Well, for Modern Warfare 2, it takes 4. (5 if you include Captain Price). I just played through the campaign of MW2 tonight, and I must say that I had my mind blown away. Never before have I experienced such a thrill while gaming. Awesome action, awesome control,but a rather weak storyline (that I'll gladly overlook in this case. It's a shooter. 
). MW2 is a perfect example of why certain things work better in interactive mediums as opposed to movies.
But, as I was playing through MW2, it became clear that IW wanted to bring that 'shock and awe' feeling back from MW1, where your friendly neighbourhood Marine gets burned to a crisp by the fallout of a nuclear explosion. By the first time in MW2 it still had that thrill, but then it just went downhill from there. After experiencing the first death, going through 2 more just feels rather bland if you can understand what I mean. Nearing the end (I managed to avoid spoilers for this whole time. Surprised? 
) I was actually expecting Soap to die. I know that it's war and people are dying left and right, but who really thought that this would be a good idea? Imagine sitting through a Batman movie only to have Batman killed 20 minutes into it, replaced by some no-name, and repeat that process 2 more times. You'd be pretty annoyed.
I'm not really gonna review MW2, because we all know that I don't have to. I just wanted to give my thoughts on that little part in particular. (Oh yeah, call me evil; There were no survivors during the airport scene. 
)
I had been putting off this blog until I figured the PS2 was finally gone from the shelves, but as the years drag on, so to does the life of the PS2, which refuses to go quietly into that good night. And justifiably so. It left the Xbox and GameCube dead in its wake, and continues to hold its place even still, after almost a decade. The full backwards compatability to the original PlayStation, which had helped Sony supplant Nintendo as the console champ, was a feature that would not only ensure the PS2's popularity, but become a standard expectation in future console generations. The GameCube and Xbox had their merrits and quality exclusive titles, but the PS2 would go on to outsell both competitors combined, and continues to build on those lofty numbers even today, with the system selling for $109.99 and continueing to be one of the best values in gaming, while its competitors have long since moved on.
Regardless whether the PS2 was your very first console, your favorite console, or just another console in a collection of many, there is no denying its success, its longevity, and the impressive quality of its unparalled library of titles. Hardware wise, the PS2 was equalled by Nintendo's Cube, and was overmatched by Microsoft's achievements in technology with a hard drive, superior online services, and graphical power. The PS2 however, would remain the top console based on the one aspect that truly makes gamers salivate; the games.
Without further ado, here are the highlights of my time with the PlayStation2, in the form of a Top 10 List.
NOTE: These are NOT suggested as "the ten best PS2 games ever" by popularity and ratings standards, but rather my own personal selection of those ten titles that made my days with the PS2 most memorable.
Here goes:
10. DISGAEA - Though Final Fantasy Tactics was at the time, the most heralded Strategy RPG to date, Square decided not to make a sequel for the PS2. This left the door open in what would become a niche but noted sub-genre for a new series to make it's mark. Though several other series and efforts tried, it was Disgaea that achieved top honors. Its mix of deep customization, strong anime elements, complex battle system and addictive replayability made it shine brightest amognst the plethora of other titles in what was now aquickly expanding genre. Phantom Brave, Stella Deus, Soul Nomad, Suikoden Tactics, LaPucelle Tactics and even Disgaea's own sequel gave decent to strong efforts, but they fell short of the wonderfully complete package that was the original Disgaea.
9. SILENT HILL 3 - I had originally given this spot to another game, but upon reflection after the blog was written, I realized that this game simply had to be on the list instead. I had chosen to leave it off due to its predacessor making the #3 slot and not wanting to fill the list with multiple games from the same series, but after thinking about it (and reminiscing with friend and GSuser Akhorahill) this game was defintiely one of my cherished moments with the PS2, and I just can't do the injustice of leaving it off the list. Like SH2, this game was frightening, intense, and such a memorable experience due to its brilliant atmosphere.For horror fans with a PS2, both Silent Hill 2 and 3 are must haves. After that, send your attention towardsthe Fatal Frame series.
8. FINAL FANTASY X -The first Final Fantasy title for the PS2 remains its most popular. Its somewhat linear and dated compared to some RPGs that came out in the latter years of the PS2's run, but this title was not only the most significant RPG of the first few years, but argueably one of the most siginificant games period. Sqaure threw alot of RPGs out during the PS2's run, but FFX remains the most popular and talked about, and to this day still stands as a flagship of the console.
7. GOD OF WAR - Though there were many great early action titles on the PS2, including such hits as Devil May Cry, Onimusha, Ratchet & Clank etc. this was the action game that would truly take the genre to new heights. Jaw dropping visuals, tight gameplay, and a new combat dynamic that would come to be known as "quick time" were the highlights of the title, though lets be honest, the violence and sheer brutality of the combat was truly inspired. Kratos would become an icon character of the console, and God of War remains one of Sony's highest rated and most anticipated exclusives.
6. METAL GEAR SOLID 2 - The original Metal Gear Solid was one of the best PSone titles, and there was little question we would see Snake in a sequel on the PS2. Kojima and Konami did not let us down. This game had all the best aspects of the original, and at the time of its release was one of the best looking console action games to date. MGS3 would also be released to high reviews and praise, and rightfully so, but personally, I give the edge to MGS2. Other tactical espionage games such as Splinter Cell would emerge, but they weren't memorable in the same manner Metal Gear Solid 2 was, and still is.
5. ODIN SPHERE - Role playing publisher ATLUS strikes again on my list, with this wonderfully crafted action-rpg that will appease fans of both genres. Graphically and artistically, it might just be the most beautiful game to have graced the system, but you would be unwise to dismiss it as mearly a visual achievement. The voicework and dialogue is wonderfull, and the addictive gameplay will keep you entertained for hours. Its not the deepest rpg by any means, but its definitely one of the most unique offerings.
4. OKAMI - Another title whose original appeal to me was purely based on its artistic merrits, Okami was a question mark in terms of my initial reaction. Simply put, it was kinda weird. It wasn't voiced, it has a unique but oldschool presentation style in terms of its opening sequence, and at first, playing as a wolf seemed a tad limiting. Give this game an hour, however, and it will marvel you, take hold of you, and eventually consume you with its deep action-adventure design and completely unique gameplay techniques. The best way to describe this game would be to say its the PS2's Legend of Zelda. That essentially sums up the merrits of its fantastic blend of action, puzzle, and exploration elements.
3. SILENT HILL 2 - The original Silent Hill was by leaps and bounds the best survival horror title to grace the PlayStation, so it came as no surprise to me that Silent Hill 2 would be my favorite PS2 survival horror. The genre itself would continue to rise in popularity, but many series such as Alone in the Dark and Resident Evil would trade its horror roots in favor of a more action-oriented approach, thus losing thier focus on a truly believable and atmospheric horror experience. Many other survival horror titles sprung up, including Fatal Frame, Haunting Ground, Rule of Rose, Siren to name a few, but the Silent Hill series remains the genre's best, and Silent Hill 2 slightly edges out Silent Hill 3 for "best PS2 survival horror" honors.
2. FINAL FANTASY XII - In my opinion the best RPG in the PS2 lineup, and I realize the wieght of that lofty statement. The PS2 platform was the home of the RPG and there are just so many great titles in the genre, but this was my favorite for several reasons. Firstly, its story was less cutesy than most JRPGs as it dealt with politics and turmoil related to war, but without some of the overly anime-esque aspects. It also had a wonderfull battle system, a hybrid of sorts between real time action and turn based. The characters were humanoid, and while noticeably less diverse than other casts in the series, fit the plot and style perfectly. It also had more free-roaming than any other Final Fantasy title to date, as you had multiple paths to explore and a wider, more grandiose feeling gameworld. As far as graphics and sound go, it was not only the best Final Fantasy game, but could arguably be placed amongst the best production achievements on the platform period. Finally, its art style and combat system was inspired by Vagrant Story (my favorite PSone rpg) so it hit a nostalgiac note for me onthat extra level.
1. SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS - Never before has a game given the middle finger to so many conventions and defied as many standards as this atmospheric adventure. It said little, but said alot by doing so. Its story was basic, yet poignant. There were no sub-enemies whatsoever, and no other characters to speak of, aside from a guiding voice. Aside from some platforming elements encountered on route to each battle, the game was essentially a collection of 16 boss fights, but those battles were the most grandiose and epic confrontations in all of gaming, possibly ever. Each boss was a behemoth easily 100 times larger than the character, and taking each down was an intense and wonderious journey upon itself. Those memorable encounters were beautifully augmented by not only some excellent graphical achievements and sound, but a sense of tragedy, emotion and melancholy that is rarely achieved in gaming. Sometimes, less is more, and nothing embodies that more than Shadow of the Colossus. (See also: "Ico")
Honorable Mentions: Ico, Fatal Frame II, Valkyrie Profile II, Gran Turismo 3:A-Spec, Ratched & Clank series, God of War II, Prince of Persia Trilogy, Shin Megami Tensei series (including Persona, Digital Devil Saga, Nocturne), Guilty Gear XX:Accent Core.
Ever since I close my WOW subscription, 6 months ago,my former RPG friends and I haven't had the chance to play an online game together, mostly due to work and non game related issues.
When we decided to come back to our online lives, it was necessary to search for a game. Age of Conan, Warhammer Online, Aion and the upcoming Secret World and Guild Wars 2 were suggested but we heard that DDO online had gone free to play. Well, it offered an unlimited amount of free play and no level limits whatsoever.
Free is a good price so we jumped in and started playing.
The game was surprisingly polished for a free experience and I was delighted to find out that most of game content from levels 1-4 was open to all accounts. We took our sweet time experiencing some of the races and cl4sses at the early levels before we moved from the starting area.
After we reached our second quest hub, one of the quest chains (from at least 10) was available only to subscribers. The subscription is the standard $15/month but there's also the option of buying that specific adventure (or quest chain if you will) for a given number of turbine points (bought with real life cash or in game achievements).
We ignored that quest and proceed with our free experience. Now at level 6, I'd say 33% of the quests require subscription but it's easy to play and level up without paying a penny. One of my friends decided to become a subscriber and offered us a guest pass that grants access to the closed contend for a limited amount of time.
The quality is definitely the same, the only difference being in variety. So, if you pay, you have access to different sets of dungeons, foes and rewards.
After almost two months playing the game on weekends, I've decided to fork US$38 in Turbine points and buy my first module. Becoming a subscriber is not in my plans as I'm only able to play on weekends and an adventure can last for a month and cost from US$4 to US$12 (depending on the time it takes to finish). Points can also be used to gain in game advantage in items, experience points, improved stats, inventory space and so on.
My point is, I've experienced a game for almost two months before buying. I've seen most of the the low level content, experienced the combat system, the dungeons and part of the world before opening my wallet. This system was a huge success as Turbine is opening another server due to the increase in population.
Also, it would be possible to keep playing with opened content and decide later if I would be willing to pay for the game.
Honestly, I'd have chosen a different game if DDO online was not free but being able to start right away and play a game before I decide if I want to keep playing without the 7 or 10 day limit was very nice. This is, imo, the best way to deal with micro transactions, which only suck if you're charged for costumes and chapters in games you've already paid full price for.
Last, but not least, I've reviewed Prince of Persia and have finished Alone in the Dark, wait for the review soon. Oh, Carnby helped me get my 6th platinum.
So I often use the subway for transportation and for almost all of October, the advertisements down there were dedicated to the truly ridiculous exploits of idiocy that are Diesel ads. Who is Diesel? No, not Vin Diesel, but Diesel the clothing company. Diesel is a generic clothing company that specializes in young people's style of clothes as well as horrible advertisements to place in subway stations. How bad are these advertisements? Well, if you exposed a schizophrenic thirty-year old to a collection of Crush comics and then asked him to write his reactions down and direct young models based on what he wrote, then you'd end up with most the advertisements for Diesel. None of them make any sense and even if they do, the congruity for each would still be tenuous. Best I ever saw in a collection of subway printed Diesel ads were a few pretty models and some decent print patterns.
So what was selected for the start of November's advertisements? Left 4 Dead 2. Holy $#!t; suddenly I miss the Diesel ads.
The reason being is because I remember seeing Left 4 Dead 1 ads in the same subway before I ever played it. Then, abut three months ago, I finally played it and... and... goddamn was I upset.
I liked the idea behind Left 4 Dead: you play as one of four simpletons stuck in various parts of A Town infested with zombies and you plus however many friends you can play with must survive long enough to get to the extraction point. it sounds like the best zombie invasion game ever... but it isn't. This is one of many games that makes me proud to be a nostalgic b@$tard. Why you ask? Because of the one thing that has always worn down modern zombie media:
Rage zombies.
Never before in a zombie related ANYTHING have I ever been pissed off. I hated rage zombies in movies for being loud, obnoxious ideas of anti-fear that kill the mood of a horror film like someone pouring pig's blood on you while you're making love with someone. The Rage zombies in Left 4 Dead 1 were such a loud, stupid, pain in my @$$ because they were fast noisy, re-spawning jerks who had no reason to be there. They could've easily been replaced with actual zombies and the effect would've been raised. But it didn't stop there, oh no, there had to be a witch as well who does nothing but scream and blind your character. So great, that's what people consider scary these days? Screaming idiots who run up to your face? It's the same thing as the Ringu ghost girls where eventually you get so exposed to that crap you can't help but get annoyed that it even exists.
You know, I wouldn't be surprised if this series reached a fourth sequel, but was called 4 Left 4 Dead 4/4-4. No. 4.
Alright guys, I have been playing AION for a few days now and I am far from being eligible to give a review, but I would like to post a few "first" impressions, here we go:
PROs:
- Great graphics, both in design as well as animation, interesting and quirky monsters. Good Performance as well
- Good music, very atmospheric and diverse
- Amazing character customization, at least there will not be a clone wars feeling (dont know about the items yet)
- Combat is a bit more exciting than WOW, due to the "Skill Chains" (Skills that trigger the availability of other skills)
- Players can open up "private stores", which means they can pretty much sit down anywhere and offer their goods, which makes economy a bit more fun and lively
CONs:
- Quest Design: All quests are pure grinding quests, go and kill x monsters, am Level 15 and have not encountered a single quest that was different, gets very boring and you do not care about the story anymore
- Drop System: You do not find many interesting things from MOBs, all the good weapons come from quest rewards or auction house, which takes away some of the fun "hunting" for you gear
- Lots of bots and gold farmers around
- Powergames community, people refuse to group so they get more EXP soloing etc.
- The crafting system is polished but to linear, no recipe drops and you can basically craft whatever you want, when you want as long as you are willing to spend hours doing the same thing
- The ****s may be but do not look diverse and you cannot really tell a caster from a gladiator just by looking at it
- No playable races (all human)
- A lot of game functions (channels, godstones etc.) are not explained in the manual or tutorial
- Very linear world/story progression, you will never have the choice where to go, as the world is constructed linear (not like WOW, where you have multiple areas you could continue to level)
Finally I managed to start the HP. It's still very much under construction (it's my first HP mind you) but it should be smooth sailing from now on, as it's just a matter of keep adding games.
http://high-tech-world.webs.com/
Visit it and tell me what you think of it, and also if I'm missing something I should be adding to it.
(But more about that at the end of this blog.) Like it says in the title. Warning: the results are shocking. Now then, onto the main event of the blog, and holy hell is it awesome! And by awesome, I mean big. First up is Einhander, a late 90's shooter made by Square. Square, the guys behind Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Adventure, Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest, and Final Fantasy Tactics? Yep, the very same. And since it was on the PS1, they managed to sneak in a few CGI cutscenes. Honestly, did we really need them? There are only a few, and the graphics are already good as it is (lots of detail, decent animations, unique enemy design, etc.). Maybe for the story, but that's a big maybe. You play as Einhander, a ship caught in a war between the Moon and Earth. I liked the plot, given that you're a Moon shooter fighting the evil forces of the Earthicans, but the big plot twist that the moon men are evil pisses me off. I'd dismiss it as spreading horrible and untrue propaganda, but then I remembered something: NOBODY CARES ABOUT STORY IN SHOOTERS. All that really matters is the shooting, hence the title of the genre. So how is the shooting? Good, but the full potential is not realized. You can choose between three ships, each with their own distinct advantages. I chose the one that could hold a few weapons, but was stuck with a piece of crap peashooter. On the actual weapons, you can hold several at a time, depending on your ship. You have the vulcan, the wasp, the riot, and a bunch of other useless names (the only good one being cannon). None of them have any power-ups, but they do run out of ammo over time. Yea, you pick them up with more frequency than...something with high frequency, but keep in mind that you don't get any in boss battles, leaving you with a pea-shooter against Zog, Destroyer of Worlds. The only major change from other shooters is your arm, with very conspicuous Fruedian undertones. However, this doesn't really add much to the game; in theory you're supposed to shoot things above, behind, in front, below, slightly to your side, slightly not to your side, but only about two weapons actually change their behavior when you flip them with the arm. All others are EXACTLY THE SAME. If you think I hate the game, you're wrong. I like it, but it could've been sooooo much more. There was potential for a much better shooter, but the lack of power-ups really, really hurts the game. Sure, the graphics rock, but you only see it all within a few hours, and there's not much reason to go back. All that in mind, I give it the Mein Kampf Schadenfreude Herzog Zwei Award for Excellence in Randomly Choosing German Words for Your Own Purposes. That's what I do, I give games awards and things.
But very rarely do they actually deserve the awards, given that none of my awards ever make sense ever. However, the next game actually deserves an award because of how good it is (I'll devote a section to that later). The game is, of course, Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals. Now we all have best games ever and worst games ever, but not really most average games ever. I have one, and it is called Lufia & the Fortress of Doom. Absolutely nothing about this game stood out other than how amazingly average it was. Natsume discovered this, and decided to create a sequel that fixed everythiing. Thus was born Lufia Syndrome, a disorder that would later strike series such as Killzone and Breath of Fire. However, it also had a twin called Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals, as I have already told you. The game starts off with the hero, Maxim, fighting monsters for pay. Lucky for him, there's an utter **** of them swarming throughout the world of Estopolis. Rather than make enough money to earn the envy of local pimps, Maxim wants to figure out why there are so many of them, roping the hero into a world saving quest. The story itself is good, but not great; I feel like it could've gone into greater detail with all the events and locations and such. However, it does have many extremely memorable moments, like the big mid-game plot twist. I could spoil it, but I'll use an analogy. Imagine the ending to FF9. Now imagine the scene where Zidane is in the play and he casts off his robe. Now imagine him calling out Freya's name, running to her and embracing her in his arms instead of the Princess (now Queen). That's pretty much the huge Lufia II plot twist. Only with Lyn instead of Freya. Plus there's a fantastic ending, giving you reason to play past what you can tolerate (I don't know that, because I don't know you). Wow, look at all the space without mentioning gameplay. The battle system is more than the turn based exterior would lead you to believe. First, you have capsule monsters, little Pokemon-esque beings that evolve to higher levels when fed weapons and the lint in your pocket. Fine, they don't add much, given how they have the bravery of dogs, but the gesture is nice. There's also an IP system, and this works much better than the capsule monsters. They're like Limit Breaks, except you get more moves. One per piece of equipment, in fact. It's very interesting to screw around with new attacks and keep those that work. Besides, if you hate the move you're stuck with, just jam the weapon down a capsule monster's throat, they'll love it. However, the major part of this game is the dungeons. Each one contains about four or five puzzles to solve, and trust me when I tell you that they can be HARD. Don't be surprised if you run to an FAQ to find out how to solve that one puzzle you're stuck on. You'll have a few tools with you to solve each puzzle, and all of them (fire arrow excluded) are put to great and creative use. In addition, there's also a reset spell that costs nothing, meaning you can try over and over until you solve the puzzle. Add in the fact that you don't fight dungeon monsters until you touch them, and I think the game is in love with me, like that needy spouse who serves you breakfast in bed on your day off. This game is the very definition of a ****c: it shows its age, but who gives a crap? That doesn't hinder it in any way, nor does it stop it from aging well. So I give it the Lower Top 20 Award. But wait, Dragon Quest IV is also there. Oh no, which gets the top spot? I know I haven't done this in a long time, but RPG BATTLE!!! First up, protagonists:
Maxim, a hardened soldier
Noname, a silent cliche
OK, Lufia wins the first round. How about most embarrassing moments, huh?
Ripping off FF5
Ouch. Again, gotta hand it to Lufia. This is getting huge. How about one DQ can win, hm? Biggest flaws:
EXTREME GRAPHICAL GLITCHINESS.
Incredibly hard final boss.
Lufia wins, 2-1! It gets the coveted #11 spot on my list. DW4, you go to 12. Now this is not the end of the blog! Oh, no, I have a bit more for you guys. You're probably wondering why I look different, don't you? Well, another makeover. Let's go into detail about each and every little change, shall we?
I'll admit, I was lazy on this one. However, it turned out really well. The center image of me is basically what I'd look like in an old school JRPG, and I have the Chaos Emeralds revolving around me for no reason . Moving on...
Now this one is weird. I've begun the policy of basing my sitework on stories I've told you before, but those were only the serious/original stories. Here's a demostration of a more jocular/ripped off story. The story of Final Fantasy that I have yet to tell. This is my party (me, Queen, Writey Guy & Shiki (dead, right)) fighting Tiamat. Obviously, we're getting Killed. Expect to see this in the future, maybe.
Ah, my favorite dialogue sequence saga of them all. This is the final battle against Thompson Claus, Satan Claus finally absorbing Jack Thompson's body. The crown hangs above him, suspended in light...of darkness! It was originally intended to be a picture of Thompson Claus killing me, but I stumbled upon the "pyramid" and immediately started this. Then I started this one later:
Funny story: this was originally my avatar, but I liked the other one better. Now this one is just me on my throne. Remember that for later.
Keeping in line with the parody thing, this is the end of my Dragon Quest IV parody. I'm in the corner doing nothing. The party consists of myself, Writey Guy, the Queen (she cast Bedragon), and Burger Fox. Wondering why Necrosaro is stained blood red? Keep in mind that in the original, Psaro took the form of Estruk after he became the Ruler of Evil, eventually becoming a warped version of his former ruler. So I did that here, but with Satan Claus. So i-Oh crap! I haven't finished the Dragon Quest thing!
| Master Dragon wrote: |
| Greetings, mortals. I am God. It is your destiny to fight Satanroth in the depths of Hell. I h- |
Yea, yea, got it: go down to Hell, beat up Satanroth.
| Queen wrote: |
| Maybe we should listen to more of what he has to say. I mean, this is God. |
We'll be fine. *group goes down to Hell, finds Satanroth*
| Satanroth wrote: |
| GWAAAAHHHH!!!!!! Fear me, for I am Satanroth, the Ruler of Monsterkind! I know now what I must do: destroy all humanity! |
| Queen wrote: |
| Be on your guard, he's gained dark p- |
OK, whatever. *slashes at Satanroth, arm falls off* What the...*laughs ass off*
| Burger Fox wrote: |
| Your hubris will eventually be your downfall. |
*slashes another arm off, laughs ass off, does so after slashing off head* Oh my God...his freaki....what the hell is going on with his stomach?
| Queen wrote: |
| You don't remember? There's more to him after the head plops off. |
Oh, right. Still, pretty damn easy. *fights some more, sees arms and legs grow back* This is getting a bit weird.
| Burger Fox wrote: |
| I warned you. *Satanroth grows other head, becomes eviler* |
*gets scared* RUN AWAY!!!! *tries to run away, fails* Oh no, we wasted a turn, we're so scr-
| Queen wrote: |
| Relax, we beat him. |
(silence) Huh? Really? Yay, we win! And no stupid alternate endings! *story ends*
Well, I ended the Dragon Quest dialogue sequence multiparter. Might as well start something else. No, not THAT. I was thinking two more video game reviews. After all, I just beat two more games. The first is Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, because Konami thought they could make their previous N64 Castlevania better by adding werewolves. Thanks for missing the point, Konami! However, there are other changes, like being able to PLAY as a werewolf. You play as Cornell, who ties with Sephiroth for the most prominent homosexual game character in video game history. Why? Well, besides looking at him, the guy skips. I automatically win that argument. Another argument: this game is unoriginal. It rips off both Zelda and Resident Evil, taking place in a medieval mansion filled with horror movie cliches AND a stupid female character who needs to be save from an old fart who never dies. The game even goes so far as to rip off the hallway in the original RE where you saw your first Crimson Head. But this is kinda beside the point (which, as I alluded to earlier, Konami missed). How does it play? Well, there's a good game here, but it's buried under several problems. For example, the combat sucks. Unlike the Belmonts, Cornell throws energy...spikes at his foes. It works better than a whip, but perhaps a bit too well. He doesn't need his claw attack (yes, he has a claw attack) or the traditional sub-weapons, since everything dies with a few whacks of your energy spikes. And it's not even normal enemies who die that easily, as most of the bosses are pathetic. Jump around like an idiot and throw spikes at them until they die. Dracula has a bit more strategy, but he's the final boss, so why should I give a crap at this point? Speaking of enemies, why are there skeletons on motorcycles, the game is set in 1844! Back to the game, control is also a bit of an issue. In order to pick things up, you have to press a button, rather than just walk over it. Any game that commits this crime automatically gets 3 points knocked off its score, and things don't get better from there. The graphics aren't that good (as you've already seen) and the combat is imperfect (as I've already mentioned), but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Too bad you can never reach it. The point I'm trying to make is that there's a good game to be had underneath all the flaws. I can imagine having fun with this game's mechanics if not for the myriad of flaws. So I give it the Whatever the Hell the Opposite of a Polished Turd is Award.
Unfortunately, the next game does not have the benefit of being good beneath the flaws. The next game? Final Fight 2. I had a lot for this, but character limits force me to give it the Unfortunately Short Review Award and leave it to this: the game is really, really repetitive. You can see it at....you know what? Read on, you'll figure it out.
And now, the big surprise I promised you. It may come as shocking: I'm leaving GameSpot. It had to happen sometime. I mean, we all get banned, and I came close. Because of this. But that's not important. The important thing is my departue. "But wait, Vincent!", you might say, "Where are you going?" Well, I have an account set up at Giant Bomb. Besides the benefit of uncensored swearing, I also get a decent user review system, an in-depth game encyclopedia, and a create-your-own-list feature. In the face of all this, how can I possibly stay here, knowing my inevitable fate? Don't try to stop me, I've already started packing. S-
| Queen wrote: |
| No, wait! Don't leave GameSpot! |
Wait, why are you opposed to this?
| Writey Guy wrote: |
| Yea, you're coming with us. |
| Queen wrote: |
| Oh. OK, then, let's send our stuff there. |
Now then, seeing as how I have no more attatchments to this place, l-
| Don Mario wrote: |
| You know, you still have one more race in my Rigged Cup. |
Don't worry, I'll finish that up once we're settled in. I promise you, I'll find a way.
| Queen wrote: |
| But how are you going to fit in the whole Nazi Patrick thing? |
| Writey Guy wrote: |
| You know, I really don't care about him. I don't know, I don't feel the same zest and zeal writing for this villain as I did for Satan Claus. |
Yea...yea, that was a great series.
| Writey Guy wrote: |
| Eh, I could've do better. |
...........So.......I guess this is goodbye.....
| Shiki wrote: |
| No, you can't leave! You have so many friends here! You can't leave me here all alone. |
.......Yea, I'll manage.
Game Title: Kid Icarus
Release Date: December 1987
Developer: Nintendo (Gunpei Yokoi)
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System
Genre/Type: 2D Platform Vertical Scrolling Adventure
Game Rating: [III/V]
While this game has a some ambitious ideas along with a fantastic soundtrack, Kid Icarus ultimately suffers from various technical problems.
Kid Icarus is an interesting game primarily because of what it tries to achieve. It definitely takes a cue from three iconic games. In the game, an angel by the name of Pit is called upon by Platenia to save Angel Land from the evil Medusa. However, that will not be an easy task as Pit is trapped in the realm of Hades, and must make his way up there, fighting minions of evil on the way.
The game play in Kid Icarus is interesting and almost unique in a sense. It adopts its side scrolling platform game play from Super Mario Bros., its vertical scrolling platform game play and combat (and password system) from Metroid, and its dungeon crawling adventure game play and item collecting from The Legend of Zelda. In theory, this ambitious idea to culminate these vastly different **** of play into one game seems like one of the greatest ideas for this game or even gaming in general. In practice, however, Kid Icarus does not quite come together in a cohesive or functional way.
In terms of character control, Kid Icarus is below mediocre when at its best. The things Pit is physically capable of is fairly limited as a result of design and not of technology. In Kid Icarus Pit can can shoot his bow and even aim upward, but cannot jump while aiming upward. Issues like this have been solved by this time with Metroid. Another issue concerning control is ducking in Kid Icarus. Ducking down to avoid enemies is a very useful feature in the game, but when on a semi-solid platforms ducking while standing on them makes Pit pass through the platform which, more often than not, ends up with Pit falling to his death. Also, Pit has wings on his back and yet he cannot fly without a special and expensive feather powerup which is still not so great as it is only temporary. In the end, the control comes up as being unnecessarily crippled.
The game starts out with some levels designed after Metroid's vertical scrolling platform game play. This level and game play ****is by far the most unplayable part of the game. When Pit jumps to a higher platform, the level environment scrolls downward. However, the level's geometry cannot move back up, so falling or moving back down is not an option and results in death if attempted. There is a problem with this. If the floor beneath Pit is not visible on screen, then it does not exist in the game's logic. An example in which this is an issue is if Pit climbs up just enough where the level scrolls down just enough to make the floor not present on screen. It could be the ground floor that pit started on. If Pit were to drop to that floor (that is not present on screen only by an inch) Pit "falls to hid death". That is pretty lame considering that floor is just a little shy of existing on screen. That is not to say that this is the only technical issue that hurts this game. With how the level's geometry scrolls, the levels play as if what is shown on screen and what is a solid platform are two different entities that have little or no cohesion. This results in Pit's unintended ability to clip through corners of platforms and even through solid entities. This coupled with the fact that level design calls for some precise platforming does not help as certain level sections play as if they were not designed to accommodate for this technical anomaly. An other design flaw has to do with how enemies generate and exist in the level's overall environment. Only a couple of enemy types exist native to a platform within the level. This is fine on its own, but enemies sometimes spawn within solid entities in the level's architecture. On top of that, the other monsters will just fall from the sky. The problem with this is that there could be a ceiling above Pit where the enemies are coming from, but since it is not present on screen, it does not exist. This makes very little sense and makes the game more frustrating because of this illogical feature. The game does not get more difficult when done with these levels.
Kid Icarus contains boss battles, but require you to do lots of dungeon crawling to get to those fights. This is where the game The Legend of Zelda comes in as another one of the three core competencies of this game. Like The Legend of Zelda, Pit has to traverse a series of rooms on a dungeon map. One of these rooms contains the boss of a particular world. It plays like a 2D platform game, but it is fairly standard. Another adopted feature is the currency and item portion of Kid Icarus. In the game, the currency is hearts. every level has a store in which Pit can bring his purse of hearts and purchase goods. This all seems well and good. However, there is no real proper balance between how much life Pit loses versus the cost of store items (which is unnecessarily high). This just turns the dungeon crawling levels into a long and tedious grind to get enough hearts to buy the bare bone items required just to survive and get by in the dungeon, let alone hammers to free the petrified soldiers of Platenia. The difficulty from one room to another is also something that seems vastly unbalanced. some rooms are a breeze to traverse as where the next room could contain enemies that are among the toughest to defeat. The previously mentioned sprite collision issue as well as the environment clipping are also substantial issues in this segment of Kid Icarus. Expect to spend anywhere from forty minutes to an entire hour when attempting to beat one of these dungeon crawling levels.
The third and last significant game play ****is exhibited in the side scrolling levels that pay homage to Super Mario Bros. in a big way. The level designs of these particular stages are fine, but the way they all play out is standard of any generic game that features any platforming. However there is something good to be said about this particular level ****as the only serious technical problem that seems to be present is the shoddy sprite collision with items.
Now, all this does not mean that Kid Icarus is a terrible game. One of the things that may keep someone going back to this game is the role playing game like persistence in Kid Icarus. While clearing levels and killing monsters, Pit will come across some upgrades that add to his overall attack power and life capacity. This will something that is bound to attract some people because it's a part of Kid Icarus that is not broken nor is it unbalanced.
Another fantastic aspect of Kid Icarus is its Soundtrack, which seems to capture the essence of the ancient greek mythological trappings in which the game takes place. There may not a terrible amount of songs in the game's entire musical score, but the quality of the compositions overrides the physical size of it. This is clearly the high note of the experience this game has to offer.
Lastly, the general art direction of of Kid Icarus is one thing that makes the game so inviting initially. The depictions of the Greek landscapes, Hades, and Angel Land. The visuals stick in the mind long after playing it. The sprites are nicely designed, but the animations could have complemented that.
It is abundantly clear that Kid Icarus has issues. That does not mean the game is horrible. It does have its high points with some of the graphics and all the quality music. However, every time game brings itself up, it just puts itself down all the time with its game play and balancing problems. With that, Kid Icarus is okay, but its questionable quality makes it impossible to recommend to just anyone.
So I've been itching to buy a new game for my Wii, but I'm also itching to play a survival horror game. Since Fatal Frame 4 won't be out for awhile yet, my options boil down to Obscure 2 and the new Alone In the Dark. I've heard bad things about the Wii version of Obscure 2, so I was wondering if anyone had played the new Alone in the Dark. Is it worth trying out?
Thanks in advance!
If you're looking for a new MMORPG to play chances are you've read up on Age of Conan. If not then maybe you should. I'll be honest I don't play and MMOs, but I've been reading up on age of conan and I'm tempted to start. So I'm surfing the net, looking for some info on AGE OF CONAN (only) and find this little gem in the telegraph (UK newpaper) - "Computer gamers have staged a revolt after the gravity-defying breasts of characters in a popular game were suddenly reduced." Turns out that the maximum breast size had been reduced in error during a programming alteration carried out to fix other bugs.
Check out the difference for youself:
"If this isn't fixed in a reasonable amount of time, ie a day or two, I will be un-subscribing," one player, calling himself Dusk, wrote on the game's official forum. Wow.
Developers Funcom have announced a statement confirming that "some of the female models in the game have had the size of their breasts changed. This is due to an unintended change in data that was introduced in an earlier patch, data which controls the so-called morph values associated with character models and the size of their respective body parts."
"We are working on a fix for this and your breasts should be back to normal soon." - Funcom
For anyone wanting to play the game who is now 'put-off' don't worry; Funcom have since fixed the problem. Can I just make it clear that when i found this story I was surfing for AGE OF CONAN and that was it. Think I may have to get Age of Conan for its big... quests.
Hey guys ive got a problem. I already started a topic. Dont miss understand me : It is not about the weapons skins ! Well here is the post and i also got the same problem at Condition Zero :
Hey i bought Counter Strike on STEAM and if i play it the skins are different of the skins in the Professional gaming movies ??? The Elite Crew wears red clothes and has a kind of bandana and it doesnt looks like the green one out of the movies and Counter Strike Source. Also the Arctic Avenger looks stupid and it got a black cap and glasses ??? Somebody please help because it looks stupid and stuff. Or does anyone knows hot fix it ? Thank you , bye.
It's strange but after watching "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" I've been drawn back into thinking about both the destruction of memories overtime & the depths people will go to in regards to seeking forgetfulness. For instance if I was in a similar situation as the main characters were without the technology would I abuse substances to forget someone? Or would I just embrace all of my memories regardless of them containing various issues like despair, loneliness, or bitterness? Obviously we all have points in our lives that we would choose to get rid of on a whim, but does running away from your memories change anything? *sigh* The only answer I have would be a personal one, which is that no matter how terrible the memory in regards to significant others we should always enjoy the happy ones instead of looking for an escape from 100% of the memories that person was involved in. Sure we can create elaborate hypothetical situations about children watching their parents being murdered, or of a significant other committing suicide. But in the end while it may seem cliche the reality is that you can't have the good without the bad. And even the bad memories tend to be better then having absolutely nothing with which to remember.
*I choose to live.......*
My **** tonsils are swollen right now and what with typing up depressing thoughts I just don't know what to think. Sure, torturous thoughts are something to always remember, but right now pain has proven itself to be the greatest anesthesia to a mild depression. I'm not a cutter or anything, I just find that because of various decisions in life I routinely find myself swallowed up by introspection. Is it because I don't enjoy **** movies but instead try to find films I consider art? Probably, but accepting something like that is far different from actually desiring any sort of change. I've always been the sort that was a loner trying to fit in, and I must say that such decisions have caused me to enjoy simple pleasures like reading a book instead of watching sports. Regardless though my tonsils are reminding me that school is nothing more then a breeding ground for disease, for the longest time I've thought that sex spreads disease the fastest but I stand corrected. It is the grubby little bastards that don't want to miss a ****that spread this **** around. As such my mood has caused it to where I wouldn't cry if some of the people who have given me the latest germ where to accidently fall into an active volcano.
In reality though guys I'm just in a bad mood these past few days because I've built numerous semi-close ties to people, and with the coming of Christmas break it would be safe to say that they will wither & die before coming to fruition. Hell, its so bloody strange that all miss so many people and not even know their names, yes, I'm horrible with names. Why it may seem strange is that I've peeled back some student persona's yet I can't seem to remember even 50% of their names. So today to assuage my guilty mind over missing these people I decided that after I finished with the Chemistry final that I would go up to the board and write out a little memento for them to remember me by.
"Stay safe guys, and have a Merry Christmas/Yuletide/Holidays. Just so you all know I've enjoyed the time we've all spent together and hope to see you again, saying that though I wish that all of your endeavors are fruitful and that you have good fortune."
~Captain Chaos
P.S. If you guys want to know how I got that moniker I'll tell ya, however for now I'll just keep it as a secret. Take care all of you, and try to avoid all of those drunk driving idiots when you're visiting family.
You are all invited to the Twisted Metal Universe I will be staying on top of all Twisted Metal Information!
Right now I have info on:
*The New Twisted Metal that is coming out for the PS2 due out sometime before Christmas!
*A New Twisted Metal Comming out for the PS3!
*Information on Twisted Metal Harbor City also known as Twisted Metal Black 2!
*Information on the Twisted Metal Alliance a group of some of the craziest Twisted Metal Fans Known!
*Japan Gets Twisted Metal EX In Their PSN
So come in and post your thoughts about the greatest game ever at the Twisted Metal Universe see you there!
The rumours (beginning and ending with the blog title) about my death have been greatly exaggerated. The real reasons I'm not on Gamespot much anymore is *bah-bah-bah-bum* university. A full time course, compounded with off-campus work, really eats into your time, and I'm spending most of my net sessions researching for assignments. Still, I'll be popping in from time to time, and I'll make sure to read all of your blogs. Fears and resentments eased? Excellent...
Anyway, I had my 19th birthday on April 24th. In contrast to the last two years, I just made it a relatively quiet, family occasion. I bought myself the Diablo battlechest (so now I've got the original and DII's expansion) and Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, so I'm slashing away merrily during my spare time. I'm nearly halfway through Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and I'm restarting I Am Legend for one of my Literature assignments...who said uni had to be dull ?
Finally, I've now got an account on Windows Messenger. If anyone wants the address, just PM me and I'll send it.
Fare thee well,
Sgt. Homonculus
I really liked Silent Hill as a movie. Not only was it the first time that a video-game made a wonderful transition to the big screen (IMO) but Christophe Gans really did take the material seriously and made a film that respected both the horror and mystery genre.
So, I began wondering what other, lesser, video games might make for good movies. Obviously the video-game universe has to be rich in imagination rather than just being a popular title, is what I mean. Look at Mortal Kombat or House of the Dead for example.
I think that Splatterhouse would make a great movie if it was kept as dark, gory and mysterious as the game. What about you?
