Savage Reviews

Captainstarball.com

2011-01-03T17:01:00.000-08:00

So I was contacted by this guy who calls himself "Heretic" on the Internet. He's a cool guy who owns game related websites. I had written something for him a while ago on Borderlandsguide.com. Over a year later and he contacts me asking if I might want to write for him again. So I'll be doing some stuff over at his new blog Captainstarball.com, which covers a few upcoming games. So far you can read my first and only post about Blizzard's product slate leak here.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game

2010-09-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game isn't so much a homage to the comic books or movies as it is a homage to retro gaming. The 16-bit graphics, chip-tune music, cheat codes, and blatant video game references make sure of that. I knew that it was going to be at least a little nostalgic and had seen gameplay of it, but I was not prepared for the bombardment of retro gaming influences and references. Nearly everything in it is derived from a classic game from our memories. All of this is done while still retaining what makes it a Scott Pilgrim game.

For those not familiar with the story of Scott Pilgrim, he is a 23 year old living in Toronto, Canada. He is in a band with his ex-girlfriend from high school, is dating a 17 year-old girl in high school, and is desperately trying to cling to his youth. When Ramona Flowers arrives he dumps his 17 year old girlfriend in pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, in order to keep Ramona as his girlfriend, Scott must defeat each of 7 members of The League of Evil Ex's. What this boils down to in the game is running through a slide scrolling level, punching minions, collecting Canadian coins, and facing a boss at the end of each level.

The game starts up with a brilliant animation sequence that explains the basic premise of the game. That is the only explanation you get. The rest of the game is spent in combat or on a Super Mario World style level select screen. The assumption that all of the game's players will be familiar with Scott Pilgrim's world leaves a feeling reminiscent of how retro games rarely gave you much explanation as to why things happen. Once you choose a character from the Super Mario Bros. 3 character select screen and enter the first level you are shown some people who you assume are your friends running ahead of you and the subtitle "Don't be late for the big show!". The next thing you see are thugs and you don't hesitate to mash buttons until you find one that punches the living daylights out of everyone, and everything, you see. The entire story is told is a similar manner with the gameplay conveying all the motivation you need to press forward towards each of Ramona's evil Ex's.

As far as gameplay goes, Scott Pilgrim makes itself a spiritual successor of an old game called River City Ransom. Basically anything can be used as a weapon, even downed friends or enemies. You run to the left and beat up anybody you see until you reach a boss battle. Defeat the boss at the end of the level and then move on to the next one. Scott Pilgrim improves on River City Ransom by by introducing combos and 4-player co-op.

4-player co-op is a lot of fun. The game is clearly optimized as a multiplayer experience and for each person you don't have the game is "25% less fun". This wouldn't be much of a problem if Scott Pilgrim included online multiplayer. Perhaps the developers just didn't have time, or maybe they wanted to keep in the spirit of retro games, but if you want to enjoy the game at it's maximum level you are going to have to have your friends sitting next you. In todays game industry this isn't really excusable especially considering that the game is only available as a download, which means that anybody who gets the game is going to have their console connected to it's respective online service.

Other issues include occasional screen tearing and frame rate drops. Early into the game it had frozen up on me a few times, but since the first few hours I have not had that problem. All of these can be fixed by a simple patch and perhaps they are excusable when you consider the adorable and nostalgic art and music styles.

The artwork was directed by a man named Paul Robertson in a 16-bit style. Fans of great animations will not be disappointed. Some of the animations from the game can be found at Paul's livejournal. It fits the character of the game perfectly, and even creates it in many ways. The art style is complimented by a soundtrack composed by the successful chip-tune band Anamanaguchi. I love the music so much I am currently listening to it right now! You can purchase, or sample the album at the iTunes Store.

Although Scott Pilgrim only contains 7 levels it's no big deal because they are incredibly replayable. You often return to the first level to visit the shops there and to the others to grind for coin drops. In addition there are 4 initial characters to play through the story separately, and a fifth when you beat the game with those four. A sixth character is unlockable by beating him when he randomly appears on any level. Each character has a different ending and that is plenty of motivation to play through the short story to see each.

Despite its inexcusable flaws, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game Is one of my favorite gaming experiences this year. The combination of the simple retro style combat, youthful graphics and music, and the ever present Scott Pilgrim universe took me in and through a ride I won't soon forget. I've played through it 3 times now and am looking forward to another 3 playthroughs as the other character. I highly recommend it to anyone who is into retro games or has found themselves interested in the Scott Pilgrim universe.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

2010-08-31T17:42:00.000-07:00

The first Scott Pilgrim vs. the World caught my attention immediately with the debut of its first trailer. With the help of a flood of positive comments on the trailer I decided to delve head first into Scott Pilgrim's world. A week after the movie's theatrical release I gathered as many friends as I could and headed out with the highest degree of enthusiasm despite disappointing box office numbers and cynical reviews from renowned movie critics. Comments from my peers on the Internet still upheld Pilgrim's appeal to gamers and so my hope was not daunted.

Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is a 23 year-old living in Toronto, Canada. He shares a bed with his gay roommate out of necessity, is dating a 17 year old high-schooler out of heartbreak, and is desperately clinging to his youthfulness for fear of growing up. All of this changes when he meets a delivery girl for named Ramona Flowers (Mary Winstead). Immediately obsessed, Scott takes on the challenge of defeating each of Ramona's seven evil ex's in order to date her.

Ramona Flowers is as mysterious as she is complicated, but little to none of this is communicated to the viewer. The director, Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), seems more concerned with bringing as many video game references as he can while maintaining an artful quality. This isn't a criticism. While best parts of the comics are the ones with character development and relationship, the movie captures the lighthearted undertone that make the comics so unique, and capitalizes on it.

That was what I loved most about Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Everything from the Zelda theme song, to the Street Fighter style action scenes, to the unexplained presence of video game logic hit all the right points for me. I was the target audience and so it worked.

Unfortunately, those who have no interest in things like classic video games or the indie rock scene will miss out on almost all the jokes and references. This is why Scott Pilgrim did so badly with well known movie critics. They are older or simply outside the target audience, and all they could see was the ADD infused scene switching and bad puns.

There are other qualities to Scott Pilgrim, of course. The cinematography is brilliant. I never got bored of being bombarded with stylized comic-book derived special effects. Imagine an action movie, except instead of explosions there are "speed lines" and "KAPOWS!", and instead of Bruce Willis and Stillone you have Micheal Cera and Jason Schwartzman. If this sounds interesting, it could be a reason to check the movie out despite not being a gaming enthusiast.

If you are familiar with the comics you will be pleased to hear that the movie is faithful. The casting is perfect, especially Kieran Culkin as Wallace Wells. The entire movie is basically a frame by frame of the first two volumes, with just enough scenes from the rest of the novels to accommodate for story. There is little character development and you don't really care who ends up with who. Kim Pine is reduced to and introduction of their band "Sex Bob-omb" (pronounced "Sex B-Bomb"), Envy Adams to an evil blonde, and the twins are hardly even seen. The story is really about Ramona's evil Ex-boyfriends, which is a shame since the comics are really about Scott and his ex-girlfriends. Nor is the concept of subspace explored (though it is present) and "the glow" is replaced by an easier to understand, albeit shallower, explanation.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is destined to be a cult classic. On the other hand it is the first good attempt at showing what an underrepresented culture is on the big screen. If you are a gamer, or have an interest in indie music, Scott Pilgrim is a must see. Otherwise, it isn't terrible by any respect, but you may have trouble understanding what so great about it.

New Advertisement for Fyrum.com

2010-08-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

So I made this advertisement for Fyrum.com using some animations Paul Robertson did for the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game. Basically I took 3 of the gifs from the link below and picked them apart frame by frame, moving the running bits over a little so that Scott moves. But I did the wall and text animations myself. Big thinks to Paul for all the great (and I assume heartfelt and difficult) work he did on the Scott Pilgrim game! Go check out his site. And the specific animations can be found here.

Paul, if you see this and want me to take the ad down, just say the word. I'm not making any money or anything off it but it is your original artwork.

In other news I'm going to be doing a 3 part series on the 3 Scott Pilgrim mediums. I'll start by reviewing the movie, then the game, and finally the comic books. Stay tuned!

How to Host a Gaming Marathon

2010-07-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

Gaming is a subculture riddled with stereotypes involving loneliness, unhealthy habits, and dark basements. While many gamers unfortunately conform to such templates, there are many more who focus on the community. Community is such a vital part to gaming. It has to be there every step along the way. The developers need to be a community, the publishers need to be part of that. A cohesive relationship. When the game is released, the gamers need to argue about it, share stories, file complaints, and even in single player games: involve each other in the game as much as possible.

Nowadays that means hopping online with some friends and playing together on a day-to-day basis. However, back before I played games they had something called "LAN parties". This involves lugging all your stuff over to someone's house, setting up multiple TVs in the same room, and playing until your brains drain out of your skull. LAN parties still happen today, but less frequently, and it isn't as special. To really capture the feeling of such an event now requires long marathons that very much sound like what a World of Warcraft addict might do everyday.

Last week I hosted a two day long marathon. On light of this I thought I would share some tips on how you too could host your very own gaming marathon.

Plan Ahead

I mean well ahead, at least a week. Know who is coming when and make sure everyone knows the details. If you are taking the time to play games then it is almost guaranteed that you can't provide all the TVs, games, and systems you need. Give each guest a list of things they need to bring and what will be provided for them. I told everyone to bring one two liter bottle of pop and a snack, along with their Xbox 360 and a TV since we will be playing a game without split-screen.

As for meals, make them quick and easy to put together and eat. Usually you will be trying to eat and play at the same time, unless you take a break to eat. Snacks are a must. The most traditional snack is a good old bag of Cheetos, but these are extremely messy and gets cheese all over controllers and keyboards. One of my favorite alternatives is pretzels. They don't make a mess, they're salted, and can easily be handled while playing a game.

The last thing you should know is your set-up. You will need plenty of space, especially if everyone is using their own TVs or computers. Make sure you have a window to let the hot air radiating from the systems out. Minimize the clutter space by keeping wires near the walls and providing plenty of end tables to place snacks, drinks, and other miscellaneous items. Move the furniture around to give everyone a proper viewing angle. Keep a clear path out of the room or rooms for bathroom breaks and runs to the kitchen. If you all need to be connected to the internet get a proper router and know how each system will connect to it. Wi-Fi will do wonders to removes wires from running across the floor. The more clutter free the gaming area is, the longer it will take people to become frustrated with one another.

Know Your Limits
Marathons can be rough. Depending on how long you play it can become boring and frustrating. Don't plan on playing for longer than you or anyone else can handle. Take regular breaks to keep it all fresh. The perfect time to do this is at meals. Meals are great because you can continue to talk about the game, what you liked and didn't like, and what you look forward to.

More importantly, know the limits of your guests. This is just common sense. As the host it is your job to provide the most comfortable and enjoyable experience possible. Marathons can get a little intense, and you can get on each other's nerves. Pay very close attention to this and know the difference between competitive smack talk and angry insults. When things start to get a little too negative, take a break. Be polite about it but deny them the choice to vent their frustration right there. Have them do something else for even just 10-20 minutes and the frustration should go away.

Keep it About the People

Despite everything I've said above it is also important that you don't go too far in the opposite direction. It may be important to take regular breaks, but it is equally important to do what your guests came to do. If all is well among the guests, don't try to fix it by stopping the action. It is a marathon after all.You are only going to make people annoyed by telling them to do something they don't want to.

Similarly, you can keep things fresh by switching the game once in a while. Halo or Call of Duty can easily get repetitive and boring after a while, so be prepared with extra copies of a number of games. Games which change over the course of the marathon will have a longer lasting appeal. If something isn't working out as well as you thought it would, change it.

All of this has to do with being a good host. Be the first to jump out of your seat to get drinks, or answer the phone. Feed everyone food that they will enjoy. Cater to everyone's comfort before your own. It's common hospitality that unfortunately is so rare among gaming culture.

Make it Happen

If you want something done, you have to do it yourself. Don't try and convince someone else to host a marathon. Step up to the plate and do the work yourself. Know all the details, but don't be surprised if it isn't what you expect. As a host, your job is to make sure the marathon takes place at all.

Remember: plan ahead, know your limits, and keep it all about the people to make it happen. So what are you waiting for?

Halo Wars Achievement Hunting

2010-04-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

Recently I was promoted to the rank of Brigadier in the Halo Wars multiplayer. Since release it has taken me somewhere around 250 hours to achieve this. That works out to a whopping 2.9% of one entire year. That is including the time I spent sleeping. Three percent of an entire year spent on a single game. This is scary considering I have also played 6 other Triple A title (some of them twice) and three Xbox LIVE Arcade titles from start to finish. I shudder to think of what the actual statistic behind how much time I play games in a year is.

But I am not done with Halo Wars yet. I have yet but one achievement to conquer. It is for reaching the rank of General in the online multiplayer. Each time to rank up, you must get as many experience points in total as it took you to get where are currently. To get to the rank of Brigadier, you need 480 000 experience points, which are rewarded in varying amounts each game depending on how well you did. To get to the rank of General, the next promotion, I need another 480 000 experience points.

Considering how long it took me to get where I am, it may sound like a thankless task for only another 50 gamer score, but I will get that last achievement. Why, you ask? I must get it because I love Halo Wars. Since it is my all time favorite game I feel an obligation to get every achievement in that game. More than anything else I think that it is to show my support for the game.

In the past I have attempted to do this with several other games. For whatever reason they slipped onto my “to-do” list. There are still five achievements in Halo 3 I have not gotten, I have yet to purchase the Zombie Island DLC for Borderlands, and one day I will get all those flags in Assassin’s Creed. I have one achievement left in Call of Duty 4 as well.

But the last achievement in Halo Wars was never set aside. I consistently work towards it. Perhaps it is because of the nature of the objective that I haven’t ignored it. I don’t have to get lucky, or have any kind of skill (although it does help). I simply have to keep trudging forward. Every game gets me a little bit closer.

Don’t get the idea that I am putting myself through a game that I am no longer enjoying just for a single achievement. Halo Wars, being a strategy game, has many different ways you can play and I am far from having experienced them all. Instead of dragging me through “the grind”, the Running the Show Achievement has forced me to experience the game in new ways I would have never tried.

I feel free to experiment with new strategies and am faced with ever changing circumstances when others do the same. Never mind the fact that this one achievement will have taken me over 200 hours to acquire. I had got more out of my $70 than I would have otherwise, and that is what every achievement should aspire to do.

Kicking into High Gear

2010-03-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

Hello occasional viewer! Whether you regularly view this blog (ya right) or you accidentally clicked on a link during a Google search, I am hear to apologize. For the past while I have hardly written anything related to video games. I aim to change that.

After listening to The Freelancer's Podcast I was inspired to continue my passion for writing about games. I have also made a twitter account. Feel free to follow me! I made an account on bitmob.com aswell. On both Twitter and Bitmob I go by SavageReindeer We'll see how this all goes.

Starting yesterday I will be writing everyday. Not all of it will be published because not all of it will be worth publishing. But I am writing a lot. On top of all this I have a particularly hard semester at school so I have to balance that a bit.

In any case, you can expect quite a bit more content than I have put out previously, but at no cost to quality. If you want to contact me you can leave a comment on this blog, or email me at savagereindeer@gmail.com. I will get back to you as soon as I am able.

Borderlands

2010-02-01T17:03:00.000-08:00

Gearbox hasn’t made it too big until recently. Some will remember that they ported Halo CE to the PC. Fewer would have played their games set in the Half-Life universe. Most gamers should have at least heard of Gearbox’s Brothers in Arms. Their latest title is Borderlands.

The best way to describe Borderlands is Diablo married with Halo and set in a comical parody of Mad Max. Those three productions were very heavy influences during the development of Borderlands, and it shows. Gamers who love a case of nostalgia will appreciate a regard for older and more traditional game ideas, all mixed together to create something entirely new.

Borderlands has been advertised as “the game with a million guns”. In truth, there are much more than a million. Besides quest rewards, every gun is unique, so as a loot lover, this game effectively homed in on my weak spot. I wanted to try out every gun, and if not keep them, sell them. Then in turn, use that money to buy more guns. Loot hunting is exciting and never seems to get old. Every gun has something that just feels…different, even if it is essentially the same as others.

Loot lust and traditional mindless shooting are the main fun factors in Borderlands. There may not be constant rewards, or any clear objective, but the action is enough fun on its own accord to account for that. Most of the time the only clear objective is to take the wicked rifle from the psycho wearing a mask or get that last little bit of experience to reach the next level.
Anybody familiar with Halo or Call of Duty, or any other first person shooter since Wolfenstein will have no problem jumping into Borderlands. Everything about it, from the shields of Halo and the iron sights of Call of Duty, plays and feels like an FPS

As the hostile planet of Pandora falls before an arsenal of weaponry, experience is rewarded for each and every kill. This is much the same as how EXP is rewarded in Call of Duty, but different amounts are rewarded depending on the class and level of the enemy. Each level after level 5 grants a skill point to spend on a rather clever skill tree. Even though the skills are passive they will alter the play style to separate one character from all the others.

There are four classes to choose from at the start of the game, each with their own special action skill to use actively as often as is possible. The four action skills can all be altered in some of the same basic ways but remain entirely unique in how they are used. Of course, what good is having a unique character if they can’t be displayed like a trophy to a friend, or three friends?

Cooperative games are nothing new. Left 4 Dead arguably holds the title for best 4-player coop experience. I think Borderlands is a close competitor. Its multiplayer is addicting. There is plenty of chaos and teamwork to quench the same thirst Left 4 Dead does.

Here’s what’s new: it is possible to join or leave a game at any time with a persistent character, without losing any gained experience or loot. Let’s say I have a level 30 character. You just got the game and want to play with me. You can join my game (or vice versa) and rack up some experience rather quickly since we are fighting higher-level enemies. You can then take all the experience and loot you earned back to your game and work through the story yourself.

A pretty obvious problem with multiplayer is that if the characters have significantly differing levels, the higher-level characters will find it too easy in lower level games, and vice versa. So the best way to play Borderlands with friends is too all start new games at the same time, and play to the end together.

Going into a friend’s more difficult game is fine for boosting levels (much) higher, but there remains a design flaw in the difficulty curve. Not only does it ramp up too quickly, it also falls soon after. Freakish aliens only two or three levels higher won’t have a problem turning an opponent into a rather delicious dinner, and enemies 2 or 3 levels lower die as soon as eye contact is made. Their levels don’t scale to your own, so if many, if not all the optional quests are completed, the difficulty level falls into the “Trivial” range.

The characters are creatively designed, which is enough to give them some personality. But there is a serious lack of voice acting. All the dialogue could probably be fit onto a couple typed pages, maybe less. Fortunately, giving plenty of eye candy and artistic marvels makes it up for it.

The best way to describe the eccentric graphics is to compare them to a comic book. Black outlines decorate just about everything. Vibrant colours are muddled to add grit without turning the whole lot into differing shades of grey. Detail is accented where it should be and will fade away into a silhouette as it approaches the horizon. But most importantly, the graphics bring out the silly nature of a game that makes no attempt to take itself seriously.

Summation
Borderlands is certainly not for everybody. A deep appreciation for games is needed to get the most out of it. Basically, it’s hardcore. If the only games you’ve played are Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and Line Rider 2, I wouldn’t suggest you drop money on Borderlands. However, if you want a game with loot lust, 4 player coop, and mindless fun with bullets, combined with 2 great DLC packs and another on the way, this may be one of your most played games all year.

Dragon Age: Origins

2010-01-09T10:34:00.001-08:00

Dragon Age is everything to be expected from a fantasy RPG. There are elves, dwarves, a majority of humans, and a rich back-story. As per usual, an army of orc equivalents, Darkspawn, threatens to swallow up a peaceful world for no reason aside from that it would be an evil thing to do.

This world is introduced through one of six origins. The origin is determined by the race and cultural background of the character. The general situation of the country “Ferelden” is explained with a forty-five to ninety-minute origin story. All the stories are then tied together when you join the ranks of the Grey Wardens, an independent army devoted to fending off the hordes of Darkspawn during Blights every hundred years or so.

The narrative follows a band of talented individuals as they try to unite the races against the Darkspawn. Along the way all varieties of problems will present themselves including the brink of civil war and just about every sort of evil you can think of. Almost all the quests are optional, yet they provide exciting mini-stories to develop your character and their relationship with the other party members. A compulsion to complete every challenge made available is always present.

Each quest will influence how your companions think of your character. This is tracked by an “approval rating”. If they dislike you enough they might leave the group entirely. If they do like you, then they can teach skills or sometimes open up entire skill trees. Eventually a romantic relationship might occur, but it feels fake and inconsequential. While conversations and decisions will have a say in the overall approval ratings, it is easier to buy your friends out by giving them gifts. This cheap trick makes the relationships seem superficial.

The storytelling is perfectly balanced with combat to create a steady and consistent pace. Dialogue trees can become short and concise, or long and descriptive depending on how interesting you find the topic. At first combat can be frustrating. The controls take a bit of research and a lot of experimentation to get accustomed to.

The biggest difference between the PC and console versions of the game is a lack of a birds-eye view of the battlefield on the consoles. This severely hinders strategy because there is no easy way to select a target without starting the action again. The confusion it causes is enough to scare all but the most determined away. It is very possible to get over the design flaw, but the game offers no help in doing so.

My biggest problem with Dragon Age is that it offers very little help on important matters. For example, aside from a small label in the corner of a cluttered character stats screen there is no indication that a “tactics menu” exists. It is a important part of the game because it allows you to make the artificial intelligence of the party members perform how you want them to. Without it, your archers keep getting in the middle of the fray and your mages prefer to use melee weapons. Yet the only time you are every given a tutorial on what the tactics menu is or how to use it comes after you have already found it.

Eventually, and I really do mean eventually, you get passed the lack of introductory assistance and figure out the mechanics. Once this has been done you may bump the difficulty up from Casual and start to actually enjoy the game. Once this happens Dragon Age becomes a thrilling adventure. Everything can be appreciated at a deeper level. Combat is no longer frustrates or confuses. In storytelling, more attention can be paid the characters and their problems, making everything more real.

Voice acting graces most conversations but gets terribly repetitive in combat. Once in a while a couple of your party members might strike up a short comical conversation to fill up travel time. I particularity enjoyed two characters, Alistair and Morrigan, and kept them in my party of 4 largely due to their banter.

The graphics, however, will show signs of weakness regularly. Faces have a great deal of work put ino them, but they don’t hide the flat textures on the shoulders of whomever you’re talking to. Combat animations are fine as well but the lighting can cause some thin ugly lines to outline characters. They would normally help to separate character from the background, which the do a little too well on my standard definition TV.

Don’t let this deter you. Graphics may not be brilliant, but they are not game breaking in the least. Unless you already know fantasy RPG’s aren’t your cup of tea, I would definitely go out of my way to pick up Dragon Age. There isn’t a whole lot that’s new, but everything is as polished as can possibly be. Dragon is a harkening back to the classic Baldur’s Gate and it certainly lives up to the name.

One word of caution: If you are able to run Dragon Age on your PC, do so. It is clear the game was made for a PC experience. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions are fine, but the PC version will feel more complete.

EVE Online

2009-09-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

Big. Really, really Big. Those are the only words that I can use to encapsulate what EVE Online is. In the 14-day trial I was barely able to get a good sense of what this game is. EVE is so big, in fact, that it scares away the weak, leaving only the respectable to hang with throughout the universe of New Eden

EVE has been around for many years. It has been kept up to date with the industry by releasing free expansion packs and updates regularly. Despite its renown and age, I still periodically find people who haven’t the slightest idea what it is. If you are one of those unfortunate people, allow me to enlighten you.

EVE Online is a space MMO by the developer, CCP Games. In it, you are the captain of your own starship in the universe of New Eden. With you, and around you, are thousands of other people playing the same game. Unlike other MMOs, EVE is run on a single server. Everybody is in one instance of New Eden.

Be Who you Wanna Be, Do What you Wanna Do
Generally, there are 3 career paths, but they don’t lock you into them as classes so feel free to follow any of them at any time:

You can follow a military orientated path; defending convoys, working for the government, fighting wars, hunting pirates, or even being a pirate.
You could also be a miner; this is repetitive work, but the payback is quick and a lot. You fly into asteroid belts, mine it, refine it into metals, and then even build tools and equipment out of those metals, which you in turn sell for profit.
The last career path is business. This entails buying just about anything where it is cheap, and selling it where it is expensive. You basically play the role of a profiteer, making a buck off other peoples work

EVE is most known for its staggeringly steep learning curve. If it were not for the accommodating tutorials available at any time nobody would ever know how to play. The first thing that hits people is that you aren’t flying your ship like in a flight simulator. Instead you set orbit paths around objects or people, lock targets, and activate weapons. This creates a more realistic experience and allows for a much larger potential in space fight. This way your mouse is free to target enemies, asteroids, or stations and your keyboard if free to chat with others.

Brought to you by You and Your Friends
Who owns what is determined with a fluid sandbox system that boils down to each individual player deciding who they side with and whom they fight. The most basic social group involved is the corporation. These are essentially clans, but much more diverse. A corporation could be after any number of objectives. They could be a mining company, maybe they do business, or maybe they are mercenaries or have their own wars.

Corporations are essential in prospering in EVE. Early on they will show you the ropes, help you complete objective, and pick you up when you run into trouble you can’t cope with. As you become more familiar with the game and more powerful, you may serve more important roles, fighting in battles, supplying resources, even taking leadership positions. The Corp. I joined had just expanded, going from renting space in a station, to owning a space station of their own (they had to beat back another corp. for it).

So Many Things to Do, So Little Time
Predictably, and understandably, you start the game with the most basic ship, and equipment (or modules) possible. It makes it easy to learn how to fly, fight, and manage the game. But you will quickly find that upgrading is not as simple as buying the next most expensive stuff.

First off, you can’t just buy whatever you want and expect to know how to operate it. To use better modules you must have research the required skills. The skills are too numerous to count. Each skill has its own prerequisites and 5 levels. From the start you are able to use any “Civilian Modules”, such as the Civilian Ion Blaster. But to use the Small Ion Blaster 1, you are required to research “Small Blasters” to level 1. Skills can take anywhere from minutes to weeks to train depending on how high up on the skill tree it is.

Secondly, no module or ship is fit for every situation. For mining you will want a ship with the biggest cargo hold possible to eliminate travel time between the station and the asteroid belt. For military affairs you will ant a fast ship with plenty of High Power slots for turrets, a strong shield and strong armour, etc. Even ammo is specialized. Antimatter charges are the strongest charge, but the have terrible range. Iron Charges grant a 60% range increase. So be careful what you buy.

This Article Says Nothing
If all this takes you slightly aback, I don’t blame you. But please not that by reading this you haven’t even touched the surface. If EVE was an apple, you have just looked at it thought the branches of a tree. To really know what the apple looks like, feels like, tastes like, you have to go up and get that apple. If you have any interest at all in EVE Online, go to www.eveonline.com to download the free 14-day trial. It can’t hurt, and you may just find an experience worthy of a $14 monthly fee (plus $5 for the first time only). I promise you won’t regret it.

The Definition of "Gamer"

2009-08-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

Right now the world of gaming is experiencing a revolution of sorts. Technology has opened a passage wide enough for large expansion in individual games. New ideas have been thought of that appeal to even the least likely people. As a result, a gamer is no longer "one who plays games". In a way this puts us gamers through an identity crisis. If you are not a gamer just by playing games regularly, how does one become a gamer? Is anyone who calls themselves gamers necessarily so? These questions give us an opportunity to choose who we are as a subculture of contemporary civilization.

First we must decide how to exclude. This essential function is the basis of identity. How we exclude determines what we look like in the eyes of the public. It is the most important decision because if the public and media see favour in us, we can proudly wear our title instead of hiding it.

As with all things, we begin by asking questions. Obviously, you are not a gamer for just playing Halo, Call of Duty, or Guitar Hero, which have gotten the most attention from the general population. Other mundane questions arise: How long must you play games to be a gamer? Do you have to own a platform? How large must your game collection be? Although related, these questions cannot determine who is a gamer, and who is not.

Instead, I ask questions the examine the attitude a person carries. This way we weed out those who would give us a bad or inaccurate name, but still be able to keep the values a gamer should have. These questions also stir up more personal responses.

Are there differences between a gamer and a game addict? What are they?
How mature must you be?
Do you possess the desire to socially interact? Or do you avoid community? (this perhaps is used more the determine whether a person is addicted to games or not)
Can you recognize the potential in an unreleased game? Even unfamiliar ones? Do you get exited about unreleased games?
Do you form your own opinions? Can you change your opinions upon sufficient proof against them? (not to touch against personal beliefs, etc, but to weed out fanboys)
Do you think of yourself as a gamer? Why?

Please notice that none of these questions address skill level, preference in genre or style, or whether you are competitive or casual. Also realize that none of these questions have absolute answers, only approximate judgements made by the person in question or their peers.

I would like to call attention to the first question, about game addiction. Recently my sister told me I was a game addict. I used to be one, but I am no longer and I know where the line is drawn. I corrected her and said that gaming was my hobby. She failed to see the profound meaning in that. I will let you make your own judgements.

The questions above are mine, not yours. Similarly, your answers will differ from mine. My questions were designed to imprint value on the title "gamer". Yours may serve some other purpose depending on what you see us as.

Here is my definition: A gamer is someone who plays games as a hobby. This person can make responsible and independent decisions. A gamer loves games, not one game or group of games. He or she look forward to the development of the gaming industry. A gamer appreciates community, whether to play with, learn from, teach to, or simply to connect with. A gamer has his or her own opinion, not one given to them without further consideration. A gamer knows they are a gamer by instinct.

So when you have asked your questions and gotten your answers, what do you do with them? Tell people! Right comments, or letters to news reports demoting gaming. Correct your friends, family, and coworkers when they have false assumptions.Most of all, be a good example. People notice, consciously or unconsciously.

We cannot let the world look down on us like a bunch of unfortunate and misguided people. Being a gamer must be like being an athlete. Athletes are never ashamed of their title. Let the term "gamer" boost self esteem instead of being supported by it.

Be proud!

Borderlands Competition

2009-08-11T10:21:00.001-07:00

I got this one published at Borderlandsguide.com. It looks at Borderlands and what games it will have to beat out far sales. I compare their similarities and differences.

Direct link: http://borderlandsguide.com/forum/borderlands-competition

Prince of Persia

2009-07-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

Of the many franchises out there, the Prince of Persia games have somehow gained a certain amount of respect from me. It is strange, really. I never played any of the originals; not one. I played the entirety of The Sands of Time and absolutely loved it. It was so close to being a perfect game that it gets a special medal from me for outstanding performance.

Then, much to my dismay, Ubisoft decided that a teenage angst personality fit the Prince much better than the appraised smug and sarcastic persona. Due to this, I only bothered playing the first couple hours of The Warrior Within, and never touched The Two Thrones because I thought it was a weak attempt at saving a dead game.

How is it then that a franchise that has disappointed me and essentially failed is getting as much respect as it is? It is hard to say. Perhaps a third person free running game is just something I enjoy more than other genres. Perhaps it was my experience with The Sands of Time that has kept my faith. Perhaps it is because Ubisoft is a developer that I tend to be fond of.

But if I had to pin it on one thing, I would say I respect the Prince of Persia franchise because of the incredible amount of immersion that Ubisoft has been able to include.

I am a humongous fan of immersion. If I can feel what the character is feeling I end up remembering my experience far better than others. Due to lack of immersion I have lost hope in games like Fallout 3, or Oblivion.

Thankfully, the newest Prince of Persia game has managed to start on a clean slate and try again. Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation described this as:

…they hastily stitched it back together, dressed it up in glittery fabric and added some googley eyes. And that’s the new Prince of Persia, an apparently gorgeous experience that failed to disguise the fact that the old bird is dead inside
While to some extent this is true, I think that not only has Ubisoft redressed this dead bird, but also resurrected it.

Another New Prince, Another New Adventure

You are in a fictitious land surrounded by desert. This land is known as “The Land of the Aura”. It has been forgotten by the world and its people have left to discover what lay beyond their birthplace. This land was made with the purpose of concealing the dark god “Arhiman”, who was trapped under the temple with the help of the god of light, “Ormazd”. The “Aura” were men granted the power to preserve Arhiman’s imprisonment.

You play the once again unnamed (hooray!) “Prince”. You aren’t technically a prince, although it is hinted at throughout the game that you once were before your mother and father died and you ran away. Since then you have been a tomb robber. The Prince does have essentially the same character design as the Prince featured in The Sands of Time. That means he is smug, slightly witty, and sarcastic. He also holds little value for much except the freedom to make his own decisions. (His voice is played by my favorite voice actor, Nolan North, who also played Desmond in Assassin’s Creed and Sgt. Forge in Halo Wars).

Through an unlikely chain of events the Prince finds himself caught in an adventure to reseal the prison that just barely holds Arhiman. If they failed, then the dark god would rise against the world, effectively ending it. To do this the Prince and his new companion Princess Elika must heal the many “Fertile Grounds” surrounding the Temple.

Non-Linear, Open World

Prince of Persia makes a bold step towards telling the story in a non-linear format in an open world. Unlike many others, this open world is more like a lot of hallways that piece together in an elaborate system.

It has been divided into four main regions, each with its own recurring boss who guards the five Fertile Ground there. You may choose which Fertile Grounds you want to heal in any order you like, limited only by which magic traveling powers you have chosen at the temple.

Free running is more fluid than ever before. Most of the techniques used to get from one place to another remain the same. Vines, which let you climb a wall in any direction; and grapple hooks, which let you sort of double wall run or climb, are both new. I was initially disappointed to find that I couldn’t rewind time myself, that instead Elika uses her magic to sweep in and save you from the many bottomless pits. In combat she uses magic to push back the enemy right in the nick of time should you falter.

This sort of instant respawn works extraordinarily well. It proves much better even when compared to other games that have tried it. After all, free running games are supposed to be fluid. The only penalty you will encounter is that you will find yourself standing in the last position that you had flat footing. This allows you to instantly get back to killing the evil servant or performing the insanely long combination of wall runs immediately.

Combat

Just when I thought this game was perfect, Ubisoft had to try something different than their old combat system. In The Sands of Time you put down the sand zombies by flipping over them and hitting them in the back with your sword. The variety of enemies compensated for the lack of combos, and it was fine!

In this newest release you hobble back and forth with Elika behind you bashing a mini-boss with your sword. When it attacks you there is precious little you can do except block until it is done or you are shoved off the edge of a cliff. A variety of different combos are available, but most of the time they are blocked before you can even start them. As a result you just want to rapidly press X like you were playing Fable 2.

But even there Ubisoft was determined to keep us frustrated by often requiring you to perform a certain type of attack to make the boss vulnerable to other attacks. This in itself caused problems since you could never really get close enough to grapple, or use magic on the enemy without getting a mouthful of sword.

Nevertheless, there is a sort of satisfaction when you can pull off the longer combos. Additionally, you are rewarded for those combos sufficiently by generous amounts of damage done. The combos do look awfully pretty and brings a feeling of accomplishment. Still, I don’t see why these combos couldn’t be implemented correctly into the old combat system.

Art

If it were not for the outstanding rendering of Prince of Persia, I would have never tried it. The dramatic step away from traditional rendering methods is what made me think that Ubisoft might have finally resurrected the franchise. Yes, it is cel-shaded. But that is okay because the vibrant colours and seemingly hand drawn scenery fill the spaces that would otherwise feel empty.

When you enter an area for the first time, it is covered in black slime called Corruption (the Symbiote slime from Spider-Man in disguise). If this slime manages to swallow you up, you become a brainless servant of Arhiman. Complementing the presence of the black slime is the general dank theme to infected areas. Just running through those places is a bit depressing.

But that is okay, because as soon as you defeat the boss and heal the land you are rewarded with a change from dark greens, and black, to light browns, lush greens, and blue skies. If the first was depressing, the second was more than enough uplifting. I have never before seen the art style of a game to be a reward in itself. But don’t worry; the colour change isn’t the only payback. When you heal the land you can also begin collecting “light seeds” to unlock magic powers.

A Cinematic Experience, Without the Cinema

And so we come full circle. I have already mentioned how the game is incredibly immersive, but I have yet to mention why. Prince of Persia uses story telling techniques I have yet to see in another game and I expect to see them become more popular in the future. Basically, cut-scenes are incredibly short and are there just to give you the bare bones of the story.

If at any time you wish to learn more about the background of the Prince, Elika, or their motivations, relationships, etc. you must only press a button and listen to a short question and answer. Press the button again to hear more. It gives you the feeling that you are asking the questions, instead of having them asked for you. It also gives you the freedom to speed through to the next boss or enjoy every aspect of the journey slowly.

At several parts of the game you are forced to make decisions that normally would be presented in a simple cut-scene. That sucks you in and holds your attention. I won’t give away what decisions these are, but you won’t be disappointed.

All cut-scenes are removed except for the essentials. But in a way that presents more freedom than other games that have done this, such as Half-Life or Bioshock for example.

The final ten minutes of the game presents you with a scenario and forces you into a decision that I found moving at so many levels. I believe that it was specifically designed to make me feel the grief that the Prince felt. I will not give away any more, but the ending was what turned it from a pretty good game, to a game that I will remember forever.

Conclusion

Prince of Persia is a free running game with a layer of combat in between and all around, like a chocolate cake with vanilla icing. The combat itself has been botched when compared to its predecessors, and can be more annoying than anything else. Free running is fluid and enjoyable, yet a little repetitive towards the end. The entire time you play you are presented with differing scenery that is visually pleasing. I would recommend this game to any who enjoy good character development, free running, and innovative games.

Spiderman: Web of Shadows

2009-07-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

The developers at Shaba Games have brought us the newest Spiderman game with a stride away from the movie character. Unlike the movies, Spidey has the quirky sense of humour and other Marvel characters are brought in. Like previous Spiderman games, this is an open world hand-to-hand fighting game with plenty of cool moves.

Another Adventure with Your Favorite Arachnid

At the very beginning of the game, disaster has struck the city of Marvel New York. Silly Spiderman has gone and unleashed Venom and his army of Symbiotes. But this time something is different. Furthermore, to the dismay of all his friends, Spiderman neglects removing the Symbiotes in his own suit (which gives him his black suit).

But this time something is different. Venom has developed the ability to reproduce using human hosts. It’s up to Spiderman to track down his enemy and remove him and his army from the city.

Joining Spiderman in his struggle are many other Marvel characters, even not so well known ones. The Kingpin, Vulture, Electrode, Venom, and Black Cat all serve as antagonists, although some of them help you in certain circumstances. Wolverine, Moon Knight, Luke Cage, Black Widow, and The Tinkerer help you all the way. Fans of the Marvel Universe will be pleased with what has been done to bring Spiderman back to its comic book days.

Simple, Repetitive, and yet Incredibly Addictive

Like most/all Spiderman games, Web of Shadows is an open world RPG, where you can swing about Manhattan Island fight bad-guys of every kind. An arsenal of combos is at your unlimited disposal to put down crime in whatever way you choose. An elaborate skill tree upgrades your combat abilities as you progress through the game. At the base of the tree you are able to perform a four hit melee combo. With Further upgrades you can branch out into different combos by pressing different buttons.

The enemies that stand against you change consistently throughout the entirety of the story, stating with street gangs, then soldiers, and finally Symbiotes. How much time you spend fighting one type of enemy is up you, based on how many of the optional objectives you complete.

The main missions vary enough to not get repetitive throughout the duration of the (game time) game. The optional objectives, however, are extremely repetitive. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this case. Unlike games such as Fallout and Mass Effect, doing the optional missions doesn’t have a whole ton of payback. But, it is lots of fun to just swing around beating the living leprechauns out of criminals, and having the extra experience added for completing an objective.

Web of Shadows has an interesting leveling scheme. Experience points go toward adding and improving skills. Your health and “Special Meter” are upgraded by locating increasing amounts of collectables. This is okay, because for the entire game these things are everywhere. There are so many at the beginning that you would have to try not to pick them up to avoid leveling up. If you hunt them religiously, then they begin to dwindle. After 1000 collectables found, each remaining one appears on the 3D mini-map as a red dot.

The Special Meter is used for two things. The first is to unleash one of six devastating attacks, each with different uses. The second use is to keep an ally there to help you.

Your allies will either be villains if you use the black suit more, or the heroes if you use the red suit more. Additionally, there are several points in the story where you must choose a good or evil path for the story. Both the good and evil choices will put you in the same place at the end, but it will determine whom is your ally, and what missions you do.

Probably the most fun part of the entire game was the swinging from place to place in crazy ways. I spent more time doing that, looking for fights, collectables, and whatever else might catch m interest than anything else. For the most part, transitions from air, to ground, walls to air, and walls to ground were fine. I found in annoyingly difficult to effectively move from the air to a wall. I would hit a wall violently then press the print button as I fell. Then the camera would spasm as Spiderman started sprinting around the building until I maneuvered the cameras to get him moving up

Spiderman Isn’t Looking so Hot

The graphics are a disappointment for the Next-Gen consoles. It is a display I would expect to see on PS2 games (indeed, Web of Shadow is on the PS2). Each building looked like it was done in Google Sketch-up, with some extra lighting effects. That would be fine if each building was unique, but I found that I ran into identical buildings almost all the time.

The animations at least were to be respected. Each animation flowed smoothly from one to the other, without ever having Spidey perform spasms. It was a large part of what made swinging through the city so much fun. Perhaps it was just the disk I was using, but even though the game is single player, I seemed to experience what was exactly like lag in some of the faster sequences. I suppose it was having trouble loading the information so fast.

One of the biggest problems of course was the camera. Most of the time I would fight it to point in the direction I wanted. Sometimes it would point straight up or down (no in between). Fighting in the air was useless, as unless you ignored whom you hit (or if you hit anybody) and rapidly pressed the hit button, you would fall to the ground. Fighting on walls was also futile. The camera prevented me from effectively hitting my opponents.

After the Bad-Guys Are Stuck to the Wall…

Spiderman: Web of Shadows is a simple, addictive, and easy to get into game. It provided enough enemies to fight, enough objectives to complete, and enough to do if all you want to do is burn boredom. Although I don’t think I would ever spend my $60 on it, the game also isn’t sold for that much, plus you can get it used. If you are either a die-hard superhero or Spiderman fan, or somebody that enjoys casual and fun games, this game is for you.

Godly Gaming

2009-07-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

I am one of very many, yet somehow disregarded, Christian Gamers. It is unfortunate that we are so unknown. God has recently put it into my attention that I should be more upfront about my religion, and so I now am making steps toward gaming with God in mind. This doesn’t mean I must avoid any game with more than an “E” rating. It simply means that when those kids with annoying voices and foul language start ripping on me, I should guide them instead of making them worse. Or when I hand someone’s ass to them, I shouldn’t boast, but I should encourage them, give them advice, and most importantly, say “Good game!”

It baffles me how more Christian gamers haven’t caught on to this simple step into a greater relationship with their Savior. But then I remember that most believers aren’t looking for that stronger connection, and have forgotten about the amazing things in store for them if only they dedicated themselves a little more. This imposes even more reason to put God into our time on the couch, or at the computer desk. If we can simply remind people that God is there they may take a second look.

But now I digress from the purpose of this blog. On a more appropriate note, why aren’t there any games that display biblical history. I recently read the book of Joshua, then Judges and 1 Samuel. All four of these books in the Bible have quite a bit of action in them. Thee book of Joshua would make an excellent RTS game. The entire story of Samson could be a God of War–esque adventure, but with Philistines instead of demons. David goes through a huge period of his life where he is hiding from Saul, which could also make an excellent adventure.

The only thing that I ask of any developer attempting a biblical game is that they have excellent character development, cinematic quality, and to hold true to the story in the Bible. Character development is needed for us to understand what they are going through and how their relationship with God changes and develops. Cinematic quality is needed to really connect with the player. There are some games that are so immersive or have such compelling story telling techniques that I can just feel the results in my gut. It would be great to see this same thing applied to God’s story.

But the most important thing for any biblical game is for the truth to be told. There are enough large media sources that distort the story told in the Bible, the most immediate that come to mind is Assassin’s Creed. We don’t need anymore of those, especially when that game claims to be based on the Bible. It is a sin to change the Bible, according to Revelations 22:18-19. I see no reason why we should change it in a medium other than words.

If you are a Christian and are interested in starting a new adventure with Christ, then crack open your Bible, or get one if needed, and start reading. You will find it rather bland at first, but as you read you learn to see the words in a different way. I can’t really describe it. For a war epic, read Joshua. For a more personal adventure story, 1 and 2 Samuel will accommodate you. The book of Ruth is a romance, and explains an important part of Jesus’ ancestry. Of course the story of Jesus is very important, and that can be read in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, or all four. Revelations is about the end of the world that is sure interesting.

I ave recently found a great site dedicated to Christian gamers, Hardcore Christian Gamers. It has a great community who is active, ready to help you grow in Christ, and who can also be called hardcore gamers. Add me as a friend, my username is SavageReindeer.

Some Thoughts on Project Natal

2009-06-27T12:48:00.001-07:00

Unlike the Wii, Natal uses your real motions, so repeating actions are a no-no (unless you want to). I see Natal being used not so much for simple actions like "thumbs up and thumbs down", but more for inventing your own way of playing a game. There are already fighting games where you can make your own combos.

Natals weak spot is that unless they do things like preset commands (like the Wii) we are limited to actions that are in our capabilities. A big reason I play video games is because I can experience things I could never otherwise do, immersion if you will. Natal limits me to things I can do on my own unless they use "preset waggle commands". Of course, there is always the fact that the visuals will be provided.

Also, Natal limits you so that you can only face one direction, so for FPSs we must still have some control stick or a waggle command for the direction we are facing. for that reason a first person ninja fighting game will be hard to do because you won't be able to make that punch while spinning around. On the same game, you won't be able to do a spinning drop-kick of doom.

There are a number of other thing to consider. Is Natal powerful enough to track all of your fingers? If not, what about triggers, buttons, etc. If so, I would still like some kind of physical button to make it feel like a am lulling a trigger. This problem is easily solved with specialized controllers, but then we go back to what the Wii already has. Additionally, will we have to drop our pistol controller and pick up our assault rifle one? If not, then how will it limit games? The immersion might be nerfed if I am holding a rocket launcher in game, but only a pistol in life.

Also, when the physical and virtual worlds collide, it can screw up competitive gaming, giving the more physically equipped people the advantage. SOme sports suffer from this. The people with more money get the better equipment and so have more potential. But now I am getting nit-picky.

Don't get me wrong, Natal is a great thing, I will definitely be getting it. I know that it is aimed at casual gamers and I appreciate the fact that Microsoft is widening their audience. But Natal would have taken a lot of time and money. I have also noticed that the PS3 is catching up to Xbox on the games front. I'm worried that Microsoft will ditch the hardcore audience to an extent to chase after the casual gamer audience.

Yahtzee from Zero Puncuation once said:

Oh sure, you'll get a few sales from the gimmick crowd...Everything is fine until someone invents with a slightly shinier object and then you end up crawling back to the core fanbase you spent the last few years blowing off.

Then again, I guess we just can't judge properly until we see what developers try to do with Natal.

E3 '09 Sony Conferance

2009-06-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

As soon as I got home I turned on the live E3 footage at Gamespot. I happened to turn it on just at the beginning of the Final Fantasy 13 trailer. I was pleased with what I saw. The graphics met expectations; gameplay was smooth but not so different from other games. But I am sure that story will be the highlight of the game. From what was shown in the trailer, the setting was unique and interesting. I can’t wait to try it out.

Then, Sony announced a PS3 exclusive that was on development at the same time as FF13. Final Fantasy 14 was totally different than 13. While the latter featured high tech scenery and lots of machines, the former had a setting based on medieval tech, mixed with a few machines. FF14 is, like FF11, a MMO.

But the Highlight of the show was the motion control “wand” that they showed for the PS3. It was very much like the Wiimote, but they only had one trigger (at least they only mentioned one). The difference was that the wand could be tracked through 3D space with and orb on top of each. They were extremely accurate. Additionally, two wands could be used at the same time to simulate things like a bow and arrow, sword and shield, and other things.

The wand was also efficient at drawing, selecting, and writing. They showed the wands being used in a pseudo RPS game, where a group of tanks could quickly be selected and ordered around. In fact, the wands were very much like a mouse in that scenario. Perhaps RPS games will finally find a proper place in console gaming.

In contrast to Microsoft’s “Natal” project, the wands were very different. While Natal was aimed at people who may have never played a video game before, the wands were aimed at people who play video games moderately. I won’t comment on which is better because I have very little idea what each will be like in real game situations. It will be interesting to see where they go.

Next, Sony showed off a game that combined several ideas together, to make something different. It’s called ModNation. From the gameplay demo presented, it looked like a cross between, Spore, Far Cry 2, and Mario Cart. First we saw how the character and vehicle customization worked. This part was like spore. You could select different parts to create a character. It looked like there were quite a few parts to choose from, as well as some pre-made characters and vehicles.

Then we saw some racing that looked like Mario cart. They performed power-slide around corners, picked up weapons, and blew up their opponents. But the really interesting part of the game was the track editor, which looked like the map editor from Far Cry 2. The terrain was built the same way, decorations included a “town brush”, sheep, and trees. Needless to say, ModNation looked extremely customizable, fun, and a great addition to the PS3.

One of the most anticipated games for the PS3 is God of War 3. For those not familiar with the franchise (I did not play either of the originals) Cratos is a man demi-god with the soul purpose of taking revenge on Zeus and the other Gods for putting down the Titans. God of War 3 is brutal to say the least. The combat was smooth as butter and included such perks as slow-mo finishing kills, combo kills, and lots more kills.

You bash your way through hordes of monsters that vary greatly. Near the end of the demo, a gigantic monster appeared and stated to rip apart the fortress you were in. Although they ended the demo just before the fight with it, we did get to witness a fight with a much smaller, but tough centaur like creature. Animations were fluid and different. I think this may be the best title for the PS3.

And so ends the PS3 press conference, and the first of 5 conferences of E3. I can’t wait to see what is in store for us next.

Microsoft Pre-E3 Press Conference

2009-06-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has just finished their Pre-E3 press conference. And I have to say, everything shown was Epic, with a capitol "E"! A number of new titles to the Xbox 360 were announced, including the newest Metal Gear game. Returning to the scene are Left 4 Dead, Halo: Reach (yes Halo 4), Crackdown 2, and Forza Motorsport 3.

One of the more interesting additions was project "Natal", which is Microsoft's answer to the Nintendo Wii. Unlike the Wiimote, Natal requires no controller. Instead a camera follows your movements, much like the Eyetoy for the Playstation 2. I think we can assume that Natal will be much better than the Eyetoy. According to Team Teabag, the presentation showed an avatar following the motions of the user.

Also shown was an AI created by Peter Molyneux's Lionhead Games, named "Milo", that could listen to you respond, and even interpret emotions. I am currently holding out for a video to see just how powerful Milo is.

It seems that Microsoft is trying to get into Sony's Web capabilities. With upcoming software updates, Xbox LIVE GOld members will be able to use Twitter, Last.FM, and Facebook from their 360 console. It's exiting to see Microsoft branch out like this.

Even more exiting is the games that were announced. Left 4 Dead 2 has an official release date of November 17 (a little soon I think, how will it have a lot of new content and gameplay?). Crackdown 2 will be released sometime in 2010. Forza Motorsport 3 was announced, with the best graphics on any 360 game yet.

But the 3 most outstanding games were Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo: Reach.

For a long time it has been rumoured that the next Metal Gear Solid game is coming to the Xbox 360, now it is at last confirmed to be true! Little is known about MGS: Rising, but we do know that Snake will not be making an appearance. Instead you play as Raiden.

Halo 3: ODST sowed off some gameplay, including night-vision mode, piloting a drop-pod, co-op, switching characters, and yet another pistol. Halo 3: ODST will be released September 22nd of this year.

Here's what we've all been waiting for, Halo 4! Again, almost nothing is known about this exiting prequel. BUt we can assume some things. Halo: Reach will take place during the Covenant attack on Reach. We also know that you will lose the battle. Your can see the new trailer HERE. If you look just below the video you can see several characters with unique traits. That, combined with the knowledge that in ODST you can switch characters brings some interesting possibilities. Halo: Reach will be released sometime in 2010.

2009-06-01T06:02:00.000-07:00

One more night, that’s all there is left of the wait for the celebrated Electronic Entertainment Expo. Better known as E3, the convention has become one of the biggest events for developers and publishers to showcase their video games. It has become a huge resource for people following the development of an upcoming release, as well as for companies to get the publicity they need.

E3 is held in Los Angeles at the LA Convention Center. If you are thinking of showing up expecting to get in, don’t count on it. E3 is an invitation only event since 2007. Unless you are part of the press, there isn't any chance that you could get in.

This year we have a spectacular list of games to drool at over the Internet. Games such as Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier, Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, and Halo 3: ODST (?) will all be making appearances. Maybe more exiting is the titles that will be announced. Although we don’t know what they are, new games are always exiting, and we are almost certain to get something we want.

Already some teaser trailers have been released to hype people up for E3. Such trailers include Modern Warfare 2, Borderlands. Both look amazing, but they also do what they are supposed to. I am left wanting more! Just one more night, just one more night, just one more night…

Each day of E3 I will post the updates and announcements. There is no doubt that there will be no lack of content to discuss. If you want more immediate information, Gametrailers.com is doing 24-hour live coverage with Spike TV.

Just to make the time pass a little more slowly, here’s a countdown:

Jak X: Combat Racing

2009-05-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

The last Jak Production from Naughty Dog branches out from their traditional adventure style gameplay. Instead, they have taken one of the best aspects in the Jak and Daxter franchise and made an entire game out of it. Jak X is a fast paced and explosive racing game with new cars, new weapons, and new ways to race.

Many Years later…

Jak and Daxter have both been invited to the reading of Krew’s will (remember, the tub of lard from Jak 2). You have no idea what the meeting will entail, but head on over to Kras City anyway. When you get there, you start getting death threats and attempted murders. Somebody doesn’t want you there.

At the meeting you find out that the drink you have just enjoyed had a special poison in it. Turns out that you and all of your friends were dragged to the racing capitol in time to participate in the Kras City World Cup. Why you ask? Because Krew loves racing almost as much as he loves eating. Even after he well over due death, he is going to bet on the biggest race in the world. If you should win the tournament, an antidote to the poison will be provided.

To join you in the adventure we see all of your favorite characters. Torn, Ashelin, Kiera, Sig, Pecker, they’re all involved. To freshen things up a host of new characters are brought in as well.

To save your own skin, and the skin of your friends, you must win all four cups, each corresponding to a different colour of Eco. As you progress through each cup, the difficulty is increased, and newer vehicles are unlocked.

More Than Just Passing the Old Lady in Front of You

Jak X is every bit a Jak game as it is a racing game. The difference is that there is an increased badass feel to it. One-liners are aplenty from every character. Racing is fast, really fast. To keep up with the crowd you have to use turbo lots, and power slide more.

While you are blazing through tracks faster than you can keep track of, you are also smashing others into a thousand pieces. Two types of weapons exist: offensive and defensive. Each is gathered separately by running over tokens. Offensive weapons are collected from Yellow Eco and launched out the front. Defensive weapons are gathered from red Eco and are dropped behind the vehicle to deter anybody trailing back.

Blue Eco supplies turbo, which can also be gained with power slides and hang time. And green Eco repairs your vehicle. The different Eco types are supplied consistently throughout the tracks and a t no point will you find yourself noticing a lack of any of them.

Dark Eco plays an interesting role in this game. If you were smart enough to play Jak 2 or 3, you know that Dark Eco transforms you into a badass. In Jak X, the sa

me is done in a slightly different way. When you take damage, or kill another driver, you collect Dark Eco. When your meter is full, all of your weapons and your turbo are enhanced.

While some of the weapons actually do more damage—namely the machine gun and grenades—others have special abilities added to them. The oil slick, for example, will not only cause anybody behind you to swerve to the side of the track, but it will also do extra damage with fire.

Game types and Numbers:

Much to my surprise I found a wide variety of different game types. Each demanded its own style of gameplay. You can’t just repeat the same techniques throughout the entire game.

Most of the game types are copies of challenges from the other games in the franchise. You will find the standard Circuit Race, Time Trials, Death Matches, Freeze Rallies, and others. New game types include Turbo Dashes, Death Races, and Rush Hour.

Very early on you know which game types you are good at, and which you are bad at. Personally I could easily get gold medals in any game that required me to move quickly, but struggled to achieve a bronze medal in any game where I had to steer towards targets. Nonetheless, with many extra hours of gameplay I was able to earn a gold medal in every story race.

Jak X includes a huge amount of content. You can choose from any of 24 tracks, drive 12 cars (with dozens upon dozens of custom body parts), and use 12 different weapons. On top of that, in “exhibition” races, you can choose from any of 16 unlockable characters.

In Adventure mode, you can spend Precursor Orbs (the currency) on vehicle upgrades. Vehicles can have their acceleration, armour, max speed, and turbo all enhanced up to a point that varies for each vehicle.

The vehicles themselves have fluctuating advantages and disadvantages. While some are more like tanks with turbo, others have virtually no armour at all. While the former is quite useful for death matches and similar game types, it lacks the speed necessary to compete in a circuit race. The latter can’t survive long enough to find a target in a death match, but if you can manage to avoid crashing it makes for the best circuit race vehicle.

VROOM! VROOM!

The soundtrack was not outstanding. It didn’t sound like something else, the way it does in Halo for example. On the other hand it definitely set the mood. Throughout the entire game you listen to several similar electric guitar songs. When you hit the turbo the music kicks up in both volume and speed. If nothing else, the music was certainly immersive. I had a hard time pulling myself out of the game after a close race; largely due to the music.

The sounds are repetitive, making for the largest problem. Not only do you listen to the same 3 or 4 tracks over and over again, but the voice acting is the same also. Sometimes you can here two different characters say the exact same thing back to back in a race. Luckily, everything they do say are clever one-liners that may make you chuckle.

A New Hair Due, But the Same Jak

The graphics are what we have come to expect and appreciate from a Jak game. Yes, they do look like cartoons, with just a hint of anime to them, but everything looks tremendous.

Jak has gotten yet another hair cut; if he goes any shorter he won’t have any hair left. Daxter returns with his recently acquired pants. Despite that fabulous eye candy, there were a few character costumes that bugged me, namely Torn’s. Fortunately, that can easily be ignored since he plays a back seat role in this story.

When the Dust has Settled

After 120+ hours of gameplay I can safely say that this is a great addition to the Jak and Daxter Franchise. It is immersive, replayable, and a blast to play with friends. While lacking in areas such as variety in music

As an added bonus, this game is now very cheap. If you still have your old Playstation 2 lying around, I highly recommend picking up this game for the 30 bucks it will cost you.

Rating:

Gameplay: 9

Story: 7.5

Multiplayer: 9

Music: 6.5

Graphics: 8.5

Overall: 8.1

Far Cry 2

2009-05-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

Crytek left behind the next Far Cry game when it decided to do Crysis. Instead, Ubisoft developed Far Cry 2. They took many of the characteristics of the first Far Cry game, and added many unique features not yet seen in video games. Needless to say, they did a great job of creating something reminiscent of the original, and at the same time unique.

In an African Nation Far, Far Away…

Far Cry 2 returns to Africa for its terrific story. The scenery is certainly different. While the original game had rainforests thriving with plenty of green life, its sequel displays golden savannahs, forests, and shanty villages.

The lack of official military presence cats a different feel in combat. The conflict is between two factions in an unnamed African country, the United Front for Liberation and Labor (UFLL) and the Alliance for Popular Resistance (APR).

Supplying the two factions is a man known only as “The Jackal”. You are a mercenary who was hired to kill the infamous and allusive weapons dealer. Unfortunately, you have been set back by malaria. To find the Jackal you must work your way up the chain of command in each faction.

The Three B’s: Bang, Boom, and Burn

To me, the physics are the second best part of Far Cry 2. Ubisoft was very innovative when they put together the Dunia Engine, which was made specifically for Far Cry 2Ubisoft definitely aimed for realism, especially when it came to explosions and fire.

I’m going to come out and say it. Far Cry 2 is currently the only game with realistically spreading fire. I looked on several places on the Internet for similar concepts and found nothing but Far Cry 2. Fire doesn’t just burn any burnable material. Where it spreads is affected by moisture, wind direction, and even whether or not it’s on a hill. Fire spreads faster in the dry savannahs than the lush forests. If there happens to be rain, it might not spread at all, and it would spread only a little and slowly if rain had just stopped pouring from the sky.

Fire can be used as a strategic advantage in many scenarios, but it can work against you as well. Be sure to watch for tell tale signs of wind direction before you ignite the grass you are standing in.

Also new in Far Cry 2 are guns that rust and jam with use. As you hike through the rain, swim across rivers, and endure explosions, your gun will visually change from its original colour to brownish oranges and reds. Then it will begin to jam. To have your gun lock up when you pull the trigger on a target is exhilarating, to say the least. You can take cover to un-jam the faulty hardware, or switch to one of your 3 other weapons to take care of that target.

The explosions look how explosions are supposed to. What else can I say? There are a variety of explosive objects including oil drums, propane tanks, vehicles, and you name it. Far Cry 2 features more explosions than I have seen in any other game.

The only unrealistic aspect to this game is health. You can take several bullets without any bulletproof vests or other protective clothing, and walk it off after a quick healing animation. But is that any worse than any other game? No. In the Call of Duty franchise you can take an unlimited amount of bullets, and just leave them in your flesh. Far Cry 2 at least has the decency to show you pulling some of those bullets out.

The AI is smart, but also realistic. It is clear you are fighting untrained, inexperienced men who were either drafted into one of the factions, or thought that signing up would make for some easy cash. That’s not to say that they are easy to fight. Enemies are smart enough to flank you. Make sure to watch your back at all times.

Unfortunately, the AI has several pitfalls, one of which is actually a feature implemented by Ubisoft. Your enemies all have a “GPS’ tracking system. As soon as one of them identifies you, every enemy in the immediate vicinity know exactly where you are. It destroys all opportunities for close-quarters stealth missions. The other annoyance is that they have an uncanny skill for spotting you even in the darkest brush. I could be looking right at them and not see anything, and they would see me perfectly fine.

Can’t Watch Your Own Back? Get Friend to Do it for you!

Surprisingly, Far Cry 2 contains a full-fledged multiplayer structure. A single game can hold the standard number of players, 16. Player and Ranked matches are available, and as host you can play either user created, or Ubisoft maps in both match types.

The ranking system is very different than other games. You earn experience with kills, captures and other feats. When you level up, you are given one diamond to spend on one of five classes. When you spend a diamond on a class, its weapons are upgraded. Three upgrades are available for each class. For example, the first upgrade for the commando class exchanges the G3 assault rifle, for the AK-47. The second upgrade exchanges the

secondary pistol with a grenade launcher, and the third replaces the AK-47 with the FAL Paratrooper rifle.

The five classes are:

Commando – Assault rifles,
Sharpshooter – Sniper rifles
Guerrilla - Shotguns
Gunner - Heavy weapons
Rebel- Fire weapons
Saboteur – Silenced weapons

Each of the classes is built for different purposes, and a balance of them on a team is invaluable on the battlefield.

Another interesting feature is the emphasis on team games. Instead of spawning a set time after you die, your team spawns on 20-second intervals. The result is that you may end up waiting 20 seconds, or one second, but you will always respawn with the rest of your team.

As great as the multiplayer experience is, I have a big complaint about ranked matches. Every single time a game ends, you are brought back to the multiplayer menu. I suppose that this is in place to fend off cheaters. But it is near impossible to stay with a team that you played well with. On top of that, every time a game ends, you have to endure not 1, but 2 loading screens.

This is not a problem with player matches, however. So if you don’t have a problem with your rank not being saved, you can get along fine never even touching ranked matches.

The best part about multiplayer is the hordes of user created maps. The map editor has given us the ability to make art to play on. Some of the pieces I have seen are breathtaking.

Once a week I get on with some Xbox Live friends and host a map sharing round. For several hours we see the many maps created the players in the game, or by our friends. It is a lot of fun. The night allows people to get their maps critiqued before official release or get ratings and publicity.

If Lego Merged with Play-Doh

Which brings us the to icing on the cake, the Far Cry 2 Map Editor. Although similar map editors have been around in gaming—in Crysis and Far Cry 1 to name a couple—this editor is the first real map creator to make it to the Xbox 360. If you were excited about Halo 3’s Forge, wait till you see what you can do in this game. Map making made easy? No. Map making made better? Definitely.

Unlike Forge, which utilized only objects, Far Cry 2 gives us the ability to mold the terrain like Play-Doh. A variety of shaping tools lets you easily create mountains, rivers, coastlines, lakes, and whatever else you could want. Not included is the ability to make waterfalls or caves (although caves can be made by piling rocks on top of indentations).

To decorate your mountains and rolling hills, a “Collections” tool will paint jungles, forests, savannahs rocks, and every thing in between.

The Map Editor can also “mesh” objects together and hang them in the air without need for glitches. It is a huge time saver compared to Forge, in which you had to constantly save, exit the map, re-enter, and other annoying processes to get varying results. Other essential functions include selecting more than one object, copy and paste, and undo/redo.

Complimenting the wide flexibility of the object editor, is the literally hundreds upon hundreds of objects to choose from. There are so many that I can’t even really give you a small list to illustrate the variety.

What I can do is tell you what objects are missing. There is a significant absence of blocks and shapes that don’t serve any real world purpose. We are forced to make do with large rectangular cement blocks, fences, pipes, and other unconventional pieces.

That hasn’t slowed down mapmakers though. Somehow they have managed to recreate truly convincing sets that look nothing like the pieces they are made from.

On fc2maps.com you can find a variety of Far Cry 2 maps for the PC. Some great screenshots are to be found there.

I Spy with my Little Eye

The Graphics are beautiful. Ubisoft clearly put an honest effort into making the not only the scenery, but the character models, and animations look astounding. In the savannahs of Africa you witness the most colourful sunsets in gaming. Golden grass glistens in the sunlight and fire dances in the night.

The reloading animations in particular stood out to me. The way the hand moved around to gun to replace used bullets was exceedingly realistic. In fact, hands got a special seat in this game. You see them performing all the time, reloading, un-jamming a gun, and fixing up wounds. You don’t see that attention to detail many places anymore.

If you are getting this game for the PC, and are not an avid PC gamer, double check that the system requirements are met. Of course, on the consoles you need not worry.

The Sound of Music

The music meets the setting of Far Cry 2 with drumbeats, African chants, and generally music that would fit a safari with guns. In times lacking action the music accommodates. But come time for a firefight, a quick drumbeat picks up to suit those circumstances as well. However, it was somewhat of an annoyance to have the fast paced sounds pick up any time I happened to launch a bullet going nowhere.

You Might Leave Today, but you’ll be Back Tomorrow

As a take a breather and reflect on the brilliant sequel, I feel a sense of satisfaction. Far Cry 2 is a game I can go back to again and again. Every week there is new content unlike any other. The story is great, multiplayer can make for a night of laughs and conversation, and it is pleasing to the eye. What else can you ask for?

Halo Wars

2009-05-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

The last production from Ensemble Studios also happens to be the newest addition to the Halo series. Halo Wars brings the celebrated franchise back to its origins in every way. You may be surprised to find that Halo: Combat Evolved was originally going to be a strategy game before it was switched to the FPS colossus it is today.

Halo Wars is set back twenty years before Combat Evolved, in the early days of the war with the covenant. More specifically it takes place after the time discussed in the novel “Contact Harvest”. The humans have taken the planet back, but the Covenant has not given up. They seem to have found something in the ice.

This unknown artifact uncovered by the Covenant, who are under charge of the Prophet of Regret, is enough to make mankind fight on. Discovery and investigation of the artifact by key characters sends them on an adventure to stop the Prophet from acquiring the power to destroy the human race. Just to burst some bubbles of assumption, this power is not a Halo ring.

For those of you unfamiliar with the strategy genre, it essentially puts you in the seat of a general, which flies 40 ft in the air. From this throne in the sky you command units of troops to go attack enemy units, as well as upgrade your own units, and build units to replace old ones. The trick to this RPS is to out maneuver and counter your opponent. You must choose the proper units to counter your enemies. There are countless ways to play, and in Halo Wars, no strategy is the trump card.

Unlike most RPS games, Halo Wars is fast and combat based. A limited number of technologies to research, and branching tech trees, are replaced with perfect unit balances and tight bottleneck passageways.

Different from traditional RPS games is the inability to build a structure anywhere on the map. This allows for plenty of space to micro-manage and maneuver you forces, without having it cluttered by unimportant structures. Instead, your base has a limited number of slots to build whatever structure suits your purpose. But, if you must have a forward base next to your enemy’s, the Elephant vehicle can be deployed anywhere, to train infantry out of.

The campaign consists of fifteen missions, each taking anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on your skill level and the difficulty setting. As per Halo tradition, Legendary difficulty is a task set for only the strongest players, and a friend to help cannot be dismissed lightly. The missions will consist of various objectives that correspond to the story. I was surprised by the variety of objective types. I was told to protect, destroy, grow, rescue, move, and many other things that all required a slight change to my usual strategy. Many times I was removed from the cozy bubble of my usual tactics to confront new challenges.

The cut-scenes in this game are real gems. Rarely do you find videos of such quality in games outside of Final Fantasy. Everything from the lighting to the camera angles was so perfect they would impress the best movie directors. I went back again and again to watch these videos. I was left longing for a Halo Movie reminiscent of the Final Fantasy CG movies, but without the Japanese touch.

How can you have a Halo game without cooperative campaign? The answer is: you can’t. Halo Wars features online 2 player cooperative play. Instead of controlling two different armies, each player is given control of half the units in the beginning, and complete control over any building. You control any unit you build. Units can be passed between the players, so if you want one player to manage economy, and the other to manage combat, feel free.

A Skirmish is essentially a standard game between 2-6 players, divided into 2 teams. You are thrown into a large map where you must compete for base placements, strategic positions, and in the end, wipe out your opponent. Currently, only two game types exist, but three more are available downloadable content. A skirmish can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours.

You can play on any of 15 maps. Each of the maps has unique control points and play style. One map has a Mega-Turret to use against you opponent, another has collapsing energy bridges, and on yet another you can release flood against you foe.

As with all Halo games, multiplayer shines more brightly than any other aspect. Hours and hours of fun filled war mongering await you with a familiar matchmaking and ranking system. You can tag along with up to 3 friends for explosive, long, and truly epic battles. Nothing is more terrifying than 6 Scarab tanks arriving on you doorstep wanting a piece of your dignity, or a horde of vehicles and infantry ready to tear you apart.

Unlike previous games by Ensemble Studios, the AI is life like. Never will you find your opponent somehow doing two things at once. On the mini-map you can watch a friendly AI’s cursor scroll around just like your own.

Just as life like is the AI’s ability to respond to requests for help when you put a flare down. They can judge whether or not they will lose a fight and will pull their forces back to decrease casualties. Thus, if you cannot get Xbox Live, you are not missing out when it comes to a good skirmish experience.

When I first heard the soundtrack, I thought for sure that Ensemble had brought in Marty O’Donnell himself (the man who composed the music in the Halo trilogy) to create the score. Much to my surprise, Marty did not compose these worthy tracks, Stephen Rippy did. In every way these songs remind me of various songs that show up throughout the Halo series. They are the same and unique at the same time. All I can say on this topic is “Bravo, Stephen,”

Okay, I’ll admit it. The unit models don’t have the best polygon count. But I have to ask myself (and you) does it really matter when you’re 40 feet in the air? You are so high up that it would be impossible to see any real difference, even on the best TVs. But, the backgrounds, particle effects, lighting, and so forth are all superb. My only real complaint is that I cannot zoom in far enough to see the awesome animations in great detail. I have wanted to watch my Spartan rip a driver from a tank and get in, but could only see it in minor detail. It baffles me how such a simple feature could not be included.

Above all the other accomplishments of Halo Wars, none can match the fact that Halo Wars looks, sounds, and even feels like Halo. Where Halo was famous for its “30 seconds of fun, respawn, 30 seconds of fun…” Halo Wars matches it with “5 minutes of fun, rebuild, 5 minutes of fun…” All the sounds match perfectly to the other games. You can even hear the shields of a Spartan recharging in the aftermath of a conflict. Warthogs fishtail around corners and Ghosts strafe from side to side.

When all is done and said, Halo Wars is not only a worthy addition to the Halo franchise, it even raises the bar is some areas. Campaign is exiting and non-repetitive, skirmish is fast, fun, and unique, and to top it all off, a matchmaking system is implemented. Music is reminiscent of its predecessors and graphics are fine. I can safely say the Ensemble Studios’ Halo Wars is a must have for any fan of Halo or strategy games.

Story: 7.5

Single Player: 9

Multiplayer: 10

Music: 10

Graphics: 8

Overall: 9

Bioshock

2009-05-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

Developed and published by 2K games, Bioshock is a must have on your shelf. It is the most awe-inspiring and immersive First Person Shooter Role Playing Game to hit stores this decade. Bioshock features a world full of unique characters, enemies, combat situations, and art.

The game is based in the underwater city of “Rapture” during the year 1960. A strong worded man by the name of Andrew Ryan had chosen to build the city. It was kept a complete secret from the rest of the world, because Rapture had a something to hide.

The purpose of the city was to have no constraints in a man’s work. To quote Andrew Ryan himself: “A city where the artist would not fear the censor. Where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality. Where the great would not be constrained by the small.”

Without any government holding it back, science in the city rocketed decades upon decades ahead of its time, particularly in the field of genetics. On the bottom of the ocean floor, a sea slug was discovered that generated stem cells when attached to a host. These stem cells could then be rewritten to give to amazing powers (called Plasmids), or simply give a booster to your skills (called Gene Tonics).

The sea slugs are housed inside innocent looking looks girls of perhaps 8 to10 years old called “Little Sisters”. Removal of the slug requires a process that would kill the girl. Thus, to protect the Little Sisters from impending doom are the Big Daddies. These enormous monsters in protective diving suit are essentially tanks. They come in two varieties, “Bouncers”, which will slam the ground to make you lose balance and then charge into you with a gigantic drill; and “Rosies”, which throw proximity mines at you between shots from a gigantic gun.

It’s a good thing the Big Daddies are around, because Rapture has gone to Hell. Through a series of events that are slowly revealed with audio diaries, Ryan lost control of his city, and people went crazy from over use of Plasmids. You must fight your way through a city full of insane and interesting enemies, aptly named “Splicers”, who seem to hate you for no reason other than that your not crazy yourself. Although there are a limited amount of character models for enemies, it is hardy a downer when the rest of the scenery looks so nice.

Although the graphics are not photorealistic, they certainly serve their purpose perfectly. Blood and gore is aplenty in this city. Many of views reflect the cities state of anarchy. I saw bodies covered in crucified, torn apart by crazed surgeons, and left lying in the streets to rot in the murk. There was even an artist who would kill people to turn their corpses into ‘art’ (one of the sections in the game I find most disturbing).

Further adding to the atmosphere is the voice acting of the Splicers. They will sing songs in a fashion that reminds me of some horror movies. They talk to you and scream blood-curdling cries. In the dark corners of the city they laugh and mock at you before jumping out to smash your face in with a pipe. Their laughter truly is the melody of Rapture. Speaking of which…

The only music to be heard is from the 50’s. It radiates from radios lying around the city, so if you wanted a city without music, you could destroy every radio. It creates an immersion you don’t find elsewhere.

Also filling the silence are audio diaries, which are found frequently throughout the city, and messages through your two-way radio. Characters throughout the game constantly inform you of objectives, and explain what is happening. The voice acting is tremendous, some of the best to have found its way to my ears in a long time. The characters are truly believable and as complex as the setting they are placed in.

Throughout the entire game I found consistent, and at the same time fresh game play. The 8 enemy types came at a decent pace that gave me time to rest and explore without having to make it feel like I was out of the game. I felt no transition between rest periods and combat periods. Unlike other games, where it feels like go there, do that, prepare to fight this boss, and so on and so forth, Bioshock was fluid. It still had some of the typical objectives, but you didn’t notice when one objective stopped and another started, save for a little notice that is shown.

Unlike other games, all the weapons are equal. The pistol is as useful as the flamethrower is as useful as the machine gun is as useful as the wrench. Indeed, you can use the even your very first weapon, the wrench, and straight through till the finale boss effectively. Certain Gene Tonics can enhance you wrench smashing abilities in exiting ways. Similarly, you can use those Tonics to enhance sneakiness, overall damage, and other skills.

The plasmids available included a Star Wars style lightning shock, fire, ice, telekinesis, hypnotizing goodness, and even the talent to shoot swarms of insects from your arms. Needless to say, they are very cool. But, if magical powers aren’t your style, feel free to use them only on occasion. There are enough guns to facilitate someone who avoids plasmids, and vice versa.

Above all others released in its year, Bioshock is a must have for any gamer, casual or die-hard. You can play this unique and action filled story over and over, each time finding something new and exiting. No game could copy this work of art. Perhaps not even the coming sequel.

Game Play: 9

Story: 10

Graphics: 9.5 /10

Music: 8.5

Overall: 9.25

1 vs. 100

2009-05-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

Way back when, while we were still waiting for the New Xbox Experience to be released, I remember one of the features being the “1 vs. 100”. Even after reading the description I was baffled at what they were trying to do. I got a vague sense that it was a game show arcade game. I was right, and at the time I thought it a terrible idea. I’m no fan of game shows; the just aren’t entertaining to me. But 1 vs. 100 ended up being a very enjoyable experience.

The beta version was released this past Friday in Canada. That particular show ended up being at 10 pm EST. Other shows in the schedule showed the same time on other days, and sometimes even later (2 or 3 in the morning). It seems that Microsoft is attempting to scare off the younger players. I will admit that 10 o’clock is usually later than I bother playing Xbox.

I assume that 1 vs. 100 is the same, or very, very similar to the short lived TV show of the same name. I however have never seen the show. Here is how it works. There are three categories of players. There is the crowd, they can answer questions, but cannot earn Microsoft points. The Mob, made up of 100 players, answers questions and tries to get The One to answer a question wrong. The One has to outlast the Mob by answering all the questions correctly. If you are in The Mob and you answer a question wrong, you join the crowd.

Scoring for The One is based on how many Mob members he has eliminated. For every 10 or so of the Mob that is eliminated, the score (which directly represents how many Microsoft points you get) goes up exponentially, starting at 0, 300, 600, 800, 1000, 2000, 5000, and so on. I’m not sure how high it goes because nobody won while I was playing. Every time the score goes up, The One has the choice of taking what he has, or continuing. If a question is answered wrong, The One’s score id divided between the remaining people in the Mob.

The game loads up and you are brought to a menu where you can find a lobby or adjust your settings. Settings are just whether you join a show privately (no Microsoft points are earned), or publicly (you can be in the Mob, or be the One and earn Microsoft points). After choosing public, I join a lobby, which was fast. From what I could see there was either no, or a very high limit to the amount of players that can join the show. There were just over 10 000 people in my show. It is possible that there was only one show that night.

Although I never was even giving a chance to earn Microsoft points (I had less than a 0.0101% chance of being in the Mob or the One) it was very fun. I joined while the game had already started, after one of the 3-10 minute rounds, and more people joined part way through later on. After a One and the Mob was chosen, the trivia was thrown at me. The first thing I noticed and was surprised by, was that none of the questioned were gaming related. I was asked questioned about everything from Zac Efron to what “Nova Scotia” translated into (New Scotland).

Luckily I had Moosebomber in a party with me to help me out. But I had to fend for myself most of the time. The time limit to answer the questions is extremely short. Don’t expect to be using a laptop to cheat. The only downside to this is the risk of either panicking and hitting the wrong button, or not thinking fast enough and missing the answer altogether.

Over all the game was probably the third best deal coming to the Xbox Live Gold package (second only to online game play and parties), I may even make it second. I have virtually no complaints. Best of all, it’s free. It’s fun by yourself or with friends, and you get Microsoft points if your lucky.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Hello

2009-05-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

I am Savage Reindeer, an aspiring writer who is currently in high school and trying to get an early foot in the door of games journalism. On this blog, which I suspect will never be read by many other than myself, I will try and write one thing a day concerning games. Not only will this give me plenty of practice for future life, but it will fill up my portfolio for future job applications.

Your constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, and I will consider anything you have to say. I hope you enjoy my writing, if you end up reading it. Alas! I have no more to say now. If you want to get a hold of me the best way would be to leave a comment here and I will get to you as soon as possible. Alternatively, you can stop buy www.fyrum.com and send me a private message.