Tuesday
11Aug2009

Bout damn time!

DateTuesday, August 11, 2009 at 12:39PM

Yep, I'll admit it, I am a slacker. HUGE SLACKER.

Work has taken precedence lately, which means less time to do random stuff which = less time for updating my sites.

I am BACK now though, with a post everyday, no promise of awe-inspiring insightful posts though, this is me we're talking about.

With the summer slowly wrapping up we are getting into the finishing stretch of '09 for game companies, the "last quarter" which, is basically that time of year when most if not all decent and upstanding games come out. You'd think after two or three years of this, game companies might have the bright idea to release their blockbuster game in the Summer when no other blockbuster game is coming out...guess that is too much to ask for.

-August Releases-

Aug 18th: Wolfenstein (PS3/360/PC)- Sequel to "Return to Castle Wolfenstein" (2001), this newest entry in the Wolfenstein franchise actually looks decent. Leaked gameplay videos of Wolfenstein, show some high level graphics and physics occuring within the actual game, AND shocker of shockers the hint of a decent freaking story.

 

 

At this point all I got to go on is the small amounts of video I have caught on Gametrailer.com and other sites BUT, from what I DO see this is a Wolfenstein game I might actually buy. Here's hoping my optimism isn't misplaced.  

Aug 19th: Shadow Complex (360 Arcade) - Hyped as being a Metroid-vania game, Shadow Complex looks like it could breath new life into the side-scrollin game genre. At this point anything I'd have to say about the game is conjecture as gameplay video posted, has been limited but, it looks promising.

 

 

Peter David and Orson Scott Card both had a hand in writing the original story for this game so my interest is at the very least piqued.(Before you ask, NO nothing with Ender appears in this game, some stuff from Empire MIGHT though). The capper to Microsoft's "Summer of Arcade" period, let's hope Shadow Complex is a good end to a somewhat dull summer. 


August 25th : Batman - Arkham Asylum (PS3/360) - I am always weary of "Batman" games, and I feel no different about Arkham Asylum. Leaked impressions by reviewers as well as video of said gameplay have me leaning towards "renting" this title before ever buying it. Most combat seems based around hiding in the shadows, waiting to take out your foe at the exact right moment. Case in point, your f'ing Batman NOT Sam Fisher, you don't need to lurk around in the shadows, your a bad ass who can beat up just about anybody. Graphics look alright for the overall game but nothing to call home about. Vocals within the game are pretty much most if not all of the voice cast from Batman: The Animated Series which IS on point. I mean honestly...can you think of anybody else voicing the Joker besides Mark Hamil. No..I didn't think so. Overall the game looks like it might be alright, guess we'll see come the 25th whether the Dark Knights' newest adventure kicks ass or is deserving of an ass kicking.

 

August 25th : Cursed Mountain (Wii) - Generally Wii games I don't pay much attention to BUT, this game has gradually been getting some decent word of mouth. The premise is your climbing a cursed mountain in search of your brother, who while climbing disappeared within these holy and haunted mountains. The game's story actually is kinda interesting as it mixes in elements of Buddhism with general gameplay.

The element of fear is played on a LOT within this game as the developer wanted to flip things on its head making the player fear the open wide areas rather then putting them into claustrophobic rooms filled with the tradional "monster closets". Cursed Mountain is definitely worth a look if you get the chance. If you wanna read more about the game, Kotaku did two whole features on it, that are worth taking a look at . Also as a complete aside, the website they have set up for the game, actually is worth checking out too

August 26th : Serious Sam : The First Encounter HD (360) - It's Serious Sam...if you haven't played this already on either a PC or an XBOX, go back and play the f'ing game already! I mean...you have guys...with bombs on their hands, running at you in mobs, screaming at the top of their lungs,Alien skeletons, who throw their bones at you to hurt you or slow you down...I...you.

 

  Just play the freaking game already! Coming out for the 360, I got no clue if this is a downloadable game or what but with upgraded graphics I am down for checking this old game out again.

annnnnnnnd that's it for the month of August. I COULD add in a bunch of other games coming out in Aug, goodness knows there are probably loads more being released but, short attention span = only enough energy to talk about the games that I think look good.

Tomorrow....Dementium!

.....its a DS game.....horror genre?....like a FPS but...oh screw it. just come back tomorrow.

 

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Tuesday
23Dec2008

Mirror's Edge - Impressions/ Review

DateTuesday, December 23, 2008 at 12:04PM

Well, I finally finished Mirror's Edge last night and it was pretty good.

The initial story of Mirror's Edge is you play as Faith a runner in an Orwellian city of sorts that is slowly being rid of the freedoms of the individual, and  replaced by the wills of corporations. As you progress through the game you learn more about Faith's past and how it relates to the ongoing story. I am not gonna give you the whole plot here as I wanna avoid spoiling things so I'll stop here and say the overall story, is manageable and at that the very least is as good as the plot of something like Halo 3 (better in my opinion)

The intial gameplay mechanics in Mirror's Edge are wholely unique from anything that's been done before. DICE, who developed this game went off in a completely different direction from their past projects, creating a First Person Runner Adventure. Whereas in most FPS like Halo and or Gears, Mirror's Edge main weapon is the user's body and momentum. Lotta people will slam this game and say it was an interesting attempt at something that ultimately failed, to these people I say STOP BEING CYNICAL ASSHOLES. DICE created a whole new sub-genre within First Person games, and the fact that they were able to do this with something as simple as running...well you gotta give the developers props.

The graphics in this game are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING as well. Everything has a clean yet real feel about it that makes your mouth water. It's a mix of realistic tones and animistic (it's a word now, I created it) qualities. Your perspective is never filled with anything even resembling a HUD and the game quite frankly is made all the better for this absent feature. You navigate your surroundings via runner vision, which will illuminate places you can jump and climb onto in red. The game gives you the option to turn runner vision off though, as every damn surface in this game can be bounded off of or run across. Personally, for your first run thru I wouldn't suggest it though as navigation with runner vision can be a bit confusing.

 

Tomorrow I'll post part two of my review, in which I actually am critical.

Till THEN!

 

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Wednesday
01Oct2008

Dead Space : PAX '08 Gameplay Impressions

DateWednesday, October 1, 2008 at 01:00PM


 About a month or so ago I got a chance to play Dead Space at PAX '08. I had an initial bit of skepticism before I played the game. The screenshots that had been going around & the video of gameplay all looked great but, seeing and playing are two entirely different things.

After a 30 minute convo with some fellow gamers in line, I was lead into the hotbox. Two Dead Space kiosks were set up, large LCD screens showing off some of the gameplay. I waited anxious as the guy in front of me was finishing up his mission, game developer by his side helping him out when he needed it.  FINALLY...it was my turn at bat. I cracked my knuckles. I thought to myself. "Let's do this"

  • Controls: General movement was alright but scrolling thru weapons, scanning objects, jumping in weightlessness, etc...all of this took some getting use to.  Simply put, your gonna have to play the game longer then half an hour to get use to all the controls.
  • Environments: Fuck me, were the environments FANTASTIC on this game. Lotta people are touting The Force Unleashed's environments but in comparison TFU is Dead Space's bitch.  The detail paid to every little thing and the overall tone which is induced is that of both dread and fear. In writing about this Doom 3 & Bioshock's environments keep coming to mind, as this game seems to take the best from each and combine it into a mosaic of dark foreboding. I tend to be big on environments within games, it helps an immersing me fully. Halo 3 had this in spades when it came to navigating through the caverns of the Flood invested ship. SO yeah....I LOVE the environments


  • Sound: I can't honestly judge sound, what I heard was ok, but given the nature of the exhibition halls, and all the echoes, the only way to judge this game's sound would be in an office/home arena. Like I said though, from what I heard and experienced while playing,  sound added more to the overall creepy atmosphere of this game.
  • Gameplay : Ok so the really important crap. Overall gameplay is good BUT....if your looking for just a nice easy FPS shooter, this game is not for you. Dead Space's controls are designed in such a way as to promote anything but the basic run & gun approach and this, with the inclusion of small puzzles...yeah.  This game is for people that like to have the crap scared out of them.  Enemies are not defeated easily with just a couple shots to the head, they writhe around and every enemy gets put down a different way.  Seriously, I kept shooting this one tentacled monster in the head...nothing...eventually the arse got on my back and took me down, and of course the other baddies joined in when I couldn't shake the first off.  The guys/gals who made this game, don't want you to rush through it, they want you to enjoy it like a fine wine, to use a phrase. The general story of the game I knew a little beforehand and what I played didn't really elaborate more on the main story of "guy looking for his love on a creepy mining station that ran abound something foul". The physics engine used, was pretty good, Halo 3 level, and the inclusion of things like the Half-Life-esque gravity gun (among others) were welcome additions.



The jumping in weightlessness is handled well throughout the bit I played,  though I did have some trouble landing certain jumps (was more player error though as I was trying to jump the hell away from the monsters coming at me). Camera views once or twice in gameplay were annoying but in general they  didn't hurt the overall gaming experience much. 

The game, from what little I played, looks GOOD.

I'd say if your looking for a game with excellent graphics, intriguing gameplay mechanics, and the ability to really creep you out, try this sucker when it comes out in stores around mid-Oct.

I'll have my full review of Dead Space when I get the Ultra Limited Edition later this month.

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Tuesday
26Aug2008

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed!!

DateTuesday, August 26, 2008 at 02:26PM

So a couple days back the first demo for SW: The Force Unleashed came out


For a demo the game was pretty damn good. Broken down, my impressions are as follows:



Pros:
  • 3rd person perspective works well in general, throughout  demo gameplay
  • Game mechanics work seamlessly, the two game engines workin in this thing are what really help sell it in presentation
  • I can pick up a FREAKIN TIE FIGHTER WITH THE FORCE AND BASH A STORM TROOPER WITH IT!!!
  • Environments within the game have a balanced level of destructibility
  • Enemy AI is configured well with respect to the difficulty level your playing on.
  • Sound, music and effects are awesome....honestly it's from the people famous for THX...do you really expect any less.

Cons:

  • -Overall graphics are not exactly eye-dazzling. If your looking for the level of graphic quality you got from Bioshock or Gears of War, your barking up the wrong tree with this game.

  • -"Heavenly Sword" effect,  comes off as more annoying then cool. I am killing guys left and right and all of the sudden my camera view ZOOMS over to where this guy is getting squashed by something I threw....normally this would be cool...but the way it was implemented within this game..the player is almost punished when these scenes come about, getting shot at by Storm Troopers while pushing buttons madly to return to your proper camera view.

  • Boss Button-Push Sequences. It seems like any game coming out now has these "button-push" sequences wherein the screen flashes a button and you have to push it, and then another and then another to finally beat a boss. I'm sorry but this mechanic has ALWAYS bothered me. Firstly this game implements this element as badly as the others wherein you have that momentary lapse where you have to think "Ok which button is the green one?" Place the damn button on the screen where you'd push it on the controller. If  the button is the bottom middle  button, place it on the screen as such.....I'll certainly be able to hit that button quicker seeing that...as opposed to the damn color. What's more...do away with this whole concept. Games were doing fine without these  Button-Push sequences...the ONLY reason they have become more and more popular is because game designers have gotten lazy and would rather just shove a cinematic/Saturn CD esque movie in there then just simply leaving you along to destroy the baddie piece by piece.

Overall the demo is good but the game itself will have to step it up a notch. The graphic flaws are annoying but can be overlooked if the game mechanics keep upping the overall enjoyment of gameplay aka letting the player throw Storm Troopers out windows.  I give this demo an A- an anxiously await it's release.......and the mayhem I'll be able to ...unleash.


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Wednesday
13Aug2008

And so it begins.....

DateWednesday, August 13, 2008 at 11:53AM

And ya on the 13th of August, the site was created it.


And it was good....


Stay tuned.


Reviews/Rants/News coming soon.


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