I won't bore you with the details of my time with the PSP this weekend. I will however bring you the highlights. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite looks like a dream, but plays like a nightmare. It is a good game, with (potentially) hours of skinning, slaying and strategy, but my word is it brutally hard. I enjoyed little success on my quests, but my Felyne companion, Petunia provided some lols. I also logged a few hours with the portable version of Tekken 6, and while it looks beautiful and all the characters, and most of the modes (the modes worth playing anyway) from the home console version are present, fighting games are only half the fun if you aren't facing human competition. Further to that, some of the more subtle directional inputs possible with a PS3 controller are not possible on even the PSPgo's D-Pad.
This afternoon I managed to fit in a few matches of Halo: Reach, and I am happy to report that it has learned quite a few things from its FPS competitors. After having played Halo 3 with some buddies last weekend, I was afraid that Reach would be as (painstakingly) slow as its predecessor. This is thankfully, not the case. You can sprint (finally!), however only when fighting with a gear load-out which includes that as an armor ability. Not to say that sprint is the only ability worth using, but with it equipped, Halo: Reach does manage to capture the pace and intensity of contemporaries like Modern Warfare 2. There are 5 abilities to be used in the beta, and I imgaine Bungie may add one or two more before the retail release. The jetpack is slow, but fun. I found it especially useful during CTF matches. Evade (exclusive to Elites) is essentially sprint, but it cannot be turned off once activated. Active camouflage is great for sniping but ineffective (not entirely, but still compromised somewhat) when moving. I am yet to use Armor Lock because it sounds pointless. Sure you become invulnerable, but you can't move. Essentially what it means to me is that when in use, armor lock would render me impervious to harm, however my enemies would need only run behind me to assassinate me once the effect has expired. I would not be able to evade my enemies' impending attack from behind. I'll give it a go sometime before the 19th, but I'm sure I won't appreciate it as Bungie intended.
Sprint (and Evade) better enable you to perform assassinations, elaborately (for Halo) animated melee attacks from behind that will kill the unlucky recipient. Since Halo hasn't traditionally seen excessive amounts of blood spattered throughout its online battlefields (and Reach is no exception), the assassinations do not make their intended visual impact. Bungie had indicated that they anticipate the assassination to replace teabagging in the near future. Due to the lack of viscera however, I am sure that we will see young gamers squatting on the faces of the fallen for years to come. So far the assassinations look and feel like a missed opportunity, as hitting an opponent from behind with a melee attack does not necessarily equate to a fancy one hit kill animation. Sometimes it just looks like it always had previously in Halo-land, a king hit to the back of the head.
The two maps I've played on are the usual vertical Halo fare. Powerhouse reminds me an awful lot of High Ground, except slightly more ravine-ish and bereft of vehicles. Sword Base (silly name, ha!) is a winding, multi-level complex with several quality vantage points that are easily accessible. I'm yet to have a match on Boneyard, but it is a long time until Wednesday.
Throughout my matches I have only encountered one new weapon, and I had access to it from my first spawn. The new default Elite weapon, the Needle Rifle is for all intents and purposes, a Covenent version of the Battle Rifle. It looks better than a Battle Rifle, mainly because of the pretty colours, but it is used in the same fashion (hint: aim for the head). Melee hits are quicker, but also weaker. This change has not brought an end to the popular strategy of running at an opponent, showering them with bullets and finishing them off with a melee hit. It has however managed to lower the success rate of this methodology. Even with the Armor Abilites, Halo: Reach plays very similarly to its predecessors, but it does feel as though there has been enough added to warrant interest in the final release.
To those of you who have Halo 3: ODST and a Gold Subscription, I recommend that you jump in and play a few matches just to see what has changed, and as what is most often the case in Halo: Reach, what has stayed the same. So far I've had quite a bit of fun, and I intend to get in quite a few matches more before the end of the beta. The only negative I have to report, which is to be expected, is the unbelievable pettiness, rudeness and puzzling homophobia of the Xbox Live community. After completing my last Stockpile match of the afternoon, a player sent me a message implying I was stealing points from them. To give a little bit more background, Stockpile requires players to deliver flags littered throughout the battlefield to their team's safe zone. After 60 seconds, you are given points for any flags that are in your safe zone. While defending my teams's stockpile, a friendly had been dispatched and a group of enemies began stealing flags. I threw a few grenades to handle the red menace and then quickly returned the stolen flags to the safe zone. So from this I can conclude that my efforts to consolidate the team's victory were not appreciated, and not all the blues were working toward a common goal, rather for their own personal gain. I am yet to encounter this sort of criticism while playing FPS titles over the PSN. I can attribute this to the following: a) Bluetooth headsets are much more expensive than the standard, wired 360 headset, b) A wired headset comes free with Xbox 360 Elite consoles. Whether these are the main reasons the Playstation 3 online community prefer to play silently or not, thank you gouging games retailers for expensive headsets.
Has anyone else had a go at the Halo: Reach Beta? Does anybody play on both Xbox Live and the Playstation Network? If so, which do you prefer?
Monday, May 17
Friday, May 14
Powered Up
I'm a little bit hesitant about going from one sandbox to the next, having finished Just Cause 2 and Red Dead Redemption coming out next week (yes!), so having a weekend away from the PS3 and 360 should do me some good. I'm in Lennox Head this weekend which means I won't even be able to play my PC games as there is no internet connection in the house and Steam is subjecting me to digital rights molestation (DRM is the fashionable acronym) which is also preventing access to single-player content. I have but one option, the humble PSP. PSPgo to be precise.
I hate the PSPgo. Not only because Sony have been unable to offer a diverse range of new digital content to justify the purchase. Moreso because Sony (and the third party publishers that they blame) have refused to make available the PSP's bitching back-catalogue. Not to say that there are a lot of great games on the PSP, but there are plenty of good ones. I miss Megaman: Powered Up dearly and not just for it's charming, cutesy sprites, but also for its level editor. The levels created by the skillful dev team are brilliant yes, but sometimes I got sick of dying and resolved to create some simple stages, which weren't packed to the rafters with various enemies and killer gaps. Sometimes I would find myself clearing levels with ease and then wanted to make impossible challenges, only to laugh boisterously when the Blue Bomber cleared the killer gap, or navigated an unbelievably long pit of spikes.
Let's not forget that the PSP can also play PSone games. Why can't Activision release Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 on the PSN Store? I don't care if they edit out the punk/rap soundtrack (of surprisingly high quality). You wouldn't even need the L2 and R2 buttons because the revert was yet to be invented. There are plenty of other classics that could do with a re-release like: Trap Runner, Marvel Super Heroes, Street Fighter EX plus Alpha, Rival Schools: United by Fate, Alundra, Bust a Groove (the dance game, not the PAL title for Puzzle Bobble), Dead or Alive, Tobal, Tobal No. 2, Star Wars: Dark Forces, Resident Evil 2 & 3, Dino Crisis, Tekken 3, Mortal Kombat 3, Wip3out. There is endless potential that Sony has so far been inept in its efforts to exploit.
It's not all bad. I plan to re-acquaint myself with Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and log a few hours on Final Fantasy VIII. The interface on the PSPgo is quite a bit more hand-friendly than the older models, but when it is all said and done, I would rather have a righteous hand cramp than go another day without Megaman: Powered Up. Have a good weekend all. Is anyone else getting some gaming in this weekend?
I hate the PSPgo. Not only because Sony have been unable to offer a diverse range of new digital content to justify the purchase. Moreso because Sony (and the third party publishers that they blame) have refused to make available the PSP's bitching back-catalogue. Not to say that there are a lot of great games on the PSP, but there are plenty of good ones. I miss Megaman: Powered Up dearly and not just for it's charming, cutesy sprites, but also for its level editor. The levels created by the skillful dev team are brilliant yes, but sometimes I got sick of dying and resolved to create some simple stages, which weren't packed to the rafters with various enemies and killer gaps. Sometimes I would find myself clearing levels with ease and then wanted to make impossible challenges, only to laugh boisterously when the Blue Bomber cleared the killer gap, or navigated an unbelievably long pit of spikes.
Let's not forget that the PSP can also play PSone games. Why can't Activision release Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 on the PSN Store? I don't care if they edit out the punk/rap soundtrack (of surprisingly high quality). You wouldn't even need the L2 and R2 buttons because the revert was yet to be invented. There are plenty of other classics that could do with a re-release like: Trap Runner, Marvel Super Heroes, Street Fighter EX plus Alpha, Rival Schools: United by Fate, Alundra, Bust a Groove (the dance game, not the PAL title for Puzzle Bobble), Dead or Alive, Tobal, Tobal No. 2, Star Wars: Dark Forces, Resident Evil 2 & 3, Dino Crisis, Tekken 3, Mortal Kombat 3, Wip3out. There is endless potential that Sony has so far been inept in its efforts to exploit.
It's not all bad. I plan to re-acquaint myself with Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and log a few hours on Final Fantasy VIII. The interface on the PSPgo is quite a bit more hand-friendly than the older models, but when it is all said and done, I would rather have a righteous hand cramp than go another day without Megaman: Powered Up. Have a good weekend all. Is anyone else getting some gaming in this weekend?
Wednesday, May 12
In case you haven't played it: Just Cause 2 Review (PS3)
I've been playing Just Cause 2 in between drinks for nearly a month now, and after having just (literally minutes ago) completing the main story I feel as though I can put my thoughts on this game together and form a coherent argument as to why you should (or shouldn't) give it a try.
In Just Cause 2 there isn't really much of a story. I could tell you about Rico Rodriguez and the fictitious American agency (The Agency), and Panau's civil war and each of the warring factions but it is not worth noting. All you need to know about your part in Just Cause 2 is this: you are a handsome man who blows up just about everything because he can. Each of the factions are self-serving, there are no penalties for killing civilians. It is very easy to get detached from any sense of narrative or purpose in this game. It is for this reason however, that I believe I had more fun with it than most other action games that I have played in the last few years.
A beautiful tropical holiday: Just Cause 2 is set on the exotic, fictional island nation of Panau. Comprised of four main islands, and over 300 unique settlements: Panau is one of the largest play areas in the sandbox action game genre. I would argue that it is not fair to equate Panau to a Sandbox, it is the whole freaking playground. After completing the main story I am still yet to visit one third of all the settlements in Panau. The scale of Panau in terms of both its expanse and the height of several structures is impressive and while travelling you will notice that the draw distance is just as remarkable. The frame-rate is consistent for the most part, and that is particularly noteworthy during some of the more hectic moments of play where structures and vehicles are being destroyed in their multitudes with several enemies (still living) also sprinkling bullets, rockets and grenades at your feet. In previous posts I have complained of some low-detail enemies with awkward animations, but given the amount of action unfolding on screen at any given time such flaws can be forgiven.
Design your very own action movie: Just Cause 2 is exceptional because of the freedom it affords you. You are the director of every explosive scene and odds are, your experience with JC2 would be very different to that of your contemporaries. There are so many different ways to approach the game and its every mission, stronghold and settlement. Faction and Agency missions are set all over the country, but you can cause chaos in any number of ways. Thanks to the in-game vendor you can also order a variety of weapons and vehicles so you can tear across and through Panau however you want. You can stand on the shore of one of Panau's many vast beaches, order a speed boat to then visit and destroy offshore oil rigs. You can order a helicopter and two grenade launchers, fly above an enemy airbase, abandon your heli and parachute to the ground, raining explosives on the Panauan military. You have an extensive arsenal of weapons and vehicles at your disposal, and while I generally took to the skies in a helicopter with miniguns and rocket launches firing continuously, you could just as easily climb to a nearby mountain top using your trusty grappling hook, base jump from the peak and parachute to your objective. You can be as creative, or as plain as you choose. The lack of a compelling over-arching narrative and a forgiving checkpoint system also encourage you to go about your business in your own custom fashion, to make your own fun. Best of all, JC2 allows you to capture your gameplay footage and upload it to YouTube. Both of the clips I've used in this post were captured using this feature. There is so much to see and do, and so much value to be had in JC2.
Smooth sailing: It is just as easy to drive a car as it is to fly a helicopter or a jet. No matter how you choose to cause chaos, it is so wonderfully simple. Just Cause 2 is so ridiculously fun. I often found myself laughing out loud due to the incomprehensible nature of the action occuring on screen. Sometimes I would boot up the game and ascend to the highest peak I could find and go base jumping. Sometimes I would search for collectable resource items across the many hundreds of settlements of Panau. Sometimes (not too often) I would even play through the faction and Agency missions. Not to say that the mission design in JC 2 is awful, quite the opposite. Agency missions progress the story while faction missions add to your Chaos count, which in turn unlocks Agency missions. If you would like a sample of the brilliant mission design on offer in Just Cause 2, I would recommend that you read one of my previous posts: Best I Ever Had, a transcript of the action from the faction mission entitled, Pirate Transmission.
A mass of minor flaws: I loved my time with Just Cause 2, but I did come across some minor flaws which detracted from the experience. As mentioned in a previous post, the voice acting relies so heavily on South-East Asian stereotypes that it is almost offensive. The musical score is uninspired and I actually ended up turning the music off altogether. Enemies suffer from Uncharted syndrome, where they are ruthlessly aggressive and fire at you with unmatched accuracy. I couldn't hit enemies at 150m with an assault rifle but the lowliest Panauan soldier could hit me with a pistol from 2km away. The difficulty is inconsistent as well. As you progress through the game, your enemies will become better equipped and more resilient making settlement sabotage more difficult. Each time you die, you'll need to travel back to the settlement from the stronghold you most recently claimed. You can order extraction to the settlement from the in-game vendor at no charge, but it does break the momentum. Interestingly enough, stronger enemies doesn't necessarily equate to more difficult missions. The checkpoint system is perhaps a tad too forgiving, and I was rarely troubled by any of the story missions.
Anticlimax: I don't want to hit you with any spoilers but be warned: the final story mission is so terribly disappointing. Scratch that, almost all of the story missions end in disappointment. The fourth story mission is however, just about the best scripted mission you will ever play through: It's long, it's exciting, and it is action-packed.
Save some time for people watching: Upon completing the story I had only seen 24.70 percent of what Just Cause 2 has to offer. I'm now planning to grab a few more trophies by collecting more resource items and sabotaging more of the Panauan military's strongholds. If you are strapped for cash, I can easily recommend JC2 as it will keep you going for weeks and perhaps even months.
9/10: I will concede that, much like my play-through of Just Cause 2, I am merely scratching the surface. I believe however that this is one of the best action games made available over the last few years. There is such a variety of experiences available on offer here, and if you aren't having fun, odds are you're not using your true creative (destructive?) potential. Panau is the canvas on which you can paint scenes of discovery, conflict, humor and raw beauty. Even when I was being attacked by a multitude of soldiers I felt relaxed and that I could ultimately decide how each encounter began and ended. There are some flaws to be observed, but none are game-breaking and all can be forgiven. JC2 is just like all the classic 80s action flicks you remember: violent, ridiculous, and fun. Do yourself a favour, pick it up and make some fun.
In Just Cause 2 there isn't really much of a story. I could tell you about Rico Rodriguez and the fictitious American agency (The Agency), and Panau's civil war and each of the warring factions but it is not worth noting. All you need to know about your part in Just Cause 2 is this: you are a handsome man who blows up just about everything because he can. Each of the factions are self-serving, there are no penalties for killing civilians. It is very easy to get detached from any sense of narrative or purpose in this game. It is for this reason however, that I believe I had more fun with it than most other action games that I have played in the last few years.
A beautiful tropical holiday: Just Cause 2 is set on the exotic, fictional island nation of Panau. Comprised of four main islands, and over 300 unique settlements: Panau is one of the largest play areas in the sandbox action game genre. I would argue that it is not fair to equate Panau to a Sandbox, it is the whole freaking playground. After completing the main story I am still yet to visit one third of all the settlements in Panau. The scale of Panau in terms of both its expanse and the height of several structures is impressive and while travelling you will notice that the draw distance is just as remarkable. The frame-rate is consistent for the most part, and that is particularly noteworthy during some of the more hectic moments of play where structures and vehicles are being destroyed in their multitudes with several enemies (still living) also sprinkling bullets, rockets and grenades at your feet. In previous posts I have complained of some low-detail enemies with awkward animations, but given the amount of action unfolding on screen at any given time such flaws can be forgiven.
Design your very own action movie: Just Cause 2 is exceptional because of the freedom it affords you. You are the director of every explosive scene and odds are, your experience with JC2 would be very different to that of your contemporaries. There are so many different ways to approach the game and its every mission, stronghold and settlement. Faction and Agency missions are set all over the country, but you can cause chaos in any number of ways. Thanks to the in-game vendor you can also order a variety of weapons and vehicles so you can tear across and through Panau however you want. You can stand on the shore of one of Panau's many vast beaches, order a speed boat to then visit and destroy offshore oil rigs. You can order a helicopter and two grenade launchers, fly above an enemy airbase, abandon your heli and parachute to the ground, raining explosives on the Panauan military. You have an extensive arsenal of weapons and vehicles at your disposal, and while I generally took to the skies in a helicopter with miniguns and rocket launches firing continuously, you could just as easily climb to a nearby mountain top using your trusty grappling hook, base jump from the peak and parachute to your objective. You can be as creative, or as plain as you choose. The lack of a compelling over-arching narrative and a forgiving checkpoint system also encourage you to go about your business in your own custom fashion, to make your own fun. Best of all, JC2 allows you to capture your gameplay footage and upload it to YouTube. Both of the clips I've used in this post were captured using this feature. There is so much to see and do, and so much value to be had in JC2.
Smooth sailing: It is just as easy to drive a car as it is to fly a helicopter or a jet. No matter how you choose to cause chaos, it is so wonderfully simple. Just Cause 2 is so ridiculously fun. I often found myself laughing out loud due to the incomprehensible nature of the action occuring on screen. Sometimes I would boot up the game and ascend to the highest peak I could find and go base jumping. Sometimes I would search for collectable resource items across the many hundreds of settlements of Panau. Sometimes (not too often) I would even play through the faction and Agency missions. Not to say that the mission design in JC 2 is awful, quite the opposite. Agency missions progress the story while faction missions add to your Chaos count, which in turn unlocks Agency missions. If you would like a sample of the brilliant mission design on offer in Just Cause 2, I would recommend that you read one of my previous posts: Best I Ever Had, a transcript of the action from the faction mission entitled, Pirate Transmission.
A mass of minor flaws: I loved my time with Just Cause 2, but I did come across some minor flaws which detracted from the experience. As mentioned in a previous post, the voice acting relies so heavily on South-East Asian stereotypes that it is almost offensive. The musical score is uninspired and I actually ended up turning the music off altogether. Enemies suffer from Uncharted syndrome, where they are ruthlessly aggressive and fire at you with unmatched accuracy. I couldn't hit enemies at 150m with an assault rifle but the lowliest Panauan soldier could hit me with a pistol from 2km away. The difficulty is inconsistent as well. As you progress through the game, your enemies will become better equipped and more resilient making settlement sabotage more difficult. Each time you die, you'll need to travel back to the settlement from the stronghold you most recently claimed. You can order extraction to the settlement from the in-game vendor at no charge, but it does break the momentum. Interestingly enough, stronger enemies doesn't necessarily equate to more difficult missions. The checkpoint system is perhaps a tad too forgiving, and I was rarely troubled by any of the story missions.
Anticlimax: I don't want to hit you with any spoilers but be warned: the final story mission is so terribly disappointing. Scratch that, almost all of the story missions end in disappointment. The fourth story mission is however, just about the best scripted mission you will ever play through: It's long, it's exciting, and it is action-packed.
Save some time for people watching: Upon completing the story I had only seen 24.70 percent of what Just Cause 2 has to offer. I'm now planning to grab a few more trophies by collecting more resource items and sabotaging more of the Panauan military's strongholds. If you are strapped for cash, I can easily recommend JC2 as it will keep you going for weeks and perhaps even months.
9/10: I will concede that, much like my play-through of Just Cause 2, I am merely scratching the surface. I believe however that this is one of the best action games made available over the last few years. There is such a variety of experiences available on offer here, and if you aren't having fun, odds are you're not using your true creative (destructive?) potential. Panau is the canvas on which you can paint scenes of discovery, conflict, humor and raw beauty. Even when I was being attacked by a multitude of soldiers I felt relaxed and that I could ultimately decide how each encounter began and ended. There are some flaws to be observed, but none are game-breaking and all can be forgiven. JC2 is just like all the classic 80s action flicks you remember: violent, ridiculous, and fun. Do yourself a favour, pick it up and make some fun.
Monday, May 10
Careless Whisper
Please be advised Activision has burgled 22 dollars from me. I will use foul language in this post, so if you find four letter words offensive please read no further.
The Stimulus Package is the biggest heist in the history of videogaming. After having bought it with my own money, and played the maps on my own copy of Modern Warfare 2, I can report that Activision robbed me of $21.95. A lot of you would have quite rightly and obviously thought: $21.95 for five maps is a rip-off, you should have known better. You're right, but lets explore how this is the biggest swindle going around.
3 new maps, 2 old ones: Crash and Overgrown are easily the two best maps in this package and if you still own the original Modern Warfare, rest assured there is nothing to see here. There are no changes to either map and while for most that would be acceptable, for me it underlines the severe lack of value to be found in the Stimulus Package. Of the 3 new maps, Bailout is the clear stand-out with an expansive play area and a maze of interconnected hotel rooms. I am indifferent towards Storm. It is a derivative experience which I feel has been included in hundreds of other previous shooters (It's a fucking warehouse with shipping containers smattered about!). Salvage is the worst first-person shooter map I've ever played through. I've seen it referred to as claustrophobic (in a positive tone) but whether I was trapsing through extremely tight passages or being shot in the back (soooooooo many times) in small open areas, every match on Salvage was terribly frustrating. Salvage was a small map for four players, I can't imagine how painful it would be with a full lobby of 16 players online.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$: The Stimulus Package is $21.95 on the Playstation Network and 1200MSP on the Xbox Live Marketplace. You can buy some truly fantastic games (full fucking games) for less. Want some examples? On the PSN you can grab Marvel VS Capcom 2, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, PixelJunk Monsters, Peggle (FTW), Final Fantasy VII or VIII, or an assortment of PSone classics for under $21.95 (in some cases a combination of games). On the Xbox Live Arcade: Perfect Dark, Trials HD, Puzzle Quest - Rise of the Plague Lord, Catlevania: Symphony of the Night, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Halo, Doom and more for 1200 points or less. If you walk down to your local EB Games you can get Mass Effect pre-owned for $20! Hundreds of hours of quality RPG action for $1.95 less than the Stimulus Package. Gears of War is currently $13! A Game of The Year quality title for less than this shitty map pack. This is madness!!!
Setting a new price point: It is safe to assume that with 2.5 million sales on the XBLM (in the first week) and the PSN Store collapsing under the heavy weight of consumer demand, Activison will see 1200MSP and $21.95 as the new standard price for maps packs. This is, quite frankly unacceptable (read: fucked). The world's console owners have validated Activision's thievery and now we can expect inflation in the price of all downloadable content from the mega-publisher.
Infastructure: I haven't taken the stimulus package online yet , but one of our loyal reader's (thanks Sambo) has informed us that the new maps are only playable via the "Stimulus Playlist," which only adds to the calamity that is the Stimulus Package. This essentially means that players can't even decide how they use their 22 dollars worth of mediocre maps.
If you are sitting on the fence about this, and haven't yet been swindled, please abide by the following: DO NOT ALLOW ACTIVISION TO PLUNDER YOUR POINTS!!!! (or Playstation Store wallet, whatever you choose).
When have you felt financially cheated by a game (or expansion, DLC etc)?
The Stimulus Package is the biggest heist in the history of videogaming. After having bought it with my own money, and played the maps on my own copy of Modern Warfare 2, I can report that Activision robbed me of $21.95. A lot of you would have quite rightly and obviously thought: $21.95 for five maps is a rip-off, you should have known better. You're right, but lets explore how this is the biggest swindle going around.
3 new maps, 2 old ones: Crash and Overgrown are easily the two best maps in this package and if you still own the original Modern Warfare, rest assured there is nothing to see here. There are no changes to either map and while for most that would be acceptable, for me it underlines the severe lack of value to be found in the Stimulus Package. Of the 3 new maps, Bailout is the clear stand-out with an expansive play area and a maze of interconnected hotel rooms. I am indifferent towards Storm. It is a derivative experience which I feel has been included in hundreds of other previous shooters (It's a fucking warehouse with shipping containers smattered about!). Salvage is the worst first-person shooter map I've ever played through. I've seen it referred to as claustrophobic (in a positive tone) but whether I was trapsing through extremely tight passages or being shot in the back (soooooooo many times) in small open areas, every match on Salvage was terribly frustrating. Salvage was a small map for four players, I can't imagine how painful it would be with a full lobby of 16 players online.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$: The Stimulus Package is $21.95 on the Playstation Network and 1200MSP on the Xbox Live Marketplace. You can buy some truly fantastic games (full fucking games) for less. Want some examples? On the PSN you can grab Marvel VS Capcom 2, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, PixelJunk Monsters, Peggle (FTW), Final Fantasy VII or VIII, or an assortment of PSone classics for under $21.95 (in some cases a combination of games). On the Xbox Live Arcade: Perfect Dark, Trials HD, Puzzle Quest - Rise of the Plague Lord, Catlevania: Symphony of the Night, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Halo, Doom and more for 1200 points or less. If you walk down to your local EB Games you can get Mass Effect pre-owned for $20! Hundreds of hours of quality RPG action for $1.95 less than the Stimulus Package. Gears of War is currently $13! A Game of The Year quality title for less than this shitty map pack. This is madness!!!
Setting a new price point: It is safe to assume that with 2.5 million sales on the XBLM (in the first week) and the PSN Store collapsing under the heavy weight of consumer demand, Activison will see 1200MSP and $21.95 as the new standard price for maps packs. This is, quite frankly unacceptable (read: fucked). The world's console owners have validated Activision's thievery and now we can expect inflation in the price of all downloadable content from the mega-publisher.
Infastructure: I haven't taken the stimulus package online yet , but one of our loyal reader's (thanks Sambo) has informed us that the new maps are only playable via the "Stimulus Playlist," which only adds to the calamity that is the Stimulus Package. This essentially means that players can't even decide how they use their 22 dollars worth of mediocre maps.
If you are sitting on the fence about this, and haven't yet been swindled, please abide by the following: DO NOT ALLOW ACTIVISION TO PLUNDER YOUR POINTS!!!! (or Playstation Store wallet, whatever you choose).
When have you felt financially cheated by a game (or expansion, DLC etc)?
Friday, May 7
Deal with the Devil
How times change. Just over 5 years ago, Electronic Arts, better known as EA, was the evil empire of the gaming world. Pushing out sequels, spin-offs, spin-off sequels and annual installments of less than stellar quality in multitudes. There were some diamonds in the expansive rough: Freedom Fighters, Def Jam: Fight for NY, The Godfather; but on the whole, gamers had to sift through tonnes of EA's crap. I was a huge EA hater. Medal of Honour, Madden, Tiger Woods (05 excepted, I spent more hours playing that game than FFVII and VIII combined), Need for Speed, NBA Live, FIFA, World Cup 2002, oodles of Bond games; Electronic Arts was responsible for more crap in the naughties than most other publishers combined.
Fast forward to the present day. Activision merges with Blizzard Entertainment and becomes the world's biggest publisher of videogames. Its CEO often makes statements that are categorically offensive to anyone who follows the industry. The Guitar Hero franchise saw 5 titles released across multiple platforms in 2009 alone. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sells enough copies on day one to eclipse the most successful entertainment launches in history. It beat the Dark Knight! Activision prices the first map pack for Modern Warfare 2 at 1200 Microsoft points, causing waves of discontent to crash through videogame forums and media outlets. Activision becomes the new benchmark for greed and evil in the videogames industry.
To add to the confusion, EA starts releasing brilliant new games based on new intelectual properties. Mirror's Edge, Dead Space (haven't played it, but my brother swears by it), and Battlefield: Bad Company. The FIFA series gets better, Burnout Paradise is supported with an abundance of free content, the whole world goes mad.
Now after months of swearing I would never shake the devil's hand, I find myself contemplating the unthinkable, but inevitable: I should buy the Stimulus Package. Sure I would be supporting a corporation that sucks the fun out of the gaming industry, I would be spitting on my priciples but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm going to be playing some split-screen Modern Warfare 2 this weekend and I want as many maps as possible to slay my friends on.
Damn you Activision, you've broken me!!!!
Fast forward to the present day. Activision merges with Blizzard Entertainment and becomes the world's biggest publisher of videogames. Its CEO often makes statements that are categorically offensive to anyone who follows the industry. The Guitar Hero franchise saw 5 titles released across multiple platforms in 2009 alone. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sells enough copies on day one to eclipse the most successful entertainment launches in history. It beat the Dark Knight! Activision prices the first map pack for Modern Warfare 2 at 1200 Microsoft points, causing waves of discontent to crash through videogame forums and media outlets. Activision becomes the new benchmark for greed and evil in the videogames industry.
To add to the confusion, EA starts releasing brilliant new games based on new intelectual properties. Mirror's Edge, Dead Space (haven't played it, but my brother swears by it), and Battlefield: Bad Company. The FIFA series gets better, Burnout Paradise is supported with an abundance of free content, the whole world goes mad.
Now after months of swearing I would never shake the devil's hand, I find myself contemplating the unthinkable, but inevitable: I should buy the Stimulus Package. Sure I would be supporting a corporation that sucks the fun out of the gaming industry, I would be spitting on my priciples but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm going to be playing some split-screen Modern Warfare 2 this weekend and I want as many maps as possible to slay my friends on.
Damn you Activision, you've broken me!!!!
Wednesday, May 5
Best I Ever Had
No, this isn't about to get weird. I promise.
Last night I revisited Just Cause 2. I first set about causing chaos as per standard procedure. The Chippewa helicopter is my preferred instrument, cutting away at military installations and laying waste to hundreds of Panauan soldiers with dual miniguns. After clearing 2 or 3 bases I flew around listlessly until I finally decided to complete a faction mission: Pirate Transmission. You are required to scale a huge (HUGE) building, flick some switches halfway and then climb to the peak to destory a satellite and then jump off. Of course it will play out differently depending on your choice of conveyance and your choice of equipment (read: what you be packin'), but for me it was perfect. Like a walk in the park on a beautiful day with my Sweetie. It was magical.
I started my ascent in my Chippewa after causing just a little bit of chaos. Due to my transgressions prior to the climb, the Panauan military was in hot pursuit. After ditching my heli and hijacking one of their's, my rengade rise continued. Upon reaching the first objective, I awkwardly parked my ride and proceeded to flick the first switch. On my way to the second, I then received a panicked transmission informing me that there would be sentry guns at the next switch. I foolishly ignored the warning and proceeded to get shredded by various sources of gunfire. Near death, I plunged off the building and waited for my health to recover. Keep in mind, this was mid-plunge. This building was huge (HUGE).
Upon recovery, I decided to recommission the Chippewa and in seconds, all resistance was flattened and switches flicked. To my horror, Chip took too much fire. RIP. After a quick memorial for my fallen helicopter I then decided that I would use the conventional grappling hook to complete the journey. Just before the top, the stupid (read: bat shit crazy) AI crashed a helicopter into the side of the building just above me. I quickly dropped to avoid the wreckage and then motored to the summit for the explosive conclusion. I couldn't proceed with the objective straight away however. I had to take in the sights, the sun was out, a peerless blue sky, the sprawling urban landscape below. What a beautiful day to destroy a complex broadcast system.
After doing the deed and base-jumping to safety, I reflected on a brilliant day out. Sure this isn't a perfect game, but it has provided a few precious memories.
Any examples of brilliant mission design you would care to share? Any stand-out levels that still bring a smile to your face?
Last night I revisited Just Cause 2. I first set about causing chaos as per standard procedure. The Chippewa helicopter is my preferred instrument, cutting away at military installations and laying waste to hundreds of Panauan soldiers with dual miniguns. After clearing 2 or 3 bases I flew around listlessly until I finally decided to complete a faction mission: Pirate Transmission. You are required to scale a huge (HUGE) building, flick some switches halfway and then climb to the peak to destory a satellite and then jump off. Of course it will play out differently depending on your choice of conveyance and your choice of equipment (read: what you be packin'), but for me it was perfect. Like a walk in the park on a beautiful day with my Sweetie. It was magical.
I started my ascent in my Chippewa after causing just a little bit of chaos. Due to my transgressions prior to the climb, the Panauan military was in hot pursuit. After ditching my heli and hijacking one of their's, my rengade rise continued. Upon reaching the first objective, I awkwardly parked my ride and proceeded to flick the first switch. On my way to the second, I then received a panicked transmission informing me that there would be sentry guns at the next switch. I foolishly ignored the warning and proceeded to get shredded by various sources of gunfire. Near death, I plunged off the building and waited for my health to recover. Keep in mind, this was mid-plunge. This building was huge (HUGE).
Upon recovery, I decided to recommission the Chippewa and in seconds, all resistance was flattened and switches flicked. To my horror, Chip took too much fire. RIP. After a quick memorial for my fallen helicopter I then decided that I would use the conventional grappling hook to complete the journey. Just before the top, the stupid (read: bat shit crazy) AI crashed a helicopter into the side of the building just above me. I quickly dropped to avoid the wreckage and then motored to the summit for the explosive conclusion. I couldn't proceed with the objective straight away however. I had to take in the sights, the sun was out, a peerless blue sky, the sprawling urban landscape below. What a beautiful day to destroy a complex broadcast system.
After doing the deed and base-jumping to safety, I reflected on a brilliant day out. Sure this isn't a perfect game, but it has provided a few precious memories.
Any examples of brilliant mission design you would care to share? Any stand-out levels that still bring a smile to your face?
Monday, May 3
Far From Perfect
Before last week, it had been about 9 months since I had been on the Xbox Live Marketplace. I thought it would be a joyous, tearful reunion but it was much more subdued. Not to say it was awkward or anything, it's just to say that very little has changed. The level of intrusive advertising has increased, the amount of content available has inevitably increased and there are a few new (seemingly) useless menus to wade through before I can find my game library.
With my initial feelings falling short of the expected high, I found consolation in some Xbox Live Arcade titles which were not previously available the last time I had custody of a 360: Trials HD and Perfect Dark.
I have had some experience with the Trials series before, having purchased Redlynx Trials 2: Second Edition via Steam. The experience on the 360 has been refined considerably. Sure the graphics are better and there are new tracks, but where Trials HD differs siginificantly from its PC counterpart is the physics engine which is, thankfully, more forgiving and less jumpy. With the laws of physics now in favor of the player, Trials HD is just as addictive as its predecessor only less frustrating.
Perfect Dark was loaded in the Damen family Nintendo 64 for months on end. As I had read that an XBLA remake was in the works, the urge to purchase a 360 started to increase much to my chagrin. Now that I have downloaded the game and I have spent some time trawling through the various modes, I've come to realise what value it represented on the N64 and what a great deal it is when compared to other XBLA titles. You get a full single-player campaign with dynamic mission objectives depending on the difficulty setting, a full multiplayer suite and a challenge mode which starts off slow but then quickly ramps up in difficulty. I had a few lols shooting goons and having them repeatedly slur "Why me?" The graphics have also been given a new coat of paint but for me it takes away from the sense of nostalgia. I would never say that Perfect Dark (XBLA) is a reason to own a 360, but it is definitely a perk.
While I am always a little trigger happy with the "Confirm Purchase," button when on the Xbox Live Marketplace, this weekend I came away with two winners. Do you guys buy many downloadable games on the PSN/XBLA? Are you happy with the quality of games on offer?
With my initial feelings falling short of the expected high, I found consolation in some Xbox Live Arcade titles which were not previously available the last time I had custody of a 360: Trials HD and Perfect Dark.
I have had some experience with the Trials series before, having purchased Redlynx Trials 2: Second Edition via Steam. The experience on the 360 has been refined considerably. Sure the graphics are better and there are new tracks, but where Trials HD differs siginificantly from its PC counterpart is the physics engine which is, thankfully, more forgiving and less jumpy. With the laws of physics now in favor of the player, Trials HD is just as addictive as its predecessor only less frustrating.
Perfect Dark was loaded in the Damen family Nintendo 64 for months on end. As I had read that an XBLA remake was in the works, the urge to purchase a 360 started to increase much to my chagrin. Now that I have downloaded the game and I have spent some time trawling through the various modes, I've come to realise what value it represented on the N64 and what a great deal it is when compared to other XBLA titles. You get a full single-player campaign with dynamic mission objectives depending on the difficulty setting, a full multiplayer suite and a challenge mode which starts off slow but then quickly ramps up in difficulty. I had a few lols shooting goons and having them repeatedly slur "Why me?" The graphics have also been given a new coat of paint but for me it takes away from the sense of nostalgia. I would never say that Perfect Dark (XBLA) is a reason to own a 360, but it is definitely a perk.
While I am always a little trigger happy with the "Confirm Purchase," button when on the Xbox Live Marketplace, this weekend I came away with two winners. Do you guys buy many downloadable games on the PSN/XBLA? Are you happy with the quality of games on offer?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)