Year In Review (Sort Of)

Here are my thoughts in no particular order on the various games I didn't review but played quite a bit of in 2009.

LittleBIGPlanet
This was my first game for the PS3, and it still continues to entertain. At first the lighthearted charm and catchy soundtrack were the main draw, but at some point it stops holding your hand, assumes you're a pro and dumps you into a world of hurt. I never got too put-off by the challenges to the point of walking away (see Dead Space below) but it does have its share of controller-throwing moments.

Best thing about LBP is that new content is always coming. Aside from user-created stuff (which can range from "pretty clever" to "what a severe waste of time/life") Media Molecule throws down some great themed add-ons. The newly released Pirates of the Carribean pack offers up a few new professionally created levels and four costumes. I'm somewhat of a pirate fan (though not exactly a PotC freak) so I was glad to see the new pack just for the addition of water. You can't make a decent pirate themed level without the sea. It just doesn't happen. I also loved the Metal Gear Solid add-on for the costumes and the Paintinator™. This brought "guns" to LBP in the only fashion that seemed appropriate - paint guns.

For all that I like about LBP there are a few things I don't. Occasionally unstable controls make some of the later platforming stages a pain in the ass. Nothing frustrates me more than losing because the controls don't respond or respond poorly. Jumping is the main culprit, with your distance determined by the amount of pressure you put on the X button. I also disliked certain game mechanics and found that whenever I came across one that irritated me, the devs made sure to beat me over the head with it. There's a section in the Islands where you jump up and hold on to a horizontally rotating platform, jump on top of it then up to the next rotating platform before it throws you off. This would be OK if it were just, say two or three in a row. There's about 10, and by the time I fall off of number seven for the 300th time I'm about ready to chuck the controller through the TV. (I managed to get past it, but now I'm stuck in The Bunker and the Wheel of Death).

Another thing that irks me, though only just a tad, is the insistance of multiplayer. Yeah, I know - it's a core aspect of LBP, but I shouldn't be strongarmed into it for the sake of completion. Some costume pieces, stickers or level building parts are only available if you attempt to tolerate certain levels with other, real people. It's annoying because unless you have three friends with the game, finding reliable people who know what the hell they are doing and won't waste your fucking time is nearly IMPOSSIBLE.

I haven't managed to make a decent level at all, mostly because I'm impatient. I started one and it was going great until I tried to playtest it and found pistons that were supposed to just move spikes or doors around were causing earthquakes amongst the sections I *thought* were welded to the floor. It made a huge jumbled mess that discouraged me from going further and I haven't really looked back since.


Overall, a great game despite my hangups.

Dead Space
Much like the protagonist Issac's visor, the reviews for this survival horror game glow brightly. Yet, even though game journalists and players alike loved it, they tried to shoehorn it into a "Resident Evil In Space" dismissive category. It rose to that challenge as a decent game that not only mirrors the RE series, but in some ways (for me) blows it out of the sky.

Long story short, you're Issac Clarke (yeah, clever - right?), an engineer sent out to repair mining vessel Ishimura out in the middle of nowhere. As your ship approaches, your crew notices the Ishimura is floating, dead in space - No lights, no comm signal, nothing. Landing on the Ishimura damages your shuttle (of course!) stranding you there. the ship seems vacant, and when you try to make contact with the crew, some of your team (two Star Trek-esque "red shirt" guys) get massacred by some mutant creature. One attacks you, too, forcing you into an elevator to get away. From this point on you're a solo act, fixing damaged systems and finding keys to unlock vital areas in an attempt to figure out WTF is going on. Yeah, OK, the story's far more complex than I can summarize, but it's great.

I'm not a huge fan of horror, or survival horror, but this game is worth playing. The story is really, really good. It pulls you in with not only scripted events, but in Bioshock fashion with audio and text diaries left all over the ship. One series of these leads you to believe you are only a handful of steps behind a pair of survivors trying to escape. You eventually find them... and I won't give away too much but you find you were correct in assuming that. In the end, the story is what brings me back again and again.

I'm currently on my 3rd play-through of the game. The first one was Dec 2008 thru Feb 2009, with a huge month and a half gap for when I got really pissed at an Asteroid Defense System section. You had to manually destroy asteroids while an AI character tried to get the automated systems online. I tried that thing about 100 times in December 2008 before I gave up and walked away. I didn't pick it up again for nearly 2 months, at which time I got through it on one try. This was where I also got all the collection trophies (all guns, audio/text diaries) and the elusive "Peng" trophy.

My second play-through was strictly for the "One Gun" trophy. Go through the whole game using only the first weapon you find - the Plasma Cutter. The benefit to doing this on your SECOND play through is that you can load up the Cleared Game data and have access to your completely upgraded Plasma Cutter AND the best armor you can obtain without using real money (you can purchase add-ons that give out in-game benefits on PSN). This challenge was great, mostly because I felt like it was the most realistic way to go through the game. Yeah, other weapons are cool, but using JUST the PC gave a gritty, raw factor to it.

This third play through is to get all the "kill 30 enemies with [WEAPON]" trophies and other odd ones I hadn't tried. I think this is the only game where I have about 90% of all the trophies, and they aren't all easy to get. Killing a dozen enemies by pushing them into damaged gravity panels SOUNDS easy enough until you are trying to get the trophy.

Left 4 Dead 2
For the majority of my thoughts, see Left 4 Dead. This game is nearly identical for about 70% of it.

The new infected are interesting and force you to rethink strategy at times. The Spitter is similar in mechanics to the Boomer, but can puke acid at great distances. The Jockey jumps on you, but, unlike the Hunter, it drives you toward a horde to get you killed. The Charger is like a light Tank, easier to defeat but hits hard when it does. All the other Specials are back - Boomer, Hunter, Smoker, Witch and Tank, though now the Witch isn't always sitting around. She's mobile, crying her eyes out and slightly more touchy than before.

Things that REALLY make L4D2 unique are environment-based. New Uncommon Infected, like haz-mat suit wearing CEDA agents who are fireproof. A series of levels where a Gulf-area hurricane is a main crescendo is among my favorites. It starts off with a light rain shortly into the first segment, which becomes heavier as you work toward the mid-point. The third leg is peppered with high-wind laced downpours where you literally cannot see anything past five feet away. Oh, and zombies are attacking you. Including the Specials.

Melee weapons were introduced here too, and range from semi-common items like a fixe axe or crowbar to the katana (or "ninja sword" as a few survivors call it) and outrageously utilized electric guitar. These things take the place of your pistol if you prefer, and most are one-shot kills to regular infected and only a few swipes to most specials. The katana is a favorite for the speed and killing power (though according to a websites research the damage is the same for most melee weapons), and I like the chainsaw but wish you could refuel it. Gas cans are found all over the place, so why not?

Dungeons and Dragons Online
This MMO went free-to-play about midyear, and was a nice switch from LOTRO only because I could play it with my usual crew. My main gripes with DDO are the world (Ebberon) and the levelling structure. For some reason there are "degrees" of a level, and that's very confusing. The game looks great, especially given that it was a precursor to LOTRO. It shares a lot in common with the latter, though, in my opinion, not enough. If I had paid to play it, I might care.

As a free game that lets me play D&D with friends without travelling, it's decent. The magic animations are good. The combat is a bit repetative, but that happens when you're unable to earn XP from creative thinking. I don't think there's any D&D based game out there that has various solutions to quests to the point of offering a non-violent path. I'm not saying I'm opposed to hack-n-slash; I just appreciate a good riddle every now and then.

This is not to say that the game is ALL H/S... There are a few moments where your ability scores come into play. These are rather mundane "You need INT/STR "X" or higher" situations. Once you come across them, all you need to do is restart that mission and bring along the appropriate friends. To this end, the three guys I play DDO with each have two characters and we switch out depending on what is needed.

Is it a fun D&D-like game? Yes. Will it replace actual D&D? Not by a longshot, but since my party is scattered throughout the USA it will have to suffice.