God Of War III Demo Impressions
crafted by: Alex
Get it???
God of War III comes out March 16th. The original two are my favorite action games. I like the cinematic style and that you don't need to be a perfectionist to beat the game. Also brutally ripping eyeballs from cyclops is fun as hell. I've been mildly excited the third game. I tried the recently released demo the other day. The game looks incredible, there's no question. When you gut a centaur and his innards spill out in all their HD gory, it looks incredible. The size of the titans towers over the city looks amazing.
There are some nice game play tweaks, like the ability to execute a special move by holding L1 and pressing 1 of 3 face buttons. There is a new item that showers light over object to reveal secrets that may lead to some interesting puzzles, but this was not displayed in the demo. I hope that God of War III improves upon mechanics as much as it improves on graphics. But overall the game doesn't feel very different from God of War II. While I'm impressed, and i look forward to seeing all the new execution animations, I'm not terribly excited. I wish they would stop having Kratos go to hell, it was an excellent plot device in God of War, but it is silly that every time he dies he simply goes to hell and climbs back out. Do you really want "silly" to be an adjective used to describe God of War??
Genesis-A-Day: High Seas Havoc
crafted by: AlexUpon finding a magic lamp, Alex rubs out a genie. Obviously, Alex wishes for a ton of genesis games. In this feature, Alex documents the results of that wish.
I have to admit, this is actually pretty funny
Time Played: 7 minutes
Beers drank while playing this game: 1
This is a Sonic clone... a slow one. The first level looks just like Green Hill Zone. Right from the beginning I tested the controls. A = jump. B = jump. C = jump. Okay, that's easy. Press the button twice and he does a small kick in the air. The controls felt good. So I started running, and he accelerated slowly just like sonic, and I saw a hill, and a part of me was excited to move with some speed. I reached the steep downward slope AND.... nothing. He didn't run any faster. He slowly jogged down the hill. They even have death pits at the bottom of hills just like in the new Sonic games. Maybe the new games looked at High Seas Havoc for inspiration.
The only reason this seems to be called High Seas Havoc is the retard with a bandanna that is the main character, the second level takes place on a ship, and all the levels have crappy water effect at the bottom of the screen, even when you are in a city level that has nothing to do with High Seas, or even Havoc for that matter. This game sucks, I hate it. What a waste of good controls.
Game-A-Day: Aero the Acrobat TWO PACK
crafted by: PaulPaul plays all the smelly SNES games he found under a pier.
Aero the Acrobat
Time played: 2 minutes
Lives lost: 6
Aero the Acrobat slots in under Bubsy as the second worst Sonic-rip-off mascot of the 16-bit era. I've never actually played one of the games, but I remember being a kid and still not being tricked into thinking a flying circus bat with raditude was cool.
Starting it up I was shocked to realize that Iguana, the creators of my beloved Turok, developed this ass-trap. Shame! When I started to play I was surpised at how tiny Aero seemed on the screen. Not only was the player character small, but the environment was super sparse, filled with only thin tall objects and tiny clowns who didn't move.
Aero only controls with the D-pad and one button (1-press jump, 2-press hover-bat-attack button). This is really boring. And he dies instantly upon touching spikes.
Because you don't deserve to waste too much time wondering if the sequel, Aero 2, is an improvement here's
Boss Battle: Heavy Rain vs. Alex
crafted by: Alex
Heavy Rain attacks: Stunning blow!
- A game unlike any other.
- Makes you feel emotions you rarely(if ever) experience from any media: Guilt, remorse, anxiety.
- A well written story that branches more than you might expect.
- Quick time events are mapped in a logical way. This allows for logical decision making even under pressure.
- Surprisingly good replayability for a "interactive drama."
- Difficult to put down once the narrative picks up.
Alex is in shock: Unable to attack.
- French people, speaking English, with American accents. Pretend that this takes place in another dimension. Problem solved.
- One major unexplained plot hole, various small ones if you look hard enough.
- Ability to alter the story may fall short of some peoples expectations.
- Some awkward writing.
- I can't get the DLC to work or to download! WTF is going on??
Battle Summary:
Heavy Rain is not a game, it is an experience. You grow fond of the characters quickly, then before you know it you are constantly thrust into positions where you feel that your every action will affect the life of your character or those around you. At some point in the game you will stop, and you will consider the consequences of you actions, and what it means for the future. At other times, the act of careful consideration may lead to your demise because you did not act fast enough. The fact that the game is completely devoid of a game over screen mean that your actions persist throughout the whole game.
Surprisingly I haven't heard anyone comparing this to Mass Effect, so I will. Heavy Rain handles decision and branching story the way I wish Mass Effect did. Mass Effect Lets you control HOW events happen, Heavy Rain lets you control WHAT events happen, and this distinction is very important. I listened to GameSpot's Hotspot spoiler podcast about Heavy rain, and every few minutes one of the hosts would be saying "Wait, what happened?" because inevitably, their story played out differently. I actually felt like the game was far too linear before I listened to the podcast. This game was an experiment, and a successful one that I really enjoyed, but I am unsure if I want to see another game that adopts the format to a new story. Though, I definitely want to see more games that can pull at emotions as effectively as Heavy Rain.
Battle Results: Heavy Rain kills Alex.
Drunk Gaming Takes You Into the Weekend
crafted by: Brendan
"Yeah, I know some people are against drunk driving, and I call them the cops." -Dave Attell
TBB doesn't advocate drunk driving (unless the parking meter's running out, because c'mon officer I don't want a TICKET) but we do advocate drunk gaming so to make sure everyone gets what they want I'm recommending Mario Kart 64 this weekend. It's just about the perfect game to play drunk because it's simple, competitive, and everybody has at least one friend who owns it. Needing only the gas, the item button and the joystick to play anyone can join in even if they don't regularly play video games. Despite it's simple design, the strategy of the game runs deep. Using a lightning bolt at the right time or placing bananas in the right spot to send an a driver in the drink to break your opponents heart (especially if they're playing as Toad) is as satisfying as it gets. Mario Kart makes a great party game as a number of drinking game rules can be applied; finish a beer before you finish the race being my favorite. So if you're planning on getting tipsy this weekend pop Mario Kart into the 64 and let the good times (red shells) roll.
PS - I'll destroy anyone with Bowser. It'll happen, whether you fight it or not, so I kind of want you to fight it.
Random Encounter: Borderlands, DLC, and a Close Call
crafted by: Alex
I don't think I've mentioned it here, but Borderlands may be my favorite game of 2009, it a hard choice when Uncharted 2 is sitting there, scowling at me. I love loot, character progression, post apocalyptic settings, and shooting shit. (Duh!) So borderlands was a no brainer for me, but I assumed, much like everyone else, that shooter fans would scoff at weak shooter mechanics and menus, while RPG fans would feel shafted by shallow RPG elements. And Fallout 3 fans, well, they had fallout 3, why would they play a different post apocalyptic first person shooter rpg. But I think Fallout 3 saved Borderlands from certain doom.
Originally Borderlands had "realistic" style graphics, and the plot, based on the original trailer, was pretty standard Max Max style sci fi. Following in Fallout 3's footsteps, Borderlands NEEDED to have it's own identity. While this is all speculation on my part, I believe Gearbox made a decision to change the tone of the game far into development.
Genesis-A-Day: Sparkster
crafted by: AlexUpon finding a magic lamp, Alex rubs out a genie. Obviously, Alex wishes for a ton of genesis games. In this feature, Alex documents the results of that wish.
Coolest piece of equipment: Sword? Armor? Nope. Rocket Pack!
Sparkster, the sequel to Rocket Knight Adventure about a possum wearing armor and a jet pack. The 90s were jam packed full of (terrible) animal characters in 2D platformers. The Rocket Knight Adventure series is an exception. I remember renting Rocket Knight Adventure many times as a child, my parents probably would have saved money had we bought it rather than renting it so much. I don't think I ever played this sequel.
Sparkster makes other characters that jump around the screen, and hop on enemies to kill them look like a bunch of sissies. Sparkster dashes around the screen at break neck speeds, killing enemies with his (sometimes flaming) sword. At the press of a button you explode in the direction you are holding, it takes little more than 1 second for you rocket pack to recharge one it's empty to allow you to blast off again. It's immensely satisfying to blast through multiple enemies killing them all, of shoot straight up to avoid an enemy attack. Oh and in the intro to the game, you are in a giant robot beating up another giant robot.
The graphics looks a bit bland and repetitive. The levels feel a restrictive for a possum with a jet pack. I would have liked to see more vertical gameplay, because this little guy can gain some serious altitude. (I DID say altitude, not attitude, I'm sure those OTHER animal mascots have plenty of that.) The game isn't perfect, but it's fun, and kept me around for an hour, which is about the the combination of all the time I spent with all the other games so far. I'm looking forward to seeing how this series will fare on current gen systems this year. It could benefit from more screen space and the benefit of nearly 20 years worth of game design improvements. That game is being released under the title Rocket Knight.
This Shit is On Like Donkey Kong
crafted by: Brendan
"You guys got Donkey Kong?!"
Frustrated by the Turbo Boss Battle, Alex and Paul used cheat codes and unlocked God Mode. So I'll be blogging on here from now on. Maybe I should be Infinite Ammo? No? Fine Disco Mode then.
Video games are played for a wide array of overlapping reasons. Some play to see boobs and shoot guns(Paul), some play because they're social skills are limited to NPCs (Alex), some to enslave animals and force them to fight each other(Kev) and some to fondle corpses for loot (Ted). I play video games to defeat others. More rewarding than any Xbox Achievement is an opposing player sighing noisily, accusing me of cheating or whining between gulps of Mountain Dew (obese pre-teen MW2 players), hell even beating the computer is euphoric. That said, I like games that anyone can pick up and play and don't take long to finish. I have trouble committing to anything that takes longer than 20 hours, just ask my wife. I'd mail her back but I'm not familiar with the language of her particular eastern European village.
Random Encounters: GameStop casts GP Rain!
crafted by: Paul
"Where'd I put my lunch?"
A few days ago the video game blogs were abuzz with the news that GameStop would be offering two of March's biggest titles, Final Fantasy XIII and God of War III, for $20 with the trade-in of two select titles. After sizing up the list of titles they'd accept for the promotion, I realized that I could part with two Xbox 360 games I wouldn't miss if that meant getting Final Fantasy for a relative steal. Not many hours later, even bigger news broke that GameStop would be offering a whopping 50% bonus on all titles traded in for the next three weeks. Hot damn that's a good deal, I thought, but no way would the games I intend to trade be over $40, so that Final Fantasy deal is still top notch.
Yesterday I strutted myself into GameStop after work and dropped my two trade-ins down before the emaciated sales assistant. I said I wanted to pre-order the PS3 Final Fantasy with the $40 off deal. He screwed his dead eyes to mine and explained that the games would prob be worth more with the 50% trade-in. "All right, let's see," I dead-panned back, trying to keep the upper-hand, which is lost sometimes in a treacherous swamp like GameStop.
"With the trade-in bonus, you'll make $54 off these games," the clerk breathed.
Let's stop the story-telling before I hurt myself. So in two weeks, I'll be getting Final Fantasy XIII for $10 thanks to this sweet GameStop deal. I highly reccomend you consider selling those "meh" games you own and trading in for at least something new. I'm debating getting rid of the two Modern Warfares in exchange for Darksiders or Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Why? Tanks.
The Collector: The Strategist?
crafted by: Paul
Ah, strategy RPGs!
An even more daunting decision is what to do regarding Playstation turn-based strategy RPGs. I have never been a fan of the genre, especially hating the battle mechanic that squats at the center of the games. I have and love Front Mission 3, but I just can't stomach the brutal, hour-sucking battles in most Final Fantasy Tactics-inspired games. Also there is no free-roaming and overworlds (a must-have in RPGs for me). And yet many of the JRPG hallmarks are present: anime character designs, science-fantasy based magic and settings, and of course impenetrable storylines. Wouldn't I need Vandal Hearts if I was a true completionist?
- Arc the Lad Collection
- Brigandine
- Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth
- Kartia
- Ogre Battle - Limited Edition
- Rhapsody
- Tactics Ogre
- Saiyuki: The Journey West
- Vandal Hearts
- Vandal Hearts II
- Vanguard Bandits
Yes and no. Sure, Kartia has cool Amano art, but looking at these games, I realize that they all look super boring. Nothing would ever make me want to play Rhapsody, a musical SRPG? Yuck.
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