Things have been slow on the gaming front insofar as new ones (except for Left 4 Dead 2, which I'll review in the next week) but there's one aspect to both online and console gaming that is both a blessing and a curse: Downloadable Content. Downloadable content, or DLC, is usually aspects that one can obtain for free or a small fee to add to the experience of the game. In some cases it contributes significant benefits, while in others it's purely cosmetic.
To that end, you'd think this content would be universally praised because of what it can add to any given game, but such is not the case. Wheter it's ridiculous pricing for miniscule garbage or system exclusive crap, something spurs serious hatred for most DLC in gamers. Here are some cases to ponder:
The Beatles: Rock Band originally featured 45 songs, drawing a few from every album they've ever made (and a few singles). The first DLC available "filled in" the songs from Abbey Road, allowing you to play through the whole album. Cool, right? Ah, but there was hatred. You see, they also included a bonus "Abbey Road Medly" track that runs from "You Never Give Me Your Money" to "Her Majesty" without interruption. Still cool, right? Here's the hatred. That Medley wasn't available outside the package deal of "Whole Album" and most people wanted to use their pre-order free song voucher for it. Instead they had to buy the whole album at $17. Aside from that Wii users had to pay for every track individually.
Among the freebie DLC gripes:
Batman: Arkham Asylum's challenge maps are repetative. The PS3 exclusive bonus of playing as the Joker (for Challenge Maps) is ok, but only worth really doing if you're just bored with being Batman.
Tomb Raider underworld on XBOX gets bonus costumes as DLC. PS3 doesn't. So, as much as I want Lara to wear the yellow and black Body Glove brand diving suit, I have to settle for the generic grey and blue one. No big deal for me, but I can see where this would just be annoying.
This segues into the next topic: Exclusive Content. This practice is just plan bullshit. I can see exclusive games on certain consoles (Halo on XBOX, God of War on PS3) but to limit ANY content for a multi-system game to just one system is retarded. Preorder content is equally as stupid. I'm going to start off with one of the most obnoxious preorder bullshit fiascos I can think of from recent memory: LittleBIGPlanet.
If you pre-ordered LBP from EB, you got a certain costume for free. Best Buy, a different one. These were based on PS3 franchises, so it's not even like it was "store logo t-shirt" useless. These were outfits based on God of War & Heavenly Sword, which are both insanely popular (well HS has waned significantly but you get the point). People wanted them. Other people (workers from the stores?) seemed to have a high number of the preorder codes on eBay. Desperate schlubs doled out anywhere from $1 to $50 for a VIRTUAL COSTUME (I paid $1 for each, btw). You know what happened about 3 months later? Media Molecule decided to release those Preorder DLC freebies as purchases in the PSN Store. So, all those idiots who shelled out more than $3 for the Nariko from Heavenly Sword outfit can stare at the PSN Store where they sell it happily for $2.99 ($5.99 for the entire set of 2 costumes and virtual stickers for use in level building) and punch themselves in the... wallet. Yeah, much can be said for people's impatience, but at the same time something can be said about bad PR tactics. If they intended on these items to become DLC, why not mention that somewhere as part of the pre-order.
I'm thinking something like "Get this costume NOW!* (*Costume to be released as DLC in MONTH/YEAR). Then you'd have a whole lot less scalping of the preorder codes, not to mention more praise for the cool factor.
More exclusive content crap that irks me is in the form of system-based exclusivity for multi-platform games. Shining example: The Beatles: Rock Band "All You Need Is Love" track, available for XBOX360 since 9/9/09 with procedes to benefit Doctors Without Borders. Huh? You're donating to a CAUSE with the sales and you're going to limit it to 1/3 of the people?
Stupid.
I could rant on and on about this stuff - Gigawatt Blades in inFAMOUS (PS3 PO from Gamestop), special baseball bat in L4D2 (PO for XBOX), Lord of the Rings Online's stuff like Siege of Mirkwood (Special Cloak Goat and other crap for PO)...
Thing is, DLC - whether free or a low fee - is great in most respects. Some items are totally worth every penny (Metal Gear Solid expansion pack for LBP was awesome). Some items aren't worth their weight in saffron (nearly every single character in PAIN).
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Keeping Busy
The following is a list of PS3 games I own. The [*] next to the name means I got it for Christmas in 2008, whether as a gift or purchased myself with gift cards.
As you can see, I got a lot of "long adventure" type games that season, most of which I've never even opened. This is good, since The Beatles: Rock Band has destroyed my gaming budget. At least I have a handful of 5-star games to fall back on!
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Status: Beat it on Medium, going thru Challenge Missions.
The Beatles: Rock Band
Status: Beat it on Easy Guitar, going thru Expert Drums now.
BioShock [*]
Status: Beat it on Med. Saw "Good" ending. Nearly 100% complete (all audio diaries, etc.).
Dead Space [*]
Status: Beat it on Medium. About 40% of trophies. Will play again this winter. Needs the dead of winter atmosphere to capture the mood.
Far Cry 2 [*]
Status: Never put the disc in the PS3.
Fracture
Status: Never put the disc in the PS3.
Ghostbusters
Status: Beat it on Easy. Hey -- I wanted to enjoy the story first. I've started it on Medium but I'm not too far in.
Grand Theft Auto IV [*]
Status: 35% complete.
Heavenly Sword [*]
Status: About 50% complete. Stuck on defending a guy on a bridge.
inFAMOUS
Status: Beat it twice. Saw "good" and "evil" endings. Still going for 100% completion.
LittleBigPlanet
Status: Near the end of the normal levels, but no where near 100% complete.
Lord of the Rings: Conquest
Status: Played it twice. Might pick it up again this fall/winter.
Metal Gear Solid 4 [*]
Status: Never put the disc in the PS3.
Resistance: Fall Of Man [*]
Status: Beat it once. Not sure how complete I am.
Resistance 2 [*]
Status: Started playing it... kind of forgot about it.
SOCOM: US Navy Seals Confrontation
Status: Never put the disc in the PS3. Bought this for the headset, which I've never used.
Soul Calibur IV
Status: Spent countless hours unlocking all kinds of crap. Not anywhere near having it all. Beat ARCADE mode with about 2/3 of the characters. Got all unlockable characters. Bought Yoda.
Street Fighter IV
Status: Played it twice. I'm not a fan. Good thing it was $30.
Tomb Raider: Underworld [*]
Status: Never put the disc in the PS3.
Virtua Fighter 5
Status: Played it once. It sucks. Good thing it was $5.
Watchmen: The End Is Nigh
Status: Played the hell out of the demo. Played the actual game twice. Didn't get far, but liked it. Probably play it again soon.
As you can see, I got a lot of "long adventure" type games that season, most of which I've never even opened. This is good, since The Beatles: Rock Band has destroyed my gaming budget. At least I have a handful of 5-star games to fall back on!
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Status: Beat it on Medium, going thru Challenge Missions.
The Beatles: Rock Band
Status: Beat it on Easy Guitar, going thru Expert Drums now.
BioShock [*]
Status: Beat it on Med. Saw "Good" ending. Nearly 100% complete (all audio diaries, etc.).
Dead Space [*]
Status: Beat it on Medium. About 40% of trophies. Will play again this winter. Needs the dead of winter atmosphere to capture the mood.
Far Cry 2 [*]
Status: Never put the disc in the PS3.
Fracture
Status: Never put the disc in the PS3.
Ghostbusters
Status: Beat it on Easy. Hey -- I wanted to enjoy the story first. I've started it on Medium but I'm not too far in.
Grand Theft Auto IV [*]
Status: 35% complete.
Heavenly Sword [*]
Status: About 50% complete. Stuck on defending a guy on a bridge.
inFAMOUS
Status: Beat it twice. Saw "good" and "evil" endings. Still going for 100% completion.
LittleBigPlanet
Status: Near the end of the normal levels, but no where near 100% complete.
Lord of the Rings: Conquest
Status: Played it twice. Might pick it up again this fall/winter.
Metal Gear Solid 4 [*]
Status: Never put the disc in the PS3.
Resistance: Fall Of Man [*]
Status: Beat it once. Not sure how complete I am.
Resistance 2 [*]
Status: Started playing it... kind of forgot about it.
SOCOM: US Navy Seals Confrontation
Status: Never put the disc in the PS3. Bought this for the headset, which I've never used.
Soul Calibur IV
Status: Spent countless hours unlocking all kinds of crap. Not anywhere near having it all. Beat ARCADE mode with about 2/3 of the characters. Got all unlockable characters. Bought Yoda.
Street Fighter IV
Status: Played it twice. I'm not a fan. Good thing it was $30.
Tomb Raider: Underworld [*]
Status: Never put the disc in the PS3.
Virtua Fighter 5
Status: Played it once. It sucks. Good thing it was $5.
Watchmen: The End Is Nigh
Status: Played the hell out of the demo. Played the actual game twice. Didn't get far, but liked it. Probably play it again soon.
Grand Theft Auto IV (35% Complete)
Grand Theft Auto IV (35%)
PUBLISHER: Rockstar
DEVELOPER: Rockstar
Played on: PS3
Initial impression: Happiness is a Warm Gun, and a hot car.
Liked:
- Story (so far)
- Environment
- Mini-games
Disliked:
- Mission distances
- Friend/girlfriend maintenance
- Chase/Race missions
On The Fence:
- Combat system
- Driving skill curve
Niko Bellic is an off-the-boat Serbian immigrant to Liberty City, lured there by the tall tales of his cousin, Roman. As it turns out, of course, Roman was a big, fat liar. Instead of being a mega rich businessman with throngs of ladies at his feet an money flowing out all over, he's a low income taxi service owner with a somewhat steady girlfriend and a gambling addiction that has put him in such debt that the mob is threatening him. Ah, America...
You help get the mob off his back, but at a price. Roman introduces you to some acquaintances who in turn become your friends or employers. There is also someone you're looking for in Liberty - someone who was in your unit in the army. Someone who has answers to questions...
The story, whether it's the main plot or a friend's side plot, is very captivating. You'll have the urge to complete as many missions in a row as you can to keep it going, though at times you cannot. Each section of the tale is rich in emotion, with the dialog coming off as believable and sincere (as opposed to melodramatic, which is nearly anything from Roman). Each character is steeped in their own issues which present themselves in realistic fashion, with each person having their own accents to boot. Most characters are using you for your talents, whether that is stealing cars or killing rivals, though a scant few are genuinely above being mere plot point providers and that makes up for being a stooge.
The environment of Liberty City is large (though San Andreas felt much larger) and is a parody of a few New York City boroughs and part of New Jersey. It's definitely an 'active' place during most of the in-game day and into the night. Crowds and traffic seem to disperse sometime around 2 AM until about 9 AM. I bring that up because part of this game is about stealing cars, which is tough to do when none are around.
A big change from the last GTA is that you no longer have to eat to stay alive (you won't get hungry) nor do you need to watch your weight/physique (you never change). While that's cool, I kind of miss it because it helped kill a lot of downtime.
The mini-games are great, and could pass as a collection of games themselves. Bowling, darts, pool and some arcade games are a lot of fun. They are especially useful when you need to kill some time in-game. 1 second real-time is 1 minute in-game, and if you have a few hours to waste, a game of darts or pool will easily take a good chunk of that.
Among the things I can't stand in this game so far are the mission distances, the race or chase type of missions, and, even though I like the mini-games, the friend maintenance.
Distances and part of maintenance are the same gripe. You're given a task to do, and the destination is quite literally clear across town -- the direct opposite of where you currently are. If you're in the extreme North West, it's in the extreme south east, etc. Friends/girlfriends do this too. They wait until you're about as far away from them as possible, then call you up and want to hang out. Saying 'no' gives you a negative strike against your friendship. One good way out of that is to say yes, then call back and cancel. You lose nothing (though I hate blowing off Little Jacob. He's your only true friend.).
I know all about the silly "hot coffee" sex scandal from San Andreas, and found it hilarious that there's an achievement unlocked when the girl invites you into her apartment for the first time called "Warm Coffee". This eludes not only to the previous scandal, but how amazingly tame these scenes are. The screen tilts and shakes as it pans along the landscape outside her house, while some audio signifying her enjoyment fires off a few times. It's pretty funny.
Race and/or chase missions piss me off. I hate racing games to begin with (sorry Gran Turismo, you suck), and now this game's forcing me to play one to advance the plot. Yeah, yeah, I know - it's Grand Theft _AUTO_ ... I'm all for stealing cars and outrunning the cops, I just don't want to chase random scumbags through a city I don't know as well as they do so I can gun them down, nor do I want to engage in a street race whose path makes no sense.
The combat system has some serious issues in that an aimed gun tends to lock on to the wrong enemy for me from time to time. This has always resulted in death (for me, not the enemy). The cover system is decent, though unless you stick with the game you'll lose the edge needed to pull off some of the difficult missions. I put the game down for roughly 6 months before going back, and I got wrecked because my familiarity with the combat had seriously declined.
The driving skill curve is not at all like the last GTA I played. In San Andreas, you sucked at driving at first. The more you drove, the better you got. The turns became easier. The cars handled better. In GTA 4, this difficulty is reflected in the car itself. A luxury car doesn't handle the same as a two-seater sports car. A fat American-made motorcycle is sluggish compared to the import style crotch rockets. All that said you never get "better" at driving these unless you actually drive them. There's no universal handling skill that improves - it's all up to you. That said those 70's muscle cars handle like shit. They skid out of control at the slightest twitch of the wheel and fishtail even on dry pavement.
There's one last thing to note that's a like and a gripe all in one - the environmental media, music and TV. The in-game car radio stations are cool but at the same time horrible, and I find myself listening mostly to the same two stations. Sad thing is that there are only about 6 songs per station, so unless you REALLY like those few songs you're going to hate the radio. The same thing goes for the TV. There are only about 8 shows on 5 stations, and the commercials are exactly the same for both radio and TV. Now, I am aware these things are just background noise and that they don't even need to be there, but it's annoying to hear the same few things over and over. I've turned the in-game radio volume level down to about 25%.
So far I give it 8/10, but if you've never played ANY GTA before, go find GTA: San Andreas. It's a better 'first' experience, even with all the personal maintenance you have to endure.
PUBLISHER: Rockstar
DEVELOPER: Rockstar
Played on: PS3
Initial impression: Happiness is a Warm Gun, and a hot car.
Liked:
- Story (so far)
- Environment
- Mini-games
Disliked:
- Mission distances
- Friend/girlfriend maintenance
- Chase/Race missions
On The Fence:
- Combat system
- Driving skill curve
Niko Bellic is an off-the-boat Serbian immigrant to Liberty City, lured there by the tall tales of his cousin, Roman. As it turns out, of course, Roman was a big, fat liar. Instead of being a mega rich businessman with throngs of ladies at his feet an money flowing out all over, he's a low income taxi service owner with a somewhat steady girlfriend and a gambling addiction that has put him in such debt that the mob is threatening him. Ah, America...
You help get the mob off his back, but at a price. Roman introduces you to some acquaintances who in turn become your friends or employers. There is also someone you're looking for in Liberty - someone who was in your unit in the army. Someone who has answers to questions...
The story, whether it's the main plot or a friend's side plot, is very captivating. You'll have the urge to complete as many missions in a row as you can to keep it going, though at times you cannot. Each section of the tale is rich in emotion, with the dialog coming off as believable and sincere (as opposed to melodramatic, which is nearly anything from Roman). Each character is steeped in their own issues which present themselves in realistic fashion, with each person having their own accents to boot. Most characters are using you for your talents, whether that is stealing cars or killing rivals, though a scant few are genuinely above being mere plot point providers and that makes up for being a stooge.
The environment of Liberty City is large (though San Andreas felt much larger) and is a parody of a few New York City boroughs and part of New Jersey. It's definitely an 'active' place during most of the in-game day and into the night. Crowds and traffic seem to disperse sometime around 2 AM until about 9 AM. I bring that up because part of this game is about stealing cars, which is tough to do when none are around.
A big change from the last GTA is that you no longer have to eat to stay alive (you won't get hungry) nor do you need to watch your weight/physique (you never change). While that's cool, I kind of miss it because it helped kill a lot of downtime.
The mini-games are great, and could pass as a collection of games themselves. Bowling, darts, pool and some arcade games are a lot of fun. They are especially useful when you need to kill some time in-game. 1 second real-time is 1 minute in-game, and if you have a few hours to waste, a game of darts or pool will easily take a good chunk of that.
Among the things I can't stand in this game so far are the mission distances, the race or chase type of missions, and, even though I like the mini-games, the friend maintenance.
Distances and part of maintenance are the same gripe. You're given a task to do, and the destination is quite literally clear across town -- the direct opposite of where you currently are. If you're in the extreme North West, it's in the extreme south east, etc. Friends/girlfriends do this too. They wait until you're about as far away from them as possible, then call you up and want to hang out. Saying 'no' gives you a negative strike against your friendship. One good way out of that is to say yes, then call back and cancel. You lose nothing (though I hate blowing off Little Jacob. He's your only true friend.).
I know all about the silly "hot coffee" sex scandal from San Andreas, and found it hilarious that there's an achievement unlocked when the girl invites you into her apartment for the first time called "Warm Coffee". This eludes not only to the previous scandal, but how amazingly tame these scenes are. The screen tilts and shakes as it pans along the landscape outside her house, while some audio signifying her enjoyment fires off a few times. It's pretty funny.
Race and/or chase missions piss me off. I hate racing games to begin with (sorry Gran Turismo, you suck), and now this game's forcing me to play one to advance the plot. Yeah, yeah, I know - it's Grand Theft _AUTO_ ... I'm all for stealing cars and outrunning the cops, I just don't want to chase random scumbags through a city I don't know as well as they do so I can gun them down, nor do I want to engage in a street race whose path makes no sense.
The combat system has some serious issues in that an aimed gun tends to lock on to the wrong enemy for me from time to time. This has always resulted in death (for me, not the enemy). The cover system is decent, though unless you stick with the game you'll lose the edge needed to pull off some of the difficult missions. I put the game down for roughly 6 months before going back, and I got wrecked because my familiarity with the combat had seriously declined.
The driving skill curve is not at all like the last GTA I played. In San Andreas, you sucked at driving at first. The more you drove, the better you got. The turns became easier. The cars handled better. In GTA 4, this difficulty is reflected in the car itself. A luxury car doesn't handle the same as a two-seater sports car. A fat American-made motorcycle is sluggish compared to the import style crotch rockets. All that said you never get "better" at driving these unless you actually drive them. There's no universal handling skill that improves - it's all up to you. That said those 70's muscle cars handle like shit. They skid out of control at the slightest twitch of the wheel and fishtail even on dry pavement.
There's one last thing to note that's a like and a gripe all in one - the environmental media, music and TV. The in-game car radio stations are cool but at the same time horrible, and I find myself listening mostly to the same two stations. Sad thing is that there are only about 6 songs per station, so unless you REALLY like those few songs you're going to hate the radio. The same thing goes for the TV. There are only about 8 shows on 5 stations, and the commercials are exactly the same for both radio and TV. Now, I am aware these things are just background noise and that they don't even need to be there, but it's annoying to hear the same few things over and over. I've turned the in-game radio volume level down to about 25%.
So far I give it 8/10, but if you've never played ANY GTA before, go find GTA: San Andreas. It's a better 'first' experience, even with all the personal maintenance you have to endure.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham AsylumPUBLISHER: Eidos Interactive/Warner Bros.
DEVELOPER: Rocksteady Studios
Played on: PS3
Initial impression: A superhero game finally worth playing.
Liked:
- Combat
- Environment
- Riddler's Puzzles
Disliked:
- Some Boss Fights
- Length
On The Fence:
- Challenge Modes
- Replay Value
The Batmobile races through the streets of Gotham as a radio blares a news report about the Joker being captured. Leaves fly around, and we see the caped crusader behind the wheel. The Clown Prince of Crime sits bound in the back seat, taunting Batman as they rocket to Arkham Asylum. Once inside the two become separated. Batman is asked to remain outside the processing corridor so as not to disturb the inmates. Joker stumbles, falls, and breaks free. With the help of Harley Quinn he takes over the institution and lets everyone out. It's up to Batman to regain control.
This is where you start, and really it's about all they really tell you from the beginning. It's in your hands to explore the massive complex of buildings and expose not only the Joker's plans but how he managed to set them into motion by duping others. Using a rather ingenious Detective Mode you can more easily spot clues to help you through (some clues you can't find any other way), while just reading or listening to them will also fill in the gaps.
The environment of Arkham is that of a Victorian era mansion for one building, a same-era medical institution for another, then the super sophisticated modern prison for the rest. Some places have seen better days and are in utter decay, while others just look beat up from the escaped inmates. It looks really nice and rich with detail - right down to common things like a cork board with various items pinned to it (that you can actually read).
The combat is simplistic button mashing but varied enough to not be dumb, and you get a bonus for being able to seamlessly link attacks from one enemy to the other. Batarangs are utilized for distance stunning, while explosive gel can be used to set a trap. You can also use stealth tactics - sneak up behind inmates, glide down from the rafters and kick them or hang upside down from a gargoyle and string them up by their feet.
Some point in the game you start receiving radio transmissions from The Riddler, who informs you he's hidden a number of challenges on the island (240 to be exact). If you're truly a master detective you'll find them all. I live his dialog as you discover more and more, especially at the end.
Dislikes
My negatives are as follows: Some boss fights suck. Suck to the point of making me want to throw the controller out the window. Worst part is the final battle is the easiest fight the game.
***START SPOILER ALERT***
Fighting Bane is a pain in the ass, and sets you up with a mechanic for taking out some future bosses, but their terminology in the hint (when you fail) blows. You see, they claim "hit Bane with a batarang while he charges" - now I thought it meant those times he sits still, flexes his muscles and the tubes on him start glowing green. See? He's charging his powers! No -- they meant "running at you" a.k.a. charging, like a bull. Took me about 5 tries to figure that out. I'd say that was the only occurrence but there are other boss fights that are equally as frustrating because of shoddy advice.
***END SPOILER ALERT***
The length of the game is ratty too. I've made a comment to this extent on various gaming sites, but it just seems like $60 is way too much to spend for 10 hours of gameplay. See Ghostbusters: The Video Game for a similar complaint.
On The Fence
The challenge modes are interesting but the scoring is dubious, and the ability to play as the Joker isn't all too great. He's kind of a pain in the ass to control/figure out and since he doesn't have the gear that Batman has he's kind of annoying.
The replay value to me is all about trophies. Yep, the game was fun. Finding the Riddler's various crap items was cool but I'm not sure I'll be firing up Arkham for a replay anytime soon ASIDE from the challenge modes and maybe to try to gain a trophy here or there for things I didn't do the first time through.
Final Verdict: 8/10
The Beatles: Rock Band
The Beatles: Rock Band
PUBLISHER: MTV Games
DEVELOPER: Harmonix
Played on: PS3
Initial impression: Awesome Rhythm Game Finally Made
Liked:
- Songs
- Dreamscapes
Disliked:
- Length of game
- Mash Up Tomorrow Never Knows/Within You Without You
- Hardware issue
On The Fence:
- Pre-order Free DLC
Twist And Shout
What can I really say? It's The Beatles, Rock Band style. Unless you've been living under a rock your whole life, you know who the Beatles are and you know what Rock Band is. This game takes you through their relatively short career from playing gigs to a few dozen people to founding the plans for 'arena rock' to fleshing out the idea of a concept album. You play as the Beatle who played the specific instrument (with notable exception to guitar - lead and rhythm are combined). You cannot create your own character, which some people have pissed and moaned about, but they need to shut it.
Being a huge Beatles fan (the first record I ever purchased with my own money was "Revolver" and my first ever CD was "A Hard Day's Night") I was rather pleased with the selection of songs, though that hinges mostly on the knowledge that more will come out as downloadable content. I probably would have skipped "Boys" but I saw what they were doing - giving each member a song to sing in each era's set list.
For the first half of their careers they were touring. Cavern Club, Shea Stadium and the Budokan are represented rather nicely with actual crowd noise from their real performances at each venue (and in surround sound to boot). Later studio works are shown with the band starting off playing in EMI's Abbey Road Studio #2 but then fade (or at times rather shockingly flash) to modes the developers call "dreamscapes" - fantasy-like representations of the songs they are performing. "Yellow Submarine" and "Octopus's Garden" are both underwater sea-scapes, for example.
The only set of studio era tunes that are not dreamscaped is the final set, which recreates the infamous Abbey Road Rooftop Concert, right down to the appearance of the police at some point.
Yer Blues
The only negatives I can really bring up are the length of the game, a specific track mash up and my personal hardware problem. The game has 45 songs out of a catalog of nearly 250 from the band. Given that their early tunes (From Please Please Me up to the Sgt Pepper album) were, at most, 3 minutes long, that gives you about 2 1/4 hours of playtime - I'll be generous and say 2 1/2 since I know a couple songs are longer. If not fascinated by all the extras as I unlocked them, I could have EASILY knocked this out in one sitting.
The "Tomorrow Never Knows/Within You Without You" has one huge problem with it -- the length. The song is like 1 to 1 1/2 minutes long. Neither song appears independent from the mash up. Frankly I would have loved them being seperate tracks, but I understand. Don't get me wrong though -- I love the sound of those two songs mixed together. I just want more of it.
My drum set will not connect to the PS3. I messed around with it for about an hour and couldn't figure it out. At first I noticed I had the wrong dongle plugged in, so I shut everything down and restarted. No luck. I looked online to see at least I wasn't the ONLY one... I'll have to work on it again. I'm kind of pissed I couldn't get it to work because I finally reserved myself to give it a go. I've played drums in RB before - and I used to be a drummer in a band 15 years ago - so I'm no stranger to how to play. It's the lack of a connection that perplexes and ultimately angers me.
Hello Goodbye
My only on the fence point is the Free DLC for preordering. Yes, it's three free tracks but you can't download them until they come out. "Abbey Road" tracks come out Oct 20th, while "Sgt Pepper" tracks come out in November sometime. "Rubber Soul" comes out in December but you can't choose any tracks from that as part of the preorder freebies. My two biggest problems with this flawed concept are this:
1 - I'm going to order the WHOLE ALBUM for all three when they come out. It's cheaper and I love all the songs anyway. Giving me a few for free SUCKS.
2 - When you get a FREE DOWNLOAD, they should be available IMMEDIATELY.
They should have made it the full versions of "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Within You, Without You" and also throw in "All You Need Is Love" -- that third one being DLC for XBOX 360 owners (proceeds to benefit Doctors Without Borders - which is another beef of mine. If you're selling a song as DLC for charity, why limit it to JUST the 360?)
The End
Content aside, overall this is the best rhythm game I've ever played. It shows that a lot of thought and effort went into getting this made, and I appreciate every last detail. I've been playing it a few hours a day nearly every day since it came out. I love it so much I'm even challenging myself to play bass left-handed on Medium and striving for 5 stars (4.75 is my best effort so far, 96% on "Come Together"). On previous similar games (GH3/RB1) I wouldn't even stay focused enough to stray from Easy mode. I've started playing the guitar parts on Medium too, and I've entertained the idea of singing while playing guitar or bass.
I'm looking forward to playing alongside others, though hopefully I'll be on drums. Guitar is starting to wear down my digits -- I've got blisters (forming) on my fingers!
Final Verdict: 9.5/10, docked only for the length of the game.
PUBLISHER: MTV Games
DEVELOPER: Harmonix
Played on: PS3
Initial impression: Awesome Rhythm Game Finally Made
Liked:
- Songs
- Dreamscapes
Disliked:
- Length of game
- Mash Up Tomorrow Never Knows/Within You Without You
- Hardware issue
On The Fence:
- Pre-order Free DLC
Twist And Shout
What can I really say? It's The Beatles, Rock Band style. Unless you've been living under a rock your whole life, you know who the Beatles are and you know what Rock Band is. This game takes you through their relatively short career from playing gigs to a few dozen people to founding the plans for 'arena rock' to fleshing out the idea of a concept album. You play as the Beatle who played the specific instrument (with notable exception to guitar - lead and rhythm are combined). You cannot create your own character, which some people have pissed and moaned about, but they need to shut it.
Being a huge Beatles fan (the first record I ever purchased with my own money was "Revolver" and my first ever CD was "A Hard Day's Night") I was rather pleased with the selection of songs, though that hinges mostly on the knowledge that more will come out as downloadable content. I probably would have skipped "Boys" but I saw what they were doing - giving each member a song to sing in each era's set list.
For the first half of their careers they were touring. Cavern Club, Shea Stadium and the Budokan are represented rather nicely with actual crowd noise from their real performances at each venue (and in surround sound to boot). Later studio works are shown with the band starting off playing in EMI's Abbey Road Studio #2 but then fade (or at times rather shockingly flash) to modes the developers call "dreamscapes" - fantasy-like representations of the songs they are performing. "Yellow Submarine" and "Octopus's Garden" are both underwater sea-scapes, for example.
The only set of studio era tunes that are not dreamscaped is the final set, which recreates the infamous Abbey Road Rooftop Concert, right down to the appearance of the police at some point.
Yer Blues
The only negatives I can really bring up are the length of the game, a specific track mash up and my personal hardware problem. The game has 45 songs out of a catalog of nearly 250 from the band. Given that their early tunes (From Please Please Me up to the Sgt Pepper album) were, at most, 3 minutes long, that gives you about 2 1/4 hours of playtime - I'll be generous and say 2 1/2 since I know a couple songs are longer. If not fascinated by all the extras as I unlocked them, I could have EASILY knocked this out in one sitting.
The "Tomorrow Never Knows/Within You Without You" has one huge problem with it -- the length. The song is like 1 to 1 1/2 minutes long. Neither song appears independent from the mash up. Frankly I would have loved them being seperate tracks, but I understand. Don't get me wrong though -- I love the sound of those two songs mixed together. I just want more of it.
My drum set will not connect to the PS3. I messed around with it for about an hour and couldn't figure it out. At first I noticed I had the wrong dongle plugged in, so I shut everything down and restarted. No luck. I looked online to see at least I wasn't the ONLY one... I'll have to work on it again. I'm kind of pissed I couldn't get it to work because I finally reserved myself to give it a go. I've played drums in RB before - and I used to be a drummer in a band 15 years ago - so I'm no stranger to how to play. It's the lack of a connection that perplexes and ultimately angers me.
Hello Goodbye
My only on the fence point is the Free DLC for preordering. Yes, it's three free tracks but you can't download them until they come out. "Abbey Road" tracks come out Oct 20th, while "Sgt Pepper" tracks come out in November sometime. "Rubber Soul" comes out in December but you can't choose any tracks from that as part of the preorder freebies. My two biggest problems with this flawed concept are this:
1 - I'm going to order the WHOLE ALBUM for all three when they come out. It's cheaper and I love all the songs anyway. Giving me a few for free SUCKS.
2 - When you get a FREE DOWNLOAD, they should be available IMMEDIATELY.
They should have made it the full versions of "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Within You, Without You" and also throw in "All You Need Is Love" -- that third one being DLC for XBOX 360 owners (proceeds to benefit Doctors Without Borders - which is another beef of mine. If you're selling a song as DLC for charity, why limit it to JUST the 360?)
The End
Content aside, overall this is the best rhythm game I've ever played. It shows that a lot of thought and effort went into getting this made, and I appreciate every last detail. I've been playing it a few hours a day nearly every day since it came out. I love it so much I'm even challenging myself to play bass left-handed on Medium and striving for 5 stars (4.75 is my best effort so far, 96% on "Come Together"). On previous similar games (GH3/RB1) I wouldn't even stay focused enough to stray from Easy mode. I've started playing the guitar parts on Medium too, and I've entertained the idea of singing while playing guitar or bass.
I'm looking forward to playing alongside others, though hopefully I'll be on drums. Guitar is starting to wear down my digits -- I've got blisters (forming) on my fingers!
Final Verdict: 9.5/10, docked only for the length of the game.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
God of War: Chains Of Olympus
DEVELOPER: Ready At Dawn
Played on: PSP
Initial impression: Hack & Slash & Gods (& Sexy Ladies)!
Liked:
- Environments
- Storyline
Disliked:
- Quick Time Events
- Some Camera Angles
On The Fence:
- Challenge Modes
- Length vs Price
Despite having never played any of the previous installments of GoW, I found this PSP version to be quite an amazing adventure. Thankfully I already knew some backstory, or else certain segments would have made little sense. Kratos, the big, tough, god-hating slave of the Greek pantheon of deities makes another attempt to gain his freedom and seek his revenge. Long story short, Kratos needs to rescue the sun from the underworld and beat the piss out of Persephone for a number of reasons, mostly having to do with the fact that she's an asshole.
You're helped along the way by Athena (and some Persian slave girls early on) and become this very well armed, unstoppable killing machine only to give it all up to see your daughter again. Persephone decides to be a bitch and torment you into doing what she wants. Turns out that's not such a hot idea, but it's your only choice, and the only way to fix the mistake you've just made is to beat down Persephone's alter-demonic form. Yeah - no real spoiler alert needed there. You've played any of these types of games, you know what to expect. The big boss will always have another 'form' to beat down.
On to the meat of the article:
Environments
Man, this game is pretty. The places you end up look awesome, and at times I just couldn't believe the PSP was showing the stuff it was. Hades looks great, with fire and lava all over. The water temple really shows the power of the processor nicely.
Storyline
I may sound like I hate some of it, but really the story is top notch. Knowing little to nothing about the previous games didn't seem to phase me in the least with enjoying how it played out. Yeah, I hate Persephone, but you're SUPPOSED to (by the end at least). The fact that she was a bloody whore through most of it was fitting and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Quick Time Events
These are moments in the action where the game pauses for a second and flashes a button you need to press to perform a finishing move. Imagine you're beating down a large Basilisk and as you're carefully thrashing away the game stops and a large X appears. You have about 1-2 seconds to hit X before it has you fail and you need to essentially start that segment over. It's a pain in the ass because it's never the same key twice (X O [] square /\ triangle) and I'm not SO familiar with the button placement that I can instinctively hit those. I have to take a moment and glance right to see where the O key is (I know where X and /\ are, it's the other two I mix up). I'm a PC gamer first, so PS controls are somewhat alien.
Some camera angles made jumps or knowing where to go next difficult. Overall it was fine, but I found that the only time I was ever lost it was because of bad camera angles.
Challenge Mode
You can unlock alternate costumes by going through Challenge mode. I tried playing the Stage 1 Challenge and failed it probably about a dozen times before I gave up. Despite having a really good grasp of what I was doing and what needed to be done, I kept failing. Most 'challenge' modes will start the difficulty low and build up. This one seems to start somewhere around 60%.... and for what? Costumes? Bleh.
Value
Had I not paid $20 for this I would be crying from the rooftops how it wasn't worth the price versus the content. That said, $20 might still be a tad steep in the Quality v. Quantity fight. Yeah, I got a few days (at about 3-4h a day) worth of entertainment out of it, but had I paid more I'd be pissed.
Final Thoughts
This is a great game that really earns the Mature label for its use of gore and softcore porn. Oh yeah, I didn't mention that, did I? There's only two things you need to really hear in regards to that aspect: Tits and Off-Screen Sex laced with a visual inuendo that may stay with you longer than you want. For part one: This is a Greek Mythology inspired game, so it's expected to see some perfectly sculpted goddesses with their bare torsos waggling in your face. Well ok, maybe not waggling, but there she is - Athena - and her large (yet oddly firm) breasts taking up half the screen. Granted it's supposed to be a statue come to life, but whatever. The artist in me can appreciate the level of detail they decided to attain by staying true to this artform. The giggly teenager in me says 'heh heh... boobies' like Beavis and Butthead, which I'm sure they planned on.
As for the second thing, after pummeling a Persian King, Kratos is pretty uptight. Cue the two slave girls (actually you can skip them altogether if you don't explore a bit). They're both topless, one on her back, the other on all fours (on top of the first one... did I walk in on them making out?) and they want to please you. No, really. I can't make this shit up.
 |
| Someone say "tits"? |
All in all, decent game. Replay value? Very little. I beat it, and don't see a point in doing the challenge missions for some goofy costumes. 7/10
Hype Machine
A co-worker brought up a very good point today. These days, when a game is coming out, you know about it for weeks, months - hell even years - beforehand. The hype builds and the masses pore over every last tidbit of detail until the day finally arrives. The game rarely lives up to all that fanfare.
His point was that it wasn't always like that, and he kind of misses being in the dark, so to speak. He said "it used to be that you never heard much, if anything at all, about a game until it hit the shelves. Usually any prerelease info was a gaming magazine reviewing the completed game about a week before it came out."
He's right. When something's on its way out, you know. You get 50% complete build playtests from magazine writers and complete websites updating every couple hours with new screenshots, concept art, soundtrack snippets, wallpaper, buddy icons and news. I've been frothing at the mouth for nearly a year now over Beatles: Rock Band and I have this new style of coverage to blame.
Sure, we can just ignore it by not seeking out the specialized websites, reading the articles detailing every last minute item, or just not looking at gaming sites or magazines altogether but let's get real. Half the problem here is the coverage. Half the reason there is hype is because companies PUT that much crap out there and most of it is unavoidable.
Beatles: Rock Band will succeed, even without the visceral advertising flowing out of every orifice of the interwebs. Other games may not be so lucky.
Two come to mind that share different sides of the spectrum.
Brutal Legend's advertising may be its own worst enemy. Jack Black's over-the-top "RAWK AN ROHL" shtick is only tolerable for so long. Unfortunately he's been out there in full force since the announcement of the development of this game. Tim Schafer *is* a great game designer, but to idolize him like he's a god on earth is just asinine and the display at the VGA's was too much. To a point - Schafer's work has never been akin to a blockbuster-style money maker. Being a critical success doesn't pay the bills, but games like Maniac Mansion, Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle and Full Throttle are awesome - hell they're some of the best games in existence. I just don't think that translates into "Brutal Legend = Instant Success" alone.
Wet is a game that banks on the Tarantino style. Mix 70's exploitation film with Grindhouse and Kill Bill and you're coming closer to what it's about. The main character, Rubi, is an assassin who chooses guns and a katana as her main implements of disposal. This game looks like it has a lot of potential, but who has heard of it? Unless you have your fingers on the pulse of the game-o-sphere, no one. Thing is, the game was announced, and then cancelled. Then quietly picked up again. It's due out in September and aside from an article I read back when it was under development the first time, the only advertising I've seen for Wet is a countertop card at EB. Oh yeah - and it comes out September 15th.
Hopefully they both live up to the expectations.
His point was that it wasn't always like that, and he kind of misses being in the dark, so to speak. He said "it used to be that you never heard much, if anything at all, about a game until it hit the shelves. Usually any prerelease info was a gaming magazine reviewing the completed game about a week before it came out."
He's right. When something's on its way out, you know. You get 50% complete build playtests from magazine writers and complete websites updating every couple hours with new screenshots, concept art, soundtrack snippets, wallpaper, buddy icons and news. I've been frothing at the mouth for nearly a year now over Beatles: Rock Band and I have this new style of coverage to blame.
Sure, we can just ignore it by not seeking out the specialized websites, reading the articles detailing every last minute item, or just not looking at gaming sites or magazines altogether but let's get real. Half the problem here is the coverage. Half the reason there is hype is because companies PUT that much crap out there and most of it is unavoidable.
Beatles: Rock Band will succeed, even without the visceral advertising flowing out of every orifice of the interwebs. Other games may not be so lucky.
Two come to mind that share different sides of the spectrum.
Brutal Legend's advertising may be its own worst enemy. Jack Black's over-the-top "RAWK AN ROHL" shtick is only tolerable for so long. Unfortunately he's been out there in full force since the announcement of the development of this game. Tim Schafer *is* a great game designer, but to idolize him like he's a god on earth is just asinine and the display at the VGA's was too much. To a point - Schafer's work has never been akin to a blockbuster-style money maker. Being a critical success doesn't pay the bills, but games like Maniac Mansion, Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle and Full Throttle are awesome - hell they're some of the best games in existence. I just don't think that translates into "Brutal Legend = Instant Success" alone.
Wet is a game that banks on the Tarantino style. Mix 70's exploitation film with Grindhouse and Kill Bill and you're coming closer to what it's about. The main character, Rubi, is an assassin who chooses guns and a katana as her main implements of disposal. This game looks like it has a lot of potential, but who has heard of it? Unless you have your fingers on the pulse of the game-o-sphere, no one. Thing is, the game was announced, and then cancelled. Then quietly picked up again. It's due out in September and aside from an article I read back when it was under development the first time, the only advertising I've seen for Wet is a countertop card at EB. Oh yeah - and it comes out September 15th.
Hopefully they both live up to the expectations.
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