Is more of a “finding” site than a “creating” site. Except for those who do create…
Maybe I should start being friends with THOSE people. [Yeah, Blacktimus prime, I’m lookin’ at you.]
I always want to post stuff… But then I’m never satisfied with it. I have 3 or 4 drafts that may never be published…
The U and I keys on my keyboard have popped off.
Now it just looks like my computer has gonewild. [two lil’ nipples, for those out there who didn’t get it.]
Maybe I’ll just turn this into a stand-up blog. I think I tend to have a pretty good way of conveying my mannerisms via text.
Or maybe a game review blog, like it was meant to be.
… But I’m so cynical about games now. Hmm… Ideas?
Anonymous asked: what's the point of your blog? :)
That depends, which one?! =O
With competitive gaming on the rise, cooperative games such as Army of Two stand in the shadows of its brethren like Halo and Call of Duty. But every now and then you can find a game that is worth your time simply because it, when played with a close friend, becomes an extension of that friendship, two brothers coming together and saving the world- one pagoda at a time.
First thing’s first- This game is absolutely no fun in single player. The game was MEANT to be played with a friend, it was meant to be shared and enjoyed and laughed about together. Most games are built with a single player campaign first, and a cooperative option is often a cold afterthought. Army of Two, though, turned this system on its head by creating the game from the ground up as a cooperative experience.
And their efforts paid off.
Right out of the gate, this game explodes into action- Literally. As Salem and Rios, you are thrown into an ever-evolving chaos in the middle of Shanghai that goes from bad to worse to “How are we still alive?” From shooting your way down the slope of a collapsed building to venturing through a decimated zoo, using the unfortunate bodies of rhinoceroses and elephants for cover, you traverse the city searching for answers. With each unexpected twist in the storyline, you’re driven deeper into the manic destruction, trying to find out who is causing the destruction and why. All along the way, you’ll see just how much effort was put into this game, from the twisting streets of the ghetto to the labyrinthine subway system, every level is beautifully crafted down to the smallest detail.
And that’s saying something, what-with everything in Mandarin, and all.
It’s stunning to watch a building that you thought was just a backdrop actually crash down in front of you, destroying the once pristine highway you were GOING to drive on. This game will have you unknowingly drop your jaw at least once in every level.
Weapon customization is back with a vengeance! With over 100 different modifications for almost 30 weapons, custom weapons become a crucial element in the game. Some of the modifications you need to find in-game, by either saving civilians that are about to be executed, or taking out a small squad of enemy soldiers before you surprise them.
More often than not, firefights are a means to an end; Just the meat in the sandwich of an adventure, but in The 40th day, firefights are an intimate dance conducted by both the player and the enemy A.I.. Many of your battles take place in very impromptu settings. As I mentioned before, the wall of a skyscraper literally falls and crashes into the building you’re in, giving you no option but to head in that direction. As you make your way down, blocks of concrete become your cover, with rebar and drywall dotting the terrain. As you move forward, your enemy moves around you, in an attempt to flank your team. Situations like these are why teamwork is so important, to keep from being totally overwhelmed by your enemy. But it’s a give and take, if you advance too quickly, you often find yourself face to face with a mercenary who is armed to the teeth and excited to be killing you, and if you don’t advance at all-
Well, you won’t get anywhere. It’s sophisticated, ingenious, and perfect for a co-op experience.
Yes, we know. In such a great co-op game as this, sometimes you need to make decisions that will effect how you play. Who should take the high road? Who gets to snipe while the other draws all the aggro? Did we mention, you can play Rock, Paper, Scissors with your co-op buddy, in-game?
No, seriously, you can. Next time you’re trying to justify your reasoning by shooting each other with pistols, just press a button and initiate the ultimate decision-maker. [Best 2 out of 3, of course.]
All in all, this game is a beautiful example of what can be done when you focus on the player’s experience, instead their wallets. Buy this game, grab your best friend, and go to town in what can only be described as a consummation between cooperative gaming and masterful design.
This was a review that I held close to my heart. All it’s life, Splinter Cell stood to be an innovator of the stealth shooter series. For those of us faithful to the series- there was never a dull moment. Taking us from Georgia to Tokyo to South Africa and beyond, we followed Sam Fisher through turmoil and distrust. We were shocked when we found out Nikoladze’s diabolical scheme to destroy America and we were dumbstruck when we had to shoot our closest friend, Lambert.
But now, we dive even deeper into the heart and soul of one of the world’s deadliest men as we embark on a new adventure of conspiracy and destruction.
Splinter Cell: Conviction is a wild story following Sam Fisher’s discovery that the death of his daughter, Sarah, was a hoax created by a branch of the CIA he used to work for, Third Echelon, as an elaborate way to make him fly no-holds barred into an enemy base as a Double Agent.
Instantly, you’re thrown into chaos. With an army of tools at his disposal, Sam has taken down government conspiracies, Apocalyptic warheads, and even won a few wars before they have begun. But in more recent days, he’s become a cynical, angry man, and it’s apparent in everything he does, from the way he walks to the way he talks, even slapping around some people to get his point across. And why not? After losing the only person that humanized him, Sarah, he had nothing to live for, and fled Third Echelon.
Right away, you’ll notice that there are no training wheels. No one wastes your time by thrusting you into a cheesy “Look soldier, this is how it’s done” level. Darkness is your best friend, and you’re completely unprepared save for the generic pistol Sam always carries.
But this is where it gets interesting. As you play, you notice that tool tips, objectives, and key points to the game aren’t so much written or spoken as they are… Seen. From the beginning, Ubisoft implements an innovative and unparalleled system known as Projection Technology that displays all of the tips, tidbits and tools right in and onto the environment. As you move from room to room, you may hear dialogue and, turning the corner, could find yourself face-to-face with what seems to be a flashback, or a piece of information on your target, projected onto the glass walls, or the upturned tables and cabinets that often serve as your cover.
This new system is not only cool, but keeps the pacing of the game quick and fast. From level to level, you will never see a loading screen, unless you die. Rather, you’ll find you’re being driven deeper into the story by listening to an interrogation of one of Sam’s oldest friends, Victor Coste, as he’s explaining the events that you then play out. As he describes each location and the situations, the game flies through the astonishingly detailed and meticulously designed levels, so that you’re always engaged and instantly begin the mission as the prior scene ends. It’s a little thing, to mask a load screen as a cutscene, but it pays off brilliantly.
If some of you are still concerned that this game is a “sneak-n-peek”, let me assure you that it is nothing like its predecessors. Right out of the gate, it is an adrenaline-pumping, decision-making, life-or-death action shooter, with the perk of being able to sneak up to your enemy for a stealthy take down, or jump from cover-to-cover eliminating your targets.Often you’ll find that having a plan beforehand does help, but isn’t exactly necessary.
The biggest change is Sam’s ability to Mark and Execute his enemies, a system that really brings a sense of lethality to the game. In order to use this ability, Sam needs to perform a hand-to-hand kill, which activates the power. Then, at any point in time, the player can “mark” a certain number of enemies, depending on their weapon and upgrades to said weapon, by tapping the Right Bumper and executing the targets by pressing Y. The kills are automatic headshots which makes taking down larger groups of enemies easier and more streamlined. But it’s not all a walk on the beach, it get tougher and tougher to earn the skill back, enemies become more deadly, and hand-to-hand kills become scarce, so the Mark and Execute should be used strategically.
What’s really interesting is Ubisoft’s new U-play rewards, which seem to be points you can earn for achieving certain goals, [not to be confused with Microsoft Gamerpoints] such as taking out a group of 5 enemies with a single grenade, or navigating an entire level without being seen. These in-game points can then be used to upgrade weapons, adding laser sights, reflex triggers and even extended clips.
All in all, Splinter Cell: Conviction is a completely different game from it’s predecessors, but still feels comfortably at home with those of us who had followed from the beginning. Utilizing the Unreal Engine to its fullest, Ubisoft has outdone itself. No one should miss out on this masterpiece of an adventure.
For a game rumored to be one of the worst in Xbox 360 history, you can imagine my surprise when I realized that Too Human had stolen my heart, and rightfully deserved it. We, as gamers, spend too much time scrutinizing our video games and have come to accept nothing less than near-perfection in our entertainment.
This has blinded us for one solid reason: Near-perfection, in the eyes of the masses becomes nothing more than an average concept of achievement. Just as, “tall, blonde, and skinny,” have become a near-perfection stereotype for the masses of men in the world, so too has, “Pretty, 60 fps, and high-adrenaline” become the new standard in gaming.
Don’t think so? Battlefield: Bad Company, Call of Duty, Borderlands, Gears of War, Unreal Tournament III, and Splintercell: Conviction are all games that share this common theme. Consequently, our variety and choices in the video game world have been boiled down to three simple categories; Sports, consisting of Racing, Football, Soccer, Baseball, and Basketball; Roleplaying games, such as Final Fantasy, Losy Odyssey, and Eternal Sonata; and First-/Third-person Shooters.
But being second best has it’s perks. That’s where Too Human comes in. Nowadays, RPGs have you posing as less of a dramatic hero and more of a, “Intern who brings the coffee so he can get the job later in life,” and that’s just plain boring. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Borderlands are all victims of this terrible system. Where are the life-threatening monsters? Where are the dangerous expeditions in which only a few lone survivors venture through a dangerous dungeon?
Too Human is exactly that- A Dungeon Crawl. No, you don’t run and find the amulet so you can bring it back to that monk, no, you don’t need to retrieve the sword of Truth so it can be used against an evil, destructive enemy, and no, you don’t need to solve a riddle just to open a door.
Lethal, diverse, and often overwhelming monsters assault you as you venture through four stunning landscapes, looking to find revenge. That’s it. That’s all. Not to mention a somewhat captivating storyline, if not pulled straight from a B-movie.
“But Zach, I don’t understand the storyline!” Yes, Too Human has a bit of a confusing storyline at first, but people have become far too dependant on being spoon fed every detail of a story, put the pieces together yourself!
“But Zach, there’s no penalty for dying!” … And you’re complaining because…? Yes, the monsters are tough, and yes, sometimes EXTREMELY tough to the point of annoyance, but the game is fast paced and you need to have sharp reflexes to survive.
Too Human utilizes a dual stick control scheme in that you move with the left joystick and tap or hold the right joystick in the direction you want to attack. With an enormous selection of both melee [swords, staves, hammers] and ranged weapons [pistols, rifles, massive cannons] there’s a vast amount of freedom to strategize your attack.
Did I mention you have a squad of elite soldiers under your command? No? For good reason. Although you may begin each “Dungeon” with a squad of soldiers, whose radio-banter really adds to the feel of daunting hopelessness, they rarely last 2-3 encounters.
“But how will I survive then!?” Never fear! Somehow, someway, you always find more soldiers waiting for you at “checkpoints” throughout the level.
Boss fights are unusually long, taking upwards of 6-10 minutes, but then again, you may spend 2-3 hours in a single dungeon, so it fits well. This game is a serious dungeon crawl, but even if it’s not your forte, try it anyway, because second best isn’t always the worst.
In short, sometimes it’s good to not be so near-perfect, because that’s where true diversity lies.
I’m excited to start this review blog. There are thousands of others who took the leap and drown the ever growing community of gaming, but this blog is going to be different- no, it needs to be different in order to stand out. So, with this post, I’m making a promise to all of my current- and future- readers that I solemnly swear to uphold the code that I’m about to debut.
I, Zach, tester of games and writer of reviews, in my infinite knowledge of gaming, so solemnly swear to abide by the rules that follow, henceforth to be referred to as, ‘The Code’. The Code specifies that any game that is to be reviewed must begin with an open, neutral view. To start a review process with preconditioned negative- or positive- influence would be to mislead the reader, and that’s just not right.
The Code also states that I, Zach, must provide detailed, in-depth analysis of all games reviewed. This includes, but is not limited to: graphical qualities, gameplay, story, replay value, and cost-to-value ratio.
I, the reviewer will try my best to be unique, engaging, and upbeat in my reviews, while still providing as much information as possible. Video, audio, and photos shall be standard tools in my arsenal of reviewing in order to fully capture the essence of a game.
In short, I, Zach the reviewer, will kick gaming ass and rock the world that is blogging.
Here we go!
