Thursday, January 29, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
As I write this, I am listening to a remixed version of the Geometry Wars 2 soundtrack (link), and it is giving me another reason to lament the fact that my Xbox is out for repairs. Sad face. The good thing about a lack of Xbox, though, is that I have more time to catch up on reviews! Yay!
At this point, there is no good reason for any gamer to not have at least seen a Geometry Wars game in action. Aside from the two games available RIGHT NOW on the Xbox Live Arcade, there is one for the Wii, one for the DS, and it has been included in every Project Gotham Racing since number two. It is everywhere, and no one has any excuse.
I do still feel obligated to explain what Geometry Wars is, though, so here it is in one sentence: Geometry Wars is basically Smash TV, set in a hyper-surreal universe of geometric shapes and techno music. Go look up some videos on GameTrailers. Ooh, better yet, here is one:
If that looks hectic, well...it is, but that is part of what makes it so good. It is simple, stylish, and most importantly, it is a hell of a lot of fun. With six different modes, including one where you are not allowed to fire a shot, and up to four-player local multiplayer, Geometry Wars 2 is not just one of the best games on the XBLA; it is one of the best experiences on the system, period.
At this point, there is no good reason for any gamer to not have at least seen a Geometry Wars game in action. Aside from the two games available RIGHT NOW on the Xbox Live Arcade, there is one for the Wii, one for the DS, and it has been included in every Project Gotham Racing since number two. It is everywhere, and no one has any excuse.
I do still feel obligated to explain what Geometry Wars is, though, so here it is in one sentence: Geometry Wars is basically Smash TV, set in a hyper-surreal universe of geometric shapes and techno music. Go look up some videos on GameTrailers. Ooh, better yet, here is one:
If that looks hectic, well...it is, but that is part of what makes it so good. It is simple, stylish, and most importantly, it is a hell of a lot of fun. With six different modes, including one where you are not allowed to fire a shot, and up to four-player local multiplayer, Geometry Wars 2 is not just one of the best games on the XBLA; it is one of the best experiences on the system, period.
Street Fighter IV Ultra Moves
This one has been going around the 'nets today. For those familiar with some of the previous Street Fighter games, Ultra Moves are basically suped-up versions of the old Super Combos. Enjoy.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Left 4 Dead
Well, um...I had planned on writing something up for Valve's latest first-person shooter, but this video pretty much sums it all up with great accuracy. Take it away, Yahtzee!
Also, I play as the hot college girl. Does that say something about me?
Also, I play as the hot college girl. Does that say something about me?
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Uh Oh...
A comment about Resident Evil 5 from today's Penny Arcade post by Tycho:
"If you are curious, it plays like Resident Evil 4 - except the Inventory Screen you once used to escape the game's oppressive atmosphere is gone, replaced by a real-time menu that doesn't let you escape shit."
I think I'm scared already.
"If you are curious, it plays like Resident Evil 4 - except the Inventory Screen you once used to escape the game's oppressive atmosphere is gone, replaced by a real-time menu that doesn't let you escape shit."
I think I'm scared already.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Gears of War 2
I have this sort of love/hate relationship with Epic Games, unbeknownst to them, which is almost entirely inspired by the Gears of War games. It started, of course, with the first one, when they gave PC gamers added content for the game and decided not to offer it to Xbox 360 owners. The actual statement was that without the exclusive content, there would be no reason to buy the PC version. The implication was that without the exclusive content, there would be no reason for 360 owners to buy the PC version, because I'm pretty sure the game would have stood on its own merit for people who only had a PC. As much as I liked the original, I was not going to buy it twice, and that thinly veiled aggro-capitalism really irked me.
Well, that was then, and this is now, right? Not quite. Everything about Gears 2 is bigger, and the good stuff from the first game actually is better here. The bad stuff is quite a bit worse, however.
Let's start with the good. The story and battles in the campaign are much bigger, much more befitting the company name. I have read people's complaints about the dialog, but I honestly find it to be quite funny. Whether that is intended, I have no idea; I just know I like it. The graphics and the environments do look better, with what appears to be a little more detail in the models and textures. It is a very pretty game, if you like looking at different shades of grey and brown. Most importantly, Gears of War 2 is fun, so it is automatically a winner in my book. New weapons, new enemies, new locales...all good. Great, even. If only I could end it here.
There are two major grievances that keep me from including this game in any "Best of 2008" list I might compile, unless that list is "Best Use of the Phrase 'Eat shit and die.'" Number one - glitches. In the first game, I can remember occasionally getting stuck in the environment, or some other minor glitch popping up every so often. They were annoying, but they didn't break the game. One of them even helped me beat it on Insane difficulty. In the new one, a player may come across things like doors not opening when they are supposed to, or getting stuck in the walking animation in the middle of a firefight causing a quick and painful death. These glitches require backing out into the main menu, or the lobby, and reloading the checkpoint. Call me crazy, but that kind of thing is a bit too much. It still isn't as bad as my other complaint, though - multiplayer. To be more specific, waiting to connect to an online game can take ridiculously long, even after Epic released a patch that was supposed to have fixed the issue. I came to play, not stare at the loading screen for hours. Also, if the host decides he or she is going to drop out of the match, which isn't all that infrequent, all of the other players get booted back to the lobby. Now, I know this happens in other games, but there is already a solution out there in a little game called Halo. Take note, all you multiplayer game designers: if the host of a Halo 3 match drops out, the game picks a new host. Sure, it takes a few seconds to do, but the match goes on. There is no longer any excuse for letting online matches end this way.
Okay, I really want to end on a high note because I do like the new Gears. The one bright shining high point of awesome in this game is a new mode called Horde. Picture this, if you will: you, along with up to four of your friends, making an epic stand against wave upon wave of monstrous enemies who want nothing more than to rip you into shreds. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and the only way on is through a hell of blood and bullets. Sound fun? That is Horde. It is the single most fun part of Gears 2, and most likely the only part of the game I would possibly still be playing weeks from now. The following IGN video captures the chaos fairly well:
In the end, I would definitely recommend playing Gears of War 2, but anyone who does should be aware that, while the majority of the game is very good, online multiplayer can be a very big, very annoying chore.
Well, that was then, and this is now, right? Not quite. Everything about Gears 2 is bigger, and the good stuff from the first game actually is better here. The bad stuff is quite a bit worse, however.
Let's start with the good. The story and battles in the campaign are much bigger, much more befitting the company name. I have read people's complaints about the dialog, but I honestly find it to be quite funny. Whether that is intended, I have no idea; I just know I like it. The graphics and the environments do look better, with what appears to be a little more detail in the models and textures. It is a very pretty game, if you like looking at different shades of grey and brown. Most importantly, Gears of War 2 is fun, so it is automatically a winner in my book. New weapons, new enemies, new locales...all good. Great, even. If only I could end it here.
There are two major grievances that keep me from including this game in any "Best of 2008" list I might compile, unless that list is "Best Use of the Phrase 'Eat shit and die.'" Number one - glitches. In the first game, I can remember occasionally getting stuck in the environment, or some other minor glitch popping up every so often. They were annoying, but they didn't break the game. One of them even helped me beat it on Insane difficulty. In the new one, a player may come across things like doors not opening when they are supposed to, or getting stuck in the walking animation in the middle of a firefight causing a quick and painful death. These glitches require backing out into the main menu, or the lobby, and reloading the checkpoint. Call me crazy, but that kind of thing is a bit too much. It still isn't as bad as my other complaint, though - multiplayer. To be more specific, waiting to connect to an online game can take ridiculously long, even after Epic released a patch that was supposed to have fixed the issue. I came to play, not stare at the loading screen for hours. Also, if the host decides he or she is going to drop out of the match, which isn't all that infrequent, all of the other players get booted back to the lobby. Now, I know this happens in other games, but there is already a solution out there in a little game called Halo. Take note, all you multiplayer game designers: if the host of a Halo 3 match drops out, the game picks a new host. Sure, it takes a few seconds to do, but the match goes on. There is no longer any excuse for letting online matches end this way.
Okay, I really want to end on a high note because I do like the new Gears. The one bright shining high point of awesome in this game is a new mode called Horde. Picture this, if you will: you, along with up to four of your friends, making an epic stand against wave upon wave of monstrous enemies who want nothing more than to rip you into shreds. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and the only way on is through a hell of blood and bullets. Sound fun? That is Horde. It is the single most fun part of Gears 2, and most likely the only part of the game I would possibly still be playing weeks from now. The following IGN video captures the chaos fairly well:
In the end, I would definitely recommend playing Gears of War 2, but anyone who does should be aware that, while the majority of the game is very good, online multiplayer can be a very big, very annoying chore.
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