This week's special offer on XBL is all the DLC for Borderlands at half price (400 ms points each). This is fortuitous since I just bought the game. I've already grabbed The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, and I've sent out the call for my comrades to do the same. Gamespot has said some very nice things about this expansion, even giving it an Editor's Choice award. It raises the level cap by eleven (hence the title) which of course they make a big deal about. "Hey check us out we saw that rock band movie too!" Actually I've noticed that pretty much everything in Borderlands is some kind of pop culture reference. I'm not complaining. It's like MST3K was a video game... and had more guns.
The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned also looks good and if the sale is still going on I might grab that too. Not to sure about Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot however.
Now I just have to wait a few more painful days before I can dig into this with my friends.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Welcome to the Wasteland
I finished no less than three games this weekend. Red Faction: Guerrilla, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and Fallout 3 all rolled their credits across my TV before the Monday morning dawn. Coincidentally all three of these games came out around the same time in late 2008, but I bought them at different times, and then finished them within days. Friday night I spent about 6 hours playing Red Faction’s multiplayer with Will and JT. They live in Hawaii now, and being 6 hours behind me actually works out well. Once they went to bed I dug in for end of the campaign. Red Faction was a great game and the last mission was particularly satisfying. You square off against a whole army of baddies, but it’s OK because you get to drive a big ass tank.
The Force Unleashed was a disappointing game only because it was hyped so much. I got it for Christmas and I’ve spent less than 10 hours with it in the intervening 7 months. It’s not that it wasn’t a fun game, it was, it just wasn’t as good as it could have been. I might play through it again on a harder difficulty or mine for achievements… or I might forget about it entirely. I had heard that there were two endings and going into the last stage I fully intended to get the “evil” ending but when the moment of truth came it was unclear what I was supposed to do and I ended up with the “good” ending simply because I walked in the wrong direction.
I’ve been playing Fallout 3 for almost a year now. I had played through to the very end with one character, Ilsa, who I played as a good-guy (or good-gal). I only had one side quest and the last main quest left when I stopped and started a new game with a character named Norman. The side quest was “Strictly Business” where you are tasked with enslaving four denizens of the waste. I had a very clear idea of who Ilsa was at that point and while she’s an opportunistic bitch she’s not a slaver. Slavery is not her bag, baby. Norman is a different animal. He’s a sociopath at best and a homicidal maniac at worst. He had no problem enslaving those people and shooting his way out of Rivet City in the process. I started Norman’s game out with the Operation Anchorage DLC, which I wrote about in a previous post. Anchorage is a very easy campaign made for low level characters and playing it first completely changes the main game. I basically started with a level 8 character, power armor, and advanced weapons. My goal for Norman - his entire purpose really - is completely different from Ilsa. While Ilsa was created to play the game, Norman was created explicitly for evil. I needed him to get the bad karma achievements that Ilsa never could. His story arc has nothing to do with finding his lost father or combating the Enclave. His story is about getting to level 30 as fast as he can, as brutally as he can. As you can imagine this makes for a very different gameplay experience. I don’t usually spend this much time with a game this dynamic, investing myself in multiple playthroughs. I can’t think of another game where I’ve played it twice and played two different games. My hat’s off to Bethesda on this one. All that’s left now is the Broken Steel expansion, and perhaps Mothership Zeta.
Will has been cajoling me to get Borderlands for a while now. He and JT have already played through it but he promised me that he would play it again if I jumped on board. I grabbed the game Sunday morning and we spent a couple hours with it. I’m liking it so far. The description “FPS Diablo” was thrown around a lot before it came out. I can’t argue with that. Level grind + loot orgy + guns, that’s Borderlands. Will is out of town all week and I’ve got to work all weekend so the earliest we’ll be able to play it again it next week, probably next weekend. I think it was this kind of agonizing waiting that made me reluctant to get the game. I wasn’t worried that I wouldn’t like it, I was worried that I would like it too much.
I guess in the meantime there’s Midnight Club LA…
The Force Unleashed was a disappointing game only because it was hyped so much. I got it for Christmas and I’ve spent less than 10 hours with it in the intervening 7 months. It’s not that it wasn’t a fun game, it was, it just wasn’t as good as it could have been. I might play through it again on a harder difficulty or mine for achievements… or I might forget about it entirely. I had heard that there were two endings and going into the last stage I fully intended to get the “evil” ending but when the moment of truth came it was unclear what I was supposed to do and I ended up with the “good” ending simply because I walked in the wrong direction.
I’ve been playing Fallout 3 for almost a year now. I had played through to the very end with one character, Ilsa, who I played as a good-guy (or good-gal). I only had one side quest and the last main quest left when I stopped and started a new game with a character named Norman. The side quest was “Strictly Business” where you are tasked with enslaving four denizens of the waste. I had a very clear idea of who Ilsa was at that point and while she’s an opportunistic bitch she’s not a slaver. Slavery is not her bag, baby. Norman is a different animal. He’s a sociopath at best and a homicidal maniac at worst. He had no problem enslaving those people and shooting his way out of Rivet City in the process. I started Norman’s game out with the Operation Anchorage DLC, which I wrote about in a previous post. Anchorage is a very easy campaign made for low level characters and playing it first completely changes the main game. I basically started with a level 8 character, power armor, and advanced weapons. My goal for Norman - his entire purpose really - is completely different from Ilsa. While Ilsa was created to play the game, Norman was created explicitly for evil. I needed him to get the bad karma achievements that Ilsa never could. His story arc has nothing to do with finding his lost father or combating the Enclave. His story is about getting to level 30 as fast as he can, as brutally as he can. As you can imagine this makes for a very different gameplay experience. I don’t usually spend this much time with a game this dynamic, investing myself in multiple playthroughs. I can’t think of another game where I’ve played it twice and played two different games. My hat’s off to Bethesda on this one. All that’s left now is the Broken Steel expansion, and perhaps Mothership Zeta.
Will has been cajoling me to get Borderlands for a while now. He and JT have already played through it but he promised me that he would play it again if I jumped on board. I grabbed the game Sunday morning and we spent a couple hours with it. I’m liking it so far. The description “FPS Diablo” was thrown around a lot before it came out. I can’t argue with that. Level grind + loot orgy + guns, that’s Borderlands. Will is out of town all week and I’ve got to work all weekend so the earliest we’ll be able to play it again it next week, probably next weekend. I think it was this kind of agonizing waiting that made me reluctant to get the game. I wasn’t worried that I wouldn’t like it, I was worried that I would like it too much.
I guess in the meantime there’s Midnight Club LA…
Friday, July 23, 2010
Blacklight Reactive
Attention: Blacklight: Tango Down is on XBLA. You don't have to be a dumbass like me and buy it for PC! You have been warned!
Yeah I had one of those stupid impulse-shopping moments and bought Blacklight, ironically enough, via Impulse. Actually it's not ironic at all. Stardock named it that on purpose knowing that people will buy shit from their house if they think they can play it right away. Well think again assholes! You still have to download it, and then download Windows Live (why doesn't Windows Live come installed on Vista?) and then install both of them, and then realize that the two programs are somehow smelted together, and then wrestle with Windows Live's idiotic interface. I still don't know if I can play Blacklight offline. It certainly won't let me play it without logging into my profile. Not that you would want to play the single player game.
The PC version isn't necessarily bad, it just doesn't run as well on my PC as it does on the 360. And while a twitch shooter like Unreal belongs on the PC, a more tactical game like Blacklight demands the button layout of the modern controller. Let me demonstrate with a mathematical expression:
WASD + mouse = Awesome
WASD + QERFCV1234 + Shift + mouse = Frustration
I'm sure there are some hard core PC jocks out there who can handle it but I'm not one of them. The 360 controls are practically identical to Modern Warfare's (which I'm sure wasn't an accident) so they fit me like a glove. So now I have to decide if its worth buying twice, or rather worth paying $30 for. $15 yes, go get it, $30 I'm not so sure. I suppose I could chalk it up as a donation to a struggling start-up. Maybe I can score some karma for when I am (hopefully) in the same position.
Yeah I had one of those stupid impulse-shopping moments and bought Blacklight, ironically enough, via Impulse. Actually it's not ironic at all. Stardock named it that on purpose knowing that people will buy shit from their house if they think they can play it right away. Well think again assholes! You still have to download it, and then download Windows Live (why doesn't Windows Live come installed on Vista?) and then install both of them, and then realize that the two programs are somehow smelted together, and then wrestle with Windows Live's idiotic interface. I still don't know if I can play Blacklight offline. It certainly won't let me play it without logging into my profile. Not that you would want to play the single player game.
The PC version isn't necessarily bad, it just doesn't run as well on my PC as it does on the 360. And while a twitch shooter like Unreal belongs on the PC, a more tactical game like Blacklight demands the button layout of the modern controller. Let me demonstrate with a mathematical expression:
WASD + mouse = Awesome
WASD + QERFCV1234 + Shift + mouse = Frustration
I'm sure there are some hard core PC jocks out there who can handle it but I'm not one of them. The 360 controls are practically identical to Modern Warfare's (which I'm sure wasn't an accident) so they fit me like a glove. So now I have to decide if its worth buying twice, or rather worth paying $30 for. $15 yes, go get it, $30 I'm not so sure. I suppose I could chalk it up as a donation to a struggling start-up. Maybe I can score some karma for when I am (hopefully) in the same position.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Anticipation 2010
For me summer is all about waiting for the fall blockbusters. By this time we’ve had E3 and we know what will be coming out for the Christmas season, and we’ve had a glimpse at what lies beyond. I thought it would be a good time to list my top ten most anticipated games.
…But then I could only think of five:
5. Warhammer 40,000 Dark Millennium Online
Publisher: THQ, Developer: Vigil, Release: TBA
I Don’t play MMORPGs. This game might change that. E3 brought us the first trailer but no real gameplay demo. I wasn’t impressed with the trailer but it’s still early on. At this point I’d love to just get some details. Basically, if they make a game where I can grow from a mewling heretic into a civilization-crushing Chaos Lord then I’m in.
4. Rock Band 3
Publisher: MTV Games, Developer: Harmonix, Release: Octoer 26th
Music games aren’t as hot as they were two years ago when Rock Band came out. Back then every party I went to had people playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero. I never got Rock Band, mostly due to the price and space requirements of all those damn peripherals. I’m thinking of jumping in with both feet this time. Rock Band 3 will support 7 players. It will have a two octave keyboard and a Pro guitar with 102 buttons for every note on a real guitar. It will have a Pro mode, a setting above expert were you can play the real notes. It will support all the songs from RB 1, 2 and RB: Green Day, as well as all the DLC. This is the Cadillac of music games. They are pulling out all the stops, and my prediction is that this will be the game that decides if music games stay in the spotlight or prove to be just a passing fad.
3. Fallout: New Vegas
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks, Developer: Obsidian, Release: October 19th
I’m a longtime fan of Fallout. I played the first game on a 133 MHz Pentium Uno. It was a serious time investment because moving from one screen to the next took a full minute or more to load. I’ve spent more time with Fallout 3 than I did with the first two games combined, and I still haven’t finished with it. I’ve got DLC for it I haven’t even touched. So I’m fairly psyched about New Vegas. Two points of interest: One, it’s being developed by Obsidian, a developer with members of the original Black Isle team than made the first game. Two, they are revamping the NPC system. That second point might not seem exciting, but as I may have mentioned before, the ONLY significant problem with Fallout 3 was that your NPC companions were drooling idiots who consistently ran head-long into flaming death. Keeping them alive became a whole game in itself and it made having companions more of a liability than an asset. New Vegas is supposed to fix that by making the AI more robust and giving you more command options as well. For me the idea of putting together an actual team rather than deploying living SCUD missiles is very appealing.
2. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Publisher: Konami, Developer: Mercury Steam, Release: Q3 2010
3D Castlevania games have not done very well in the past. There have been decent 3D offerings from the series but they never stood up to the pedigree of the 2D games. I enjoyed Curse of Darkness on PS2, but I have to agree with the vocal majority that it was missing that spark of greatness. It just seemed like it was made by a second-rate studio, not a giant like Konami. Lords of Shadow is supposed to change all that. It’s hard to say exactly why I’m so optimistic about this game. All I’ve seen are a few trailers with gameplay footage… but it just looks awesome! I’ve got a good feeling about this one.
Side note: In a few days I’ll get a surprise summer gift in the form of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. I love the 2D “Metroid style” Castlevanias. While the series has faltered on consoles it has flourished on handhelds. While I enjoyed my time with titles like Circle of the Moon, I always found myself wishing I could play them on a TV with a controller (the Game Boy Advance SP was not made for giant man-hands or old people eyes). Now just yesterday I found out about Harmony of Despair, a 2D side scroller for XBLA. The game will have a co-op element and a new way to explore the castle. Instead of uncovering little bits at a time you can zoom out to see the entire thing including where the boss is. You then have to figure out the best way to reach him. And it comes out in two weeks!!!
1. Brink
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks, Developer: Splash Damage, Release: Q1 2011
I seem to be starting a trend where I have one shooter per year that I play the hell out of. In 2009 it was Rainbow Six Vegas 2, 2010 is the year of Modern Warfare 2, next year it will be Brink. Probably. This game looks sick. I saw it played at PAX last year and was very impressed with the whole package. It has:
- Progressive character development and customization
- Adaptive mission system within competitive multiplayer
- Some sort of new movement system that allows previously unseen agility and obstacle navigation
It’s going to be hot, I can’t wait. Have a great summer everyone!
…But then I could only think of five:
5. Warhammer 40,000 Dark Millennium Online
Publisher: THQ, Developer: Vigil, Release: TBA
I Don’t play MMORPGs. This game might change that. E3 brought us the first trailer but no real gameplay demo. I wasn’t impressed with the trailer but it’s still early on. At this point I’d love to just get some details. Basically, if they make a game where I can grow from a mewling heretic into a civilization-crushing Chaos Lord then I’m in.
4. Rock Band 3
Publisher: MTV Games, Developer: Harmonix, Release: Octoer 26th
Music games aren’t as hot as they were two years ago when Rock Band came out. Back then every party I went to had people playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero. I never got Rock Band, mostly due to the price and space requirements of all those damn peripherals. I’m thinking of jumping in with both feet this time. Rock Band 3 will support 7 players. It will have a two octave keyboard and a Pro guitar with 102 buttons for every note on a real guitar. It will have a Pro mode, a setting above expert were you can play the real notes. It will support all the songs from RB 1, 2 and RB: Green Day, as well as all the DLC. This is the Cadillac of music games. They are pulling out all the stops, and my prediction is that this will be the game that decides if music games stay in the spotlight or prove to be just a passing fad.
3. Fallout: New Vegas
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks, Developer: Obsidian, Release: October 19th
I’m a longtime fan of Fallout. I played the first game on a 133 MHz Pentium Uno. It was a serious time investment because moving from one screen to the next took a full minute or more to load. I’ve spent more time with Fallout 3 than I did with the first two games combined, and I still haven’t finished with it. I’ve got DLC for it I haven’t even touched. So I’m fairly psyched about New Vegas. Two points of interest: One, it’s being developed by Obsidian, a developer with members of the original Black Isle team than made the first game. Two, they are revamping the NPC system. That second point might not seem exciting, but as I may have mentioned before, the ONLY significant problem with Fallout 3 was that your NPC companions were drooling idiots who consistently ran head-long into flaming death. Keeping them alive became a whole game in itself and it made having companions more of a liability than an asset. New Vegas is supposed to fix that by making the AI more robust and giving you more command options as well. For me the idea of putting together an actual team rather than deploying living SCUD missiles is very appealing.
2. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Publisher: Konami, Developer: Mercury Steam, Release: Q3 2010
3D Castlevania games have not done very well in the past. There have been decent 3D offerings from the series but they never stood up to the pedigree of the 2D games. I enjoyed Curse of Darkness on PS2, but I have to agree with the vocal majority that it was missing that spark of greatness. It just seemed like it was made by a second-rate studio, not a giant like Konami. Lords of Shadow is supposed to change all that. It’s hard to say exactly why I’m so optimistic about this game. All I’ve seen are a few trailers with gameplay footage… but it just looks awesome! I’ve got a good feeling about this one.
Side note: In a few days I’ll get a surprise summer gift in the form of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. I love the 2D “Metroid style” Castlevanias. While the series has faltered on consoles it has flourished on handhelds. While I enjoyed my time with titles like Circle of the Moon, I always found myself wishing I could play them on a TV with a controller (the Game Boy Advance SP was not made for giant man-hands or old people eyes). Now just yesterday I found out about Harmony of Despair, a 2D side scroller for XBLA. The game will have a co-op element and a new way to explore the castle. Instead of uncovering little bits at a time you can zoom out to see the entire thing including where the boss is. You then have to figure out the best way to reach him. And it comes out in two weeks!!!
1. Brink
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks, Developer: Splash Damage, Release: Q1 2011
I seem to be starting a trend where I have one shooter per year that I play the hell out of. In 2009 it was Rainbow Six Vegas 2, 2010 is the year of Modern Warfare 2, next year it will be Brink. Probably. This game looks sick. I saw it played at PAX last year and was very impressed with the whole package. It has:
- Progressive character development and customization
- Adaptive mission system within competitive multiplayer
- Some sort of new movement system that allows previously unseen agility and obstacle navigation
It’s going to be hot, I can’t wait. Have a great summer everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)