• 4Nov 09

  Baby You Can Drive My Car, But Don't Scratch It!

  Hi! My name is... my name is... my name is... (wicky wicky) Denis! Yeah, that was lame, sorry.

  Games! I play those! Been playing a lot of those on my week's vacation, which is taking place right now. Forza 3. Pretty good game. In fact, it's pretty awesome. Don't believe me? Well, the proof is in the pudding, as we say, and in this case, the pudding is this fantastic review I concocted. Check it out and let me know what you think. I created and auctioned out an EndSights car, which sold for 1,000 credits. I only got one bid for it, which is one more than I thought I would get. Eh, at least it got me that achievement. I ain't no Picasso, you know.

  I've also been playing my fair share of DJ Hero. I enjoy the game, but after going through the song list twice (once on Medium, then on Hard), I'm kinda burnt out on it. The peripheral is easy to use, but the cross-fader can get pretty tricky, since it doesn't seem to "click" in the middle and just slides to one side or the other. It can get pretty frustrating when you're doing cross-fader spikes. The mixes are, for the most part, pretty damn good, but there are some exceptions, such as the mix between Third Eye Blind's Semi-Charmed Life and The Jackson 5's I Want You Back. Now, don't get me wrong, I love The Jackson 5, but I couldn't care less about Third Eye Blind, and that mix is just horrible. Also, David Bowie should not be in a game like this, period. Let's hope there's some DLC coming soon, because I'd hate to think I've wasted $130 on this game.

  Another game, or expansion to a game, I've been playing is GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony. I'm finding this DLC much better than its predecessor, The Lost and Damned. The characters are more interesting and the overall feel reminds me of GTA: San Andreas a whole lot. I'm about half way through the game, and quite enjoying it, except for this helicopter mission I have to do. I hate flying helicopters in this game, especially when it counts and I'm not just fooling around with them. Still, if you like GTA IV, check out Gay Tony.

  On a final note, there's this game coming out next week. Heard it's quite popular. Modern something. It's the 2nd one in the series. I'll have to check it out and try to play a couple of games with you guys online, if you're getting it, of course.

  Avanti!

  • Posted Nov 4, 2009 11:06 am PT
  • Category: Games
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• 25Oct 09

  The Hits Just Keep On Coming

  I'm rather surprised at the amount of comments my Brütal Disappointment blog got, and I'm extremely surprised that most of them were in accordance with what I said. I honestly thought I was going to get demolished because of the harsh tone, but it turns out that didn't happen at all. Of course, thank you for your comments. Most of them were quite interesting.

  Not long after I finished Brütal Legend, I started up another game, this one on the PlayStation 3. I hadn't played a game on that console since finishing InFamous way back in June. This time around, I played another PS3 exclusive called Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. I had no interest whatsoever in this game not too long ago, but after hearing my friends, both online and offline, give it praise and all the fantastic reviews it got, I decided to give it a try. Turns out the game is absolutely fantastic and it literally blew me away with its gorgeous graphics and breathtaking action cutscenes. Now, I haven't played the first installment in the series but I've heard that, even though it was quite good, there were some issues with the shooting mechanics and the amount of bullets an enemy could absorb before dying. Those issues aren't present in Uncharted 2, as mowing down enemies feels very satisfying instead of frustrating. The parkour is a big part of this game as well, as the mechanic feels just right and never really gets frustrating.

  But the best parts of Uncharted 2 are its "Oh s***!" moments. There are a good amount of these moments, and many come to mind here. I won't spoil anything for you guys, but I will say that the game starts off with a huge bang and ends pretty much in the same jaw-dropping fashion. The story and voice acting are another great aspect of the game. I found myself chuckling often, especially at the dialog delivered by Nathan Drake, voiced to perfection by Nolan North. Uncharted 2 is another game that came out of nowhere and has become a huge favorite of mine for 2009. In fact, it has become a very, very strong contender for Game of the Year for me. This proves that Sony still have some good exclusives on their side, along with InFamous, Demon's Souls and Ratchet & Clank, amongst others. If you haven't checked it out already, please do so. You won't regret it.

  Another game I've started playing is WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010. What attracted me to this year's game is the fact that you can create your own storylines, and also the ability to download created superstars, finishers, entrances, storylines and move sets, which has been a long time coming for the series. Although I am highly impressed with the storyline creator and the download service the game provides. I am less than impressed with the outdated graphics engine and the annoying glitches still present here. It boggles the mind to see how ugly some of the superstars, the Divas and the crowd look in today's high-standard consoles. Also, there is still some major problems with clipping and frame rate here, which hinder the overall experience. The gameplay itself, when you're wrestling an opponent, is downright boring. Hell, I'm actually forcing myself to go through the Road to WrestleMania stories just to see how they pan out. If this was a Vince McMahon simulator, where you'd control the WWE, create storylines, manage superstars and shows, as well as merchandise, it would be one hell of a game. Sadly, the wrestling in World Wrestling Entertainment is the problem here... as it is on the real-life shows as well.

  DJ Hero and Forza Motorsport 3 are coming next week, and I'll be getting both of them. I honestly can't wait to try both of them out. I'll keep you updated on my impressions.

  Have a great week and thank you for reading.

  • Posted Oct 25, 2009 10:48 am PT
  • Category: Games
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• 18Oct 09

  Brutal Disappointment

  Last night, I finished Brütal Legend, a game I got last Tuesday. After witnessing all of the tremendous amount of hype surrounding Tim Schafer's heavy metal epic, I was anxious to play through the campaign as superstar roadie Eddie Riggs. Sadly, after an hour or so into the main storyline, my anxiety turned into frustration and disappointment.

  As I mentioned, the game starts off with a bang. In fact, if you've played the demo, you know exactly how the game starts off. The first couple of missions after that are pretty cool, as you'll go around fighting off General Lionwhyte's army, all the while recruiting headbangers and others to join your own army, known as Ironheade. The story moves along at a brisk and steady pace until you get to fight Lionwhyte himself. Shortly after that, it slows down to a crawl while you partake in strung-out real-time strategy battles against the Drowned Doom and, finally, Doviculus' army. Although the story is quite good, I felt it was sacrificed along the way for the game's shady gameplay, which seems quite uncharacteristic of Tim Schafer.

  Let's talk about that gameplay aspect for a moment. Brütal Legend implements real-time strategy elements, action elements, sandbox elements, role-playing game elements, racing elements and fighting elements, but never quite succeeds at either one of those. It's good to have ambition, but sometimes it's also good to know your limits. The side missions are a total bore and very repetitive. However, I found myself completing each and every one of them (except for the hunting ones) so I could accumulate enough Fire Tributes to upgrade my stuff. Those upgrades would become useless once the RTS gameplay kicked in, which made the side missions seem like a waste of time in the end.

  Thankfully, that's not all Brütal Legend has to offer. The game does a great job in paying its respects to heavy metal, as it features a solid soundtrack with over 100 metal songs, and the metal infused world of Bladehenge, where monuments were erected in tribute to the Gods of Metal. There's also the superb cast of characters, including Jack Black as the main protagonist, a surprisingly fluent Ozzy as the Guardian of Metal, Lemmy Kilmister as the Kill Master, Rob Halford as General Lionwhyte and the marvelous Tim Curry as Doviculus.

  In the end, however, I am brutally disappointed in Brütal Legend. For a game designed by a man whom I consider to be one of the greatest of all time, it hits somewhat of a sour note. The world, story and characters are quite awesome, but they are overshadowed by bad and indecisive gameplay. I haven't touched the multiplayer aspect, and I don't think I ever will. I feel like I've played enough of it in the campaign. Oh well, better luck next time, Tim.

  • Posted Oct 18, 2009 11:53 am PT
  • Category: Games
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