Monday, September 27, 2010
Holy CARP! It's been two Years!
Well... Halo Reach is really good. Very Deep. Lots of games to be played.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Christmas Update
A quick rundown on what I have played this holiday season and if they were renters or buyers.
1.) Saints Row 2.
If you enjoyed the 1st Saints Row, you will enjoy the second one. All of the fun from the first is here with some events added and turned up a notch. One of the biggest improvements is that the game continues after the "closing credits." I have put 30 hours into the game and have barely done any of the side quests.
It also has a full on Multiplayer story, so your friend can hop in and wreck havoc with you for a while.
*** - Buy
2.) Far Cry 2
If you enjoyed the 1st Far Cry... you won't recognize anything here. I have enjoyed Far Cry 2, but it is a quiet game for a first person shooter. The game being set in Africa means there are large expanses with no people in them (which is fine because EVERYONE in Africa wants you dead.) I am a big Splinter Cell fan, so using the stealth approach while scouting the guard posts was what I had the most fun doing.
It is a gorgeous game. It is the only game I just wanted to be able to find a corner and sit down in.
The Multiplayer is in a word... annoying. The play itself is fine and the Uprising mode is particularly fun, but Ranked matches are a joke because you can switch teams so you end up with high ranked players vs low ranked. Last night I played a match where the high ranked team had 60 levels and our team added up to 15.
There is no variation on difficulty (i.e. COD4 Hardcore mode.) Player matches are ridiculous because you cannot keep any ranks you earn between matches (so you begin with basic weapons every time you enter a match,) and the player setting up the match does not have the option to have starting diamonds (which are used as currency to upgrade your weapons.)
If you like variety... the Multiplayer is your game. The map maker makes it so I have not played the same match twice in player matches. Everyone has a map they want you to play and many of them are, at the very least, charming.
I enjoy Far Cry 2 and I do not regret buying it, but if you are a COD4 or Gears of War fan, you might find it a little slow paced.
****- I bought, I would suggest rent to check it out.
3.) Gears of War 2
More of the same. Big guys growling at each other with a little story thrown in. New characters are introduced that really are not important and new weapons are introduced that are fun but do not replace the Lancer, Longshot or Torque Bow.
The Multiplayer has the same problem as before... its players. The only group on Xbox Live that are worse as a whole are Halo players. Epic realizes this and lets you play all of the Online modes with Bots instead of foulmouthed children with no concept of sportsmanship. Horde mode is just plain awesome. Storyline with a friend is also awesome, but can be completed in a rental.
If you have like minded friends that like to play Gears, it is worth a buy. If you want the "Story" it is only worth a rent.
*** Rent
4.) Call of Duty: World at War
REALLY short story. Shoddy presentation. Online, tanks are broken. Save your money, buy a used copy of Call of Duty 4.
** Rent
1.) Saints Row 2.
If you enjoyed the 1st Saints Row, you will enjoy the second one. All of the fun from the first is here with some events added and turned up a notch. One of the biggest improvements is that the game continues after the "closing credits." I have put 30 hours into the game and have barely done any of the side quests.
It also has a full on Multiplayer story, so your friend can hop in and wreck havoc with you for a while.
*** - Buy
2.) Far Cry 2
If you enjoyed the 1st Far Cry... you won't recognize anything here. I have enjoyed Far Cry 2, but it is a quiet game for a first person shooter. The game being set in Africa means there are large expanses with no people in them (which is fine because EVERYONE in Africa wants you dead.) I am a big Splinter Cell fan, so using the stealth approach while scouting the guard posts was what I had the most fun doing.
It is a gorgeous game. It is the only game I just wanted to be able to find a corner and sit down in.
The Multiplayer is in a word... annoying. The play itself is fine and the Uprising mode is particularly fun, but Ranked matches are a joke because you can switch teams so you end up with high ranked players vs low ranked. Last night I played a match where the high ranked team had 60 levels and our team added up to 15.
There is no variation on difficulty (i.e. COD4 Hardcore mode.) Player matches are ridiculous because you cannot keep any ranks you earn between matches (so you begin with basic weapons every time you enter a match,) and the player setting up the match does not have the option to have starting diamonds (which are used as currency to upgrade your weapons.)
If you like variety... the Multiplayer is your game. The map maker makes it so I have not played the same match twice in player matches. Everyone has a map they want you to play and many of them are, at the very least, charming.
I enjoy Far Cry 2 and I do not regret buying it, but if you are a COD4 or Gears of War fan, you might find it a little slow paced.
****- I bought, I would suggest rent to check it out.
3.) Gears of War 2
More of the same. Big guys growling at each other with a little story thrown in. New characters are introduced that really are not important and new weapons are introduced that are fun but do not replace the Lancer, Longshot or Torque Bow.
The Multiplayer has the same problem as before... its players. The only group on Xbox Live that are worse as a whole are Halo players. Epic realizes this and lets you play all of the Online modes with Bots instead of foulmouthed children with no concept of sportsmanship. Horde mode is just plain awesome. Storyline with a friend is also awesome, but can be completed in a rental.
If you have like minded friends that like to play Gears, it is worth a buy. If you want the "Story" it is only worth a rent.
*** Rent
4.) Call of Duty: World at War
REALLY short story. Shoddy presentation. Online, tanks are broken. Save your money, buy a used copy of Call of Duty 4.
** Rent
Friday, April 04, 2008
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Buy-o-Shock or Rent-O-Shock
. In Bioshock, the game by 2K Games, you play a man who, after surviving a plane crash into the middle of the Atlantic, discovers a Bathysphere and descends into the depths of the ocean to the undersea city of Rapture. A city, intended as an anarchist utopia where science was free of the restraints of government or religion, that has descended into chaos and violence normally associated with the term "anarchy." You get to unfold the mystery behind why the city has gone from scientific utopia to a mouldy and violent slum.
. The GOOD...
. Wow, where to start on what is good about this game. Let's start with what most people are going to see first... the graphics. Using the Unreal Engine 3 to power it's graphics, this is the best looking game since Gears of War in terms of immersion into the game world. Everything in this game looks like you should be able to smell it from your couch. The characters move well and when it calls for it, they move really creepy.
. The story in this game it top notch, though it does borrow liberally from Ayn Rand and George Orwell and it has been reported that The Shining, both the movie and the book, influenced the developers of the game. I am not going to give any spoilers so there is not much I can say about the story accept that a friend put it this way, "I can see all of the pieces of the puzzle, I just can't see how they fit together." Some of the story is predictable, but it is presented in such a unique way that I have found myself playing it through again to see if I missed any pieces of the puzzle.
. The NOT SO GOOD
. The sounds of the game are great and creepy, but there is a nitpick I and my friends have with it... The walls in the game do not block the sound at all. A person can be standing right beside you with no barrier between you and sound the same as a person that is on the other side of a stone wall. It can get annoying in a creepy game (with good surround sound) to hear something on the other side of a wall, or on the floor above you, "too clearly." It did remove me from the game in those instances and this is a game I did not want to be removed from.
. The controls are good... except for one thing that bugs me to no end when it happens. I will be moving in a straight line, then hit a terrain feature or a grating on the floor and instead of stopping, my character gets spun in a random direction and keeps going that way. This (bug?) can get on your nerves if you are in the middle of a fight with one of the Big Daddys. It doesn't happen a lot, but when it does it is noticeable.
. The BAD
. No multi player. This game would be a record breaking home run if there was multi player VS or Co-op instead of "just" a home run. Unlike Shadowrun though, this does provide a full game other than the lack of multi player, but using plasmids against my friends online, I might have just forgotten about buying Shadowrun when its price drops to $29.99 (that's the most I will spend on a glorified Beta) even without a Teleport Plasmid.
. Dirty Words. They are there and if you do not want you yung'uns to hear them, do not but them this game!
. The WRAP UP
. Given all of the greatness that leaks from this game like seawater through a Rapture screen door, it is still a rental. You can play through it twice in a single extended rental from Blockbuster or Gamefly and no multi player means you will be turning it in soon enough for trade. This game is a "MUST PLAY!!!" unfortunately it is a "MUST RENT!!!"
Game play 100%
Story 100%
Online 0%
Replay 40%
Overall 60%
In your Bathysphere, shootin' up your Plasmids.
Gyulus
. The GOOD...
. Wow, where to start on what is good about this game. Let's start with what most people are going to see first... the graphics. Using the Unreal Engine 3 to power it's graphics, this is the best looking game since Gears of War in terms of immersion into the game world. Everything in this game looks like you should be able to smell it from your couch. The characters move well and when it calls for it, they move really creepy.
. The story in this game it top notch, though it does borrow liberally from Ayn Rand and George Orwell and it has been reported that The Shining, both the movie and the book, influenced the developers of the game. I am not going to give any spoilers so there is not much I can say about the story accept that a friend put it this way, "I can see all of the pieces of the puzzle, I just can't see how they fit together." Some of the story is predictable, but it is presented in such a unique way that I have found myself playing it through again to see if I missed any pieces of the puzzle.
. The NOT SO GOOD
. The sounds of the game are great and creepy, but there is a nitpick I and my friends have with it... The walls in the game do not block the sound at all. A person can be standing right beside you with no barrier between you and sound the same as a person that is on the other side of a stone wall. It can get annoying in a creepy game (with good surround sound) to hear something on the other side of a wall, or on the floor above you, "too clearly." It did remove me from the game in those instances and this is a game I did not want to be removed from.
. The controls are good... except for one thing that bugs me to no end when it happens. I will be moving in a straight line, then hit a terrain feature or a grating on the floor and instead of stopping, my character gets spun in a random direction and keeps going that way. This (bug?) can get on your nerves if you are in the middle of a fight with one of the Big Daddys. It doesn't happen a lot, but when it does it is noticeable.
. The BAD
. No multi player. This game would be a record breaking home run if there was multi player VS or Co-op instead of "just" a home run. Unlike Shadowrun though, this does provide a full game other than the lack of multi player, but using plasmids against my friends online, I might have just forgotten about buying Shadowrun when its price drops to $29.99 (that's the most I will spend on a glorified Beta) even without a Teleport Plasmid.
. Dirty Words. They are there and if you do not want you yung'uns to hear them, do not but them this game!
. The WRAP UP
. Given all of the greatness that leaks from this game like seawater through a Rapture screen door, it is still a rental. You can play through it twice in a single extended rental from Blockbuster or Gamefly and no multi player means you will be turning it in soon enough for trade. This game is a "MUST PLAY!!!" unfortunately it is a "MUST RENT!!!"
Game play 100%
Story 100%
Online 0%
Replay 40%
Overall 60%
In your Bathysphere, shootin' up your Plasmids.
Gyulus
Monday, August 20, 2007
Jack Thompson is at it again.
Hi, I'm Jared! This is my first post on this blog, and it will not be a game review. I do, however, think it is important to gaming news, and it does involve a game that you should most likely buy if early reviews are anywhere close to being correct; that game would be Bioshock. A full review of the game will be up soon, I am sure.
Without further ado, here it goes!
Jack Thompson is at it again. According to gamepolitics.com, Jack wrote a letter of complaint to the Federal Trade Commission about Take-Two Interactive running Bioshock ads during Friday's WWE Smackdown program. His complaint is that the game company is deliberately advertising their "M" rated games toward children under the age of 17. Here is his letter (as it appears on Game Politics):
I would first like to point out how ironic it is that Jack is complaining about kids seeing an advertisement for an "M" rated game that is being shown during a show that involves people beating each other up, the flaunting of the female body, and general skulduggery. I would think he should complain more about a tv show that is drawing in a crowd that is under the age of 17.
Also, because he brought up the demographics of those who watch the show, I did a little research. On WWE.com Ad Sales' website, a study from 2006 shows that 36% of viewers are between the age of 12-17, and 58% of viewers are between the age of 18-49. They also note that the mean age of the viewer is 24 years old. Their study also shows that 76% of the viewers own a video game system, and 46% of those people buy a video game at least once a month. The ESRB lists games with the "M" rating, such as Bioshock, as suitable for people 17 and older.
With all of this information in mind, I do not see a solid case against Take-Two. If we look at the numbers above, the decision to advertise this game on a show like this is a no brainer. Fifty-six percent of the audience is legally allowed to purchase Take-Two's game (even more if we count the 17 year olds in the 36% category). Out of all those people who watch the show, over 3/4 of them have access to a video game console, and half of those people will buy a video game every month. Why would a company not advertise to a market like that? To say it is wrong for them to aggressively run ads during this show is wrong. The company needs to sell their product, and forcing them into a later time slot to avoid 36% (or less) of the audience under 17 is ridiculous. The ads properly note that the game is rated "M," so Take-Two is doing what it needs to do to warn future consumers about the product.
I would also like to note that it is unfair to compare the video game industry to the "big tobacco" company's "Joe Camel" ad campaign because of when a video game is advertised. These two things are not the same. Jack is assuming that video games are naturally meant for children, when in actuality 69% of gamers are over the age of 18. A detailed chart is given on the ESA's website:
The Bioshock commercial does not have a cartoon camel encouraging the children to play the game. In fact, let's see if the commercial has anything aimed specifically at children (besides it being a video game of course):
Well, I did not really see anything in the video that screamed, "Hey kids! Look at me! Buy me or your not cool!" With all of this said, I am not saying that the under 17 market is not targeted, but there is enough evidence to show that they are not the directly intended market.
The last thing I would like to point out is Jack's inability to make himself aware of the company putting out Bioshock. In his letter, he says that the game is from Take-Two/Rockstar. He is wrong, and he would know that if he bothered to a) watch the commercial and notice the lack of a Rockstar logo and b) do a little research. It is true that Rockstar is under the Take-Two banner, but they had nothing to do with putting out this game. Jack just wants to stir up trouble by throwing the Rockstar name around.
Bioshock is a Mature rated game from Take-Two and Irrational Games for the Xbox 360 and PC and releases on August 21st.
Without further ado, here it goes!
Jack Thompson is at it again. According to gamepolitics.com, Jack wrote a letter of complaint to the Federal Trade Commission about Take-Two Interactive running Bioshock ads during Friday's WWE Smackdown program. His complaint is that the game company is deliberately advertising their "M" rated games toward children under the age of 17. Here is his letter (as it appears on Game Politics):
Take-Two… is aggressively marketing its newest Mature-rated video game to kids under 17 years of age… On this Friday’s night’s 8 pm Eastern time airing of WWE’s wrestling program “Smackdown,” there were repeated ads for Take-Two/Rockstar Game’s Mature-rated, incredibly violent BioShock…
A check of the demographics of the audience of that program reveals that teens under 17 years of age watch that program in huge numbers…
Remarkably, the video game industry is running ads for games like BioShock on teen-intensive television programs while at the same time its industry-captured “watchdog,” the ESRB, is running a self-congratulatory ad campaign to assure parents that the video game ratings system is working and that the industry can be trusted not to target their kids with these Mature-rated games. It is all a lie, as the BioShock ads prove.
This rampant fraudulent trade practice is precisely what “Big Tobacco” did with its “Joe Camel” and other teen-targeting ads, while at the same time lying to Congress that it was not marketing its adult product to kids.
I would first like to point out how ironic it is that Jack is complaining about kids seeing an advertisement for an "M" rated game that is being shown during a show that involves people beating each other up, the flaunting of the female body, and general skulduggery. I would think he should complain more about a tv show that is drawing in a crowd that is under the age of 17.
Also, because he brought up the demographics of those who watch the show, I did a little research. On WWE.com Ad Sales' website, a study from 2006 shows that 36% of viewers are between the age of 12-17, and 58% of viewers are between the age of 18-49. They also note that the mean age of the viewer is 24 years old. Their study also shows that 76% of the viewers own a video game system, and 46% of those people buy a video game at least once a month. The ESRB lists games with the "M" rating, such as Bioshock, as suitable for people 17 and older.
With all of this information in mind, I do not see a solid case against Take-Two. If we look at the numbers above, the decision to advertise this game on a show like this is a no brainer. Fifty-six percent of the audience is legally allowed to purchase Take-Two's game (even more if we count the 17 year olds in the 36% category). Out of all those people who watch the show, over 3/4 of them have access to a video game console, and half of those people will buy a video game every month. Why would a company not advertise to a market like that? To say it is wrong for them to aggressively run ads during this show is wrong. The company needs to sell their product, and forcing them into a later time slot to avoid 36% (or less) of the audience under 17 is ridiculous. The ads properly note that the game is rated "M," so Take-Two is doing what it needs to do to warn future consumers about the product.
I would also like to note that it is unfair to compare the video game industry to the "big tobacco" company's "Joe Camel" ad campaign because of when a video game is advertised. These two things are not the same. Jack is assuming that video games are naturally meant for children, when in actuality 69% of gamers are over the age of 18. A detailed chart is given on the ESA's website:
The Bioshock commercial does not have a cartoon camel encouraging the children to play the game. In fact, let's see if the commercial has anything aimed specifically at children (besides it being a video game of course):
Well, I did not really see anything in the video that screamed, "Hey kids! Look at me! Buy me or your not cool!" With all of this said, I am not saying that the under 17 market is not targeted, but there is enough evidence to show that they are not the directly intended market.
The last thing I would like to point out is Jack's inability to make himself aware of the company putting out Bioshock. In his letter, he says that the game is from Take-Two/Rockstar. He is wrong, and he would know that if he bothered to a) watch the commercial and notice the lack of a Rockstar logo and b) do a little research. It is true that Rockstar is under the Take-Two banner, but they had nothing to do with putting out this game. Jack just wants to stir up trouble by throwing the Rockstar name around.
Bioshock is a Mature rated game from Take-Two and Irrational Games for the Xbox 360 and PC and releases on August 21st.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Carcasonne (Online and Boxed versions)
Carcassonne is a board game created by Klaus-Jürgen Wrede in 2000, and published by Hans im Glück and Rio Grande Games. 2-5 players develop the area around Carcassonne by strategically placing land tiles on the board [table.] Each square tile has a combination of Farmland, Road, City or Monastery that has to match the square it is placed next to. As a player places a tile they have the option to place a Meeple (follower) on one, and only one, of the tile features. As the feature is completed, the players score for the feature and reclaim their Meeple for future placement. This is a very easy to learn game that is fun both on the XBLA version and the boxed game version available at your local game store.
Both versions of Carcassonne have advantages over the other. The boxed game has numerous expansions that add to the tiles available and one adds a tower to place the tiles in to draw from (instead of a black bag that is normally used.) The benefit of this version over XBLA is the ready availability of the numerous expansions, personal interaction with friends around ye ol' gaming table and the ability to not call attention to tile placements you would rather your opponents not see. Also I believe it is also the cheaper of the two options... I will get into that later. The XBLA version has ease of use ( each legal tile placement is highlighted) no real shortage of opponents and if there is no one you can play against up to 4 AI opponents. There is also the biggest plus for the XBLA version over the Boxed game... NO Setup, Manual scoring or Clean Up! You do not have to clear off a table or move the board when it creeps towards the end of the table, and when the game is over the Xbox calulates the score of each player and declares a winner... and then cleanup is hitting the "B" button. It is exhausting I know, but hitting the B button is necessary to get to the next game and play again.
Pricing is an issue for me right now though. The biggest complaint I have about the XBLA version is that the Hot seat function, where up to 5 people can play sitting on your couch at home, requires each person has their own controller. It also means either wireless controllers or a USB hub to get 5 controllers onto the Xbox 360.
The Total Price (i.e. to get a full game in person) for the boxed game and all 8 of the expansions is $105.30 and the price for the XBLA version, 2 expansions, and an extra 3 controllers (figuring any real Xbox player has at least 2 controllers) is $170.00. If XBLA can fix the hot seat issue, the the XBLA version is the way to go at only $20 versus the $30.95 of the Boxed version.
I recommend both versions of this game to be in any gamers library. It is a quick game with easy setup that you do not need to be a strategist to win and, more importantly, enjoy. I find myself ending my gaming in the evenings with a couple of quick games on my Xbox before calling it a night. It's a good game and now I hope we can get Ticket to Ride on the ol' XBLA and I might just stop playing FPSs... or not.
Up in your farmland, claiming your castles,
Gyulus
Both versions of Carcassonne have advantages over the other. The boxed game has numerous expansions that add to the tiles available and one adds a tower to place the tiles in to draw from (instead of a black bag that is normally used.) The benefit of this version over XBLA is the ready availability of the numerous expansions, personal interaction with friends around ye ol' gaming table and the ability to not call attention to tile placements you would rather your opponents not see. Also I believe it is also the cheaper of the two options... I will get into that later. The XBLA version has ease of use ( each legal tile placement is highlighted) no real shortage of opponents and if there is no one you can play against up to 4 AI opponents. There is also the biggest plus for the XBLA version over the Boxed game... NO Setup, Manual scoring or Clean Up! You do not have to clear off a table or move the board when it creeps towards the end of the table, and when the game is over the Xbox calulates the score of each player and declares a winner... and then cleanup is hitting the "B" button. It is exhausting I know, but hitting the B button is necessary to get to the next game and play again.
Pricing is an issue for me right now though. The biggest complaint I have about the XBLA version is that the Hot seat function, where up to 5 people can play sitting on your couch at home, requires each person has their own controller. It also means either wireless controllers or a USB hub to get 5 controllers onto the Xbox 360.
Name Carcassonne | Price 24.95 | Type board | XBLA 800 ($10) |
| Free | expansion | 400($5) | |
| 14.95 | expansion | nya | |
| 6.00 | expansion | nya | |
| 14.95 | expansion | nya | |
| 6.00 | expansion | 400($5) | |
| 17.50 | expansion | nya | |
| 14.95 | expansion | nya | |
| 6.00 | expansion | nya |
The Total Price (i.e. to get a full game in person) for the boxed game and all 8 of the expansions is $105.30 and the price for the XBLA version, 2 expansions, and an extra 3 controllers (figuring any real Xbox player has at least 2 controllers) is $170.00. If XBLA can fix the hot seat issue, the the XBLA version is the way to go at only $20 versus the $30.95 of the Boxed version.
I recommend both versions of this game to be in any gamers library. It is a quick game with easy setup that you do not need to be a strategist to win and, more importantly, enjoy. I find myself ending my gaming in the evenings with a couple of quick games on my Xbox before calling it a night. It's a good game and now I hope we can get Ticket to Ride on the ol' XBLA and I might just stop playing FPSs... or not.
Up in your farmland, claiming your castles,
Gyulus
Friday, August 10, 2007
The Darkness.
The Darkness is a game based on the Dark Horse Comic book of the same title. The game is about a young mob henchman who becomes cursed with his very own evil moray eels growing out of his back that feed on the hearts of evil doers to help you gain more dark powers so you can feed on the hears of more powerful evil doers. The game begins with your "Uncle" trying to make you into precooked bite-sized morsels. Had he succeeded this would have been a might bit short for a game. The action does set into motion a series of events that drive the game forward with a structure that belies its literary structure.
The story is written by Paul Jenkins, one of my favorite comic book writers. He has written The Darkness comic book series among others, including some of my favorite issues of The Incredible Hulk. As a matter of fact. before the Darkness, he wrote one of my favorite guilty pleasures, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (with its inclusion of Savage Banner.) Jenkins has a real feel for the characters he writes and while in this game they come off a bit cliché, it fits the over the top style of the game that helps it feel like you are in a comic book.
The game play is pretty straightforward FPS. The controls were responsive enough that I didn't swear and throw the controller at all! Big step for me. There are a lot of really fun weapons that come standard in these types of games... Shotguns, Pistols, Sniper Rifles, etc. The Darkness powers are the reason to play this game. They are graphic little bastards. The heart eating is particularly fun in a graveyard humor kind of way. The eels literally rip the hearts out of the chests of the bad guys and then fight over them in front of your vision ( don't eat in the middle of a fight. It turns out how you might expect.) There is also the ability to detach an eel and see through its eyes as you control it, Damage Shield while the darkness is active, and more. The most visually impressive is the ability to summon a black hole that pulls everything into it and then collapses... it is frickin' sweet. You can also summon "Darklings" in four flavors to have them help you in fights... or in my case kill all of the innocent civilians I have just left alone because THEY WERE INNOCENT CIVILIANS!!! (turn around and they are all dead... grumble grumble grumble. Can't even eat their hearts.)
Online play to me was not very satisfying. In multi-player you get to be a Dude with a gun or a Darkling with claws, but all of the stuff that makes the game fun is missing. No eels... Eels would have been cool. The ultimate camping weapon. No Black Hole. No Darkness at all. I though it was fun for about 10 minutes, but then I was putting Rainbow Six Vegas back into the 360 and playing on War Town. I will give the online play another go when my friend gets done with it, but for now it was underwhelming.
The games length is a problem for me to recommend this game for purchase ( and the limp multi-player.) This is a comic book game with a comic book length story. This is no Oblivion epic. This is a bite size morsel that I was able to finish in about 8 to 10 hours. For me it was a weekend. It also doesn't hold any replay value for me either. The story is pretty straightforward without any twists or turns (sans one that isn't something I would want to "relive".)
This is defiantly an M rated game with a capitol "M." There is blood, evisceration, murder, suicide, patchwork zombie things, patchwork zombie people, urination on the dead (humorously done, but still present), and for all of those parents who feel all of that is ok but do not like your kids to hear dirty words... Lots of the "F"! It is about the Mob... in the Bronx... it is clichéd, so the "F" is prevalent.
This game is a solid rental. I wish I could recommend buying it sight unseen, but I can't. Given the ease of which I finished this game on normal and that I have no wish to go through it again (even for the achievement,) it is the Gaming equivalent of settling back on a summer evening with a semi spooky paperback book and giving yourself the heebie-jeebies before you go to bed.
Gameplay 90%
Story 90%
Online 60%
Replay 40%
Overall 70%
Up in your darkness, Eating your hearts,
GYulus
The story is written by Paul Jenkins, one of my favorite comic book writers. He has written The Darkness comic book series among others, including some of my favorite issues of The Incredible Hulk. As a matter of fact. before the Darkness, he wrote one of my favorite guilty pleasures, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (with its inclusion of Savage Banner.) Jenkins has a real feel for the characters he writes and while in this game they come off a bit cliché, it fits the over the top style of the game that helps it feel like you are in a comic book.
The game play is pretty straightforward FPS. The controls were responsive enough that I didn't swear and throw the controller at all! Big step for me. There are a lot of really fun weapons that come standard in these types of games... Shotguns, Pistols, Sniper Rifles, etc. The Darkness powers are the reason to play this game. They are graphic little bastards. The heart eating is particularly fun in a graveyard humor kind of way. The eels literally rip the hearts out of the chests of the bad guys and then fight over them in front of your vision ( don't eat in the middle of a fight. It turns out how you might expect.) There is also the ability to detach an eel and see through its eyes as you control it, Damage Shield while the darkness is active, and more. The most visually impressive is the ability to summon a black hole that pulls everything into it and then collapses... it is frickin' sweet. You can also summon "Darklings" in four flavors to have them help you in fights... or in my case kill all of the innocent civilians I have just left alone because THEY WERE INNOCENT CIVILIANS!!! (turn around and they are all dead... grumble grumble grumble. Can't even eat their hearts.)
Online play to me was not very satisfying. In multi-player you get to be a Dude with a gun or a Darkling with claws, but all of the stuff that makes the game fun is missing. No eels... Eels would have been cool. The ultimate camping weapon. No Black Hole. No Darkness at all. I though it was fun for about 10 minutes, but then I was putting Rainbow Six Vegas back into the 360 and playing on War Town. I will give the online play another go when my friend gets done with it, but for now it was underwhelming.
The games length is a problem for me to recommend this game for purchase ( and the limp multi-player.) This is a comic book game with a comic book length story. This is no Oblivion epic. This is a bite size morsel that I was able to finish in about 8 to 10 hours. For me it was a weekend. It also doesn't hold any replay value for me either. The story is pretty straightforward without any twists or turns (sans one that isn't something I would want to "relive".)
This is defiantly an M rated game with a capitol "M." There is blood, evisceration, murder, suicide, patchwork zombie things, patchwork zombie people, urination on the dead (humorously done, but still present), and for all of those parents who feel all of that is ok but do not like your kids to hear dirty words... Lots of the "F"! It is about the Mob... in the Bronx... it is clichéd, so the "F" is prevalent.
This game is a solid rental. I wish I could recommend buying it sight unseen, but I can't. Given the ease of which I finished this game on normal and that I have no wish to go through it again (even for the achievement,) it is the Gaming equivalent of settling back on a summer evening with a semi spooky paperback book and giving yourself the heebie-jeebies before you go to bed.
Gameplay 90%
Story 90%
Online 60%
Replay 40%
Overall 70%
Up in your darkness, Eating your hearts,
GYulus
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Gaming Blogs and assholes...
Yup, I too have an asshole so I might as well have a game blog to give it a voice.
I mostly play Xbox 360 titles and the occasional Wii Title. I do still own a Playstation 2 and 4 Xboxes (damn that Halo 2 lan party goodness.) I also own a PC to keep my desk from escaping into orbit, so not many games will be reviewed there.
A history about the name of my Blog, GYulus. It is short for the Grueling Yulus a name derived from playing Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast and losing too often. The game, after you had been defeated the game declares, "The Grueling Battle between [fighter A] and [fighter B] resulted in..." blah blah blah, and then it would declare, " YOU LOSE!" If you hit the button during the first part it would jump to the second and declare, "The Grueling YOU LOSE!"
I have liked that statement so much it became my first online identity... My "internet virgin" name.
I myself am 30 something with a wife and no kids ( I ain't sharing my games with no whiners.)
I am going to use this space to declare whether games I play are worth buying or just worth a rental. I hope it will help you decide whether or not to plop your hard earned money down on a title.
All up in your games, Making em cry,
GYulus.
I mostly play Xbox 360 titles and the occasional Wii Title. I do still own a Playstation 2 and 4 Xboxes (damn that Halo 2 lan party goodness.) I also own a PC to keep my desk from escaping into orbit, so not many games will be reviewed there.
A history about the name of my Blog, GYulus. It is short for the Grueling Yulus a name derived from playing Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast and losing too often. The game, after you had been defeated the game declares, "The Grueling Battle between [fighter A] and [fighter B] resulted in..." blah blah blah, and then it would declare, " YOU LOSE!" If you hit the button during the first part it would jump to the second and declare, "The Grueling YOU LOSE!"
I have liked that statement so much it became my first online identity... My "internet virgin" name.
I myself am 30 something with a wife and no kids ( I ain't sharing my games with no whiners.)
I am going to use this space to declare whether games I play are worth buying or just worth a rental. I hope it will help you decide whether or not to plop your hard earned money down on a title.
All up in your games, Making em cry,
GYulus.
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