Official Site: http://www.soldak.com/Depths-of-Peril/Overview.html
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/23600/
Source: Youtube Channel SoldakEnt
It's been a little over 4 years since Depths of Peril released, but I've honestly never heard of it until this year. I bought it off steam a month ago for $5 during one of the daily deals as I'm going into a Top-Down Action RPG phase of sorts at the moment with games like Titan Quest, Diablo 2, and Torchlight all in wait of Diablo 3. Depths of Peril is an RPG/Strategy game which sounds confusing at first, but makes sense when put into play. There are a number of factions (that can be adjusted by the player) in a town who can either ally with each other or eliminate each other anytime during the play. The game is almost like an MMO, but played as a single-player game. The player chooses the settings of difficulty level, character class, and special rules like Hardcore mode (perma-death) in the beginning of each new game and a randomly generated world is created. A player can play in any way they want as long as it benefits them in dominating over all the other factions. The game is played a lot like Diablo, with elements of World of Warcraft, the strategy is a lot like Total War or Civilization, and the on-going persistence of everything happening around the player is like many MMORPGs out now. The player can fulfill quests for NPCs in-town, recruit party members, create diplomacies with other factions, fight bosses, learn any skills from their class (no tier tree, so no pre-reqs for new skills), and raid other factions.
My first two reactions when starting the game was: "wow, the graphics are ugly" and "man, this is confusing". It's one of those games where it drops the player into the world with little to no explanation on what to do. The objective is simple: dominate all other factions by either diplomacy or by destruction. There is a tutorial or sorts in the very beginning, but it's long-winded and still confusing afterwards. It does take a while to learn how to play, but the fun starts rolling when you know what to do. To go back to the graphics: the models are so blocky and the colors are so convoluted that it's difficult to navigate. Objects blended with the environment around it, NPCs were hard to find, and it gets really messy during large mob battles. After a few hours, I got used to the maps and was able to semi get around. I still thought the graphics weren't too much to look at though. And if you like music in your RPGs, well you'll only hear like one of them in-town.
With the aesthetics of the game lacking in polish or quality, everything boils down to the gameplay. Fortunately, the game is pretty fun. After getting a few levels to grab a few skills, recruiting a party member, and figuring out how quests work the game can get pretty fast-paced and hectic. Enemy faction leaders will do quests and fight monsters like the main player would and sometimes finish quests that the player had which denies the reward for the player. Boss monsters are in the middle of a field and can create quite a mob when spawned enemies decide to join the party. I do hate some of the quests (as I often do in a lot of RPGs with "quests" or "sidequests" in them) such as the delivery ones as it never specifies where the NPC is other than which field they're residing in, and even then it can be an easter egg hunt to no avail. There are time limits to a lot of quests, so it puts the player even more on edge in trying to complete a quest. When the player feels ready, they can raid another faction and their party members to destroy their main crystal. The game almost feels like playing World of Warcraft in a matter of hours by creating a strong team, leveling the character, grabbing effective gear, and going on a Raid or PvP. After I dominated all factions for the first time, it allowed me to create new settings with the character with levels, skills, and equipment intact so that a new game began with new factions. Quests will continually be added, new boss monsters will keep spawning throughout the world, and new equipment can be obtained as the player levels up and attempts to raid more factions. The game is truly unique and has a certain charm to it that makes it stand out from the crowd. The game was a very nice distraction and I wouldn't mind going back to it once in a while just to experience a "raid" once again.
Soldak Entertainment (the developers of Depths of Peril) has a few other games such as Din's Curse. Although a lot of their RPGs kind of look the same, their gameplay are different (Din's Curse allows for 141 class combinations). If you're into Action-RPGs and don't mind experience a unique twist to it, I'd recommend grabbing it on Steam when it's less than $5.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
VGCulture - Cyber Monday Deals
Cyber Monday Deals are still going on Amazon with lots of new games on the list:
-Battlefield 3 for $40
-Dark Souls for $35
-Mortal Kombat for $30
-RAGE for $30
-El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron for $30
-Gears of War 3 for $35
And more on Amazon.com!
-Battlefield 3 for $40
-Dark Souls for $35
-Mortal Kombat for $30
-RAGE for $30
-El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron for $30
-Gears of War 3 for $35
And more on Amazon.com!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
VGCulture - Happy Thanksgiving (2011)
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
VGCulture - Steam Autumn Sale (2011)
Official Site: http://store.steampowered.com/
Bwahaha, I was right! Steam's Autumn Sales has begun with currently 1638 items listed with a discount. Each day, there will be featured sales with a even greater price cut. If you don't see your game of choice on the featured sales today, maybe it will appear in one of the other days. If by Sunday you still don't see it, then getting it at its current discount price will be the most you'll get out of it (until winter sales come in).
-Men of War: It's an strategy game, not much else to say about it.
-Duke Nukem Forever: This one's a hard choice for me. I'm not sure if it's worth getting even at $6.79. If I do get it, I hope that it's at least somewhat entertaining (look at the metacritic score and you'll know what I mean).
-Sam & Max Complete Pack: If you enjoy adventure games, this would be a good pack to get as point-n-click adventure games are rare these days.
-Renegade Ops: It's a top-down action game and it got some pretty good reviews. I'm reluctant to try it out, but perhaps if it drops down to only a few dollars I'll give it a spin.
-Dejobaan Collection: They make weird games that can be somewhat entertaining. For only $10 you get 4 games.
-Test Drive Unlimited 2: Anyone notice that Deadmau5's Ghosts 'n Stuff is used in the trailer?
-Mass Effect Franchise: If you haven't played this awesome Action-RPG yet, then this would be a great time to get them for a price of merely $5 each.
-Portal 2: A puzzle-platformer that can be play cooperatively with a friend online.
-Orcs Must Die!: This is an Action-Tower Defense game. You can say it's kind of like Sanctum, but with swords and crossbows.
-The Oddboxx: It has the original Oddworld back from 1997 up to the newest one from 2010.
-Call of Duty: Blacks Ops: Just a warning that if you get this, it'll be mainly for the Campaign mode and zombie mode. When Black Ops came out last year, the community for Modern Warfare 2's online multiplayer died pretty quickly.
-Risen: An Action RPG with a sequel coming out sometime next year.
More to come in the upcoming days.
-Duke Nukem Forever: This one's a hard choice for me. I'm not sure if it's worth getting even at $6.79. If I do get it, I hope that it's at least somewhat entertaining (look at the metacritic score and you'll know what I mean).
-Sam & Max Complete Pack: If you enjoy adventure games, this would be a good pack to get as point-n-click adventure games are rare these days.
-Renegade Ops: It's a top-down action game and it got some pretty good reviews. I'm reluctant to try it out, but perhaps if it drops down to only a few dollars I'll give it a spin.
-Dejobaan Collection: They make weird games that can be somewhat entertaining. For only $10 you get 4 games.
-Test Drive Unlimited 2: Anyone notice that Deadmau5's Ghosts 'n Stuff is used in the trailer?
-Mass Effect Franchise: If you haven't played this awesome Action-RPG yet, then this would be a great time to get them for a price of merely $5 each.
-Portal 2: A puzzle-platformer that can be play cooperatively with a friend online.
-Orcs Must Die!: This is an Action-Tower Defense game. You can say it's kind of like Sanctum, but with swords and crossbows.
-The Oddboxx: It has the original Oddworld back from 1997 up to the newest one from 2010.
-Call of Duty: Blacks Ops: Just a warning that if you get this, it'll be mainly for the Campaign mode and zombie mode. When Black Ops came out last year, the community for Modern Warfare 2's online multiplayer died pretty quickly.
-Risen: An Action RPG with a sequel coming out sometime next year.
More to come in the upcoming days.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
VGCulture - Thanksgiving Sales
Hey gamers, keep an eye out for sales throughout the next two weeks for Black Friday and Cyber Monday (which has extended to a week or month beforehand for some stores).
Besides retails at Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, and others, there's online stores as well:
-Steam: I'm pretty sure Steam will have a Thanksgiving sale
-Amazon: Lots of deals on physical copies and over 200+ for digital downloads
-Newegg: Sometimes they have game sales, but I'd go to them for your PC gaming needs
And many more. Get ready for the Holidays!
Besides retails at Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, and others, there's online stores as well:
-Steam: I'm pretty sure Steam will have a Thanksgiving sale
-Amazon: Lots of deals on physical copies and over 200+ for digital downloads
-Newegg: Sometimes they have game sales, but I'd go to them for your PC gaming needs
And many more. Get ready for the Holidays!
Monday, November 21, 2011
GameLight Review - Brink
Official Site: http://www.brinkthegame.com/
Source: Youtube Channel BethesdaSoftworks
Developer: Splash Damage
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: May 10, 2011
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Pros:
-Unique team-based gameplay that demands the cooperation of the whole team
-The parkour concept makes for an interesting way of getting around, escaping, or attacking
-The art style is colorful, clean, and refreshing in a genre so used to muddy brown and cloudy grey
Cons:
-Uncooperative team mates can make for a frustrating and unpleasant experience
-The game is meant for multi-player as single-player is an emulated multiplayer with ally bots being really dumb
-Missions will require cooperation, but the game design doesn't exactly encourage it in the right way
-Multiplayer is officially dead; you're too late if you want to try it now
If you're a console player, don't get Brink. It's not because it's a "bad" game per se, but because the community for the game is dead now (absolutely 0 people online). If you're a PC gamer, you might still have a chance. Out of all the First-Person Shooters I looked forward to from the beginning of 2011, Brink was the one I had most faith in. It sadly disappointed me in so many ways that that I almost regret buying it, but am glad I did only because it helped me learn so much about game design. The game had a lot of potential that was hurt by its own design choices, which should have made it better, as some concept flaws weren't foreseen. If Splash Damage were to develop Brink 2, a sequel, and change everything that went wrong to make it right, then there still might be a chance for this franchise. As of right now, I have to recommend NOT getting this game for console as you won't find a multiplayer experience OR a single-player experience for that matter.
Aesthetics - Graphics, Audio, and Presentation
What I liked about Brink from the get go was the bright and colorful environment it had (much like Mirror's Edge). The characters do look odd, but they're believable as people. One of the problems with the customization of characters is that they can wear all sorts of different colors, even if the team colors are "Blue" and "Red". This makes identifying friendly and hostile in a split-second decision a bit more difficult. It might be more realistic to have individualism with what the player wants their character to wear, but this is a game and it hinders on the gameplay if allies and enemies keep getting confused for one another when getting shot at. The HUD system is clean and pretty straight-forward. The objectives menu took some getting used to, but it's easy to get around once a player knows how to use it. The voice-acting was alright, but the volume balance for it wasn't set right. I can barely hear the characters speaking during cinematics. The gunfire sfx was alright and being able to identify between each weapon was easy enough. I was kind of confused why everyone had an Australian or Jamaican accent, but I liked it anyways. One of the things I could not stand at all was hearing "our command post has been captured, GET IT BACK" or "the command post has been stolen, STOP THEM!" or something of that nature. I'll explain that under "concept". The game really looked good and feels pretty good the first time you play it. The art style was different, colors were clear and brilliant, menus and HUDs were clean, and gameplay felt smooth. There's the occasional texture blinking and disappearing and some things kind of meld in together with the environment (including enemies), but the game looked and sounded really nice for a frantic First-Person Shooter. Aesthetics: 9/10
Buttons - Controls
The key mappings to Brink is slightly different from other First-Person Shooters. One of the main keys being sprinting. Since the same key used for sprinting is the same one used to perform wall runs, climbs and other stunts, it is mapped to the L2 button rather than L3 (for PS3) so that the player doesn't accidentally jump over cover when moving around. Everything else is about the same: R3 to melee, Square to reload, Triangle to switch weapons, Circle to crouch, Cross to jump, R1 to fire, and R2 to throw a grenade. The problem with the key scheme falls in when interacting with anything. The player has to leave their right thumb stick to hold the square button. This makes aiming for the object and interacting with it difficult when under gunfire. This probably doesn't pertain to PC players as both hands will be on movement and aim while the interact key is probably the "E" key. A better mapping would've probably been having R3 as interact and reload, and square as melee or grenade. Even better, it would've been better if the player could remap the keys to their liking. Input is alright, but there might be some things that people won't like. When climbing, the player's character can't do anything in-between the sequence they moment they start until they are done. It might be only one second, but that's enough for any enemy right above you to take you out. When aiming-down-sight, there's a slight delay going into it. This means that you can't fire for that 0.75 seconds or so until you're fully aiming down. It also has that delay getting out of ADS as well. Those who are used to fast ADS in Call of Duty, Battlefield, Halo, or whichever FPS you play, it might be bothersome. The player still slows down to a crawl when in ADS. A melee attack (also has a slight delay) knocks an enemy back for a chance to shoot them; however, they're able to shoot back when on the floor. When performing a melee attack, the player can't shoot for a second or two. This leaves the player at a disadvantage. For a game boasting in fluidity and fast-paced action, the controls feel clunky and unruly at times. Just trying to interact with objects is a really big problem. The game controls feel very standard, even with the ability to perform parkour moves. Buttons: 6/10
Concept & Content - Design
I need to break this down because there's a lot that makes this game shine but also fail at the same time.
Seamless single-player and multiplayer:
When I purchased Brink, I did so for the single-player experience as the community had dwindled for the multiplayer. To my surprise, Single-player, co-op and multiplayer versus were all the same thing. Each level was actually a mission for each of the sides. Single-player consisted of playing one of 4 challenges or up to 4 players in co-op while the main game is an assortment of capturing command posts, taking an item (capture the flag), escorting, defending a wall, trying to blow it up, etc. Single-player is essentially a pseudo multiplayer where the player goes against bots with bots on their side of the team as well. At first, it's pretty interesting since there's still that team-work aspect still there when playing the game; however, there will be many encounters when ally bots will be very uncooperative and won't fulfill the main objective or end up dying. It's frustrating because the enemy bots are well organized, have dead-aim all of a sudden when you least expect it which kills off your entire team and eventually yourself, and just plain plays much better than the bots on your own team. Earlier, I mentioned that I hated hearing the game announce that a command post has been captured. Not only is it irritating hearing it every other minute, but it also causes ally team mates to run over to re-capture it when the attention is needed on the main objective. This happens with both bots and players. Command posts give a team advantage, but it isn't necessary for victory. Versus mode is how the game is meant to be played, yet bots exist to fill in the void for each game session. The community is dead now, so single-player, co-op and versus all end up being single-player for consoles now.
Adding a story to multiplayer and giving purpose:
This is a double edged sword that made the game interesting but also killed it. The story of the ark and its inhabitants gave reason to the fight between the sides and created the setting of the world for the player. Along with cinematics are dossiers of voice recordings and profiles of the people involved with the fight. It set the time and place of the world, but it didn't really build up to anything interesting. Worse yet, since all the levels are missions that tell each part of the story, a player feels "complete" after accomplishing the task for that particular level. Going back to a level to replay it feels like playing a game that's already completed and relies more on "versus" mode to keep the game fresh (which most people probably finished in co-op). I'm really not sure how the story could have evolved better, but I didn't find any purpose to replay any level after I found out what each mission was about.
Persistent character progression, upgrading, leveling, and acquiring new items to customize:
The core game is very much like Valve's Team Fortress 2 with the movements of Mirror's Edge's parkour gameplay and Call of Duty's (or any other typical current gen FPS) weapons and customization system. Splash Damage combined the level progression of Call of Duty games into Team Fortress 2's team-based combat to create a multiplayer experience with a deep story and character progression. This was a great idea as it gave players a purpose beyond just killing players and performing tasks. All the previews and trailers presented a dynamic weapon customization system that allows for a variety of unique effects and appearance. In Call of Duty (at least for the Modern Warfare series), the player is frequently rewarded little by little as they continued playing the game online. In Brink, players acquire weapons in bulk by completing 3 levels of 4 challenges. The player (if skillful enough) could acquire all the weapons in the game within an hour or so which ultimately defeats the concept of "player progression" other than gaining levels for new clothing or abilities. Even with all the weapons, their differences are meager and the customization being limited to a few attachments. There's essentially 6 weapons with all the extra ones having minor differences: Assault, SMG, Gatling, shotgun, sniper, and launcher. All guns share the same scopes, customized mags, and add-ons, so customization doesn't go as far as making a few statistical changes. I actually don't have much to complain about the upgrading and leveling system for new abilities as it closely follows how Battlefield: Bad Company 2 does it by leveling and acquiring new abilities (though they're items in BFBC2 such as med-packs and ammo). The difference is that in Brink, you can choose what new skill to acquire as long as its within the player's "rank" to do so. So with the incentive of getting more abilities, there's very little content to keep the player going beyond that.
Class and team-based gameplay concept:
The developers probably didn't foresee this happening, but the team-based concept is quite a problem when trying to actually fulfill a mission. How each mission works is the team gets a main mission and usually requires a certain "class" to fulfill them. A Solider can blow up obstructions and provide ammunition, Medics can heal and resurrect fallen comrades, Engineers can build turrets and repair items, and Operatives can disguise as the enemy to get behind enemy lines to captures posts and hack computers. So all four classes are necessary for a successful mission and their dependency relies on each other. The "class" system falls apart though when put into another perspective. Most players play First-Person Shooter online to compete against other players and thus are used to "death matches". But there is no such mode in Brink and is an assortment of modes put together. Another problem with the class system is that it is mainly used for "fulfilling" a mission and doesn't limit their abilities to "kill". A player can have any body type (Heavy, medium, light) utilizing any weapon they want. This makes every class capable to kill another player. What happens then is that players will forget their main objective and focus on the "killing" aspect of the game. Soldiers will use their abilities to refill their own ammo to consistently kill. Medics will keep themselves in the fight by healing themselves and focus on the fire-fight. Engineers will set up turrets and mines around while racking up kills. Operatives will try to use the disguise to get behind enemies to shoot from there. There are lots of abilities that limit classes from only buffing their team mates, but the main ones are usable on themselves which breaks some of that reliance of team mates and allows one to solo it out. Even with such a dynamic design of team-based gameplay, there will be players who will play the game like a "death-match" and ultimately kill the experience for everyone else. To point out one of the examples, Team Fortress 2's medic can't heal themselves and don't do much damage. So the reliance on a team mate to protect them while they heal them is necessary. In Brink, it's very easy for a player to solo in a fire-fight as everyone possess the same guns to fight. I'd blame the players for this problem if it was possible, but there aren't any players left online to blame for it.
Modes and Map Design:
I personally liked how each mission was an assortment of capturing, defending, attacking, and planting as it promotes team work more than "Team Death match" does. The problem is not everyone feels that way, and so there will still those who will play the game like a death match rather than a capture mode. This actually isn't a problem with the mode selections, but more to do with the way the "class" system is set up. If you can't encourage team-work past class specific objectives to fulfill, no one will fall in to play their part. The maps were designed to be able to perform various parkour moves, but they can be very confusing. Map flows are obscure, maze-like, and difficult to navigate. I eventually got used to a few of them, but it was still difficult to find my way around some areas which wastes time.
Parkour:
This was one of the main attractions to the game, especially after the appeal Mirror's Edge had. Throughout the game, the tutorials will tell the player to "move" around a lot as it is the only way to survive. In the trailers, you see the player sliding into enemies, chasing them through several platforms, and leaping into a fray of enemies. The problem? Guns shoot far, and they will reach you no matter where you run to unless there's cover. This concept of "running around" and "Parkour" was to hopefully diminish the amount of "camping" that happens within FPS games, but it doesn't work even in Brink. Running will only expose yourself to gunfire unless there's cover nearby, and climbing up walls slows your character down with the delay which gives free reign for an enemy to shoot you. Running and Parkour is great for getting to where you need to go, but not for combat. In the midst of battle, the most effective way to get through a gunfight is by moving up slowly with the entire team and finding cover. Sliding into an enemy and shooting them may look cool in the videos, but in the actual game you'd probably get shot by the enemy or their team mates before being able fire.
The game is innovative, and it truly has a lot of potential that it could still work with. The game just simply doesn't work well right now for a true "team-based" multiplayer experience, but it might still have a chance of redeeming itself if the problems are addressed and fixed. Concept & Content: 5/10
Duration - Pacing, length, and Replay Value
I finished all the missions (except for Day 6 of the enforcers, that accursed mission) in about 10 hours or so in replaying some of the missions. Each mission takes an average of 30 minutes depending on the situation. If the team is defending and loses the first point, they need to defend the next point which adds time. If they successfully defend the first point, the mission ends within 10 minutes. Single-player and co-op don't have much lasting appeal, and so the reliance on Versus mode to keep the game's replay value high is necessary. Unfortunately, the game's online community is dead. So as of right now, it has little to no replay value unless you really like to play with bots or doing those challenges. But I got about 12-15 hours of gameplay for $10, so I'm alright. This score would've been very different if there were still people playing this game. Duration: 5/10
Fun - First/Last Impression, Entertainment Value
When I first started, I liked it. Being able to freely climb up high place, jump off walls, and sliding around was fun and made me look at the levels differently. I didn't think much of the weapons as they were exactly what I expected out of an FPS. I thought it was interesting to add a life-bar over player's heads. It made priority a little easier to decide. As I got farther into the game, I started to become very frustrated. Human players would leave their characters online to "hopefully" have the computer AI win for them as well as gaining points to level up. Ally computer AIs were dumb and uncooperative which really made me feel like I was playing a single-player game as I had to switch between classes and fulfill the tasks myself. After awhile, it was more of a chore than an exciting experience for me. When I finally finished all the missions and saw the ending cinematic, it ended in a very sad whimper leaving me unsatisfied and upset with the game. I found out there were a lot of dossiers I haven't unlocked, but got bored really fast after listening to a few of them. The story no longer interested me, and the gameplay was too frustrating to go back to as human players no longer exist on it and bots were too dumb to withstand. I was very glad I played the game in a bad way for the game itself as I learned so much about what didn't work in a team-based multiplayer game. I put the disc back in its box and placed it with the rest of my finished games to remind me what the game has taught me. It was sort of fun while it lasted, but I'm done with Brink. Fun: 6/10
Overall
The game had a lot of potential and it still does for a sequel should the developers decide on doing so (though Bethesda might not want to back them up on it), but I the game is officially dead within the same year it was launched. I was hoping it would give me the satisfaction of a single-player experience, but it even failed at that. I still have some faith in the franchise and think it could evolve into something better, but I have to be honest with this first one and say that it wasn't as fun as I had hoped it'd be. Overall: 6.2/10
Source: Youtube Channel BethesdaSoftworks
Developer: Splash Damage
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: May 10, 2011
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Pros:
-Unique team-based gameplay that demands the cooperation of the whole team
-The parkour concept makes for an interesting way of getting around, escaping, or attacking
-The art style is colorful, clean, and refreshing in a genre so used to muddy brown and cloudy grey
Cons:
-Uncooperative team mates can make for a frustrating and unpleasant experience
-The game is meant for multi-player as single-player is an emulated multiplayer with ally bots being really dumb
-Missions will require cooperation, but the game design doesn't exactly encourage it in the right way
-Multiplayer is officially dead; you're too late if you want to try it now
If you're a console player, don't get Brink. It's not because it's a "bad" game per se, but because the community for the game is dead now (absolutely 0 people online). If you're a PC gamer, you might still have a chance. Out of all the First-Person Shooters I looked forward to from the beginning of 2011, Brink was the one I had most faith in. It sadly disappointed me in so many ways that that I almost regret buying it, but am glad I did only because it helped me learn so much about game design. The game had a lot of potential that was hurt by its own design choices, which should have made it better, as some concept flaws weren't foreseen. If Splash Damage were to develop Brink 2, a sequel, and change everything that went wrong to make it right, then there still might be a chance for this franchise. As of right now, I have to recommend NOT getting this game for console as you won't find a multiplayer experience OR a single-player experience for that matter.
Aesthetics - Graphics, Audio, and Presentation
What I liked about Brink from the get go was the bright and colorful environment it had (much like Mirror's Edge). The characters do look odd, but they're believable as people. One of the problems with the customization of characters is that they can wear all sorts of different colors, even if the team colors are "Blue" and "Red". This makes identifying friendly and hostile in a split-second decision a bit more difficult. It might be more realistic to have individualism with what the player wants their character to wear, but this is a game and it hinders on the gameplay if allies and enemies keep getting confused for one another when getting shot at. The HUD system is clean and pretty straight-forward. The objectives menu took some getting used to, but it's easy to get around once a player knows how to use it. The voice-acting was alright, but the volume balance for it wasn't set right. I can barely hear the characters speaking during cinematics. The gunfire sfx was alright and being able to identify between each weapon was easy enough. I was kind of confused why everyone had an Australian or Jamaican accent, but I liked it anyways. One of the things I could not stand at all was hearing "our command post has been captured, GET IT BACK" or "the command post has been stolen, STOP THEM!" or something of that nature. I'll explain that under "concept". The game really looked good and feels pretty good the first time you play it. The art style was different, colors were clear and brilliant, menus and HUDs were clean, and gameplay felt smooth. There's the occasional texture blinking and disappearing and some things kind of meld in together with the environment (including enemies), but the game looked and sounded really nice for a frantic First-Person Shooter. Aesthetics: 9/10
Buttons - Controls
The key mappings to Brink is slightly different from other First-Person Shooters. One of the main keys being sprinting. Since the same key used for sprinting is the same one used to perform wall runs, climbs and other stunts, it is mapped to the L2 button rather than L3 (for PS3) so that the player doesn't accidentally jump over cover when moving around. Everything else is about the same: R3 to melee, Square to reload, Triangle to switch weapons, Circle to crouch, Cross to jump, R1 to fire, and R2 to throw a grenade. The problem with the key scheme falls in when interacting with anything. The player has to leave their right thumb stick to hold the square button. This makes aiming for the object and interacting with it difficult when under gunfire. This probably doesn't pertain to PC players as both hands will be on movement and aim while the interact key is probably the "E" key. A better mapping would've probably been having R3 as interact and reload, and square as melee or grenade. Even better, it would've been better if the player could remap the keys to their liking. Input is alright, but there might be some things that people won't like. When climbing, the player's character can't do anything in-between the sequence they moment they start until they are done. It might be only one second, but that's enough for any enemy right above you to take you out. When aiming-down-sight, there's a slight delay going into it. This means that you can't fire for that 0.75 seconds or so until you're fully aiming down. It also has that delay getting out of ADS as well. Those who are used to fast ADS in Call of Duty, Battlefield, Halo, or whichever FPS you play, it might be bothersome. The player still slows down to a crawl when in ADS. A melee attack (also has a slight delay) knocks an enemy back for a chance to shoot them; however, they're able to shoot back when on the floor. When performing a melee attack, the player can't shoot for a second or two. This leaves the player at a disadvantage. For a game boasting in fluidity and fast-paced action, the controls feel clunky and unruly at times. Just trying to interact with objects is a really big problem. The game controls feel very standard, even with the ability to perform parkour moves. Buttons: 6/10
Concept & Content - Design
I need to break this down because there's a lot that makes this game shine but also fail at the same time.
Seamless single-player and multiplayer:
When I purchased Brink, I did so for the single-player experience as the community had dwindled for the multiplayer. To my surprise, Single-player, co-op and multiplayer versus were all the same thing. Each level was actually a mission for each of the sides. Single-player consisted of playing one of 4 challenges or up to 4 players in co-op while the main game is an assortment of capturing command posts, taking an item (capture the flag), escorting, defending a wall, trying to blow it up, etc. Single-player is essentially a pseudo multiplayer where the player goes against bots with bots on their side of the team as well. At first, it's pretty interesting since there's still that team-work aspect still there when playing the game; however, there will be many encounters when ally bots will be very uncooperative and won't fulfill the main objective or end up dying. It's frustrating because the enemy bots are well organized, have dead-aim all of a sudden when you least expect it which kills off your entire team and eventually yourself, and just plain plays much better than the bots on your own team. Earlier, I mentioned that I hated hearing the game announce that a command post has been captured. Not only is it irritating hearing it every other minute, but it also causes ally team mates to run over to re-capture it when the attention is needed on the main objective. This happens with both bots and players. Command posts give a team advantage, but it isn't necessary for victory. Versus mode is how the game is meant to be played, yet bots exist to fill in the void for each game session. The community is dead now, so single-player, co-op and versus all end up being single-player for consoles now.
Adding a story to multiplayer and giving purpose:
This is a double edged sword that made the game interesting but also killed it. The story of the ark and its inhabitants gave reason to the fight between the sides and created the setting of the world for the player. Along with cinematics are dossiers of voice recordings and profiles of the people involved with the fight. It set the time and place of the world, but it didn't really build up to anything interesting. Worse yet, since all the levels are missions that tell each part of the story, a player feels "complete" after accomplishing the task for that particular level. Going back to a level to replay it feels like playing a game that's already completed and relies more on "versus" mode to keep the game fresh (which most people probably finished in co-op). I'm really not sure how the story could have evolved better, but I didn't find any purpose to replay any level after I found out what each mission was about.
Persistent character progression, upgrading, leveling, and acquiring new items to customize:
The core game is very much like Valve's Team Fortress 2 with the movements of Mirror's Edge's parkour gameplay and Call of Duty's (or any other typical current gen FPS) weapons and customization system. Splash Damage combined the level progression of Call of Duty games into Team Fortress 2's team-based combat to create a multiplayer experience with a deep story and character progression. This was a great idea as it gave players a purpose beyond just killing players and performing tasks. All the previews and trailers presented a dynamic weapon customization system that allows for a variety of unique effects and appearance. In Call of Duty (at least for the Modern Warfare series), the player is frequently rewarded little by little as they continued playing the game online. In Brink, players acquire weapons in bulk by completing 3 levels of 4 challenges. The player (if skillful enough) could acquire all the weapons in the game within an hour or so which ultimately defeats the concept of "player progression" other than gaining levels for new clothing or abilities. Even with all the weapons, their differences are meager and the customization being limited to a few attachments. There's essentially 6 weapons with all the extra ones having minor differences: Assault, SMG, Gatling, shotgun, sniper, and launcher. All guns share the same scopes, customized mags, and add-ons, so customization doesn't go as far as making a few statistical changes. I actually don't have much to complain about the upgrading and leveling system for new abilities as it closely follows how Battlefield: Bad Company 2 does it by leveling and acquiring new abilities (though they're items in BFBC2 such as med-packs and ammo). The difference is that in Brink, you can choose what new skill to acquire as long as its within the player's "rank" to do so. So with the incentive of getting more abilities, there's very little content to keep the player going beyond that.
Class and team-based gameplay concept:
The developers probably didn't foresee this happening, but the team-based concept is quite a problem when trying to actually fulfill a mission. How each mission works is the team gets a main mission and usually requires a certain "class" to fulfill them. A Solider can blow up obstructions and provide ammunition, Medics can heal and resurrect fallen comrades, Engineers can build turrets and repair items, and Operatives can disguise as the enemy to get behind enemy lines to captures posts and hack computers. So all four classes are necessary for a successful mission and their dependency relies on each other. The "class" system falls apart though when put into another perspective. Most players play First-Person Shooter online to compete against other players and thus are used to "death matches". But there is no such mode in Brink and is an assortment of modes put together. Another problem with the class system is that it is mainly used for "fulfilling" a mission and doesn't limit their abilities to "kill". A player can have any body type (Heavy, medium, light) utilizing any weapon they want. This makes every class capable to kill another player. What happens then is that players will forget their main objective and focus on the "killing" aspect of the game. Soldiers will use their abilities to refill their own ammo to consistently kill. Medics will keep themselves in the fight by healing themselves and focus on the fire-fight. Engineers will set up turrets and mines around while racking up kills. Operatives will try to use the disguise to get behind enemies to shoot from there. There are lots of abilities that limit classes from only buffing their team mates, but the main ones are usable on themselves which breaks some of that reliance of team mates and allows one to solo it out. Even with such a dynamic design of team-based gameplay, there will be players who will play the game like a "death-match" and ultimately kill the experience for everyone else. To point out one of the examples, Team Fortress 2's medic can't heal themselves and don't do much damage. So the reliance on a team mate to protect them while they heal them is necessary. In Brink, it's very easy for a player to solo in a fire-fight as everyone possess the same guns to fight. I'd blame the players for this problem if it was possible, but there aren't any players left online to blame for it.
Modes and Map Design:
I personally liked how each mission was an assortment of capturing, defending, attacking, and planting as it promotes team work more than "Team Death match" does. The problem is not everyone feels that way, and so there will still those who will play the game like a death match rather than a capture mode. This actually isn't a problem with the mode selections, but more to do with the way the "class" system is set up. If you can't encourage team-work past class specific objectives to fulfill, no one will fall in to play their part. The maps were designed to be able to perform various parkour moves, but they can be very confusing. Map flows are obscure, maze-like, and difficult to navigate. I eventually got used to a few of them, but it was still difficult to find my way around some areas which wastes time.
Parkour:
This was one of the main attractions to the game, especially after the appeal Mirror's Edge had. Throughout the game, the tutorials will tell the player to "move" around a lot as it is the only way to survive. In the trailers, you see the player sliding into enemies, chasing them through several platforms, and leaping into a fray of enemies. The problem? Guns shoot far, and they will reach you no matter where you run to unless there's cover. This concept of "running around" and "Parkour" was to hopefully diminish the amount of "camping" that happens within FPS games, but it doesn't work even in Brink. Running will only expose yourself to gunfire unless there's cover nearby, and climbing up walls slows your character down with the delay which gives free reign for an enemy to shoot you. Running and Parkour is great for getting to where you need to go, but not for combat. In the midst of battle, the most effective way to get through a gunfight is by moving up slowly with the entire team and finding cover. Sliding into an enemy and shooting them may look cool in the videos, but in the actual game you'd probably get shot by the enemy or their team mates before being able fire.
The game is innovative, and it truly has a lot of potential that it could still work with. The game just simply doesn't work well right now for a true "team-based" multiplayer experience, but it might still have a chance of redeeming itself if the problems are addressed and fixed. Concept & Content: 5/10
Duration - Pacing, length, and Replay Value
I finished all the missions (except for Day 6 of the enforcers, that accursed mission) in about 10 hours or so in replaying some of the missions. Each mission takes an average of 30 minutes depending on the situation. If the team is defending and loses the first point, they need to defend the next point which adds time. If they successfully defend the first point, the mission ends within 10 minutes. Single-player and co-op don't have much lasting appeal, and so the reliance on Versus mode to keep the game's replay value high is necessary. Unfortunately, the game's online community is dead. So as of right now, it has little to no replay value unless you really like to play with bots or doing those challenges. But I got about 12-15 hours of gameplay for $10, so I'm alright. This score would've been very different if there were still people playing this game. Duration: 5/10
Fun - First/Last Impression, Entertainment Value
When I first started, I liked it. Being able to freely climb up high place, jump off walls, and sliding around was fun and made me look at the levels differently. I didn't think much of the weapons as they were exactly what I expected out of an FPS. I thought it was interesting to add a life-bar over player's heads. It made priority a little easier to decide. As I got farther into the game, I started to become very frustrated. Human players would leave their characters online to "hopefully" have the computer AI win for them as well as gaining points to level up. Ally computer AIs were dumb and uncooperative which really made me feel like I was playing a single-player game as I had to switch between classes and fulfill the tasks myself. After awhile, it was more of a chore than an exciting experience for me. When I finally finished all the missions and saw the ending cinematic, it ended in a very sad whimper leaving me unsatisfied and upset with the game. I found out there were a lot of dossiers I haven't unlocked, but got bored really fast after listening to a few of them. The story no longer interested me, and the gameplay was too frustrating to go back to as human players no longer exist on it and bots were too dumb to withstand. I was very glad I played the game in a bad way for the game itself as I learned so much about what didn't work in a team-based multiplayer game. I put the disc back in its box and placed it with the rest of my finished games to remind me what the game has taught me. It was sort of fun while it lasted, but I'm done with Brink. Fun: 6/10
Overall
The game had a lot of potential and it still does for a sequel should the developers decide on doing so (though Bethesda might not want to back them up on it), but I the game is officially dead within the same year it was launched. I was hoping it would give me the satisfaction of a single-player experience, but it even failed at that. I still have some faith in the franchise and think it could evolve into something better, but I have to be honest with this first one and say that it wasn't as fun as I had hoped it'd be. Overall: 6.2/10
Friday, November 18, 2011
NewNews - Change in review style and Gary Garcia of Pac-Man Fever fame passes away
Jerry Buckner & Gary Garcia has worked together for the longest time and is well known for their National hit tune "Pac-Man Fever". My father brought up that song very often when I talked about arcades or Pac-Man and I heard the song a lot from watching videogame history documentaries. Buckner has informed everyone on their site that Gary Garcia has, sadly, passed away yesterday (Thursday) at the age of 63. I couldn't find any information on how he passed, but the fact that he did is sad enough. Though the duo, who are well known for their novelty albums based off of arcade games of the 80's, hasn't been consistently on scene in the music industry the past 20 years, they did do a re-recording of their songs in the late 90's early 2000. I heard Pac-Man Fever was added in Rock Band recently this past summer, but I'm not sure on that. The last song they wrote and recorded was actually in the past 2 months called "Found Me The Bomb" done for game review site "Giant Bomb". Giant bomb will be distributing the song for the community on their official site. RIP Gary Garcia.
Source: Youtube Channel DeadHippieMan
Official Site: http://bucknergarcia.com/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckner_%26_Garcia
Giant Bomb: http://www.giantbomb.com/
As for the change in style of reviews, I want to change the way I review games. I currently grade based on: Graphics, audio, gameplay, and then sometimes story & replay value leading to a vague score (though I usually balance it out to give the overall score the points I really wanted to give). I've come up with a new system last night that might work better as I found that some games that look good, and perhaps even play well may not be that fun. On the other hand, there might be a game that looks terrible and lacks quality but is a lot of fun to play. Sure I separate that between Graphics/Audio and Gameplay, but they're rather general and I feel like I'm leaving a lot out. So here's the new style I'm going to try out:
Aesthetics - Graphics, Audio, and Presentation: So instead of separating graphics and audio, I've put them together as they work hand-in-hand. This category affects: art assets such as textures, sprites, models, effects, user-interface, menus and how they affect the game; audio such as music, sound effects, volume balance, engineering, and the way they affect the game.
Buttons - Controls: This category will judge various hardware to software implementation that affects the gameplay such as key mapping, character/object controls, interface, motion control, ease of use, and/or bad design. I'm mostly taking apart what I used to dump everything in "Gameplay" and looking at it a bit more organized.
Concept & Content - Design: These will be the core aspects that determine what the game is like and how well they work. Story, level design, goals/objectives, core concept, modes, characters, innovation etc. will be discussed and dissected to determine what made the game good or bad.
Duration - Pacing, length, and Replay Value: This is one I don't talk about enough in my reviews. If the game has great replay value, I'll add in Replay Value; however, all games have a pacing or duration that makes or break them. Some games feel like they're dragging on and on and makes it feel more tiresome than entertaining. Other games has the player progress through the game seamlessly. And then there are some that have such great replay value that you'd play it over and over again.
Fun - First impression, Entertainment Value, and Last Impression: I honestly think a lot of people (sometimes critics too, but not all) forget about this when judging a game. I hear a game reviewed based solely by its "graphics" or "innovation" so often that it makes me wonder why some of these people even play videogames to begin with. This category determines my first reactions to the game, whether I enjoyed it or was more frustrated, and how I felt after finishing it, if I complete it at all.
After these 5 categories have been looked over, I'll round them up in an overall score like I usually do. I've played a few bad games, a lot of average ones, and quite a few good ones. But I'm hoping that I can give a better outlook on these games from now on and be able to give a more definitive score. This does help me as a game designer after all. Anyways, the category games were chosen for an easy order to remember: A, B, C, D, F; these are the letters of the obscure letter grades, but it's easy to remember and use in my reviews. I will be doing some reviews next week, so I'll get to test out this new method and see how it goes.
Source: Youtube Channel DeadHippieMan
Official Site: http://bucknergarcia.com/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckner_%26_Garcia
Giant Bomb: http://www.giantbomb.com/
As for the change in style of reviews, I want to change the way I review games. I currently grade based on: Graphics, audio, gameplay, and then sometimes story & replay value leading to a vague score (though I usually balance it out to give the overall score the points I really wanted to give). I've come up with a new system last night that might work better as I found that some games that look good, and perhaps even play well may not be that fun. On the other hand, there might be a game that looks terrible and lacks quality but is a lot of fun to play. Sure I separate that between Graphics/Audio and Gameplay, but they're rather general and I feel like I'm leaving a lot out. So here's the new style I'm going to try out:
Aesthetics - Graphics, Audio, and Presentation: So instead of separating graphics and audio, I've put them together as they work hand-in-hand. This category affects: art assets such as textures, sprites, models, effects, user-interface, menus and how they affect the game; audio such as music, sound effects, volume balance, engineering, and the way they affect the game.
Buttons - Controls: This category will judge various hardware to software implementation that affects the gameplay such as key mapping, character/object controls, interface, motion control, ease of use, and/or bad design. I'm mostly taking apart what I used to dump everything in "Gameplay" and looking at it a bit more organized.
Concept & Content - Design: These will be the core aspects that determine what the game is like and how well they work. Story, level design, goals/objectives, core concept, modes, characters, innovation etc. will be discussed and dissected to determine what made the game good or bad.
Duration - Pacing, length, and Replay Value: This is one I don't talk about enough in my reviews. If the game has great replay value, I'll add in Replay Value; however, all games have a pacing or duration that makes or break them. Some games feel like they're dragging on and on and makes it feel more tiresome than entertaining. Other games has the player progress through the game seamlessly. And then there are some that have such great replay value that you'd play it over and over again.
Fun - First impression, Entertainment Value, and Last Impression: I honestly think a lot of people (sometimes critics too, but not all) forget about this when judging a game. I hear a game reviewed based solely by its "graphics" or "innovation" so often that it makes me wonder why some of these people even play videogames to begin with. This category determines my first reactions to the game, whether I enjoyed it or was more frustrated, and how I felt after finishing it, if I complete it at all.
After these 5 categories have been looked over, I'll round them up in an overall score like I usually do. I've played a few bad games, a lot of average ones, and quite a few good ones. But I'm hoping that I can give a better outlook on these games from now on and be able to give a more definitive score. This does help me as a game designer after all. Anyways, the category games were chosen for an easy order to remember: A, B, C, D, F; these are the letters of the obscure letter grades, but it's easy to remember and use in my reviews. I will be doing some reviews next week, so I'll get to test out this new method and see how it goes.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
GameLight Review - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Official Site: http://www.elderscrolls.com/skyrim/
Source: Youtube Channel BethesdaSoftworksUK
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: November 11, 2011
Genre: Action-RPG
Pros:
-The simplification of equipment and leveling up makes much more sense and gives the game a better flow
-Changes from its predecessors has been done so to contribute to the gameplay as well as immersion
-The game is so relaxing but also has its surprises and challenges pop out to keep the player interested
-Open world gameplay is still a prominent factor and provides an infinite amount of gameplay (unlimit. quests)
-Character customization is still versatile enough to please all sorts of playstyles
Cons:
-Textures and models don't look that great upon taking a closer look
-Bugs and glitches exist and causes problems during gameplay
-Fans of the last two Elder Scrolls game might be disappointed at how much customization has been stripped
-It's one of those games that make you go "is it already that late? Maybe one more area..."
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is like a traditional painting: pointing out all the little aspects and their problems will only make you see the flaws and inconsistency; however, if you step back and take it all in, you realize what a masterpiece it is. That's the best analogy I can give this amazing open world Action-RPG that I had no interest in buying from the beginning until it released and felt the urge to get a more relaxing sort of game among all my other action-intensive orientated games. Do not be fooled when hearing the word "Action" in front of "RPG" as the game's genre as it is very much an RPG than anything else (much like Fallout 3 when a lot of people described it as a First-Person Shooter). So if you're one who's worried that the RPG aspect might be dumbed down to favor the Action game players, rest assured that the experience is still very much there with the Action. Whenever I play the game, I'm not worried about finishing the game or looking for a definitive purpose. When I play, I let myself take part in the world laid out for me and journey around and take on the challenges I find along the way. Skyrim is one of those games that will keep you up late nights and back the next night and coming back even after finishing the game just to try out a different play-style or to mess around in the world by doing things you wouldn't have before. If you're looking for a relaxing game to play, then Skyrim would be your best bet.
Graphics
If you've already played the game and wondered why plants look flat, items' models look blocky, and textures sort of pixelated, it's probably for the sake of optimization. The analogy I used to describe the game can be applied to the graphics of the game too. If you look at every individual object, they probably look pretty ugly. But if you pull back and look at everything around you, it's a pretty convincing open world environment. The models for NPCs is...different (I don't want to say an improvement since I kinda like the quirky looks on people's faces in Oblivion) from the last Elder Scrolls. NPC interactions and AI is somewhat more reasonable, but they still perform some odd animations sometimes. One huge improvement in graphics would be the animations and effects for spells. They're a lot more dynamic as spells can be streamed now (meaning that instead of each spell being cast between intervals, it is continuously flowed out like a flamethrower). I think what design did with the graphics is that objects and models that mattered has more details while smaller things that didn't matter as much has a lower polygon count with lower-resolution textures. This ensures that the game can still run smoothly despite having all those movable objects around with effects, shadows, textures, polygons and animations running all at the same time. Still, frame skipping and the very rare case of freezing for a while does still happen. It's quite a spectacle looking at mountains from far range, flashy spells that explode in a flurry of fury, and humongous dragons circling over you. Even though it was evident to the developers that many players liked to play in 3rd-person, combat is still best played in first-person. The animations for the player's character is somewhat better in walking and running but still very awkward in jumping. The models and textures for the character itself isn't that pretty either with the hair all clumpy and faces that barely gives enough versatility in customizing the look. But I guess it's not entirely important as the game was meant to be played in first-person and so the player wouldn't be looking at their character as often. There's a lot to be said in both the good and bad, but it narrows down to that the graphics in the game were created in its most efficient state for aesthetics and performance and works really well. Graphics: 9/10
Audio
It was a very smart move to bring back Jeremy Soule (who composed the music for Morrowind and Oblivion) to do the music and re-work the main theme for the Elder Scrolls series with the crew to create an inspiring and appropriate rendition of Soule's original composition from Morrowind. Much like the other Elder Scroll games, the musical scores are of the greatest quality though not necessarily memorable other than the main theme itself. This doesn't seem to bother a lot of music critics as the most highly regarded musical scores are usually ones I don't remember what they sound like. The same is with Skyrim. I remember that they were good while I was playing, but I have no idea what they sound like if you ask me to hum it out. The sound effects has quite a bit of improvement, but it still feels and sounds like I'm hitting a rock when using a melee weapon against an enemy like in the last two games. The voice acting is also an improvement as veterans in acting contribute to some of the voices in the game. There are some inconsistency with recordings and the tone that NPCs speak in. This is most likely due to having many recording sessions as settings on the audio panel or a large break between lines are recorded in are changed. I still notice accents fading in and out of dialogue for certain NPCs, but at least it was still the same voice actor (I still find it hilarious in Oblivion when one of the NPCs I spoke to had three different accents and voices within one conversation). One of the highlights for me was having Christopher Plummer (among many other celebrities) be the voice of Arngeir. Audio: 8/10
Gameplay
Skyrim is what I had hoped for (and possibly more) when I decided to buy the game since I didn't in the beginning. The thing was that I'm still playing Oblivion at the moment and was willing to wait until I finished before I decided to purchase Skyrim. But the game looked so tempting and so different that I couldn't help it and got it anyways. At first, I was shocked at how much of the customization was cut out from the last two games; however, all the selections for customization made so much more sense. Even with all the customization in the past games, the main categories was being Aggressive (Warrior-like), being stealthy (Thief-like), or being spell driven (Caster-like). With that in mind, the player starts off from those three points and improves their abilities along the way through means of training and usage of skills. The game starts out similar to Oblivion and perhaps even Morrowind in that you're a nameless prisoner and eventually finds out that there's something special about yourself later which drives the story forward. Navigating seems a bit easier than Oblivion and much more easier than Morrowind, so getting around wasn't too big of a problem. For me, controls took some time to getting used to (about 2-3 hours) as I fumbled around trying bring out my weapon and attacking the first enemy since I was playing the PS3 version when I'm so used to play The Elder Scrolls series on a computer. The controls are different for the PC for Skyrim from Oblivion from what I heard, but I'm not sure for certain. In any case, the controls are mapped pretty well as I had a pretty easy time bringing out my weapon and interacting with things. It is bothersome when I get into a fight and accidentally press down on L3 which goes into sneak mode making me move slower or having to leave the right analog stick when jumping. The inventory system is still atrocious and makes going through it a pain. Thankfully, the developers implemented a favorites menu system which lets the player tag their favorite items, spells, and equipment so that they can bring it up in the midst of battle without having to fumble through their inventory and spells. Still, going through the favorites menu can still be a drag when the favorites are disorganized and made into a large list. Talking to NPCs isn't quite as enjoyable or humorous as Bioware games, but it's the relaxing part of the game that I like doing. To travel around a town or stroll past a wandering farmer and be able to interact with them is one of the RPG aspects that I like about Skyrim. Combat has some changes to them from past Elder Scrolls games. For melee combat, it seems like you can perform finishing moves. I've seen it, but I have yet to do it myself (playing as a Caster focusing on destruction and restoration magic). I'm not sure if there's any difference to ranged combat, but impact on enemies sound a bit different. Magic has surely changed as spells are used in a continuous stream rather than small short bursts. It was because of this that I decided to play a spell casting character (that and I always opt for a warrior or thief like build every time). Some enemies are very simplistic and will give chase until you're out of range or can't be reached. Others will use ranged attacks or spells before drawing out their melee weapons to attack you. I still don't like how melee weapons feel like your hitting cardboard or rocks instead of flesh and blood. I think part of this has to do with the sound effects used. To give an example, Medieval Action-RPG Mount & Blade has some of the cheesiest and fake resounding sound effects yet the sound you hear when cutting through an enemy with metal, flesh and blood with such prominence gives such a satisfying feeling. I don't get that satisfaction when using a melee weapon and perhaps that's why finishing moves were added. I think I'll like it a lot more when I finish playing with my caster and make a spell sword build character and stick my blade into an enemy with a finishing move. I like the exploration and finding pockets of bandits who are so sure of themselves get burned in a fury of ice and fire by my caster as well as speaking to NPCs and reading books to become even more familiar with the world of Tamriel. The game is said to have an infinite amount of quests, though I find some of the quests still confusing like its predecessors. I do like the fact that there will always be dragons to slay (or so I hear) though as "I've come to slay dragons!" The complaints I have and flaws I've pointed out is easily overshadowed by the amount of pure "fun" I've had with the game thus far and plan to have for "hopefully" years to come. One of the best parts of Skyrim is that it's so different from Oblivion that I wouldn't mind continue playing Oblivion even now. I can enjoy both! Gameplay: 9/10
Overall
I feel the need to just finish a game or pushing the story along for a lot of games. But with Skyrim, I feel at ease and am able to play at a much slower pace and enjoy the game. Skyrim delivers a good balance of relaxing gameplay with challenging action that sucks me right into the world and lets me enjoy the game without worrying about getting stuck from the game being too difficult or being lost and finding out where I need go next (though that can be frustrating if I really am trying to fulfill a quest). The game should be quite a treat for RPG players and a welcome start for anyone new to the series. This is one of the very fews games where I felt paying full price for was well worth it as the game will probably last me quite a while. Overall: 8.7/10
Source: Youtube Channel BethesdaSoftworksUK
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: November 11, 2011
Genre: Action-RPG
Pros:
-The simplification of equipment and leveling up makes much more sense and gives the game a better flow
-Changes from its predecessors has been done so to contribute to the gameplay as well as immersion
-The game is so relaxing but also has its surprises and challenges pop out to keep the player interested
-Open world gameplay is still a prominent factor and provides an infinite amount of gameplay (unlimit. quests)
-Character customization is still versatile enough to please all sorts of playstyles
Cons:
-Textures and models don't look that great upon taking a closer look
-Bugs and glitches exist and causes problems during gameplay
-Fans of the last two Elder Scrolls game might be disappointed at how much customization has been stripped
-It's one of those games that make you go "is it already that late? Maybe one more area..."
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is like a traditional painting: pointing out all the little aspects and their problems will only make you see the flaws and inconsistency; however, if you step back and take it all in, you realize what a masterpiece it is. That's the best analogy I can give this amazing open world Action-RPG that I had no interest in buying from the beginning until it released and felt the urge to get a more relaxing sort of game among all my other action-intensive orientated games. Do not be fooled when hearing the word "Action" in front of "RPG" as the game's genre as it is very much an RPG than anything else (much like Fallout 3 when a lot of people described it as a First-Person Shooter). So if you're one who's worried that the RPG aspect might be dumbed down to favor the Action game players, rest assured that the experience is still very much there with the Action. Whenever I play the game, I'm not worried about finishing the game or looking for a definitive purpose. When I play, I let myself take part in the world laid out for me and journey around and take on the challenges I find along the way. Skyrim is one of those games that will keep you up late nights and back the next night and coming back even after finishing the game just to try out a different play-style or to mess around in the world by doing things you wouldn't have before. If you're looking for a relaxing game to play, then Skyrim would be your best bet.
Graphics
If you've already played the game and wondered why plants look flat, items' models look blocky, and textures sort of pixelated, it's probably for the sake of optimization. The analogy I used to describe the game can be applied to the graphics of the game too. If you look at every individual object, they probably look pretty ugly. But if you pull back and look at everything around you, it's a pretty convincing open world environment. The models for NPCs is...different (I don't want to say an improvement since I kinda like the quirky looks on people's faces in Oblivion) from the last Elder Scrolls. NPC interactions and AI is somewhat more reasonable, but they still perform some odd animations sometimes. One huge improvement in graphics would be the animations and effects for spells. They're a lot more dynamic as spells can be streamed now (meaning that instead of each spell being cast between intervals, it is continuously flowed out like a flamethrower). I think what design did with the graphics is that objects and models that mattered has more details while smaller things that didn't matter as much has a lower polygon count with lower-resolution textures. This ensures that the game can still run smoothly despite having all those movable objects around with effects, shadows, textures, polygons and animations running all at the same time. Still, frame skipping and the very rare case of freezing for a while does still happen. It's quite a spectacle looking at mountains from far range, flashy spells that explode in a flurry of fury, and humongous dragons circling over you. Even though it was evident to the developers that many players liked to play in 3rd-person, combat is still best played in first-person. The animations for the player's character is somewhat better in walking and running but still very awkward in jumping. The models and textures for the character itself isn't that pretty either with the hair all clumpy and faces that barely gives enough versatility in customizing the look. But I guess it's not entirely important as the game was meant to be played in first-person and so the player wouldn't be looking at their character as often. There's a lot to be said in both the good and bad, but it narrows down to that the graphics in the game were created in its most efficient state for aesthetics and performance and works really well. Graphics: 9/10
Audio
It was a very smart move to bring back Jeremy Soule (who composed the music for Morrowind and Oblivion) to do the music and re-work the main theme for the Elder Scrolls series with the crew to create an inspiring and appropriate rendition of Soule's original composition from Morrowind. Much like the other Elder Scroll games, the musical scores are of the greatest quality though not necessarily memorable other than the main theme itself. This doesn't seem to bother a lot of music critics as the most highly regarded musical scores are usually ones I don't remember what they sound like. The same is with Skyrim. I remember that they were good while I was playing, but I have no idea what they sound like if you ask me to hum it out. The sound effects has quite a bit of improvement, but it still feels and sounds like I'm hitting a rock when using a melee weapon against an enemy like in the last two games. The voice acting is also an improvement as veterans in acting contribute to some of the voices in the game. There are some inconsistency with recordings and the tone that NPCs speak in. This is most likely due to having many recording sessions as settings on the audio panel or a large break between lines are recorded in are changed. I still notice accents fading in and out of dialogue for certain NPCs, but at least it was still the same voice actor (I still find it hilarious in Oblivion when one of the NPCs I spoke to had three different accents and voices within one conversation). One of the highlights for me was having Christopher Plummer (among many other celebrities) be the voice of Arngeir. Audio: 8/10
Gameplay
Skyrim is what I had hoped for (and possibly more) when I decided to buy the game since I didn't in the beginning. The thing was that I'm still playing Oblivion at the moment and was willing to wait until I finished before I decided to purchase Skyrim. But the game looked so tempting and so different that I couldn't help it and got it anyways. At first, I was shocked at how much of the customization was cut out from the last two games; however, all the selections for customization made so much more sense. Even with all the customization in the past games, the main categories was being Aggressive (Warrior-like), being stealthy (Thief-like), or being spell driven (Caster-like). With that in mind, the player starts off from those three points and improves their abilities along the way through means of training and usage of skills. The game starts out similar to Oblivion and perhaps even Morrowind in that you're a nameless prisoner and eventually finds out that there's something special about yourself later which drives the story forward. Navigating seems a bit easier than Oblivion and much more easier than Morrowind, so getting around wasn't too big of a problem. For me, controls took some time to getting used to (about 2-3 hours) as I fumbled around trying bring out my weapon and attacking the first enemy since I was playing the PS3 version when I'm so used to play The Elder Scrolls series on a computer. The controls are different for the PC for Skyrim from Oblivion from what I heard, but I'm not sure for certain. In any case, the controls are mapped pretty well as I had a pretty easy time bringing out my weapon and interacting with things. It is bothersome when I get into a fight and accidentally press down on L3 which goes into sneak mode making me move slower or having to leave the right analog stick when jumping. The inventory system is still atrocious and makes going through it a pain. Thankfully, the developers implemented a favorites menu system which lets the player tag their favorite items, spells, and equipment so that they can bring it up in the midst of battle without having to fumble through their inventory and spells. Still, going through the favorites menu can still be a drag when the favorites are disorganized and made into a large list. Talking to NPCs isn't quite as enjoyable or humorous as Bioware games, but it's the relaxing part of the game that I like doing. To travel around a town or stroll past a wandering farmer and be able to interact with them is one of the RPG aspects that I like about Skyrim. Combat has some changes to them from past Elder Scrolls games. For melee combat, it seems like you can perform finishing moves. I've seen it, but I have yet to do it myself (playing as a Caster focusing on destruction and restoration magic). I'm not sure if there's any difference to ranged combat, but impact on enemies sound a bit different. Magic has surely changed as spells are used in a continuous stream rather than small short bursts. It was because of this that I decided to play a spell casting character (that and I always opt for a warrior or thief like build every time). Some enemies are very simplistic and will give chase until you're out of range or can't be reached. Others will use ranged attacks or spells before drawing out their melee weapons to attack you. I still don't like how melee weapons feel like your hitting cardboard or rocks instead of flesh and blood. I think part of this has to do with the sound effects used. To give an example, Medieval Action-RPG Mount & Blade has some of the cheesiest and fake resounding sound effects yet the sound you hear when cutting through an enemy with metal, flesh and blood with such prominence gives such a satisfying feeling. I don't get that satisfaction when using a melee weapon and perhaps that's why finishing moves were added. I think I'll like it a lot more when I finish playing with my caster and make a spell sword build character and stick my blade into an enemy with a finishing move. I like the exploration and finding pockets of bandits who are so sure of themselves get burned in a fury of ice and fire by my caster as well as speaking to NPCs and reading books to become even more familiar with the world of Tamriel. The game is said to have an infinite amount of quests, though I find some of the quests still confusing like its predecessors. I do like the fact that there will always be dragons to slay (or so I hear) though as "I've come to slay dragons!" The complaints I have and flaws I've pointed out is easily overshadowed by the amount of pure "fun" I've had with the game thus far and plan to have for "hopefully" years to come. One of the best parts of Skyrim is that it's so different from Oblivion that I wouldn't mind continue playing Oblivion even now. I can enjoy both! Gameplay: 9/10
Overall
I feel the need to just finish a game or pushing the story along for a lot of games. But with Skyrim, I feel at ease and am able to play at a much slower pace and enjoy the game. Skyrim delivers a good balance of relaxing gameplay with challenging action that sucks me right into the world and lets me enjoy the game without worrying about getting stuck from the game being too difficult or being lost and finding out where I need go next (though that can be frustrating if I really am trying to fulfill a quest). The game should be quite a treat for RPG players and a welcome start for anyone new to the series. This is one of the very fews games where I felt paying full price for was well worth it as the game will probably last me quite a while. Overall: 8.7/10
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
GameLight Review - The Binding of Isaac
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/113200/
Source: Youtube Channel iamjamesid
Developer: Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl
Publisher: Edmund McMillen
Platforms: PC/Mac
Release Date: September 28, 2011
Genre: Action-RPG
Pros:
-Simple, short and challenging each playthrough
-Randomly generated dungeons, items, and enemies make for a unique experience each time
-The difficulty, grotesque art style, and mood setting music creates quite the atmosphere
Cons:
-The game does require a bit of luck in order to get through to the end
-The game doesn't have much left to offer after all items and characters are acquired unless they update
-Some room designs make it impossible to avoid getting hit or killed
The Binding of Isaac is an enticing and provocative Action game with elements of RPG and Rogue-like games that keep things fresh each time the player decides to play it. Referencing to the biblical story "Binding of Isaac" in title and plot, the protagonist escapes his mother as she seeked to sacrifice him in the name of the Lord himself. The player will traverse through the winding basements fighting off various enemies and lost brothers and sisters in a Robotron or Geometry Wars kind of control scheme. The player will acquire equipment, gain health, and purchase items like in an RPG while the levels are designed like a rogue like game where each room that the player goes into is a risk or reward as well as the enemies that attack the player. It's a challenging game and very difficult, but very much possible to beat almost every time as long as the player is cautious and makes wise decisions. The game is definitely not for everyone, but those who enjoy a challenge will find the entertainment value of this game to be quite satisfying.
Graphics
The first and last impression of the game's art style is that it's grotesque, freaky, and down-right disgusting. What's funny is that it works. The obscure looking enemies, eerie corridors of each room and bloody effects from the defeated enemies places the player in an uncomfortable environment and leaves quite an impression even after retiring from play. What I find surprising is that despite the muddy dark colors of each level and objects, the environment, enemies and players are easily distinguishable which is very important when the fighting gets really messy. The user interface is a reference to (if not direct copy as an homage) The Legend of Zelda as well as the way the dungeon are set up. With the game's levels set up as a room to room design, navigation is extremely easy while creating randomly generated contents for each play through is much more effective in creating a new experience each time the players stats a new game. The only complaint I have about the graphics is that it's difficult to determine the trajectory of some of the enemies bullets when they're tossed into the air. Graphics: 9/10
Audio
I've taken quite a liking to Danny Baranowsky's style of music from Super Meat Boy and now in The Binding of Isaac. SMB was a lot of exciting and upbeat tracks, but in order for The Binding of Isaac to get the darker and almost horror-like feel, the music is a lot more subtle. Lower tones, dissonance, and a bit of rushing makes for a tense and frantic feel for the level and gameplay. It's a lot less synthetic than SMB and has a lot of those low strings and trickling piano that you hear used in thriller or horror movies. The sound effects works really well as each enemy has their own unique cry or moan. The sfx's association with the enemies' look and action are like signifier of what to watch out for. One example is the enemy "Gluttony" and its similar counter-parts where they rip open their rip-cages and shoot a long stream of blood at the player. The first time that happened, it freaked me out. That sound was so prominent that I always become very cautious whenever I see one of them (which usually turns out to be six of them in one room). Some of the best audio has to be the voice of the mother. It is pretty dang scary hearing her call out Isaac and have her foot stomp on the player. Audio: 10/10
Gameplay
The Binding of Isaac isn't one of those games that I want to continuously keep playing and keep coming back to day after day like with Super Meat Boy. The challenge is opposite of what the developers did for Super Meat Boy in that in SMB, you memorize and get used to the level that you're playing and race for the fastest time possible. In The Binding of Isaac, the player will want to slow everything down and take on each room carefully with a clear mind. Fast reflexes and reactions to each situation is needed to fight off all the unique enemies within the game in order to survive. And since the game randomly generates everything each playthrough, there's no way to memorize any of the levels and each room is an unexpected surprise (be they good or bad). I've already gotten all the characters and half of the items in the game already after beating the game several times. Each time I thought I was going to lose, I was able to pull through as long as I never got over-confident and was conscious of everything around me. It truly delivered a different experience each time as each character has their own starting statistics, abilities, and each playthrough will give different power-ups. The game does require a bit of luck as certain items can help or hurt a player in sticky situations that they can't get out of. A player could walk into a very narrow corridor in a room and get attacked from a distance right from the get-go or be charged at by and enemy with no where to escape. Getting a special item, a certain card/pill, or even half a heart for health can be the difference between victory or death. I think once the player has discovered every item, enemy, and character in the game, the replay value will rely solely on the player's desire to play through it again and not to find anymore content. It'd be great if the developers continued to add more like they did for the Halloween special, but that''ll depend on the developers. As I've said in the beginning, it's not a game I'd play continuously, but rather play once in a while as a break in-between my other games. It takes me about an hour for each successful playthrough, and there's no save function. Still, I had fun each time I played through it and will probably continue to play in the future until I've collected everything. Gameplay: 8/10
Overall
For a game I paid less than a dollar for (I got it during the Humble Voxatron Debut), it was well worth it. I've already played it more than I did for some of the retail games I've bought. I like how I can quickly start it up and play through it and (hopefully) get a satisfactory playthrough it as many big names games require the player to sit through long dialogues and tutorials (which is okay if it's what you want at that moment) or that a game is too simple and feels like an on-going monotonous action. It can be frustrating because sometimes things happen when you least expect it and end up having to start all over. But I think that's what makes it so satisfying if you can get through it all the way to the end. I'm not sure who to recommend it to since it's so weird and freaky looking, but I suppose I would tell anyone who's remotely interested to get it since it's only $5 on steam. I'm looking forward to what Edmund McMillen has in store for the future. Overall: 9/10
Source: Youtube Channel iamjamesid
Developer: Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl
Publisher: Edmund McMillen
Platforms: PC/Mac
Release Date: September 28, 2011
Genre: Action-RPG
Pros:
-Simple, short and challenging each playthrough
-Randomly generated dungeons, items, and enemies make for a unique experience each time
-The difficulty, grotesque art style, and mood setting music creates quite the atmosphere
Cons:
-The game does require a bit of luck in order to get through to the end
-The game doesn't have much left to offer after all items and characters are acquired unless they update
-Some room designs make it impossible to avoid getting hit or killed
The Binding of Isaac is an enticing and provocative Action game with elements of RPG and Rogue-like games that keep things fresh each time the player decides to play it. Referencing to the biblical story "Binding of Isaac" in title and plot, the protagonist escapes his mother as she seeked to sacrifice him in the name of the Lord himself. The player will traverse through the winding basements fighting off various enemies and lost brothers and sisters in a Robotron or Geometry Wars kind of control scheme. The player will acquire equipment, gain health, and purchase items like in an RPG while the levels are designed like a rogue like game where each room that the player goes into is a risk or reward as well as the enemies that attack the player. It's a challenging game and very difficult, but very much possible to beat almost every time as long as the player is cautious and makes wise decisions. The game is definitely not for everyone, but those who enjoy a challenge will find the entertainment value of this game to be quite satisfying.
Graphics
The first and last impression of the game's art style is that it's grotesque, freaky, and down-right disgusting. What's funny is that it works. The obscure looking enemies, eerie corridors of each room and bloody effects from the defeated enemies places the player in an uncomfortable environment and leaves quite an impression even after retiring from play. What I find surprising is that despite the muddy dark colors of each level and objects, the environment, enemies and players are easily distinguishable which is very important when the fighting gets really messy. The user interface is a reference to (if not direct copy as an homage) The Legend of Zelda as well as the way the dungeon are set up. With the game's levels set up as a room to room design, navigation is extremely easy while creating randomly generated contents for each play through is much more effective in creating a new experience each time the players stats a new game. The only complaint I have about the graphics is that it's difficult to determine the trajectory of some of the enemies bullets when they're tossed into the air. Graphics: 9/10
Audio
I've taken quite a liking to Danny Baranowsky's style of music from Super Meat Boy and now in The Binding of Isaac. SMB was a lot of exciting and upbeat tracks, but in order for The Binding of Isaac to get the darker and almost horror-like feel, the music is a lot more subtle. Lower tones, dissonance, and a bit of rushing makes for a tense and frantic feel for the level and gameplay. It's a lot less synthetic than SMB and has a lot of those low strings and trickling piano that you hear used in thriller or horror movies. The sound effects works really well as each enemy has their own unique cry or moan. The sfx's association with the enemies' look and action are like signifier of what to watch out for. One example is the enemy "Gluttony" and its similar counter-parts where they rip open their rip-cages and shoot a long stream of blood at the player. The first time that happened, it freaked me out. That sound was so prominent that I always become very cautious whenever I see one of them (which usually turns out to be six of them in one room). Some of the best audio has to be the voice of the mother. It is pretty dang scary hearing her call out Isaac and have her foot stomp on the player. Audio: 10/10
Gameplay
The Binding of Isaac isn't one of those games that I want to continuously keep playing and keep coming back to day after day like with Super Meat Boy. The challenge is opposite of what the developers did for Super Meat Boy in that in SMB, you memorize and get used to the level that you're playing and race for the fastest time possible. In The Binding of Isaac, the player will want to slow everything down and take on each room carefully with a clear mind. Fast reflexes and reactions to each situation is needed to fight off all the unique enemies within the game in order to survive. And since the game randomly generates everything each playthrough, there's no way to memorize any of the levels and each room is an unexpected surprise (be they good or bad). I've already gotten all the characters and half of the items in the game already after beating the game several times. Each time I thought I was going to lose, I was able to pull through as long as I never got over-confident and was conscious of everything around me. It truly delivered a different experience each time as each character has their own starting statistics, abilities, and each playthrough will give different power-ups. The game does require a bit of luck as certain items can help or hurt a player in sticky situations that they can't get out of. A player could walk into a very narrow corridor in a room and get attacked from a distance right from the get-go or be charged at by and enemy with no where to escape. Getting a special item, a certain card/pill, or even half a heart for health can be the difference between victory or death. I think once the player has discovered every item, enemy, and character in the game, the replay value will rely solely on the player's desire to play through it again and not to find anymore content. It'd be great if the developers continued to add more like they did for the Halloween special, but that''ll depend on the developers. As I've said in the beginning, it's not a game I'd play continuously, but rather play once in a while as a break in-between my other games. It takes me about an hour for each successful playthrough, and there's no save function. Still, I had fun each time I played through it and will probably continue to play in the future until I've collected everything. Gameplay: 8/10
Overall
For a game I paid less than a dollar for (I got it during the Humble Voxatron Debut), it was well worth it. I've already played it more than I did for some of the retail games I've bought. I like how I can quickly start it up and play through it and (hopefully) get a satisfactory playthrough it as many big names games require the player to sit through long dialogues and tutorials (which is okay if it's what you want at that moment) or that a game is too simple and feels like an on-going monotonous action. It can be frustrating because sometimes things happen when you least expect it and end up having to start all over. But I think that's what makes it so satisfying if you can get through it all the way to the end. I'm not sure who to recommend it to since it's so weird and freaky looking, but I suppose I would tell anyone who's remotely interested to get it since it's only $5 on steam. I'm looking forward to what Edmund McMillen has in store for the future. Overall: 9/10
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
GameLight - Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3
Official Site: http://www.marvelvscapcom3.com/us
ARGH, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 released today!!! And even though I have games like Battlefield 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in my hands, I have a really bad urge to get UMvC3! Why? BECAUSE I WANNA PLAY PHOENIX WRIGHT:
Source: Youtube Channel CapcomEuro
With a new mode geared towards single-player, 8 new maps and 12 new additional characters, the price of $40 "almost" feels worth it (almost, just because Capcom always seems to find new ways to milk more money). I'm not saying that Capcom release of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a complete rip-off, because an additional 12 characters is pretty awesome compared to what they used to do. From the earliest fightings games I've gotten from Capcom, the transition from Street Fighter 2 to Street Fighter 2 Turbo was an additional 4 characters with slightly better animations, and some game tweaks. Capcom's shenanigans to release a new version of the same game isn't recent, but it does upset many loyal supports who've just bought the original MvC3 earlier this year (including me). Unfortunately for me, I love a lot of the additional characters being brought into this new version. So if I see it at Costco for a slightly lower price (like I did with the original) or I see it on sale for 50% off on Black Friday (like I did with Tekken 6), then I'll probably be getting it. I want to support the boycott against Capcom's constant motives to milk more money without delivering what could be a full-fledged game. But I also acknowledge that Capcom has always been a hard working developer as well as a publisher to ensure that the customers receive a high-quality game (I'm not going to mention any dreams beings crushed for Megaman fans or anything).
Anyways, this is the new additional characters:
-Doctor Strange
-Firebrand
-Ghost Rider
-Frank West
-Hawkeye
-Nemesis T-Type
-Iron Fist
-Phoenix Wright
-Nova
-Strider Hiryu
-Rocket Raccoon
-Vergil
I'll get it, but I'll just return to Skyrim until then.
ARGH, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 released today!!! And even though I have games like Battlefield 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in my hands, I have a really bad urge to get UMvC3! Why? BECAUSE I WANNA PLAY PHOENIX WRIGHT:
Source: Youtube Channel CapcomEuro
With a new mode geared towards single-player, 8 new maps and 12 new additional characters, the price of $40 "almost" feels worth it (almost, just because Capcom always seems to find new ways to milk more money). I'm not saying that Capcom release of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a complete rip-off, because an additional 12 characters is pretty awesome compared to what they used to do. From the earliest fightings games I've gotten from Capcom, the transition from Street Fighter 2 to Street Fighter 2 Turbo was an additional 4 characters with slightly better animations, and some game tweaks. Capcom's shenanigans to release a new version of the same game isn't recent, but it does upset many loyal supports who've just bought the original MvC3 earlier this year (including me). Unfortunately for me, I love a lot of the additional characters being brought into this new version. So if I see it at Costco for a slightly lower price (like I did with the original) or I see it on sale for 50% off on Black Friday (like I did with Tekken 6), then I'll probably be getting it. I want to support the boycott against Capcom's constant motives to milk more money without delivering what could be a full-fledged game. But I also acknowledge that Capcom has always been a hard working developer as well as a publisher to ensure that the customers receive a high-quality game (I'm not going to mention any dreams beings crushed for Megaman fans or anything).
Anyways, this is the new additional characters:
-Doctor Strange
-Firebrand
-Ghost Rider
-Frank West
-Hawkeye
-Nemesis T-Type
-Iron Fist
-Phoenix Wright
-Nova
-Strider Hiryu
-Rocket Raccoon
-Vergil
I'll get it, but I'll just return to Skyrim until then.
Monday, November 14, 2011
NewNews - Game launches (Nov 15)
I'll let you all get prepared and excited for tomorrow's game releases:
Source: Youtube Channel AlanJLS7
I really want Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, but with recent purchases like Battlefield 3, Dark Souls, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and my eventual purchases of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, it's hard to convince myself to making another full-priced purchase.
Source: Youtube Channel gamespot
Most people are going to be excited for this. I'm still working on the first one...
Source: Youtube Channel NeedForSpeed
Source: Youtube Channel machinima
I was disappointed that there weren't certain features in this new addition such as custom character creations and Xtreme Mode that was once found in DW5XL. Still, there's enough content in this expansion that I'd warrant a purchase from me.
Source: Youtube Channel gamespot
NSFW by the way^
Source: Youtube Channel gamespot
Source: Youtube Channel AlanJLS7
I really want Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, but with recent purchases like Battlefield 3, Dark Souls, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and my eventual purchases of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, it's hard to convince myself to making another full-priced purchase.
Source: Youtube Channel gamespot
Most people are going to be excited for this. I'm still working on the first one...
Source: Youtube Channel NeedForSpeed
Source: Youtube Channel machinima
I was disappointed that there weren't certain features in this new addition such as custom character creations and Xtreme Mode that was once found in DW5XL. Still, there's enough content in this expansion that I'd warrant a purchase from me.
Source: Youtube Channel gamespot
NSFW by the way^
Source: Youtube Channel gamespot
Friday, November 11, 2011
GameLight - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Official Site: http://www.elderscrolls.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/72850/
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
11-11-11 marks the day of Skyrim's Release! (among other things) This highly anticipated First-Person, Open World, Action RPG has captured the gaming community's attention since its announcement and has now finally released internationally for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and the PC. The Elder Scrolls series has been well known for its freedom of choice of allowing the player to be who they want to play, where they want to go, and when to fulfill a quest. The game tends to immerse the player into its world with NPCs making their own decisions and fulfilling their own goals to create a living, breathing environment for the player to traverse in. A large number of critics have already got their hands on Skyrim and have had the chance to review it. It's currently leading in average scores by one point (on the Xbox 360 version) ahead of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
I first found out about The Elder Scrolls series starting from Morrowind, but didn't really play any of them until this Summer when I bought Oblivion (and eventually Morrowind). By the fans, Morrowind was a much better "RPG" than Oblivion while Oblivion had a much better environment in terms of graphics and full voice-over dialogues. For me, Morrowind is super slow. I like the concept of the free-roaming world and and open world questing, but dialogues were ridiculously long (yet important despite being boring at times), towns were far apart with the player's character runs out of stamina way too quickly with it recovering very very slowly, and the quests and maps were so confusing. It's true that Oblivion has become more simpler and has eliminated some of the customization, but it made it much more approachable. It's easier to find your way around the world and quests are a lot less cluttered. The problems with Oblivion was that its inventory system felt like a step back with a long laundry list of items instead of a window where you can see all the items in one place, the map can't zoom in and out so there's a lot of dragging around to find where the heck everything is, and the quests list is still super cluttered despite a better tracker for it. There are still problems with NPCs having odd conversation or changing their accent in the middle of talking, animations not quite right, and a number of other glitches and problems. I can actually over look most of these flaws as I am no stranger to bugs in a videogame; however, the biggest problem I have with Oblivion is that it crashes very very frequently. I've only played the game for 13 hours and I would have a lot more accumulated if it weren't for the game crashing so much. I've adapted by saving after every action I take (talking to an NPC, killing an enemy, walking through a door), but it gets in the way of enjoying the game. In the past two nights of only a mere 2 hours, the game has crashed over 12 times (sometimes right away at the startup). If it was just a problem with my computer, at least I'd be able to fix it. But it seems as though this frequent crashing has plagued a large number of players for the PC. For Marrowind (TES 3), the only real problem I faced was the fact that music couldn't play correctly in the game (which bothers me a lot actually, but at least I can play). For these problems I've faced with TES 3 and 4, I am going to be getting TES 5: Skyrim on Playstation 3 and hope that I don't run into any game breaking glitches or bugs. I don't mind not playing with mods or anything as I don't even play with mods on Morrowind or Oblivion. I'm hoping that Skyrim has improved upon itself from Oblivion and allow me to enjoy the game to its fullest. RPG fans should not miss out on this exciting new installment in The Elder Scrolls series. Have a good weekend and prepare for the next two weeks of new game releases!
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/72850/
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
11-11-11 marks the day of Skyrim's Release! (among other things) This highly anticipated First-Person, Open World, Action RPG has captured the gaming community's attention since its announcement and has now finally released internationally for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and the PC. The Elder Scrolls series has been well known for its freedom of choice of allowing the player to be who they want to play, where they want to go, and when to fulfill a quest. The game tends to immerse the player into its world with NPCs making their own decisions and fulfilling their own goals to create a living, breathing environment for the player to traverse in. A large number of critics have already got their hands on Skyrim and have had the chance to review it. It's currently leading in average scores by one point (on the Xbox 360 version) ahead of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
I first found out about The Elder Scrolls series starting from Morrowind, but didn't really play any of them until this Summer when I bought Oblivion (and eventually Morrowind). By the fans, Morrowind was a much better "RPG" than Oblivion while Oblivion had a much better environment in terms of graphics and full voice-over dialogues. For me, Morrowind is super slow. I like the concept of the free-roaming world and and open world questing, but dialogues were ridiculously long (yet important despite being boring at times), towns were far apart with the player's character runs out of stamina way too quickly with it recovering very very slowly, and the quests and maps were so confusing. It's true that Oblivion has become more simpler and has eliminated some of the customization, but it made it much more approachable. It's easier to find your way around the world and quests are a lot less cluttered. The problems with Oblivion was that its inventory system felt like a step back with a long laundry list of items instead of a window where you can see all the items in one place, the map can't zoom in and out so there's a lot of dragging around to find where the heck everything is, and the quests list is still super cluttered despite a better tracker for it. There are still problems with NPCs having odd conversation or changing their accent in the middle of talking, animations not quite right, and a number of other glitches and problems. I can actually over look most of these flaws as I am no stranger to bugs in a videogame; however, the biggest problem I have with Oblivion is that it crashes very very frequently. I've only played the game for 13 hours and I would have a lot more accumulated if it weren't for the game crashing so much. I've adapted by saving after every action I take (talking to an NPC, killing an enemy, walking through a door), but it gets in the way of enjoying the game. In the past two nights of only a mere 2 hours, the game has crashed over 12 times (sometimes right away at the startup). If it was just a problem with my computer, at least I'd be able to fix it. But it seems as though this frequent crashing has plagued a large number of players for the PC. For Marrowind (TES 3), the only real problem I faced was the fact that music couldn't play correctly in the game (which bothers me a lot actually, but at least I can play). For these problems I've faced with TES 3 and 4, I am going to be getting TES 5: Skyrim on Playstation 3 and hope that I don't run into any game breaking glitches or bugs. I don't mind not playing with mods or anything as I don't even play with mods on Morrowind or Oblivion. I'm hoping that Skyrim has improved upon itself from Oblivion and allow me to enjoy the game to its fullest. RPG fans should not miss out on this exciting new installment in The Elder Scrolls series. Have a good weekend and prepare for the next two weeks of new game releases!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
VGCulture - Winter Gaming (2011)
Every time the holidays roll in, the entertainment industry works day and night to have their products and services pushed out before Thanksgiving and/or Christmas as people go out to shop for presents. As for gamers, I have not seen such a large collection of highly anticipated games in the longest time as I do this year. Besides this Christmas, the game industry has a good follow up of games for the beginning of next year. Here's a list of games I've compiled to keep us gamers busy in the next few months:
Already Released
-El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (PS3 & Xbox 360)
-No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise (PS3)
-Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
-Resistance 3 (PS3)
-Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten (PS3)
-Dead Island (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
-White Knight Chronicles II (PS3)
-NHL 12 (PS3 & Xbox 360)
-God of War Origins Collection (PS3)
-Child of Eden (PS3 & Xbox 360)
-The ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection (PS3)
-Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland (PS3)
-Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (PS3 & Xbox 360)
-Rage (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
-Dark Souls (PS3 & Xbox 360)
-NBA 2K12 (PS3, PC, PlayStation 2, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360)
-Batman: Arkham City (PS3, PC, Wii U, Xbox 360)
-Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)
-Dungeon Defenders (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
-Battlefield 3 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC)
-Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3)
-Sonic Generations (PS3, 3DS, PC, Xbox 360)
-GoldenEye 007: Reloaded (PS3 & Xbox 360)
-Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, DS)
-Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PS3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360)
-Kirby's Return to Dreamland (Wii)
-L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
Upcoming Releases
-The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - Tonight
-Saints Row: The Third (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - November 15
-Assassin's Creed: Revelations (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - November 15
-Need for Speed: The Run (PS3, 3DS, PC, Wii, Xbox 360) - November 15
-Rayman Origins (PS3, 3DS, PlayStation Vita, Wii, Xbox 360) - November 15
-Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (PS3, Xbox 360 PlayStation Vita) - November 15
-Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends (PS3) - November 15
-Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (Xbox 360) - November 15
-The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) - November 20
-The King of Fighters XIII (PS3 & Xbox 360) - November 22
-Tekken Hybrid (PS3) - November 22
-Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3 & Xbox 360) - January 31
-SoulCalibur V (PS3 & Xbox 360) - January 31
-Inversion (PS3 & Xbox 360) - February 7
-Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - February 7
-The Darkness II (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - February 7
-Devil May Cry HD Collection - (PS3 & Xbox 360) - February 7
-Ninja Gaiden III (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U) - February 14
-Street Fighter X Tekken (PS3, PC, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360) - March 6
-Mass Effect 3 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - March 6
-XCOM (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - March 6
-Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - March 20
-Dragon's Dogma (PS3 & Xbox 360) - March 27
-Prototype 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - April 24
I imagine the game review critics will be busier more than ever these next few months.
Already Released
-El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (PS3 & Xbox 360)
-No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise (PS3)
-Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
-Resistance 3 (PS3)
-Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten (PS3)
-Dead Island (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
-White Knight Chronicles II (PS3)
-NHL 12 (PS3 & Xbox 360)
-God of War Origins Collection (PS3)
-Child of Eden (PS3 & Xbox 360)
-The ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection (PS3)
-Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland (PS3)
-Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (PS3 & Xbox 360)
-Rage (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
-Dark Souls (PS3 & Xbox 360)
-NBA 2K12 (PS3, PC, PlayStation 2, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360)
-Batman: Arkham City (PS3, PC, Wii U, Xbox 360)
-Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)
-Dungeon Defenders (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
-Battlefield 3 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC)
-Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3)
-Sonic Generations (PS3, 3DS, PC, Xbox 360)
-GoldenEye 007: Reloaded (PS3 & Xbox 360)
-Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, DS)
-Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PS3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360)
-Kirby's Return to Dreamland (Wii)
-L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
Upcoming Releases
-The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - Tonight
-Saints Row: The Third (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - November 15
-Assassin's Creed: Revelations (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - November 15
-Need for Speed: The Run (PS3, 3DS, PC, Wii, Xbox 360) - November 15
-Rayman Origins (PS3, 3DS, PlayStation Vita, Wii, Xbox 360) - November 15
-Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (PS3, Xbox 360 PlayStation Vita) - November 15
-Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends (PS3) - November 15
-Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (Xbox 360) - November 15
-The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) - November 20
-The King of Fighters XIII (PS3 & Xbox 360) - November 22
-Tekken Hybrid (PS3) - November 22
-Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3 & Xbox 360) - January 31
-SoulCalibur V (PS3 & Xbox 360) - January 31
-Inversion (PS3 & Xbox 360) - February 7
-Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - February 7
-The Darkness II (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - February 7
-Devil May Cry HD Collection - (PS3 & Xbox 360) - February 7
-Ninja Gaiden III (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U) - February 14
-Street Fighter X Tekken (PS3, PC, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360) - March 6
-Mass Effect 3 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - March 6
-XCOM (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - March 6
-Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - March 20
-Dragon's Dogma (PS3 & Xbox 360) - March 27
-Prototype 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - April 24
I imagine the game review critics will be busier more than ever these next few months.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
VGCulture - Kontrol Freek Items
Official Site: http://www.kontrolfreek.com/
You might have heard about these little plastic thingamajiggers and have questioned why would anyone buy these. It sounds like a big hoax to get people to buy these by saying that it will instantly improve your gameplay in a competitive environment. If you're still wondering about them and saw them for sale on Amazon, then perhaps it might be worth investing in if you play a lot of First-Person Shooters.
Much like other gamers, I questioned the results these little plastic buggers could actually present when attached onto one's PS3 or Xbox 360 controller. Well, I gave in and bought a pair exactly a year ago and was shocked to feel the difference in my gameplay! The secrets behind these things are that its elevation allows the player to control how much the analog stick is tilted which makes a higher sensitivity setting in game much easier to use as well as its inverted tops with a nice grip to it. This helps a player turn faster, aim more quickly, and react much more efficiently when compared to using the barebones analog stick. The FPS FREEK won't make you into a god of FPS games, but it can help with better controls with higher sensitivity and a little adjusting to using them. I bought them last year since I was playing Medal of Honor, MAG, Call of Duty Black Ops, and Resistance 2. They still work really well now and I've adjusted to them so that I'll be ready for Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. Although it's geared towards competitive multiplayer like Resistance 3 and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, the FPS FREEK can be used efficiently in single-player games as well such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution and RAGE. I've tried using them for sports games and it works well as I have better grip, angling and control over sensitivity and direction. So you can use them for NBA 2K12, FIFA Soccer 12, and NHL 12. I even found it useful when playing Demon's Souls as walking slowly around corners or narrow pathways was much easier since I only had to tilt the analog stick by a little. I can't say that $20 is really worth a pair (since I bought mines for $10), but they're a nice little stocking stuffer for Christmas or a small gift for a buddy.
I'm not sure why Amazon is selling them for $12.75 when it's usually cheaper. It is somewhat more expensive on the official site, but it's probably because they're the new ones with designs on them. Btw a word of warning, the prongs on the bottom will be hitting against your controller and will leave a mark. I have a huge circle around my analog sticks now. The FPS FREEK is somewhat hard to put on (sometimes it's easy), as you have to wrap all the prongs around the analog stick. Taking it off is easy. If you're an avid FPS player, I would consider getting a pair of FPS FREEKs.
 |
| From official site |
Much like other gamers, I questioned the results these little plastic buggers could actually present when attached onto one's PS3 or Xbox 360 controller. Well, I gave in and bought a pair exactly a year ago and was shocked to feel the difference in my gameplay! The secrets behind these things are that its elevation allows the player to control how much the analog stick is tilted which makes a higher sensitivity setting in game much easier to use as well as its inverted tops with a nice grip to it. This helps a player turn faster, aim more quickly, and react much more efficiently when compared to using the barebones analog stick. The FPS FREEK won't make you into a god of FPS games, but it can help with better controls with higher sensitivity and a little adjusting to using them. I bought them last year since I was playing Medal of Honor, MAG, Call of Duty Black Ops, and Resistance 2. They still work really well now and I've adjusted to them so that I'll be ready for Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. Although it's geared towards competitive multiplayer like Resistance 3 and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, the FPS FREEK can be used efficiently in single-player games as well such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution and RAGE. I've tried using them for sports games and it works well as I have better grip, angling and control over sensitivity and direction. So you can use them for NBA 2K12, FIFA Soccer 12, and NHL 12. I even found it useful when playing Demon's Souls as walking slowly around corners or narrow pathways was much easier since I only had to tilt the analog stick by a little. I can't say that $20 is really worth a pair (since I bought mines for $10), but they're a nice little stocking stuffer for Christmas or a small gift for a buddy.
I'm not sure why Amazon is selling them for $12.75 when it's usually cheaper. It is somewhat more expensive on the official site, but it's probably because they're the new ones with designs on them. Btw a word of warning, the prongs on the bottom will be hitting against your controller and will leave a mark. I have a huge circle around my analog sticks now. The FPS FREEK is somewhat hard to put on (sometimes it's easy), as you have to wrap all the prongs around the analog stick. Taking it off is easy. If you're an avid FPS player, I would consider getting a pair of FPS FREEKs.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
VGCulture - The Humble Voxatron Debut
Official Site: http://www.humblebundle.com/
Source: Youtube Channel WolfireGames
Continuing the great efforts of the Humble Bundle by the indie community, The Humble Voxatron Debut offers the chance to try out the Alpha AND get every version update thereafter of Voxatron. Voxatron is a Platform Shooter and has a unique editor which allows players to create their own content for the game. Along with the Voxatron is The Binding of Isaac created by Team Meat of Super Meat Boy as well as Blocks That Matters. The Binding of Isaac is an Action-Adventure RPG-ish Dungeon Crawler with some Rogue-like elements. The player travels around the basement (dungeon) in a classic The Legend of Zelda dungeon way to collect items, defeat enemies, and fight bosses. I've been keeping an eye out for this game ever since its announcement as I really enjoyed Super Meat Boy and was excited to see what the developers were going to do for this game. The Binding of Isaac is a difficult game as its main "rogue-like" element is not knowing what might be on the other side of the door of each new room. Each new enemy possesses a threat the player may not know until they're actually hit. And as the game randomly generates rooms, items, and enemies, the game has quite the replay value. Blocks That Matters is a 2D puzzle platformer. If you enjoyed games such as Braid or LIMBO, then perhaps you'll like this game. The player takes blocks from one area and utilizes them in another in order to progress through the game. Keep in mind that the only way to get the two extra games is by paying more than the average price that others are paying (which is only $5.08 at the moment). And as always, the money received for the Indie Humble Bundle promotions will go towards Charity (one for children's hospitals and the other for helping regulate things such as free speech in the digital age) as well as supporting our beloved indie game developers in pursuit of creating more great games. There's only 6 days left, so if you're interested in the games, donating to charity, or both, then please click on the link on the top and participate in this humble promotion.
Source: Youtube Channel WolfireGames
Continuing the great efforts of the Humble Bundle by the indie community, The Humble Voxatron Debut offers the chance to try out the Alpha AND get every version update thereafter of Voxatron. Voxatron is a Platform Shooter and has a unique editor which allows players to create their own content for the game. Along with the Voxatron is The Binding of Isaac created by Team Meat of Super Meat Boy as well as Blocks That Matters. The Binding of Isaac is an Action-Adventure RPG-ish Dungeon Crawler with some Rogue-like elements. The player travels around the basement (dungeon) in a classic The Legend of Zelda dungeon way to collect items, defeat enemies, and fight bosses. I've been keeping an eye out for this game ever since its announcement as I really enjoyed Super Meat Boy and was excited to see what the developers were going to do for this game. The Binding of Isaac is a difficult game as its main "rogue-like" element is not knowing what might be on the other side of the door of each new room. Each new enemy possesses a threat the player may not know until they're actually hit. And as the game randomly generates rooms, items, and enemies, the game has quite the replay value. Blocks That Matters is a 2D puzzle platformer. If you enjoyed games such as Braid or LIMBO, then perhaps you'll like this game. The player takes blocks from one area and utilizes them in another in order to progress through the game. Keep in mind that the only way to get the two extra games is by paying more than the average price that others are paying (which is only $5.08 at the moment). And as always, the money received for the Indie Humble Bundle promotions will go towards Charity (one for children's hospitals and the other for helping regulate things such as free speech in the digital age) as well as supporting our beloved indie game developers in pursuit of creating more great games. There's only 6 days left, so if you're interested in the games, donating to charity, or both, then please click on the link on the top and participate in this humble promotion.
Monday, November 7, 2011
GameLight - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Official Site: http://www.callofduty.com/mw3
Source: Youtube Channel CALLOFDUTY
I found the live action trailer to be quite charming and creative, but only to those who have had experience with the franchise. It doesn't show any gameplay or reveal content about the game's story (though maybe a lot of people don't care as much as I do about the campaign?) If you don't know yet, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 releases tonight. Many people are pumped for it and ready to frag!
Source: Youtube Channel CALLOFDUTY
Source: Youtube Channel Matroix
I've said it many times throughout the past year: I feel bad about what happened to many of the original founders and developers of Infinity Ward and their conflict with Activision; however, perhaps Modern Warfare can still be a great game with the fresh new minds and experienced developers of Sledgehammer games working with the remaining devs at IW. I'm excited about the game too, but I didn't pre-order or plan on getting it 5.5 hours from now. Sometime in the next two-four weeks, I'll drop by a store and pick it up. I already bought Battlefield 3, and it's quietly sitting next to my PS3. It's such a tease sitting there waiting for me to play it, but I'm so busy with work and with other games I haven't finished yet that I can semi-resist opening it (maybe I'll do that tonight). Modern Warfare 3 will be one of many great games I'll be getting this winter. Here's looking towards a successful (and possibly another record breaking) launch!
Source: Youtube Channel CALLOFDUTY
I found the live action trailer to be quite charming and creative, but only to those who have had experience with the franchise. It doesn't show any gameplay or reveal content about the game's story (though maybe a lot of people don't care as much as I do about the campaign?) If you don't know yet, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 releases tonight. Many people are pumped for it and ready to frag!
Source: Youtube Channel CALLOFDUTY
Source: Youtube Channel Matroix
I've said it many times throughout the past year: I feel bad about what happened to many of the original founders and developers of Infinity Ward and their conflict with Activision; however, perhaps Modern Warfare can still be a great game with the fresh new minds and experienced developers of Sledgehammer games working with the remaining devs at IW. I'm excited about the game too, but I didn't pre-order or plan on getting it 5.5 hours from now. Sometime in the next two-four weeks, I'll drop by a store and pick it up. I already bought Battlefield 3, and it's quietly sitting next to my PS3. It's such a tease sitting there waiting for me to play it, but I'm so busy with work and with other games I haven't finished yet that I can semi-resist opening it (maybe I'll do that tonight). Modern Warfare 3 will be one of many great games I'll be getting this winter. Here's looking towards a successful (and possibly another record breaking) launch!
Friday, November 4, 2011
GameLight Review - 3D Dot Game Heroes
Official Site: http://www.3ddotgameheroes.com/
Source: Youtube Channel AtlusUSA
Developer: Silicon Studio
Publisher: Atlus
Platforms: Playstation 3
Release Date: May 11, 2010
Genre: Action-Adventure
Pros:
-Simple, challenging, and fun
-A LOT of secrets, items, and special events to unlock
-Reference to a lot of retro games will hit you with a wave of nostalgia
-Charming and creative presentation of 3D based pixels as its graphics
Cons:
-Some items require a lot of grinding to buy or pay off
-Default camera angle is cool, but obtrusive when getting attacked by enemies off screen
-It sucks dying in a dungeon and having to start from the very beginning
Anyone who enjoyed the retro games of the past, the original The Legend of Zelda in particular, will have a deep appreciation for 3D Dot Game Heroes. The combat, exploration, and simple puzzle solving will hit you in a wave of nostalgia and take the player back to the days where a game's limitation made it fun through the use of creative game design. It takes the many aspects of retro games and places them in a more modern setting of graphics, concepts, and theme. Although the game boasts itself as homage to retro games, it still has a deep and innovative gameplay amongst its simple objectives. Those who didn't experience the days of retro games that others have will still find the opportunity to have a glimpse of what made gaming so fun in the past through 3D Dot Game Heroes. If you can find the game for under $20 and want something simple and fun to play, I'd recommend picking this game up.
Graphics
The first thing that caught my attention to this game is the unique blocky pixel graphics. It's clear that it represents the pixelated graphics of retro games and is actually explained in the beginning of the game why it's like that. Its bright and colorful game environment is easy on the eyes and kind of makes you feel good when playing the game (almost like some sort of visual therapy). There are actually a lot of modern technological effects applied to the graphics, such as lighting, reflection, particle effects, and others which gives it that modern feel. This actually causes the game to lag in some parts where too many things are happening at once. One of the cool effects they implement is whenever the player kills/destroys an enemy (or gets killed themselves), they burst into a shower of their own pixels. The default camera angle is a slanted (almost 45 degrees) view towards the main character. It gives it a unique feel to the game where it doesn't feel exactly like "The Legend of Zelda", but it's a problem when you start getting attacked by enemies out of the view of the screen. Luckily, you can change the camera view and make it go all the way up as if you were playing The Legend of Zelda. This makes it much easier (and possibly necessary for FROM Mode or Spelunker Mode - The harder difficulties) to view your character's surroundings. Speaking of the character, the player can actually create the look of their own character through the character editor. After a while, the charm of the blocky graphics kind of wears off and feels normal. It's an interesting design choice with aesthetic value and stays true to the nostalgic factor. Graphics 8/10
Audio
A major element that captured the feel of a retro game in 3D Dot Game Heroes is its soundtrack. It's a hybrid mix 8-bit soundchips with modern day usage of orchestral recordings. The compositions reflect closely to that of "The Legend of Zelda" and various RPGs such as "Ys" and "Final Fantasy". Some are progressive and sounds like a grand journey or triumph while others are whimsical and peaceful.
Source: Youtube Channel asukacrystalrose
This is an example of the mixture between orchestral and soundchip blending together to create a retro and modern feel of a grand opening to an action-adventure game. I seriously enjoyed the musical scores within the game and I hummed along throughout the game. It has that distinct sound and feel that games in the past had where the song is more melodic rather than being more atmospheric. Not all the soundtracks are fun to listen to though. Some of the dungeon themes can be monotonous and even annoying sometimes. For the most part, it made me sleepy if I start getting lost in the dungeon and having to listen to the same 1.5 minute of "DUN DUn Dun dun...DUN DUn Dun dun...". The sound effects also have a good balance between retro and realistic. It's not too realistic that it sounds silly in a cartoonish looking game, but it's also not too 8-bit sounding that it's not modern. The team behind the composition and production of the music did an incredible job as did the team behind the sound effects. I think it was a crucial element to capturing the feel the developers were after for the game. Audio: 9/10
Gameplay
The gameplay is basically "The Legend of Zelda". I hate to keep bringing that game up as it's NOT a rip off of Zelda, but rather a huge homage to it. The land is peril and the King of "Dotnia" wants you, the hero, to save it as you are the only one to pull the legendary Hero's Sword out of the stone in the sacred forest. The player traverses an open world and follows a semi-linear path to progress through the game. The player is free to go wherever they want, but the game is progressed in a certain order. The player will go into dungeons, fight monsters, solve puzzles, obtain new items, and slay a mighty boss while meeting with the 7 sages that will help you stop the main antagonist in the game. One of the "BIG" differences in combat is that the hero wields a "BIG" sword. How big you ask? Enough to kill every monster in the screen with one swipe! This may sound really cheap and make the game seem to easy, but it doesn't. Certain enemies have tricks to them in order to beat. Some can block, some fly, other shoot from a distant, and some can't even be hit at all. Also, the player's weapons are only at full power when their health gauge is full. All these design choices make the player feel powerful throughout the game, but puts them at edge by not being over-confident as losing a speck of health can make your awesome 50 foot sword into a small dagger in comparison. Heck, for the extra challenge players can play Spelunker mode where they only have one bar of health. That'll really put the player on edge and make them play more carefully. The progression of the game is what makes it truly enticing though. Much like RPGs or games like Mega Man, the player's character becomes stronger and acquires a larger selection of arsenals to help them in their adventure. Some of the draw backs are that a lot of puzzles are reused, rooms and enemies are recycled in dungeons, and a lot of secrets (some that change the ending of the game) aren't really led to the player. If the player doesn't know about them, they could easily miss out on a lot of weapons, endings, items, and events. But bits and parts of those drawbacks is what also makes it fun. Defeating enemies easily that were once difficult to beat gives the player a sense of achievement and growth. Similar or exact copies of puzzles don't obstruct the player from progressing with a new puzzle that might otherwise frustrate them, but rather remind them that they've done it before and should possess the knowledge to do them again. And the secrets can be considered as side-quests, extra content (new weapons), and a treat (special events). I still can't excuse the necessity to farm for gold in order to improve a weapon or acquiring a new one. I eventually just did the side quest that gave me the true Hero's sword to finish the game as its base stats was enough to get me through the game. The game isn't ground-breaking or refreshingly new, but it was an entertaining adventure and one that reminded me of the good ol' 8-bit days. Gameplay: 7/10
Overall
I've been hounding at 3D Dot Game Heroes ever since its announcement and launch last year of May as I didn't want to spend $50-$60 on it. I got it sometime this year during a sale for Atlus games on Amazon for $13. I was eager to play it and when I did, it felt blissful and simply entertaining. There wasn't an elaborate story, long cinematics, hyper-realistic graphics, or industry breaking innovations to boast how great the game was. It was simply an homage to an already existing game done in its own way with its own little twists to make it their own. 3D Dot Game Heroes will probably not become a hit classic, but it's one of those games that a player will look back on years from now and see it like a game we do now for old classics such as NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis games. It has the play, sound, look and theme that make you feel nostalgic for it. My one playthrough lasted me 23 hours, so it's not a game you'll just breeze through. There will be even more hours added if you plan on creating your own characters, get all the secrets, items, weapons, events and upgrades. If you can find it for under $20, it's a great game to pick up and play through at least once. Overall: 8/10
Source: Youtube Channel AtlusUSA
Developer: Silicon Studio
Publisher: Atlus
Platforms: Playstation 3
Release Date: May 11, 2010
Genre: Action-Adventure
Pros:
-Simple, challenging, and fun
-A LOT of secrets, items, and special events to unlock
-Reference to a lot of retro games will hit you with a wave of nostalgia
-Charming and creative presentation of 3D based pixels as its graphics
Cons:
-Some items require a lot of grinding to buy or pay off
-Default camera angle is cool, but obtrusive when getting attacked by enemies off screen
-It sucks dying in a dungeon and having to start from the very beginning
Anyone who enjoyed the retro games of the past, the original The Legend of Zelda in particular, will have a deep appreciation for 3D Dot Game Heroes. The combat, exploration, and simple puzzle solving will hit you in a wave of nostalgia and take the player back to the days where a game's limitation made it fun through the use of creative game design. It takes the many aspects of retro games and places them in a more modern setting of graphics, concepts, and theme. Although the game boasts itself as homage to retro games, it still has a deep and innovative gameplay amongst its simple objectives. Those who didn't experience the days of retro games that others have will still find the opportunity to have a glimpse of what made gaming so fun in the past through 3D Dot Game Heroes. If you can find the game for under $20 and want something simple and fun to play, I'd recommend picking this game up.
Graphics
The first thing that caught my attention to this game is the unique blocky pixel graphics. It's clear that it represents the pixelated graphics of retro games and is actually explained in the beginning of the game why it's like that. Its bright and colorful game environment is easy on the eyes and kind of makes you feel good when playing the game (almost like some sort of visual therapy). There are actually a lot of modern technological effects applied to the graphics, such as lighting, reflection, particle effects, and others which gives it that modern feel. This actually causes the game to lag in some parts where too many things are happening at once. One of the cool effects they implement is whenever the player kills/destroys an enemy (or gets killed themselves), they burst into a shower of their own pixels. The default camera angle is a slanted (almost 45 degrees) view towards the main character. It gives it a unique feel to the game where it doesn't feel exactly like "The Legend of Zelda", but it's a problem when you start getting attacked by enemies out of the view of the screen. Luckily, you can change the camera view and make it go all the way up as if you were playing The Legend of Zelda. This makes it much easier (and possibly necessary for FROM Mode or Spelunker Mode - The harder difficulties) to view your character's surroundings. Speaking of the character, the player can actually create the look of their own character through the character editor. After a while, the charm of the blocky graphics kind of wears off and feels normal. It's an interesting design choice with aesthetic value and stays true to the nostalgic factor. Graphics 8/10
Audio
A major element that captured the feel of a retro game in 3D Dot Game Heroes is its soundtrack. It's a hybrid mix 8-bit soundchips with modern day usage of orchestral recordings. The compositions reflect closely to that of "The Legend of Zelda" and various RPGs such as "Ys" and "Final Fantasy". Some are progressive and sounds like a grand journey or triumph while others are whimsical and peaceful.
Source: Youtube Channel asukacrystalrose
This is an example of the mixture between orchestral and soundchip blending together to create a retro and modern feel of a grand opening to an action-adventure game. I seriously enjoyed the musical scores within the game and I hummed along throughout the game. It has that distinct sound and feel that games in the past had where the song is more melodic rather than being more atmospheric. Not all the soundtracks are fun to listen to though. Some of the dungeon themes can be monotonous and even annoying sometimes. For the most part, it made me sleepy if I start getting lost in the dungeon and having to listen to the same 1.5 minute of "DUN DUn Dun dun...DUN DUn Dun dun...". The sound effects also have a good balance between retro and realistic. It's not too realistic that it sounds silly in a cartoonish looking game, but it's also not too 8-bit sounding that it's not modern. The team behind the composition and production of the music did an incredible job as did the team behind the sound effects. I think it was a crucial element to capturing the feel the developers were after for the game. Audio: 9/10
Gameplay
The gameplay is basically "The Legend of Zelda". I hate to keep bringing that game up as it's NOT a rip off of Zelda, but rather a huge homage to it. The land is peril and the King of "Dotnia" wants you, the hero, to save it as you are the only one to pull the legendary Hero's Sword out of the stone in the sacred forest. The player traverses an open world and follows a semi-linear path to progress through the game. The player is free to go wherever they want, but the game is progressed in a certain order. The player will go into dungeons, fight monsters, solve puzzles, obtain new items, and slay a mighty boss while meeting with the 7 sages that will help you stop the main antagonist in the game. One of the "BIG" differences in combat is that the hero wields a "BIG" sword. How big you ask? Enough to kill every monster in the screen with one swipe! This may sound really cheap and make the game seem to easy, but it doesn't. Certain enemies have tricks to them in order to beat. Some can block, some fly, other shoot from a distant, and some can't even be hit at all. Also, the player's weapons are only at full power when their health gauge is full. All these design choices make the player feel powerful throughout the game, but puts them at edge by not being over-confident as losing a speck of health can make your awesome 50 foot sword into a small dagger in comparison. Heck, for the extra challenge players can play Spelunker mode where they only have one bar of health. That'll really put the player on edge and make them play more carefully. The progression of the game is what makes it truly enticing though. Much like RPGs or games like Mega Man, the player's character becomes stronger and acquires a larger selection of arsenals to help them in their adventure. Some of the draw backs are that a lot of puzzles are reused, rooms and enemies are recycled in dungeons, and a lot of secrets (some that change the ending of the game) aren't really led to the player. If the player doesn't know about them, they could easily miss out on a lot of weapons, endings, items, and events. But bits and parts of those drawbacks is what also makes it fun. Defeating enemies easily that were once difficult to beat gives the player a sense of achievement and growth. Similar or exact copies of puzzles don't obstruct the player from progressing with a new puzzle that might otherwise frustrate them, but rather remind them that they've done it before and should possess the knowledge to do them again. And the secrets can be considered as side-quests, extra content (new weapons), and a treat (special events). I still can't excuse the necessity to farm for gold in order to improve a weapon or acquiring a new one. I eventually just did the side quest that gave me the true Hero's sword to finish the game as its base stats was enough to get me through the game. The game isn't ground-breaking or refreshingly new, but it was an entertaining adventure and one that reminded me of the good ol' 8-bit days. Gameplay: 7/10
Overall
I've been hounding at 3D Dot Game Heroes ever since its announcement and launch last year of May as I didn't want to spend $50-$60 on it. I got it sometime this year during a sale for Atlus games on Amazon for $13. I was eager to play it and when I did, it felt blissful and simply entertaining. There wasn't an elaborate story, long cinematics, hyper-realistic graphics, or industry breaking innovations to boast how great the game was. It was simply an homage to an already existing game done in its own way with its own little twists to make it their own. 3D Dot Game Heroes will probably not become a hit classic, but it's one of those games that a player will look back on years from now and see it like a game we do now for old classics such as NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis games. It has the play, sound, look and theme that make you feel nostalgic for it. My one playthrough lasted me 23 hours, so it's not a game you'll just breeze through. There will be even more hours added if you plan on creating your own characters, get all the secrets, items, weapons, events and upgrades. If you can find it for under $20, it's a great game to pick up and play through at least once. Overall: 8/10
Thursday, November 3, 2011
GameLight - Dungeon Defenders
Official Site: http://dungeondefenders.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/65800/
Source: Youtube Channel TrendyEnt
I've wanted to write about this game for weeks now. Dungeon Defenders is a indie-developed Tower Defense Action-RPG that combines the frantic strategy placements of Tower Defense with Action-RPG elements such as character progression, looting, leveling, PvP, weapon customization, and using wicked skills to defeat hordes of enemies. I've kept up with Dungeon Defenders ever since it was first conceived as a 3-week project using the Unreal Engine. I think I actually downloaded it somewhere on my computer but never tried it out. I was excited to hear that the team was going to continue working on it and release it as a full fledged game. Hearing the sheer amount of weapons, loot, and customization there was got me extra hyped as it approached launch. Then the video above appeared and shared with the world that exclusive items and content was available to those who bought it on Steam. The game has a similar concept to Sanctum (an FPS Tower Defense) where there's a period of time where players set up their turrets, blockades, and buildings and then starts the action where waves of enemies pour in while the player prevent the enemies from reaching their destination by attacking them and maintaining their buildings. Sanctum (which, by the way, has a free weekend going on Steam right now) allowed players to upgrade their weapons on the level that they were on. So the game is still arcade-like where everything progressed and obtained is within that level. Dungeon Defenders encourages players to continue to play beyond the amount of levels provided as players gained in levels, items, and progression. There is purpose to replaying levels and wanting to improve one's character. The game can be found on Steam (and other various sites, go to "Buy Now" on the official site), PSN, XBLA, App Store, and Android Store.
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/65800/
Source: Youtube Channel TrendyEnt
I've wanted to write about this game for weeks now. Dungeon Defenders is a indie-developed Tower Defense Action-RPG that combines the frantic strategy placements of Tower Defense with Action-RPG elements such as character progression, looting, leveling, PvP, weapon customization, and using wicked skills to defeat hordes of enemies. I've kept up with Dungeon Defenders ever since it was first conceived as a 3-week project using the Unreal Engine. I think I actually downloaded it somewhere on my computer but never tried it out. I was excited to hear that the team was going to continue working on it and release it as a full fledged game. Hearing the sheer amount of weapons, loot, and customization there was got me extra hyped as it approached launch. Then the video above appeared and shared with the world that exclusive items and content was available to those who bought it on Steam. The game has a similar concept to Sanctum (an FPS Tower Defense) where there's a period of time where players set up their turrets, blockades, and buildings and then starts the action where waves of enemies pour in while the player prevent the enemies from reaching their destination by attacking them and maintaining their buildings. Sanctum (which, by the way, has a free weekend going on Steam right now) allowed players to upgrade their weapons on the level that they were on. So the game is still arcade-like where everything progressed and obtained is within that level. Dungeon Defenders encourages players to continue to play beyond the amount of levels provided as players gained in levels, items, and progression. There is purpose to replaying levels and wanting to improve one's character. The game can be found on Steam (and other various sites, go to "Buy Now" on the official site), PSN, XBLA, App Store, and Android Store.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
GameLight - Drakensang Online
Official Site: http://www.drakensang-online.com/
Source: Youtube Channel DrakensangOnline
You know what's amazing about this game by just looking at the trailer? It's played in a browser!!! When I think of most MMORPGs played in a browser, I think of games like Runescape (which actually looks much better now than when it first started). Drakensang started as a pen-and-paper RPG. When computer RPG versions of it were created, they played much like other top-down view, point-n-click RPGs that was more about strategy with a slower paced battle mechanic (much like Never Winter Nights 2) and has been like that for the past 20+ years. But with Drakensang Online, the gameplay seems much closer to games like Diablo where the combat is faster-paced and enemies come in masses. It is currently in open beta right now, and anyone can register for free on their official website. Sadly, there is only 2 classes to choose from at the moment: Spellweaver (magic caster) and Dragonknight (Warrior type). There seems to be two more that will be added to the game later on. I never played any of the Drakensang games (even though I have Drakensang: The River of Time), but I think this is a good place to start. I don't know if there's any downloading required (some browser-based games still require some downloading), but I guess I'll find out when I try the game out tonight.
Source: Youtube Channel DrakensangOnline
You know what's amazing about this game by just looking at the trailer? It's played in a browser!!! When I think of most MMORPGs played in a browser, I think of games like Runescape (which actually looks much better now than when it first started). Drakensang started as a pen-and-paper RPG. When computer RPG versions of it were created, they played much like other top-down view, point-n-click RPGs that was more about strategy with a slower paced battle mechanic (much like Never Winter Nights 2) and has been like that for the past 20+ years. But with Drakensang Online, the gameplay seems much closer to games like Diablo where the combat is faster-paced and enemies come in masses. It is currently in open beta right now, and anyone can register for free on their official website. Sadly, there is only 2 classes to choose from at the moment: Spellweaver (magic caster) and Dragonknight (Warrior type). There seems to be two more that will be added to the game later on. I never played any of the Drakensang games (even though I have Drakensang: The River of Time), but I think this is a good place to start. I don't know if there's any downloading required (some browser-based games still require some downloading), but I guess I'll find out when I try the game out tonight.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
GameLight - Lord of the Rings: War in the North
Official Site: http://www.warinthenorth.com/index
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/32800/
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
Lord of the Rings: War in the North came out today for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. It's a cooperative Action RPG that follows an original story within the realm of Lord of the Rings but not residing within the tale told in the books. From the trailer, it seems the player chooses to play one of three characters with each specializing in their own abilities and weaponry. Since the game just came out, there isn't that many reviews posted on MetaCritic yet. But from the players, it seems to be well received so far. I haven't played a Lord of the Rings game since The Two Towers back in 2002; however, War in the North seems to be a very promising game. I'm mostly excited about the co-op feature as it's hard to find good co-op games these days when competitive gaming is the main focus in multiplayer. With three characters to choose from, I imagine that it follows the typical RPG structure with a tank, DPS, and Support (magic). Though looking at some of the gameplay, perhaps there's versatility among the three characters. Along with "The Cursed Crusade", Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a game to check out if one is looking for a co-op game to play with their friends.
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/32800/
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
Lord of the Rings: War in the North came out today for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. It's a cooperative Action RPG that follows an original story within the realm of Lord of the Rings but not residing within the tale told in the books. From the trailer, it seems the player chooses to play one of three characters with each specializing in their own abilities and weaponry. Since the game just came out, there isn't that many reviews posted on MetaCritic yet. But from the players, it seems to be well received so far. I haven't played a Lord of the Rings game since The Two Towers back in 2002; however, War in the North seems to be a very promising game. I'm mostly excited about the co-op feature as it's hard to find good co-op games these days when competitive gaming is the main focus in multiplayer. With three characters to choose from, I imagine that it follows the typical RPG structure with a tank, DPS, and Support (magic). Though looking at some of the gameplay, perhaps there's versatility among the three characters. Along with "The Cursed Crusade", Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a game to check out if one is looking for a co-op game to play with their friends.
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