• 25Nov 09

  Dragon Age Origins + Assassin's Creed 2 done (No Spoilers)

  

  Finished Dragon Age Origins (360) over the weekend. I played as a Human Noble and it was a blast. I was a good guy so I think I got a good ending and everyone was my ally. Very satisfying ending for me. The writing is superb and the voice acting is even more impressive. They got a lot of the same actors from Uncharted 2 which was kinda cool. I'm just really impressed with how developed the world is and how much thought was put into all my party members and NPCs. I don't think I need to say more other than this is a must play and one of my fave RPGs in this generation. I plan on playing as the other origins when I have time. It should be interesting to see how the world unfolds when I choose different dialogue options. Btw, this game probably has the longest credits roll in gaming history. Soooo many people were involved, wow...

  

  Also finished Assassin's Creed 2 (360) this week. What an amazing experience. Ubisoft really improved upon everything over the original and thensome. I loved the original AC and this sequel beats it in both gameplay and story. The story actually unfolds in a similar way to the GTA franchise except with better pacing. Ezio is a really likeable guy and his story is way more developed than Altair's.

  Speaking of AC1, AC2 is a direct sequel in every sense of the word. The game literally opens up with the final shot from the first game. It's pretty cool for us AC1 fans cuz AC1's cliffhanger ending is instantly resolved. Yay. There's also a ton of callbacks and information that AC1 fans will enjoy. I think if you didn't play or finish AC1, you might be missing out on a few bits of information and names that pop up. AC2 stands well on its own but people who played AC1 will definitely appreciate the story and revelations way more. And boy, the revelations are awesome.

  The gameplay is incredibly addictive as one mission just keeps popping up after another. There's also a diverse amount of sidequests that kept me playing. The combat is also very satisfying and incredibly fun since you can switch weapons and upgrade your armor/outfits. The final armor looks pretty damn sessy. The collectables also make sense and actually help you and affect the main game. They're no longer simply achievement/trophy hunter type stuff. It's all really well implemented. I'm only two achievements away from getting the full 1000.

  But not everything was perfect, the game has some minor glitches which happened a few times. They're not game-breaking stuff but they're somewhat distracting. The game also has some janky facial animation for a few characters (Lucy has it worst), but most are fine. These minor issues probably kept this game from beating Batman: AA and Uncharted 2 from my personal GOTY. But overall, this was an amazing experience with a lot of fun conspiracy stuff and the world is really well done. Must play for everyone (including people who didn't like AC1). Loved it.

  

  I also just got God of War Collection (PS3) and I'm playing it to see all the enhancements. Looks pretty damn good. I haven't played it in a long time so there are many things that surprised me. Still awesome and still fun. I'll probably have more detailed impressions when I dig into GoW2 in the collection after I beat GoW1 all over again. Oh yea, lotsa boobies too, lol...

  • Posted Nov 25, 2009 2:19 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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• 20Nov 09

  LiK's Nov 09 Pick-Ups Part 1

  Some stuff.

  Got:
  Nintendo Club Platinum Gift - I chose the Mario hat. Very nice quality.

  

  Modern Warfare 2 Prestige Edition (360) - Yea, I got it...

  

  
  Assassin's Creed 2 Master Edition (360) - The tin case is even LARGER than AC1's LE. Geez... Nice design though.

  Box and contents.

  

  More games and movies.

  

  Star Trek LE (BD) - Statue is very nice. Completely metal and quite heavy.

  Box and contents.
  
  

  And finally...

  Diablo III!!!! Well, not really...it's a statue of the Barbarian. Sculpt is detailed and paint job is superb. Awesome quality.

  Box and statue with normal head.
  
  

  The Sideshow Exclusive head. Badass...
  

  • Posted Nov 20, 2009 2:57 pm PT
  • Category: General
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• 15Nov 09

  Addicted to Dragon Age Origins + Modern Warfare 2 done [Hardened] (No Spoilers)

  

  Been playing Dragon Age Origins (360) and it's AWESOME. Great story with a TON of dialogue options and great voice acting. The amount of content is pretty incredible. There are a ton of choices to be made, lots of sidequests to complete and a lot of optional stuff to find. I'm really impressed with how much time I spent with this game so far. There is so much to do and some sidequests lead right into another. Soooo addictive! I also found that my party members are fully fleshed out people with a lot of personality and backstory. They're very complex and hard to figure out which adds to the realism to the story. I'm amazed how much info each character reveals as you learn more about them. They all have a quirk or twist that you don't really expect the first time you meet them. Very well written.

  Even secondary characters and NPCs have their own stories to tell. I was quite surprised at how much I learned about a NPC in a short amount of time. When you're doing sidequests for some of them, there are some genuine emotional spots that surprised me. I also found a lot of humor in some other characters that were unexpected. All these colorful characters make exploring the world very enjoyable.

  Anyways, can't wait to finish it and play a different type of character to see what happens. If you like Bioware RPGs like KoToR or Mass Effect with a high fantasy setting, this is a definite must play. Love love love.

  

  Oh yea, I took a break from Dragon Age to play Modern Warfare 2 (360). I beat the game in Hardened mode in two sittings. I could've finished it in one sitting but I had work the next day so you know. Great game with a ton of shocking moments. It may seem a bit much at times but I liked it. The controversial level that was mentioned was definitely disturbing to me. I didn't enjoy playing it but I didn't find it offensive at all. It was important for the story and it made sense. Infinity Ward definitely took a chance with this one.

  Btw, I suggest you play the first Modern Warfare before digging into the campaign for MW2. Why? Because the stories are directly linked with returning characters and some call backs to the first game. If you don't know who Soap is then you should definitely play MW1 NOW. Besides, MW1 was awesome so why deny yourself greatness?

  Anyways, Hardened mode in the sequel was way easier than the first game simply because there are no more infinite spawning enemies anymore. I died a lot less but it was still tough and frustrating in spots. The campaign was very satisfying and well worth playing through for the twists and turns. I haven't tried the multi or Spec Ops modes yet but I will try them when I finish Dragon Age. Must play!

  • Posted Nov 15, 2009 6:32 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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