Man, the trailer for Assassin's Creed 3 has really left me divided. Part of me absolutely loved what I saw and is more excited for this game then any I can think of in recent memory.
Another part of me hated what I saw and is completely worried about the game being a steaming pile.
Deep down, I know I should probably fall somewhere in between right now. The game isn't due out until late October/early November and information about is will slowly leak out over the months leading up to the release.
Seeing some screenshots of Boston and New York has me leaning back towards excited. I can see the old Ass Creed gameplay being applied there with roof running and parkour and all that jazz. The stuff from the original trailer in the woods is what really had me kind of worried. I don't want to be sneaking around in the woods, I want to be running through a city. If they forest parts are a smaller part of the game then I welcome them as a change up from the basic city parts, but if they are more prevalent then I may not love it as much.
I preordered the game from Best Buy strictly because I got a kick ass metal case. I may get it day one, I may not. Technically, I shouldn't even be thinking about it until I finish Revelations. I've had Revelations since day one and I've really barely put any time into it. If history holds true then one day I'll pick it up and I won't put it down until I'm finished with it. That's what happened with the last two Ass Creed games.
Anyway, my curiosity is definitely peaked at this point. It's good to see the game go in a different direction as long as they don't lose the soul that made it so great in the first place. They haven't let us down with the previous three Assassin's Creed games (the first one gets a bye since it was the first and they learned so well from it) so I have to imagine they won't disappoint with Assassin's Creed 3.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Final Fantasy XIII-2 which I think is like 20 or something.
I don't know exactly how many Final Fantasy games there are. I've played every numbered edition except for 14 and I've played a couple on the Gameboy back in the day, and I played Mystic Quest. When you add all of those together along with the Crystal Chronicles games you get...probably closer to 25 but whatever. There's a lot of them and most of them fall somewhere between good and amazing. The scale for me goes FFVIII on one end and FFVI on the other. Every other game falls somewhere between these two on the scale. Something like Mystic Quest falls on the VIII side of the scale. FFXIII-2 definitely fits in the group of better Final Fantasy games.
Upon rereading that paragraph up there I'm not sure it makes a lot of sense. All I was trying to say is that FFXIII-2 is a really good game. If you played FFXIII then you already have a pretty good idea what XIII-2 is about. The combat is exactly the same, utilizing "paradigm shifts" to change character classes mid-fight to make for fast, seamless combat. When I first played XIII the idea of the combat really turned me off. I didn't like the idea of losing meticulous control of my characters. I wanted to input each individual command myself. After playing the game though, I understood the system a lot better and it very simply works. Taking out the menus allows for really fast and exciting fights. You can pay more attention to the action on screen instead of constantly being lost in the next menu.
The biggest difference between XIII-2 and XIII is...well, XIII-2 is a lot better. They took all of the good from XIII and eliminated most of the bad. It doesn't feel linear anymore, it doesn't take 75% of the game to really open up, and you don't have to play for 20 hours before you can develop your characters and party properly. The most notable difference is the lack of a third story character. Instead of swapping between characters like in XIII, you use Serah and Noel for the entire game. The third party member is a monster that you can capture yourself. Most of the monsters you encounter in the game are capturable, you don't have to do anything special, it just randomly happens. This adds a really cool element to the game. Each monster represents one of the available combat classes (Ravager, Commando, Sentinel, etc...)and you level them up with objects that are dropped by monsters or purchased from the Chocobo lady who acts as a store.
The story is...well, it's pretty convoluted. Basically, Serah and Noel are travelling through time gates fixing paradoxes all while searching for Lightning who is trapped in Valhalla battling this dude Caius who is also travelling through time and trying to stop you while also battling Lightning in Valhalla and he has this girl Yuel who exists in different times and is a different person but looks the same and is dead but isn't dead and Noel knows her but doesn't know her and and and and and it's time travel. The whole thing is a bit messy but it's still pretty entertaining. I kind of lost interest in the story about 3/4 of the way through but it didn't have an impact on my overall enjoyment of the game. It's a lot of JRPG stuff you've seen and done before. Most of the main characters from XIII play some small part in the story so that's pretty interesting.
They definitely paid attention and fixed a lot of the problems people had with the first Final Fantasy XIII and that is awesome. However, when compared to the glory days of the franchise (I'm talking IV, VI, VIII here) they're still way behind. The paradigm system works in a really interesting way, and it is entertaining, but it still feels like they keep taking more and more of the "game" out of it and making it more of something we watch while interacting with slightly. I'd love for them to take a big step backward for the next installment but it is highly unlikely. I'll still look forward to it, and still play it, and more than likely still enjoy it. The Final Fantasy series is really one of the few franchises that has pretty much never let me down. VIII was pretty mediocre, and I don't count XI or XIV since I don't really play MMO's. The rest of the titles have all been quality and as long as they keep that up, I'll continue to be a fan. Whether a fan or not, XIII-2 is worth checking out.
Upon rereading that paragraph up there I'm not sure it makes a lot of sense. All I was trying to say is that FFXIII-2 is a really good game. If you played FFXIII then you already have a pretty good idea what XIII-2 is about. The combat is exactly the same, utilizing "paradigm shifts" to change character classes mid-fight to make for fast, seamless combat. When I first played XIII the idea of the combat really turned me off. I didn't like the idea of losing meticulous control of my characters. I wanted to input each individual command myself. After playing the game though, I understood the system a lot better and it very simply works. Taking out the menus allows for really fast and exciting fights. You can pay more attention to the action on screen instead of constantly being lost in the next menu.
The biggest difference between XIII-2 and XIII is...well, XIII-2 is a lot better. They took all of the good from XIII and eliminated most of the bad. It doesn't feel linear anymore, it doesn't take 75% of the game to really open up, and you don't have to play for 20 hours before you can develop your characters and party properly. The most notable difference is the lack of a third story character. Instead of swapping between characters like in XIII, you use Serah and Noel for the entire game. The third party member is a monster that you can capture yourself. Most of the monsters you encounter in the game are capturable, you don't have to do anything special, it just randomly happens. This adds a really cool element to the game. Each monster represents one of the available combat classes (Ravager, Commando, Sentinel, etc...)and you level them up with objects that are dropped by monsters or purchased from the Chocobo lady who acts as a store.
The story is...well, it's pretty convoluted. Basically, Serah and Noel are travelling through time gates fixing paradoxes all while searching for Lightning who is trapped in Valhalla battling this dude Caius who is also travelling through time and trying to stop you while also battling Lightning in Valhalla and he has this girl Yuel who exists in different times and is a different person but looks the same and is dead but isn't dead and Noel knows her but doesn't know her and and and and and it's time travel. The whole thing is a bit messy but it's still pretty entertaining. I kind of lost interest in the story about 3/4 of the way through but it didn't have an impact on my overall enjoyment of the game. It's a lot of JRPG stuff you've seen and done before. Most of the main characters from XIII play some small part in the story so that's pretty interesting.
They definitely paid attention and fixed a lot of the problems people had with the first Final Fantasy XIII and that is awesome. However, when compared to the glory days of the franchise (I'm talking IV, VI, VIII here) they're still way behind. The paradigm system works in a really interesting way, and it is entertaining, but it still feels like they keep taking more and more of the "game" out of it and making it more of something we watch while interacting with slightly. I'd love for them to take a big step backward for the next installment but it is highly unlikely. I'll still look forward to it, and still play it, and more than likely still enjoy it. The Final Fantasy series is really one of the few franchises that has pretty much never let me down. VIII was pretty mediocre, and I don't count XI or XIV since I don't really play MMO's. The rest of the titles have all been quality and as long as they keep that up, I'll continue to be a fan. Whether a fan or not, XIII-2 is worth checking out.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Garcia "Effing" Hotspur and The Shadows of the Damned
There is a decent chance you've never heard of this game and there is a very good chance you haven't played it. The game sold horribly and had no advertising at all. It's made by a small company who have made other commercial failures in the past that have been critically successful and Shadows of the Damned fits right into that category.
The thing is, this could be a very popular game if people gave it a chance. Sure, the story and dialogue is waaaay out there but it's genuinely hilarious although a bit creepy at times, and the gameplay could easily be mistaken for Resident Evil 4 at first glance. The over the shoulder camera and aiming are right out of Capcom's horror series but that's where the comparison's end. Where Resident Evil is sort of slow and clunky, Shadows of the Damned is fast paced and slick. Taking down hordes of demons with a multitude of insane demonic weapons is (excuse the pun here) fun as hell.
I'm going to stop there. I could sit here and write up a few paragraphs about the gameplay and story and graphics and music but it won't make a difference. This isn't the kind of game that can really be described by a block of text. Look, everything about this game is ridiculous and over the top, from the giant demons to the endless sexual innuendo. It's game that really needs to be played to be appreciated. Some people are going to absolutely hate everything about this game that I think makes it great. Hating this game isn't wrong, in fact, I could completely understand it. Some people can't appreciate good demon sex humor as much as I can. If you can though, this game is aces because when you look past all of that over the top humor there is a good game underneath. It's not a big named title by a big named developer and that will just about always mean a game will sell like crap, but Shadows of the Damned deserves your time. It's too good of a game to be relegated to the bargain bin (although that's what will happen) so when you see it for $10 make sure you buy it. You won't regret the decision.
The thing is, this could be a very popular game if people gave it a chance. Sure, the story and dialogue is waaaay out there but it's genuinely hilarious although a bit creepy at times, and the gameplay could easily be mistaken for Resident Evil 4 at first glance. The over the shoulder camera and aiming are right out of Capcom's horror series but that's where the comparison's end. Where Resident Evil is sort of slow and clunky, Shadows of the Damned is fast paced and slick. Taking down hordes of demons with a multitude of insane demonic weapons is (excuse the pun here) fun as hell.
I'm going to stop there. I could sit here and write up a few paragraphs about the gameplay and story and graphics and music but it won't make a difference. This isn't the kind of game that can really be described by a block of text. Look, everything about this game is ridiculous and over the top, from the giant demons to the endless sexual innuendo. It's game that really needs to be played to be appreciated. Some people are going to absolutely hate everything about this game that I think makes it great. Hating this game isn't wrong, in fact, I could completely understand it. Some people can't appreciate good demon sex humor as much as I can. If you can though, this game is aces because when you look past all of that over the top humor there is a good game underneath. It's not a big named title by a big named developer and that will just about always mean a game will sell like crap, but Shadows of the Damned deserves your time. It's too good of a game to be relegated to the bargain bin (although that's what will happen) so when you see it for $10 make sure you buy it. You won't regret the decision.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Top Ten Gamecube Games
I was slightly torn while researching for this article. Did I want to do gamecube exclusives only or just games that appeared on the Gamecube? In the end I decided to include all Gamecube games but gave a little extra weight to exclusive titles.
Also, I'm aware there is a distinct lack of Smash Bros on here but I was never able to get a group together to enjoy the multiplayer so I never felt the same love for the game as other people did.
Now, without further ADO
10. Skies of Arcadia: Legends
Sort of a Gamecube exclusive...the game originally appeared on the Dreamcast but it was a slightly different version. They changed up a few things for the Gamecube release, most noticeably turning down the random encounter rate to a much more manageable level. The 'Cube didn't have a lot of RPG's on it, but the few it had were really good. Skies was an excellent game, right up my alley for sure. Random encounters, massive flying ship battles, great characters, evil villains, and hours and hours of side missions to keep you busy for a long time.
9. Eternal Darkness
A game that honestly makes it on this list just for it's innovation, I wasn't a huge fan of Eternal Darkness' gameplay. The story was pretty cool, controlling different characters from the same story throughout a time line, and it was scary as hell sometimes, but the actual gameplay left something to be desired. The best part of the game was when it would just completely mess with you. Your character had a fear meter and as it increased, the game would start messing with you. Doing things like making you think the game froze up or erased your save. It's still one of the most innovative ways a game has ever interacted with a player.
8. Beyond Good & Evil
Poor Michel Ancel. The guy works on amazing games that consistently get ignored by consumers. Beyond Good & Evil is his masterpiece. Excellent characters blended with an excellent story all rolled up in a Zelda like tortilla. It's a delicious burrito to say the least. In this analogy, hovercraft racing is the cheese and finding and photographing all of the species in the game would be the sour cream...I guess your pig sidekick Pey'j is the lettuce and I suppose the main character Jade is the actual meat...though the pig being the meat might make more sense. I don't know, it's good Mexican food is what I'm saying.
7. Tales of Symphonia
Woo Tales games! Gotta love them! Especially if you an avid RPG player like myself. Using some freedom of movement mixed with standard RPG combat has been a winning formula for this series for a long time. The characters and story is over the top and ridiculous as to be expected and any lover of Eastern style RPG's will find many of the standard conventions to be present in Symphonia, but who cares? It's super fun and that's all that matters in the end. I miss when games like this were more common. The direction RPG's have taken is a step backwards in my opinion. Tales of Vesperia was also excellent and I'm hoping for a new one soon.
6. Resident Evil 4
The finest of the Resident Evil's, with the exception of maybe the first one, Resident Evil 4 is the highest ranked game on this list that isn't a Gamecube exclusive and that is because it was just so damn good. I didn't find it as frightening as the older RE games but the action was kicked up a notch and that is a good thing. The iconic over the shoulder camera angle works to perfection and the cheesy RE dialogue is in full swing as always. Some of the later escort stuff drives me nuts, and still does to this day, but it's not enough to bring down an otherwise amazing game. Whether a Resident Evil fan or not, you owe it to yourself to play this game.
5. F-Zero GX
I almost left this game off of the list. Not because it isn't good enough, but because I'm still mad at it and I wanted to be spiteful towards it in some way. F-Zero GX is hard. I'm talking HARD. All I can remember about the story mode was chasing Samurai Goroh through some rocks, then failing a million times, then blacking out with rage. I wish I could say more about the story mode but I never made it past the second part. The racing was top notch though, tight controls paired with an exhilarating sense of speed combined to make an excellent racer. Tons of ships to unlock and a multitude of courses kept you coming back for a long time. Truly a gem of the Gamecube library.
4. Baten Kaitos
"Another RPG?" They are thinking..."but this one is different, I swear!" is my response. Baten Kaitos was very different from traditional RPG's. Eschewing standard menu driven combat and instead using a card based system helped make Baten Kaitos one of the most original games I've ever played. Using cards to determine actions meant that no fight was ever the same and it allowed for some great strategies. The game was tough too. Enemies didn't pull punches and I remember one fight in particular giving me a lot of trouble. The combat was so fun and innovative though that I never minded. I never felt cheated, I just felt like I needed to improve and that tends to be a rare thing in games anymore. To be honest, I only vaguely remember the story and characters, but the gameplay is enough to cement it in the number 4 spot on this list.
3. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Oh, Wind Waker...you are so awesome yet controversial. So much wasted time on the internet fighting about cel-shaded kid link over the more realistic and gritty link. I don't care what you think, this is what I've always felt Link should be. It should be like playing a cartoon. Link as a semi-realistic character just seems weird to me. He's a little elf boy in a pointy green hat and suit. Anyway, gorgeous cel-shaded graphics aside, this game had it all. Awesome dungeons, tough boss fights, hidden treasure, sailing...sailing...sailing...I loved the sailing. I know some people felt that sailing from island to island was boring but it filled me with a sense of freedom. I couldn't get enough of skipping along on the water carried on the winds of change. Add in the best Ganon fight and you've got the second best Zelda game ever on your hands (Link to the Past is the best...just saying.)
2. Super Mario Sunshine
Another game that tends to be a point of contention, I adored Sunshine. I've read so many people complaining about the water based jet pack but I thought that was what made the game great. Being able to fly for short periods of time added a lot to the gameplay, as did the cleaning aspect. Using the water pack as a hose to clean paint off was fun and made for some cool boss fights. The bonus levels were pure old school Mario fun so if you didn't love the water pack aspect, you should've at least appreciated that. The story was pretty bad and the Delfino Island blob people weren't particularly well designed but who cares? Brilliant character design and story have never been the things that make a Mario game great. Brilliant level design and innovative platforming is where it's at and Super Mario Sunshine has that in spades.
NUMERO UNO...DUH DUH DUUUUUUUH...*MANUFACTURED SUSPEEEENNNNNSE*
1. Metroid Prime
If you played much of the Gamecube back in it's PRIME and you have actually been paying attention to this list then this should be no shocker to you. Metroid Prime is THE GAME on the Gamecube. I remember the first time I heard about it..."They're turning Metroid into a damn FPS!!!" I exclaimed, completely dismayed by the news. "They're ruining it. There's no way it will be good, you can't do platforming in first person! WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?!?"
I was wrong...very wrong. They could do platforming in first person, Metroid Prime was no mere FPS, and they definitely did not ruin the series. They invigorated it. To this day, I still believe Metroid Prime is the single most immersive gaming experience I have ever had. I WAS Samus Aran while I was playing. The first time the lighting reflected my face off of the inside of my visor...MIND BLOWN. So many wonderful moments in this game. Fighting Space Pirates for nearly an hour while climbing down deeper into the bowels of the planet trying to find the thermal visor I needed to progress was awesome enough. Picking it up...feeling relieved and accomplished...then BAM! The lights go out. Quickly flipping on the new visor to reveal more Space Pirates and a breathless fight back out of the pit, health low, ammo lacking, sweat pouring off of my face...just amazing. I wish I could play Metroid Prime again for the first time, and that is the highest honor I can give a game.
GREAT LIST! The Gamecube didn't have the depth of library that it's competitors had but what it did have was truly epic. Nintendo always hits the mark with it's first party games and the Gamecube is no exception. I'm sure I missed a few titles that people are going to think should've been on the list but you know what? It's my blog!
Also, I'm aware there is a distinct lack of Smash Bros on here but I was never able to get a group together to enjoy the multiplayer so I never felt the same love for the game as other people did.
Now, without further ADO
10. Skies of Arcadia: Legends
Sort of a Gamecube exclusive...the game originally appeared on the Dreamcast but it was a slightly different version. They changed up a few things for the Gamecube release, most noticeably turning down the random encounter rate to a much more manageable level. The 'Cube didn't have a lot of RPG's on it, but the few it had were really good. Skies was an excellent game, right up my alley for sure. Random encounters, massive flying ship battles, great characters, evil villains, and hours and hours of side missions to keep you busy for a long time.
9. Eternal Darkness
A game that honestly makes it on this list just for it's innovation, I wasn't a huge fan of Eternal Darkness' gameplay. The story was pretty cool, controlling different characters from the same story throughout a time line, and it was scary as hell sometimes, but the actual gameplay left something to be desired. The best part of the game was when it would just completely mess with you. Your character had a fear meter and as it increased, the game would start messing with you. Doing things like making you think the game froze up or erased your save. It's still one of the most innovative ways a game has ever interacted with a player.
8. Beyond Good & Evil
Poor Michel Ancel. The guy works on amazing games that consistently get ignored by consumers. Beyond Good & Evil is his masterpiece. Excellent characters blended with an excellent story all rolled up in a Zelda like tortilla. It's a delicious burrito to say the least. In this analogy, hovercraft racing is the cheese and finding and photographing all of the species in the game would be the sour cream...I guess your pig sidekick Pey'j is the lettuce and I suppose the main character Jade is the actual meat...though the pig being the meat might make more sense. I don't know, it's good Mexican food is what I'm saying.
7. Tales of Symphonia
Woo Tales games! Gotta love them! Especially if you an avid RPG player like myself. Using some freedom of movement mixed with standard RPG combat has been a winning formula for this series for a long time. The characters and story is over the top and ridiculous as to be expected and any lover of Eastern style RPG's will find many of the standard conventions to be present in Symphonia, but who cares? It's super fun and that's all that matters in the end. I miss when games like this were more common. The direction RPG's have taken is a step backwards in my opinion. Tales of Vesperia was also excellent and I'm hoping for a new one soon.
6. Resident Evil 4
The finest of the Resident Evil's, with the exception of maybe the first one, Resident Evil 4 is the highest ranked game on this list that isn't a Gamecube exclusive and that is because it was just so damn good. I didn't find it as frightening as the older RE games but the action was kicked up a notch and that is a good thing. The iconic over the shoulder camera angle works to perfection and the cheesy RE dialogue is in full swing as always. Some of the later escort stuff drives me nuts, and still does to this day, but it's not enough to bring down an otherwise amazing game. Whether a Resident Evil fan or not, you owe it to yourself to play this game.
5. F-Zero GX
I almost left this game off of the list. Not because it isn't good enough, but because I'm still mad at it and I wanted to be spiteful towards it in some way. F-Zero GX is hard. I'm talking HARD. All I can remember about the story mode was chasing Samurai Goroh through some rocks, then failing a million times, then blacking out with rage. I wish I could say more about the story mode but I never made it past the second part. The racing was top notch though, tight controls paired with an exhilarating sense of speed combined to make an excellent racer. Tons of ships to unlock and a multitude of courses kept you coming back for a long time. Truly a gem of the Gamecube library.
4. Baten Kaitos
"Another RPG?" They are thinking..."but this one is different, I swear!" is my response. Baten Kaitos was very different from traditional RPG's. Eschewing standard menu driven combat and instead using a card based system helped make Baten Kaitos one of the most original games I've ever played. Using cards to determine actions meant that no fight was ever the same and it allowed for some great strategies. The game was tough too. Enemies didn't pull punches and I remember one fight in particular giving me a lot of trouble. The combat was so fun and innovative though that I never minded. I never felt cheated, I just felt like I needed to improve and that tends to be a rare thing in games anymore. To be honest, I only vaguely remember the story and characters, but the gameplay is enough to cement it in the number 4 spot on this list.
3. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Oh, Wind Waker...you are so awesome yet controversial. So much wasted time on the internet fighting about cel-shaded kid link over the more realistic and gritty link. I don't care what you think, this is what I've always felt Link should be. It should be like playing a cartoon. Link as a semi-realistic character just seems weird to me. He's a little elf boy in a pointy green hat and suit. Anyway, gorgeous cel-shaded graphics aside, this game had it all. Awesome dungeons, tough boss fights, hidden treasure, sailing...sailing...sailing...I loved the sailing. I know some people felt that sailing from island to island was boring but it filled me with a sense of freedom. I couldn't get enough of skipping along on the water carried on the winds of change. Add in the best Ganon fight and you've got the second best Zelda game ever on your hands (Link to the Past is the best...just saying.)
2. Super Mario Sunshine
Another game that tends to be a point of contention, I adored Sunshine. I've read so many people complaining about the water based jet pack but I thought that was what made the game great. Being able to fly for short periods of time added a lot to the gameplay, as did the cleaning aspect. Using the water pack as a hose to clean paint off was fun and made for some cool boss fights. The bonus levels were pure old school Mario fun so if you didn't love the water pack aspect, you should've at least appreciated that. The story was pretty bad and the Delfino Island blob people weren't particularly well designed but who cares? Brilliant character design and story have never been the things that make a Mario game great. Brilliant level design and innovative platforming is where it's at and Super Mario Sunshine has that in spades.
NUMERO UNO...DUH DUH DUUUUUUUH...*MANUFACTURED SUSPEEEENNNNNSE*
1. Metroid Prime
If you played much of the Gamecube back in it's PRIME and you have actually been paying attention to this list then this should be no shocker to you. Metroid Prime is THE GAME on the Gamecube. I remember the first time I heard about it..."They're turning Metroid into a damn FPS!!!" I exclaimed, completely dismayed by the news. "They're ruining it. There's no way it will be good, you can't do platforming in first person! WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?!?"
I was wrong...very wrong. They could do platforming in first person, Metroid Prime was no mere FPS, and they definitely did not ruin the series. They invigorated it. To this day, I still believe Metroid Prime is the single most immersive gaming experience I have ever had. I WAS Samus Aran while I was playing. The first time the lighting reflected my face off of the inside of my visor...MIND BLOWN. So many wonderful moments in this game. Fighting Space Pirates for nearly an hour while climbing down deeper into the bowels of the planet trying to find the thermal visor I needed to progress was awesome enough. Picking it up...feeling relieved and accomplished...then BAM! The lights go out. Quickly flipping on the new visor to reveal more Space Pirates and a breathless fight back out of the pit, health low, ammo lacking, sweat pouring off of my face...just amazing. I wish I could play Metroid Prime again for the first time, and that is the highest honor I can give a game.
GREAT LIST! The Gamecube didn't have the depth of library that it's competitors had but what it did have was truly epic. Nintendo always hits the mark with it's first party games and the Gamecube is no exception. I'm sure I missed a few titles that people are going to think should've been on the list but you know what? It's my blog!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Let's Talk About Platforming, Baby. Let's Talk About Rayman and Sonic
Salt and Pepa lyrics in the title? Yeah, you know this might be good...or similar to all of my other entries.
God I love the platforming genre, especially two dimensional ones. Nothing against 3D games or 3D platformers, but I've always felt the golden age of the genre is grounded in 2D. The old Mario games, and of course, Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic Generations is a mix of 2D and 3D and it works pretty well. Blending the old school gameplay and levels of the original Sonic games and the new school gameplay and levels of the more modern games like Sonic Adventure, Generations does a good job bridging the gap between the 2 worlds.
When Sonic: Generations is great, it's really great. Speeding through old levels as Sonic is a nice touch of nostalgia. Sure, the ol' Hedgehog doesn't quite handle the same as he used to, but he's still got some fire burning down below. They made the game more floaty which bugs me a little and when Sonic really gets moving, it doesn't feel as fast as it used to. Not sure if the Xbox can't handle the BLAST PROCESSING or what, but it feels a little tame.
When Sonic Generations is not great, it's not great. Trudging through some of the lamer modern levels is an exercise in frustration and boredom. I understand the point of the title (Generations) was to combine the history of Sonic in one game but you'd think they would skip some of the more uninspired levels in favor of more kickass older levels but I guess it doesn't work that way. It's a game with a pretty smooth downward curve from the beginning to the end. You can really tell when the developers just got lazy and the quality of the games started tapering off, It's a slow decent into bleh.
The two gameplay styles are vastly different. 2D side-scrolling levels are reminiscent of the old days of Sonic, jumping on enemies, revving up a Sonic ball, spinning through loops, smashing through walls looking for secrets, it's all there and still fun as hell. 3D Sonic, which isn't true open 3D, but Sonic on rails, is really fun at times and really frustrating at times. Trying to aim some of the jumps at high speed is a pain in the ass, and the level design is at times horrendous. When you are flying at full speed, smashing through enemies, the 3D stuff is great but when they add platforming and timed jumps into the mix, the 3D starts to feel bogged down and boring, more frustrating than fun.
In the end, Sonic is a solid C+ title. an A+ for parts and an F for others is nestles nicely into an average score. A definite play for Sonic fans like myself, but if you've never been a big supporter of the spiky blue speedster, then Sonic Generations isn't going to do anything to change your mind.
As the other big platformer title to come out this year, Rayman: Origins is pretty much in direct competition with Sonic: Generations for my heart. Rayman's been around a long time, but he's never been anywhere near as iconic as Sonic so it's a good thing the game with his namesake is ridiculously amazing, since he doesn't have that whole fame thing to fall back on.
Rayman: Origins is fantastic, let me say that first. It's the best platformer I've played in a long time and deserves all of the praise I'm going to heap on it in the next couple of paragraphs. Michel Ancel's little limbless hero has reached the peak of his skills here. It's a lovingly crafted masterpiece and everyone should play it.
The graphics are, first of all, phenomenal. Bright, crisp colors blended with a sharp design add up to visual bliss. The levels are all varied and represented (desert, fire, jungle, ice, etc...) but are presented in a unique way so it doesn't just feel like more of been there dont that. Character design is solid, nothing to write home about here, but it's very functional for the game. Rayman still doesn't have limbs, which was originally a result of system limitations, but has since become a part of his charm. The other characters are all cartoony and fun.
The music...oh the music. It's wonderful and whimsical and absolutely perfect and I could expound on it's virtues for an entire paragraph but I won't. Instead I'll just leave this here for you to listen to and fall in love with.
I can sit here and talk about graphics and music all day and it doesn't mean much if the gameplay is garbage. Fortunately, Rayman's gameplay is as amazing as it's aesthetics. The game controls smooth, the level design is aces, the difficulty is basic enough for most players to enjoy, but challenging enough for veterans to get their fill as well. There is a ton of stuff to collect and hidden rooms to find on every level. Bonus levels add a whole new level of difficulty, requiring precise timing and memorization to pass. It's just a fantastic overall package.
There's nothing left to say about Rayman: Origins at this point. It's an amazing game and everyone owes it to themselves to play it unless you are some sort of soulless harpy or other evil, mythical beast.
God I love the platforming genre, especially two dimensional ones. Nothing against 3D games or 3D platformers, but I've always felt the golden age of the genre is grounded in 2D. The old Mario games, and of course, Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic Generations is a mix of 2D and 3D and it works pretty well. Blending the old school gameplay and levels of the original Sonic games and the new school gameplay and levels of the more modern games like Sonic Adventure, Generations does a good job bridging the gap between the 2 worlds.
When Sonic: Generations is great, it's really great. Speeding through old levels as Sonic is a nice touch of nostalgia. Sure, the ol' Hedgehog doesn't quite handle the same as he used to, but he's still got some fire burning down below. They made the game more floaty which bugs me a little and when Sonic really gets moving, it doesn't feel as fast as it used to. Not sure if the Xbox can't handle the BLAST PROCESSING or what, but it feels a little tame.
When Sonic Generations is not great, it's not great. Trudging through some of the lamer modern levels is an exercise in frustration and boredom. I understand the point of the title (Generations) was to combine the history of Sonic in one game but you'd think they would skip some of the more uninspired levels in favor of more kickass older levels but I guess it doesn't work that way. It's a game with a pretty smooth downward curve from the beginning to the end. You can really tell when the developers just got lazy and the quality of the games started tapering off, It's a slow decent into bleh.
The two gameplay styles are vastly different. 2D side-scrolling levels are reminiscent of the old days of Sonic, jumping on enemies, revving up a Sonic ball, spinning through loops, smashing through walls looking for secrets, it's all there and still fun as hell. 3D Sonic, which isn't true open 3D, but Sonic on rails, is really fun at times and really frustrating at times. Trying to aim some of the jumps at high speed is a pain in the ass, and the level design is at times horrendous. When you are flying at full speed, smashing through enemies, the 3D stuff is great but when they add platforming and timed jumps into the mix, the 3D starts to feel bogged down and boring, more frustrating than fun.
In the end, Sonic is a solid C+ title. an A+ for parts and an F for others is nestles nicely into an average score. A definite play for Sonic fans like myself, but if you've never been a big supporter of the spiky blue speedster, then Sonic Generations isn't going to do anything to change your mind.
As the other big platformer title to come out this year, Rayman: Origins is pretty much in direct competition with Sonic: Generations for my heart. Rayman's been around a long time, but he's never been anywhere near as iconic as Sonic so it's a good thing the game with his namesake is ridiculously amazing, since he doesn't have that whole fame thing to fall back on.
Rayman: Origins is fantastic, let me say that first. It's the best platformer I've played in a long time and deserves all of the praise I'm going to heap on it in the next couple of paragraphs. Michel Ancel's little limbless hero has reached the peak of his skills here. It's a lovingly crafted masterpiece and everyone should play it.
The graphics are, first of all, phenomenal. Bright, crisp colors blended with a sharp design add up to visual bliss. The levels are all varied and represented (desert, fire, jungle, ice, etc...) but are presented in a unique way so it doesn't just feel like more of been there dont that. Character design is solid, nothing to write home about here, but it's very functional for the game. Rayman still doesn't have limbs, which was originally a result of system limitations, but has since become a part of his charm. The other characters are all cartoony and fun.
The music...oh the music. It's wonderful and whimsical and absolutely perfect and I could expound on it's virtues for an entire paragraph but I won't. Instead I'll just leave this here for you to listen to and fall in love with.
I can sit here and talk about graphics and music all day and it doesn't mean much if the gameplay is garbage. Fortunately, Rayman's gameplay is as amazing as it's aesthetics. The game controls smooth, the level design is aces, the difficulty is basic enough for most players to enjoy, but challenging enough for veterans to get their fill as well. There is a ton of stuff to collect and hidden rooms to find on every level. Bonus levels add a whole new level of difficulty, requiring precise timing and memorization to pass. It's just a fantastic overall package.
There's nothing left to say about Rayman: Origins at this point. It's an amazing game and everyone owes it to themselves to play it unless you are some sort of soulless harpy or other evil, mythical beast.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
El Shaddai: Ascension of the What the Hell?
I've been seriously slacking in my Game Beard duties (heh heh..duties) so I'm going to start pumping out entries for awhile. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of multiple updates every week!
There are a lot of games I've played recently without talking about...here is a list.
Skyrim
Sonic: Generations
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Rayman: Origins
X-Men: Destiny
Modern Warfare 3
Battlefield 3
...probably some others
Anyway, I will spend some time on all of those games in due time. For now though, I want to talk about the last game I finished, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron.
If the first thought that comes to your mind is "What?" don't feel too left out. It was a small release earlier in the year developed by a guy best known for Okami and Devil May Cry. I hadn't really read or heard much about it before Gamefly sent it my way, but I was pretty excited to play it.
My first thought upon playing it was "Holy crap, this game is HELLA Japanese!" Like everything from character design to style to gameplay just screams "JAPAN!" This isn't necessarily a bad thing as a lot of amazing games have been developed by very Japanese men and ladies. However, El Shaddai is definitely not one of them.
It's not a bad game at all. I would recommend anyone who is into the "Games as Art" movement to check it out post-haste. The design is simply beautiful, colors and shapes pop from the screen and every level is a completely different design from its predecessor. Navigating your character through this levels is where things get iffy. The basic fighting mechanic is developed around the concept of three different weapons. A bladed looking thing which is very offensive, a shield looking thing that is very defensive, and a ranged weapon. Enoch(the main character) can only hold one weapon at a time and must get them by stealing them from enemies. The problem this poses is pretty much every enemy fits into three categories based on the weapon they wield. Sure, they look different level to level, but they all fight the same. This isn't Devil May Cry either, there are no crazy combos and massive attacks. Enoch fights pretty boring and most of the combat comes down to button mashing. Sure, there are some guard breaks and such, but most of the time you don't need them. It's avoid attack, avoid attack, avoid attack over and over again.
The story...oh the story. It's interesting to say the least. The basic premise is that seven fallen angels have gone and made some tower and people are worshiping them and you need to bring them back to heaven or kill them or something, and there is a kid, and weird blob guys and darkness that can suck you in, and one of the fallen angels has dreads and dances and one of them is a chubby old lady and and and and I don't know. The story is just out there and convoluted and makes little sense. I basically gave up on it about halfway through because it was just not very interesting to follow. I'm not sure if it is because the story was poor or if it was just presented that way.
El Shaddai is a game of really interesting concepts that is presented in a very boring way. Somehow they manage to make a crazy futuristic motorcycle chase through a massive city boring and that takes effort. I have to commend the developer though for making a beautiful game. It really is a piece of art, and like most art, it is exciting to look at but it doesn't do much else for you. I can definitely recommend El Shaddai to anyone reading this that enjoys artistic games, but if you're looking for action then you need to look elsewhere.
There are a lot of games I've played recently without talking about...here is a list.
Skyrim
Sonic: Generations
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Rayman: Origins
X-Men: Destiny
Modern Warfare 3
Battlefield 3
...probably some others
Anyway, I will spend some time on all of those games in due time. For now though, I want to talk about the last game I finished, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron.
If the first thought that comes to your mind is "What?" don't feel too left out. It was a small release earlier in the year developed by a guy best known for Okami and Devil May Cry. I hadn't really read or heard much about it before Gamefly sent it my way, but I was pretty excited to play it.
My first thought upon playing it was "Holy crap, this game is HELLA Japanese!" Like everything from character design to style to gameplay just screams "JAPAN!" This isn't necessarily a bad thing as a lot of amazing games have been developed by very Japanese men and ladies. However, El Shaddai is definitely not one of them.
It's not a bad game at all. I would recommend anyone who is into the "Games as Art" movement to check it out post-haste. The design is simply beautiful, colors and shapes pop from the screen and every level is a completely different design from its predecessor. Navigating your character through this levels is where things get iffy. The basic fighting mechanic is developed around the concept of three different weapons. A bladed looking thing which is very offensive, a shield looking thing that is very defensive, and a ranged weapon. Enoch(the main character) can only hold one weapon at a time and must get them by stealing them from enemies. The problem this poses is pretty much every enemy fits into three categories based on the weapon they wield. Sure, they look different level to level, but they all fight the same. This isn't Devil May Cry either, there are no crazy combos and massive attacks. Enoch fights pretty boring and most of the combat comes down to button mashing. Sure, there are some guard breaks and such, but most of the time you don't need them. It's avoid attack, avoid attack, avoid attack over and over again.
The story...oh the story. It's interesting to say the least. The basic premise is that seven fallen angels have gone and made some tower and people are worshiping them and you need to bring them back to heaven or kill them or something, and there is a kid, and weird blob guys and darkness that can suck you in, and one of the fallen angels has dreads and dances and one of them is a chubby old lady and and and and I don't know. The story is just out there and convoluted and makes little sense. I basically gave up on it about halfway through because it was just not very interesting to follow. I'm not sure if it is because the story was poor or if it was just presented that way.
El Shaddai is a game of really interesting concepts that is presented in a very boring way. Somehow they manage to make a crazy futuristic motorcycle chase through a massive city boring and that takes effort. I have to commend the developer though for making a beautiful game. It really is a piece of art, and like most art, it is exciting to look at but it doesn't do much else for you. I can definitely recommend El Shaddai to anyone reading this that enjoys artistic games, but if you're looking for action then you need to look elsewhere.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
The First Annual Beardy Awards!!
That is right ladies and gentlemen, it is that time of year. Time to think about all of the great games that have come out this year and then assign awards to them. Why? Why the hell not?
Mark Hamill as the Joker is probably my favorite performance by any voice actor ever, whether it be game or movie. His portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime is absolutely perfect. The tone and inflection of his voice chills you to the bone and his laugh is timeless. Now obviously, if the rest of the voice acting was poor, Batman wouldn't have won. However, every voice actor in that game is of the utmost quality. You can tell the care was put forth to make Batman a game of the highest quality and it shows throughout every facet.
Another difficult decision between two games with very different comeback stories. One franchise had fallen so far from grace that they had to start back from the drawing board and completely re-imagine the franchise as a whole. The other franchise made a massive comeback by going back to what made it so great in the first place. In the end, the winner was the game that made the bigger overall comeback.
Within the first 20 minutes of playing this game I had a thought about it being the biggest comeback I've ever played. The Driver franchise was poop. Just stinky poop from a butt. Along with everyone else, I had written off the franchise and assumed it was dead. The last Driver game was so bad that I don't even remember it. It's like my brain closed off that section of memories to protect me from the horror contained within. Driver: SF completely reinvigorated the franchise, like a defibrillator to the chest of a heart attack victim, it brought it back from the dead. Taking away everything but the meat of the game was step one. The game is called Driver, not Walker, so let's just not ever have to walk. You play a cop in a coma who is dreaming and trying to wake up. In your dreams though, you have the ability to QUANTUM LEAP into anyone driving around the city. This leads to you helping out some Asians in over their head with street racing, get dying people to the hospital, or prevent bad guys from doing bad things. Being able to warp from car to car and send people smashing into bad guys is one of the most fun things I've done all year. Kudos to Driver: San Francisco...you used your necromancy to bring a dead franchise back to life.
Mortal Kombat almost won this category. It was a very close call. Mortal Kombat is a better game overall than Driver: SF but in the end it didn't win because it wasn't as big of a comeback. While the MK franchise had fallen off quite a bit, it never fell as far as Driver did. I love that Mortal Kombat became awesome again by undoing all of the crap and going back to what made the franchise awesome in the first place...fighting and gratuitous violence. They got rid of all of the fighting styles and weak crappy characters, and just made the game fun again. Then there are the fatalities..oh my, the fatalities. No other game this year made me as uncomfortable as MK did at times. Ripping people in half as Noob Saibot actually made me slightly queasy. Each character has multiple fatalities that are all brutal as hell, and the blood and gore and violence is what made Mortal Kombat great back in the day and it is no different now.
The awards are based on the games I've played so bear with me if something you love doesn't win. I may not have played it this year.
So, without further adieu...here are the awards. We'll start with some small ones and build up to the grand daddy of them all...GAME OF THE YEAR!
Best Voice Acting
This was a tough one...as games get closer and closer to movies, voice acting has become an integral part of the experience. Gone are the days when voice acting was a second thought and the quality was usually terrible. It used to be surprising when a game actually took the time to get some decent voice work in. Now though, games are becoming more and more cinematic, and with that comes some amazing voice work. I had to really spend a lot of time thinking about this one but in the end, there was one game that stood out above the rest and it was really the work of one man that gave the edge to this game over any other. That man...is Mark Hamill.
...and the winner is (I kind of gave it away there)
BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY
Mark Hamill as the Joker is probably my favorite performance by any voice actor ever, whether it be game or movie. His portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime is absolutely perfect. The tone and inflection of his voice chills you to the bone and his laugh is timeless. Now obviously, if the rest of the voice acting was poor, Batman wouldn't have won. However, every voice actor in that game is of the utmost quality. You can tell the care was put forth to make Batman a game of the highest quality and it shows throughout every facet.
...Runner Up
LA NOIRE
LA Noire is a game that easily could have won for best voice acting. I was really torn for awhile over whether or not to give it the nod over Batman. The scale of the voice acting is truly impressive considering the rather gigantic cast of characters. The biggest issue with LA Noire though is the sometimes spotty interaction between characters. Too many interrogations that jump from yelling and screaming back to calm relaxed chat back to yelling again. It was wonky and awkward and took away from the experience a bit.
...Honorable Mention
BASTION
Not every category will have an honorable mention but I felt like I had to say something about Bastion. When it came down to it, I never considered it for best acting only because it is all the work of one man, and the scope of the other games was much greater. If I were doing an award for best use of voice acting, then Bastion would win hands down. The narrator, with his deep gravelly voice, keeps you in the game. He weaves the tale set out before you. Rather then use cutscenes and flashy visuals to explain the history of Bastion, the narrator seamlessly crafts a story as you progress along.
Best Comeback Franchise
Another difficult decision between two games with very different comeback stories. One franchise had fallen so far from grace that they had to start back from the drawing board and completely re-imagine the franchise as a whole. The other franchise made a massive comeback by going back to what made it so great in the first place. In the end, the winner was the game that made the bigger overall comeback.
...and the winner is
DRIVER: SAN FRANCISCO
Within the first 20 minutes of playing this game I had a thought about it being the biggest comeback I've ever played. The Driver franchise was poop. Just stinky poop from a butt. Along with everyone else, I had written off the franchise and assumed it was dead. The last Driver game was so bad that I don't even remember it. It's like my brain closed off that section of memories to protect me from the horror contained within. Driver: SF completely reinvigorated the franchise, like a defibrillator to the chest of a heart attack victim, it brought it back from the dead. Taking away everything but the meat of the game was step one. The game is called Driver, not Walker, so let's just not ever have to walk. You play a cop in a coma who is dreaming and trying to wake up. In your dreams though, you have the ability to QUANTUM LEAP into anyone driving around the city. This leads to you helping out some Asians in over their head with street racing, get dying people to the hospital, or prevent bad guys from doing bad things. Being able to warp from car to car and send people smashing into bad guys is one of the most fun things I've done all year. Kudos to Driver: San Francisco...you used your necromancy to bring a dead franchise back to life.
...Runner Up
MORTAL KOMBAT
Mortal Kombat almost won this category. It was a very close call. Mortal Kombat is a better game overall than Driver: SF but in the end it didn't win because it wasn't as big of a comeback. While the MK franchise had fallen off quite a bit, it never fell as far as Driver did. I love that Mortal Kombat became awesome again by undoing all of the crap and going back to what made the franchise awesome in the first place...fighting and gratuitous violence. They got rid of all of the fighting styles and weak crappy characters, and just made the game fun again. Then there are the fatalities..oh my, the fatalities. No other game this year made me as uncomfortable as MK did at times. Ripping people in half as Noob Saibot actually made me slightly queasy. Each character has multiple fatalities that are all brutal as hell, and the blood and gore and violence is what made Mortal Kombat great back in the day and it is no different now.
(OK, I'm writing too much about each award and I'm never going to finish so I'm cutting the writing way down so this can be done and I can write about other things.)
BEST DOWNLOADABLE TITLE
A lot of really good downloadable titles this year but one really stood way above the rest.
and the winner is...
BASTION
Really head and shoulders above the rest of the games released this year, Bastion stands out due to it's excellent story telling and gameplay. An old school feel with a twist all being narrated by the smoothest voice you could ask for. A winning combination for sure.
Runner up
Outland
Quietly released with little to no fanfare, Outland is still the most gorgeous XBLA title I've played to date. The gameplay is a mix of sword fighting platforming and color changing bullet hell, and it seamlessly blends to make an excellent game. I think a lot of people missed this one and that is a shame.
QUICKY GENRE AWARDS
Best Fighting - Mortal Kombat
Honorable Mention - Marvel Vs. Capcom 3
Best RPG - Skyrim
Honorable Mention - Dragon Age 2
Best Sports - Fight Night: Champion
Honorable Mention - Madden 2012
Best Shooter - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Honorable Mention - Gears of War 3
Best Horror - Dead Space 2
Honorable Mention - Resident Evil 4 (XBLA Release)
Best Platforming - Rayman: Origins
Honorable Mention - Sonic: Generations
and now for the final award...GAME OF THE YEAR
When I decided to do these awards, game of the year was obviously my first though. A lot of games passed through my mind, but no matter what they all fell short when compared with the winner. In the end, it was never really close because one game just flew miles above every other in terms of overall quality. Nothing against the games that didn't win, there were some amazing games this year, but only one can be the 2011 BEARDY AWARD WINNER FOR GAME OF THE YEAR.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
I know, I know, nothing surprising here. Just about every publication named Skyrim game of the year. It is for good reason though. The quality and craftsmanship of Skyrim is above and beyond just about anything ever seen in a game before. Story, graphics, music, everything is top notch. The exploration in the game is nothing short of amazing with literally a million things to find. I've been playing on and off since day 1 and will probably not be done for another year. It's the kind of game that will be entertaining for a long time and in this day and age, that is a great accomplishment. Even if Skyrim represents a genre you are not interested in, you have to respect the sheer scope of the game. Hats off to you, Skyrim. Today you're a winner.
Honorable Mention: Batman: Arkham City
Definitely the second best game of the year, and really the only other game I considered giving the award to. In the end, Arkham City doesn't lose by anything it did wrong, it loses because the competition was too much. Any other year and Arkham City is a clear winner. Kudos to you, Batman!
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