Free DLC Today on the Cerberus Network

Shocking.

More Mass Effect 2 news.

Today, February 9th of the star date 2009, when you boot up Mass Effect 2 (if you are anything like me, this happens at least once per day), you will find that there is new, free content up on the Cerberus Network. While it is nothing as cool as a new mission it is still nice to receive something that is always keeping Shepard in fresh new duds.

The following is a description from the Bioware community forums:

Cerberus Assault Armor
Cerberus assault armor is designed for shock troops, turn the tide of battle against creatures or forces that would decimate normal soldiers.
Increases heavy weapon ammo capacity by +10%
Increases shields by +10%
Increases health by +10%


M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun
The M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun is a longer-range shotgun with armor-piercing loads. This design also violates several intergalactic weapons treaties, so the M-22a is not distributed to militaries.

I am eager to get my hands on the shotgun and the armor does not look bad either.
Another one posted by Kara for Nate.

Microsoft Abandons LIVE for all Original XBOX Games

Be calm. No, Microsoft is not abandoning Xbox LIVE altogether. They are, however, abandoning the LIVE service for all Original Xbox games. This includes all Xbox Originals which I now feel was a test bed for having downloadable Xbox 360 titles.

For most this will not matter but there are sure to be a few folks that will feel personally slighted at Microsoft's decision to ditch the part of the LIVE service that they [Microsoft] imply is holding the 360 version back. Perhaps Microsoft will offer some free Xbox LIVE Gold Memberships to those "new" adopters of the 360. Only time will tell.

Could this mean that we will finally have a friends list that containing more than 100 slots for friends? Probably - but as I previously have stated, this is not something I am excited for. I am eager to see if any further changes to the LIVE service come to fruition. I believe that to abandon the service for all Original Xboxes we will have to see more than one oft requested feature.

What are your thoughts, speculations on how this will bring changes to the service?

 Posting this for Nate while he stuck in the hell that is grand jury duty! Damn the government for blocking Blogspot! Anyway, on with the post!

Mass Effect 2 Review

If you are a previous fan of Mass Effect, this is the game that you have been waiting for. If you love a good space faring story (Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.) this is the game that you have been waiting for. This has been called the Empire Strikes Back of the Mass Effect series and in turn, it may be the best game of all time. Something I read on Gizmodo puts it better, "Mass Effect 2... transcends to science fiction that you can play."

The events of Mass Effect 2 take place two years after the events of the prior entry in the series. The Collectors are abducting human colonies and you are charged with taking on the suicide mission to stop them. Throughout the game you will assemble a team in order to stand a fighting chance against the Collectors and assembling that team takes you to the far reaches of the galaxy.

The majority of the experience takes place in the middle of the Terminus Systems - only previously mentioned in ME1 - so the subject matter is far grittier and the subject matter is significantly darker. The story that we are given in the Mass Effect series is some of the greatest because the information - the Mass Effect bible if you will - was created at the same time and it allows for a lack of plot holes. Most science fiction stories that we encounter have been told over many generations and Mass Effect has had the luxury of being told over the span of one - let alone one platform.

The story could not exist without its characters and the characters that you encounter are nothing less than gorgeous, gritty, deadly, and charming - there is everything to be said about the writing that surrounds them. Depending on your play style you will have your favorites and there will come a point where it becomes upsetting that you can only take two of them with you on each mission. Each character has a rich back story that will leave you feeling as though you know each one personally. I personally became attached to many characters and one would be a surprise those whom have not yet dipped their toes into the ocean that is Mass Effect 2. At the games end, though I did not take him on a wealth of missions, Thane had become my favorite character.

The combat - this time around - actually feels like combat. In ME1 we were given combat, based on dice rolls (To the naysayers: I know this to be a standard RPG element) that was supposed to feel more like a third person shooter. In its successor we are given complete third person "control" and are still, in the way of an RPG, if not more than the first game, encouraged to deploy our squad and continue doing so throughout the remainder of the fight. You could also set menu options and rob yourself of this experience having the computer take control of your squad. Everything from the controls to the way actual combat takes place feels fluid and perfect. It is a third person shooter, much like Gears of War, inside of an RPG. Having compared the combat to Gears of War, ME2 ends up missing a few bits. You cannot move from cover to cover and I also noticed that there is no animation for turning around a corner. These things never get in the way of gameplay but they will be welcome additions in Mass Effect 3.

The combat is not the only improvement on the first game. There is no longer micromanaging of weapons and armor but instead a simple upgrade system that allows for everything to be upgraded as you collect or buy research items. The minerals that you have to mine throughout the game (again another fluid system) fuel those upgrades. The mining system no longer involves landing on the planet but instead scanning and sending down probes. It is only annoying some of the time, especially when you are scrambling to look for Element Zero and Platinum.

Another change, subtle as it may seem, are what I like to call "Action Moments". These moments allow you to either take a Paragon or a Renegade action in the middle of certain conversations and they vary depending on how you are choosing to play through the game. They involve a left or right trigger press (left = Paragon; right = Renegade) and it dramatically changes the way that scene would have progressed if you had pressed nothing at all.

All the revamps and additions to Mass Effect 2 are welcome and they all feel like the team at Bioware were listening to what we had to say.

There are not enough good things that I can say about Mass Effect 2 but one is that I will be playing this game, over and over, for years to come. I still plan to return to ME1 in order to create more "Shepards" that I can drag over to ME2. There is not a soul that should go without this gem of an experience. You should not be one of the few that choose not to play. Join the team and, "Fight for the lost."

The Blogger Is Out: Mass Effect 2

Yesterday I spent every waking second playing Mass Effect 2 and I have plans for the same - today and tomorrow. I have nothing else to say on the matter so I will talk to you on the other side.

My Best,
Nate Kowal

P.S. - Still not playing Mass Effect 2? I hope this Friday, when payday comes, that will change.

Mass Effect 2 Launch Hub

This is for those who want to watch the same trailers over and over again, read reviews that they have already read, and mostly this is for those who have not yet let themselves get excited. After all, this is the second coming of the greatest game ever. Please be aware that I, myself, have not watched all of these trailers for fear that it will reveal too much of the game before I even get the chance to play it. Do not say that I did not warn you. I do not have any plans to post every video that Bioware had blessed us with so if you do feel so inclined to let me know - don't.

First the launch trailer:


Then the teaser that, just last February, started it all:

I remember being very excited after watching this trailer knowing, of course, that Commander Shepard was not dead. It was later revealed that one of the potential endings for Mass Effect 2 was the death of Shepard. Knowing that, this teaser makes a lot more sense in retrospect.

This is the cinematic trailer that was released just a few weeks ago:

This trailer is powerful. I would like to think that even if I never played Mass Effect I would want to after seeing this trailer. I would also like to take this moment to mention something that will make any fan of Mass Effect happy. I happened to be in Best Buy a few days ago - I decided to purchase the game there since GameStop, once again, does not want my money - just looking around and I noticed that every copy of Mass Effect was sold out. It made me happy to know that newer adopters of the 360 console were interested in playing ME1 before picking up the sequel. Lastly, if you are one of those people and it is taking some willpower to get through the slow beginning of the game, push through, the reward is worth it.

This was the second trailer after the 'Shepard: KIA' teaser:

Here is where we found out that Shepard was not dead - yet.

We know that at least one character from the first game will be able to come with you on your suicide mission and that ladies and gentlemen is Tali:

I wish we were able to see that shot of the flotilla for a bit longer but it does put the taste in your mouth. I just started a playthrough with Tali in my party and in this trailer she looks infinitely more interesting than she did in the first game.

This is the character I am most excited for mainly because she was in that little game, Mass Effect Galaxy:

Nothing really to say except that I think this is [one of] Shepard's new love interest[s].
If you do not remember Mass Effect Galaxy or never heard of it, here is the review.

If you recognize Miranda's voice from one of Chuck's characters here is why:

I love Bioware's ability, like many other developers, to get celebrities on board.

The next three videos showcase my next three favorite characters:






If you are not excited after all off this than you did not watch anything that I have attempted to show you or you are just ignorant and should die in a fire. Okay, kidding, but seriously, what is wrong with you?

I am picking the game up myself in just short of seven hours at the 24 hours Best Buy in Union Square, NYC. Where will you be when Mass Effect 2 releases?

Nate's Best of 2009 - Game of the Year - GOTY

Whenever it comes to writing a Game of the Year post (and trust me that is why this is late) I always put it off because I almost feel guilty about stacking all of my games up against each other and fighting for one that I can call the best. What it comes down to is that some genres and games do not compare well when it comes to listing out features -you should just end up choosing based on what you felt like was the best experience that you had all year. This is at the least, the ideal situation. I am sure that there are some sites that will just go by review score or some other merits that do not make any sense to this blogger but that is not the case here. Here you will find my honest heartfelt opinions on games that took me by storm this year or failed to impress me on any level.

First lets get the games that I missed this year, for some reason or another, out of the way:

• Assassin's Creed II (X360/PS3) - I am heartbroken that I had to miss this game this year as I enjoyed the original so much (and I am one of the few I know). I avoided all of the media on the game so that I would go into it fresh but alas when release week came around I could not swing the sixty dollar asking price. I'll play it soon as it is on many outlets GOTY lists and I will not be without this experience come April of this year.
• The Beatles: Rock Band (X360/PS3) - Another game that I did not get to this year because of the price. I honestly wanted to pick up a version of the game with instruments because my Rock Band 1 instruments are crappy.
• Demon Souls (PS3) - I heard good things but had no time or money.
• Dragon Age: Origins (X360/PC) - Same as Demon Souls.
• InFamous (PS3) - I had an interest in the game and played the demo when I picked up my PS3 but I am not sure that I want to play it anymore. Perhaps when there is a game drought and I have NOTHING to play...
• The Maw (XBLA) - I played the demo and loved it but never brought myself to spending the money.
• 'Splosion Man (XBLA) - The same here as with The Maw but I do plan to go back and play both of these games.
• Resident Evil 5 (X360/PS3) - I played the demo and wanted to give my first Resident Evil game a shot but I just never got around to it... I am not all that disappointed.
• WET (X360/PS3) - I may be the only person that had a soft spot for Elisha Dushku but it is why I initially wanted to play this game. I then heard decent things about the game and wanted to play it even more. I just have not gotten around to it yet.

There were also a few games that I did not get to finish and they are:

• Scribblenauts (DS) - In a game that had one of the most promising gameplay innovations I did not even fathom that I would never finish the game. It is not that I could not finish it but more like I HAVE NO DESIRE TO PLAY IT WHATSOEVER. Honestly, it is boring and probably my biggest disappointment this year.
• The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai (XBLA) - I was so excited for this game, started playing it, got distracted and never got back to it. I plan to finish it and I have loved it so far.
• Brütal Legend (X360/PS3) - This was probably the game I was most excited for this year because Psychonauts was my favorite game of the last console generation. It was fun and funny while I was playing it both it otherwise felt a little flat to me. Perhaps I did not give it a fair shake but I have plans to complete it sooner or later.

The one Honorable Mention:

• Halo 3: ODST (X360) - I do not believe that anyone, at any point, felt like ODST was going to be a full retail title but when Bungie added Firefight, Microsoft felt like it was worth the $60 asking price. I had no problem paying for the game but I quickly realized that any game could distract me from ODST and as a result I only played Firefight a little and I did not go through the campaign a second time as I usually do with Halo titles.
  

Here it is! THE TOP TEN:

• 10. Halo Wars (X360) - Halo Wars had me playing an RTS on a console so in that respect the good folks at, the now defunct, Ensemble accomplished what they set out to do. I greatly enjoyed the co-op campaign experience and although the game was not without its faults it still merits being played by any Halo fan or any fan of the RTS genre.
  
• 09. Left 4 Dead 2 (X360/PC) - This game deserves to be in any top ten based solely on the merits of the Gnome Chomski achievement. The experience on any difficulty level is a great time mostly because you must finish the campaign in order to get it. There is no giving up, there is only the Gnome. The game is great fun otherwise and while I was initially skeptical on picking it up, it became one of the better gaming experiences I had had this year.
  
• 08. Ghostbusters: The Video Game (X360/PS3) - The formula generally says that a video game based on one of your favorite licenses in existence yields a bad game. This is not the case with Ghostbusters: The Video Game as I learned this past summer. Bustin' ghosts was great fun and if the game did anything wrong it was that it played it too safe and did not delve further into a great property.
  
• 07. Modern Warfare 2 (X360/PS3) - I am always a fan of the next great shooter and MW2 was definitely something to be excited about. I played the game in one form or another for roughly a month straight but never achieved my goal of reaching level 70 in multiplayer. I am sure I will go back here and there but for now I am all MW2'ed out. This is not the game you are playing for innovation anymore, instead it is the game you are playing for a good time because everyone you know is playing it.
  
• 06. Flower (PSN) - This game charmed the pants off me so much that I had to get as much out of it as possible. As a result I unlocked all of the trophies and I am eagerly awaiting the release of thatgamecompany's next title.
  
• 05. Shadow Complex (XBLA) - This was such a fantastic game and for myself, it was really an unexpected purchase. I was intrigued by its announcement last year at E3 but I did not look into it until the game was close to release. I was rabid by the time it released and I had only been looking into for a week or two; imagine if I had known more about it since E3. Anyway I loved the game and it is an absolutely must-have experience if you own an Xbox 360.
  
• 04. Borderlands (X360/PS3) - I cannot say enough good things about this game despite its absolutely awful storyline. It was an awesome co-op experience and an awesome single player experience. I found myself playing the game two different ways depending on if I was playing with someone or not. Highly recommended for those who love shooters and RPGs.
  
• 03. Battlefield 1943 (XBLA/PSN) - I remember not wanting to download this game for the first few weeks of its release because it had planes in it and it seemed to be a prominent part of the game. Then this was the only game I was hearing about on any podcast that I was listening to. I became quickly enamored as I had with BFBC and I even started playing BF1943 and BFBC in tandem. That was about a month that I literally could not get enough Battlefield gaming in.
  
• 02. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) - I can officially call this the prettiest game in existence as of this writing. It is so perfectly designed and plays so well that some would be hard pressed to actually call it a game. I cannot say much else that I have not already mentioned in my review so check that out here.
  
• 01. Batman: Arkham Asylum (X360/PS3) - In the month following the release of this game I struggled to write a review that the game deserved - it still stands unpublished. Everything about this game felt perfect: the combat, the basic story, the graphics, the sound, the voice-acting, E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. In my memory and among many sites GOTY choices this game stands tall as the best experience that the year had to offer. I do not remember a game being this much of an experience since 2007's Bioshock.
  

WAIP: January 10, 2010 - There are some Border Lands in your New Year Edition

Since we last spoke, or since I wrote the review for Uncharted 2, the New Year has rung in and I have been doing nothing else other than playing Borderlands.
I have devoted every free second that was not spent at work in the game and it has even cut into time with my wife. I am determined to finish this game. At the moment of this post I have logged roughly 30 hours of in game time; it has been spent bouncing back and forth between my game and Matt's (Jewnado).

I began this game in October - when it was released - but stopped promptly when I purchased myself a PS3 roughly a week later. After that Modern Warfare 2 came out and if you are like myself you know where the rest of that story goes. I had stopped playing at level 17, still in the Arid Badlands, and I knew not when I was going to return to Pandora because I honestly did not feel compelled to.

Flash forward to December 31st - New Years Eve - and Matt and I decided that it would be great fun to return to the game after we had both been away from it for a while. We logged several hours that day and have been chipping away at it ever since. I had become so enamoured with the game (more so than when it was initially released) that on a day off I played it solo four five hours straight. In the words of the tenth Doctor, "Fantastic!"

Last night Matt and I played for another three hours and we are finally on the last mission (with a few straggling side missions left over). Tonight should be the night to finish it off but that will not be the end; there is still DLC and at least one more playthrough.

Adventures of a Female Gamer: Weekly Gaming Diary - January 21th, 2010

Yea, so obviously I wasn't a big fan of my previous weekly gaming diary blog post name! It was a little stupid, so I had to change it up a tid bit. I wouldn't necessarily classify myself as a "babe" so the name wasn't really all that fitting. Moving on!

Oh hi! Do you remember me? I'm that girl that used to update this blog on a relatively normal basis, but since the new year has done a pretty poor job of doing so. There are really no excuses other then my own laziness, so I won't try and make them up. Something happened in my life that has prompted me to attempt to update a bit more often and that something is this beautiful thing:


Ah yes, that is a 23" ASUS HD LCD monitor pair with my old NEC 19" LCD monitor. I got the 23" in the mail yesterday and immediately had to set it up. I didn't get much WoW playing time in, but I loaded it up just to see how it looks and it looks GLORIOUS! I hope to get some more gaming in this weekend to test it out, possibly some Fallout 3 or some Crysis. WoW is nice and all, but I really want to test it out on some more graphically intense games.

So what have I been playing lately? Over the past few weeks there has been some Rock Band 2, some Scene It: Box Office Smash, some Left 4 Dead 2 and the oldie, but the goodie...WoW. I haven't really been spending a lot of time on any type of "hardcore" game lately. By hardcore, I mean mostly more serious games like Fallout 3 or Crysis or something of that nature. Life just hasn't allowed me to play any type of more serious game for a while, but that's okay, I've been enjoying being a bit of a casual gamer lately. I've gotten my toon up to level 72 in WoW, which is nice. I think once I get to 80 I'm going to take a break and try and dedicate my gaming time to other games that I need to finish. I have another toon I'd like to level to 80, but I think she can wait.

I've been enjoying Left 4 Dead 2 quite a bit. I've only gotten the chance to play a couple times and have played through maybe 3 campaigns completely, but it's been fun. The only complaint I have with the game at this point is the HUGE difference between levels of difficulty. While I was home for Christmas with Nate, we played on normal and that felt like it should have been advanced...or at least somewhere between normal and advanced. A couple days ago I played again with a friend, but this time on easy because he doesn't have too much experience play L4D2. Honestly, easy felt TOO easy even for him. We got through the campaign without any major trouble. The biggest difference I noticed between the two levels of difficult is the number of special infected you experience. In easy it felt like it wasn't enough. In normal, it felt like it was just a little bit too much. I must admit, while playing on normal was frustrating and felt too difficult (for a normal setting), it was much more enjoyable to play. Yes, there were extreme moments of frustration and I wanted to throw my controller a few times, but sharing THAT experience with another person was much more enjoyable then sharing the experience of quickly and easily getting through a campaign with a friend. I definitely need to get some more L4D2 play time in. Maybe this weekend. We shall see!

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Review

Do you own a PS3? Yes? Good, now you can play this awesome game. I am sure that is enough of an endorsement for Uncharted 2 but for those of you that need more, read on. Oh and for those of you that do not own a PS3 and are still reading this I can promise that this game is worth owning a PS3 for. Naughty Dog has made a game that people will talk about for years to come... or until Uncharted 3 comes out.

Uncharted 2 picks up roughly a year or so after the events of Drake's Fortune but this time we are plunged directly into the middle of an adventure gone wrong. In the first scene Nate wakes up, looks down, and says, "That's my blood. That's... a lot of my blood." After that you begin flashing back to how you got to this point and so begins another exciting romp in the shoes of Nathan Drake.

We are treated to the same basic gameplay from the former game so veterans of Drake's Fortune or those whom have just played it will feel right at home in this new experience. I was disappointed that the brutal combo from Uncharted 1 did not return but some mini QTE's show the remnants of that system. Overall the hand-to-hand combat will be easier for newcomers because most of the combat consists of tapping the square button and pressing the triangle to counter.

The gun combat is also mostly unchanged. There are no prompts telling you how to do some things that you learned how to do in the first game. A perfect, and the most noticeable, example of this is when you are aiming from cover you are able to click in the left thumbstick so that you can switch the gun to your other shoulder and gain another vantage point. You are not taught this again in Uncharted 2 so it is something that you will have had to take from this review or from the first game. Certain guns also now have a zooming feature and it is very helpful especially when taking out snipers.

One thing that you know about the Uncharted series is how over the top in nature it is. The movie feel of this game is what makes it so fun to play but even in the last quarter of this game when things slow down a bit it still feels as though you are playing an interactive movie. The game also looks fantastic but it is not leaps and bounds above what the first game accomplished.

Tell me if this sounds familiar: You are making your way through game "X" and it has an amazing story, amazing gameplay, and even better cut scenes; the whole time you are playing game "X" you are thinking that this is as good as games get. Then you make it to the ending and you either get a 30 second "ties everything up" cut scene that feels rushed and like you deserved something better for playing through this awesome game or you get something awful that again, just feels tacked on. Uncharted 2 will not leave you feeling like this and I even dare you not to laugh (because we know Nate Drake has his funny moments) through it.

It is hard to absolutely suggest playing a sequel knowing that some will not have played the first game and to those I say that it is not absolutely necessary to play Uncharted: Drake's Fortune but it does come highly recommended. Uncharted 2 is the reason you own or will own your PS3. This is the game you recommend for any player. This game will capture the Indiana Jones fan, the Tomb Raider fan, the platforming fan, the pirate fan, and it may capture fans of well... actual fans. What I am trying to say is that there are a handful of people on Earth that will not enjoy this game and I personally do not want to have anything to do with them.

Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: December 21, 2009

Hi, my name is Kara. You might know me from a month or so ago. I write for this blog and have suddenly disappeared! But do not fret! I have returned from a blogging vacation caused by laziness to update you on my video game playing habits! REJOICE!

You missed me, right, RIGHT?!

It appears my last update to the blog was over a month ago..sheesh. I can't even remember what I've been playing in the last month. I'm sure there were good amounts of WoW, probably some Torchlight and definitely some Borderlands. Of course, there's always a constant stream of Farmville to top it all off, but those are all boring and mostly have been discussed before and due to my epically slow progression in games updating the blog on those activities could get boring and repetitive. Instead, I'll update on a new game I got to playing this past week, Left 4 Dead 2.

This past week I was on vacation for the holiday to my home state of Washington. Nate and his wife Cindy also came along and so did Nate's Xbox. We didn't get a whole lot of video game playing in while we were home just due to being extremely busy, but we did get to play some L4D2 a couple nights. I purchased L4D2 a few weeks ago when it was on sale on Amazon, but hadn't really gotten around to playing it. Nate and I sat down one night and started playing the Dark Carnival campaign. Nate really wanted to get the Guardin' Gnome achievement. We had attempted earlier to get the gnome, but failed miserably. This time around using an ample amount of assault rifles and moltovs we got it and were therefore determined to complete the campaign so he could get his oh so sweet pink Depeche Mode t-shirt. I have to say, completing this task was probably single handily the most frustrating, yet the most enjoyable moment I've ever had in video gaming. It wasn't carrying around the gnome that caused the issues, it was the fact that playing on Normal in L4D2 is HARD. I mean, I'm not talking die once, figure out a strategy kind of hard...I'm talking about dying multiple, multiple times and playing through the finale 5 times before completing it kind of hard. At the end of it, I was beyond frustrated, but looking back on it the next day it was so unbelievably fun. L4D2 is most definitely significantly more difficult then L4D. Normal in L4D2 feels like Advanced in L4D. When you suddenly have a spitter, a jockey, a tank and a boomer at one time, it becomes a bit overwhelming. Valve has most definitely achieved the goal of removing any and all strategy from the game that players might develop. While I look back on it now and relive the moment, the excitement and the frustration and feel a sudden rush of how much fun it is, I certainly hope that Valve releases a patch in the future to tone it down just a tad bit. I'm not asking for a cake walk, but trying to get rid of two tanks while a spitter is puking corrosive acid all over you sort of makes your blood boil. I could not even imagine playing that game on Expert.

Would you wear a shirt that had Mario's wardrobe on it? (Awesome Game Shirts)

Mario's Closet design @ © SplitReason.com

I think that it goes without saying that this post is entirely self serving because I would love nothing more than to be able to wear this shirt. I am sure you feel the same way so please do click the link above and vote "I would buy this shirt" for this design. Even if you would not plan on buying it, please take the ten seconds necessary to do this for myself, yourself and your fellow blog readers. Drop it in the comments after you have voted. Thanks. Just in case you did not feel like scrolling up you can vote for it here.

WAIP: December 16, 2009 - On Vacation Edition

This post is not so much to chat about what I have been playing this past week but more to chat about what I have been playing for the past few days. There is always one game that is included in that category: Left 4 Dead 2.

I had previously been skeptical on whether I was going to pick up this game even though the original was my game of the year last year. What sold me on the game was actually playing through some of it with Kara and my wife these past few days and I have since ordered it on Amazon and it will be waiting for me when I get home.

I have only really dabbled but I am really a big fan of all the small additions to the game. These additions make the original appear very lackluster or almost as though Left 4 Dead 1 was just a test bed for the sequel.

I am enjoying working out ways to avoid kill the new special infected and combining that with strategies learned from the original infected. All of the old infected are fairly similar to how they behaved in the original with one exception - the witch. This time she wanders about making it both easier and harder to avoid her depending on the situation. It adds an interesting stealth-like element to the game whereas previously the object was to just reach the end as quickly - and with the least possible damage - as possible.

The addition of the Charger, Spitter and Jockey makes the game tense at all moments but I also felt that at times knowing which of the new special infected that was coming was predictable. An perfect example of this is when I was playing with Kara and I had not seen a Spitter in a while I said to her, "I think a Spitter might be coming up soon," and sure enough the next corner greeted us with a noxious green acid pool.

The Charger is not particularly hard to kill but is there to provide the unexpected annoyance of splitting up your party when you least want/expect it.

Lastly, the Jockey will always come around if you are falling behind your party or are getting ahead of your party. He will also come around regardless but if you have someone watching your back it is easy to make short work of him.

Something that I did not think that would make a difference to me one way or the other was the dismemberment. It is so gratifying and it makes killing zombies any other way just plain boring. The melee weapons really show this off when you are lopping off heads, arms, and legs with machetes, guitars, etc.

My favorite experience with the game so far was trying to get Gnome Chompski through the Dark Carnival level. At the end finale it provided such a level of frustration, excitement, and eleation. What sold me on the game was that I found myself talking to Kara the next morning about the crazy situations that we had gone through trying to get the Gnome out safely. The moments that you talk about sold me on the first game as well.

This Past Weekend's VGA's (Video Game Awards)

As opposed to years past - though I still did not watch the Spike VGA's this year - I actually agree with a lot of the winners from Saturday night's show. Here is the list copied from 1up.com:

• Best Voice in a Video Game: Jack Black as Eddie Riggs in Brutal Legend
• Best Cast: X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• Best Performance by a Human Male: Hugh Jackman in X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• Best Performance by a Human Female: Megan Fox in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
• Best Indie Game Fueled by Dew: Flower
• Best Downloadable Game: Shadow Complex
• Best Downloadable Content: GTA4: The Ballad of Gay Tony
• Best Graphics: Uncharted 2
• Best Soundtrack: DJ Hero
• Best Original Score: Halo 3: ODST
• Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show: South Park: Let's Go Tower Defense Play
• Best Multiplayer Game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Best Action/Adventure: Assassin's Creed 2
• Best Driving Game: Forza Motorsport 3
• Best Fighting Game: Street Fighter 4
• Best Music Game: Beatles Rock Band
• Best RPG: Dragon Age: Origins
• Best Shooter: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Best Team Sports Game NHL 10
• Best Individual Sports Game: UFC 2009 Undisputed
• Studio of the Year: Rocksteady Studios for Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Best PlayStation 3 Game: Uncharted 2
• Best Wii Game: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
• Best Xbox 360 Game: Left 4 Dead 2
• Best Handheld Game: GTA: Chinatown Wars
• Best PC Game: Dragon Age Origins
• Most Anticipated Game: God of War 3
• Game of the Year: Uncharted 2 

The most exciting presentations of the night were not game awards but were instead game announcements. These were game announcements from Harmonix, LucasArts, and Rocksteady. Most if not all games can be figured out from the naming of their game studios alone but since you have already heard about them from other sources, I will spare you any clever mention of them and just come right out with it.

The first and the one I am most excited for - based solely on the fact that I have have had some time to develop some anticipation for the game - is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2. The first game was not without it's flaws but it was also a game that captured what it would feel like to wield the force. As long as the game improves upon its predecessor in terms of polish it think we will have another amazing Star Wars game on our hands.

Green Day: Rock Band will also be a fun game if for no other reason other than the fact than I have been a Green Day fan since Dookie released in 1994. There is nothing else to say on the matter but it will be hard, if not impossible, to follow up on The Beatles: Rock Band.

Another game that will be hard to develop a follow-up for is Arkham Asylum and yet Rocksteady has been kind enough to, at the very least, bless us with the announcement for the sequel not six months after Arkham Asylum the first was released. I am a little disappointed that the game is using the "same location" but apparently ArkhamHasMoved.com has other plans in store.
 
In other news Zachary Quinto was announced as a voice for Star Trek Online and that makes for a very happy Nate. I now just need a PC in which to play this on.

Lastly there was a Crackdown 2 video that touted some gameplay but I have to say that despite enthusiasm I have seen for the trailer on Twitter I was not impressed. The game looks to be copying a lot from games that have come out since the first Crackdown dropped (one thing that I noticed in particular was something that looked a lot like a zombie).

If nothing else the VGA's were a good place for announcements in an otherwise barren period of new game announcements.

Flower Review

Unless thatgamecompany (which is in fact the name of their game company) has something equally as charming up their sleeves you are not likely to see a game like Flower ever again. It is so simple yet so innovative in its simplicity.

You start the game with one flower pot in an apartment window and you begin the first level with one flower petal. It is never explicitly stated but your "avatar" is charged with brightening the world from the drab black and white that it has become. You will feel something warm grow deep inside of you as you play through this game. It can easily be played in one sitting and you would be foolish to consider this a caveat. I would recommend this for a first sitting with the game. Then come back after a week (nab yourself that trophy) and do it all again.

There is enough to go through the game at least a second time if not a third; you might find that you just want to be playing the game because of its beauty. The music is absolutely soothing and gratifying and your ability to subtlety control it adds to the experience.

There is not a lot more to say about the game other than it comes with the highest recommendation. It is simple, beautiful, and an experience you will not find anywhere else.

Battlefield Bad Company 2 Beta Impressions

The Place: Arica Harbor

Naturally I was stoked when I punched in that beta code from Bad Company 2's official Twitter and found that I was quick enough to nab myself the beta. Since then I have put MW2 on the back burner and have been Oscar Mike to my favorite military franchise.

The first thing that you will probably notice is the ease of use when it comes to the interface. All of the kits are in a horizontally streamlined menu so that you can change a lot of the options for your kit on the fly. After you gain a few levels your Assault kit will be radically different than the next persons Assault Kit.

The next thing that you are likely to notice - after you jump into a match - is how beautifully crisp the game looks. In my honest opinion it puts Modern Warfare 2's graphics in second place when it comes to military shooters. The character models look incredibly detailed and you will notice if you die as much as I did initially. A new feature to Battlefield games is that the game shows you your killer running about after he or she has killed you. This will become increasingly useful for strategy but I can say with great conviction that it is very satisfying to see that your killer is already dead when this view is shown.

All of the things that you know and love from Bad Company 1 have made it over to 2 and the developers at DICE also added a lot. All of your awards and stats have made it over but the best new additions are perk-like items that you unlock over time. One of my favorites allows your kit to be lighter so that you can sprint greater distances.

A great addition to the Medic kit is the defibrillator paddles that allows you to revive dead players which can really help in clutch situations. It takes a little while to get used to and you will likely find that you are dying more often than you are reviving people. A nice little trick is that you can also use the paddles to kill an unsuspecting player. And yet on another completely unrelated note you are likely to encounter a squad made up entirely of medics and those are frustrating to no end.

The Arica Harbor map is incredibly fun to play with a lot of different types of combat ranging from open to very close quarters combat. The map is reminiscent of Oasis from BFBC1 if not just because it has similar aesthetics.

It is a very fun game so far and I know that I will personally enjoy it more than MW2 because of the element of strategy that is always there.

There are a few flaws that mainly lie in getting stuck when climbing around the edges of the map but I am sure those will be smoothed out by the shipping date in March 2010.

MAG Beta - Second Impressions

I figured after writing about the MAG beta yesterday that I would give it another go around when I got home from work. I did just that and so begins my second impressions of the MAG beta.

The first thing that happened when I booted up was that there was an update. It only makes me feel like the beta is going to be at least a little longer which will be enough to either sell me or discourage me from buying the retail disc come January 26th. The only problem with that date is that it conflicts with the launch of Mass Effect 2 and you can be sure that nothing is going to detract my attention from the greatest game of all time (in case you were wondering, that game will be Mass Effect 2) but I have digressed enough. I would like to pick up another game with such a permanent multiplayer (similar to that of Modern Warfare 2) around the same time and I see no reason as to why that game could not be MAG. I am sure I could keep MW2 as my staple multiplayer game until Bad Company 2 but... oh there I go again.

The first thing I noticed was that the game seemed to be running much smoother - either that or I became used to the game's "running rate" - and I was still on the attacking side (for both matches that I played). I think that I was playing the game like it should be played but the teams that I was working with just did not have their acts together. The second match I played was the closest one that I had been in but we still did not have what it took. It is definitely one of those games where you need a headset and I am at the unfortunate disadvantage of not having one.

I do wonder what it would be like to be on the defending side of things but I suppose I might have to win a match first (I do not honestly believe that though).

In case you wanted to know, at some point in the middle of this post I was trying hard to punch in a beta code for the Bad Company 2 beta to no avail. I will keep you updated on my exploits.

WAIP: November 30, 2009 - Too Sick To Play Much Edition

I accidentally showed up to work early today thinking that I had to be in much sooner than I had originally anticipated. This will result in the first blog post from work - from the store computer no less - and will most likely, as usual, be derivative in nature.

Early on in the week I was only dedicating myself to playing Modern Warfare 2. I managed to - over the the span of a few days - gain about 10 levels to reach level 35 and I accomplished a significant portion of that in the early morning hours of Thanksgiving (from about 000 to 0400 hours). After the Thanksgiving escapade I managed to get myself sick and therefore did not manage to play any games at all throughout the rest of the week other than a short burst of MW2 yesterday afternoon.

Somewhere in there I managed to get my hands on the MAG beta for the PS3 and I did get one half hour long match in. From the get go - and this is forgivable in a game that allows 256 players to be in one match at one time - you notice that the graphics are not as sharp as you might hope for. I have to say that they do look fairly decent (better than PS2 graphics) for what the game is accomplishing so far. The only qualms I really have with the graphics is that, on the level I played, the gray stone steps, doorways, passages, et cetera all blend together to the point that unless happen to discover these object up close, you will not be able to notice them from afar (like say a sniper position).

I did not immediately notice how grandiose everything is and you probably will not either but trust me it is all there. The levels are large and though I was on the losing team there are a lot of players on both teams filling up the map. The map I played on seemed like a giant symetrical box with various vantage points constructed for both teams.

In terms of actual gameplay the mode, that I do not remember the name of, that I played was objective based and my team was on the attacking end of things. We were not working together at all even though one guy on our team was trying to rally us and I'll admit that I was taking it a little too Call of Duty at first. Even after I wised up and actually tried different tactics (flanking around, trying a different spawn point) I still only managed to touch the objectives two or three times. By the end of the match I understood  better what I was supposed to do but that does not mean I was any better at executing it. I would say that the learning curve is around about two or three full matches before you will grasp the full concept of what you should and should not be doing (learning the controls falls in there somewhere).

Now I am sure the first thing that you were wondering about is if a game with that many people in it lags. I could not honestly tell you the answer to that and be 100 percent certain. The game is playable and when you shoot someone they die the way that would expect. I experienced no deaths that I could attribute to lag but in the end the game is either lagging very minorly or the framerate is not great. You will notice, at least in this beta, that the game runs a little choppy but if this game is your cup of tea then it is nothing that you could not get used to.

I am sure that the final product will be at least a little bit better in all aspects when it ships at the end of this coming January.

WAIP: November 24, 2009 - Modern Warfare 2 Edition

There has not been a lot that I have been playing other than Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer but in all sense of fairness I will mention the one game that caught my attention in the midst of a hail of bullets.

That game is Flower, the polar opposite of MW2. Flower is a beautiful serene little game that offers something much different from any other game I have played.

In Flower you take your "role" as the lead flower petal and, from what I make of the game, make the world, that starts off as black, white and gray, colorful again. From the blossoming visuals to the majestic audio you will find yourself in a peaceful place and maybe even wondering if what you are playing is really a game. This game seems to be happy as long as you are happy with what you are making of it.

But, like I said before, I have primarily devoting my fascination to the brilliant Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer. This week I have been devoting myself to a new load-out and it has been helping me to even out my previously dismal Kill/Death ratio. In terms of my score and level, I am currently behind everyone that matters to me on my friends list. I have also played between 5-10 hours less than all of them and I still cannot figure that one out.

The Facebook Update for PS3 or Firmware v. 3.10

Other than the first time I hooked up my PS3 to the internet this will be my first official firmware update for my PS3. I know, riveting.

This update will include the ability to have your Facebook news feed update every time you make a purchase or unlock a trophy on your PS3. These features can be turned on or off so those who worry about spam can take a deep breath.

Personally I feel that this accomplishes what Raptr accomplished for the Xbox scene only it is built directly into the UI. I would be up for a seamless integration on Twitter as well while we are at it. And then while we are at that let us have the same experience built into Xbox's new Facebook and Twitter apps. Twitter and Facebook right now are just novelties on the console but it is still welcome in lieu of no updates at all.

This update also improves photo browsing and allows you to change the color of your PSN ID card. Check out the video originally posted on the Playstation Blog for more details:


Lastly this update should be available for your PS3 so go check it out if you have not already.

WAIP: November 17, 2009 - The "Look Ma' I Can Update My Blog" Edition

Once you have not been doing something for so long it becomes easy to not get back on the horse and get back to work (in this case we are talking about this very blog).

You would be surprised at what you can accomplish in fifteen days of game playing.

I started it all off with completing the campaign of Uncharted which was absolutely fantastic. It was easily one of the best games I played in terms of immersion and the fact that you always feel like you are inches away from death. I have not played more since I beat it but I easily can look forward to at least one more playthrough before I pick up Uncharted 2. I had not gone for the hardest difficulty initially because of my inexperience with the Playstation controller and I just wanted to enjoy my first experience with the game. I can easily say to anyone that owns a PS3, "If you have not played this game, you are doing your excitement senses a disservice." I only worry that the sequel will not be as good as the first.

The next big gaming event that I partook in was actually an event. I went to the Midnight Launch Party for Modern Warfare 2 in Union Square. I like to involve myself in these major launches because I want to be part of something interesting and exciting in the gaming space (not that the actual games are not exciting). This was an opportunity to play the multiplayer before picking up the game at midnight. It was also an opportunity to win copies of the game and anything that falls in line with that. I actually got my phone laser engraved with Modern Warfare 2 for free so that had me all jazzed up (that and the free Monster Energy Drinks that they were handing out). I played roughly four multiplayer matches (and I say roughly because one was only about half of a match) and was only on the loosing team once. I kept my K/D ratio above one for all but one match (the first one) and overall I have to say that I played fairly well. Here are a few photos from the the outside of the tent (before I was too involved to take any photos inside): The Modern Warfare Launch Night Party

I also worked up the gusto to introduce myself and take a picture with Major Nelson. We chatted about the 360 and achievements and even the PS3. He is a super nice guy and even though my eye looks busted in the picture (I do not know how the picture came out that way) it was a really nice experience.


And since then I have done nothing but play the Modern Warfares. I finished the campaign in one seven and a half hour play session (on release day) which while absolutely enthralling it leaves you emotionally and physically drained (I would say that this was because of the subject matter rather than sitting I one place for that long (and I did get up after each mission)). Since then I have been dedicated to the multiplayer and I have been dabbling in Spec Ops with Jarvis. I have only become annoyed with a ten year old a few times so I am calling myself lucky thus far.

A lot of people feel like the level "No Russian" (the terrorists in the airport) is in poor taste but I feel that it was well done and I feel that it is up to your individual basis on what you will think of it (if you did not already skip it). It is the set-up for the main conflict of the game and without it I feel that the game is less than itself and that is all I have to say about it.

I have not touched Borderlands let alone Brütal Legend and my PS3 has basically fallen by the wayside in the wake of MW2.

I did manage to play LittleBigPlanet with my wife last night because I just got a nice shiny new red controller. When we started playing I immediately stuck a sticker to her Sackboy's face not even knowing that I was going to receive a trophy for doing so (a enjoyable little delight). We then proceeded to play through some of the earlier levels and some user created levels based on the subjects of The Nightmare Before Christmas and Doctor Who. Most user created levels are not really that great but I also cannot wrap my head around being able to do something that laborious myself.

We also got our first BluRay that I am excited to watch (but have not watched yet): UP. Star Trek is also on its way to us and you can be assured that I will watch the shit out of those special features as well as the movie itself.

I hope this update was extensive enough but the words do not make up for fifteen days without an update and for that I am sorry.