So Smash is out in Japan now... well sorta. Lots of shortages and so on...
but damn it is one full game. I mean if you only get one game on a system it should be a game as full of goodies as Smash. The replay value of that game looks to be at least 3 years.
Devil May Cry 4 is out next week and I am hotly anticipating it. the demo got me started. But now i need the full thing.
The Club has me intrigued, but i'll wait for reactions before i personally jump on board.
Mario Galaxy is down the pipe now (if you will allow that), so the review will be up as soon as I finish my Patriotic War Term Paper Outline (thats all you'll hear of it, i dont want to make this a blog about my personal life, but its about Kursk if anyone cares).
Put some more hours into the Witcher, its still a long ass game, so I'm guessing the review will be done in about 3 months or so. Probably after finals sometime, given the current pace.
Also Burnout: Paradise. Hot damn thats a good racing game if you like Arcade racing games. I'll get a review of that up soon as possible also. lots of interesting things, and many new features that i hope other games implement in the future (albeit with some changes).
GTA4 is dated for an April release. To which i say whoop-dee-frack'n-dah. I thought the first 2 were unique odd games, but the others all just suffered from horrid controls and poor implementation. Granted I've heard GTA4 is suppose to address those concerns. I just find it hard to care about sandbox games... I dont have the time to dump into those kinds of games. The only sandbox games that interest me are the utter brilliance of a Will Wright game... Spore... mmmmm i shall create life in its most horrific form ever... oh yes. I shall. I shall them "Shazoomzles"...
thats enough.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Still Alive
Simply lacking focus at the moment. I'll post a new review of a game as soon as finish The Witcher or Galaxy. (Galaxy is likely to be first, since i'm pretty much done it, just want to play all the levels a good amount before I finish off Bowser) Also I've begun playing Zack and Wiki, so expect a review of that at some point also.
Smash Bros Brawl being delayed is sad, but it doesnt bother me too much. Devil May 4 is out on in early Feb, so that'll do until Smash comes in March. The Witcher review wont be done for a long time. Game is super long, and i dont want to rush through it. Its suppose to be like 80 hours and i've got around 20-40 i think.
And now that school is back I have to manage my time so that my classes doesnt suffer. Which means even more time for reviews, but oh well. I'm pretty sure no one reads this anyways. Its just for me to keep writing, which is important for me.
Any other news i could comment on? Microsoft gives Undertow away for free next week. Thats cool, i wanted to try the game but didnt want to spend $15. (I think its $15, MS points make no sense to me)
So yea, Hope my lack of posts hasnt offended my non-existent followers, but real life is taking over.
I'll try to at least make a post a week. But no promises. In 3 weeks the pace will have slowed a little bit (i think, it might not have, but my classes look like i have a slight break between weeks 5 and 8, so That might be when i get some more game stuff up for sure)
I digress.
Ciao.
Smash Bros Brawl being delayed is sad, but it doesnt bother me too much. Devil May 4 is out on in early Feb, so that'll do until Smash comes in March. The Witcher review wont be done for a long time. Game is super long, and i dont want to rush through it. Its suppose to be like 80 hours and i've got around 20-40 i think.
And now that school is back I have to manage my time so that my classes doesnt suffer. Which means even more time for reviews, but oh well. I'm pretty sure no one reads this anyways. Its just for me to keep writing, which is important for me.
Any other news i could comment on? Microsoft gives Undertow away for free next week. Thats cool, i wanted to try the game but didnt want to spend $15. (I think its $15, MS points make no sense to me)
So yea, Hope my lack of posts hasnt offended my non-existent followers, but real life is taking over.
I'll try to at least make a post a week. But no promises. In 3 weeks the pace will have slowed a little bit (i think, it might not have, but my classes look like i have a slight break between weeks 5 and 8, so That might be when i get some more game stuff up for sure)
I digress.
Ciao.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Mass Effect Review
Here we go, it's Mass Effect. The console RPG to own right now. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, its not as good some PC RPG
contenders. But it is still a superb game overall. One I heartily
recommend to all fans of good rpgs. Most fans of games should
enjoy it as well.
If you justwant the basic story and some decent action then I
would recommend renting it, because you can burn through the
game in under 15 hours. If you fully explore the game and attempt
to do everything expect over 30 hours. And multiple playthroughs
if you want to play the game through with every character and see
exactly what they each have to say throughout the game
(something that is definitely worth it, in my opinion).
So I've told you its good. But why is it good? Quite simply i would
have to say its because of the overall presentation of the game.
It gets the feel right. And when you're in the midst of the main
campaign, damn is it fun. The party members you get are all
amazingly, and this is important in RPGs, real. These are characters
driven by motivations and emotions that are justifiable especially as
you get to know them better, who will react to your actions and
speech. They wont ever leave you because of it. But they will
express disappoint at certain decisions. One thing the game does
well, is make you feel like you're in a movie. Well some of the time
it does at least.
Most of your time will be spent doing obscure buggy exploration
of uninspired empty planets. Its not to say that these parts are
bad, per say, but they are tedious and repetitive. And i've no
desire to go over every planet again. But the main quest is done so
well, and presents itself so differently from most RPGs out that the game feels remarkably fresh, even if in truth it really isnt.
I say this because the dialog system is just Neverwinter
Nights and KotOR with some minor cosmetic changes.
The combat is a step back from the pseudo-turn-based genius
they had previously. Although its much better than Jade Empire's. The problem with the combat is that there is no
challenge at all. The whole game goes by and the only reason
i ever died was because they through 15-20 enemies and they all have one shot kill rocket launchers. But
the combat is still pretty fun for the most part. So at least it
doesnt detract from the experience. The story is what will
keep you going though. The entire universe that has been
created for this game is mind boggling. Accurate, plausible
scientific explanations of how and why things function like
they do ground the game in a sense of reality and the game
almost never treats the player like a moron. I say almost
because there are some dialog exchanges where even though
the dialog option you pick might be well done and delivered
effectively, the idea of the your main character convincing
the evil lead pen- ultimate bad guy the error of his ways in
a mere THREE lines of dialog is laughable at best. Luckily
the game only really does that a few times.
The sound is superb, the music expertly composed and always
complements the mood that should be present. The sound effects
are cool and subtle and effective, laser guns sound well laser-ry
enough for me. And most importantly, the voice acting is perfect.
And the character models match it, which keeps you focusing on
the words themselves. The graphics are shiny and very pretty.
They dont detract from the experience at all, and thats all that
I really care about graphics for. Its not hurting the experience
so its fine with me. I dont play games for pretty shiny stuff. I
play for gameplay mechanics. Load times can be annoying,
but I had heard about 5-10 minute load times and the most
I ever had was 2-3 minutes so, thats fine.
Ultimately, this is the best RPG you can get on the 360. So
if you like RPGs go get it. If you're interested in RPGs then
rent it. If you really really like fragging people in Halo, you
might like it as well. But you probably wont. Mass Effect is
a perfect example of a game that relies on the sum of its part
to be great. Since none of its individual components are really
that great. Yet as I finished the game I could not help but feel
a real sense of accomplishment, despite the complete lack of
challenge. It even made me want to play through the game again.
Although I wont right away, got many more games to get to.
Especially once i saw that achievements have the double benefit
of sometimes granting minor bonuses to the next play through.
Nice subtle incentive.
------------------
So thats my review. Hope there is something in there that makes sense.
Coming up soon i hope to get a review of Mario Galaxy, and then The Witcher.
But The Witcher is shaping up to be a super long game and i might not get it
finished for a few weeks.
If you want to contact me you can do through Xbox Live: ELRyePunk
or you can look for "RyePunk" on Steam.
Ciao.
Edit: I just noticed that the blog has been cutting off some of my lengthier lines. Weird... I fixed the Mass Effect review so the entire thing should be readable. But i dont really feel like going over the other posts to fix it. I'll just watch for it in the future.
contenders. But it is still a superb game overall. One I heartily
recommend to all fans of good rpgs. Most fans of games should
enjoy it as well.
If you justwant the basic story and some decent action then I
would recommend renting it, because you can burn through the
game in under 15 hours. If you fully explore the game and attempt
to do everything expect over 30 hours. And multiple playthroughs
if you want to play the game through with every character and see
exactly what they each have to say throughout the game
(something that is definitely worth it, in my opinion).
So I've told you its good. But why is it good? Quite simply i would
have to say its because of the overall presentation of the game.
It gets the feel right. And when you're in the midst of the main
campaign, damn is it fun. The party members you get are all
amazingly, and this is important in RPGs, real. These are characters
driven by motivations and emotions that are justifiable especially as
you get to know them better, who will react to your actions and
speech. They wont ever leave you because of it. But they will
express disappoint at certain decisions. One thing the game does
well, is make you feel like you're in a movie. Well some of the time
it does at least.
Most of your time will be spent doing obscure buggy exploration
of uninspired empty planets. Its not to say that these parts are
bad, per say, but they are tedious and repetitive. And i've no
desire to go over every planet again. But the main quest is done so
well, and presents itself so differently from most RPGs out that the game feels remarkably fresh, even if in truth it really isnt.
I say this because the dialog system is just Neverwinter
Nights and KotOR with some minor cosmetic changes.
The combat is a step back from the pseudo-turn-based genius
they had previously. Although its much better than Jade Empire's. The problem with the combat is that there is no
challenge at all. The whole game goes by and the only reason
i ever died was because they through 15-20 enemies and they all have one shot kill rocket launchers. But
the combat is still pretty fun for the most part. So at least it
doesnt detract from the experience. The story is what will
keep you going though. The entire universe that has been
created for this game is mind boggling. Accurate, plausible
scientific explanations of how and why things function like
they do ground the game in a sense of reality and the game
almost never treats the player like a moron. I say almost
because there are some dialog exchanges where even though
the dialog option you pick might be well done and delivered
effectively, the idea of the your main character convincing
the evil lead pen- ultimate bad guy the error of his ways in
a mere THREE lines of dialog is laughable at best. Luckily
the game only really does that a few times.
The sound is superb, the music expertly composed and always
complements the mood that should be present. The sound effects
are cool and subtle and effective, laser guns sound well laser-ry
enough for me. And most importantly, the voice acting is perfect.
And the character models match it, which keeps you focusing on
the words themselves. The graphics are shiny and very pretty.
They dont detract from the experience at all, and thats all that
I really care about graphics for. Its not hurting the experience
so its fine with me. I dont play games for pretty shiny stuff. I
play for gameplay mechanics. Load times can be annoying,
but I had heard about 5-10 minute load times and the most
I ever had was 2-3 minutes so, thats fine.
Ultimately, this is the best RPG you can get on the 360. So
if you like RPGs go get it. If you're interested in RPGs then
rent it. If you really really like fragging people in Halo, you
might like it as well. But you probably wont. Mass Effect is
a perfect example of a game that relies on the sum of its part
to be great. Since none of its individual components are really
that great. Yet as I finished the game I could not help but feel
a real sense of accomplishment, despite the complete lack of
challenge. It even made me want to play through the game again.
Although I wont right away, got many more games to get to.
Especially once i saw that achievements have the double benefit
of sometimes granting minor bonuses to the next play through.
Nice subtle incentive.
------------------
So thats my review. Hope there is something in there that makes sense.
Coming up soon i hope to get a review of Mario Galaxy, and then The Witcher.
But The Witcher is shaping up to be a super long game and i might not get it
finished for a few weeks.
If you want to contact me you can do through Xbox Live: ELRyePunk
or you can look for "RyePunk" on Steam.
Ciao.
Edit: I just noticed that the blog has been cutting off some of my lengthier lines. Weird... I fixed the Mass Effect review so the entire thing should be readable. But i dont really feel like going over the other posts to fix it. I'll just watch for it in the future.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Quick Impressions
So havent actually finished any games yet, so i'd rather not give full impressions just yet.
Also I'll reveal my scoring system. Or the lack of one. I dont want to quibble over numbers. So i Have a simple tier based system. However I'll also explain which type of gamer will fit into that. So any strategy
gamer will enjoy Company of Heroes; But Total War does not appeal to them all.
Buy It - Games that almost all fans of games can enjoy.
Rent It - Games that may be worth buying if you especially enjoy the genre, but for most its a better bet to rent it, or wait for a price drop.
Skip It - Mediocre games that are usually Movie/TV tie-ins. Unless you are a hardcore fan, you probably wont be able to look past the glaring
issues. But hey at least these games are usually playable. Unlike the next category.
Toss It - Buggy unplayable games. That you should actively seek to destroy. Developers should be rediculed for making a game like this. Or at least flame the publisher's email, since they probably rushed it.
Mario Galaxy: Controlling an upside down/sideways character is suprisingly difficult. Yet so unique. Great controls, although the timing on the jump combos is different from Mario 64... which i had nailed. Also jumping on enemies is borderline impossible upside down. Its a pretty short game. But the quality is excellent.
Too bad about some minigames. I've never really liked shitty uses of the Wii remote's motion sensing, and the minigames in Galaxy continue to make me hate motion sensing on anything but Wii Sports. Granted this is best i've seen them aside from Wii Sports. The Ray surfing is almost tolerable. But turning by wrist tilting is far too sensitive, and since i naturally tilt my hand to play the game, any game that doesnt let me define the dead zone on the motion sensing is not going to feel good. The balling rolling is fun, but "finicky", if you will.
Mass Effect - Its a good fun romp. The graphics will blow your mind, the presentation in general is very very good. Too bad combat's a nuissance. Its either stupidly easy, or tosses so many enemies from 6 directions with no cover that its stupidly hard. There is no middle ground. The inventory system is borderline pointless. You basically get loot based on your level. Which is to say that at level 30ish you will recieve Mark IV - Mark VI gear. almost all of it looks the same, with maybe 3 skins for each weapon type, with 3 colors for each skin. Whoop dee fucking do.
I would have prefered it if they just dropped the whole system of items for this game. They dont serve any purpose. Also... Money. WHY IS IT IN THIS GAME? You dont need to ever buy weapons. The combat is not that hard that you even need to buy the "better" gear from the merchant. And the enemies give you so much gear it blows my mind. The story and the universe that has been crafted for this game allows you to
forget these massive shortcomings. So if the story ends well, it may just end up being a buyer.
The Witcher - Utter sublime gaming brilliance. Better RPG than Mass Effect. Everything about it is done better. And just goes to show how "consolitis" can weaken a game. There is variety in the things you do, and your actions actually have consequences.
If you dont protect that bimbo on her way home. She isnt gonna be able screw you the next day
The combat is sorta repetitive but you're constantly switching your styles, changing targets and saying focused on when to click so that your combos keep connecting. This gives the combat a great deal of substance and makes it very meaningful.
You feel like you are actually killing these vicious monsters (or ugly ass thugs). It certainly doesnt hurt that the animations in combat are motion capped and look amazing. The graphics in general are amazing. Especially considering this is the engine that built the Neverwinter Nights and KotOR and Jade Empire; Albeit heavily modified.
I've barely scratched this game's surface but if you like PC RPGs then go get this game already, its the best Single-player rpg i've played in years.
Need convincing? Your character has to kill demon weeds, and in order to get more money for the task he drinks the NPC under the table until he gets a better deal. You then have to kill the weeds while piss drunk. Then walk back into town teetering around with the best drunk person animations i've ever seen. Go get this game. Now. I think it can be bought online from like direct2drive or something. Go. Now.
Okay so more to come.
Playlist:
The Witcher; Mario Galaxy; Mass Effect; Alien Shooter Vengeance; Hellgate London (just while i listen to podcasts), And Team Fortress 2 if i feel like multi-player.
Watching: Arrested Development Season 3.
Reading: Jurassic Park.
Ciao.
Also I'll reveal my scoring system. Or the lack of one. I dont want to quibble over numbers. So i Have a simple tier based system. However I'll also explain which type of gamer will fit into that. So any strategy
gamer will enjoy Company of Heroes; But Total War does not appeal to them all.
Buy It - Games that almost all fans of games can enjoy.
Rent It - Games that may be worth buying if you especially enjoy the genre, but for most its a better bet to rent it, or wait for a price drop.
Skip It - Mediocre games that are usually Movie/TV tie-ins. Unless you are a hardcore fan, you probably wont be able to look past the glaring
issues. But hey at least these games are usually playable. Unlike the next category.
Toss It - Buggy unplayable games. That you should actively seek to destroy. Developers should be rediculed for making a game like this. Or at least flame the publisher's email, since they probably rushed it.
Mario Galaxy: Controlling an upside down/sideways character is suprisingly difficult. Yet so unique. Great controls, although the timing on the jump combos is different from Mario 64... which i had nailed. Also jumping on enemies is borderline impossible upside down. Its a pretty short game. But the quality is excellent.
Too bad about some minigames. I've never really liked shitty uses of the Wii remote's motion sensing, and the minigames in Galaxy continue to make me hate motion sensing on anything but Wii Sports. Granted this is best i've seen them aside from Wii Sports. The Ray surfing is almost tolerable. But turning by wrist tilting is far too sensitive, and since i naturally tilt my hand to play the game, any game that doesnt let me define the dead zone on the motion sensing is not going to feel good. The balling rolling is fun, but "finicky", if you will.
Mass Effect - Its a good fun romp. The graphics will blow your mind, the presentation in general is very very good. Too bad combat's a nuissance. Its either stupidly easy, or tosses so many enemies from 6 directions with no cover that its stupidly hard. There is no middle ground. The inventory system is borderline pointless. You basically get loot based on your level. Which is to say that at level 30ish you will recieve Mark IV - Mark VI gear. almost all of it looks the same, with maybe 3 skins for each weapon type, with 3 colors for each skin. Whoop dee fucking do.
I would have prefered it if they just dropped the whole system of items for this game. They dont serve any purpose. Also... Money. WHY IS IT IN THIS GAME? You dont need to ever buy weapons. The combat is not that hard that you even need to buy the "better" gear from the merchant. And the enemies give you so much gear it blows my mind. The story and the universe that has been crafted for this game allows you to
forget these massive shortcomings. So if the story ends well, it may just end up being a buyer.
The Witcher - Utter sublime gaming brilliance. Better RPG than Mass Effect. Everything about it is done better. And just goes to show how "consolitis" can weaken a game. There is variety in the things you do, and your actions actually have consequences.
If you dont protect that bimbo on her way home. She isnt gonna be able screw you the next day
The combat is sorta repetitive but you're constantly switching your styles, changing targets and saying focused on when to click so that your combos keep connecting. This gives the combat a great deal of substance and makes it very meaningful.
You feel like you are actually killing these vicious monsters (or ugly ass thugs). It certainly doesnt hurt that the animations in combat are motion capped and look amazing. The graphics in general are amazing. Especially considering this is the engine that built the Neverwinter Nights and KotOR and Jade Empire; Albeit heavily modified.
I've barely scratched this game's surface but if you like PC RPGs then go get this game already, its the best Single-player rpg i've played in years.
Need convincing? Your character has to kill demon weeds, and in order to get more money for the task he drinks the NPC under the table until he gets a better deal. You then have to kill the weeds while piss drunk. Then walk back into town teetering around with the best drunk person animations i've ever seen. Go get this game. Now. I think it can be bought online from like direct2drive or something. Go. Now.
Okay so more to come.
Playlist:
The Witcher; Mario Galaxy; Mass Effect; Alien Shooter Vengeance; Hellgate London (just while i listen to podcasts), And Team Fortress 2 if i feel like multi-player.
Watching: Arrested Development Season 3.
Reading: Jurassic Park.
Ciao.
Monday, December 24, 2007
My Top Games of 2007.
I've decided to catagorize because i feel like it.
Oh, and these are in no particular order. And if i havent played the game it wont have a description or may be left off the list if i havent followed a game. For example, i dont have a PS3, and do not care much for the Ratchet and Clank series, so you will not find it below. I simply have not tried it. It could very well be a nice game worth time.
Best Shooters
Call of Duty 4 - Same old, same old; But it nails its elements perfectly. Multi-player is fun, but i'm not sure why the level cap is 55. You cant exactly go raiding in this game once you max your level. So once I hit 55 i havent played it since. If you dont have any other multi-player shooters however i could see it getting more play time
Orange Box - 3 games. One price. Woohoo. Yes Portal is brilliant. Half-Life Episode 2 is very cool. But Team Fortress 2 is what will keep you coming back for more. Balance is perfect, and if you're teams losing a match there is something you can do to fix it. ( Well unless some clan stacked the teams. Pub stomps, are the work of sick minds, and a weak clan.)
Bioshock - Its just crazy, the atmosphere this game has will pull you in like a good book. The story is intriguing and the gameplay is actually quite good, even if it does end up being slightly too simplistic. Its effective at least. Get to Fort Frolic and behold true gaming greatness.
Halo 3 - Its Halo. Great balance, shitty controls. I'm a PC Gamer through and through. So i just played for the singleplayer portion. It was excellent. Until the last 3 levels. If the beginning campaign had not been so great i would not have finished the game. These levels are that bad. I suppose if you like fps games with a gamepad, this could be your multi-player game for a long long time. But for me. Nah. I might jump on eventually. But i've got other games to play.
--------
RPGS
Mass Effect - Mmmmm Bioware tastiness. A shame they built a mediocre real-time combat system. I would much have preferred the old D&D turns system they used with the KotOR and Neverwinter Nights games.
But regardless of mediocre combat, the story telling is top notch, even if the decisions you make ultimately dont really seem to have too much of an effect on whats going to happen. Still the game is amazing.
The Witcher - Basically what Mass Effect missed, this nailed. Cool new, unique combat system, decisions have impact. And a really cool universe. (Mass Effect does have a sweet universe, i love reading that game's back story via the Codex)
Persona 3 - A gem of uniqueness. How many games let you summon a powerful spirit thingy by shooting yourself in the head? Not many. The game has a really interesting blending of japanese life sim, and dungeon crawler. The life sim aspect makes the game feel very very broad, that you arent forced down any specific path besides the main plot that hits every full moon. Unfortunately i believe this game is now very difficult to locate.
Also i never got it but i've heard good things about Odin's Sphere. Another unique and now rare game that came out this year.
Platform/Adventure
Mario Galaxy - Its A Me! Yep, he's back and he's as good as ever. Tragically this game awaits me under the Tree.
I'll post a full review for it after i've gotten a better opinion of it. But i have the faith.
Metroid Prime 3 - Samus is back also, and damn if she doesnt show how interesting a first person adventure game is. This time around the game becomes much more action oriented but I still argue that it is an adventure game. Good use of Wiimote, and doing many new things, particularily things you might not expect from a Nintendo game. Voice overs? Woah thats new.
Underdogs/Guilty Pleasures
These games are games that are admittedly not the best game to come out this year, but still have some aspect thats drawn me to them (read: addictive)
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn - Its Fire Emblem, the game's so tough you might very well never finish it.
Especially if you use those oh so tempting strong units you get early in the game.
But thats part of what makes Fire Emblem so great. The challenge, and this is a game that will test you.
I myself havent picked it up in a month, i gotta play it in bursts when i can get past the punishing difficulty.
Hellgate: London - ZOMG, London is invaded with demons. Kill some demons, then kill some more, then some more. Thats pretty much all thats going to happen. Built by the Diablo 2 team, with an interesting subscription system that is currently an utter waste. Still, killing lotsa demons is suprisingly fun when the combat system is good.
Alien Shooter: Vengeance - You shoot aliens. With a vengeance. Read the hellgate london blurb above, replacing demons, with aliens. And Built by a team with a pedigree, to built by the team who made Alien Shooter 1. Apparently i find shooting stuff fun, especially lots and lots of stuff.
Expansion Packs
Dawn of War: Dark Crusade - Two new races, a cool new singleplayer campaign, and lots of new strategies. Perfect expansion pack? Pretty much. Very worth the price of admission. This may have come out in 2006... i cant remember. i played it in 2007.
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts - Two new sides, and new singleplayer stuff as well. More Strategies result, go figure. This seems to be a theme... well this was made by the same company, Relic.
Medieval 2: Kingdoms - Go on a crusade. Or repel a pesky crusade. Or declare the Milanese your blood foes and wipe them off the map for being so damn greedy. Its your nation. Go do whatever you want, with giant armies of Knights and other medieval type units. Just remember, the details matter.
Well that pretty much sums up my gaming experience in 2007. Good year. You might be wondering what i was playing until all these games came out though. Well mostly Warcraft 3 total conversion: Defense of the Ancients. really fun multi-player game. Dont play it at all anymore though.
That'll do.
In the future i plan to get a review of Mass Effect, Mario Galaxy, and do list some of my anticipated games of 2008. So stay tuned.
Oh and comment.
Ciao.
I've decided to catagorize because i feel like it.
Oh, and these are in no particular order. And if i havent played the game it wont have a description or may be left off the list if i havent followed a game. For example, i dont have a PS3, and do not care much for the Ratchet and Clank series, so you will not find it below. I simply have not tried it. It could very well be a nice game worth time.
Best Shooters
Call of Duty 4 - Same old, same old; But it nails its elements perfectly. Multi-player is fun, but i'm not sure why the level cap is 55. You cant exactly go raiding in this game once you max your level. So once I hit 55 i havent played it since. If you dont have any other multi-player shooters however i could see it getting more play time
Orange Box - 3 games. One price. Woohoo. Yes Portal is brilliant. Half-Life Episode 2 is very cool. But Team Fortress 2 is what will keep you coming back for more. Balance is perfect, and if you're teams losing a match there is something you can do to fix it. ( Well unless some clan stacked the teams. Pub stomps, are the work of sick minds, and a weak clan.)
Bioshock - Its just crazy, the atmosphere this game has will pull you in like a good book. The story is intriguing and the gameplay is actually quite good, even if it does end up being slightly too simplistic. Its effective at least. Get to Fort Frolic and behold true gaming greatness.
Halo 3 - Its Halo. Great balance, shitty controls. I'm a PC Gamer through and through. So i just played for the singleplayer portion. It was excellent. Until the last 3 levels. If the beginning campaign had not been so great i would not have finished the game. These levels are that bad. I suppose if you like fps games with a gamepad, this could be your multi-player game for a long long time. But for me. Nah. I might jump on eventually. But i've got other games to play.
--------
RPGS
Mass Effect - Mmmmm Bioware tastiness. A shame they built a mediocre real-time combat system. I would much have preferred the old D&D turns system they used with the KotOR and Neverwinter Nights games.
But regardless of mediocre combat, the story telling is top notch, even if the decisions you make ultimately dont really seem to have too much of an effect on whats going to happen. Still the game is amazing.
The Witcher - Basically what Mass Effect missed, this nailed. Cool new, unique combat system, decisions have impact. And a really cool universe. (Mass Effect does have a sweet universe, i love reading that game's back story via the Codex)
Persona 3 - A gem of uniqueness. How many games let you summon a powerful spirit thingy by shooting yourself in the head? Not many. The game has a really interesting blending of japanese life sim, and dungeon crawler. The life sim aspect makes the game feel very very broad, that you arent forced down any specific path besides the main plot that hits every full moon. Unfortunately i believe this game is now very difficult to locate.
Also i never got it but i've heard good things about Odin's Sphere. Another unique and now rare game that came out this year.
Platform/Adventure
Mario Galaxy - Its A Me! Yep, he's back and he's as good as ever. Tragically this game awaits me under the Tree.
I'll post a full review for it after i've gotten a better opinion of it. But i have the faith.
Metroid Prime 3 - Samus is back also, and damn if she doesnt show how interesting a first person adventure game is. This time around the game becomes much more action oriented but I still argue that it is an adventure game. Good use of Wiimote, and doing many new things, particularily things you might not expect from a Nintendo game. Voice overs? Woah thats new.
Underdogs/Guilty Pleasures
These games are games that are admittedly not the best game to come out this year, but still have some aspect thats drawn me to them (read: addictive)
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn - Its Fire Emblem, the game's so tough you might very well never finish it.
Especially if you use those oh so tempting strong units you get early in the game.
But thats part of what makes Fire Emblem so great. The challenge, and this is a game that will test you.
I myself havent picked it up in a month, i gotta play it in bursts when i can get past the punishing difficulty.
Hellgate: London - ZOMG, London is invaded with demons. Kill some demons, then kill some more, then some more. Thats pretty much all thats going to happen. Built by the Diablo 2 team, with an interesting subscription system that is currently an utter waste. Still, killing lotsa demons is suprisingly fun when the combat system is good.
Alien Shooter: Vengeance - You shoot aliens. With a vengeance. Read the hellgate london blurb above, replacing demons, with aliens. And Built by a team with a pedigree, to built by the team who made Alien Shooter 1. Apparently i find shooting stuff fun, especially lots and lots of stuff.
Expansion Packs
Dawn of War: Dark Crusade - Two new races, a cool new singleplayer campaign, and lots of new strategies. Perfect expansion pack? Pretty much. Very worth the price of admission. This may have come out in 2006... i cant remember. i played it in 2007.
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts - Two new sides, and new singleplayer stuff as well. More Strategies result, go figure. This seems to be a theme... well this was made by the same company, Relic.
Medieval 2: Kingdoms - Go on a crusade. Or repel a pesky crusade. Or declare the Milanese your blood foes and wipe them off the map for being so damn greedy. Its your nation. Go do whatever you want, with giant armies of Knights and other medieval type units. Just remember, the details matter.
Well that pretty much sums up my gaming experience in 2007. Good year. You might be wondering what i was playing until all these games came out though. Well mostly Warcraft 3 total conversion: Defense of the Ancients. really fun multi-player game. Dont play it at all anymore though.
That'll do.
In the future i plan to get a review of Mass Effect, Mario Galaxy, and do list some of my anticipated games of 2008. So stay tuned.
Oh and comment.
Ciao.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Um Hi, Introductions and Intentions.
So Hello. And welcome, however you found this blog. Although i find the likelihood of that questionable at best;
I can at the very least amuse myself to some extent
I suppose i need to talk about something, so I've wanted to get started on this blog dealy thing for quite some time now.
The idea behind it is a "sober" opinion, that would be my opinion, on the video gaming scene.
I really do not want to talk about personal issues. Suffice it to say that i'd like to keep this blog on a specific topic.
Gaming specifically. Well and other geek type stuff, like comics, anime and TV/Movies. Maybe a lil music. But since i mostly spend my time absorbing gaming tidbits, thats pretty much what i know best.
Specifically PC Gaming. But i try to follow the whole industry.
I'll think I'll try to start with a teaser for my next post. I'll do a Top 10 games of 2007. And by 2007, i mean the last 5 months of 2007 because honestly any game that comes out between January to June gets forgotten in the glut of holiday gaming goodness.
Evidence: Resident Evil 4.
So theres the Teaser, for the next post.
But before i go, I'll toss out some personal details.
I'm Ryan, from Canada. In Alberta. Thats enough geographics for now.
I'm currently in University and study History, mainly military stuff, but general history is nice too.
For god knows what reason, I suppose i really do enjoy the courses, but thats not gonna help once i start job hunting in 2009.
I currently work in retail, more or less smashing my face into the counter for shits and giggles.
But sometimes i get to inform the less informed masses about video games, and try to keep licensed games out of their hands.
Apparently i'm a very distant person. But i'm actually just shy and dont want to break the ice.
Oh and I live a "clean" lifestyle. Thats sorta where i grabbed the Blog's name. I wish i had a decent reason for why i dont drink or do recreational drugs, but i dont, I just think its sorta stupid, so I dont do them. Dont mind people who do though. Long as they dont try to force them on me.
But thats enough about me.
So Goodbye.
Hope i remember i created this.
Really hope people actually read this.
That be cool if people did.
Ciao.
I can at the very least amuse myself to some extent
I suppose i need to talk about something, so I've wanted to get started on this blog dealy thing for quite some time now.
The idea behind it is a "sober" opinion, that would be my opinion, on the video gaming scene.
I really do not want to talk about personal issues. Suffice it to say that i'd like to keep this blog on a specific topic.
Gaming specifically. Well and other geek type stuff, like comics, anime and TV/Movies. Maybe a lil music. But since i mostly spend my time absorbing gaming tidbits, thats pretty much what i know best.
Specifically PC Gaming. But i try to follow the whole industry.
I'll think I'll try to start with a teaser for my next post. I'll do a Top 10 games of 2007. And by 2007, i mean the last 5 months of 2007 because honestly any game that comes out between January to June gets forgotten in the glut of holiday gaming goodness.
Evidence: Resident Evil 4.
So theres the Teaser, for the next post.
But before i go, I'll toss out some personal details.
I'm Ryan, from Canada. In Alberta. Thats enough geographics for now.
I'm currently in University and study History, mainly military stuff, but general history is nice too.
For god knows what reason, I suppose i really do enjoy the courses, but thats not gonna help once i start job hunting in 2009.
I currently work in retail, more or less smashing my face into the counter for shits and giggles.
But sometimes i get to inform the less informed masses about video games, and try to keep licensed games out of their hands.
Apparently i'm a very distant person. But i'm actually just shy and dont want to break the ice.
Oh and I live a "clean" lifestyle. Thats sorta where i grabbed the Blog's name. I wish i had a decent reason for why i dont drink or do recreational drugs, but i dont, I just think its sorta stupid, so I dont do them. Dont mind people who do though. Long as they dont try to force them on me.
But thats enough about me.
So Goodbye.
Hope i remember i created this.
Really hope people actually read this.
That be cool if people did.
Ciao.
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