I can't believe this, I haven't put this much time into one game since final fantasy 7\final fantasy tactics. I am so addicted to this game It's hard to think the time has gone by this fast. I have 2 characters, one melee, one magic and the game is very different for both of them, but the PVP aspect is what is keeping me hooked, I have over 400 multiplayer sessions (mostly invasions), it's just too much fun! Here's hoping for Demon's Souls 2, it has sold past Atlus' expectations from what I've heard so a sequel should be inevitable.
-Patrick
The Good
Visually similar but artistically superior…
The sandbox games of this generation have had certain familiar design traits, modernized locations like Liberty City (GTA IV), Stillwater (Saints Row 2) and a fictional empire city (Infamous) all come to mind, so it shouldn't be a surprise when I say that it's extremely refreshing to play a game set in these old aged cities of yesterday.
While Assassin's Creed II sports the same basic visual pallet as the previous version, from a design perspective it looks different enough to still make my jaw hang open. Fifteenth century Florence looks far more beautiful than any city I'm accustomed to seeing in a videogame, the clothing and even the NPC behaviors scream of authenticity. I'm about 12 or so hours in and having seen Romagna and Tuscany in all there digitized glory; it makes me want to go back to Europe. Simply put, the game looks just as beautiful as before, if not more.
Assassin's need purpose too…
One of the most glaring flaws in regards to Assassin's Creed's storyline was Altaïr's personality. To put it simply he had none, he was flat as a character and killed simply because he was ordered too. We had very little background information about the character or the personal motivation he got out of his job as an Assassin so as gamers we were left feeling very little for him as a character -- At least that's how I felt.
Ezio on the other hand is the exact opposite and this is perfectly illustrated in one of the first running missions you're given -- Comically trying to escape an angry father who just caught you in bed with his daughter while you try to deny the allegations during the chase. So yes, he's an Assassin with a sense of humor but naturally he didn't start out as one. Without revealing too much about the storyline, I'll simply say that due to a betrayal of sorts you begin to understand why Ezio has to take up the calling of an Assassin and it's this fact that made all the killings performed feel justified.
The Music..
Being an Assassin never felt so badass…
I remember commenting about the sheer amount of ways there were to kill people in this game during my short time with it, but I don't think I completely understood just how much you could do providing that you had enough imagination. Instead of describing all the various upgrades you can gain I'll simply describe a memorable situation I encountered.
- I had my character walk casually towards the square where my target was located. In order to get In I ordered a few prostitutes I just hired who were lingering near to distract the guards at the entry way. As they did there thing I casually walked in and eyed my target while I stood next to a group of NPC's having a conversation. I made sure to make note of the amount of guards surrounding the area before I proceeded. There were conversations being held conveniently around the square so I reached for my gold coins and dropped a few on the floor which momentarily caused a ruckus. Afterwards while the crowd mostly centered on the dropped change I went in for the kill from the back. After the short exchange of words the guards were suddenly aware of what happened and I patiently waited for them to close in before dropping a smoke bomb which engulfed the area. I then knifed every damn guard, about 8 in all before the smoke even cleared. I then looted the bodies to the dismay of onlookers and dashed out.
..crazy
Micromanagement…
Everything you collect in this game provides you with money, every kill you make results in money, every person you loot, provide you with…yes money. At a certain point in the game you end up in a villa that is basically yours to maintain. It'll go from a crusty hellhole with a relatively small population into the same sort of beauty you'd find in Rome with a large populace to boot. It all depends on how much coins you end up putting into the renovation of different structures. As a result you'll receive discounts at stores as well. It all gives the act of collecting and currency some worth.
The Bad
Where am I?...
Well the overall map needs some work. It's still pretty easy to get lost in the middle of a city when you're just trying to find an exit. A simple dot on the screen doesn't do a good enough job sometimes despite the countdown timer. When you have large areas surrounded by walls that are impossible to leap over, it makes finding the two only possible exits an annoying headache.
Facial animations look...Less than human...
Movement animations aside, which are still amazing btw, say little in the defense of the pretty poor facial animations in Assassin's Creed II. It's nothing that particularly bothered me too much but it was an unfortunate flaw considering how polished the rest of the game looked.
Final Thoughts…
I think Assassin's creed II towers over the original in the narrative, gameplay and length based on what I've played so far. The fighting is a lot more fun and varied, the characters are so much more appealing, the environments are sometimes breathtaking, the music is excellent, and the missions aren't as annoying as before as most of them are optional. I think if you even remotely liked the first game, you should definitely pick this up and there's not much to say after that.
Really, world? Really? I mean, come on. Who wants the DNA of a dead man on them giving them scent? Believe it or not, as fake as it may sound, it is legit. A new cologne, going for 59.99 a pop, is based off Jackson's DNA. "It is composed of the lightest, but most volatile essences." Ok, first of all, I didn't even know DNA had a scent. And I didn't imagine it would be good. Milking for money? I think so. But, these people have their own website, which means that have done it before? I wonder if they have the Elvis DNA Cologne? And maybe when Brad Pitt dies, they will have Pitt Cologne. Just imagine the possibilities...with DNA...as cologne. The sarcasim and disbelief has evacuated my body for this incident. The site is here:
http://mydnafragrance.com/perfume/antiquity-by-my-dna-fragrance/cologne-made-from-michael-jacksons-dna-code.html
Yesterday I completed the very last puzzle within Professor Layton and Pandora's Box. All 153, completed. Nothing left to find. No stone left unturned. I should probably be happy but I'm really going to miss it. Except those &*(&(%$*) ones where you have to shift the blocks around to move something through to the other side. Those, I hope I never see again.
Finished Dragon Age Origins (360) over the weekend. I played as a Human Noble and it was a blast. I was a good guy so I think I got a good ending and everyone was my ally. Very satisfying ending for me. The writing is superb and the voice acting is even more impressive. They got a lot of the same actors from Uncharted 2 which was kinda cool. I'm just really impressed with how developed the world is and how much thought was put into all my party members and NPCs. I don't think I need to say more other than this is a must play and one of my fave RPGs in this generation. I plan on playing as the other origins when I have time. It should be interesting to see how the world unfolds when I choose different dialogue options. Btw, this game probably has the longest credits roll in gaming history. Soooo many people were involved, wow... 
Also finished Assassin's Creed 2 (360) this week. What an amazing experience. Ubisoft really improved upon everything over the original and thensome. I loved the original AC and this sequel beats it in both gameplay and story. The story actually unfolds in a similar way to the GTA franchise except with better pacing. Ezio is a really likeable guy and his story is way more developed than Altair's.
Speaking of AC1, AC2 is a direct sequel in every sense of the word. The game literally opens up with the final shot from the first game. It's pretty cool for us AC1 fans cuz AC1's cliffhanger ending is instantly resolved. Yay. There's also a ton of callbacks and information that AC1 fans will enjoy. I think if you didn't play or finish AC1, you might be missing out on a few bits of information and names that pop up. AC2 stands well on its own but people who played AC1 will definitely appreciate the story and revelations way more. And boy, the revelations are awesome.
The gameplay is incredibly addictive as one mission just keeps popping up after another. There's also a diverse amount of sidequests that kept me playing. The combat is also very satisfying and incredibly fun since you can switch weapons and upgrade your armor/outfits. The final armor looks pretty damn sessy. The collectables also make sense and actually help you and affect the main game. They're no longer simply achievement/trophy hunter type stuff. It's all really well implemented. I'm only two achievements away from getting the full 1000. 
But not everything was perfect, the game has some minor glitches which happened a few times. They're not game-breaking stuff but they're somewhat distracting. The game also has some janky facial animation for a few characters (Lucy has it worst), but most are fine. These minor issues probably kept this game from beating Batman: AA and Uncharted 2 from my personal GOTY. But overall, this was an amazing experience with a lot of fun conspiracy stuff and the world is really well done. Must play for everyone (including people who didn't like AC1). Loved it.
I also just got God of War Collection (PS3) and I'm playing it to see all the enhancements. Looks pretty damn good. I haven't played it in a long time so there are many things that surprised me. Still awesome and still fun. I'll probably have more detailed impressions when I dig into GoW2 in the collection after I beat GoW1 all over again. Oh yea, lotsa boobies too, lol...
Much is being said about the campaign for Modern Warfare 2, and in particular, a level called No Russian. Personally, I thought the level was effective and the campaign as a whole was nothing short of spectacular. It's easily earned a place as one of my favorite shooter campaigns of all time.
One of the criticisms I've read levelled at the campaign is that the writing is poor and the story is ludicrous. I agree completely that the story is ludicrous. I think that most video game stories are ludicrous. But so what? The important thing in a game like Modern Warfare 2 is to cram as many intense moments into its five-hour campaign as it can. I can't think of a game that sustained such an unrelenting pace, and since the story does its job of providing a vehicle to string all these things together, in my mind, it's a success. I won't argue that it's great writing for a second. But it's writing with a very specific purpose, and I think it does a great job of accomplishing that purpose.
There may have been a time where I would have enjoyed it less, where I would have spent half my time stepping outside of the absurd action of the story and yelling at the screen, "Oh, come on! That would never happen!" Perhaps it's all that 24 I watched, but at a certain point, my outlook changed, and I realized that I was willing to sacrifice a certain amount of plausibility if, and only if, something succeeds in delivering over-the-top thrills so incredible as to make my suspension of disbelief worthwhile. Most of the time, 24 succeeded here for me. In the end, it's not the overall story of a 24 season that matters, but the moment-to-moment thrills that story allowed the season to deliver, and seriously, if you think Modern Warfare 2 is implausible, watch a season of 24. I don't know for sure, but I'd be willing to bet that 24 has been a direct influence on the Modern Warfare games.
24 ushered in an era of television where viewers could no longer be sure, one week to next, that any character (wiith the possible exception of Jack Bauer) was safe. Audience favorites are routinely killed suddenly and unflinchingly. The Modern Warfare games certainly followed in the series' footsteps here. The death of a player character in the first Modern Warfare, like the death of lovable Edgar on 24, was shocking. Perhaps in Modern Warfare 2 they go a tad overboard with this and it starts to lose its impact a bit, but I still found most of the twists and character deaths surprising and impactful.
And then there's No Russian, in which, as an undercover CIA agent embedded in a terrorist cell, you must stand by, or even participate, while your fellow terrorists slaughter hundreds of civilians at an airport. Many of the arguments I've read about this level are rooted in the illusion of choice. There you are, holding a gun, but you must stand idly by as this massacre takes place. You are unable to turn the gun on the terrorists and attempt to stop this atrocity, which is something that any moral person would surely at least consider doing in that situation. Anthony Burch, in this Rev Rant at Destructoid, argues that as the player, your feelings of revulsion about what's happening totally pull you out of the moment. (At least that was what I took away from his argument, but I'm paraphrasing, and I encourage you to watch it for yourself.) And maybe that's true. He contrasts this, though, with the player's relationship with Alyx in Half-Life 2. In Half-Life 2, he says, you like Alyx. Because the game reinforces your positive feelings about the character, Gordon's choice to not just use the gravity gun to fling her into the nearest bunch of headcrabs and run jibes with your own feelings, creating a seamless relationship between you and the character you're playing. But to me, that's an arbitrary distinction. Another player may totally loathe Alyx and actually wish to kill her. In both Modern Warfare 2 and Half-Life 2, you have no choice. Choice is a complete illusion.
Some may feel that games are more enjoyable when we always feel a positive connection with the character we're playing and the actions of that character. I'm fine with that not being the case, with sometimes being cast in an unsavory role. If Modern Warfare 2 were a film, could the actor cast in the role the player plays in the No Russian level say to the director, "You know, if it were really me in this situation, I think I'd say to myself, 'To hell with this undercover thing, I'm turning my gun on these monsters!' So is it okay if I do that in this scene?" Of course not. It's essentially the same thing here. We are cast in this role. We have a part to carry out, and we must carry it out, whether we like it or not. If you're playing Metal Gear Solid, you must stop Liquid Snake. Trying to join forces with him is not an option. If you're playing Ocarina of Time, you cannot shirk your responsibility to defeat Ganon and just go live on a farm somewhere, no matter how much you might rather do that. In games, almost always, choice is an illusion.
The other criticism I've heard about No Russian is that some feel such a horrific scene of violence is inappropriate in something that's essentially just trying to be a piece of pure entertainment, that it's exploitative to use something so terrible in the context of something that, let's face it, doesn't really deal with the consequences in a serious, meaningful way. Maybe I'm just callous, but I didn't mind. Again, perhaps it's all that 24, which doesn't shy away from crashing commuter jets, releasing chemical weapons in hotels, and detonating nukes in densely populated areas, killing anywhere from hundreds to hundreds of thousands at a time. Nor is it reluctant to try to make you feel the loss of a single human life.
And always, not long after one of these moments transpires, Jack Bauer is back to kicking ass and walking away from unsurvivable situations unscathed, all in the name of delivering pure entertainment.
One of the major problems I have had for many years is air conditioning at the office. My hands tend to get cold after an hour or two in the office. I normally wash my hands in warm water or simply sit on my hands for a moment (lol, TMI).
When I lived in Texas for a couple of years I also had the same problem at home because A/C was used about 8 out of 12 months a year. Much like there is heated handles for scooter and motorcycles, have any of you seen that many heated keyboards? If so, do you have any recommendations?
Hey people. Hope you're doing well.
Well, it seems the Modern Warfare 2 storm has passed, leaving behind it shattered records and broken egos. Do any of you realize what happened just a short week ago? The world of video games made its presence felt, while Modern Warfare 2 sold 4.7 million copies in one day, with sales of $310 million, which made it the biggest entertainment launch in history. One. Day. And that's just counting sales from Canada, the US and the UK. No matter if you like the game or not, gamers everywhere should be proud of this accomplishment, as it sheds a very bright spotlight on the medium.
Naturally, I was one of the 4.7 million who snagged a copy upon its release. I spent the first 3 days playing online and, to be quite honest, I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. Don't get me wrong, the structure of the multiplayer is absolutely incredible, with the multitude of perks and guns you earn while leveling up, and the vast selection of modes to play in. However, I feel that, for someone as horrible as me in online multiplayer games, there is no way I can get better. Now, I won't go throw the blame on snipers or campers or hackers or whatnot. The blame is solely on myself. You guys out there are so good that even if I played for 24 hours non-stop for the next 2 weeks, I would still be unable to compete at your level. Also, I do not have the patience or will to stick around and try to get better. I don't find dying every 3 seconds enjoyable, so I just decided to take my abysmal kill / death ratio and go home.
As for Modern Warfare 2's single player experience, there were some highs and some lows throughout the very short campaign. I played on Normal and finished it just over the 6-hour mark. To sum up the campaign without spoiling anything, let's just say that the story is very confusing and ambiguous, the plot is non-existent and the voice actors are horrible, while some of the scenes are brilliantly executed and breathtaking. I've played some games which had much better storylines and voice actors *coughUncharted2cough*. The other mode in the game, called Special Ops, allows you to replay certain missions from COD 4 and MW 2. The 2-player missions are fun to execute for the most part and add another layer to the online play, although I would've settled for co-op during the campaign over this.
Would I call Modern Warfare 2 a disappointment? Not at all, since I pretty much knew what to expect from the guys at Infinity Ward. However, I did let the hype bug bite me in the butt a little too hard. I'm not disappointed, but I'm not thoroughly satisfied either.
Now, onto Assassin's Creed II and Left 4 Dead 2. Oh, and would you guys be interested in the return of DBoy's Den? Just throwing that out there...
Later!
Hey guys.
Modern Warfare 2 was sitting waiting for me when I got home from class today, so I have spent all day playing it, and I just wanted to let you all know that it's a fantastic game.
The single player campaign is short, like the first, but wow, it's amazing. Like the first, the game is just non-stop action and it's very immersive. It looks fantastic, the soundtrack is brilliant and, of course, it plays great too. In fact, if the campaign was 3-5 hours longer, it would be mind-blowing, but then, I wouldn't want that if the actual campaign was sacrificed. There are the spec-ops missions though, but I haven't checked them out yet, so I don't know what they are about.
Also, there is one mission in the game that really hits you. It has been in the news a bit recently, but honestly, it's crazy. It's disturbing, scary and horrible all at once, but it's brilliant that a game can make you feel this way; literature has done it, music has done it and films have done it too, so it's great seeing games being able to get some real emotions out of you. There is an option to turn the mission off without ever playing it, but I don't recommend it unless you really get offended by stuff.
And I quickly checked out the multiplayer for an hour, and it's fantastic. I was pretty nervous about all of the new stuff they were adding, but it all really works, or at least it does for the early section of the multiplayer portion. I hate not knowing the maps, but that will change quickly enough, I would imagine.
There we go. I just wanted to leave some quick impressions from me, and it's likely I will be spending the next few days playing this game solidly. I am so lucky I don't have any essays due in for the next few weeks; it means I have a few days to spend playing games, before going back to writing all day again. 
So apparently the video format I put together isn't accepted by Gamespot. GRRSKI. So in order to show you at least what it's like over here by posting the link to my photobucket. There should also be all the picks from TGS in there. If not they will be shortly. I did post to Youtube my video of Yokosuka Naval Base itself so it's a little something for now. No one really reads this blog anymore but for those who do thanks and hope this provides you a good look of Japan.
JAPAN PICS: http://s559.photobucket.com/albums/ss34/CdrMcNeil/
YOKOSUKA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX6YqHrxc9c
Who did it first?
Anyone who watches the anime Erin The Beast Player/Kemono No Souja Erin can't deny Okami's heavy inlfuence on the anime in terms of art and presentation but one thing remains a puzzle. There's a striking resemblence in the story of Beast Player Erin and Team Ico's upcoming PS3 exlusive, The Last Guardian.
Both stories revolve around a human becoming attached to an animal of some sort and show the main characters as they interact with each other and overcome the hardships they face together. In addition to that, the design of both creatures is similar and there's a heavy emphasis on the setting and theme in both the videogame and the previously mentioned anime. Do you think it's coincidental?
The Beast Player Erin is an anime based on a novel that has the same title. It's written by Nahoko Uehashi who's best known for the popular novel and TV series Seirei No Moribito. The novel was published in year 2006 while Team Ico's The Last Guardian is yet to be released.
Judgement:
I think it's a pure coincedence. These kind of situations are very common among concept artists to a point that I would call it unavoidable. It's not surprising to spot out major similarities between art works that are done by various artists as chances that you have two people who are thinking of the same idea are high. Not to mention that it's very likely for ideas to be similar when the source of inspiration is one.
I'm a huge fan of Team Ico and a fan of Nahoko Uehashi and I welcome all sorts of good entertainment whether it's original or not. Enjoyment comes first.
ts been a few weeks since I done a blog of any kind whatsoever and what a way to return by doing what I do best and that is bored the hell out of you guys with my ramblings equalling up to a 30 mins blog spilt into 3 parts of course. I just talk about my recent purchases and ramble on on a few of them. Some will watch and endure while others will not. :p Enjoy nonetheless and see you guys soon hopefully.
Last week, I sat among friends and stared up at the stars. A meteor shower provided the "fireworks" for the evening, but simply laying on my back and looking upwards was enough. It harkened back to when I was a child and did the same from time to time, when I would simply look at the twinkling sky and marvel at its beauty. Back then, I wanted to hold the sky in my arms; to hold and breathe in its significance.
Obviously, that isn't going to happen, but it did remind me of the only game that put me back into that kind of frame of mind: Flower. Flower is a love song to the innate, simple beauty of the world that is so easily missed, especially as we continue to progress technologically. We're all consumed by the variety of different things that vie for our time: Bills that must be paid, relationships that must be tended to, education, careers, you name it.
But when I'm playing Flower,all those concerns melt away for a slight moment. No longer is my mind wandering off to the trivialities of the day that bring me unending pressure. It gives me a chance to stop and revert to a simpler time that we probably all remember when we were younger and didn't constantly worry about our appearance, our futures, and weren't so acutely aware of the world as it is. Instead, we're placed inside rolling hills with blades of grass swaying in the wind, with a bouquet of mult-colored flower petals sweeping through the air.
To maintain its credibility as a "video game", Flower does have a linear narrative, insofar as you have to complete certain objectives to progress into the next area. It is an unfortunate nod to video game conventions, one that was unavoidable to put in the game. Yet, Flower is at its best when you throw away the game's bow to video game convention and treat it simply as an open-world game. You're not interested in picking up the different flower petals that push you quickly into the next area, but you're gliding along the blades of grass, evoking that sense of freedom you feel when driving along the road, hand outside the door and feeling the wind brush against your hand.
You're free from your responsibilities and your fears, insulated from both within this virtual world. Perhaps there's a life lesson to take from navigating Flower without purpose: To be grateful that you're still flying, even if you're not progressing.
Hope it feels like the good ol' days. Enjoy.
Yesterday I took a day trip to NYC. I hadn't been there since 2004 and since my Mom's job was hosting a bus trip my son and I went along for the ride.
I spent the majority of my time in NYC around Times Square and Rockafeller Plaza. My son and I spent over an hour in the Time Square Toys r Us. We were both in awe since both of us had never been inside such a huge toys store. We took a ride on the ferris wheel inside and just had a blast. I checked out the video game section downstairs and ended up buying X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I guess you could call it an impulse buy. I downloaded the demo on Friday and I really did enjoy it but I was going to buy it when the price dropped. Instead of waiting I found myself at the cash registar with it....I'll blame that on the atmosphere, all the bright lights and loud music got to me.
I wanted to check out the M&M store but unfortunetly I didn't get around to it. But I did spend some time at the Nintendo World Store. I walked away a little disappointed.
I had never been to the Nintendo World store and I didn't really know what to expect. I thought that it was going to be this huge store filled with Nintendo goodness. Turns out the store isn't that big. The first floor of the store is mostly dedicated to Pokemon. There are cards, games and all types of Pokemon merchandise for sale. There is also a DS Bar where a few DSi's were set up and you just tell the person behind the bar what game you want to play and they get it for you. The final thing on the first floor is this DS sitting area where tournaments are held. It sat right in the middle of the floor and it was really comfy!!!
Upstair is basically a bunch of flat screen TV's with Wii's hooked up to them. The entire store was so crowded and it was really hard to move through all of the craiziness going on upstairs. People were playing ExciteBots: Trick Racing and Wii Sports. There was a nice size section for shirts, sweatshirts, pajamas and hats. Another wall had Wii games galore. And there was also a wall dedicated to Nintendo plushies and figures. There wasn't a lot to chose from but I managed to find a few things that I thought were cute.
The cash register area had a lot of different odds and ends like stickers, PEZ like dispensers, gummies, mints and stickers. I also had fun looking at the glass display of Nintendo things. There was a damaged original Gameboy from Desert Storm, some exclusive DS designs, a Famicom and other cool things.
I had a good time....I always do whenever I head to NYC!!!
Hey all. Here are a few thoughts about a comment made by Adam Sessler of G4 at GDC '09 during the rant session. Hope you enjoy the read, feel free to comment!
Sessler: "Shame on you, publishers, for using Metacritic to determine whether or not a game is good. We have a method for determining whether or not a game is good. It's called the market."
Not entirely true. Who hasn't purchased a game based on hype and potential only to find later that it stunk? I got burned big-time on Timeshift when it came out. I work in video game retail, and I can say with certainty that if publishers (and by extension copyright law) allowed for new-game refunds the market would show a very surprising trend: Purchases do not determine quality, only success of marketing strategy/IP/license. The phrase "can I return this, it was terrible" is pretty common. Take Halo Wars, for example. A great game with an engaging story in my opinion, but successful largely by name-recognition, strength of license, and a familiarity with the studio developing the game (Ensemble). Copies of the game flew out the door, but easily one in ten (not a large number, but somewhat significant) were brought back within the week simply due to the fact the purchaser either didn't like the gameplay, thought it was a different genre or thought it was actually ODST. Ignorance of the obvious by the consumer aside, this is an all too common occurrence and with the sudden glut over the last eighteen months of mediocre to poor games that sold better than they should have punctuated by a few wildly successful titles, there's really no way Sessler's statement can be a sensible one. The market determines whether or not the game is successful from a marketing/financial standpoint but has little or nothing to do with whether the game is "good." Was Resident Evil 5 "good" because it sold a lot of copies? Or Grand Theft Auto IV? Killzone 2? Halo 3? No, it was strength of brand combined with massive marketing strategies. Halo 3's "Starry Night" commercial aired once, during Monday Night Football, and it was a huge hit by itself. RE5 commercials are still running during March Madness to get that target audience. I saw the Killzone 2 "War. Perfected." commercial a hundred times during the playoffs. Do any of these things help a game be "good?" Of course not. They help it sell, nothing more. Take Tomb Raider: Underworld, for example. The market, and Eidos, said the game underperformed by selling 1.5 million units worldwide (US numbers not found). Still, the game averaged a 7.4 from reviewers, putting it in the "good" category. So, did the market determine the quality rating of the game? I don't think so. I think Sessler's comment vastly oversimplifies the point he was trying to make, which was publishers using a single source for measuring the quality of a game. In this, I happen to agree. Publishers should be, and hopefully are, smart enough to diversify sources and identify different opinions from original source material as opposed to a compilation source like Metacritic.
I can definitely see this game open to downloadable content because there are only a few missions and they are not that long. Which could get kinda old fast.
Achievements are pretty easy for a easy 300 pts... Other than that it might require some work.
Finally AI's that stick together, heal you and can actually shoot. (most of the times...)
Single player... Meh.. It's okay but it doesn't compare to a good multiplayer...
PS. Stick together, help each other and beware the witch!
I enjoy keeping track, mainly for my own records.
Game Boy
Final Fantasy 5 Advance
MegaMan 2
Disney's Magical Quest 3 starring Mickey and Donald
Genesis
Taz in Escape from Mars
N64
Disney's Tarzan
Perfect Dark - Secret Agent
Pokemon Puzzle League
Snowboard Kids
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Blast Corps
Snowboard Kids 2
Chamelon Twist
NES
Dragon Warrior
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
PC
Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden
Half-Life
Portal
PS1
Skullmonkeys
Syphon Filter
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (both castles)
PS2
Kingdom Hearts II
Maximo vs. Army of Zin
God Hand
SNES
Phalanx
Sonic Blast Man
SoulBlazer
Super CastlevaniaIV
Wild Guns
Xbox
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
NBA Ballers
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict
Blitz: The League
King Kong: The Offical Game of the Movie
Xbox 360
All Pro Football 2K8
PS3
Metal Gear Solid 4
For what it's worth, Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden was the most entertaining game I beat this year.
Just wanted to pop in quick and say...Merry Christmahanakwanzaka! I hope that you all have a fantabulous holiday season!! And that you receive whatever your lil heart desires in the coming new year!
As promise in my last post, its Sunday and I'm posting. I really had a good time visiting my parents down in North Carolina. Few things, first it was really nice down there (hit 68 one day), everyone is really nice. The Wallmarts are huge compared to the ones in Jersey. Finally, it seems that every place I went sold beer. I just thought that was weird I guess. I also picked up LittleBigPlanet while I was down there. I have to agree with everyone in that this is a amazing game. I'm still working my way to through the single palyer. I also talked two of my friends into buying the game as well and they both love it. We've all been play together and it makes playing the game even better. I have gotten frustrated with jamping every now which led to some yelling at my friends. Also, every now and then I couldn't connect to my friends and had to keep trying. But all in good fun. I also played a few user created levels and I come to the conclusion that I probably won't create my own. It's not that I don't have the time, I feel I don't have the creative uh.......expertise to make anything great. Beides LBP, nothing else this week. Meet some people in the Home beta and a little Wipeout HD. No SOCOM this, that's a first.
Finally sent my 360 away for repair. If I'm lucky, I'll get it back this week but I'm not holding my breath. I'm thinking about gettng a GameFly account. There are so many games to get but I do't have the funds right now to but them all. In all it's nice to be back home though I would of loved if the weather from NC came back with me, man its cold. That's all I got.
