This past week I ran the gamut on what I have been playing. I think that I successfully paid attention to my Xbox and my PS3 equally while the later may have eked out a little more of my attention - what with its newness and all.
I started the week off right with Borderlands. Gearbox made the game that I have been asking for - a Role-playing Shooter. It is like a first person, open world, Diablo but I have to be honest, the story is severely lacking. I am searching for something mythical called the Vault and all I can decipher from that is that it is corny. Everything else about the game is fantastic. From the art style to all of the stats, the upgrades and let us not forget the infinite guns, this game is packed to the brim with new things to explore and great times with friends. I have not had much of a chance to experience a lot of co-op experiences but the ones that I have were fun and challenging.
I managed to jump into a game last night, with a few people from my friends list, and while we were all around the same level, the enemies were all equal or greater to our levels and we spent the whole time reviving each other and acquiring some decent loot.
On the Xbox side of things I also managed to check out Halo Waypoint and the only useful thing it told me is that I am a level 35 (out of 40) Halo player based on Gamerscore. It would be nice if Waypoint actually pulled some of your stats from ODST and H3 but the avatar awards that I have will suffice right now.
I spent a lot of time with the PS3 in the latter half of the week particularly paying a lot of attention to LittleBigPlanet and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. LBP is becoming quite the challenge as I progress through the levels but I still find myself branching off and playing user created levels and the bonus Metal Gear Solid levels that came with the GOTY edition of the game. The Paintinator is a fun little addition to the game and I also managed to pick up the free Pumpkinhead costume that was out for Halloween. I cannot wait to see where this game takes me in the future.
When I started with Uncharted I was not sure how to feel. The game was beautiful but the controls took me longer than usual to get used to (but it probably had something to do with having to invert the Y-axis for both looking and shooting) so I was torn for a moment. That moment quickly past as I spent the next two and half hours tearing through the game's first four and a half chapters. The game is in one word: RIVETING. You do not believe that you should be able to do half the things that you do but in the end you still pull every single thing off. The game makes you feel like Nathan Drake and further than that it makes you feel empowered while still having a lot of control over the game. The best way I can describe it (better) is that it makes you feel as powerful and cool as you did in Assassins Creed but you feel like your button presses are actually controlling Nate Drake not vice versa.
This past week a demo (something that ALL PSN games need) was released for a little game called Fat Princess and I played the shit out of it. It took me a short while to get used to the game but after I had I had a ball. It is just so cute and bloody. I cannot wait to play more.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: November 2, 2009
First and foremost, let it be known, there will be NO discussion of WoW in this blog update as I have not played WoW for the last week. Those who are tired of reading about WoW each and every week, REJOICE!
What did consume my gaming life this past week was Borderlands. I purchased the game on release day and have been slowly making my way through the game. I've done a bit of co-op play, but have decided my slow and steady pace doesn't necessarily keep me at the same pace as all my friends, so I've fallen a bit behind. But that's okay! I'm actually really enjoying the SP elements of the game. I'm the type of gamer that goes in and out of phases of gaming where I'm totally obsess to no care ever, so SP is nice because it allows me to move at my own pace without worry. I'm up to level 17 with my hunter and still thoroughly loving the game. You've probably heard a lot about Borderlands since it's release, so I'll move onto something else a bit more interesting.
I have found a new addiction and that addiction goes by the name of Torchlight. I first heard about the game on The Instance (A WoW podcast I listen to). I had seen some information on it a while ago in my gaming blogs, but wasn't that intrigued at that point. Once I heard Scott Johnson of The Instance rant and rave about it and inform me that it was created by two of the designers of Diablo and Diablo II and played very much like the games, I knew I had to check it out. On Sunday I downloaded the demo off Steam and got to playing...before I knew it I was done with the demo, but instantly felt the urge for more. I immediately purchased it. After that I played for at least 2 to 3 hours straight. I was in love.
The game itself plays very much like the Diablo franchise. It's your basic hack n slash dungeon based game with loads and loads of loot. I particularly enjoy the art style of the game. It goes for a more "cartoony" art style compared to Diablo's bit more realistic style. I like it and it just adds to the overall delightful feel of the game. One of my favorite features of the game is your pet. Every hero class gets a pet. My initial thoughts were "hmm, pets are cool, I guess" until I learned of the most essential role of the pet...it's ability to sell your loot. One of the biggest frustrations for any Diablo fan was that there was so much loot and only so much space in your bag. If you're like me and have issues leaving loot behind simply because free loot = money in your pocket you felt compelled to pick up every single item you ever came across and this lead to many, many trips back to town to sell the loot. In Torchlight, all you do is transfer your unwanted loot from your inventory to your pet's inventory and with the press of one simple button, the pet runs back to town, sells the loot and returns to you. You go a few moments without your helpful companion, but all in all it does not take that long for the pet to turn and just makes the game that much more enjoyable. If a feature like this is not available in Diablo III, well, I really don't know what I'm going to do.
It was quite the easy decision to purchase Torchlight because the game only costs $20 and is EASILY worth that low, low price. If you're a fan of the Diablo franchise, you will easily enjoy this game and for $20, it's almost criminal to pass it up.
What did consume my gaming life this past week was Borderlands. I purchased the game on release day and have been slowly making my way through the game. I've done a bit of co-op play, but have decided my slow and steady pace doesn't necessarily keep me at the same pace as all my friends, so I've fallen a bit behind. But that's okay! I'm actually really enjoying the SP elements of the game. I'm the type of gamer that goes in and out of phases of gaming where I'm totally obsess to no care ever, so SP is nice because it allows me to move at my own pace without worry. I'm up to level 17 with my hunter and still thoroughly loving the game. You've probably heard a lot about Borderlands since it's release, so I'll move onto something else a bit more interesting.
I have found a new addiction and that addiction goes by the name of Torchlight. I first heard about the game on The Instance (A WoW podcast I listen to). I had seen some information on it a while ago in my gaming blogs, but wasn't that intrigued at that point. Once I heard Scott Johnson of The Instance rant and rave about it and inform me that it was created by two of the designers of Diablo and Diablo II and played very much like the games, I knew I had to check it out. On Sunday I downloaded the demo off Steam and got to playing...before I knew it I was done with the demo, but instantly felt the urge for more. I immediately purchased it. After that I played for at least 2 to 3 hours straight. I was in love.
The game itself plays very much like the Diablo franchise. It's your basic hack n slash dungeon based game with loads and loads of loot. I particularly enjoy the art style of the game. It goes for a more "cartoony" art style compared to Diablo's bit more realistic style. I like it and it just adds to the overall delightful feel of the game. One of my favorite features of the game is your pet. Every hero class gets a pet. My initial thoughts were "hmm, pets are cool, I guess" until I learned of the most essential role of the pet...it's ability to sell your loot. One of the biggest frustrations for any Diablo fan was that there was so much loot and only so much space in your bag. If you're like me and have issues leaving loot behind simply because free loot = money in your pocket you felt compelled to pick up every single item you ever came across and this lead to many, many trips back to town to sell the loot. In Torchlight, all you do is transfer your unwanted loot from your inventory to your pet's inventory and with the press of one simple button, the pet runs back to town, sells the loot and returns to you. You go a few moments without your helpful companion, but all in all it does not take that long for the pet to turn and just makes the game that much more enjoyable. If a feature like this is not available in Diablo III, well, I really don't know what I'm going to do.
It was quite the easy decision to purchase Torchlight because the game only costs $20 and is EASILY worth that low, low price. If you're a fan of the Diablo franchise, you will easily enjoy this game and for $20, it's almost criminal to pass it up.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Netflix Coming to PS3 by Temporary Disc Based Solution
Roughly a year later than the Xbox version Sony and Netflix are bringing Instant Watch to the Playstation 3. This does not mean a whole lot to me seeing as I already have this function on my 360 but it is still a nice addition for those PS3 owners whom do not have that luxury. It will be nice for convenience purposes (ex. not having to switch between consoles to watch a movie).
But there is a caveat, until late 2010 the Netflix experience shall remain a disc based experience. This does not make much sense if any at all. Sony and Netflix both knew that this was an experience that was coming to the PS3 and they had to know how ridiculous this whole prospect sounded. I can see the side where they wanted to get the experience into the consumer hand quicker (for business reasons I'm sure) but they could have:
But there is a caveat, until late 2010 the Netflix experience shall remain a disc based experience. This does not make much sense if any at all. Sony and Netflix both knew that this was an experience that was coming to the PS3 and they had to know how ridiculous this whole prospect sounded. I can see the side where they wanted to get the experience into the consumer hand quicker (for business reasons I'm sure) but they could have:
- Worked on it a little harder and faster since they probably knew that Microsoft only had a year of exclusivity, or:
- Not released it until it was actually finished (again greedy pockets are most definitely the culprit here)
Monday, October 26, 2009
Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: October 26, 2009
There were two games that dominated my playing time this past week. The first is Borderlands. As I stated in a previous post, I picked this game up last Tuesday on release day. I had the opportunity to get in some SP time as well as some co-op time over the rest of the week. Thus far I am truly loving this game. I've played more SP than co-op, but I find the SP to be just as fun as the co-op. I finally unlocked a 3rd weapons slot and feel as though I have the appropriate weapons I need for the time being. I discovered that my purple sniper rifle (don't remember the gun's specific name) has the ability to completely blow the heads of skaggs in the lower level areas. This made me squee with joy.
My experience with co-op was fun, although I felt I was totally lacking and holding everyone I was playing with back. The ability to power level with friends is actually pretty awesome as you jump levels much quicker then you ever would in SP. It's a nice feature to have, especially since I didn't get the opportunity to play this weekend at all and feel like I've fallen behind others as far as leveling goes. The co-op plays much like if you were to group with someone in WoW. If you have the same quests, they show up and you get the same objectives. I don't have too much to report on the co-op front as the only time I played I was a bit confused and hadn't fully fallen into the ebb and flow of the game, so my personal experience wasn't all that great just due to my lack of knowledge. Definitely looking forward to getting in more hours on this game throughout the week.
Even though I was up visiting the girlfriend at college this week, I still had the opportunity to play some WoW. I finally got to level 70 (HOORAY!) which is quite the accomplishment for me. I've been enjoying the Northrend content, although I'm looking forward to getting out of the Borean Tundra zone and moving onto something new. Being a mere 10 levels away from "the end" is a nice feeling though. I think I might start leveling my old warrior main after I'm done with my current. Maybe I'll try out some different zones I didn't get to on my current to mix it up a bit.
My experience with co-op was fun, although I felt I was totally lacking and holding everyone I was playing with back. The ability to power level with friends is actually pretty awesome as you jump levels much quicker then you ever would in SP. It's a nice feature to have, especially since I didn't get the opportunity to play this weekend at all and feel like I've fallen behind others as far as leveling goes. The co-op plays much like if you were to group with someone in WoW. If you have the same quests, they show up and you get the same objectives. I don't have too much to report on the co-op front as the only time I played I was a bit confused and hadn't fully fallen into the ebb and flow of the game, so my personal experience wasn't all that great just due to my lack of knowledge. Definitely looking forward to getting in more hours on this game throughout the week.
Even though I was up visiting the girlfriend at college this week, I still had the opportunity to play some WoW. I finally got to level 70 (HOORAY!) which is quite the accomplishment for me. I've been enjoying the Northrend content, although I'm looking forward to getting out of the Borean Tundra zone and moving onto something new. Being a mere 10 levels away from "the end" is a nice feeling though. I think I might start leveling my old warrior main after I'm done with my current. Maybe I'll try out some different zones I didn't get to on my current to mix it up a bit.
WAIP: October 26, 2009: Playstation 3 Acquired Edition (The First Experiences)
So I went through all the set-up procedures (pretty standard issue here) but it took me a few minutes to really learn the way the on screen keyboard works. The standard issue QWERTY keyboard works just fine and it is actually a bit quicker than the 360 on screen keyboard (good thing too considering their version of the 360 chat pad is said to be not that great). What I cannot figure out is why some of the time they have this cell phone like keyboard that forces you to type in some T9-like formula that really does not make sense in the realm of the console but in the grand scheme of everything this is a low priority issue.
The real annoying issues came out of having to update the console. Before I could sign into the Playstation Network I had to update the console to 3.02 and folks, people are not kidding when they say that the console takes forever to update. I would measure the time in time it takes to make a sandwich (slowly) and then eat that sandwich (slowly). It was painstaking considering all that I wanted to do was play my new console.
After that I signed into PSN and began to browse their very pretty and well organized store front. The first thing that I noticed, other than the aesthetics, was the lack of content compared to the Xbox Live Marketplace (not really disconcerting but an easy observation to make). So I queued up the demos of inFamous and MLB: The Show 09 and went on my merry way (meaning I left the Playstation Store).
I then popped in LittleBigPlanet (which needed an update that was long enough but not nearly as long as the system update) and proceeded to be melted by that games charm and attention to detail. I managed to accidentally get myself online in one of the levels I was playing and while it was more funny than anything that one experience was a smidgen laggy and I immediately noticed that lack of people talking (which I think that this game benefits from when it is there).
I later installed the demos for inFamous and The Show. Yes you heard correctly, you have to install your demos and I think this might go the same for PSN titles but do not hold me to that seeing as I have not purchased one yet. It does not make sense to me and it is just one thing getting in your way of playing your games sooner.
That is all for my initial thoughts on the Playstation 3 and though it may sound like I do not like the thing, that is not the case. I quite enjoy the Playstation experience I had so far and I am looking forward to playing Uncharted 1 this coming week. I thought I would not like the controller at all but I really do not mind it. I still prefer the 360 controller but I can (and still need too) get used to the Playstation controller (I need to stop pressing the 'SQUARE' button instead of the 'X' button when it says to press the 'X' button. I need to train myself on the PS controller).
But for now I PS3'ed out and I just want to play some Borderlands on my 360 (mental hug).
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Quick Borderlands Preview
Yesterday I picked up the game I've been more excited for then any this year, Borderlands. I first got wind of the game when PC Gamer had it featured on the cover of one of their issues. I hadn't heard anything about this game up until the point, but what I read got me excited. An FPS/RPG hyrbid? That sounds like a match made in heaven, especially for me. Two of my favorite gaming genres in one? I was sold.
As soon as I got home I got an hour or so to play the game and got a little bit more time after a haircut I had later that night. Thus far, I'm in the middle of level 6. I'm not too far into the game, but I'm loving it already. I opening credits alone made me fall in love.
It plays like a movie. I'm typically one to press start, B, X, whatever as many times as possibly to get through any sort of cut scene or cinematic because I just want to play, but this...I just sat and watched, enjoyed and got even more excited to play. Once I got into playing, the art style and music alone makes me love the game. Some of the music and the general atmosphere and setting of the game reminds me a bit of Firefly and I loved the music from Firefly.
The game play thus far is great. I'm still adjusting to playing an FPS on a gamepad and part of me wishes I would have purchased this for PC, but that would have meant I wouldn't be able to play co-op with friends. I decided when I started to play through the SP a bit just to get a hang of it. Six levels in and I've already found a few green and blue items (hello, WoW!). I haven't even tried co-op at this point, so I don't really have anything to report on in that end. I hope to get a decent play through on SP as well as get some co-op experience and then write out a full review.
I'm barely into the game and I can already tell that this just might be my game of the year.
As soon as I got home I got an hour or so to play the game and got a little bit more time after a haircut I had later that night. Thus far, I'm in the middle of level 6. I'm not too far into the game, but I'm loving it already. I opening credits alone made me fall in love.
It plays like a movie. I'm typically one to press start, B, X, whatever as many times as possibly to get through any sort of cut scene or cinematic because I just want to play, but this...I just sat and watched, enjoyed and got even more excited to play. Once I got into playing, the art style and music alone makes me love the game. Some of the music and the general atmosphere and setting of the game reminds me a bit of Firefly and I loved the music from Firefly.
The game play thus far is great. I'm still adjusting to playing an FPS on a gamepad and part of me wishes I would have purchased this for PC, but that would have meant I wouldn't be able to play co-op with friends. I decided when I started to play through the SP a bit just to get a hang of it. Six levels in and I've already found a few green and blue items (hello, WoW!). I haven't even tried co-op at this point, so I don't really have anything to report on in that end. I hope to get a decent play through on SP as well as get some co-op experience and then write out a full review.
I'm barely into the game and I can already tell that this just might be my game of the year.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: October 20, 2009
The past week or so has been relatively boring in relation to gaming. I was busy taking care of my sick girlfriend and didn't get the chance to play many games. The games I did play, however, were World of Warcraft, Company of Heroes and League of Legends. First and foremost, lets start with some WoW chat.
As I stated last week, I finally got into Wrath of the Lich King content. I'm finally in Northrend and working my way through Borean Tundra. So far the zone has been a bit difficult to navigate, mostly due to the fact that it's brand new, but as of yesterday I got the hang of it a little bit. The thing I enjoy the most about all this new content are exploring the new worlds and fighting new mobs. Most of the old world and even BC content I've done before with my first main. It's fun and enjoyable, but it's the same old, same old. Being in Northrend is fresh and new and definitely enjoyable. Getting into new zones definitely sparks up my desire to play WoW more so then when I was working up to 60 on my current main. I always like seeing what Blizzard comes up with. Quite honestly, the level of creative and intelligence that is put into WoW by Blizzard never ceases to amaze me. World of Warcraft will probably go down in history as my favorite game of all time and Blizzard will easily go down as my favorite gaming company of all time. I'm currently at level 69, about half way through inching closer and closer to 70...a place I've never been before (hell, everything up to this point is somewhere I haven't been yet). I'm excited for 70 and I'm excited to finally have a mere 10 levels to go before I reach the end...hopefully I'll get there before Cataclysm is released.
This weekend I also worked through the tutorial of Company of Heroes. I picked this game up a few weeks ago from Direct2Drive when they had it on sale for $5. It's been a while since I've gotten into an RTS, so getting back into this has been a bit difficult. The tutorial was nice, quite honestly one of the best I've experienced (I typically skip them, but it was a bit necessary for CoH). Once I worked through the tutorial I started up a campaign, but didn't get too far into it as it wasn't quite drawing me in at that moment in time. I hope to get into this a bit more in the future, but for now it might have to wait on the back burner.
I was also lucky enough to receive a League of Legends beta key recently. I honestly have little to no knowledge of League of Legends or what it's about other then what I've heard Ryan Scott on The Geekbox. He seemed to love the game, so I thought I might as well give it a try. I mean, it's in beta and it's free, why not? I played a teeny tiny bit of the game this weekend, but not enough to give any sort of honest review or opinion of it. Once again, hopefully getting more into this in the future.
The last thing I want to touch on in this post is my current urge to play a certain video game...Fallout 3. I started FO3, LOVED it and never finished it. This is my typical routine with most video games. Lately, I've really felt like I wanted to get back into it, but haven't actually started yet. I think the couple things that turned me off from FO3 was all the freakin' walking and some of the attacking mechanics. I always felt like even though my aim was on point at enemies, I always missed and this annoyed me. I suppose this is just something I need to overcome and hopefully in the new couple weeks I'll get back into this game and possibly finally beat it.
As I stated last week, I finally got into Wrath of the Lich King content. I'm finally in Northrend and working my way through Borean Tundra. So far the zone has been a bit difficult to navigate, mostly due to the fact that it's brand new, but as of yesterday I got the hang of it a little bit. The thing I enjoy the most about all this new content are exploring the new worlds and fighting new mobs. Most of the old world and even BC content I've done before with my first main. It's fun and enjoyable, but it's the same old, same old. Being in Northrend is fresh and new and definitely enjoyable. Getting into new zones definitely sparks up my desire to play WoW more so then when I was working up to 60 on my current main. I always like seeing what Blizzard comes up with. Quite honestly, the level of creative and intelligence that is put into WoW by Blizzard never ceases to amaze me. World of Warcraft will probably go down in history as my favorite game of all time and Blizzard will easily go down as my favorite gaming company of all time. I'm currently at level 69, about half way through inching closer and closer to 70...a place I've never been before (hell, everything up to this point is somewhere I haven't been yet). I'm excited for 70 and I'm excited to finally have a mere 10 levels to go before I reach the end...hopefully I'll get there before Cataclysm is released.
This weekend I also worked through the tutorial of Company of Heroes. I picked this game up a few weeks ago from Direct2Drive when they had it on sale for $5. It's been a while since I've gotten into an RTS, so getting back into this has been a bit difficult. The tutorial was nice, quite honestly one of the best I've experienced (I typically skip them, but it was a bit necessary for CoH). Once I worked through the tutorial I started up a campaign, but didn't get too far into it as it wasn't quite drawing me in at that moment in time. I hope to get into this a bit more in the future, but for now it might have to wait on the back burner.
I was also lucky enough to receive a League of Legends beta key recently. I honestly have little to no knowledge of League of Legends or what it's about other then what I've heard Ryan Scott on The Geekbox. He seemed to love the game, so I thought I might as well give it a try. I mean, it's in beta and it's free, why not? I played a teeny tiny bit of the game this weekend, but not enough to give any sort of honest review or opinion of it. Once again, hopefully getting more into this in the future.
The last thing I want to touch on in this post is my current urge to play a certain video game...Fallout 3. I started FO3, LOVED it and never finished it. This is my typical routine with most video games. Lately, I've really felt like I wanted to get back into it, but haven't actually started yet. I think the couple things that turned me off from FO3 was all the freakin' walking and some of the attacking mechanics. I always felt like even though my aim was on point at enemies, I always missed and this annoyed me. I suppose this is just something I need to overcome and hopefully in the new couple weeks I'll get back into this game and possibly finally beat it.
Monday, October 19, 2009
WAIP: October 19, 2009 - So Metal Edition
This past week was not exactly full of game playing but the stuff that I got in was quality gaming time. I finally popped the Tour of Duty II achievement in Battlefield 1943 and as a result I had really become quite good at the game. I had all but 8 of the 48 awards that you can get in the game so I really feel quite accomplished. I may play the game again closer to the BF: Bad Company 2 release but for now I feel like I can move on.
I was able to pick up Brütal Legend on Friday so I have been dipping my toes into the warm feeling of metal and rock and it feels great. The story, characters, gameplay, and humor are all amazing and I am having a lot of fun. I am determined to beat it throughout the week but that may or may not happen based on my work schedule.
I want to beat the game so that I can play Borderlands co-op with all of my friends. I am basically on board with this game because everyone around me wants to play it. I still have not really looked into the game and I am looking forward to being taken aback by Gearbox's most recent work.
I was able to pick up Brütal Legend on Friday so I have been dipping my toes into the warm feeling of metal and rock and it feels great. The story, characters, gameplay, and humor are all amazing and I am having a lot of fun. I am determined to beat it throughout the week but that may or may not happen based on my work schedule.
I want to beat the game so that I can play Borderlands co-op with all of my friends. I am basically on board with this game because everyone around me wants to play it. I still have not really looked into the game and I am looking forward to being taken aback by Gearbox's most recent work.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Mass Effect 2 Release Is Dated for January, Preorder Incentives Detailed
Let me just say that I NEEDED to write this post before I popped in my copy of Brutal Legend for the first time.
Mass Effect 2 has been dated for OFFICIAL release on January 26, 2010. This is the most exciting moment of the past month for me, I mean seriously, what else is happening? Oh other games are releasing... PSHHH... whatever.
But seriously folks I need clean underwear.
And that is not all. There will be Preorder incentives to go along with this stellar announcement.
For Gamestop audiences:
Mass Effect 2 has been dated for OFFICIAL release on January 26, 2010. This is the most exciting moment of the past month for me, I mean seriously, what else is happening? Oh other games are releasing... PSHHH... whatever.
But seriously folks I need clean underwear.
And that is not all. There will be Preorder incentives to go along with this stellar announcement.
For Gamestop audiences:
- The Terminus Armor which has increased run speed and can hold an extra clip of ammo
- The Blackstorm Heavy Weapon that creates a gravity well when you fire it
- The Inferno Armor which does a number of things that do not sound as cool as the other incentives
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Mass Effect Redeption Comic Preview
As the months fly by we are fast approaching the release of Mass Effect 2. We are closer approaching the release of the first issue of the Mass Effect: Redemption comic book series. The series is being co-written by Mac Walters and Jack Johnson Miller and the first issue drops on January 6th of 2010. For now though Dark Horse Comics have released a preview of the first seven pages to Comic Book Resources. You can find the preview here.It looks to be an interesting series that follows Dr. Liara T'Soni on a deadly mission through the Terminus Systems. It is a promised must read so I MUST READ it. Post thoughts in the comments.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: October 14, 2009
I've found most of my gaming time lately to be overwhelming. In the past month I have purchased 6 new games for my PC, thank you Direct 2 Drive sale! This influx in games and the ability to purchase them for cheap has been fantastic, but it has largely left me feeling overwhelmed. With my girlfriend up at college, I have a lot more time after work, but more often then not I find myself sitting at my PC or in front of my 360 trying to figure out what I feel like playing. You think this would be an easy decision, with so many choices, right? That's far from the truth. More often then not, I find myself unable to make an actual decisions so I end up watching TV or doing something else instead. It's an odd phenomenon considering I have more time then I've ever had to play, but I probably play less then I ever did. Oh life, why must you be so confusing?!
My most recent Direct2Drive purchases include Company of Heroes and World in Conflict. I've been itching from some RTS action lately and heard so many good things about Company of Heroes, that I had to pick it up. Thus far, I've completed the tutorial in COH and that's as far as I've gotten. The tutorial actual took a decent amount of time and also got me excited to play. I've always enjoyed RTSs, but I've also always never been that great at them. I tend to avoid any online gameplay as I will most likely get my ass handed to me, so I tend to just stick to the SP campaigns to avoid embarrassment. It's been a relatively effective strategy that has still given me hours upon hours of amusement.
I also got some brief playing time in for Battlefield: Bad Company. For no particular reason, I abandoned playing that game a while ago, even though I was so very close to the end. I've decided that I need to make a point to actually beat the game, since I tend to play through games and abandon them before completion. Getting back into playing it was...different. I had forgotten most of the controls and had left myself in a situation where I needed to relearn them rather quickly. I hope to get through this game before Christmas, but we shall see.
Finally, there's always the oldie, but the goodie and my normal staple: World of Warcraft. I FINALLY got myself into Wrath of the Lich King content. I only purchased the expansion, oh, a year ago? It's kind of sad, but I've finally been able to venture to Northrend and check out all the new content. I leveled to 69, so I'm inching my way closer to 80. My goal is to reach 80 before the next expansion comes out, but I don't see that being too difficult considering we're probably a year away from it's release.
My final note for this update, is a question for fellow gamers. Do you ever find gaming to be "work?" I've noticed that lately it's felt that way to me. I have a hard time playing just to play. More often then not, my brain says "OMG YOU HAVE ALL THESE GAMES, YOU NEED TO BEAT ALL OF THEM!" I think that's what has been my major turn off towards playing lately or the feeling that has left me uncertain as to what I should be playing. I've invested so much money in the last 6 months or so into games and I have more games then I could ever imagine that I have yet to beat or have barely played at all. I feel the need to play and beat all of them as to somehow justify my spending money on them. If I'm not playing them, I'm wasting my money, right? I need to abandon this idea and these feelings and get my head back into the game and play because I want to play and play because it's fun, not because I need to beat or play something I paid money for. I'm not quite certain how to rid myself of this feeling, however, considering I full understand why I feel the way I do, yet those feelings remain. It's a strange predicament to be in, to have so many games and so much more time, but to have that desire to play somewhat missing. I need to get it back, I'm just not sure how.
My most recent Direct2Drive purchases include Company of Heroes and World in Conflict. I've been itching from some RTS action lately and heard so many good things about Company of Heroes, that I had to pick it up. Thus far, I've completed the tutorial in COH and that's as far as I've gotten. The tutorial actual took a decent amount of time and also got me excited to play. I've always enjoyed RTSs, but I've also always never been that great at them. I tend to avoid any online gameplay as I will most likely get my ass handed to me, so I tend to just stick to the SP campaigns to avoid embarrassment. It's been a relatively effective strategy that has still given me hours upon hours of amusement.
I also got some brief playing time in for Battlefield: Bad Company. For no particular reason, I abandoned playing that game a while ago, even though I was so very close to the end. I've decided that I need to make a point to actually beat the game, since I tend to play through games and abandon them before completion. Getting back into playing it was...different. I had forgotten most of the controls and had left myself in a situation where I needed to relearn them rather quickly. I hope to get through this game before Christmas, but we shall see.
Finally, there's always the oldie, but the goodie and my normal staple: World of Warcraft. I FINALLY got myself into Wrath of the Lich King content. I only purchased the expansion, oh, a year ago? It's kind of sad, but I've finally been able to venture to Northrend and check out all the new content. I leveled to 69, so I'm inching my way closer to 80. My goal is to reach 80 before the next expansion comes out, but I don't see that being too difficult considering we're probably a year away from it's release.
My final note for this update, is a question for fellow gamers. Do you ever find gaming to be "work?" I've noticed that lately it's felt that way to me. I have a hard time playing just to play. More often then not, my brain says "OMG YOU HAVE ALL THESE GAMES, YOU NEED TO BEAT ALL OF THEM!" I think that's what has been my major turn off towards playing lately or the feeling that has left me uncertain as to what I should be playing. I've invested so much money in the last 6 months or so into games and I have more games then I could ever imagine that I have yet to beat or have barely played at all. I feel the need to play and beat all of them as to somehow justify my spending money on them. If I'm not playing them, I'm wasting my money, right? I need to abandon this idea and these feelings and get my head back into the game and play because I want to play and play because it's fun, not because I need to beat or play something I paid money for. I'm not quite certain how to rid myself of this feeling, however, considering I full understand why I feel the way I do, yet those feelings remain. It's a strange predicament to be in, to have so many games and so much more time, but to have that desire to play somewhat missing. I need to get it back, I'm just not sure how.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
WAIP: Rocktober 13, 2009: I Am Sans Brutal Legend Today
The headline for this post says it all... no Brutal Legend for Nate today. Friday will be the day (it is when I will have the money). I think that this is the first time funds have been in the way of me picking up a game in a long time but this bit of time will allow me to finish with Battlefield 1943 of which I only have one achievement left. I think I am coming close to the 100 matches required for the Tour of Duty II achievement. I would not know exactly because the Battlefield 1943 stats on the 1943 website are borked. Come on guys I know you have all of your efforts concentrated on BF Bad Company 2 but seriously, fix the f'in site.
It is possible that I will dabble in some Halo 3 ODST before Friday but it is hard to get a group for Firefight going.
Here is the television launch trailer for The Brutal Legends; if this does not excite you, you have no soul:
It is possible that I will dabble in some Halo 3 ODST before Friday but it is hard to get a group for Firefight going.
Here is the television launch trailer for The Brutal Legends; if this does not excite you, you have no soul:
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Reason You Do Not Want Matchmakng In Your ODSTs
I was talking about this topic on The 10PM Podcast with Mr. Jarvis Slacks and I thought you might find this little quote from Tycho of Penny Arcade interesting.
It still upsets me because it is not often that I can get a group together to play Firefight but that is never to say that I do not fully understand the decision.
There was some fallout regarding Bungie's decision not to open ODST's Firefight mode to matchmaking, but that may be one of the worst Goddamned ideas ever conceived, rivaling even Chocolate Covered Foreskins. The parallels here are instructive. Firefight in the absence of camaraderie would be masturbatory bot-grinding. Playing against your average Halo player is bad enough; playing with them may be the only thing less appealing.
It still upsets me because it is not often that I can get a group together to play Firefight but that is never to say that I do not fully understand the decision.
WAIP: October 8, 2009: Shoot Everything Edition
If you have become accustomed to my attention span in terms of how long I stay on one game then you know that it is odd for me to still be playing Halo 3 ODST and Battlefield 1943.
Yesterday I started the ODST campaign on solo Legendary and I must say that it is quite a challenge. After Heroic this does not feel like too much of a step but I think a lot of the time, especially on the Mombasa Streets (as the Rookie), you can avoid confrontation altogether. I am going to work my way through it slowly whilst continuing to play 1943.
I am working toward all 200 Gamerscore in Battlefield 1943 and I know that I am not far off. I have about forty matches left to go for the Tour of Duty II achievement and in that time span I am sure I will have attained the the Best Squad achievement. I think after that I will continue to chip away at Bad Company achievements until Bad Company 2 comes out.
I also tried out two arcade trials: Lucidity and the new South Park Tower Defense game that I do not feel like looking up the title for. Lucidity is fun, interesting and reminds me of Braid but I do not yet know if it is a purchase and South Park took me a while to get into but playing it with Cindy (my wife) was a blast so I am sure I am going to purchase that one.
Lastly, check out this awesome Bad Company 2 'Moments' trailer:
Yesterday I started the ODST campaign on solo Legendary and I must say that it is quite a challenge. After Heroic this does not feel like too much of a step but I think a lot of the time, especially on the Mombasa Streets (as the Rookie), you can avoid confrontation altogether. I am going to work my way through it slowly whilst continuing to play 1943.
I am working toward all 200 Gamerscore in Battlefield 1943 and I know that I am not far off. I have about forty matches left to go for the Tour of Duty II achievement and in that time span I am sure I will have attained the the Best Squad achievement. I think after that I will continue to chip away at Bad Company achievements until Bad Company 2 comes out.
I also tried out two arcade trials: Lucidity and the new South Park Tower Defense game that I do not feel like looking up the title for. Lucidity is fun, interesting and reminds me of Braid but I do not yet know if it is a purchase and South Park took me a while to get into but playing it with Cindy (my wife) was a blast so I am sure I am going to purchase that one.
Lastly, check out this awesome Bad Company 2 'Moments' trailer:
Friday, October 2, 2009
My Plans for Acquiring a PS3
Ladies and gentleman my days of owning just one console are numbered. While many of you know that I have had plans to purchase a PS3 it has only now become a viable option (price drop and job promotion - it is a gift from my wife). I am excited but I am also a bit taken aback and the reason for that is because I already have enough on my plate to play. Nevertheless this is what I am looking at in terms of games:
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (If I like the first one, which knowing recommendations and other various factors, I will)
- Flow and Flower
- The PixelJunk series
- LittleBigPlanet
- InFamous
- MLB: The Show
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Road To Recon: I Came Up With This Name Before It Was on Bungie.net (pt3)
My goal was to attain the Lightswitch Vidmaster before Halo 3 ODST came out and we all know how that turned out (but in case you did not know I'll talk more about it later in the post). Instead after ODST shipped I popped in the 'Complete Multiplayer Experience' disk and decided to hunt down the last three skulls so that I could have the Brainpan Vidmaster (Collect all of the Mythic Skulls from the maps: Heretic, Longshore, Citadel, Assembly, Sandbox, Orbital) and that is exactly what I did. This is also an easy 100 Gamerscore for those not hunting down the Recon armor. If you cannot find them all YouTube is your best friend and you should also be able to find a map on bungie.net that will help you easily nab the Sandbox skull.
On Wednesday I finally earned the Lightswitch Vidmaster which is awarded for attaining the rank of Lieutenant (50 EXP) in the new EXP system. It took long enough but my constant poking and prodding of the Rumble Pit playlist finally paid off. In my last run to gain the final three experience points I happened to get lucky enough that it took me twelve matches to gain the final three experience points and out of eight players in each match I only had to be in the top four. Somewhere in my head I knew what I needed and something unconsciously was going on to prevent me from getting there - that is my only excuse.
Lastly we have a for all intents and purposes an easy Vidmaster Achievement: Classic. All I had to do was boot up Uplift Reserve and drive the Warthog through the entire map without firing a shot (no Warthog horn either) or throwing a grenade. It did not matter that someone was in the gunner seat so if you are trying for this do not worry about it.
Today I may go for the Deja Vu Vidmaster but my primary goal today is to finish ODST on Legendary.
On Wednesday I finally earned the Lightswitch Vidmaster which is awarded for attaining the rank of Lieutenant (50 EXP) in the new EXP system. It took long enough but my constant poking and prodding of the Rumble Pit playlist finally paid off. In my last run to gain the final three experience points I happened to get lucky enough that it took me twelve matches to gain the final three experience points and out of eight players in each match I only had to be in the top four. Somewhere in my head I knew what I needed and something unconsciously was going on to prevent me from getting there - that is my only excuse.
Lastly we have a for all intents and purposes an easy Vidmaster Achievement: Classic. All I had to do was boot up Uplift Reserve and drive the Warthog through the entire map without firing a shot (no Warthog horn either) or throwing a grenade. It did not matter that someone was in the gunner seat so if you are trying for this do not worry about it.
Today I may go for the Deja Vu Vidmaster but my primary goal today is to finish ODST on Legendary.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
WAIP: September 30, 2009 - Firefighting Edition
This past week I had the distinct pleasure of playing through the ODST campaign and getting in a few rounds of Firefight.
What I really want to talk about is Firefight because it reminded me of a time when multiplayer gaming was the only thing that mattered to me.
A few afternoons ago I got together with my brother-in-law and a couple of other people on his friends list and we had a session that lasted just over an hour and a half. It was glorious. I was the point man, most of the time, trying to keep everyone on their game so that we could make it through the whole thing but alas my coaching was not good enough and in the end our lives ran down quickly and it was over before anyone knew what hit them.
The mistake made here is that enough of the folks that I was playing with did not care enough to kill the engineers first and because of that the enemies became increasingly impossible to kill. If someone asks you to kill the engineer and you find yourself closest whip out that overcharged plasma pistol and send a few shots right into their electrically charged, round, bodies - please.
What I really want to talk about is Firefight because it reminded me of a time when multiplayer gaming was the only thing that mattered to me.
A few afternoons ago I got together with my brother-in-law and a couple of other people on his friends list and we had a session that lasted just over an hour and a half. It was glorious. I was the point man, most of the time, trying to keep everyone on their game so that we could make it through the whole thing but alas my coaching was not good enough and in the end our lives ran down quickly and it was over before anyone knew what hit them.
The mistake made here is that enough of the folks that I was playing with did not care enough to kill the engineers first and because of that the enemies became increasingly impossible to kill. If someone asks you to kill the engineer and you find yourself closest whip out that overcharged plasma pistol and send a few shots right into their electrically charged, round, bodies - please.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
PC Gaming: From Physical to Digital
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.
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.
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.
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