This is amazing knowledge... I am going home and smashing my PC and 360 and giving up my deviant addiction...
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/03/11/sleep-therapist-says-gamers-are-like-cocaine-addicts.aspx
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Amateria is gonna have to help on this one.
I was equally surprised when I saw this yesterday, but this guy's article sums it up well.
With the Wii it makes sense because it's everywhere, but I only know 1 person with a Kinect.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Cloud Based Saved Games on PS3
Goes live tomorrow with an update! It's only for Playstation Plus members.
I had no idea that it was actually coming. Just figured it was corporate speak.
That is all.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Torchlight
Hey, guys, I saw that Torchlight is available March 9th on LIVE now. I've had this game for a while on Steam and it's pretty good. Well worth the money. I think I picked it up on sale for $10 (normally $20) and put about 30 hours into it before it became a little repititious. If you are a fan of action/RPGs in general, it's a good purchase. A little simplied and with only single-player but still a fun game. Lots of loot to pick, baddies to smash, etc.
Anyways, thought I'd post that up for anybody who was eyeing it. Peace.
Anyways, thought I'd post that up for anybody who was eyeing it. Peace.
Friday, March 4, 2011
BulletStorm - Game of the Year
Right... maybe if RockStar put their name on it.
It's hard to find a good starting point when talking about Bulletstorm. I feel like for everything I enjoyed in it, there is something that needs improved. It was a very enjoyable experience, albeit one that felt a little on the short side, but one I don't regret. I guess the standard Bullet (Storm.. haha... ugh..) list should suffice.
Good: A Fresh Approach to the Basics (in three parts)
In the times we live in it seems like first person shooters are a dime a dozen, and the quality of most reflects that. Even the best made and most successful releases at some point just feel like rehashings of older stuff (Halo, anyone?). Bulletstorm has really done a nice job trying to steer away from this seemingly inevitable trend. Adding in the pull and kick mechanic of the leash (which really allows you to get crazy with your actions) breaks up the monotony of running around and shooting things in the head... now you get to kick them first.
In addition to the leash mechanics, Epic added in a scoring system. This feels a little bit tacked on, but it works well enough. Scoring adds to the replay value (if you're into that sort of thing) because it becomes a challenge to try and beat buddy's scores, or just see what new you can do. It ranks the style of your kills based on what you did to achieve it. There is also a master list of all the different ways you can earn points by manipulating the bodies of your enemies, so if you get lost or feel like you are doing the same thing over and over, you know how to mix it up. At the end of the day, I don't find myself caring about the scoring system, but I think that's mainly because everyone ends up beating my scores on games in the end. The scoring, however, does get visually represented on the screen, which is nice. A regular kill will only pop up one little point value, but if you throw a room of dudes up in the air, then use your grenade launcher to detonate a bomb in the middle of all of them, the points will roll in, and it's a very rewarding sight to have your screen fill up with the points for the variations you've done.
The weapons also add to this fresh approach. The weapons are fairly unique as is, but the addition of a secondary fire function on all of them really makes it fun. The secondary fire is also different for every weapon - the pistol turns into something like a flare gun, the shotgun (which already has 4 barrels by the way), shoots a flaming mess about the map, and the sniper rifle turns into an active, controllable, directionally capable grenade. Using these secondary functions in conjunction with the leash is where it really gets interesting, and where the huge points really start rolling in, which is important - the points you accumulate are also what you use to buy ammo, charged shots for your secondary, upgrades to your leash, etc. Earning bigger points doesn't just earn you bragging rights, but gives you the ability to unlock the uber fun guns, which is ultimately why you bought the game, right?
Bad: The Language
I'm no stranger to a potty mouth. I've got one myself from time to time. I've watched the angry video game nerd. I've played Halo with 3N3MY. But nothing compares to the way these guys (and girl) just let it flow out of them. I'll give any character the chance to become likable to me by the end of the game, but it was a real chore giving these guys the benefit of the doubt when they seem to be using the F-Bomb every other word. There is a language filter, but it really doesn't help. The general attitude and demeanor of the dialogue still comes through, and some of it isn't different dialogue, just censored with a good old fashioned "bleep". The sad thing about it to me, is that some of the jokes and in game moments of the game are hilarious, and would be even funnier with a well placed F-Bomb, but the game is so indiscriminate on what warrants the foul language that it would be missed anyways.
Bad: A Narrow Experience
As much as Bulletstorm tries to break away from the norm by making a unique title, it ultimately feels like a very narrow experience. There isn't a coop campaign mode, and the multiplayer online is only a coop mode similar to horde mode (big surprise...) Every game has this issue to a degree - how do you make the multiplayer feel different from the campaign when it controls the exact same? How will coop campaign feel any different from a single player experience? Will it stay balanced?
I think the team behind Bulletstorm made the right choice to omit the stuff they did (like a true multiplayer) but they didn't really try to find anyway to add to the experience past the campaign. Even the challenge room modes (called Echoes) are just portions of the campaign levels with a timer. Give me something else, please... let me use different guns that I couldn't use in the campaign, or give me power ups, or the challenge of only using one type of gun. Bulletstorm's gameplay mechanics have an incredible amount of depth and nuance, but the overall experience does not.
Ridiculous: The Story and Characters
I'm not entirely sure anyone at Epic games actually knows what an emotion is, and I wish they would stop trying to put them into their games. Everything in this world (not unlike Gears of War, big surprise) is HUGE, and MASSIVE, and ANGRY, and VIOLENT... when everything is that over the top, regular human emotion becomes unbelievable because it doesn't fit. The makers try to make us feel for the main character, Grayson Hunt, but he just comes off through the whole campaign as a stupid douchebag, so it becomes hard to empathize with his redemptive struggle... unless of course in real life you actually are a stupid douchebag. Maybe I'm just not in the right demographic.
The Verdict:
I liked it. It was fun. I enjoy the coop mode a great deal. At the time of writing I have the best scores for all the Echo maps so far (I'm pretty sure Carpartz is the only one who played any others), and I look forward to getting better as a teammate in the horde mode. It's too easy and not rewarding enough to only get the little kills... working together to chalk up the big points as a team is where it's at. Give it a shot if you want something fresh and over-the-top, or something to give you a break from Call of Duty. Unless Call of Duty released that patch where you get a gun that's essentially a giant, flying drill, then by all means, continue.
It's hard to find a good starting point when talking about Bulletstorm. I feel like for everything I enjoyed in it, there is something that needs improved. It was a very enjoyable experience, albeit one that felt a little on the short side, but one I don't regret. I guess the standard Bullet (Storm.. haha... ugh..) list should suffice.
Good: A Fresh Approach to the Basics (in three parts)
In the times we live in it seems like first person shooters are a dime a dozen, and the quality of most reflects that. Even the best made and most successful releases at some point just feel like rehashings of older stuff (Halo, anyone?). Bulletstorm has really done a nice job trying to steer away from this seemingly inevitable trend. Adding in the pull and kick mechanic of the leash (which really allows you to get crazy with your actions) breaks up the monotony of running around and shooting things in the head... now you get to kick them first.
In addition to the leash mechanics, Epic added in a scoring system. This feels a little bit tacked on, but it works well enough. Scoring adds to the replay value (if you're into that sort of thing) because it becomes a challenge to try and beat buddy's scores, or just see what new you can do. It ranks the style of your kills based on what you did to achieve it. There is also a master list of all the different ways you can earn points by manipulating the bodies of your enemies, so if you get lost or feel like you are doing the same thing over and over, you know how to mix it up. At the end of the day, I don't find myself caring about the scoring system, but I think that's mainly because everyone ends up beating my scores on games in the end. The scoring, however, does get visually represented on the screen, which is nice. A regular kill will only pop up one little point value, but if you throw a room of dudes up in the air, then use your grenade launcher to detonate a bomb in the middle of all of them, the points will roll in, and it's a very rewarding sight to have your screen fill up with the points for the variations you've done.
The weapons also add to this fresh approach. The weapons are fairly unique as is, but the addition of a secondary fire function on all of them really makes it fun. The secondary fire is also different for every weapon - the pistol turns into something like a flare gun, the shotgun (which already has 4 barrels by the way), shoots a flaming mess about the map, and the sniper rifle turns into an active, controllable, directionally capable grenade. Using these secondary functions in conjunction with the leash is where it really gets interesting, and where the huge points really start rolling in, which is important - the points you accumulate are also what you use to buy ammo, charged shots for your secondary, upgrades to your leash, etc. Earning bigger points doesn't just earn you bragging rights, but gives you the ability to unlock the uber fun guns, which is ultimately why you bought the game, right?
Bad: The Language
I'm no stranger to a potty mouth. I've got one myself from time to time. I've watched the angry video game nerd. I've played Halo with 3N3MY. But nothing compares to the way these guys (and girl) just let it flow out of them. I'll give any character the chance to become likable to me by the end of the game, but it was a real chore giving these guys the benefit of the doubt when they seem to be using the F-Bomb every other word. There is a language filter, but it really doesn't help. The general attitude and demeanor of the dialogue still comes through, and some of it isn't different dialogue, just censored with a good old fashioned "bleep". The sad thing about it to me, is that some of the jokes and in game moments of the game are hilarious, and would be even funnier with a well placed F-Bomb, but the game is so indiscriminate on what warrants the foul language that it would be missed anyways.
Bad: A Narrow Experience
As much as Bulletstorm tries to break away from the norm by making a unique title, it ultimately feels like a very narrow experience. There isn't a coop campaign mode, and the multiplayer online is only a coop mode similar to horde mode (big surprise...) Every game has this issue to a degree - how do you make the multiplayer feel different from the campaign when it controls the exact same? How will coop campaign feel any different from a single player experience? Will it stay balanced?
I think the team behind Bulletstorm made the right choice to omit the stuff they did (like a true multiplayer) but they didn't really try to find anyway to add to the experience past the campaign. Even the challenge room modes (called Echoes) are just portions of the campaign levels with a timer. Give me something else, please... let me use different guns that I couldn't use in the campaign, or give me power ups, or the challenge of only using one type of gun. Bulletstorm's gameplay mechanics have an incredible amount of depth and nuance, but the overall experience does not.
Ridiculous: The Story and Characters
I'm not entirely sure anyone at Epic games actually knows what an emotion is, and I wish they would stop trying to put them into their games. Everything in this world (not unlike Gears of War, big surprise) is HUGE, and MASSIVE, and ANGRY, and VIOLENT... when everything is that over the top, regular human emotion becomes unbelievable because it doesn't fit. The makers try to make us feel for the main character, Grayson Hunt, but he just comes off through the whole campaign as a stupid douchebag, so it becomes hard to empathize with his redemptive struggle... unless of course in real life you actually are a stupid douchebag. Maybe I'm just not in the right demographic.
The Verdict:
I liked it. It was fun. I enjoy the coop mode a great deal. At the time of writing I have the best scores for all the Echo maps so far (I'm pretty sure Carpartz is the only one who played any others), and I look forward to getting better as a teammate in the horde mode. It's too easy and not rewarding enough to only get the little kills... working together to chalk up the big points as a team is where it's at. Give it a shot if you want something fresh and over-the-top, or something to give you a break from Call of Duty. Unless Call of Duty released that patch where you get a gun that's essentially a giant, flying drill, then by all means, continue.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Anyone heard of this game?
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Even the user reviews are phenomenal...which is hard to believe.
I've read a good many things about it while looking at other gaming news. Just found it on Steam accidentally for 50% off.
I remember an editor in GameInformer was raving about it and said it's the scariest game he's ever played. Then the following issue I found a "letter to the editor" by a reader and he thanked the guy for writing about it in the magazine.
Up to this point Doom 3 is the scariest game I've ever played and I don't say that lightly. I've played a ton of tense games and only a handful of truly scary ones.
Looks like I'll be pooping my pants this weekend as I can't pass up a deal this good on what is supposed to be an excellent game.
When will SEGA get with it and die?
Sonic The Hedgehog has been raped....a lot. The raping has been given to him by none other than his makers and I for one just want everything Sonic to die.
I can't stand seeing him in every game SEGA shoves out it's doors anymore. SEGA's games, while not all bad, have taken a huge hit in quality since the fall of the Dreamcast.
I bring this up now because I just read this and it severely annoys me. On top of that I read an interview, in GameInformer, a couple months back with one of the top guys from SEGA talking about their past failings and how they want to do better. I thought the interview was great and it excited me at the time, but I just don't think SEGA has the ability, desire or guts to stop sucking.
All their Marvel movie game tie ins are garbage. They don't have to be bad. An Iron-Man based video game could be really awesome, but good luck trying to get them to put in the effort.
What's even more annoying is that at the same time Sonic 4 released a fan made HD remake and updated visual style of Sonic 2 was released for free and it was made by 2 guys and it's far better visually than what SEGA pushed out.
SEGA publishes some good games, but they don't make them. Games like Bayonetta, Vanquish and the awesome Condemned series are fully realized gritty games with a lot of heart and effort put into them.
I guess I'm just tired of SEGA getting a free pass because they're SEGA as shown in the last line of the linked story:
"Despite years of setbacks, we're willing to give Sega the benefit of the doubt."
How many more years will we keep buying their crap? At least when Nintendo whores out Mario and Link they put in a great effort.
If any other game company put out this many poor games they'd have sunk years ago.
Quit cashing in on nostalgia and make something new and good or when you make a retro Sonic make it longer than a couple hours and don't charge 15 bucks for it.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Spring Gaming
Hey, I have pre-ordered Homefront and Brink, for PC on Steam, so I will be playing those on day one. Homefront is out the 15th, I think, and Brink comes out sometime in May. Just to let anyone know who is keeping an eye on those games, I'll try and post up some quick reviews when they come out... If they are awesome, you can buy them, or if they suck, only one of us has to waste out money. :D
I'm buying Homefront for the story and SP but I'll probably give the MP a try as well. And Brink I'm getting for the team-oriented MP and customization.
And I'll be getting Lego Star Wars III on the 22nd, of course, since I'm a Lego fan... the demo was fun times... :P
I'm buying Homefront for the story and SP but I'll probably give the MP a try as well. And Brink I'm getting for the team-oriented MP and customization.
And I'll be getting Lego Star Wars III on the 22nd, of course, since I'm a Lego fan... the demo was fun times... :P
Saturday, February 26, 2011
And I Thought PC Gaming Was Expensive
Thought this was an interesting article, since I spent so much on my Alienware... sometimes you don't realize all the hidden costs of the "extra" items. I read this and started calculating all the additional items for my gaming, on PC and 360. It adds up... :P
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/02/24/hidden-costs-of-gaming.aspx
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/02/24/hidden-costs-of-gaming.aspx
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Steam
I've been a gamer as long as I can remember. The earliest system I remember playing a lot was Coleco. I actually had an Atari 2600 before that and remember playing it, but it wasn't till Coleco that I remember consciously going back and playing again and again cause I loved it.
I spent a good portion of my young life playing games on the PC. Star Wars: Rebel Assault was a good one, but it was MDK and MechWarrior 2 that showed me what gaming could be and The Neverhood that proved games can be funny, touching, silly and serious.
My parents never bought me a Nintendo anything until the 64 and Turbo Grafx 16 was a gamer's paradise until they all started epic failing and the company went broke.
After that it was Sega Genesis and then PC gaming.
I spent a good portion of my young life playing games on the PC. Star Wars: Rebel Assault was a good one, but it was MDK and MechWarrior 2 that showed me what gaming could be and The Neverhood that proved games can be funny, touching, silly and serious.
After my parents PC couldn't play new games anymore it was on to the 64 and then GameCube and then the XBOX and then 360 and then PS3 and now with the revelation (late to the party and a revelation to me at least) of Steam I'm back to PC gaming.
I've recently come into the possession of a brand new decently powerful 17 inch laptop that runs pretty new games well.
Left 4 Dead is a game that I would love to come over to the PS3, but since there seems to be no signs of that ever happening I realized that maybe my new laptop could do it. I looked up the minimum specs and everything was in place. Everything required my computer had in spades....except for the graphics card. It's some junk no brand name internal thing and I was worried that it might not run.
With some comfort from Juniper I took the plunge and downloaded L4D and it works awesome! I now have access to literally hundreds and hundreds of extra maps at no charge! The game was just given legs way past what Microsoft or Sony would ever allow!
Needless to say I've been having a blast playing on the PC again and I wish you guys would jump in too....at least for the shit ton of L4D user created boards.
Since I had some birthday money left over I purchased Mass Effect 1 and 2 off of Steam for 40 bucks total! A used copy for the PS3 would run 50 bucks and I'd still have to pay the 15 buck activation for the DLC because I got a used copy.
Bottom line is that I'm really looking forward to diving headfirst into some more serious games over the next several months and with the revelation of how great, easy to use and customer friendly Steam is I'm seriously considering plunking down the cash (if all goes well with my new work that is) to get a respectable gaming desktop.
Juniper has been right all along about Steam and thanks to his nonstop talking about how great PC gaming and Steam is I'm glad to say he had a large part in me at least giving it a shot again.
Steam is very awesome and honestly it works a lot like the 360 and PS3 Dashboards except a lot more versatile.
That is all.
or is it?!
P.S. I'm shocked at how much better L4D looks on a PC. I mean it's common sense that the PC games look better than the consoles, but seriously there are many games that look better on the 360 than the PC version of L4D. You can actually see your legs on PC.
P.P.S. Something that's always bugged me about console games is that there can be a startling amount of "jaggies." I wasn't looking for them, but it just stands out to me how much less of a problem it is on the PC.
P.P.P.S. This is not meant to start a flame war. I'm just excited to have a machine that has the ability to do these things.
That is finally all.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Zelda is 25!
In honor of The Legend of Zelda's 25th Anniversary, I feel that I am required to share this video. Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Current/Upcoming Games and 3D
Just FYI, Hard Corps: Uprising hit the XBLA today. It is Contra in everything but name. Same music, same run-and-gun 2 player coop, weapon power-ups, etc. I was going to wait and get this game on the PSN due to the Dualshock having a better d-pad, but after playing the demo this morning on Live, I have no problem with the stick. I don't want to wait, since I still haven't heard a release date for PSN, plus I've been sitting on 2400 points for a while waiting for something to buy.
Also, I traded out Black Ops this week and put my trade-in credit towards Bulletstorm on the 360. Crazy, over-the-top FPS with skill kills and an interesting scoring system. I loved the demo and the game has a 4-player coop mode. I've tried to convince some of you to get it, but nobody seems to be sold. Maybe it's just because you didn't like it, or maybe it's for financial reasons, which is fine. I'm just putting it out there that I'll have it so if anyone wants to join me, that would be sweet. It releases on the 22nd, but I won't be able to pick it up until the 25th because I'll be out of town on a work trip.
And finally, 3D in games. I read some articles a few months back about how 3D in Call of Duty: Black Ops wasn't all that terrible. I tried it out in that game, but since it was on the 360 it wasn't really a "true" 3D, so I withheld judgment. However, I have now tried out the 3D in the Killzone 3 beta, and I have to say that I'm not really a fan. I don't know the ins and outs of 3D that well, but it just seems that when I flip on the 3D feature, the game instantly loses resolution and the colors become muted somehow, losing their vibrancy. I haven't played enough to see how long I can go before I get a headache. It seems inevitable, though, since it does seem to put a weird strain on your vision. You get a little bit more of a sense of depth, but it just really does not seem to be worth all the hoopla. I don't see it catching on.
Also, I traded out Black Ops this week and put my trade-in credit towards Bulletstorm on the 360. Crazy, over-the-top FPS with skill kills and an interesting scoring system. I loved the demo and the game has a 4-player coop mode. I've tried to convince some of you to get it, but nobody seems to be sold. Maybe it's just because you didn't like it, or maybe it's for financial reasons, which is fine. I'm just putting it out there that I'll have it so if anyone wants to join me, that would be sweet. It releases on the 22nd, but I won't be able to pick it up until the 25th because I'll be out of town on a work trip.
And finally, 3D in games. I read some articles a few months back about how 3D in Call of Duty: Black Ops wasn't all that terrible. I tried it out in that game, but since it was on the 360 it wasn't really a "true" 3D, so I withheld judgment. However, I have now tried out the 3D in the Killzone 3 beta, and I have to say that I'm not really a fan. I don't know the ins and outs of 3D that well, but it just seems that when I flip on the 3D feature, the game instantly loses resolution and the colors become muted somehow, losing their vibrancy. I haven't played enough to see how long I can go before I get a headache. It seems inevitable, though, since it does seem to put a weird strain on your vision. You get a little bit more of a sense of depth, but it just really does not seem to be worth all the hoopla. I don't see it catching on.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Updating... Please Wait...
Although I'm sure I could google a quick solution to this quandary, I also want to vent. Why, tell me why, does my PS3 update every single time I do something with it. I know I don't game on it as much as some people, but I feel like every time I play, watch, try, move, download something, my PS3 needs to restart and update. And I know it's not just me - I was playing with 3N3MY the other night, and we decided to hop into the Killzone 3 Beta, and it updated on us. Not a quick install, not a loading screen for the menu (both of those were there too, rest assured) but a full blown, let me sit there, don't you dare shut me off while I'm thinking, update.
I can't help but notice that my 360 does this maybe once or twice a year. I'm not using this as flame bait, but as a comparable example. I know the PS3 infrastructure is very different from the 360, but could it possibly be that different? My mac doesn't even get updates this frequently, and I feel like there is a new version of itunes every week. Gah.
I can't help but notice that my 360 does this maybe once or twice a year. I'm not using this as flame bait, but as a comparable example. I know the PS3 infrastructure is very different from the 360, but could it possibly be that different? My mac doesn't even get updates this frequently, and I feel like there is a new version of itunes every week. Gah.
Monday, February 14, 2011
When playing feels like work...
Alright, so the title of this post is probably a little misleading, because in truth, I'm talking about actual work... like a job or vocation. There are games that feel like work, and some games require a great deal of effort to get through, but I'm talking very specifically here.
Working at a game store, I get privileges to check out used copies of games to try out. This not only allows me to expand my tastes, but also inadvertently makes me more knowledgeable to what else is out there, so I am able to speak/sell confidently about products that I may not have purchased myself, otherwise. I used to love to take advantage of this, but lately (and by lately I mean, the better part of 18 months) I've just felt so burned. I spend all my energy at work talking about games, getting excited about upcoming titles so that customers will share in my excitement, that when I get home, I don't feel like playing... nothing new, anyways. I always have my constants I go back to, but I go because they are familiar, and don't require any effort on my part. Halo, Pokemon, Zelda, Mario, Call of Duty, even... fun titles to be sure, but in reality, these are the games I trust.
In short, anyone know where I can get a new job, if for nothing else so I can enjoy gaming for gaming's sake again? Ir is it all like this no matter the career? I have plenty of friends who game almost exclusively in multiplayer on COD, and their careers have nothing to do with games. And when I talk to them about why/how they play what they do, it all seems laced with similar undertones like my own. After a long day, something familiar and comfortable is a more natural choice than something new and unknown, as beneficial as the unknown may be.... Food for thought.
Side note: I've started reading the new Halo novel, Halo: Cryptum, which is the first part of a three book series surrounding the forerunners. As lost as I am in this world (seriously, not much makes sense yet) I am enjoying it, aside from one detail I don't ever expect to have worked out - why would the forerunners call themselves that? The story (so far) has been written in the first person perspective of one of the forerunners interacting with some humans, but he refers to himself and his species as forerunners... I haven't read all the Halo novels before this one, but am I missing something?
Working at a game store, I get privileges to check out used copies of games to try out. This not only allows me to expand my tastes, but also inadvertently makes me more knowledgeable to what else is out there, so I am able to speak/sell confidently about products that I may not have purchased myself, otherwise. I used to love to take advantage of this, but lately (and by lately I mean, the better part of 18 months) I've just felt so burned. I spend all my energy at work talking about games, getting excited about upcoming titles so that customers will share in my excitement, that when I get home, I don't feel like playing... nothing new, anyways. I always have my constants I go back to, but I go because they are familiar, and don't require any effort on my part. Halo, Pokemon, Zelda, Mario, Call of Duty, even... fun titles to be sure, but in reality, these are the games I trust.
In short, anyone know where I can get a new job, if for nothing else so I can enjoy gaming for gaming's sake again? Ir is it all like this no matter the career? I have plenty of friends who game almost exclusively in multiplayer on COD, and their careers have nothing to do with games. And when I talk to them about why/how they play what they do, it all seems laced with similar undertones like my own. After a long day, something familiar and comfortable is a more natural choice than something new and unknown, as beneficial as the unknown may be.... Food for thought.
Side note: I've started reading the new Halo novel, Halo: Cryptum, which is the first part of a three book series surrounding the forerunners. As lost as I am in this world (seriously, not much makes sense yet) I am enjoying it, aside from one detail I don't ever expect to have worked out - why would the forerunners call themselves that? The story (so far) has been written in the first person perspective of one of the forerunners interacting with some humans, but he refers to himself and his species as forerunners... I haven't read all the Halo novels before this one, but am I missing something?
Thursday, February 10, 2011
What the hell will Kotick whore out now?
Apparently Activision head dude, Bobby Kotick, realized he's driven the plastic instrument genre into the ground and is firing pretty much all the Guitar Hero staff.
I truly feel for those guys that are about the join the unemployment lines, but what really stings is the new that the newest True Crime game got canned too! Bummer cause I was really looking forward to it and there were already some neat trailers out that showed like the game was far along in developement.
Kotick is a retard because he's cutting good games without giving them a chance while not empowering new ideas or IPs. This type of management can only run for so long until it collapses because all he really has left is CoD and honestly I'm CoD'ied out and I think the general public is getting there, too. I got rid of Black Ops and have zero desire to buy or play another one.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Playstation Plus
Alright I'm going to say it and I expect to get some heat for it, but oh well.
I'm a Playstation Plus guy. I know I've shouted from the rooftops about how crappy the XBOX Live Gold Membership is, but Playstation Plus actually seemed like a good deal and honestly....it's a phenomenal deal.
I got it after I read that article I posted a while back that got me called a "fanboy." In it the writer said that Playstation Plus is a lot like Costco or Sam's Club. It's a subscription based service where you get a ton of stuff discounted or totally free. If you're not aware it's $50 bucks a year.
Already I've gotten over $100 dollars worth of stuff for free and I've had it a month.
Below is a list of what I can remember/find on my PS3 that I've gotten for free. Keep in mind that this isn't a total list of free items. They are always taking stuff out and putting new stuff in.
All 5 Sam and Max episodes = $35 bucks/This is a series I've always wanted to try.
Lead and Gold = $15 bucks/I wanted this game since it launched. It's like a 3rd person Team Fortress
Digger HD $10 bucks
Mini Games: Karimogi, Hero of Sparta, Fieldrunners, Pipe Madness and A Space Shooter for 2 Bucks! $10-$15 bucks and all are playable on my PSP as well.
PSOne Games that are all playable on my PSP: Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2, CTR: Crash Team Racing $21 bucks
Possibly my favorite download just happened.....Stacked, the new Tim Schafer game. $15 bucks.
Add in over 10 themes that are $2-$3 bucks a pop and I've more than earned my money back.
The thing that bothers me is that I didn't sign up sooner. Originally, the Wipeout HD game was free so I can only imagine what else I've missed cause that game is $20 bucks.
True you have to keep Playstation Plus year after year to always keep the games, but this is just the tip of the iceberg and it's already huge savings. Now a lot of the games I'm too busy for right now and not to mention the stuff I haven't got cause I'm not interested or cause the games suck, but this is the type of yearly based subscription I can get behind. A "club" with a low cost compared to what you get....especially when it's something I'm interested in, I'm looking at you Live Music player on LIVE or 1vs100 or ESPN Redzone.
I also just read that Sony is in the works of allowing Playstation Plus members to back up their harddrive saves to their servers in a "cloud" based system. This is good news cause if my drive ever fails I'll be covered.
This post is an absolute mess so sorry for the poor format and errors and all, but I only had a couple minutes to squeeze this out cause just seeing that Stacking was on there for free just gave me a big hard one.
P.S. There's always half priced deals on here too that aren't available to everyone else.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The Darkness 2!
Will suck!
I love the first Darkness game. It's gritty and epic and twisted and amazingly well crafted. It's another game that takes the standard brainless FPS formula and turns it on it's head. The reason it rocks so hard is because the amazingly badass Starbreeze studios developed it. Unfortunately that studio is no longer around, but from what I've read it's pretty much still intact with all the talent it's just under another studio name that I can't remember at the moment.
Anyways, I just read that The Darkness 2 is coming out, but I was sad to see that Digital Extremes is making it. DE sucks....big time. They've yet to make a shooter that was anything above boring or "I guess it's okay" status. The only game that they really have a claim to was the original Unreal, but that was a long time ago and Epic helped.
So I was excited for a moment and then my dreams were dashed. Oh well...I'll just keep replaying the original.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Game Informer, Skyrim, and BF3
Since Game Informer was getting first dibs on Battlefield 3 information, I decided to stop by (get it???) my local Gamestop and purchase it. Turns out it's the March issue but I saw the Skyrim issue and picked that up with my subscription. $6 per magazine as opposed to $16 for the subscription? Of course I want the subscription...
Anyways, the Skyrim info was amazing. I know some of you won't want to hear it this far ahead of time but the game sounds amazing... and the screenshots looked incredible.
(DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT INFO) I like the idea of the skills you use leveling you up, no matter which ones you use. You can really craft your own class. Plus they are adding perks (similar to Fallout) which is a part of leveling that I definitely enjoy. Lack of HUD, fighting dragons, reorganized inventory and menu system, skill specific quests, and the list goes on to make this an incredible game.
With the release of Skyrim, potentially Diablo III, and Battlefield 3 this fall, there goes my life. Those 3 combined can easily eat up hundreds of hours...
Considering I put 845 hours into Battlefield 2 and 605 into Battlefield 2142, Battlefield 3 could potentially destroy my life...
Anyways, the Skyrim info was amazing. I know some of you won't want to hear it this far ahead of time but the game sounds amazing... and the screenshots looked incredible.
(DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT INFO) I like the idea of the skills you use leveling you up, no matter which ones you use. You can really craft your own class. Plus they are adding perks (similar to Fallout) which is a part of leveling that I definitely enjoy. Lack of HUD, fighting dragons, reorganized inventory and menu system, skill specific quests, and the list goes on to make this an incredible game.
With the release of Skyrim, potentially Diablo III, and Battlefield 3 this fall, there goes my life. Those 3 combined can easily eat up hundreds of hours...
Considering I put 845 hours into Battlefield 2 and 605 into Battlefield 2142, Battlefield 3 could potentially destroy my life...
Friday, February 4, 2011
Confessions of a Halo Fanboy
A while back many of us were having a discussion during a game of Call of Duty (I can't remember which one, which will further my point later in this post) about why we were enjoying COD over Halo. COD had stolen our hearts away, showed us the light, and gave us killstreaks. It's like they tapped into the part of my brain that loves to cause destruction and they put it in a playable format. At the time, the phrase "my first shooter" was used to describe Halo's gameplay, design, and overall look. Looking back, and openly admitting that I loved my time in any of the multiplayer experiences I had with friends, I couldn't have been more wrong when I agreed with that comment. (For the sake of discussion, this article will be referring to Call of Duty Black Ops, and Halo Reach unless otherwise noted).
Reasons why I love Halo
1. Sense of Team - I think Halo does team gameplay better than any other shooter on the market to date. There are a number of reasons this could be, but at the end of the day, I've never felt more on a team in Halo games. Even the original one. Free-for-fall games and team slayer games felt intrinsically different. The COD series all feel so jumbled and busy. That's not always a bad thing, but when everyplayer is fighting for their own selfish kills, so they can get their own selfish killstreaks, the "team" that wins is the team who had the best players, not the team that worked together. We usually played objective based games in the older Halo's anyways, but even the most chaotic fight out there still had a sense of cooperation for me.
2. Objectives - I'll openly admit that I haven't given the objective playlists in COD a fair shake like I have with Halo, but my experience with them has been miserable. It seems like all the objective stuff in COD has to do with bringing something someplace AND killing the other team. It's that big AND that frustrates me. The objective isn't the only goal, which distracts from the point of an objective gametype. Domination, if it can be called an objective gametype, is probably the closest fit out there, but I think it's because everything happens so fast and close together, the objective is barely noticeable.
Halo, on the other hand, rewards players with a strong focus on the objective. A player is rewarded with communication and teamwork. Counter to COD, killing isn't always the best option. Letting the enemy attack your base for a while could allow some sneaky guys to get in and get the flag unopposed. I'm sure that COD could be played with that level of coordination, but the general feeling and aesthetic aren't nearly as conducive to it.
3. Films/Photos - Hey, look what COD took from Halo! Obviously, both games now have a film and and photo mode, but I'm gonna go on a fanboy limb and say that Halo's is overall better (and if any of my reasons are wrong, do correct me). Halo's has a vertical navigation that makes capturing that perfect angle easier than ever before. Halo automatically tags photos of you that are connected to your gamertag, which makes it fun (and sometimes humiliating) to take photos and post them online. Bungie.net support allows the players to come in and download high res versions of their photos for personal use. The only thing COD has is the ability to string clips together with a crude editing system, a function that is cool in and of itself, but frustrating as all get out to use with their other tools.
4. Map/Game Editor - This one might not be the biggest selling point for some, but the level of control Bungie has released to the player in their map editor is disturbing. They've blessed the player with a fantastic selection of items to use, reached out to the fans of older halo games and included full set pieces to recreate favored structures and maps, and given the game editing tools to change how gametypes work on the players own terms. I sometimes wish I was more deeply involved in the custom game community due to all the possibilities. I'll post photos of my own map, and maybe videos of it in gameplay sometime.
The map editor also allows bungie to rexamine their game all the time, and not have to release full patches of the game - removing or moving items and weapons, changing gametype set-ups, and anything else they need to do, is all updated through the playlists, not the software (in other words, due to it being integrated into the game, no one needs to download additional elements or information since it's already there!) This leads to my next point...
5. Post Launch Support - I can't think of a game studio who gives more post launch support than Bungie. Additional maps (both free and of value), new gametypes, new playlists, an array of challenges to always be looking for. Maybe Epic Studios, but do all those updates and game fixes really count?
6. Character Creation - Another one that probably isn't the biggest deal, but as a dabbler of game philosophy, I really appreciate it. I think it's amazing how people can interact in a digital world. Lead Salad's facebook has recently posted photos of me - well, it's Halo me, but anyone who plays with me knows that there is no difference - that is me, avatar or not. When he and I or anyone else interact in this virtual world, it's us. (Even without the pretentious reasons, it's really fun to customize your guy and make him cool to your own liking).
7. Well-rounded - I won't bother listing everything here, but Halo is really well-rounded too. You could have that game for a few weeks, and besides everything being shooting based gameplay, you could play a different style of game, with a different goal and objective every day. Where's the coop campaign Black Ops?
Things I don't like so much (to be fair)...
- Grenades work like stink bombs, causing not much more of an irritation to the enemy.
- Armor lock - I won't even bother... actually, most of the armor abilities big me, but that's just a big one. Hopelessly broken...
- No ranking system for matchmaking - The leveling up system has nothing to do with player skill or ability, so sometimes the matchups online feel unfair. Fortunately the times it feels unfair are generally balanced out with times it feels unfair in your favor. (and anyone playing a sysmetrical CTF games against my brother and me will always feel like they got robbed!)
Feel free to respond... or just read it... or don't. I felt like writing something and this one's been on my mind due to a conversation I had with a buddy from my church. Heck, I still play COD - Black Ops is (statistically speaking) the COD game I've been the best at so far. And nothing is as smooth as COD on the consoles control wise. That still won't keep me from loving Halo. Peace, brothers.
Reasons why I love Halo
1. Sense of Team - I think Halo does team gameplay better than any other shooter on the market to date. There are a number of reasons this could be, but at the end of the day, I've never felt more on a team in Halo games. Even the original one. Free-for-fall games and team slayer games felt intrinsically different. The COD series all feel so jumbled and busy. That's not always a bad thing, but when everyplayer is fighting for their own selfish kills, so they can get their own selfish killstreaks, the "team" that wins is the team who had the best players, not the team that worked together. We usually played objective based games in the older Halo's anyways, but even the most chaotic fight out there still had a sense of cooperation for me.
2. Objectives - I'll openly admit that I haven't given the objective playlists in COD a fair shake like I have with Halo, but my experience with them has been miserable. It seems like all the objective stuff in COD has to do with bringing something someplace AND killing the other team. It's that big AND that frustrates me. The objective isn't the only goal, which distracts from the point of an objective gametype. Domination, if it can be called an objective gametype, is probably the closest fit out there, but I think it's because everything happens so fast and close together, the objective is barely noticeable.
Halo, on the other hand, rewards players with a strong focus on the objective. A player is rewarded with communication and teamwork. Counter to COD, killing isn't always the best option. Letting the enemy attack your base for a while could allow some sneaky guys to get in and get the flag unopposed. I'm sure that COD could be played with that level of coordination, but the general feeling and aesthetic aren't nearly as conducive to it.
3. Films/Photos - Hey, look what COD took from Halo! Obviously, both games now have a film and and photo mode, but I'm gonna go on a fanboy limb and say that Halo's is overall better (and if any of my reasons are wrong, do correct me). Halo's has a vertical navigation that makes capturing that perfect angle easier than ever before. Halo automatically tags photos of you that are connected to your gamertag, which makes it fun (and sometimes humiliating) to take photos and post them online. Bungie.net support allows the players to come in and download high res versions of their photos for personal use. The only thing COD has is the ability to string clips together with a crude editing system, a function that is cool in and of itself, but frustrating as all get out to use with their other tools.
4. Map/Game Editor - This one might not be the biggest selling point for some, but the level of control Bungie has released to the player in their map editor is disturbing. They've blessed the player with a fantastic selection of items to use, reached out to the fans of older halo games and included full set pieces to recreate favored structures and maps, and given the game editing tools to change how gametypes work on the players own terms. I sometimes wish I was more deeply involved in the custom game community due to all the possibilities. I'll post photos of my own map, and maybe videos of it in gameplay sometime.
The map editor also allows bungie to rexamine their game all the time, and not have to release full patches of the game - removing or moving items and weapons, changing gametype set-ups, and anything else they need to do, is all updated through the playlists, not the software (in other words, due to it being integrated into the game, no one needs to download additional elements or information since it's already there!) This leads to my next point...
5. Post Launch Support - I can't think of a game studio who gives more post launch support than Bungie. Additional maps (both free and of value), new gametypes, new playlists, an array of challenges to always be looking for. Maybe Epic Studios, but do all those updates and game fixes really count?
6. Character Creation - Another one that probably isn't the biggest deal, but as a dabbler of game philosophy, I really appreciate it. I think it's amazing how people can interact in a digital world. Lead Salad's facebook has recently posted photos of me - well, it's Halo me, but anyone who plays with me knows that there is no difference - that is me, avatar or not. When he and I or anyone else interact in this virtual world, it's us. (Even without the pretentious reasons, it's really fun to customize your guy and make him cool to your own liking).
7. Well-rounded - I won't bother listing everything here, but Halo is really well-rounded too. You could have that game for a few weeks, and besides everything being shooting based gameplay, you could play a different style of game, with a different goal and objective every day. Where's the coop campaign Black Ops?
Things I don't like so much (to be fair)...
- Grenades work like stink bombs, causing not much more of an irritation to the enemy.
- Armor lock - I won't even bother... actually, most of the armor abilities big me, but that's just a big one. Hopelessly broken...
- No ranking system for matchmaking - The leveling up system has nothing to do with player skill or ability, so sometimes the matchups online feel unfair. Fortunately the times it feels unfair are generally balanced out with times it feels unfair in your favor. (and anyone playing a sysmetrical CTF games against my brother and me will always feel like they got robbed!)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Feel free to respond... or just read it... or don't. I felt like writing something and this one's been on my mind due to a conversation I had with a buddy from my church. Heck, I still play COD - Black Ops is (statistically speaking) the COD game I've been the best at so far. And nothing is as smooth as COD on the consoles control wise. That still won't keep me from loving Halo. Peace, brothers.
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