It's been a while right? I've been skipping out on doing this post for months, because I haven't had the desire to do it. So, a quick recap since the last time I've done this.
I passed 30,000 gamer score. It's very exciting for me, because that's what I call my "e-penis"*.
I missed playing a lot of the big games that came out near the end of 2011. I've really tightened my purse strings. I played Saint's Row the Third, Modern Warfare 3, and Assassin's Creed: Revelations.
A Super Late 2011 Wrap-up
In terms of 2011 games, I would say my Favorite was Saint's Row. I missed out on Arkham City, which I think I will really enjoy once I get around to it. L.A. Noire was disappointing to me based on the quality of gameplay I expect from Rockstar. There were amazing graphics in that game, but it just don't quite have what I like to see from an open world game. It was just too linear. Also, another thing really hurt was the game being on multiple discs on 360.
Modern Warfare 3 and Assassin's Creed both were great games, but they didn't quite do it for me. Call of Duty's campaign was even more over the top than Black Ops' was. It was nice to have the story wrapped up, but I really didn't have a fucking clue how to follow the story. The multiplayer was interesting and fun, but I just am so CoD fatigued that it just didn't offer enough for me to stick with it.
Assassin's Creed felt like a bit of a let down after how fantastic Brotherhood was. I'm not sure exactly how to quantify my feelings about. The gameplay was fine. The story wasn't as good, but it certainly wasn't a bad either. It just felt like such a rehash. I'm fine with sticking with what works, but I just didn't feel any progression in this game. It kind of just seemed like an annual money grab.
Saint's Row the Third was exactly what I expected it to be. It didn't try to be something it's not. It's fun. It's silly. It's easy. Lots of explosions. Lots of ridiculous weapons. Dick punches. Over the top and unabashed about it. It was just so enjoyable to play and stress free.
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Next-Gen Consoles
There have been lots of leaks and rumors about the next generation of consoles; many alarmist stories about DRM and the crusade against used game sales. I don't exactly understand why the video game companies have such an issue with Gamestop really, but they do and it may be enough of a carrot to them to start developing an a new console.
I'm not sure what exactly they're going to look like. I feel like the Playstation 4 leaks are more likely than the Xbox 720 leaks. However, I think both Sony and Microsoft didn't want to release next gen consoles until 2015, but it seems Sony trying to recover from the fiasco with PSN last year and their inability to compete with Microsoft in this round of consoles is causing them to push for something sooner. If there is any credibility to the 720 rumors, which I kind of doubt, it seems like Microsoft is pushing up in response to Sony to keep their edge.
I kind of have the feeling that Sony and Microsoft are on different paths. I think Sony is looking at a future with Blu-ray and Microsoft looking at digital distribution. Putting Blu-ray into a console was the PS3's crowning achievement and I suspect the next Sony console will improve on that with better internal memory.
Microsoft on the other hand seems to be refining the means of having a console that is disc-drive free. The introduction of Games-on-Demand and cloud storage to the 360 makes it a disc drive unnecessary except to play the newest titles. With that said, if Microsoft are indeed pushing up the 720 it would almost have to have a disc-drive, because I don't think the digital distribution is quite robust enough yet to be the only means to gameplay and if a 720 has a disc drive it would have to be Blu-ray. There is no doubt that HD-DVD was the wrong horse to bet on and the 360's lack of readable disc space was made clear by L.A. Noire last year.
I am a big proponent of digital distribution. There are some issues with DRM that will need to be sorted out, but I think would be a great future for video games. The lack of discs or a disc drive are two more pieces of hardware that one wouldn't have to worry about failing. It also is really convenient. I've started using Games-on-Demand recently and love it. Things are kind of over priced right now, but I feel like that would correct itself if there were new releases on there and the means of downloading was more efficient.
If I was braver, I would proclaim, "Physical media is dead." I'm not quite that brave yet, but I definitely think it's on it's death bed.
One thing I definitely believe that has come from the rumors is that an internet connection is probably going to be required to play the next generation consoles. It is unfortunate, but the nature of digital distribution and the prospect of piracy are going to make the manufacturers want an account to tie individuals to and a way to track them easily.
No one cares about Nintendo. Shut up and go play your Wii.
Thanks for reading
-Michael
*Yep
Showing posts with label Gaming Tuesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaming Tuesday. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Gaming Tuesday- FIFA 12, Pottermore, etc
Yesterday, which was actually Tuesday, which is a minor detail*, I received my Pottermore Email, got paid and bought FIFA 12. I can't emphasis enough how important the getting paid part was. I've basically been living in constant threat of overdraft since a week ago Friday**. So, I got my paycheck, deposited and have since spent the majority of it and still need to buy gas.
Pottermore wasn't initially in my plans for yesterday, but I woke up to the Email, so I planned to devote some time I would have otherwise spent on FIFA 12. I ended up being foiled though, because every time I clicked the link I wasn't allowed on due to overwhelming demand.
I did eventually get logged onto Pottermore this morning and I'll tell you more about that later. As for now I start with FIFA 12.
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FIFA 12
I spent many hours playing the Demo for FIFA 12. I was uncertain in the Demo rather the gameplay had been made worse or if it had been made better and I was just resisting change. I'm still having that quandary. I feel a little better about now that I've played some games against actual people though. The new things are still confusing, but at least against another human, they're having some of the same issues and not doing the ridiculous things the computer does.
The new "Tactical Defending" system is the cause of most of my problems. It's really hard to get used to. I just don't know if it's an actual improvement. It so far has just caused me to make lots of mistakes and allow stupid goals. It think there might just be too many buttons one needs to push in a specific and ever-changing order to do it right. It is hard to actually make a tackle and that is really frustrating particularly against the CPU, which simply will pass it around and around never allowing you to get close.
I'm not sure about the changes to the attacking side either. I feel better about them than I do about those on the defensive side. The changes aren't really that dramatic either and really are more a product of the different defending and new physics engine. I think it is now easier to score goals without using the "finesse" shot button. I've also found that you can't really cross the ball anymore the way one has been able to in basically every FIFA title up to this point. I've found that you really have to take your time while on the attack in this game and about sums up how this game is different in this phase.
The Career Mode seems to have been improved. The first thing that really made me happy was starting the MLS career on January 1st. That's a small thing, but before when starting as the Crew's manger, I always had to wait until July to make any Transfers. The transfer window is more active and enjoyable in this year's game as well. The CPU will make you offers for players that you haven't put up for sale. Sometimes it'll way over value a player and you get to decide whether or not to keep that player or not. It also no longer seems like it's just a mode that's just a fancy play now mode. Player's have mood, the media publishes stories that may or may not be accurate, you get to say something to the media during certain weeks, and there is a good way to measure a player's form. Also, there is a new system of Youth Scouting. I really like in-depth game modes in sports' games and this definitely qualifies as being in-depth.
Ultimate Team hasn't gotten any dramatic changes. It is built into the game this year, so you don't have to download it. Changes are really just ascetic and help to make more information more information immediately visible. I discovered earlier today that games that get disconnected are not being immediately rewarded as wins or losses, but are being reviewed. I think that's excellent, because often times disconnects aren't anyone's fault, but a product of EA's servers being shit and I hated losing DNF over that.
I think the graphics in FIFA 12 are excellent. They're considerably improved from last year and FIFA 11 wasn't at all bad graphically. I think the new physics engine has some bugs, but it is a step in the right direction. The commentary has been improved as well. They talked somewhat specifically about the Crew***. Also I heard a second commentary team randomly while playing Ultimate Team; mind blown.
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Pottermore
no spoilers
I finally managed to actually get into Pottermore this morning. Every few clicks an error message would pop up about the servers, which got annoying. It is interesting, but I haven't gotten that far yet. I was willing to be persistent with it so I could get a wand and get sorted, but after that I found the errors too frustrating.
My wand is Red Oak with Unicorn Corn, 14 1/2 inches****.
I was most excited about sorting. I mean I wasn't as excited about this whole thing as a lot of other people, but getting sorted, I mean... c'mon. I think the quiz does a pretty good job without being too bogged down and academic.
I was very happy when after the Quiz I was put into Hufflepuff house. I would've been alright with anything besides Slytherin, but Hufflepuff was by far my first choice. I still haven't been in the common room though, because after sorting I got an error and couldn't get back in.
I'm hoping it'll be more cooperative soon. I'm questioning whether or not it's really ready to be out of Beta testing by the end of next month.
Thanks for reading
-Michael
*Long time readers will know that any post with a day of the week in the title won't actually be posted on that day
**I actually did by $ .98, but managed to avoid the fee by transfering funds from my now small savings account.
***"Does this Crew do for you?" seems to be their only line, but still
****I won't have to be insecure about the size of my wand
Edit: I meant to shake you all down for donations for Extra Life in this post. It's coming up and I needs some donations.
You can donate here.
Pottermore wasn't initially in my plans for yesterday, but I woke up to the Email, so I planned to devote some time I would have otherwise spent on FIFA 12. I ended up being foiled though, because every time I clicked the link I wasn't allowed on due to overwhelming demand.
I did eventually get logged onto Pottermore this morning and I'll tell you more about that later. As for now I start with FIFA 12.
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FIFA 12
I spent many hours playing the Demo for FIFA 12. I was uncertain in the Demo rather the gameplay had been made worse or if it had been made better and I was just resisting change. I'm still having that quandary. I feel a little better about now that I've played some games against actual people though. The new things are still confusing, but at least against another human, they're having some of the same issues and not doing the ridiculous things the computer does.
The new "Tactical Defending" system is the cause of most of my problems. It's really hard to get used to. I just don't know if it's an actual improvement. It so far has just caused me to make lots of mistakes and allow stupid goals. It think there might just be too many buttons one needs to push in a specific and ever-changing order to do it right. It is hard to actually make a tackle and that is really frustrating particularly against the CPU, which simply will pass it around and around never allowing you to get close.
I'm not sure about the changes to the attacking side either. I feel better about them than I do about those on the defensive side. The changes aren't really that dramatic either and really are more a product of the different defending and new physics engine. I think it is now easier to score goals without using the "finesse" shot button. I've also found that you can't really cross the ball anymore the way one has been able to in basically every FIFA title up to this point. I've found that you really have to take your time while on the attack in this game and about sums up how this game is different in this phase.
The Career Mode seems to have been improved. The first thing that really made me happy was starting the MLS career on January 1st. That's a small thing, but before when starting as the Crew's manger, I always had to wait until July to make any Transfers. The transfer window is more active and enjoyable in this year's game as well. The CPU will make you offers for players that you haven't put up for sale. Sometimes it'll way over value a player and you get to decide whether or not to keep that player or not. It also no longer seems like it's just a mode that's just a fancy play now mode. Player's have mood, the media publishes stories that may or may not be accurate, you get to say something to the media during certain weeks, and there is a good way to measure a player's form. Also, there is a new system of Youth Scouting. I really like in-depth game modes in sports' games and this definitely qualifies as being in-depth.
Ultimate Team hasn't gotten any dramatic changes. It is built into the game this year, so you don't have to download it. Changes are really just ascetic and help to make more information more information immediately visible. I discovered earlier today that games that get disconnected are not being immediately rewarded as wins or losses, but are being reviewed. I think that's excellent, because often times disconnects aren't anyone's fault, but a product of EA's servers being shit and I hated losing DNF over that.
I think the graphics in FIFA 12 are excellent. They're considerably improved from last year and FIFA 11 wasn't at all bad graphically. I think the new physics engine has some bugs, but it is a step in the right direction. The commentary has been improved as well. They talked somewhat specifically about the Crew***. Also I heard a second commentary team randomly while playing Ultimate Team; mind blown.
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Pottermore
no spoilers
I finally managed to actually get into Pottermore this morning. Every few clicks an error message would pop up about the servers, which got annoying. It is interesting, but I haven't gotten that far yet. I was willing to be persistent with it so I could get a wand and get sorted, but after that I found the errors too frustrating.
My wand is Red Oak with Unicorn Corn, 14 1/2 inches****.
I was most excited about sorting. I mean I wasn't as excited about this whole thing as a lot of other people, but getting sorted, I mean... c'mon. I think the quiz does a pretty good job without being too bogged down and academic.
I was very happy when after the Quiz I was put into Hufflepuff house. I would've been alright with anything besides Slytherin, but Hufflepuff was by far my first choice. I still haven't been in the common room though, because after sorting I got an error and couldn't get back in.
I'm hoping it'll be more cooperative soon. I'm questioning whether or not it's really ready to be out of Beta testing by the end of next month.
Thanks for reading
-Michael
*Long time readers will know that any post with a day of the week in the title won't actually be posted on that day
**I actually did by $ .98, but managed to avoid the fee by transfering funds from my now small savings account.
***"Does this Crew do for you?" seems to be their only line, but still
****I won't have to be insecure about the size of my wand
Edit: I meant to shake you all down for donations for Extra Life in this post. It's coming up and I needs some donations.
You can donate here.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Gaming Tuesday- Extra Life
This year, I will again be participating in Extra Life. It is a 24-hour gaming marathon to help raise money for children's hospitals. It is starting on Saturday, October 15th at 8 am.
If you are able to and would like to you can support me here. The goal is for each donor to give $1 dollar for each hour I'll be playing ($24,) but I'd be happy with any donation. There's still two months until the event and if it's like last year donations will still be open for about a month afterwards, so there's no rush to donate right now.
I'm still thinking up some plans for this. I'll be updating/spamming Twitter like last year. I need to figure a way to watch the Ohio State game while still gaming (last year I went with Minecraft.) I'll probably be leaving a party open on XBox live in case someone wants to chat.
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I've had this weird desire to start playing The Sims lately. I haven't played that game in many years. I know it's been ported over to console, but I think the only way you can play The Sims right is on PC. In fact I'm probably gonna download it today.
Thanks for reading
-Michael
If you are able to and would like to you can support me here. The goal is for each donor to give $1 dollar for each hour I'll be playing ($24,) but I'd be happy with any donation. There's still two months until the event and if it's like last year donations will still be open for about a month afterwards, so there's no rush to donate right now.
I'm still thinking up some plans for this. I'll be updating/spamming Twitter like last year. I need to figure a way to watch the Ohio State game while still gaming (last year I went with Minecraft.) I'll probably be leaving a party open on XBox live in case someone wants to chat.
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I've had this weird desire to start playing The Sims lately. I haven't played that game in many years. I know it's been ported over to console, but I think the only way you can play The Sims right is on PC. In fact I'm probably gonna download it today.
Thanks for reading
-Michael
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Gaming Tuesday- Handing in My Fanboy Card
I've recently told you guys that I'm probably the biggest fanboy of the NCAA Football series. Well, I think that may be over after many years. This year's edition seems to be sorely lacking following what was, in my opinion, the best Football game ever made in last year's edition. Despite improvements in non-gameplay features, gameplay has not been improved and in fact has been made considerably worse.
The problems are remarkably similar to those that Madden 11 had. If those weren't bad enough, the improvements that were touted by EA prior to release as 'advancements' in gameplay have made it nearly unplayable. There is the same lack of crispness that Madden 11 had. Receivers will often ignore the ball when it is thrown to them(often it bounces off their helmets.) The ridiculous amount of dropped passes is another problem area that this game shares with Madden 11.
Collision based tackling was supposed to be the big improvement to this game. They bragged about ending the 'suction' into tackles. This sounded really nice however, this has quickly turned into a major flaw. The fact is that one cannot be all that precise with a console controller. In first person shooters this is helped by aim assists to add precision that a player simply cannot have with a controller. In the same way, a player needs help making a tackle in a football game on console.
They also made improvements to Zone Coverage and really coverage in generally. Again this sounds really good just as an idea, but in practice it has hurt the game. It is virtually impossible to pass the ball on harder difficulties. It is amazing how often you drop back and cannot find anyone of your receivers open. It crosses than line between challenging and not fun. I don't play NCAA because I'm a masochist, so this makes the game nearly unplayable.
Not surprisingly there are the same problems that this series has had for years and years. The penalties are just ridiculous. They still have failed to take Clipping out of the game. I have watched a ridiculous amount of Football and I've seen clipping call 1 fucking time. There's no need for it in the game. It should've been replaced with the often called Illegal Block in the Back. Also, Pass Interference seems to be lacking. I'm sure it's in there somewhere, but it needs to be call more often. Of course, there are still the super-athletic, teleporting, 5-foot vertical leap having, amazing hands, linebackers. There even harder to bare this year, because passing is already so difficult.
I was frustrated enough with it by that I popped FIFA 11 back in this evening. I may only bother to play the Online Dynasty I agreed to be in. So far I've found that NCAA Football 12 just isn't fun. And what's the bloody point if it isn't fun? I definitely wish I hadn't paid the full price for this game. I really wish there's something that I'm missing that will make this game better.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
The problems are remarkably similar to those that Madden 11 had. If those weren't bad enough, the improvements that were touted by EA prior to release as 'advancements' in gameplay have made it nearly unplayable. There is the same lack of crispness that Madden 11 had. Receivers will often ignore the ball when it is thrown to them(often it bounces off their helmets.) The ridiculous amount of dropped passes is another problem area that this game shares with Madden 11.
Collision based tackling was supposed to be the big improvement to this game. They bragged about ending the 'suction' into tackles. This sounded really nice however, this has quickly turned into a major flaw. The fact is that one cannot be all that precise with a console controller. In first person shooters this is helped by aim assists to add precision that a player simply cannot have with a controller. In the same way, a player needs help making a tackle in a football game on console.
They also made improvements to Zone Coverage and really coverage in generally. Again this sounds really good just as an idea, but in practice it has hurt the game. It is virtually impossible to pass the ball on harder difficulties. It is amazing how often you drop back and cannot find anyone of your receivers open. It crosses than line between challenging and not fun. I don't play NCAA because I'm a masochist, so this makes the game nearly unplayable.
Not surprisingly there are the same problems that this series has had for years and years. The penalties are just ridiculous. They still have failed to take Clipping out of the game. I have watched a ridiculous amount of Football and I've seen clipping call 1 fucking time. There's no need for it in the game. It should've been replaced with the often called Illegal Block in the Back. Also, Pass Interference seems to be lacking. I'm sure it's in there somewhere, but it needs to be call more often. Of course, there are still the super-athletic, teleporting, 5-foot vertical leap having, amazing hands, linebackers. There even harder to bare this year, because passing is already so difficult.
I was frustrated enough with it by that I popped FIFA 11 back in this evening. I may only bother to play the Online Dynasty I agreed to be in. So far I've found that NCAA Football 12 just isn't fun. And what's the bloody point if it isn't fun? I definitely wish I hadn't paid the full price for this game. I really wish there's something that I'm missing that will make this game better.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Gaming Tuesday
It's Thursday again. I don't think you guys should expect a post calling "Gaming Tuesday" to come out every Tuesday :p
I'm a pretty big fan-boy of the NCAA Football video games. It's probably the only game I can actually fit the bill of fan-boy for. I've enjoyed the College Football games much better than the NFL games for many years. Last year's edition was the best so far and I think it far surpassed Madden 11*.
So, as you might expect, I'm excited about the upcoming edition of NCAA Football. There are visual and mechanical improvements that seem like they'll improve the game play. However, that isn't why I'm so excited.
Dynasty Mode is the reason I'm such a fan of the NCAA Football video games. It has been lacking a few features that I would've liked to see, but it has been much, much better than Franchise Mode in Madden. This year there are going to be additions to Dynasty that will make it even better. These are things I've wanted to see for a long time.
The coaching carousel is going to introduced in NCAA Football 12. The absolute lack of any overturn makes the game feel pretty static. I don't know exactly how this is going to be implemented, but I look forward to seeing how this change is going to break up the monotony. Also, with this addition you don't start off as the head coach at your dream school. You have to work your way up from a coordinator and take job openings to advance. Maybe I'm odd, but I think that will make it more fun.
Another addition to Dynasty Mode will be fully customizable Conferences. In the past you could do a straight swap between conferences, but you couldn't, for instance, add Nebraska to the Big 10 without putting a team in the Big 10 into the Big 12. The place where this will be most beneficial will be in the Online Dynasty Mode. This year you can create a super conference to compete in with your friends rather than being stuck in a conference specific-dynasty.
Something that will be interesting is how the Ohio State situation is handled by the game. Since it seems likely that Terrelle Pryor and others won't be on the team next season will they still be in the game? They aren't allowed to do roster updates like Madden, because they aren't really supposed to be who they represent. I expect that QB #2 and company will still be in the game. Last year, Jeremiah Masoli was still in the game as Oregon's QB even though he had been booted off the team long before release.
This will be the first year in a long time that I will only be getting NCAA Football. I'm done with Madden for now. I don't believe them anymore when they say it's improved and I don't trust reviews because they always seem to give the Madden brand a pass.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
*I absolutely hated Madden 11. I don't understand how it go so much critical praise. I might be an NCAA fan-boy, but the world is a Madden fan-boy.
I'm a pretty big fan-boy of the NCAA Football video games. It's probably the only game I can actually fit the bill of fan-boy for. I've enjoyed the College Football games much better than the NFL games for many years. Last year's edition was the best so far and I think it far surpassed Madden 11*.
So, as you might expect, I'm excited about the upcoming edition of NCAA Football. There are visual and mechanical improvements that seem like they'll improve the game play. However, that isn't why I'm so excited.
Dynasty Mode is the reason I'm such a fan of the NCAA Football video games. It has been lacking a few features that I would've liked to see, but it has been much, much better than Franchise Mode in Madden. This year there are going to be additions to Dynasty that will make it even better. These are things I've wanted to see for a long time.
The coaching carousel is going to introduced in NCAA Football 12. The absolute lack of any overturn makes the game feel pretty static. I don't know exactly how this is going to be implemented, but I look forward to seeing how this change is going to break up the monotony. Also, with this addition you don't start off as the head coach at your dream school. You have to work your way up from a coordinator and take job openings to advance. Maybe I'm odd, but I think that will make it more fun.
Another addition to Dynasty Mode will be fully customizable Conferences. In the past you could do a straight swap between conferences, but you couldn't, for instance, add Nebraska to the Big 10 without putting a team in the Big 10 into the Big 12. The place where this will be most beneficial will be in the Online Dynasty Mode. This year you can create a super conference to compete in with your friends rather than being stuck in a conference specific-dynasty.
Something that will be interesting is how the Ohio State situation is handled by the game. Since it seems likely that Terrelle Pryor and others won't be on the team next season will they still be in the game? They aren't allowed to do roster updates like Madden, because they aren't really supposed to be who they represent. I expect that QB #2 and company will still be in the game. Last year, Jeremiah Masoli was still in the game as Oregon's QB even though he had been booted off the team long before release.
This will be the first year in a long time that I will only be getting NCAA Football. I'm done with Madden for now. I don't believe them anymore when they say it's improved and I don't trust reviews because they always seem to give the Madden brand a pass.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
*I absolutely hated Madden 11. I don't understand how it go so much critical praise. I might be an NCAA fan-boy, but the world is a Madden fan-boy.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Gaming Tuesday- L.A. Noire Review
I really don't feel comfortable getting too in-depth in talking about this game yet. I feel like L.A. Noire is particularly spoiler prone. I don't think I can give a little bit away to illustrate a point without people being able to figure out the bigger storyline. So, I think I'm going to have to make this shorter than my reviews have been in the past. I'm going to make a big general statement to avoid constantly doing this:
A quick refresher on how reviews work here. A game starts with 50 "Nerd points" and I add or subtract (pretty arbitrarily I might add) points for things I like or dislike. I've only used this "official" model two games to this point. I should probably do some more, but for now here's a bit of perspective on the scoring:
Call of Duty: Black Ops 82.5
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood 78.5
This method is really just a gauge of my initial reaction to a game. I mean, I did end up giving Game of the Year to Brotherhood, so opinions can change. But enough of that, let's get to L.A. Noire.
As I stated earlier, I'm not going to give concrete examples as to why the story is great (+20). It manages to flow very well without conforming to the usual way open-world games work (+1). The story really had me engaged and I didn't want to stop playing, because I really needed to know what would happen next. The story definitely falls into Film Noir cliches*, but I don't think that's a detriment.
The gameplay mechanics are solid as one would expect with a rock star game (+2). It controls like Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto IV. The thing I was probably most impressed by was how Bondi and Rockstar managed to keep it fun while you controlled the Good Guy (+1). Interrogation was an area that particular concerned me coming into this game, but I think the system that's in place works very well (+4). The player has to think, understand the context of the interview and be able to read, at times, subtle movements to get it right.
There is something that is holding this back from being one of the premier games for this generation of consoles. There is just a sloppiness to this game. The story is brilliant. The character are well developed and the voice acting is good. However, there are a lot of little things that tend to glitch out (-2). There are disappearing cars and people. On occasion you will teleport out of the car instead of doing like a normal person. I've experienced random frame-rate issues that seem to have no rhyme or reason. There's nothing major wrong, but it lacks the polish the Red Dead Redemption had.
One final fault with L.A. Noire, is that it's not as friendly to completists, such as myself, as a game like it ought to be (-1). The Rockstar Social Club does help (+.5). However, during the very long story there is little time or opportunity for collectables. It's not that awful, because I expected to spend more hours collecting after completing the story than I did playing the actual game, but a little head start would have been nice. This is just another minor thing.
L.A. Noire is a great game. It offers an excellent story in a gaming world that is now so often without great campaigns to play, because of the emphasis on multiplayer. It's minor flaws certainly are nowhere near game-breaking, but they show a lack of crispness that one should expect out of such a big title from a big game developer. L.A. is a brilliant game and though I may sound critical, I highly recommend it.
75.5 Nerd Points
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
*I was acutely aware of those cliches, because I had a lecture about Film Noir just a few days before the game was released. Talk about timing.
In that one mission where your chasing this man or woman who you found in that one place. The way that chase comes to a conclusion, that was well done.
A quick refresher on how reviews work here. A game starts with 50 "Nerd points" and I add or subtract (pretty arbitrarily I might add) points for things I like or dislike. I've only used this "official" model two games to this point. I should probably do some more, but for now here's a bit of perspective on the scoring:
Call of Duty: Black Ops 82.5
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood 78.5
This method is really just a gauge of my initial reaction to a game. I mean, I did end up giving Game of the Year to Brotherhood, so opinions can change. But enough of that, let's get to L.A. Noire.
As I stated earlier, I'm not going to give concrete examples as to why the story is great (+20). It manages to flow very well without conforming to the usual way open-world games work (+1). The story really had me engaged and I didn't want to stop playing, because I really needed to know what would happen next. The story definitely falls into Film Noir cliches*, but I don't think that's a detriment.
The gameplay mechanics are solid as one would expect with a rock star game (+2). It controls like Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto IV. The thing I was probably most impressed by was how Bondi and Rockstar managed to keep it fun while you controlled the Good Guy (+1). Interrogation was an area that particular concerned me coming into this game, but I think the system that's in place works very well (+4). The player has to think, understand the context of the interview and be able to read, at times, subtle movements to get it right.
There is something that is holding this back from being one of the premier games for this generation of consoles. There is just a sloppiness to this game. The story is brilliant. The character are well developed and the voice acting is good. However, there are a lot of little things that tend to glitch out (-2). There are disappearing cars and people. On occasion you will teleport out of the car instead of doing like a normal person. I've experienced random frame-rate issues that seem to have no rhyme or reason. There's nothing major wrong, but it lacks the polish the Red Dead Redemption had.
One final fault with L.A. Noire, is that it's not as friendly to completists, such as myself, as a game like it ought to be (-1). The Rockstar Social Club does help (+.5). However, during the very long story there is little time or opportunity for collectables. It's not that awful, because I expected to spend more hours collecting after completing the story than I did playing the actual game, but a little head start would have been nice. This is just another minor thing.
L.A. Noire is a great game. It offers an excellent story in a gaming world that is now so often without great campaigns to play, because of the emphasis on multiplayer. It's minor flaws certainly are nowhere near game-breaking, but they show a lack of crispness that one should expect out of such a big title from a big game developer. L.A. is a brilliant game and though I may sound critical, I highly recommend it.
75.5 Nerd Points
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
*I was acutely aware of those cliches, because I had a lecture about Film Noir just a few days before the game was released. Talk about timing.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Gaming Tuesday
Two things to discuss today. First, the announcement of Assassin's Creed: Revelations. Secondly the news that L.A. Noire will come on 3 disks for the XBox 360.
*Spoiler Alert: There are going to be spoilers about Assassin's Creed Brotherhood in this part. So, if you're watching Hank Green's Let's Play or just haven't played the game yet, see you on the other side.
I was rather surprised to hear the announcement of a new Assassin's Creed game for this year. I thought that Brotherhood was simply going to be means to an end to better set up Assassin's Creed 3. I didn't expect Assassin's Creed 3 until fall of 2012. Also surprising was the fact that this was another game with Ezio as the main character.
(Final warning, The next words you see will be the biggest spoiler of Brotherhood)
I don't understand how they're going to pull off getting Desmond back into the Animus after he he killed Lucy under the Coliseum. That's going to take some explaining. I don't think, "Minerva, The Roman Goddess, told me to do it, but only I can see her" would actually fly. Then there's the fact that the thing you had been trying to find had been found. I can't get how it's going work out. We've got the Apple of Eden, Desmond has just stabbed Lucy in the heart, but let's got a mess around a bit more in the animus.
This entire renaissance era thing is really cool. I'm glad that there's going to be another game in this style. However, it doesn't seem to fit the story line. I think this is more of an attempt to hop on the annual game release train by Ubisoft. It also may just be another test for multiplayer for the big release of Assassin's Creed 3, when/if it comes.
If they do succeed in making this fit the storyline, I'd be happy if they could keep the game from moving to the modern setting entirely. Personally, I'd like it move to the French Revolution from the Renaissance. I don't think Assassin's Creed will work that well in a totally modern setting. I think the modern storyline is best used to supplement the historic one.
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Spoilers are over
L.A. Noire is coming out on both the XBox 360 and PS3, which would normally mean that the two systems get roughly the same game. However, L.A. Noire has a massive amount of data that an ordinary DVD disc cannot handle, but a Blu-ray disc can. That means that the XBox 360 version of the game will come on 3 discs.
I'm curious as to how exactly this will work. Will there just be disc changes? Or are two of the discs going to have to be copied to the hard drive and you play on a main disc?
L.A. Noire must be a truly massive game. It might be the first video game to take full advantage of blu-ray technology. I'm curious if this is leading to improved graphics, or a bigger environment; I suppose it could be both. I use Red Dead Redemption as my standard and that game had both ultra-realistic graphics and a very large world. If it needs 3 discs, I can't imagine how much better it could be.
If this does become a trend, I think Microsoft may have their hand forced on producing a new console. The XBox 360 dominated this generation of video game consoles to this point, but its choice of HD DVD instead of Blu-ray may make PS3 become the better choice until the next generation. I wouldn't expect Microsoft to have a completely new console for many years to come, but wouldn't be surprised to see a new 360 with Blu-ray Technology.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
*Spoiler Alert: There are going to be spoilers about Assassin's Creed Brotherhood in this part. So, if you're watching Hank Green's Let's Play or just haven't played the game yet, see you on the other side.
I was rather surprised to hear the announcement of a new Assassin's Creed game for this year. I thought that Brotherhood was simply going to be means to an end to better set up Assassin's Creed 3. I didn't expect Assassin's Creed 3 until fall of 2012. Also surprising was the fact that this was another game with Ezio as the main character.
(Final warning, The next words you see will be the biggest spoiler of Brotherhood)
I don't understand how they're going to pull off getting Desmond back into the Animus after he he killed Lucy under the Coliseum. That's going to take some explaining. I don't think, "Minerva, The Roman Goddess, told me to do it, but only I can see her" would actually fly. Then there's the fact that the thing you had been trying to find had been found. I can't get how it's going work out. We've got the Apple of Eden, Desmond has just stabbed Lucy in the heart, but let's got a mess around a bit more in the animus.
This entire renaissance era thing is really cool. I'm glad that there's going to be another game in this style. However, it doesn't seem to fit the story line. I think this is more of an attempt to hop on the annual game release train by Ubisoft. It also may just be another test for multiplayer for the big release of Assassin's Creed 3, when/if it comes.
If they do succeed in making this fit the storyline, I'd be happy if they could keep the game from moving to the modern setting entirely. Personally, I'd like it move to the French Revolution from the Renaissance. I don't think Assassin's Creed will work that well in a totally modern setting. I think the modern storyline is best used to supplement the historic one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spoilers are over
L.A. Noire is coming out on both the XBox 360 and PS3, which would normally mean that the two systems get roughly the same game. However, L.A. Noire has a massive amount of data that an ordinary DVD disc cannot handle, but a Blu-ray disc can. That means that the XBox 360 version of the game will come on 3 discs.
I'm curious as to how exactly this will work. Will there just be disc changes? Or are two of the discs going to have to be copied to the hard drive and you play on a main disc?
L.A. Noire must be a truly massive game. It might be the first video game to take full advantage of blu-ray technology. I'm curious if this is leading to improved graphics, or a bigger environment; I suppose it could be both. I use Red Dead Redemption as my standard and that game had both ultra-realistic graphics and a very large world. If it needs 3 discs, I can't imagine how much better it could be.
If this does become a trend, I think Microsoft may have their hand forced on producing a new console. The XBox 360 dominated this generation of video game consoles to this point, but its choice of HD DVD instead of Blu-ray may make PS3 become the better choice until the next generation. I wouldn't expect Microsoft to have a completely new console for many years to come, but wouldn't be surprised to see a new 360 with Blu-ray Technology.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Gaming Tuesday
Ok, as promised to have been yesterday on Monday, but it didn't happen yesterday, because I talked about Jelly Beans, so it's happening today now. Mortal Kombat. I'm not feeling all that articulate tonight, so this won't be any good.
I think it's important to understand that I haven't played very many fighting games since Mortal Kombat 2 on the SEGA Genesis. That then means the learning curve for me is very steep, which will likely lead to me criticizing the game unfairly. I'm absolutely terrible at this game. I started on Normal difficulty and got my ass handed to me repeatedly. I knocked it down to Easy and I was almost competent.
It is as wonderfully gory as you'd expect. The fatalities are bloody and disturbing*. There are lots of different game modes, which is nice. I can't really speak to the game play mechanics yet as I'm still trying to grasp them**.
The one true complaint I have isn't really about the game necessarily. In Mortal Kombat it is necessary to use the D-pad. On the XBox controller that is a big issue. The D-pad is just terrible on that controller. It is impossible to be precise at all. If I can work that one out, then I think I'll be able to get this game.
When I went to pick up Mortal Kombat, my local Gamestop finally had FIFA 11 in stock. I've wanted this game for a while. It was definitely worth the wait. The gameplay is improved over last year. It is just fine tuned, which is all that the series really needed.
I don't have anything else to say about Video Games today.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last night I posted this tweet. Nailed It!
Apparently there was a Tornado Warning last night. I slept through it, because I'm so hardcore. There probably wasn't a Tornado, but apparently there's quite a bit of damage just East of where I live.
Thanks for reading
-Michael
*Expect when it's robot. Those are just not as fun though.
**n00b
I think it's important to understand that I haven't played very many fighting games since Mortal Kombat 2 on the SEGA Genesis. That then means the learning curve for me is very steep, which will likely lead to me criticizing the game unfairly. I'm absolutely terrible at this game. I started on Normal difficulty and got my ass handed to me repeatedly. I knocked it down to Easy and I was almost competent.
It is as wonderfully gory as you'd expect. The fatalities are bloody and disturbing*. There are lots of different game modes, which is nice. I can't really speak to the game play mechanics yet as I'm still trying to grasp them**.
The one true complaint I have isn't really about the game necessarily. In Mortal Kombat it is necessary to use the D-pad. On the XBox controller that is a big issue. The D-pad is just terrible on that controller. It is impossible to be precise at all. If I can work that one out, then I think I'll be able to get this game.
When I went to pick up Mortal Kombat, my local Gamestop finally had FIFA 11 in stock. I've wanted this game for a while. It was definitely worth the wait. The gameplay is improved over last year. It is just fine tuned, which is all that the series really needed.
I don't have anything else to say about Video Games today.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last night I posted this tweet. Nailed It!
Apparently there was a Tornado Warning last night. I slept through it, because I'm so hardcore. There probably wasn't a Tornado, but apparently there's quite a bit of damage just East of where I live.
Thanks for reading
-Michael
*Expect when it's robot. Those are just not as fun though.
**n00b
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Gaming Tuesday- Homefront
Last time on Gaming Tuesday: I told you that I was fighting the urge to go get Homefront. That I'd just wait until I could pick it up used and on the cheap. Now on Gaming Tuesday:
I bought Homefront. It was a breakdown in my better judgment. I kept hearing about how awesome the multiplayer was and I just went to Gamestop and dropped the full price on it. This is as borderline as I've ever been on whether or not the game is worth it. I'm not going to do a review since it's already been out for a while, but I'll tell you what I think of the game. There will be no major spoilers, if you're worried.
I'll start with the single-player campaign. Simply put, it is below average. The story isn't horrible or even that crazy once you get over the premise, but it is by no means extraordinary. It succeeds in horrifying the player with the first cut scene. You see Americans being shipped to internment camps and most awfully parents being executed in front of their small child. They certainly didn't pull any punches when it came to setting the true horror of the setting.
The player finds a few more horrible scenes as he or she plays through the campaign. Those scenes go along with pretty typical first person shooter type objectives. You know, 'kill all the bad guys and get something' or 'take out something at a certain point,' the status quo. The game play mechanics are identical to Call of Duty, so one won't struggle with the controls in all likelihood.
It sounds fine, but this game was not done very well technically. The graphics are terrible for a game in 2011. There are frame-rate issues caused simply by having your character turn to the side. There is no bullet penetration, which is just annoying. The controls aren't actually sluggish. In fact there as close to Call of Duty 1:1 as I've played, but they end up looking sluggish due to the choppy frame-rate at times.
The thing that is worst about the campaign is how fucking short it is. A game like Homefront, with such a unique story, should not have a campaign that is only five hours. A longer campaign would allow the story to develop more naturally and would just be better. A Call of Duty 4 length campaign would've suited this game very well. It should have been longer, more exciting and should have built to a fantastic crescendo*.
The single player was definitely a big let down in Homefront. There's not even a cool secondary single player game mode. The best props I can give to that aspect of the game is that the collectibles are really cool.
It is then surprising that out of that Single Player came the Multiplayer that Homefront has. I would've thought the focus of a game like Homefront would be single player. It would've been a way for this game to stand out from Call of Duty, whose last two single player campaigns have been lacking. However, that is clearly not how THQ and Chaos went about it. Their focus was obviously multiplayer and they ended up doing very well at it.
The most notable thing about Homefront's multiplayer is the absence of Killstreaks. They are replaced by an in-game currency system called, "Battle Points." You earn these points through getting kills, capturing objectives, taking out enemy vehicles and a few other things. This relieves the stress of getting to your Killstreak reward and thus makes it a much less stressful FPS. You don't have to worry about getting the streaks that you need in Call of Duty, but can focus on getting as many kills as quickly as possible for you to my your reward.
The Killstreaks themselves are pretty cool. You can get into armor or a helicopter. You can use your points to buy recon for your team. This sounds like it would get annoying, but it isn't that awful as it is pretty well balanced. Another cool thing is that a lot of these rewards have a second seat that a teammate can spawn into, which ends up benefiting both players.
Also this game had dedicated servers. Dedicated servers give me a boner.
There certainly are some flaws in the multiplayer. The hitbox is too small. It is really hectic and hard to really get into a good flow since there are so many players on the map. It's not uncommon to get repeatedly fucked by tanks and helicopters. Spawns aren't that brilliant even though they give a bird's eye view.
I really know that Multiplayer is good, because I'm terrible at Homefront, but I still enjoy playing it. I can think of few games I can say that I can actually enjoy while doing terrible, but this is one of them.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
*If I had told you how the game ends, it would sound a lot cooler than it actually was.
I bought Homefront. It was a breakdown in my better judgment. I kept hearing about how awesome the multiplayer was and I just went to Gamestop and dropped the full price on it. This is as borderline as I've ever been on whether or not the game is worth it. I'm not going to do a review since it's already been out for a while, but I'll tell you what I think of the game. There will be no major spoilers, if you're worried.
I'll start with the single-player campaign. Simply put, it is below average. The story isn't horrible or even that crazy once you get over the premise, but it is by no means extraordinary. It succeeds in horrifying the player with the first cut scene. You see Americans being shipped to internment camps and most awfully parents being executed in front of their small child. They certainly didn't pull any punches when it came to setting the true horror of the setting.
The player finds a few more horrible scenes as he or she plays through the campaign. Those scenes go along with pretty typical first person shooter type objectives. You know, 'kill all the bad guys and get something' or 'take out something at a certain point,' the status quo. The game play mechanics are identical to Call of Duty, so one won't struggle with the controls in all likelihood.
It sounds fine, but this game was not done very well technically. The graphics are terrible for a game in 2011. There are frame-rate issues caused simply by having your character turn to the side. There is no bullet penetration, which is just annoying. The controls aren't actually sluggish. In fact there as close to Call of Duty 1:1 as I've played, but they end up looking sluggish due to the choppy frame-rate at times.
The thing that is worst about the campaign is how fucking short it is. A game like Homefront, with such a unique story, should not have a campaign that is only five hours. A longer campaign would allow the story to develop more naturally and would just be better. A Call of Duty 4 length campaign would've suited this game very well. It should have been longer, more exciting and should have built to a fantastic crescendo*.
The single player was definitely a big let down in Homefront. There's not even a cool secondary single player game mode. The best props I can give to that aspect of the game is that the collectibles are really cool.
It is then surprising that out of that Single Player came the Multiplayer that Homefront has. I would've thought the focus of a game like Homefront would be single player. It would've been a way for this game to stand out from Call of Duty, whose last two single player campaigns have been lacking. However, that is clearly not how THQ and Chaos went about it. Their focus was obviously multiplayer and they ended up doing very well at it.
The most notable thing about Homefront's multiplayer is the absence of Killstreaks. They are replaced by an in-game currency system called, "Battle Points." You earn these points through getting kills, capturing objectives, taking out enemy vehicles and a few other things. This relieves the stress of getting to your Killstreak reward and thus makes it a much less stressful FPS. You don't have to worry about getting the streaks that you need in Call of Duty, but can focus on getting as many kills as quickly as possible for you to my your reward.
The Killstreaks themselves are pretty cool. You can get into armor or a helicopter. You can use your points to buy recon for your team. This sounds like it would get annoying, but it isn't that awful as it is pretty well balanced. Another cool thing is that a lot of these rewards have a second seat that a teammate can spawn into, which ends up benefiting both players.
Also this game had dedicated servers. Dedicated servers give me a boner.
There certainly are some flaws in the multiplayer. The hitbox is too small. It is really hectic and hard to really get into a good flow since there are so many players on the map. It's not uncommon to get repeatedly fucked by tanks and helicopters. Spawns aren't that brilliant even though they give a bird's eye view.
I really know that Multiplayer is good, because I'm terrible at Homefront, but I still enjoy playing it. I can think of few games I can say that I can actually enjoy while doing terrible, but this is one of them.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
*If I had told you how the game ends, it would sound a lot cooler than it actually was.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Gaming Tuesday- Bad Blogger is Bad
Wow Guys, it's been a while. There's nothing exciting to tell you about either. I've just been lazy. I'm just hoping to make this post long enough/decent enough to warrant posting.
I've spent most of the fighting the urge to go get Homefront. I mean IGN only gave it a 7.0 rating. The campaign is super short, which is really the main reason I'd be buying the game. It's some sort of combination of CoD fatigue and an itch to have something new to play. And then there's the brilliant premise. Still it would be 60 dollars for something that I'm not really sure about. It would be worth it if I trusted that the multiplayer would be lasting fun, but I doubt it really is. It happens over and over again where a new game comes along and everyone plays for a few weeks and then it's back to Call of Duty.
I think I'll wait and buy Homefront and Medal of Honor together once they both get cheap and save the money for L.A. Noire and Mortal Kombat
L.A. Noire is a game that really intrigues me. I've never really got into games like that where your character is the good guy. It is a Rockstar game, so it'll be well done.
Gah... This is so short and not really worth posting, but
-Michael
I've spent most of the fighting the urge to go get Homefront. I mean IGN only gave it a 7.0 rating. The campaign is super short, which is really the main reason I'd be buying the game. It's some sort of combination of CoD fatigue and an itch to have something new to play. And then there's the brilliant premise. Still it would be 60 dollars for something that I'm not really sure about. It would be worth it if I trusted that the multiplayer would be lasting fun, but I doubt it really is. It happens over and over again where a new game comes along and everyone plays for a few weeks and then it's back to Call of Duty.
I think I'll wait and buy Homefront and Medal of Honor together once they both get cheap and save the money for L.A. Noire and Mortal Kombat
L.A. Noire is a game that really intrigues me. I've never really got into games like that where your character is the good guy. It is a Rockstar game, so it'll be well done.
Gah... This is so short and not really worth posting, but
-Michael
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Gaming Tuesday- Red Ring of Death Edition
My XBox 360 broke on Sunday. It wasn't the 3 light ring of death, but just a single light with the error E73. From what I can discern that is a hardware error that has something to do with the Ethernet port. Basically I have a broken XBox that's out of warranty. I suppose I should count myself lucky that it was only 360 number two and that it lasted 3 years given the horrendous failure rate.
My new XBox 360 is on the way though. I was really hesitant to go for a used or refurbished Arcade system though. Depending on the production date/whether or not Microsoft has fixed the soldering, there is a likelihood of failure. I decided instead to get the new XBox 360 "slim" with the 250 GB hard drive. It's supposed to be here between tomorrow and Friday.
I still not sure what to do with the old system though. If I were to sell it as is I can get about $30 for it. If I were to repair it I could sell it for about $70 or maybe $80 with the repair costing about $40. So, there's not much money to be made there.
I'm really thinking about getting it repaired and finding a charity to give it to. The problem is I don't know of a charity that would want a used console. If any of you know of a a place I could donate it to, please let me know in the comments.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homefront
It is really impossible to look at any FPS game, especially one that is in a modern setting and not compare it Call of Duty. Therefore basically every FPS I look at seems sluggish and, well, fake. The bits of gameplay I've seen from Homefront are no exception. The graphics aren't quite as good and it seems more choppy than Call of Duty.
It's probably not fair to use Call of Duty as a standard probably isn't fair, but it is inevitable. It really turns into more of question of whether or not a game can offer me something different enough from CoD to be worth it. For example, I didn't think Medal of Honor offered anything that I wouldn't get if I just waited for Black Ops, so I didn't get it.
Homefront is definitely offering something different. It offers a brilliant premise that certainly intrigues me. Still if I only bought games based on interesting premises, I wouldn't be worried about my XBox having the Red Ring of Death, because it would've been tossed out the window long ago, because this game exists.
It's also easy to fall into the trap of great story= shit game. The previews I have read for Homefront seem to indicate that there are some mechanical issues with the game, but they could be resolved. My decision about whether or not I will be getting this game will come down to the Demo. If plays well, not necessarily as well as Call of Duty, but avoids truly game breaking issues, I will be getting it.
As for multiplayer, meh. That looks like that may suck pretty hardcore. It does look very objective based which is a plus. However, 32 people in a game and abundance of vehicles could make it just awful. At least it will have dedicated servers for consoles.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's all for this week.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
My new XBox 360 is on the way though. I was really hesitant to go for a used or refurbished Arcade system though. Depending on the production date/whether or not Microsoft has fixed the soldering, there is a likelihood of failure. I decided instead to get the new XBox 360 "slim" with the 250 GB hard drive. It's supposed to be here between tomorrow and Friday.
I still not sure what to do with the old system though. If I were to sell it as is I can get about $30 for it. If I were to repair it I could sell it for about $70 or maybe $80 with the repair costing about $40. So, there's not much money to be made there.
I'm really thinking about getting it repaired and finding a charity to give it to. The problem is I don't know of a charity that would want a used console. If any of you know of a a place I could donate it to, please let me know in the comments.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homefront
It is really impossible to look at any FPS game, especially one that is in a modern setting and not compare it Call of Duty. Therefore basically every FPS I look at seems sluggish and, well, fake. The bits of gameplay I've seen from Homefront are no exception. The graphics aren't quite as good and it seems more choppy than Call of Duty.
It's probably not fair to use Call of Duty as a standard probably isn't fair, but it is inevitable. It really turns into more of question of whether or not a game can offer me something different enough from CoD to be worth it. For example, I didn't think Medal of Honor offered anything that I wouldn't get if I just waited for Black Ops, so I didn't get it.
Homefront is definitely offering something different. It offers a brilliant premise that certainly intrigues me. Still if I only bought games based on interesting premises, I wouldn't be worried about my XBox having the Red Ring of Death, because it would've been tossed out the window long ago, because this game exists.
It's also easy to fall into the trap of great story= shit game. The previews I have read for Homefront seem to indicate that there are some mechanical issues with the game, but they could be resolved. My decision about whether or not I will be getting this game will come down to the Demo. If plays well, not necessarily as well as Call of Duty, but avoids truly game breaking issues, I will be getting it.
As for multiplayer, meh. That looks like that may suck pretty hardcore. It does look very objective based which is a plus. However, 32 people in a game and abundance of vehicles could make it just awful. At least it will have dedicated servers for consoles.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's all for this week.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Gaming Tuesday- My Valentine's in a Video Game
It's not really Tuesday, but shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Not really. My real Valentine was HowtoLiz. However if I had a gaming Valentine it would be Ashley Graham. I seem to be in the minority of gamers who don't find her annoying, I just think she's attractive. I don't mind that she looks underage, the game is pretty insistent that she is 18. Plus, she's the President's daughter, which means instant influence.
Guys, we need to talk. There is a release date for the new Mortal Kombat game and no one told me. I couldn't be more excited about it. I've already told you guys that at least once or twice before. The fatalities are going to be so cool with these consoles.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 dropped yesterday. I'm not really a big fan of fighting games, so you may be confused as to my excitement about Mortal Kombat. I wonder who buys Marvel v. Capcom over Mortal Kombat this year. I definitely have my alligances to a lot of Capcom characters, but I don't particularly enjoy using them in a 2D fighting game. Mortal Kombat on the other hand will be very gory and and have an actual story. Both of those are pluses in my category.
Today, I beat the Black Ops campaign on Veteran difficulty. Despite what I may have said to the contrary, It isn't as ridiculously awful as the World at War campaign. There are some annoying parts and the entire mission on the rooftops is horribly difficult, but otherwise doable. I mean you still have to be a masochist to play through a Call of Duty campaign on Veteran, but you might not get off as much on this one as World at War or CoD 4.
Here's an awesome trailer for a game I think will be awesome
Here's an awesome trailer for a game I think will be notsome
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
Not really. My real Valentine was HowtoLiz. However if I had a gaming Valentine it would be Ashley Graham. I seem to be in the minority of gamers who don't find her annoying, I just think she's attractive. I don't mind that she looks underage, the game is pretty insistent that she is 18. Plus, she's the President's daughter, which means instant influence.
Guys, we need to talk. There is a release date for the new Mortal Kombat game and no one told me. I couldn't be more excited about it. I've already told you guys that at least once or twice before. The fatalities are going to be so cool with these consoles.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 dropped yesterday. I'm not really a big fan of fighting games, so you may be confused as to my excitement about Mortal Kombat. I wonder who buys Marvel v. Capcom over Mortal Kombat this year. I definitely have my alligances to a lot of Capcom characters, but I don't particularly enjoy using them in a 2D fighting game. Mortal Kombat on the other hand will be very gory and and have an actual story. Both of those are pluses in my category.
Today, I beat the Black Ops campaign on Veteran difficulty. Despite what I may have said to the contrary, It isn't as ridiculously awful as the World at War campaign. There are some annoying parts and the entire mission on the rooftops is horribly difficult, but otherwise doable. I mean you still have to be a masochist to play through a Call of Duty campaign on Veteran, but you might not get off as much on this one as World at War or CoD 4.
Here's an awesome trailer for a game I think will be awesome
Here's an awesome trailer for a game I think will be notsome
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Gaming Tuesday
There isn't much going on in the world of gaming this week. Personally, I've been playing loads of Black Ops especially with it being Double XP last weekend. So that's what I'm going to write about. So here's some ramblings about Black Ops:
There certainly are some very aggravating things about Black Ops. However, like every other Call of Duty game the most aggravating parts of the game are not caused by game Mechanics, but by the community. Still, I find problems with this game harder to forgive for some reason. I think it's because of how close this game is to being perfect. Second Chance and RC-XD cars are so much more frustrating, because of how well the game is done other wise.
I spent quite a lot of time playing solo this weekend. Going into objective games, it was really tough. I ran into so many 6-man parties that would just absolute beat down my team. I don't remember it ever being so hard before to go in solo. I was definitely getting annoyed. More annoying than that is when the game starts going down hill people start bailing, so you're losing and end up short handed.
Also the host quitting out to the Dashboard is getting really fucking annoying. I know there's nothing that can be done about that, but it's annoying when you're about to win a Free-For-All and suddenly the game starts super lagging and then the screen goes black.
Black Ops feels like the most balanced of the CoD games. For some reason, that makes the game a bit dull at times. When it goes well though, this game is amazing. When it doesn't it gets frustrating really fast.
Disengage rambling
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I think you guys should check out this fantastic site called Fat, Ugly or Slutty. It's about the trials of female gamers and the ridiculous messages they receive. That's sounds serious, but the site is really hilarious.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
There certainly are some very aggravating things about Black Ops. However, like every other Call of Duty game the most aggravating parts of the game are not caused by game Mechanics, but by the community. Still, I find problems with this game harder to forgive for some reason. I think it's because of how close this game is to being perfect. Second Chance and RC-XD cars are so much more frustrating, because of how well the game is done other wise.
I spent quite a lot of time playing solo this weekend. Going into objective games, it was really tough. I ran into so many 6-man parties that would just absolute beat down my team. I don't remember it ever being so hard before to go in solo. I was definitely getting annoyed. More annoying than that is when the game starts going down hill people start bailing, so you're losing and end up short handed.
Also the host quitting out to the Dashboard is getting really fucking annoying. I know there's nothing that can be done about that, but it's annoying when you're about to win a Free-For-All and suddenly the game starts super lagging and then the screen goes black.
Black Ops feels like the most balanced of the CoD games. For some reason, that makes the game a bit dull at times. When it goes well though, this game is amazing. When it doesn't it gets frustrating really fast.
Disengage rambling
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I think you guys should check out this fantastic site called Fat, Ugly or Slutty. It's about the trials of female gamers and the ridiculous messages they receive. That's sounds serious, but the site is really hilarious.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Gaming Tuesday- O Crap It's Thursday
The New Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack dropped today. I'll be more in-depth later in the post, but here are my opinions of the maps in just a few words.
Berlin Wall- Too big, too chokepointy
Discovery- Just too big
Kowloon- Too busy
Stadium- A small map that plays like a big map.
Yea, I'm not a big fan of these maps. To be fair it sucks having to learn new maps on Call of Duty. For me, map knowledge is very important for me to be able to do well*. It also seems the new maps have brought out all the campers and douchebags.
Berlin Wall and Discovery are both huge maps. Generally I'm not a big fan of huge maps. These new maps aren't breaking my stereotypes. Big maps usually have one of two problems. One of those problems is everyone being too spread out. Therefore you just can't find any action. An example of a map like that would be Fuel. Discovery has that same problem. I was in a TDM on that map that had a final score of 4100-3100. That is ridiculously low scores.
The other problem is all the fighting on a huge map gets confined to one area or a choke point. Much like Wasteland. Berlin Wall has this problem especially in objective games. The B-flag in Domination is a blood-bath. The map I find myself comparing Berlin Wall to is Estate, which is my least favorite map on any Call of Duty game. Berlin Wall suffers from similar problems. to Estate. The map is huge, but the fighting largely occurs in one area. Objective based game modes are dominated by control of choke points and TDM and Free-for-All is boring, because the map is so large.
Despite the problems with Berlin Wall it is not my least favorite of the new Maps. That distinction goes to Kowloon. Small maps and I usually get along very well. Kowloon just has too much shit in it. It basically takes all the stuff you'd put in a large urban map and crams it into a small map. The results is way too many camping areas. Too many corners to camp in. Too many rooftops to camp on. It's just too busy of a map.
Then there's Stadium. This is probably my favorite of the maps, which doesn't mean I particularly like it. It is a small map. It just plays a lot of the time like a large one. The sight-lines are pretty large. There are balconies and rooftops to camp on. Still, I think this is the best Call of Duty map in the map pack.
I really feel like Treyarch went more for gimmicks that substance with this map pack. Zip-lines and Auto-turrets are cool, but I'd much prefer better maps. I don't care if the snowbridge collapses when I shoot it with a rocket of if I get to see the aurora borealis, but I'd like a map that isn't such a bore to play.
At least the zombie map is cool
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I didn't really succeed in my last challenge. The best I was able to do was 77 points. Truthfully I didn't end up trying very hard. I only played a few games. I got NFS and NBA Jam shortly after issuing myself the challenge, so I couldn't be bothered with NCAA 11. So that is $5.75 for the This Star Won't Go Out Foundation.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
*Well by my standards.
Berlin Wall- Too big, too chokepointy
Discovery- Just too big
Kowloon- Too busy
Stadium- A small map that plays like a big map.
Yea, I'm not a big fan of these maps. To be fair it sucks having to learn new maps on Call of Duty. For me, map knowledge is very important for me to be able to do well*. It also seems the new maps have brought out all the campers and douchebags.
Berlin Wall and Discovery are both huge maps. Generally I'm not a big fan of huge maps. These new maps aren't breaking my stereotypes. Big maps usually have one of two problems. One of those problems is everyone being too spread out. Therefore you just can't find any action. An example of a map like that would be Fuel. Discovery has that same problem. I was in a TDM on that map that had a final score of 4100-3100. That is ridiculously low scores.
The other problem is all the fighting on a huge map gets confined to one area or a choke point. Much like Wasteland. Berlin Wall has this problem especially in objective games. The B-flag in Domination is a blood-bath. The map I find myself comparing Berlin Wall to is Estate, which is my least favorite map on any Call of Duty game. Berlin Wall suffers from similar problems. to Estate. The map is huge, but the fighting largely occurs in one area. Objective based game modes are dominated by control of choke points and TDM and Free-for-All is boring, because the map is so large.
Despite the problems with Berlin Wall it is not my least favorite of the new Maps. That distinction goes to Kowloon. Small maps and I usually get along very well. Kowloon just has too much shit in it. It basically takes all the stuff you'd put in a large urban map and crams it into a small map. The results is way too many camping areas. Too many corners to camp in. Too many rooftops to camp on. It's just too busy of a map.
Then there's Stadium. This is probably my favorite of the maps, which doesn't mean I particularly like it. It is a small map. It just plays a lot of the time like a large one. The sight-lines are pretty large. There are balconies and rooftops to camp on. Still, I think this is the best Call of Duty map in the map pack.
I really feel like Treyarch went more for gimmicks that substance with this map pack. Zip-lines and Auto-turrets are cool, but I'd much prefer better maps. I don't care if the snowbridge collapses when I shoot it with a rocket of if I get to see the aurora borealis, but I'd like a map that isn't such a bore to play.
At least the zombie map is cool
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I didn't really succeed in my last challenge. The best I was able to do was 77 points. Truthfully I didn't end up trying very hard. I only played a few games. I got NFS and NBA Jam shortly after issuing myself the challenge, so I couldn't be bothered with NCAA 11. So that is $5.75 for the This Star Won't Go Out Foundation.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
*Well by my standards.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Gaming Tuesday- 2011
Hello! Since this is the first Gaming Tuesday of 2011 it is really good to do two things. First is to discuss expectations for the the upcoming year and secondly to make changes to the format of this post for the new year.
Last year I did weekly updates on my achievements. I came to realize that those were largely self-important bullshit and have decided to stop them. As something to remember those by, here's a visual representation of my donation to the Harry Potter Alliance as a result of my weekly achievement goals:
I will continue to set challenges, but they will be slightly different in nature. Instead of every week having a challenge about overall gamerscore, I will give more specific challenges and they won't necessarily be every week. For example if a new game comes out, I may set it for a certain amount of gamerscore from that game in the first week its out. It won't always be about achievement points. We'll see how this progresses throughout 2011. The charity I will be donating to this year will be the This Star Won't Go Out Foundation.
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So here is the first challenge I'm going to issue myself. This is also kinda of a trial run for this new system.
Challenge: Score 100 points in a game of NCAA Football 11 using the National Champion Auburn Tigers. If I fail to score 100 points in a game, I will donate a quarter for ever point I am short from my best scoring game.
Conditions: All-American Difficulty, 5 Minute Quarters, Opponent has no worse than a B+ Defense, Cannot use QB #2(Cam Newton), Must be the Away team, Default Auburn Playbooks
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2011 Gaming Expectations
We're still in a slow period for gaming releases after a frantic period in late 2010. That will soon pick up, but the four titles I'm most anticipating are not slated until later in the year. Those games are Alice: Madness Returns, Modern Warfare 3, Gears of War 3 and Mortal Kombat.
Another game I'm really curious about is Madden 12. I thought Madden 11 was virtually unplayable. It was unrealistic and incredibly frustrating and a step in the wrong direction. However it did receive critical praise. I'm hoping it will actually be improved this year.
I'm also wondering about motion gaming in 2011. Will it remain just a niche in gaming or will it become a larger force? I'm hoping Niche. I can't imagine Kinectimals having that much sticking power.
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Gamecrush.com
Zaxy.com's Tara went 'undercover' into the world of Gamecrush.com and here's the article about her experience. Gamecrush is a website where one can pay to play video games with a 'playdate'
over web-cam. Obviously the 'playdates' are largely female and the site users are mostly males. As you might have expected, this site isn't in reality entirely about the gaming. In fact it seems to be a pretense for a cam site.
To be fair, not all the play dates are stripping instead of playing games nor are all the users just there to see some tits. However that does seem to be pretty prevalent on that site even though it is against the terms and conditions. Although, it does seem that there is very little enforcement on the site.
I don't want to go anymore in depth about the site. The Zaxy article does a very good job of that and this article from Pixelated Geek goes in-depth. However I do want to address the question that keeps coming up about this site. That is: Why do guys feel the need to use that site?
I have no desire to use Gamecrush at all. I don't see the point in either sense. I like to game with my friends over Xbox Live; not with a stranger over web cam. In the other sense, I would rather keep my porn and my gaming* separate.
I'm as socially awkward as anyone and left to my own devices my face-to-face interactions with girls would be pretty rare. I mean I say I'm socially awkward, which is very true, but put me around an attractive girl and it's increased significantly. That is unless we've been friends for a long time.
I have only been in a party with a girl two times on Xbox Live and have only one woman on my friend's list. I would love it if I gamed girls more often, but I really feel Gamecrush is demeaning to both parties involved. It also really shouldn't be necessary for guys who want to game with girls. There are plenty of female gamers out there, which leads to my final plea.
Guys need to stop being such douchebags on Xbox Live, generally, but specifically when there are girls around. I'd imagine there are a lot more female gamers out there than we know, because they never plug in their mics to avoid being told to, 'make me a sammich' or 'send me a topless pic to prove you're not just a little boy.' Just because your anonymous and want to prove how much of a man you are to a bunch of male strangers doesn't give you the right to treat another person like that.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
*Full Disclosure: I certainly do find certain female characters in games very sexy.
Last year I did weekly updates on my achievements. I came to realize that those were largely self-important bullshit and have decided to stop them. As something to remember those by, here's a visual representation of my donation to the Harry Potter Alliance as a result of my weekly achievement goals:
I will continue to set challenges, but they will be slightly different in nature. Instead of every week having a challenge about overall gamerscore, I will give more specific challenges and they won't necessarily be every week. For example if a new game comes out, I may set it for a certain amount of gamerscore from that game in the first week its out. It won't always be about achievement points. We'll see how this progresses throughout 2011. The charity I will be donating to this year will be the This Star Won't Go Out Foundation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So here is the first challenge I'm going to issue myself. This is also kinda of a trial run for this new system.
Challenge: Score 100 points in a game of NCAA Football 11 using the National Champion Auburn Tigers. If I fail to score 100 points in a game, I will donate a quarter for ever point I am short from my best scoring game.
Conditions: All-American Difficulty, 5 Minute Quarters, Opponent has no worse than a B+ Defense, Cannot use QB #2(Cam Newton), Must be the Away team, Default Auburn Playbooks
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Gaming Expectations
We're still in a slow period for gaming releases after a frantic period in late 2010. That will soon pick up, but the four titles I'm most anticipating are not slated until later in the year. Those games are Alice: Madness Returns, Modern Warfare 3, Gears of War 3 and Mortal Kombat.
Another game I'm really curious about is Madden 12. I thought Madden 11 was virtually unplayable. It was unrealistic and incredibly frustrating and a step in the wrong direction. However it did receive critical praise. I'm hoping it will actually be improved this year.
I'm also wondering about motion gaming in 2011. Will it remain just a niche in gaming or will it become a larger force? I'm hoping Niche. I can't imagine Kinectimals having that much sticking power.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gamecrush.com
Zaxy.com's Tara went 'undercover' into the world of Gamecrush.com and here's the article about her experience. Gamecrush is a website where one can pay to play video games with a 'playdate'
over web-cam. Obviously the 'playdates' are largely female and the site users are mostly males. As you might have expected, this site isn't in reality entirely about the gaming. In fact it seems to be a pretense for a cam site.
To be fair, not all the play dates are stripping instead of playing games nor are all the users just there to see some tits. However that does seem to be pretty prevalent on that site even though it is against the terms and conditions. Although, it does seem that there is very little enforcement on the site.
I don't want to go anymore in depth about the site. The Zaxy article does a very good job of that and this article from Pixelated Geek goes in-depth. However I do want to address the question that keeps coming up about this site. That is: Why do guys feel the need to use that site?
I have no desire to use Gamecrush at all. I don't see the point in either sense. I like to game with my friends over Xbox Live; not with a stranger over web cam. In the other sense, I would rather keep my porn and my gaming* separate.
I'm as socially awkward as anyone and left to my own devices my face-to-face interactions with girls would be pretty rare. I mean I say I'm socially awkward, which is very true, but put me around an attractive girl and it's increased significantly. That is unless we've been friends for a long time.
I have only been in a party with a girl two times on Xbox Live and have only one woman on my friend's list. I would love it if I gamed girls more often, but I really feel Gamecrush is demeaning to both parties involved. It also really shouldn't be necessary for guys who want to game with girls. There are plenty of female gamers out there, which leads to my final plea.
Guys need to stop being such douchebags on Xbox Live, generally, but specifically when there are girls around. I'd imagine there are a lot more female gamers out there than we know, because they never plug in their mics to avoid being told to, 'make me a sammich' or 'send me a topless pic to prove you're not just a little boy.' Just because your anonymous and want to prove how much of a man you are to a bunch of male strangers doesn't give you the right to treat another person like that.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
*Full Disclosure: I certainly do find certain female characters in games very sexy.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Gaming Tuesday- 2010 Wrap-up Edition
Gamerscore Last Week: 23775
Goal: 23850
Gamerscore Now: 23785
Achievements Unlocked
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Easy Rhino 10G
$ for HPA: 25.25(+3.10 this week)
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Two weeks ago I presented my five nominees for Game of the Year, but I'm going to recognize some specific areas of gaming.
Most Addicting Game: Minecraft
Once you got into Minecraft there was no stopping you.
Best Arcade/Downloadable Game: Limbo
Limbo is just a great game to play through. A creepy side-scroller that is really very unique artistically, but sticks to the basics of its genre.
Best Narrative: Red Dead Redemption
Rockstar provided an amazing story in this set in probably the most impressive open world in any game to date.
Best Single Player: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
There's not much between Assassin's Creed and RDR in this category. Both present great stories and tons to do outside of the narrative. However in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood you can perform aerial assassinations and that never gets old.
Best Multiplayer: Call of Duty: Black Ops
There's no question about this one. It's still early, but Black Ops may just be the best Console multiplayer to date.
Best Character: John Marston, Red Dead Redemption
He's awesome and Britt5091 thinks he's hot.
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Pasta's Game of the Year
Goal: 23850
Gamerscore Now: 23785
Achievements Unlocked
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Easy Rhino 10G
$ for HPA: 25.25(+3.10 this week)
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Two weeks ago I presented my five nominees for Game of the Year, but I'm going to recognize some specific areas of gaming.
Most Addicting Game: Minecraft
Once you got into Minecraft there was no stopping you.
Best Arcade/Downloadable Game: Limbo
Limbo is just a great game to play through. A creepy side-scroller that is really very unique artistically, but sticks to the basics of its genre.
Best Narrative: Red Dead Redemption
Rockstar provided an amazing story in this set in probably the most impressive open world in any game to date.
Best Single Player: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
There's not much between Assassin's Creed and RDR in this category. Both present great stories and tons to do outside of the narrative. However in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood you can perform aerial assassinations and that never gets old.
Best Multiplayer: Call of Duty: Black Ops
There's no question about this one. It's still early, but Black Ops may just be the best Console multiplayer to date.
Best Character: John Marston, Red Dead Redemption
He's awesome and Britt5091 thinks he's hot.
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Pasta's Game of the Year
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
After weighing all the options, it became clear to me that Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is the best game this year. Its tremendous single player along with a unique multiplayer make it the best gaming experience of 2010.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Gaming Tuesday- Extension
I'm giving myself an extension until next week for Gaming Tuesday. I haven't had much a chance or much of a will to play a lot of Video Games lately. Also there is virtually nothing coming out to discuss. There is one thing, but not much detail to go into.
The first DLC for Call of Duty Black Ops was announced earlier this week. It will be out on XBox live on February 1st and will not be on the other consoles until later*. It includes four new multiplayer maps, Stadium, Berlin Wall, Discovery, and Kowloon. Also there will be a new Zombie map called Ascension. Not much is known about these maps besides the things you can guess by their names.
That's about it in recent gaming news.
It'll be a much longer post next week as we look back on the year in gaming. Vote for your choice for Game of the Year and comment on last weeks post or else I'll have to decide all by my lonesome.
Thanks for reading.
-Michael
The first DLC for Call of Duty Black Ops was announced earlier this week. It will be out on XBox live on February 1st and will not be on the other consoles until later*. It includes four new multiplayer maps, Stadium, Berlin Wall, Discovery, and Kowloon. Also there will be a new Zombie map called Ascension. Not much is known about these maps besides the things you can guess by their names.
That's about it in recent gaming news.
It'll be a much longer post next week as we look back on the year in gaming. Vote for your choice for Game of the Year and comment on last weeks post or else I'll have to decide all by my lonesome.
Thanks for reading.
-Michael
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Gaming Tuesday
Gamerscore Last Week: 23620
Goal: 23700
Gamerscore Now: 23725
Achievements Unlocked
Forza Motorsport 3
Entrepreneur 10G
Driver Level 45 45G
Year 5 50G
Goal: 23800
$ for HPA: 20.95
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As last week, there's not going to be much a post today. I'm studying for a mythology final and the breaks I'm taking are generally to do math problems to study for my Math final tomorrow.
Thanks for reading
-Michael
Goal: 23700
Gamerscore Now: 23725
Achievements Unlocked
Forza Motorsport 3
Entrepreneur 10G
Driver Level 45 45G
Year 5 50G
Goal: 23800
$ for HPA: 20.95
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As last week, there's not going to be much a post today. I'm studying for a mythology final and the breaks I'm taking are generally to do math problems to study for my Math final tomorrow.
Thanks for reading
-Michael
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Gaming Tuesday
Gamerscore Last Week: 23620
Goal: 23800
Gamerscore Now: 23620
No Achievements Unlocked
Goal: 23700
$ for HPA: 20.95(+9.00 this week)
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The biggest gaming release this week was a Wii game, so there's not much news in the gaming world. The full assault that gave developers had on our wallets is over for the year. Add to that how much homework I have to do and there's not much I want to discuss about gaming. It will probably be the same next week.
Thanks for reading.
-Michael.
Goal: 23800
Gamerscore Now: 23620
No Achievements Unlocked
Goal: 23700
$ for HPA: 20.95(+9.00 this week)
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The biggest gaming release this week was a Wii game, so there's not much news in the gaming world. The full assault that gave developers had on our wallets is over for the year. Add to that how much homework I have to do and there's not much I want to discuss about gaming. It will probably be the same next week.
Thanks for reading.
-Michael.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Gaming Tuesday
Achievements
Gamerscore Last Week: 23130
Goal: 23350
Gamerscore Now: 23620
Achievements unlocked
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Brotherhood 20G
Your Wish is Granted 10G
Bang! 20G
Pincipessa in Another Castello 20G
Dust to Dust 20G
Fundraiser 20G
Forget Paris 20G
Splash! 20G
Home Improvement 20G
One-Man Wrecking Crew 20G
Bloody Sunday 20G
Vittoria Agli Assassini 20G
Requiescat In Pace 20G
A Knife to the Heart 50G
Plumber 20G
Spring Cleaning 10G
Deja Vu 20G
Tower Offense 20G
Amen 20G
Boom! 20G
Kaboom! 20G
Synchronization Established 10G
Fly Like an Eagle 10G
Show Off 20G
Perfectionist 20G
Goal for Next Week: 23800
$ for HPA: 11.95
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Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Review
The most noticeable thing about this game is how similar it is to Assassin's Creed 2. It even feels like just an expansion pack. There aren't even the typical "learning" missions where you are taught the special moves. If you haven't played Assassin's Creed 2, you probably will have some difficulty getting acclimated to this game(-1). That being said, the fact that it is so similar to Assassin's Creed to isn't a bad thing. Much like Assassin's Creed 2, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a beautiful game with an amazing plot and exciting gameplay(+20).
There are some subtle differences from Assassin's Creed 2 that do make Brotherhood a slightly better experience(+1). The combat system has not been entirely revamped, but it has changed. It is now very quick and offensive. You no longer will be stuck in long sword fights with guards, but will be able to take down enemies more quickly. That ability is counteracted by the fact that you have to face a lot more guards during battles in this game. Over all the combat system has been improved and some of the frustrating elements of prior games have been removed(+3).
Another new element is the introduction of Assassin recruits. Ezio now has trainees at his disposal to help him in battle and get rid of bothersome guards. As they help you and perform assassinations and fight beside you against hoards of guards, they will earn XP and will rank up, which allows you to improve their abilities. This is another cool feature introduced into Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and is another way to expedite combat sequences. It doesn't add something tremendous to the game, but it does improve the experience(+1.5)
The Story Mode is organized exactly like Assassin's Creed 2 was. You complete DNA sequences and there are tons of side missions. Again this isn't a drawback to the game. Assassin's Creed 2 was great and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is greater(+5).
The new Multiplayer mode is alright. It is not great, but it is certainly not awful either. It is definitely a brand new multiplayer experience(+2). It is all about stealth and blending in with the crowd. You are spawned into a map with other players and lots of NPCs that look like one of the user controlled characters. You are given a contract to assassinate another player and likely someone has a contract to take you out. It is most beneficial to remain hidden in the crowd to take out your target and protect you from your pursuer.
The multiplayer doesn't really allow you to do the things that make the single player so fun(-5). You can't sprint, you can't climb buildings. You have to try to make yourself look like an NPC and so running and climbing onto rooftops make you stick out. So, while the multiplayer is actually pretty fun(+2), it really seems to be lacking.
I think this game could have benefited from true Free-for-All and Team Deathmatch game modes. I really want to be able to sprint and climb around in Multiplayer. I would definitely love to see a multiplayer free-roam mode as well.
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
78.5 Nerd Points
The review system is explained here
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Call of Duty: Black Ops' First Patch
So, the first patch is out and it actually addressed quite a few of the criticisms that I had of the multiplayer. The match-making system in both regular games and wager matches has been much improved. Nuke Town isn't in the rotation as much and more importantly they changed the voting system so that a lobby won't get stuck on that map. Also they patched footsteps, making Ninja a useful perk again.
The fact that Treyarch released a significant patch just one week into the release of a game makes me happy. Black Ops has really showed me just how awful Modern Warfare 2 was. It's like the transition from a crappy relationship to a good relationship. It not only makes you appreciate the good relationship so much more, but also makes you realize how shitty the old one was. I had always stuck up for Modern Warfare 2 when it got so much bashing, but now Black Ops has made me realize how terrible of a gaming experience MW2 was.
Seriously, I think I've been noob tubed 3 times since I've been playing this game. In fact explosive deaths have been pretty damn minimal. It is just so much better without all the bullshit that went along with MW2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Announcement of an Announcement about an Announcement
I will be announcing my nominees for Game of the Year on the December 14th* edition of Gaming Tuesday. I think if you have followed this blog, I may have tipped my hand as to which games will be nominated. If you have any thoughts about what you think should be game of the year let me know in the comments of this post.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
*There's something about that date ;)
Gamerscore Last Week: 23130
Goal: 23350
Gamerscore Now: 23620
Achievements unlocked
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Brotherhood 20G
Your Wish is Granted 10G
Bang! 20G
Pincipessa in Another Castello 20G
Dust to Dust 20G
Fundraiser 20G
Forget Paris 20G
Splash! 20G
Home Improvement 20G
One-Man Wrecking Crew 20G
Bloody Sunday 20G
Vittoria Agli Assassini 20G
Requiescat In Pace 20G
A Knife to the Heart 50G
Plumber 20G
Spring Cleaning 10G
Deja Vu 20G
Tower Offense 20G
Amen 20G
Boom! 20G
Kaboom! 20G
Synchronization Established 10G
Fly Like an Eagle 10G
Show Off 20G
Perfectionist 20G
Goal for Next Week: 23800
$ for HPA: 11.95
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Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Review
The most noticeable thing about this game is how similar it is to Assassin's Creed 2. It even feels like just an expansion pack. There aren't even the typical "learning" missions where you are taught the special moves. If you haven't played Assassin's Creed 2, you probably will have some difficulty getting acclimated to this game(-1). That being said, the fact that it is so similar to Assassin's Creed to isn't a bad thing. Much like Assassin's Creed 2, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a beautiful game with an amazing plot and exciting gameplay(+20).
There are some subtle differences from Assassin's Creed 2 that do make Brotherhood a slightly better experience(+1). The combat system has not been entirely revamped, but it has changed. It is now very quick and offensive. You no longer will be stuck in long sword fights with guards, but will be able to take down enemies more quickly. That ability is counteracted by the fact that you have to face a lot more guards during battles in this game. Over all the combat system has been improved and some of the frustrating elements of prior games have been removed(+3).
Another new element is the introduction of Assassin recruits. Ezio now has trainees at his disposal to help him in battle and get rid of bothersome guards. As they help you and perform assassinations and fight beside you against hoards of guards, they will earn XP and will rank up, which allows you to improve their abilities. This is another cool feature introduced into Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and is another way to expedite combat sequences. It doesn't add something tremendous to the game, but it does improve the experience(+1.5)
The Story Mode is organized exactly like Assassin's Creed 2 was. You complete DNA sequences and there are tons of side missions. Again this isn't a drawback to the game. Assassin's Creed 2 was great and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is greater(+5).
The new Multiplayer mode is alright. It is not great, but it is certainly not awful either. It is definitely a brand new multiplayer experience(+2). It is all about stealth and blending in with the crowd. You are spawned into a map with other players and lots of NPCs that look like one of the user controlled characters. You are given a contract to assassinate another player and likely someone has a contract to take you out. It is most beneficial to remain hidden in the crowd to take out your target and protect you from your pursuer.
The multiplayer doesn't really allow you to do the things that make the single player so fun(-5). You can't sprint, you can't climb buildings. You have to try to make yourself look like an NPC and so running and climbing onto rooftops make you stick out. So, while the multiplayer is actually pretty fun(+2), it really seems to be lacking.
I think this game could have benefited from true Free-for-All and Team Deathmatch game modes. I really want to be able to sprint and climb around in Multiplayer. I would definitely love to see a multiplayer free-roam mode as well.
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
78.5 Nerd Points
The review system is explained here
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Call of Duty: Black Ops' First Patch
So, the first patch is out and it actually addressed quite a few of the criticisms that I had of the multiplayer. The match-making system in both regular games and wager matches has been much improved. Nuke Town isn't in the rotation as much and more importantly they changed the voting system so that a lobby won't get stuck on that map. Also they patched footsteps, making Ninja a useful perk again.
The fact that Treyarch released a significant patch just one week into the release of a game makes me happy. Black Ops has really showed me just how awful Modern Warfare 2 was. It's like the transition from a crappy relationship to a good relationship. It not only makes you appreciate the good relationship so much more, but also makes you realize how shitty the old one was. I had always stuck up for Modern Warfare 2 when it got so much bashing, but now Black Ops has made me realize how terrible of a gaming experience MW2 was.
Seriously, I think I've been noob tubed 3 times since I've been playing this game. In fact explosive deaths have been pretty damn minimal. It is just so much better without all the bullshit that went along with MW2.
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An Announcement of an Announcement about an Announcement
I will be announcing my nominees for Game of the Year on the December 14th* edition of Gaming Tuesday. I think if you have followed this blog, I may have tipped my hand as to which games will be nominated. If you have any thoughts about what you think should be game of the year let me know in the comments of this post.
Thanks for reading and please comment.
-Michael
*There's something about that date ;)
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