm kind of scared to think I won't be able to dedicate myself to it at all hours of the day (which means I'll be up until 2 in the morning playing it, probably). Regardless of this fact, I feel like I got in a good deal of standard PS3 gaming before my night classes happened to allow me the ability to look fondly back at my memory and bring to you, the faithful reader, some high quality mini reviews. Last week, I tackled Fat Princess, a humorous interpretation of capture the flag that caused quite a stir in my home city (mainly because people are idiots). This week, I bring to you a review of the highly serene Flower (which, despite what Nate may tell you, is not pronounced flow-er).
Let me start by saying that Flower is the single most serene and enchanting game I have ever played in my entire life. I feel like bothering to meditate is absolutely pointless now because I have this game. For those who don't know, the Playstation 3 menu system is different from the XBOX 360 dashboard in that (among other things) when you put the XBOX 360 disc in, a tiny little image will now appear on the dashboard under your section to show you what game you have to play, and if you open up that extra special menu, you'll have a themed background. With the PS3, when you highlight a game or a game disc for gaming purposes, the entire screen changes into a huge advertisement for the game. The Flower music shows a gentle breeze and plays some calm piano music for you, and honest to God, I could just leave this image on and sit and relax. In fact, I do this sometimes, and I'm known to leave this menu on if I leave the apartment for short periods of time for my cats. It's just that wonderful.
In Flower, you essentially play the smoke monster from LOST except you're made of flower petals and instead of tormenting people you collect other flower petals to make you even more epic. That's it. That's the entire game. There is no final boss, there is no real point to it. You start out as a single flower petal, you float around collecting other flower petals, and once you've collected enough you win the level. It sounds so simple, yet for some reason when I hand people the controller to play the game they just don't get it. It's easily one of the best purchases I have ever made though. The absolute sheer and quiet brilliance of the game is just so forthcoming that, in the words of James Franco, it
Along with the 100% stunning soundtrack (which you in part help create as every flower you collect hits a musical note), the game's graphics are beyond amazing. This is the game that really shows the PS3's engine capabilities as you soar straight into the grass and it looks like you're actually outside running your hand through a lush field. You'll see all sorts of environments as you fly through the game, but none of it ever clips or looks half assed. On top of that, for a game that should have an excessive amount of bloom (for those who don't get the term, pop in Fable II and look at the sun), you'd be surprised to find that it never comes in to play as a blinding factor. There is so much going on here and it runs so smoothly it absolutely blows my mind. It's pretty obvious why this game is only available on the PS3, to say the least - the PS3 is the only system (besides a PC) that can handle this game's insane rendering. Add to that the excellent sound effects placed in the game for the wind and movement and, when you play this in high definition on a nice TV, it really looks like a window outside that you have control over. The irony of the game in itself is that it heavily promotes being outside in nature's natural beauty, and some of the Trophy's include putting the controller down and taking a five minute break or not playing for a week, and yet the game looks better than the grass outside my window does!
If I had to give Flower a grade, it would be an A++. Any owner or potential owner of the PS3 should own this game as it is essentially the Playstation 3 game. In my short time as a PS3 owner, no other game has shown me the true and wondrous capabilities of the system in a way that makes me want to denounce my previous religion and swear only to Sony's. I'm still waiting on my digital audio cable in the mail from Amazon (which is a whole other disastrous story which I'll get to another time), I can't wait to fully maximize my experience with surround sound. This game is absolutely beyond amazing and is hands down the best game I've played all year.
WAIM: September 14, 2009 - Everything Old Is New Again Edition
I have been away from the blog without announcement for a while now and I just wanted to clue everyone in on the reason. I have been working toward a promotion at the "in real life" job and I am happy to say that I have attained that promotion. The rest is all bells and whistles and I can once again dedicate myself to regular updates. Though I am sure no one has been dying without everything that I have to say, here is what I have been tinkering with over the past two weeks:
Since I have finished Batman I have not been back to the game. This is not to the game's discredit, I just wanted to return to the games that I felt that I did not have enough time with this past summer.
I started off by attaining 100% of items in Shadow Complex which to those who do not know where everything is (even when they tell you that an item is in a room (Level 20)) it is no small feat. It is quite fun and you can truly feel a sense of achievement when you have done it yourself.
I also picked up Gears of War 2 multiplayer again on Labor Day weekend. I miss playing this game and I managed to nab a few achievements because of the double EXP weekend that was taking place. I also managed to notice a few things about the game that I had not noticed before. One was that when you use the Cyclops Locust you can see the light shining from the eye as though the light were reflecting off the the dust in the air. It was a nice little nuance that made me smile. The second thing is something that I cannot remember for the life of me.
The last game that I have been playing a lot lately, once again, is Battlefield 1943. I cannot get enough and I also managed to nab a few more achievements in the game. It should be easy enough to collect the rest of them with regular playing of the game.
That is about it for now but you can be assured that you can count on more posts from me during the week. Thanks for hanging in there.
Since I have finished Batman I have not been back to the game. This is not to the game's discredit, I just wanted to return to the games that I felt that I did not have enough time with this past summer.
I started off by attaining 100% of items in Shadow Complex which to those who do not know where everything is (even when they tell you that an item is in a room (Level 20)) it is no small feat. It is quite fun and you can truly feel a sense of achievement when you have done it yourself.
I also picked up Gears of War 2 multiplayer again on Labor Day weekend. I miss playing this game and I managed to nab a few achievements because of the double EXP weekend that was taking place. I also managed to notice a few things about the game that I had not noticed before. One was that when you use the Cyclops Locust you can see the light shining from the eye as though the light were reflecting off the the dust in the air. It was a nice little nuance that made me smile. The second thing is something that I cannot remember for the life of me.
The last game that I have been playing a lot lately, once again, is Battlefield 1943. I cannot get enough and I also managed to nab a few more achievements in the game. It should be easy enough to collect the rest of them with regular playing of the game.
That is about it for now but you can be assured that you can count on more posts from me during the week. Thanks for hanging in there.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Monday MUpdate: RIP 360 (Not really)
As I sit this, I'm sitting in my brand new apartment watching TV on my new television, streaming a show that I was unable to watch when it aired. Normally, I'd be doing that off of my trusty XBOX 360. Today, however, I'm doing it off my PlayStation 3. Innocent enough, right? I mean, the cat turned on the PS3 in the middle of the night. Might as well just use it, right? But it's not just that. Not at all. After unpacking all my things and hooking up my 360, I turned it on only to find myself switching back to the PlayStation. Could it be? Have I turned? I love my 360 and have all my games for it and all my pre-order games as well, and next week Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 comes out so you'll be sure to catch Jewnado online for... oh, I dunno, a million hours? But right now, even though I have 4 games for the PlayStation 3, I find myself using that more preferentially than the 360. It's possible that the reason for this is that I just haven't put Fallout 3 in the 360 yet (Left 4 Dead almost permanently resides in the 360), but it's more than that. Dare I say it, but I prefer the set up I have for the PS3 more. HDMI, digital audio, surround sound, amazing picture quality. I'm not saying that the 360 does not have that, but my model has no HDMI or digital audio support, so the PS3 wins. Therefore, I miss out on all the action that my friends are boasting about with Shadow Complex and 'Splosion Man. It's just me and my Fat Princess.
On the plus side, Fat Princess happens to be an insanely fun game, so let's consider this space for some reviews this week. In Fat Princess, you essentially play a game of Capture The Flag, except there is an obese lady of royalty involved. You are given several different classes of which to pick from in order to fill out certain duties, including a healer, a mage, a fighter, a worker, and a marksman. All of this is in a base to which you can upgrade and build support in. Outside the base you'll find pieces of cake to which to feed the princess, and as you feed her more and more she becomes fatter and fatter, the point being that now the enemy team can't carry her across the map easily. As any Capture the Flag game goes, the gameplay goes back and forth until one team captures the other princess while retaining the enemies. Add that into a hilarious form of 2D animation in a practically cell shaded world with some hilarious added in dialogue from your characters and the narrator of the game (who likes to say "The n00bs have been pwnd!"), and needless to say you have an insane amount of hilarious fun.
Now, CTF/FP isn't the only kind of gameplay in the game. There is Team Deathmatch as well as Map Domination, and all of it is equally as fun as Fat Princes, but that still holds the winning spot for me. There's just something about running around and feeding a princess who consistently cries out for more cakey, please. The only downfall I've found of the game is that the majority of people playing online either rush the enemy base and make the game five seconds long, or they all want to play Team Deathmatch, making it so that to play Fat Princess I have to play the single player game, which doesn't have as interesting AI as a real person. The game's AI seems more interested in prolonging the game to force you to take action instead of trying to really steal your princess at all, whereas the online gameplay provides a real challenge: the human brain.
Regardless, Fat Princess makes for a winning combination of humor and gameplay to make it a very worthwhile purchase. Highly recommended. Stay tuned in future weeks when I throw in reviews for Flower, LittleBigPlanet, and then, of course, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. Also, if anyone is curious as to my thoughts on Batman: Arkham Asylum, you can find them right here. Although, be warned: I am very harsh on the game where most people are not. Chances are, I will disagree with you on your thoughts of the game, so keep that in mind if you click the link.
On the plus side, Fat Princess happens to be an insanely fun game, so let's consider this space for some reviews this week. In Fat Princess, you essentially play a game of Capture The Flag, except there is an obese lady of royalty involved. You are given several different classes of which to pick from in order to fill out certain duties, including a healer, a mage, a fighter, a worker, and a marksman. All of this is in a base to which you can upgrade and build support in. Outside the base you'll find pieces of cake to which to feed the princess, and as you feed her more and more she becomes fatter and fatter, the point being that now the enemy team can't carry her across the map easily. As any Capture the Flag game goes, the gameplay goes back and forth until one team captures the other princess while retaining the enemies. Add that into a hilarious form of 2D animation in a practically cell shaded world with some hilarious added in dialogue from your characters and the narrator of the game (who likes to say "The n00bs have been pwnd!"), and needless to say you have an insane amount of hilarious fun.Now, CTF/FP isn't the only kind of gameplay in the game. There is Team Deathmatch as well as Map Domination, and all of it is equally as fun as Fat Princes, but that still holds the winning spot for me. There's just something about running around and feeding a princess who consistently cries out for more cakey, please. The only downfall I've found of the game is that the majority of people playing online either rush the enemy base and make the game five seconds long, or they all want to play Team Deathmatch, making it so that to play Fat Princess I have to play the single player game, which doesn't have as interesting AI as a real person. The game's AI seems more interested in prolonging the game to force you to take action instead of trying to really steal your princess at all, whereas the online gameplay provides a real challenge: the human brain.
Regardless, Fat Princess makes for a winning combination of humor and gameplay to make it a very worthwhile purchase. Highly recommended. Stay tuned in future weeks when I throw in reviews for Flower, LittleBigPlanet, and then, of course, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. Also, if anyone is curious as to my thoughts on Batman: Arkham Asylum, you can find them right here. Although, be warned: I am very harsh on the game where most people are not. Chances are, I will disagree with you on your thoughts of the game, so keep that in mind if you click the link.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Shadow Complex Review (XBLA)
Shadow Complex is set in the Empire universe (owned by Chair Entertainment, penned by Orson Scott Card) and it takes place simultaneously with the book. Shadow Complex tells the story (game story written by Peter David of comic book fame) of Jason Flemming and his new girlfriend Claire. They are hiking in the Pacific Northwest when a group called the Progressive Reformation kidnaps Claire. From there we are strung along by a barely existent thread of a plot into what is the first and best game in this genre in 12 years.
The first and foremost object that needs addressing is that one just needs to get their hands on this game to know what quality lies in store for them.
The game is beautifully rendered in 3D, but is played in a 2D plane, by Unreal Engine 3 and from the second that you boot it up you will be greeted by crisp visuals that one may only expect from a retail title. The cut scenes are the one area that one can notice that this is an arcade title but if they are bothering you that much you are either missing the point of this game, which is not the story, or you just are not skipping them, which is an option I took during my second playthrough.
Shadow Complex really shines in its wealth of collectables and unlockables. The game can easily be replayed several times over without any sense of boredom. It is extremely easy to lose oneself in this game and on more than one occasion you will find that you are telling yourself, “Just one more collectable,” only to find that you will play well past that point.
This game will have you reevaluating what you spend $15 dollars on in the future and I mean that in the best way possible. This is best arcade game to come out this year (this could have easily been a $40 boxed retail title) and one can only hope that that it means more of the same from Chair. Perhaps other developers will also see the success of Shadow Complex and will jump on this age-old bandwagon once again.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: September 3, 2009
I honestly don't have very much to report on in the gaming front for the past week or so. Life has kept me a bit too busy to get the chance to sit down in front of my 360 or PC. For the life of me, I can't even think if I've played anything for the past week. I know for fact I haven't played WoW for about 2 weeks, which is a travesty, but time has just not allowed me to do so.
Although I don't have anything to report on the gaming front for the past week, I would like to take a little time to talk about my future plans for my laptop. I purchased a laptop about 2 years ago because my previous one had been dead for quite some time and this was prior to netbooks, so I wanted something portable to go along with my desktop. Typically I only use my laptop when I'm sitting on the couch watching TV (my desktop is in a different room), when I'm up in my bedroom or when I'm traveling. It's not the best laptop and can barely run WoW, so I don't typically do a lot of gaming on it. However, with the sudden resurgence of casual games, I've decided that my laptop will become my casual/old gaming device. Most of the casual games and older games do not require any sort of massive computing power, which my laptop does not have. Today, to start my casual gaming device, I purchase Ben There Dan That, Time Gentlemen, Please! and Plants vs. Zombies. I've played a bit of the Plants vs. Zombies demo and enjoyed it and it was only $10. I bought the other two because they came in a pack for only $5 and I've heard some people say some good things. I also intend on installing Starcraft, Warcraft III, Diablo II and possibly Age of Empires. Who knows how often I'll get around to playing these games on my laptop, but at least it'll be something to play while I'm laying in bed or visiting my girlfriend in college.
I'm excited to possibly play Diablo II. It's been quite some time since I had my hands on that game, plus I never beat it, PLUS Diablo III should be coming out in the next year or two. I've never played Starcraft before (surprise, surprise) so I'm looking forward to that. I've needed some good RTS lovin' in my life lately.
Although I don't have anything to report on the gaming front for the past week, I would like to take a little time to talk about my future plans for my laptop. I purchased a laptop about 2 years ago because my previous one had been dead for quite some time and this was prior to netbooks, so I wanted something portable to go along with my desktop. Typically I only use my laptop when I'm sitting on the couch watching TV (my desktop is in a different room), when I'm up in my bedroom or when I'm traveling. It's not the best laptop and can barely run WoW, so I don't typically do a lot of gaming on it. However, with the sudden resurgence of casual games, I've decided that my laptop will become my casual/old gaming device. Most of the casual games and older games do not require any sort of massive computing power, which my laptop does not have. Today, to start my casual gaming device, I purchase Ben There Dan That, Time Gentlemen, Please! and Plants vs. Zombies. I've played a bit of the Plants vs. Zombies demo and enjoyed it and it was only $10. I bought the other two because they came in a pack for only $5 and I've heard some people say some good things. I also intend on installing Starcraft, Warcraft III, Diablo II and possibly Age of Empires. Who knows how often I'll get around to playing these games on my laptop, but at least it'll be something to play while I'm laying in bed or visiting my girlfriend in college.
I'm excited to possibly play Diablo II. It's been quite some time since I had my hands on that game, plus I never beat it, PLUS Diablo III should be coming out in the next year or two. I've never played Starcraft before (surprise, surprise) so I'm looking forward to that. I've needed some good RTS lovin' in my life lately.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
WAIM: September 2, 2009 - A Week Off
So it has been a week since we have last spoken and what a glorious week it has been. Today is my last day of seven days in a row of work so you can expect more out of this blog in the days to come.
This week I have been playing nothing but Batman: Arkham Asylum and you should expect the review for that tomorrow. You should also expect the review for Shadow Complex on Friday and one last thing that you can expect is a BGE original article.
You should be excited.
I think that I am going to go back through various games this week ranging from Shadow Complex, Batman, Gears of War 2, etc.
This week I have been playing nothing but Batman: Arkham Asylum and you should expect the review for that tomorrow. You should also expect the review for Shadow Complex on Friday and one last thing that you can expect is a BGE original article.
You should be excited.
I think that I am going to go back through various games this week ranging from Shadow Complex, Batman, Gears of War 2, etc.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Mass Effect Pinnacle Station DLC Released!
I had not made a post about this but Mass Effect has been expecting a piece of DLC since the Bring Down the Sky mission. Today along with the new avatar clothes and a new theme, the oft rumored Pinnacle Station DLC has finally been realeased!
At this point I honestly do not know what to say about it other than I am severely torn as to what to do right now. I just brought home Batman: Arkham Asylum last night but this is a fresh piece of ME DLC.
Advice, NOW, in the comments!
At this point I honestly do not know what to say about it other than I am severely torn as to what to do right now. I just brought home Batman: Arkham Asylum last night but this is a fresh piece of ME DLC.
Advice, NOW, in the comments!
Bioware reveals new character for Mass Effect 2 - Grunt, "An irrationaly violent krogan"
So hot off of last week we also have this awesome awesome preview of another new character from Mass Effect 2.
Every time I think that this game slips into the back of my mind Bioware brings the game surging to my senses with a vengeance. Obviously, from the videos, everything about this game looks perfect but the trailers from the first game captured that aspect as well and we all know how that turned out.
What these new trailers have that ME1 trailers did not seem to have is a sense of urgency. This game feels like it is going to always be epic and grandiose and I have no doubt that it is going to feel like an unforgettable roller coaster ride.
Grunt looks cool enough though he may be a bit too similar to Wrex even though Grunt's head looks smaller and roundish. Grunt's voice is scratchy like Wrex's (looks like a species of smokers) but Grunt seems shorter in comparison to Wrex. If you have not already asked yourself the question, yes, I really am comparing the two.
I am curious to see if the selection of teammates that one can have in their party is much larger than the original's five party members.
But I suppose if none of that interests you, you could always go check out the Mass Effect clothing for your avatar.
Every time I think that this game slips into the back of my mind Bioware brings the game surging to my senses with a vengeance. Obviously, from the videos, everything about this game looks perfect but the trailers from the first game captured that aspect as well and we all know how that turned out.
What these new trailers have that ME1 trailers did not seem to have is a sense of urgency. This game feels like it is going to always be epic and grandiose and I have no doubt that it is going to feel like an unforgettable roller coaster ride.
Grunt looks cool enough though he may be a bit too similar to Wrex even though Grunt's head looks smaller and roundish. Grunt's voice is scratchy like Wrex's (looks like a species of smokers) but Grunt seems shorter in comparison to Wrex. If you have not already asked yourself the question, yes, I really am comparing the two.
I am curious to see if the selection of teammates that one can have in their party is much larger than the original's five party members.
But I suppose if none of that interests you, you could always go check out the Mass Effect clothing for your avatar.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Monday MUpdate : I Have Looked Into The Face Of The Abyss...
...and it was good.
Last week, I got many e-mails in regards to my absence/lack of substantial update (read: none). Those following my column on a regular basis will also know that the majority of my things, including my XBOX 360, are all packed away, leaving me to a lack of gaming and weeks of sadness and depression.
Or... that's what I would be writing if something hadn't happened. You see, dear reader, at the time I wrote last week's column, I was waiting for a package in the mail. Originally that package was going to come sooner, but due to some silliness with the bank, I was forced to order it at a later date. And what was that package, you ask? Why, a brand new and very shiny Playstation 3. That's right: I finally got one! I ordered it from Best Buy through a limited deal they had where you get WALL-E and LittleBigPlanet along with your system, and honestly, I couldn't be happier with the system. Well... ok, that's a lie. I could ALWAYS be happier. I'm the critical one here. Allow me to lead you along a journey through the ups and downs of the system regardless, however.
So first off, one thing that I LOVE about PSN over XBOX Live! is that not only is the service 100% free, but it's wireless and comes with an internet browser. You heard that right. PSN already has it's own version of Twitter set up (which I haven't tested out) and YouTube XL which is made to format HDTVs. It's not perfect, obviously, and it's a little blurry due to the upping of resolution, but it works like a charm, that's for sure. I can sit and stream whatever YouTube I want for hours, and it doesn't cost me anything extra. On top of that, I don't have to pay to access all the demos, free add-ons, and multiplayer gaming. It's all readily available to me off the bat. Chalk one up for the PS3.
The dashboard is the standard Playstation dashboard we've all been used to on all of Sony's products for a while now. It's clean and sleek, and I can't really complain against it. You can choose to have a theme if you want, and that one theme is similar to how the XBOX 360 is now where you'll have a singular background image and rotate through it. There are some premium themes, but the great thing about it is that you don't have to pay for the cool ones. For example, I have a Fallout 3 theme that makes my dashboard look like a PIP-Boy. It's awesome! I also have a Bioshock 2 multiplayer theme which features multiple rotating backgrounds and changes all the "Pictures" "Video" "Music" options into that quirky little character image a la the XBOX 360 Achievements, except these pictures are all meant to be the characters you play in the multiplayer mode of Bioshock 2. And it didn't cost me a dime to get! Chalk another one up for the PS3.
Speaking of Achievements, you know that we don't have those on the PS3, right? We have Trophys. They're similar yet ultimately different. You see, the main difference is that instead of having various points assigned to a Trophy, we have Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Platinum you can only get if you beat every other trophy, and the Bronze, Silver, and Gold are given out for decidedly hard goals. I'll be honest, I don't even bother to try for most trophys because a lot of them are so damn hard. For example, Fat Princess' Trophys are almost all multiplayer oriented, and considering everyone in multiplayer doesn't want to play Fat Princess (they all want to play team deathmatch), I'm not on the multiplayer. Make sense? In talking to Nate, he said that he didn't feel the procurement of Trophys are as satisfying as getting an Achievement, and I suppose that is possibly true for some people, but they're pretty much the same thing through and through. They have quirky names, they're fun to get, and they essentially make no difference in the world of gaming. I mean, it's not like you get more based on your Achievements or Trophys. Besides, some of them are absolutely hilarious. In the aforementioned Fat Princess, I got a Trophy called "The Cake Is Not A Lie!" for beating the singleplayer. That's a win right there. This one is a draw because ultimately both the Achievments and the Trophys are pointless (sorry, Nate).
As far as exclusive games go (i.e. PSN vs XBOX Live! Arcade games), the XBOX wins this one. There just really aren't a lot of games on their network I found myself interested in. I of course got Fat Princess (if only for the controversy it caused in my state, the home of the ATHF Bombings), and I got an AMAZING game called Flower. Outside of that, though, I didn't see a lot I wanted to try. On top of that, unlike with the XBOX Live! Arcade games, you can't try them out before you buy them. You either go the whole nine yards or you get nothing. There are a few games that do in fact offer demos, such as the Watchmen games, but I didn't have any real interest in those, and those are available on the XBOX anyway. The PSN does offer old PS1 games on it, but the 360 offers some of it's old library, too. I want to call it a draw because I was able to download Final Fantasy VII, which is one of the greatest games of all time, but this one is a win for the XBOX 360.
About playing old games: the backwards compatibility is an instant 360 win. No question. Unfortunately, the big wigs at Sony just don't think we want to play PS2 games, which is a lie almost as bad as the cake. The PS3 is being killed by the fact that you can't play old games on it. Sony does claim that "Some games will run," but this is an overall falsehood. For example, on Sony's online site it says that I can play Shadow of the Colossus on my PS3. Can I? No. No I can't. And that is a mega loss. Like I said, SOME old PS1 games are available for download at a reasonable cost ($9.99 +tax), such as classics like Tomb Raider, Spyro, and FF7 (which is a big big win), but ultimately the PS3 loses this round once again for the lack of availability on it's system.
So right off the bat, we have the PS3 with 2, the XBOX with 2, and one draw in the middle over Achievements vs Trophys. This is just based on what's available right away, and this doesn't take into account things as graphical powers, accessories, etc. There is no doubt that the PS3 has a better graphic capabilities, and the fact it comes with an 80 gig harddrive all on it's own is pretty great (as opposed to going out and paying out the rear end for all yours). The blu-ray player and the upscaling DVD, is pretty nice as well, and all controllers being wireless and only requiring a USB charge for a short time period is great as well. With all of these things in consideration, I'd say the PS3 gets another point, putting it ahead of the XBOX, even though I like the XBOX more.
That's important thing to note: I do like my XBOX more than I like my PS3. You know why? The over all library of games is better on the XBOX. You see, the two systems share a LOT of games. Most of the big titles, in fact. However, I've already played most of the big games on my XBOX, and all my pre-orders for upcoming titles are all on the XBOX if only for the fact that I want to be able to play with my friends. Also, all of the exclusive PS3 titles I want come out next year (DCU Online, God of War III, The Last Guardian). I played demos for all the hot PS3 titles (Killzone, Infamous, Resistance) and I wasn't impressed at all. In fact, I found all three to be rather boring and run of the mill. I ADORE LittleBigPlanet and I can't see that game EVER not being fun, but as far as exclusive, PS3 pretty much loses hands down, leaving us with a tie in the end.
Don't get me wrong: my PS3 was a great purchase. A fast blu-ray player, four amazing games, and wireless internet make me happy as a clam. I'll probably work on reviews for my games in the upcoming weeks (but if you're curious, LBP, Fat Princess and Flower are all must own games), and that's only if I can take the time I took out for this article again (it's kind of hard to not play the PS3 at all hours right now, to be honest... especially since I'm on vacation). I'll even do my best to get more games on the PS3 in order to create some more articles not centered around the XBOX. In the end, I can't honestly tell you to get one system over the other. This is something any smart reviewer will tell you, and that it's all about personal preference. Chances are, all your friends own the XBOX, so get that and a blu-ray player and you're set. Or defy them and get a PS3 and rock out on your own. It doesn't matter. They're both excellent systems, and I'm happy to own both.
Just don't buy a Wii, because that's just fucking stupid.
Last week, I got many e-mails in regards to my absence/lack of substantial update (read: none). Those following my column on a regular basis will also know that the majority of my things, including my XBOX 360, are all packed away, leaving me to a lack of gaming and weeks of sadness and depression.
Or... that's what I would be writing if something hadn't happened. You see, dear reader, at the time I wrote last week's column, I was waiting for a package in the mail. Originally that package was going to come sooner, but due to some silliness with the bank, I was forced to order it at a later date. And what was that package, you ask? Why, a brand new and very shiny Playstation 3. That's right: I finally got one! I ordered it from Best Buy through a limited deal they had where you get WALL-E and LittleBigPlanet along with your system, and honestly, I couldn't be happier with the system. Well... ok, that's a lie. I could ALWAYS be happier. I'm the critical one here. Allow me to lead you along a journey through the ups and downs of the system regardless, however.
So first off, one thing that I LOVE about PSN over XBOX Live! is that not only is the service 100% free, but it's wireless and comes with an internet browser. You heard that right. PSN already has it's own version of Twitter set up (which I haven't tested out) and YouTube XL which is made to format HDTVs. It's not perfect, obviously, and it's a little blurry due to the upping of resolution, but it works like a charm, that's for sure. I can sit and stream whatever YouTube I want for hours, and it doesn't cost me anything extra. On top of that, I don't have to pay to access all the demos, free add-ons, and multiplayer gaming. It's all readily available to me off the bat. Chalk one up for the PS3.
The dashboard is the standard Playstation dashboard we've all been used to on all of Sony's products for a while now. It's clean and sleek, and I can't really complain against it. You can choose to have a theme if you want, and that one theme is similar to how the XBOX 360 is now where you'll have a singular background image and rotate through it. There are some premium themes, but the great thing about it is that you don't have to pay for the cool ones. For example, I have a Fallout 3 theme that makes my dashboard look like a PIP-Boy. It's awesome! I also have a Bioshock 2 multiplayer theme which features multiple rotating backgrounds and changes all the "Pictures" "Video" "Music" options into that quirky little character image a la the XBOX 360 Achievements, except these pictures are all meant to be the characters you play in the multiplayer mode of Bioshock 2. And it didn't cost me a dime to get! Chalk another one up for the PS3.
Speaking of Achievements, you know that we don't have those on the PS3, right? We have Trophys. They're similar yet ultimately different. You see, the main difference is that instead of having various points assigned to a Trophy, we have Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Platinum you can only get if you beat every other trophy, and the Bronze, Silver, and Gold are given out for decidedly hard goals. I'll be honest, I don't even bother to try for most trophys because a lot of them are so damn hard. For example, Fat Princess' Trophys are almost all multiplayer oriented, and considering everyone in multiplayer doesn't want to play Fat Princess (they all want to play team deathmatch), I'm not on the multiplayer. Make sense? In talking to Nate, he said that he didn't feel the procurement of Trophys are as satisfying as getting an Achievement, and I suppose that is possibly true for some people, but they're pretty much the same thing through and through. They have quirky names, they're fun to get, and they essentially make no difference in the world of gaming. I mean, it's not like you get more based on your Achievements or Trophys. Besides, some of them are absolutely hilarious. In the aforementioned Fat Princess, I got a Trophy called "The Cake Is Not A Lie!" for beating the singleplayer. That's a win right there. This one is a draw because ultimately both the Achievments and the Trophys are pointless (sorry, Nate).
As far as exclusive games go (i.e. PSN vs XBOX Live! Arcade games), the XBOX wins this one. There just really aren't a lot of games on their network I found myself interested in. I of course got Fat Princess (if only for the controversy it caused in my state, the home of the ATHF Bombings), and I got an AMAZING game called Flower. Outside of that, though, I didn't see a lot I wanted to try. On top of that, unlike with the XBOX Live! Arcade games, you can't try them out before you buy them. You either go the whole nine yards or you get nothing. There are a few games that do in fact offer demos, such as the Watchmen games, but I didn't have any real interest in those, and those are available on the XBOX anyway. The PSN does offer old PS1 games on it, but the 360 offers some of it's old library, too. I want to call it a draw because I was able to download Final Fantasy VII, which is one of the greatest games of all time, but this one is a win for the XBOX 360.
About playing old games: the backwards compatibility is an instant 360 win. No question. Unfortunately, the big wigs at Sony just don't think we want to play PS2 games, which is a lie almost as bad as the cake. The PS3 is being killed by the fact that you can't play old games on it. Sony does claim that "Some games will run," but this is an overall falsehood. For example, on Sony's online site it says that I can play Shadow of the Colossus on my PS3. Can I? No. No I can't. And that is a mega loss. Like I said, SOME old PS1 games are available for download at a reasonable cost ($9.99 +tax), such as classics like Tomb Raider, Spyro, and FF7 (which is a big big win), but ultimately the PS3 loses this round once again for the lack of availability on it's system.
So right off the bat, we have the PS3 with 2, the XBOX with 2, and one draw in the middle over Achievements vs Trophys. This is just based on what's available right away, and this doesn't take into account things as graphical powers, accessories, etc. There is no doubt that the PS3 has a better graphic capabilities, and the fact it comes with an 80 gig harddrive all on it's own is pretty great (as opposed to going out and paying out the rear end for all yours). The blu-ray player and the upscaling DVD, is pretty nice as well, and all controllers being wireless and only requiring a USB charge for a short time period is great as well. With all of these things in consideration, I'd say the PS3 gets another point, putting it ahead of the XBOX, even though I like the XBOX more.
That's important thing to note: I do like my XBOX more than I like my PS3. You know why? The over all library of games is better on the XBOX. You see, the two systems share a LOT of games. Most of the big titles, in fact. However, I've already played most of the big games on my XBOX, and all my pre-orders for upcoming titles are all on the XBOX if only for the fact that I want to be able to play with my friends. Also, all of the exclusive PS3 titles I want come out next year (DCU Online, God of War III, The Last Guardian). I played demos for all the hot PS3 titles (Killzone, Infamous, Resistance) and I wasn't impressed at all. In fact, I found all three to be rather boring and run of the mill. I ADORE LittleBigPlanet and I can't see that game EVER not being fun, but as far as exclusive, PS3 pretty much loses hands down, leaving us with a tie in the end.
Don't get me wrong: my PS3 was a great purchase. A fast blu-ray player, four amazing games, and wireless internet make me happy as a clam. I'll probably work on reviews for my games in the upcoming weeks (but if you're curious, LBP, Fat Princess and Flower are all must own games), and that's only if I can take the time I took out for this article again (it's kind of hard to not play the PS3 at all hours right now, to be honest... especially since I'm on vacation). I'll even do my best to get more games on the PS3 in order to create some more articles not centered around the XBOX. In the end, I can't honestly tell you to get one system over the other. This is something any smart reviewer will tell you, and that it's all about personal preference. Chances are, all your friends own the XBOX, so get that and a blu-ray player and you're set. Or defy them and get a PS3 and rock out on your own. It doesn't matter. They're both excellent systems, and I'm happy to own both.
Just don't buy a Wii, because that's just fucking stupid.
WAIM: August 23, 2009 - Shadow Complex Edition
I started off the week by playing a little Fable 2 (prior to the Fable 3 announcement). I started a new hero and I played a little bit of co-op (got myself some cheevos) with a friend from work. I proceeded to use the gold that I was getting from him (I was in his version of Albion) in my game to buy up the entire gypsy camp before I even left to go on my first adventure.
I dabbled in a bit of Beyond Good & Evil but I did not really make it anywhere seeing as I may have played it for a total of fifteen minutes. I think the next time I will play this game will be when I finish Batman: Arkham Asylum, which drops tomorrow.
What I have been playing most should really come as no surprise to anyone: Shadow Complex. I have played through it once and loved it but I am going to play through it at least once more before I grace the game with what will probably be a glowing review. As always I do not want to say too much that I could just say in the review but you must play this game. At the very least, give the trial a shot. The game has made me want to check out some Metroid and Castlevania games out so I'll let you know how that goes. Perhaps the Metroid games are on the DS and I know that Symphony of the Night is on XLM.
I dabbled in a bit of Beyond Good & Evil but I did not really make it anywhere seeing as I may have played it for a total of fifteen minutes. I think the next time I will play this game will be when I finish Batman: Arkham Asylum, which drops tomorrow.
What I have been playing most should really come as no surprise to anyone: Shadow Complex. I have played through it once and loved it but I am going to play through it at least once more before I grace the game with what will probably be a glowing review. As always I do not want to say too much that I could just say in the review but you must play this game. At the very least, give the trial a shot. The game has made me want to check out some Metroid and Castlevania games out so I'll let you know how that goes. Perhaps the Metroid games are on the DS and I know that Symphony of the Night is on XLM.
Thoughts: Fable 3 Announcement
I know that the Fable III announcement came last week after that countdown that I made such a big deal about. I then failed to make the post after the news actually dropped or on any subsequent days after that.
I was convinced that the countdown could not have been for Fable 3 because the theme did not seem right but after seeing all of the new ideas (talk about those in a second) I see that I was mistaken. I also did not think that it could be Fable 3 because games are not announced like this any longer, they are usually announced the year that they are coming out, but seeing as this game is slated for holiday of 2010 I see that I was once again mistaken.
But now actually on the the real meat of the announcement:
First we have this awesome teaser trailer:
And second we have the few details that Peter Molyneux carefully let drop:
- You are going to be the ruler of Albion and your decisions, now matter how grandiose or minute, will affect your entire kingdom. The story is set five decades after Fable 2 and you are your hero's (from Fable 2) child. You can be a just ruler or have your kingdom on the brink of collapse.
- There are two touted new mechanics, called Judgement and Touch, that will further the Fable 3 gameplay experience. Judgement will allow you to judge individual situations and crimes that take place in your kingdom; the system will ultimately decide what kind of kingdom you have, just or unjust. The new Touch mechanic will replace the expressions system and will finally allow your hero to interact with NPC's.
Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: August 24, 2009
Not sure how many have noticed, but I’ve been a bit absent in doing the whole weekly gaming thing for the past few weeks. My apologies, but life has taken hold of me a bit with my girlfriend moving away for college and I just haven’t had the time to get a lot of gaming in nor have the time to sit down and really write about it. This weekly gaming update will be a bit more then the past week or so and will cumulate a few weeks of gaming.
I’ve been putting in some time on quite a few games lately. I purchased Battlefield 1943 a while ago and have been sitting down and actually playing a bit over the past few weeks. There are two things I have learned during this time spent with the game; the first being that overall the game delivers and is a ton of a fun and the second being I am not very good at it. I probably average maybe 3 kills a game and when compared to the 10-15 or so that the top leaders average I’m doing a pretty piss poor job. Regardless, I’m enjoying the time I’ve spent with the game and it is definitely a load of fun. More often then not, I find myself left at the base initially without any sort of transport so I eventually get to the firefight a lot later then everyone else. Maybe my strategies suck? Maybe I’m just not that great at FPS games, but I’m still enjoying the time I’ve spent with it.
I also recently purchased three XLBA games; Castle Crashers, ‘Splosion Man and Shadow Complex. I’ve played a bit of the Castle Crasher’s demo and enjoyed it, but haven’t gotten around to playing the full version. I have spent a bit of time with ‘Splosion Man and I’m definitely enjoying it. First thing is first, that game is difficult. Haha, I typically start out any game I play on the “normal” difficulty as easy tends to be too easy and anything higher then normal tends to be too difficult for me. ‘Splosion Man may seem like a very simplistic game as there is really one only thing and one thing only you can do; explode. These explosions allow you to kill enemies and climb walls, but that is all you do. Run and explode, run and explode. Based on that simplistic premise I didn’t really know where they could go with the game, but damn they went places and they went places that are difficult. The game gets progressively more and more fast paced as you move on and had me sitting on the edge of my seat many times and induced the desire for me to throw my controller at the TV screen. I’m pretty sure the face paced action of the game also set my blood pressure into overdrive at some points. I’m not really sure how far into the game I am, I believe I’m at level 1-10 and I don’t know how far the game goes on, but I’m loving it. Definitely a game worth purchasing and definitely a game that has a lot more then it appears.
I’ve also spent a tiny bit of time playing Shadow Complex. I initially downloaded the trial because I heard so many people talking about it and I wanted to know what it was all about. I enjoyed the trial enough that I purchased the full game later that day. I haven’t had enough time to get very far into it, but so far I’m enjoying it. It’s interesting to see and play what is essentially an updated side scroller. Maybe I haven’t been playing console games long enough, but I haven’t seen a lot of updated side scrollers like this one, at least not in the sense of the art style. This game could easily be an FPS and has the generally same graphics as most FPS games, but you only have 4 options for movement; up, down, forward and backward and that’s it. I’ve gotten to, I suppose, what could be the first “boss” in the very beginning of the game. I haven’t gotten around to beating him yet, but I might take another shot at it tonight after work. Definitely enjoying my time spent with the game and would highly recommend.
One of my most recent “boxed” game purchases is Wolfenstein. I never played the original Wolfenstein games…well, I suppose that is incorrect…I played one of the very, very first versions of Wolfenstein on my parent’s old Apple IIe. I’m talking about a game with stick figures played on a black and green screen. I never played Wolfenstein 3D, but towards the end of high school I did start playing Return to Castle Wolfenstein and it quickly became my favorite FPS and most of my evenings after school and soccer practice were spent on an empty hill on a beach, with a sniper rifle clutched in my grasp, picking of Nazi’s. I continued to play the game through college and eventually stopped at some point to start devoting my free time to World of Warcraft. To this day, RtCW is my favorite FPS MP game ever. Forget Halo, forget Counter Strike…for me it’s RtCW. So needless to say, I was elated to hear iD and Raven was releasing a new title to the franchise. I picked it up on release day and have put about 30 minutes to an hour into it. Now, that’s not enough time to write a decent review of the game (which I intend on doing by the end of this week *crosses fingers*), but it was enough time to explore the world a little bit and get used to the game. So far so good, but I haven’t played enough to make a solid opinion of it. As soon as I installed it (I bought it for my PC since it was $10 cheaper, I knew none of my 360 friends would be purchasing it, it came with a $10 gift card…which I lost …and I’m much better at PC based FPS then console) I fired up the MP since the reviews for it have been relatively “meh” and that was the one thing I was most looking forward to. Unfortunately, there was barely anyone online and I didn’t get the chance to jump into a game. Hopefully since the game has been out for about a week, I’ll have better luck in the near future.
Aside from all these new games, there is my good old standby, World of Warcraft. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten too much time to play recently due to the girlfriend moving and life being hectic. I’ve gotten my blood elf pally up to level 67 and with the release of patch 3.2, was able to purchase a new flying mount. Holy cow, having a flying mount is damn near the best thing ever. No more having to find the appropriate path to avoid mobs or having to find the appropriate path through a valley…I can just jump on my flying mount and get the f*** out of there. It’s glorious, truly glorious. If you pay any attention to the WoW universe, you’ll know that Blizzcon happened this past weekend. There are a lot of exciting things happening in the next WoW expansion and I think I might write a feature on it later this week or next. I realize this isn’t a WoW blog and there are a lot of other places out there to get a lot more information on these things, but I’ll probably put together a quick write up of what I’m most excited for. I consider myself to not be an a-typical WoW player (maybe I am?) in the sense that I don’t raid and haven’t really reached any end game content so I think I get more excited about things that people are less excited about. The main thing that makes me squee with joy is the fact that they are REDOING ALL THE OLD WORLD CONTENT, OMG! But I’ll get more into that in my feature.
I think that’s about it for my gaming activities as of late. I really need to sit down and finish Battlefield: Bad Company considering how close I am to beating it. I think I have this disease that prevents me from ever completing games. I always buy them, start them and at some point abandon them. I’m pretty sure Portal, Half Life and Bioshock are the few games that I’ve actually beaten and completed. I didn’t even beat Diablo II or the SP campaign of RtCW. That’s definitely something that needs to change.
I’ve been putting in some time on quite a few games lately. I purchased Battlefield 1943 a while ago and have been sitting down and actually playing a bit over the past few weeks. There are two things I have learned during this time spent with the game; the first being that overall the game delivers and is a ton of a fun and the second being I am not very good at it. I probably average maybe 3 kills a game and when compared to the 10-15 or so that the top leaders average I’m doing a pretty piss poor job. Regardless, I’m enjoying the time I’ve spent with the game and it is definitely a load of fun. More often then not, I find myself left at the base initially without any sort of transport so I eventually get to the firefight a lot later then everyone else. Maybe my strategies suck? Maybe I’m just not that great at FPS games, but I’m still enjoying the time I’ve spent with it.
I also recently purchased three XLBA games; Castle Crashers, ‘Splosion Man and Shadow Complex. I’ve played a bit of the Castle Crasher’s demo and enjoyed it, but haven’t gotten around to playing the full version. I have spent a bit of time with ‘Splosion Man and I’m definitely enjoying it. First thing is first, that game is difficult. Haha, I typically start out any game I play on the “normal” difficulty as easy tends to be too easy and anything higher then normal tends to be too difficult for me. ‘Splosion Man may seem like a very simplistic game as there is really one only thing and one thing only you can do; explode. These explosions allow you to kill enemies and climb walls, but that is all you do. Run and explode, run and explode. Based on that simplistic premise I didn’t really know where they could go with the game, but damn they went places and they went places that are difficult. The game gets progressively more and more fast paced as you move on and had me sitting on the edge of my seat many times and induced the desire for me to throw my controller at the TV screen. I’m pretty sure the face paced action of the game also set my blood pressure into overdrive at some points. I’m not really sure how far into the game I am, I believe I’m at level 1-10 and I don’t know how far the game goes on, but I’m loving it. Definitely a game worth purchasing and definitely a game that has a lot more then it appears.
I’ve also spent a tiny bit of time playing Shadow Complex. I initially downloaded the trial because I heard so many people talking about it and I wanted to know what it was all about. I enjoyed the trial enough that I purchased the full game later that day. I haven’t had enough time to get very far into it, but so far I’m enjoying it. It’s interesting to see and play what is essentially an updated side scroller. Maybe I haven’t been playing console games long enough, but I haven’t seen a lot of updated side scrollers like this one, at least not in the sense of the art style. This game could easily be an FPS and has the generally same graphics as most FPS games, but you only have 4 options for movement; up, down, forward and backward and that’s it. I’ve gotten to, I suppose, what could be the first “boss” in the very beginning of the game. I haven’t gotten around to beating him yet, but I might take another shot at it tonight after work. Definitely enjoying my time spent with the game and would highly recommend.
One of my most recent “boxed” game purchases is Wolfenstein. I never played the original Wolfenstein games…well, I suppose that is incorrect…I played one of the very, very first versions of Wolfenstein on my parent’s old Apple IIe. I’m talking about a game with stick figures played on a black and green screen. I never played Wolfenstein 3D, but towards the end of high school I did start playing Return to Castle Wolfenstein and it quickly became my favorite FPS and most of my evenings after school and soccer practice were spent on an empty hill on a beach, with a sniper rifle clutched in my grasp, picking of Nazi’s. I continued to play the game through college and eventually stopped at some point to start devoting my free time to World of Warcraft. To this day, RtCW is my favorite FPS MP game ever. Forget Halo, forget Counter Strike…for me it’s RtCW. So needless to say, I was elated to hear iD and Raven was releasing a new title to the franchise. I picked it up on release day and have put about 30 minutes to an hour into it. Now, that’s not enough time to write a decent review of the game (which I intend on doing by the end of this week *crosses fingers*), but it was enough time to explore the world a little bit and get used to the game. So far so good, but I haven’t played enough to make a solid opinion of it. As soon as I installed it (I bought it for my PC since it was $10 cheaper, I knew none of my 360 friends would be purchasing it, it came with a $10 gift card…which I lost …and I’m much better at PC based FPS then console) I fired up the MP since the reviews for it have been relatively “meh” and that was the one thing I was most looking forward to. Unfortunately, there was barely anyone online and I didn’t get the chance to jump into a game. Hopefully since the game has been out for about a week, I’ll have better luck in the near future.
Aside from all these new games, there is my good old standby, World of Warcraft. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten too much time to play recently due to the girlfriend moving and life being hectic. I’ve gotten my blood elf pally up to level 67 and with the release of patch 3.2, was able to purchase a new flying mount. Holy cow, having a flying mount is damn near the best thing ever. No more having to find the appropriate path to avoid mobs or having to find the appropriate path through a valley…I can just jump on my flying mount and get the f*** out of there. It’s glorious, truly glorious. If you pay any attention to the WoW universe, you’ll know that Blizzcon happened this past weekend. There are a lot of exciting things happening in the next WoW expansion and I think I might write a feature on it later this week or next. I realize this isn’t a WoW blog and there are a lot of other places out there to get a lot more information on these things, but I’ll probably put together a quick write up of what I’m most excited for. I consider myself to not be an a-typical WoW player (maybe I am?) in the sense that I don’t raid and haven’t really reached any end game content so I think I get more excited about things that people are less excited about. The main thing that makes me squee with joy is the fact that they are REDOING ALL THE OLD WORLD CONTENT, OMG! But I’ll get more into that in my feature.
I think that’s about it for my gaming activities as of late. I really need to sit down and finish Battlefield: Bad Company considering how close I am to beating it. I think I have this disease that prevents me from ever completing games. I always buy them, start them and at some point abandon them. I’m pretty sure Portal, Half Life and Bioshock are the few games that I’ve actually beaten and completed. I didn’t even beat Diablo II or the SP campaign of RtCW. That’s definitely something that needs to change.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Lionhead Studios Countdown
A few days ago quotes from famous revolutionaries (Joan of Arc, Che Guevara) have been posted as the main splash page on Lionhead's website in the form of a countdown. As you can see to the right, there is one day left until the big announcement.
Speculation on this Joystiq's part include a Game of the Year edition of Fable 2... which would be a silly thing to have a countdown for or perhaps an early Fable 3 announcement (this is naturally what I am hoping for). Perhaps it could be the official announcement for the Milo Project which as you know from E3 involved the Project Natal camera (though this is probably not the case).
If you navigate to their site by way of the thumbs up or thumbs down buttons the left banner on the site is ridden with, what look like, bullet holes (does smoke curl from any other type of holes?). If anyone has any idea what this could be, you know where to post it. Fable 2 had guns, right? What other Lionhead projects had guns? Is this something entirely new?
Monday, August 17, 2009
WAIM: August 17, 2009 - Beyond Good & Evil Edition
Since my last WAIM (What Am I Playing) I have done nothing but play Beyond Good & Evil.
I broke out my original Xbox last Wednesday and popped in BG&E.
I suppose I do not want to talk about the game too much because I am planning another Retro Review around it. The game is great fun and I need to complete it before Shadow Complex comes out this Wednesday.
The experience of hooking up my original Xbox again was a trip to the past. It was so interesting to see the old "dashboard," if you could call it that, and I remember a time when I liked the sound of the old Xbox booting up more than the 360's boot up screen. Other than that I had to get used to the enormous Controller S which just feels awkward all around in one's hand. It is bulbous in all the wrong places and at this point I really cannot find the need for the memory card slots to be in the controller.
I broke out my original Xbox last Wednesday and popped in BG&E.
I suppose I do not want to talk about the game too much because I am planning another Retro Review around it. The game is great fun and I need to complete it before Shadow Complex comes out this Wednesday.
The experience of hooking up my original Xbox again was a trip to the past. It was so interesting to see the old "dashboard," if you could call it that, and I remember a time when I liked the sound of the old Xbox booting up more than the 360's boot up screen. Other than that I had to get used to the enormous Controller S which just feels awkward all around in one's hand. It is bulbous in all the wrong places and at this point I really cannot find the need for the memory card slots to be in the controller.
Monday MUpdate: BBS
ATTN: To Whom It May Concern
The weekly column known as "Monday MUpdate" has been temporarily put on hold. The reason for this is undisclosed at this time, to be revealed on a later date. We apologize for the inconvenience and lack of snarky commentary.
In the mean time, enjoy two concept art pieces from an upcoming videogame.
Sincerely,
The Management
The weekly column known as "Monday MUpdate" has been temporarily put on hold. The reason for this is undisclosed at this time, to be revealed on a later date. We apologize for the inconvenience and lack of snarky commentary.
In the mean time, enjoy two concept art pieces from an upcoming videogame.
Sincerely,
The Management
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Shadow Complex Coming This Wednesday, August 19th
I am now one hundred percent excited for the game and I am reading the novel, in preparation, that the game is based upon: Empire by Orson Scott Card.
The hype train definitely caught me because everyone is talking about this game and how they cannot wait. I had been mildly interested when it was originally announced but I had let it slip into the back of my mind until recently when review outlets started getting the review code for the game.
I have never been into the Metroid style of gameplay, which is Shadow Complex's style of gameplay, but I have noticed myself falling into new games because the story just seems too compelling to just let it slip past.
Here is the E3 trailer so that you may peruse it once again. Can-not-wait.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Retro Review: The Secret of Monkey Island SE
I am often saddened that my friends - in my formative years - were not as geeky or nerdy as I was. It may have been that I did not have a wide group of geeks to get new ideas for games to play or it may just be that the internet was not what it is today. The end result was that I missed out on a lot of older games that I am now finding myself enjoying.
"Look behind you, a three headed monkey!"
Not going to fall for that? Well then, this review is all I have:
The Secret of Monkey Island SE comes with both the HD revamped graphics (that makes it a Special Edition) and the classic edition. For purposes of this review and my personal enjoyment I decided to play the classic edition before indulging myself in the new graphical style. I wanted to experience what I did not have the chance to all the way back in 1990.
The game starts on Melee Island with Guybrush Threepwood looking to become a pirate. The beginning of the game starts when Guybrush arrives at a village on Melee Island, somewhere in the Carribean.
The game is witty, clever and is often hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occassion. They do not make games like this anymore but with any luck the success of this and the new Tales of Monkey Island series the adventure game genre might be revitalized. The "point and click" controls transfer over well to the controller as they did with Sam and Max Save The World. There are times where the player has to "click" back and forth numerous times where the controls can become cumbersome but other than that playing the game with a game controller is a breeze. If you have not played the game before you will know what I am talking about when it gets to the mug o' grog and the storekeeper's safe parts.
One of the best parts of the game is that I do not think the nostalgia factor is lost on me. The game was made for someone my age, probably by guys who were my age at the time (mid 20s). I do not think I could have appreciated this game at the ripe age of five. I do have a nostalgia for the graphical style which is really nothing more than a few pixels heaped together. There are close-ups of the characters at certain points and one can tell that this took up the primary portion of the game's memory.
The story is simple, unbelievable, short and sweet. It is the exact story that one should expect from this game. In less words, the story was great.
Where the game succeeded in story the game lacked in challenging puzzles. The answers to puzzles were often common sense or just involved clever word use. The game still makes one feel rewarded for having solved the puzzle at hand if only barely so.
Because there are definitive answers to everything the second run through of the game was considerably less exciting than the first but I did switch to the new graphical style so that it would still feel fresh.
The controls for the SE version of the game are only okay and they feel more cumbersome than the classic version's controls. The D-Pad is used as a hot key for quickly selecting actions (ex. pick up, give, etc.) and while this works, it does not necessarily work well. The 360 controller's mushy pad is most likely at fault here but it still put a damper on the gameplay when I had to push my finger to the upper right of the D-Pad several times before I could select the "use" action.
The achievements also add to the replayability but once again, if you know what they are (they are all secret achievements (get it?)), you will probably only be playing through the game twice. I managed to mop up all of the gamerscore on three playthroughs but I would still say that I only spent 10 hours with the game.
Having just finished the game I can see that the jokes far outlive the short amount of time that you will spend with the game so if that adds value for you then this is your game.
At the end of the day the game is worth its ten dollar asking price (but never pay more than 20 dollars for a game) because it made me feel richer for the experience. Game's do not often make jokes at their own expense and when they do these days it might turn out to be something like Matt Hazard.
"Look behind you, a three headed monkey!"
Not going to fall for that? Well then, this review is all I have:
The Secret of Monkey Island SE comes with both the HD revamped graphics (that makes it a Special Edition) and the classic edition. For purposes of this review and my personal enjoyment I decided to play the classic edition before indulging myself in the new graphical style. I wanted to experience what I did not have the chance to all the way back in 1990.
The game starts on Melee Island with Guybrush Threepwood looking to become a pirate. The beginning of the game starts when Guybrush arrives at a village on Melee Island, somewhere in the Carribean.
The game is witty, clever and is often hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occassion. They do not make games like this anymore but with any luck the success of this and the new Tales of Monkey Island series the adventure game genre might be revitalized. The "point and click" controls transfer over well to the controller as they did with Sam and Max Save The World. There are times where the player has to "click" back and forth numerous times where the controls can become cumbersome but other than that playing the game with a game controller is a breeze. If you have not played the game before you will know what I am talking about when it gets to the mug o' grog and the storekeeper's safe parts.
One of the best parts of the game is that I do not think the nostalgia factor is lost on me. The game was made for someone my age, probably by guys who were my age at the time (mid 20s). I do not think I could have appreciated this game at the ripe age of five. I do have a nostalgia for the graphical style which is really nothing more than a few pixels heaped together. There are close-ups of the characters at certain points and one can tell that this took up the primary portion of the game's memory.
The story is simple, unbelievable, short and sweet. It is the exact story that one should expect from this game. In less words, the story was great.
Where the game succeeded in story the game lacked in challenging puzzles. The answers to puzzles were often common sense or just involved clever word use. The game still makes one feel rewarded for having solved the puzzle at hand if only barely so.
Because there are definitive answers to everything the second run through of the game was considerably less exciting than the first but I did switch to the new graphical style so that it would still feel fresh.
The controls for the SE version of the game are only okay and they feel more cumbersome than the classic version's controls. The D-Pad is used as a hot key for quickly selecting actions (ex. pick up, give, etc.) and while this works, it does not necessarily work well. The 360 controller's mushy pad is most likely at fault here but it still put a damper on the gameplay when I had to push my finger to the upper right of the D-Pad several times before I could select the "use" action.
The achievements also add to the replayability but once again, if you know what they are (they are all secret achievements (get it?)), you will probably only be playing through the game twice. I managed to mop up all of the gamerscore on three playthroughs but I would still say that I only spent 10 hours with the game.
Having just finished the game I can see that the jokes far outlive the short amount of time that you will spend with the game so if that adds value for you then this is your game.
At the end of the day the game is worth its ten dollar asking price (but never pay more than 20 dollars for a game) because it made me feel richer for the experience. Game's do not often make jokes at their own expense and when they do these days it might turn out to be something like Matt Hazard.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Game Diary: August 11, 2009 - Monkey Island SE Edition
At the beginning of last week I still found myself playing a lot of Battlefield: Bad Company but as the week progressed I found that I wanted to play something more story driven for a change. I am fully aware that I could have played the story portion of BC but I was looking for something fresh. I found something fresh in a revamped game from 1990... go figure.
At this realization I decided to pick up The Secret of Monkey Island SE on Xbox Live Arcade. I had a ball playing it all week and at some point I decided that I was going to get all 200 gamerscore.
Mission Accomplished!
The achievements were clever but not hard and even speed running through the game was easy because once you are aware of the puzzle solutions the game becomes that much easier to beat.
I also had the pleasure of discovering that Orson Scott Card wrote the insults in MI. This was a funny little happenstance because I have every intention of making the next book I read Empire, the book that Shadow Complex is loosely based on.
I do not want to say too much about MI though because that would spoil the review that I have been hacking away at for a few too many days.
I did just want to point out that I had little to no interest in Shadow Complex and now I am counting the days until next Wednesday when the game is released.
At this realization I decided to pick up The Secret of Monkey Island SE on Xbox Live Arcade. I had a ball playing it all week and at some point I decided that I was going to get all 200 gamerscore.
Mission Accomplished!
The achievements were clever but not hard and even speed running through the game was easy because once you are aware of the puzzle solutions the game becomes that much easier to beat.
I also had the pleasure of discovering that Orson Scott Card wrote the insults in MI. This was a funny little happenstance because I have every intention of making the next book I read Empire, the book that Shadow Complex is loosely based on.
I do not want to say too much about MI though because that would spoil the review that I have been hacking away at for a few too many days.
I did just want to point out that I had little to no interest in Shadow Complex and now I am counting the days until next Wednesday when the game is released.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Monday MUpdate: Thanks for listening, chiiiiiiiiiiiillllllldren!
My life is in boxes at the moment, and because of this I don't really play too much. It takes too much effort on my part to sit and dig through a box for XBOX games, and I just don't every really feel up for doing that. This weekend, however, I took my 360 with me down on a trip to Jersey so I could download the Batman demo and decided to dig out a couple of games. Despite bringing 4 games, only 1 of them ever entered the console, and this is where it now resides: Fallout 3.
But more on that later. First - the Batman demo! That's right, Batman: Arkham Asylum is now available in a 15 minute demo version on your XBOX 360! Or PS3 I guess. Whichever you have. Either way, you now have access to the exact same demo on display at E3. This was my main curiousity: is this going to be the same level from E3? Yeah, it is, and with that all of my previous comments pretty much stay the same: the voice acting is phenomenal, the gameplay is fun but it feels like it would be repetitive. In playing the Batman demo in my own time (without a line behind me or crowd of people watching), I feel like I had a bit more time to sit and enjoy the gameplay, and I've gotta say, it is pretty fun. However, I still feel like all in all, the game is just rental fun. I can't imagine myself wanting to play this game more than once, and the combat is still pretty easy. Sure, it's fun to swoop over someone and kick them in the head, but let's be honest - there are a lot of games you can do this in (such as my hotly anticipated Assassin's Creed 2). In fact, I would go so far as to say the only thing that makes this game special is that it's Batman. The free flowing combat is still by far and large the highlight, though. It's a much more polished version of what Too Human tried to do, and I enjoy it. It can occasionally be annoying when I want to punch the guy on the left and Batman punches the guy on the right, but with all the complaints I make this is hardly one I apply any significance to. Hell, I'm more upset by character designs than I am by that, so it's clearly small potatoes. So Batman is fun to play, sure, but I still can't imagine paying $60 for it. That's just me, though, and I know for a fact other writers here feel differently, so take my thoughts as you will.
Then we decided to play Fallout 3 to pass the time for a little bit, and boy, when I get back into this game, I get back into it hardcore. In fact, I really wish I were at home still plugging away at my adventures in the wasteland. I downloaded the two new expansions (Mothership Zeta and Point Lookout) and finally finished my adventures in the Pitt (which involved a Thunderdome style match with a chainsaw, which was AWESOME). I'm amazed that, even now, I still think Fallout 3 is one of the best games I've played. I always look at it and feel overwhelmed due to the epic scope of the game, and I think that this intimidating nature of the game is what keeps a lot of people from going back. I mean, the original clock in time I had for the game was 56 and a half hours. Do I really want to commit another 56 and a half, probably more, hours to a game like this? After playing it again this weekend, I can definitely say yes. I am absolutely fine with devoting my life to this game again. It's just so damn fun, and now that I'm playing through with an evil character the story seems fresh as I blow up Megaton and kill some doctor who is just trying to create a cure. Of course, I'm making the game much harder for myself right now because even though I have special armor that can practically deflect bullets (thanks to the expansions!), I choose to wear a broken leather uniform that makes me look like Mad Max and run aroudn with no stimpaks. I'M JUST THAT HARDCORE. Plus I have Nerd Rage.
All in all, Fallout 3 is still definitely one of the most entertaining game experiences I've ever had. With all of the new expansions, I'd go so far as to include this game on my Best of '09 list, right at the top. It's just such a damn great game. Everything about it. The atmosphere is wonderful, the ambience is magnificent, and the gameplay still holds even after all of the time I've already devoted into the gameplay. Right now I'm doing one of the main story missions (the Galaxy News Radio mission), but as soon as I finish I plan to investigate the mysterious Alien Homing Beacon sounds my Pip-Boy has been picking up. I'll let you all know what happens.
But more on that later. First - the Batman demo! That's right, Batman: Arkham Asylum is now available in a 15 minute demo version on your XBOX 360! Or PS3 I guess. Whichever you have. Either way, you now have access to the exact same demo on display at E3. This was my main curiousity: is this going to be the same level from E3? Yeah, it is, and with that all of my previous comments pretty much stay the same: the voice acting is phenomenal, the gameplay is fun but it feels like it would be repetitive. In playing the Batman demo in my own time (without a line behind me or crowd of people watching), I feel like I had a bit more time to sit and enjoy the gameplay, and I've gotta say, it is pretty fun. However, I still feel like all in all, the game is just rental fun. I can't imagine myself wanting to play this game more than once, and the combat is still pretty easy. Sure, it's fun to swoop over someone and kick them in the head, but let's be honest - there are a lot of games you can do this in (such as my hotly anticipated Assassin's Creed 2). In fact, I would go so far as to say the only thing that makes this game special is that it's Batman. The free flowing combat is still by far and large the highlight, though. It's a much more polished version of what Too Human tried to do, and I enjoy it. It can occasionally be annoying when I want to punch the guy on the left and Batman punches the guy on the right, but with all the complaints I make this is hardly one I apply any significance to. Hell, I'm more upset by character designs than I am by that, so it's clearly small potatoes. So Batman is fun to play, sure, but I still can't imagine paying $60 for it. That's just me, though, and I know for a fact other writers here feel differently, so take my thoughts as you will.
Then we decided to play Fallout 3 to pass the time for a little bit, and boy, when I get back into this game, I get back into it hardcore. In fact, I really wish I were at home still plugging away at my adventures in the wasteland. I downloaded the two new expansions (Mothership Zeta and Point Lookout) and finally finished my adventures in the Pitt (which involved a Thunderdome style match with a chainsaw, which was AWESOME). I'm amazed that, even now, I still think Fallout 3 is one of the best games I've played. I always look at it and feel overwhelmed due to the epic scope of the game, and I think that this intimidating nature of the game is what keeps a lot of people from going back. I mean, the original clock in time I had for the game was 56 and a half hours. Do I really want to commit another 56 and a half, probably more, hours to a game like this? After playing it again this weekend, I can definitely say yes. I am absolutely fine with devoting my life to this game again. It's just so damn fun, and now that I'm playing through with an evil character the story seems fresh as I blow up Megaton and kill some doctor who is just trying to create a cure. Of course, I'm making the game much harder for myself right now because even though I have special armor that can practically deflect bullets (thanks to the expansions!), I choose to wear a broken leather uniform that makes me look like Mad Max and run aroudn with no stimpaks. I'M JUST THAT HARDCORE. Plus I have Nerd Rage.
All in all, Fallout 3 is still definitely one of the most entertaining game experiences I've ever had. With all of the new expansions, I'd go so far as to include this game on my Best of '09 list, right at the top. It's just such a damn great game. Everything about it. The atmosphere is wonderful, the ambience is magnificent, and the gameplay still holds even after all of the time I've already devoted into the gameplay. Right now I'm doing one of the main story missions (the Galaxy News Radio mission), but as soon as I finish I plan to investigate the mysterious Alien Homing Beacon sounds my Pip-Boy has been picking up. I'll let you all know what happens.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Assassin's Creed 2 Limited Edition Now Exists In North America
I've known about this since Wednesday morning but have saved the news as a nice little way to start the weekend.
Remember when you heard about the Assassin's Creed 2 "Black Edition"? Remember how jealous you were that over seas was getting this wicked cool box set and we were getting nothing?
Fret no more, dear readers! Now you too can buy a sweet Ezio toy and put it up on the shelf for your cat to knock over and destroy! Check it out:
I present to you the GameStop Exclusive Master Assassin's Edition of Assassin's Creed 2. It retails at $79.99 and it releases 11/17/2009, giving you plenty of time to save up for this bad boy.
How does it compare with the Black Edition? Pretty well, actually. Here's the basic run down of the two:
Packaging: The Black Edition is... well, it's black. Everything about it is black. That's it's motif. Even if Ezio normally wears white, everything about the Black Edition box is black, whereas the North American Master Assassin's Edition is white. The only major difference (besides color schematics) is that the Black Edition is box is themed to also act as a display case, whereas (as far as I can see), the Master Assassin's box is not. It's just a special metal case. However, it doesn't really matter - we're all going to keep the box.
ExclusiveToy Collectible Figure: Both are the same, except one being black and one being white. Also, this thing is pretty big. Most figures that come with games are tiny, but this one is the same size as the game box (8.5"!). Pretty neat, huh? Also, I find it hilarious that Black Ezio is called "Master Assassin" Ezio in the press release of the Black Edition. So what's White Ezio?!
Bonus DVD and Soundtrack: Again, the only real difference here is that one is black and one is white. It's just a big fun color motif.
Bonus Reading Material: Well, the North American version has what is clearly labeled an Artbook to show you the concept drawings of AC2, but the Black Edition is marked as a "Conspiracy Book." Ultimately? This is probably just another case of one being black and one being white, but you never know. I mean, it is a conspiracy, right?
(Note: this is all just humorous commentary. The Conspiracy Book is in fact the art book. Don't worry.)
Bonus Maps: And HERE is the difference! North America will receive 2 bonus maps (Palazzo Medici and Santa Maria Dei Frari) where as all PAL regions will get one more bonus level: the Aresenal Shipyard Warehouse. Damn you, Ubisoft and Britains. Damn you...
Either way though. This is the only other game coming out this year that I knew I wanted to pre-order, and by the time you're reading this, I'll already have done so. I mean, it comes out in November, so all my money worries? Frak it. I'm sure I can save away the money by then.
Remember when you heard about the Assassin's Creed 2 "Black Edition"? Remember how jealous you were that over seas was getting this wicked cool box set and we were getting nothing?
Fret no more, dear readers! Now you too can buy a sweet Ezio toy and put it up on the shelf for your cat to knock over and destroy! Check it out:
I present to you the GameStop Exclusive Master Assassin's Edition of Assassin's Creed 2. It retails at $79.99 and it releases 11/17/2009, giving you plenty of time to save up for this bad boy.
How does it compare with the Black Edition? Pretty well, actually. Here's the basic run down of the two:
Packaging: The Black Edition is... well, it's black. Everything about it is black. That's it's motif. Even if Ezio normally wears white, everything about the Black Edition box is black, whereas the North American Master Assassin's Edition is white. The only major difference (besides color schematics) is that the Black Edition is box is themed to also act as a display case, whereas (as far as I can see), the Master Assassin's box is not. It's just a special metal case. However, it doesn't really matter - we're all going to keep the box.
Exclusive
Bonus DVD and Soundtrack: Again, the only real difference here is that one is black and one is white. It's just a big fun color motif.
Bonus Reading Material: Well, the North American version has what is clearly labeled an Artbook to show you the concept drawings of AC2, but the Black Edition is marked as a "Conspiracy Book." Ultimately? This is probably just another case of one being black and one being white, but you never know. I mean, it is a conspiracy, right?
(Note: this is all just humorous commentary. The Conspiracy Book is in fact the art book. Don't worry.)
Bonus Maps: And HERE is the difference! North America will receive 2 bonus maps (Palazzo Medici and Santa Maria Dei Frari) where as all PAL regions will get one more bonus level: the Aresenal Shipyard Warehouse. Damn you, Ubisoft and Britains. Damn you...
Either way though. This is the only other game coming out this year that I knew I wanted to pre-order, and by the time you're reading this, I'll already have done so. I mean, it comes out in November, so all my money worries? Frak it. I'm sure I can save away the money by then.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Excited to Browse Netflix Instant Play from your Xbox come August 11? Think again...
I know that I for one was ELATED when I found out about the new dashboard update coming August 11th. My typical set up for viewing instant play on my Xbox is to have my laptop close by so I can add new movies to my queue so they will be available to watch on my TV. The prospect of being able to browse through instant play directly on the Xbox without the laptop sounded fantastic...until I read this:
Buh...wha? Well that is disappointing. While that is a lot better then the current ability to only browse what is in my queue, it still leaves a dirty taste in my mouth. Apparently Microsoft knows our wants and needs better then ourselves...
We're not looking for functionality? And we want to be wowed? Frankly, I would be much more wowed if I had the ability to browse for obscure documentaries. All in all, this is a disappointment, but still an improvement over only being able to browse your queue.
It restricts users to perusing the Top 50 films in any of a handful of categories, meaning no searching by title and no browsing alphabetically.Source
Buh...wha? Well that is disappointing. While that is a lot better then the current ability to only browse what is in my queue, it still leaves a dirty taste in my mouth. Apparently Microsoft knows our wants and needs better then ourselves...
According to Microsoft's Ben Smith, Director of Program Management for Xbox Live, that's how you want it. He says: "I think when people come to Xbox they're not really looking so much for functional, they really want to have fun, they want to be wowed."Source
We're not looking for functionality? And we want to be wowed? Frankly, I would be much more wowed if I had the ability to browse for obscure documentaries. All in all, this is a disappointment, but still an improvement over only being able to browse your queue.
L4D DLC Announced; or, Hey Valve! 'Sup wit you these days?
The other possible title for this post was "God DAMMIT, PC Users!"
By now you've certainly heard the good news. Valve has announced some brand new DLC for Left 4 Dead! Remember when we all thought Left 4 Dead would be neglected now that they're working heavily on Left 4 Dead 2 with plans to release it within a years time of the original? We were clearly wrong! Hahaha, silly us! Check out the press release:
-Source
That sounds good to me. You can be sure that I'll be downloading this for free, just like the Survival Mode and 2 new Versus modes they gave us a while ago.
Wait. Hold on. I didn't finish reading the press release:
...what?
Alright, let's cut to the chase: I'm the resident cynic and I realize this. I'm the one that points out the flaws over everything else. But let's be real here for a minute. The reason people love Valve is because they are constantly giving back to the fans that support all their crazy schemes. Since the release of the Orange Box, they've improved Team Fortress 2 ten-fold with new weapons, additions to characters, map updates, new achievements, and all of it has been free. All of it has only been on the PC as well. The 360 gamer sees nothing of this, and it looks like we never will (despite my reporting on it a while ago). Then, Valve decides to rush out Left 4 Dead 2 because it's "too big for DLC." That may be so, but it's still a slap in the face to those of us who can't pay $59.99 every time you decide to put out a new game a year (I'm looking at you, every sports game ever). And now, after giving us the Survival pack (which, all things considered, was a BIG update) for free, us folk with a 360 have to now pay for this new campaign, and the PC kids don't? How is this fair?
The answer is probably pretty simple: a while ago, Valve stated that the reason the XBOX 360 users weren't getting any TF2 updates is because Microsoft wouldn't allow them to give out such a large amount of additional content for free. Valve said, "Ok, fine, then we'll wait until we have something big to unload on the console so, if they have to pay, at least they're getting bang for their buck!" Thanks guys. It's appreciated, really. If I have to be aggressive towards someone, I at least like to know who I'm being aggressive to: Microsoft! Those cheeky devils. I would call Microsoft out on this if this weren't a system they had been doing consistently for years. Microsoft almost ALWAYS charges for it's new DLC. It doesn't matter if it's TF2, Halo Wars, Gears of War 2, you name it. You want it, you buy it. I see this as perfectly fair. And since Valve is an independent company now, they can do whatever they like when it comes to the internet. If they want to give away a Sandvich for free, they'll give that Sandvich away for less than free! So that's the logistics of it: Microsoft has rules and Valve has to comply (and I knew that without having to ask Valve for an explanation).
But is it fair? No. Not in the slightest. Look, I will still be cross at Valve for Left 4 Dead 2 because I don't see it as worth $59.99 and nothing I've read has changed my opinion on that (and I've stated my opinion as such on multiple occassions). I'll pay the $7 for a new level and other tweaked updates because I see it as worth that price, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. It is entirely unfair that one medium will get free updates and the rest of us either don't get the updates or pay for the few we do get. We don't get anything, really. As far as a community goes, the 360 is screwed. Do we get to play L4D in the Winchester? No. How about the Mall from Dawn of the Dead? If you want that, go buy Dead Rising and have someone sit next to you in order to fake a multiplayer experience. Let's face it - we're getting the raw end of the stick, and it sucks. As good as L4D is, and as fun as it is to run around and shoot zombies, the fact is we have 5 maps (soon to be 6) and all we can do is play them over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and you see where I'm going with this, right? While you can't really fault Valve here (who swear they love us but can't do anything about it) or Microsoft (because it's not like this is a weird change for them and we all knew what we were getting into when we bought a 360), we still get less than half the experience that a PC user gets.
And that, my friends, is what Penn and Teller would decree as bullshit.
By now you've certainly heard the good news. Valve has announced some brand new DLC for Left 4 Dead! Remember when we all thought Left 4 Dead would be neglected now that they're working heavily on Left 4 Dead 2 with plans to release it within a years time of the original? We were clearly wrong! Hahaha, silly us! Check out the press release:
Entitled "Crash Course," the latest DLC delivers new single-player, multiplayer and co-operative gameplay to both platforms. Targeted for release in September, "Crash Course" bridges the gap between the end of the "No Mercy" campaign and the beginning of "Death Toll" in the original game, expanding the game universe with new locations, new dialogue from the original cast, and an explosive finale
While containing both Survival maps and a Co-operative Campaign, the primary goal of "Crash" is to deliver a complete Versus mode experience in just 30 minutes, resulting in a streamlined version of the game's existing Versus campaigns. A recharge timer for infected teammates has also been added, and item spawn behavior has changed for more balanced gameplay.
-Source
That sounds good to me. You can be sure that I'll be downloading this for free, just like the Survival Mode and 2 new Versus modes they gave us a while ago.
Wait. Hold on. I didn't finish reading the press release:
Left 4 Dead: Crash Course is targeted for release in September and will be available free of charge on the PC and for 560 Gamer points on Xbox Live.
...what?
Alright, let's cut to the chase: I'm the resident cynic and I realize this. I'm the one that points out the flaws over everything else. But let's be real here for a minute. The reason people love Valve is because they are constantly giving back to the fans that support all their crazy schemes. Since the release of the Orange Box, they've improved Team Fortress 2 ten-fold with new weapons, additions to characters, map updates, new achievements, and all of it has been free. All of it has only been on the PC as well. The 360 gamer sees nothing of this, and it looks like we never will (despite my reporting on it a while ago). Then, Valve decides to rush out Left 4 Dead 2 because it's "too big for DLC." That may be so, but it's still a slap in the face to those of us who can't pay $59.99 every time you decide to put out a new game a year (I'm looking at you, every sports game ever). And now, after giving us the Survival pack (which, all things considered, was a BIG update) for free, us folk with a 360 have to now pay for this new campaign, and the PC kids don't? How is this fair?
The answer is probably pretty simple: a while ago, Valve stated that the reason the XBOX 360 users weren't getting any TF2 updates is because Microsoft wouldn't allow them to give out such a large amount of additional content for free. Valve said, "Ok, fine, then we'll wait until we have something big to unload on the console so, if they have to pay, at least they're getting bang for their buck!" Thanks guys. It's appreciated, really. If I have to be aggressive towards someone, I at least like to know who I'm being aggressive to: Microsoft! Those cheeky devils. I would call Microsoft out on this if this weren't a system they had been doing consistently for years. Microsoft almost ALWAYS charges for it's new DLC. It doesn't matter if it's TF2, Halo Wars, Gears of War 2, you name it. You want it, you buy it. I see this as perfectly fair. And since Valve is an independent company now, they can do whatever they like when it comes to the internet. If they want to give away a Sandvich for free, they'll give that Sandvich away for less than free! So that's the logistics of it: Microsoft has rules and Valve has to comply (and I knew that without having to ask Valve for an explanation).
But is it fair? No. Not in the slightest. Look, I will still be cross at Valve for Left 4 Dead 2 because I don't see it as worth $59.99 and nothing I've read has changed my opinion on that (and I've stated my opinion as such on multiple occassions). I'll pay the $7 for a new level and other tweaked updates because I see it as worth that price, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. It is entirely unfair that one medium will get free updates and the rest of us either don't get the updates or pay for the few we do get. We don't get anything, really. As far as a community goes, the 360 is screwed. Do we get to play L4D in the Winchester? No. How about the Mall from Dawn of the Dead? If you want that, go buy Dead Rising and have someone sit next to you in order to fake a multiplayer experience. Let's face it - we're getting the raw end of the stick, and it sucks. As good as L4D is, and as fun as it is to run around and shoot zombies, the fact is we have 5 maps (soon to be 6) and all we can do is play them over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and you see where I'm going with this, right? While you can't really fault Valve here (who swear they love us but can't do anything about it) or Microsoft (because it's not like this is a weird change for them and we all knew what we were getting into when we bought a 360), we still get less than half the experience that a PC user gets.
And that, my friends, is what Penn and Teller would decree as bullshit.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
BGE: New Feature and New Feature Idea Requests
My newest idea for a feature is a Retro Playback Review type of feature. I am not sure that I am going to stick with the name but it is a feature that I have been wanting to start up for a while now. I am currently playing through the Classic Edition of The Secret of Monkey Island as my first review and I have my eyes set on Beyond Good and Evil (though considerably not retro) as my second.
I will take any recommendations on games to play and review, for this feature, just so long as they are not from this console generation.
I am also taking recommendations on original features like this one (retro reviews) to amp up reader interest so post those in the comments as well.
PLEASE USE THE COMMENTS, IT IS WHAT THEY ARE THERE FOR.
I will take any recommendations on games to play and review, for this feature, just so long as they are not from this console generation.
I am also taking recommendations on original features like this one (retro reviews) to amp up reader interest so post those in the comments as well.
PLEASE USE THE COMMENTS, IT IS WHAT THEY ARE THERE FOR.
Monday, August 3, 2009
WAIM (What Am I Playing): August 3, 2009 - More Battlefield Please! Edition
Though I played nothing over the weekend - which coincidentely makes me feel as though I have played nothing all week - I did play a lot more Battlefield (of both variations) this week.
I learned how to fly the planes in 1943 so I have been enjoying that a lot, often finding that I am enjoying flying and doing tricks more than actually playing the game.
Other than flying in 1943 I have been exclusively playing Bad Company. I find that even after I am passed my breaking point of playing (that point where something inside of you breaks and you find yourself not even trying) I still continue on to see what other ridiculous feats I might be able to accomplish.
I managed to place first in match (BC) overall (netting myself that achievement) so the amount of achievements that I have left for multiplayer are no longer numerous in nature.
Other than that I have been fiddling with new features from the Xbox Preview Program and as a result I have considered changing my "in-real-life" style to SteamPunk. Lastly I think I will also commission a life-size cotton swab so that I may carry it around at all times.
I learned how to fly the planes in 1943 so I have been enjoying that a lot, often finding that I am enjoying flying and doing tricks more than actually playing the game.
Other than flying in 1943 I have been exclusively playing Bad Company. I find that even after I am passed my breaking point of playing (that point where something inside of you breaks and you find yourself not even trying) I still continue on to see what other ridiculous feats I might be able to accomplish.
I managed to place first in match (BC) overall (netting myself that achievement) so the amount of achievements that I have left for multiplayer are no longer numerous in nature.
Other than that I have been fiddling with new features from the Xbox Preview Program and as a result I have considered changing my "in-real-life" style to SteamPunk. Lastly I think I will also commission a life-size cotton swab so that I may carry it around at all times.
Monday MUpdate: The New New XBOX Experience!
Oh, the perks of being in the industry! As writers, we get exclusive access to all sorts of cool things, and the latest is early access to the new NXE dashboard and set up. Yup, only us industry peoples totes got access. There's no way anyone else could do it. Nope. No way at all.
So what can one do in this current update? Is all that stuff from E3 we were told about now readily available? No, no it isn't (and I can't say I'm complaining about that either). What we get is the long awaited Netflix and Avatar goodies we were initially promised at the beginning of the NXE. That and Games On Demand, a set up I haven't even bothered to look at yet. No offense to that system, but it just doesn't interest me at the moment. With the little time I have to play games, I'd rather play what I already paid for! Regardless, there's a whole list of things that come with the update, including little details that are supposed to make your life easier. A new way to look at Achievements, for example. I looked at it, I wasn't all that impressed, but I can see the attraction. We also get shorter clicks to different screens, such as your Active Download Queue. It's neat, but did we really need it? Are we so lazy that the two extra clicks it took before the update really brought us down?
"So Matt," you say. "If you're so negative all the time, is there nothing you enjoy about this new update?" No, silly Billy. There's plenty I like. Why, just look to your left and you'll see exactly what I like. Here's a few quick notes and thoughts on the most visually apparent new stuff:
Avatar Marketplace
See that handsome man? That's me in my current incarnation. When it was first announced that you could now pay for clothes and props, I thought, "That's stupid. Who would ever do that?" The answer is me. I totally did that. XBOX's new marketplace 100% spoke to my interests with it's Steampunk fashion setting, and I'm thrilled to say I purchased all new attire to show off (although I kept my XBOX Chucks as a small tribute to my favorite physician). I gotta say, as much as it annoys me that this stuff costs money, it is very neat. I love the props category, and was highly considering getting some of them (I used up all my money on goggles... just like in real life!) if only for the hilarity factor (such as the one item that had Nate VERY curious: a giant ear swab). I also really like that now, in the free stuff that normally came with the Avatars, they've condensed the categories to make it a bit more neat. It's not a huge change, but it definitely looks better.
My only real question that comes up with the Avatar section is the brand new Props and Awards categories. When I looked in these, they were both blank, and they told me that I needed to win these things in games... but what games? Are all games open to giving me props? Even ones before the NXE? And how exactly does one earn a prop? Or an award? I found the lack of details in this category to be a bit annoying, to be honest. Sure, I can just buy a prop, but how do I win one? If I'm playing Marvel vs Capcom 2, can I win a prop or an award, or does it have to be a full retail game? If I play Fallout 3 and I do a particularly gruesome headshot, does that get me an award? There are no standards as defined by the XBOX crew, so I'm left in a futile situation where I don't know what to do in order to attain more glory on my XBOX. I really like to know these things, so if they release some sort of comprehensive list, or at least a hint or two at what games to play, I'd appreciate that.
Netflix
Netflix's insta-watch capabilities have certainly improved. Most of the videos now have a nice little "HD" logo next to them, and even if you don't have an HD TV it'll still stream as such. The load times have also improved, and the whole streaming thing is a lot faster. That's wonderful. Also, you can set your Netflix so that when you watch a video, it'll tell everyone what video you are watching! How novel! "Oh look, they're watching Very Young Girls... huh... uhm, well, anyway." And of course, there is the full access to the Netflix instant queue, which is 100% glorious in it's entirety. It's also severely confusing! At least, to a movie buff like me. Now I have all these movies in the palm of my hand and I don't know what to do. Do I add Lakeview Terrace just because I can?! It's a conundrum, but one I openly welcome. It's important to note that you will have to do a lot of flipping through when searching the instant queue. Not only do they give you the good stuff, but you'll also have to scroll through every B-Movie in existance to find a lot of what you want. This isn't XBOX's fault though, that's Netflix's fault for offering so many bad movies on demand. Have you ever seen Mulva: Zombie Ass Kicker? I have. It's not pretty. But hey - now you have the opportunity to! Plus, we finally have the ability to watch videos in a party. So you don't have to watch Mulva alone!
So the new stuff is certainly nice. Like I said, a lot of it was done for convenience's sake. I feel like they hyped it up a lot more then it was really worth, but I'm also very cynical. I do enjoy the new additions to my dashboard and XBOX, though. I'm not having this appear with unopen arms. I'm ready for change and happy to be doing it early. I love my little Steampunk guy (and those who knew my previous gaming icon will probably get a mild chuckle out of my new one). So that was fun!
Oh. And Marvel vs Capcom 2? If you didn't get it, you're totally lame. I played that online with a group of friends and it was a wild experience. I had some friends over later to also play it, and it was so much fun. Here's a tip: use Servbot for all your characters. It makes for super hilarity fun time happiness. I also played Left 4 Dead until 4 in the morning again, which I haven't done since I worked at Target, so that was a lot of fun. I was wrecked the next day at work, but it was totally worth it in retrospect because I'm young and in love!
So what can one do in this current update? Is all that stuff from E3 we were told about now readily available? No, no it isn't (and I can't say I'm complaining about that either). What we get is the long awaited Netflix and Avatar goodies we were initially promised at the beginning of the NXE. That and Games On Demand, a set up I haven't even bothered to look at yet. No offense to that system, but it just doesn't interest me at the moment. With the little time I have to play games, I'd rather play what I already paid for! Regardless, there's a whole list of things that come with the update, including little details that are supposed to make your life easier. A new way to look at Achievements, for example. I looked at it, I wasn't all that impressed, but I can see the attraction. We also get shorter clicks to different screens, such as your Active Download Queue. It's neat, but did we really need it? Are we so lazy that the two extra clicks it took before the update really brought us down?
"So Matt," you say. "If you're so negative all the time, is there nothing you enjoy about this new update?" No, silly Billy. There's plenty I like. Why, just look to your left and you'll see exactly what I like. Here's a few quick notes and thoughts on the most visually apparent new stuff:
Avatar Marketplace
See that handsome man? That's me in my current incarnation. When it was first announced that you could now pay for clothes and props, I thought, "That's stupid. Who would ever do that?" The answer is me. I totally did that. XBOX's new marketplace 100% spoke to my interests with it's Steampunk fashion setting, and I'm thrilled to say I purchased all new attire to show off (although I kept my XBOX Chucks as a small tribute to my favorite physician). I gotta say, as much as it annoys me that this stuff costs money, it is very neat. I love the props category, and was highly considering getting some of them (I used up all my money on goggles... just like in real life!) if only for the hilarity factor (such as the one item that had Nate VERY curious: a giant ear swab). I also really like that now, in the free stuff that normally came with the Avatars, they've condensed the categories to make it a bit more neat. It's not a huge change, but it definitely looks better. 
My only real question that comes up with the Avatar section is the brand new Props and Awards categories. When I looked in these, they were both blank, and they told me that I needed to win these things in games... but what games? Are all games open to giving me props? Even ones before the NXE? And how exactly does one earn a prop? Or an award? I found the lack of details in this category to be a bit annoying, to be honest. Sure, I can just buy a prop, but how do I win one? If I'm playing Marvel vs Capcom 2, can I win a prop or an award, or does it have to be a full retail game? If I play Fallout 3 and I do a particularly gruesome headshot, does that get me an award? There are no standards as defined by the XBOX crew, so I'm left in a futile situation where I don't know what to do in order to attain more glory on my XBOX. I really like to know these things, so if they release some sort of comprehensive list, or at least a hint or two at what games to play, I'd appreciate that.
Netflix
Netflix's insta-watch capabilities have certainly improved. Most of the videos now have a nice little "HD" logo next to them, and even if you don't have an HD TV it'll still stream as such. The load times have also improved, and the whole streaming thing is a lot faster. That's wonderful. Also, you can set your Netflix so that when you watch a video, it'll tell everyone what video you are watching! How novel! "Oh look, they're watching Very Young Girls... huh... uhm, well, anyway." And of course, there is the full access to the Netflix instant queue, which is 100% glorious in it's entirety. It's also severely confusing! At least, to a movie buff like me. Now I have all these movies in the palm of my hand and I don't know what to do. Do I add Lakeview Terrace just because I can?! It's a conundrum, but one I openly welcome. It's important to note that you will have to do a lot of flipping through when searching the instant queue. Not only do they give you the good stuff, but you'll also have to scroll through every B-Movie in existance to find a lot of what you want. This isn't XBOX's fault though, that's Netflix's fault for offering so many bad movies on demand. Have you ever seen Mulva: Zombie Ass Kicker? I have. It's not pretty. But hey - now you have the opportunity to! Plus, we finally have the ability to watch videos in a party. So you don't have to watch Mulva alone!
So the new stuff is certainly nice. Like I said, a lot of it was done for convenience's sake. I feel like they hyped it up a lot more then it was really worth, but I'm also very cynical. I do enjoy the new additions to my dashboard and XBOX, though. I'm not having this appear with unopen arms. I'm ready for change and happy to be doing it early. I love my little Steampunk guy (and those who knew my previous gaming icon will probably get a mild chuckle out of my new one). So that was fun!
Oh. And Marvel vs Capcom 2? If you didn't get it, you're totally lame. I played that online with a group of friends and it was a wild experience. I had some friends over later to also play it, and it was so much fun. Here's a tip: use Servbot for all your characters. It makes for super hilarity fun time happiness. I also played Left 4 Dead until 4 in the morning again, which I haven't done since I worked at Target, so that was a lot of fun. I was wrecked the next day at work, but it was totally worth it in retrospect because I'm young and in love!
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