Gamespots Reviewers' Union 4EVER
'Nuff said

• 25Dec 09

  Simple blog, simple mind

  An overly philosophical name of a blog, don't you think? Anyhoo, just wanted to say Merry Christmas to all you Gamespot users. Rest assured, the year wouldn't have been the same without you people. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and, in the case of my fellow union members, having intelligent conversation about gaming as a whole. Also, have a happy New Year! I'll be starting to write full force after the holidays, whether it be reviews or a long-due continuation of my top 150 list. Don't worry, I haven't given it up! I've just been way too busy.

  Also, I've never been prouder of being a Gamespot user than after seeing some of the results of the GotY awards as awarded by the GS staff. Not only do their decisions pretty much synch with mine, but they really think this through in an unbiased, intelligent manner. Cheers GS, and thanks for everything!

  -Jón (my real name, but just keep calling me Cal)

  Edit: *sigh* But then I saw the Platform Awards. OK, DS: Extraction winning NSMB Wii is hard enough to understand (I did love Extraction, though), but even though I love Demon's Souls, there is no way it should beat Uncharted 2. OK, they gave it because Uncharted 2 will win GotY (obviously), but come on!!! And GTA: CTW winning both DS and PSP Platform Awards.....I'm going to cry now.

  Edit 2: NNNOOOOOOOOOOO! Uncharted 2 lost! Bummer... Look, I really like Demon's Souls, but Gamespot...what's the meaning of this?! A 9,0 game beats four 9,5 games!? I fail to see the logic.

  • Posted Dec 25, 2009 2:46 am PT
  • Category: General
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• 14Dec 09

  This year in review

  Well, now that I have made two (note, two) blogs about the most anticipated games of 2010 (most of them, anyway), I feel it is time to finally review THIS year.2009 has been an explosion of massive sequels, incredible novelties and great beginnings of what will most likely be an on-going series. I will here talk about what stood out this year, what didn't and overall how this year came out in the end. It starts...

  Now, one thing to point out is that I can only talk about the occurences that fall under my actual knowledge, and since many of the blockbusters of the year are yet to be put into any of my consoles. No innuendo here, I'm afraid. For instance, I DON'T OWN A 360, so most of the games for the console haven't garnered my attention. However, I'd feel remiss if I didn't talk about the biggest games for the 360 this year. I don't talk about the GTA series at all, so I'll just skip the exclusive GTAIV DLC on the 360. It's there, and that's enough. Halo: ODST is one of the biggest of the 360's exclusives, after all, it has Halo in its name. However, it proved that it wasn't "just" a spin-off of the main series, and sported an intense, if not slightly short, adventure with some great multiplayer. Forza Motorsport 3 zoomed to the scene faster than a speeding bullet, being a sublime racing experience that was more polished and better executed than most other racing sims before it, even getting a prestigious 9,5 from Gamespot. The last biggie of this year is Left 4 Dead 2, one of the reasons I want a 360. Tense, taut gameplay, accentuated with incredible opportunities of team coordination, make L4D2 an intense game for the adrenaline-lovers out there.

  Another platform I haven't had much experience with this year is the DS, my favorite console this gen, incidentally. As I have already said a million times (I'm such a whiner), Iceland has a horrible policy on DS games: just don't buy them. It sucks, and only three of the BIG DS games this year have arrived on these shores, two of them are already in my collection. Those three games are Scribblenauts, Pokemon Platinum and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, the latter two of which I have. But as always, even without my experience on this field, it is easy to see the DS is as strong as ever. Professor Layton made a comeback with his second adventure, involving a diabolical box of some kind. The first 9,0 game of this year, to the best of my knowledge, was a DS game, Big Bang Mini. The first 9,5 game was ALSO a DS game, GTA: Chinatown Wars, but since I don't like GTA, I skim over it. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor came strong on the DS, getting a 9,0 and was toted to be a greatjourney back to the cla$$ics.Scribblenauts, despite control problems, broke the mold with its expansive dictionary of sorts, offering a literal sandbox for your imagination to explore. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days manages to port the Kingdom Hearts experience to hanhelds with only a few bumps on the way, and is definitely an entertaining game. Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story opened to very favorable reviews (9,0 by GS, for example) and continues the legacy of the Mario and Luigi saga, doing so with much aplomb. Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is the newest installment in the great series, and doesn't disappoint. The smooth gameplay and charming interface continues to amaze and it is a joy to see the game to have worked out well. All in all, the DS continues to be a staple of true excellence, and it shows in its massive library.

  The Wii continues to deliver a solid amount of solid games, and has a few very bright stars in its lineup this year. MadWorld, though very short, possesses an extreme amount of silly gore and a very unique visual style that makes it stand out amongst the crowd. Dead Space: Extraction offers an intense on-rail experience plunged in the Dead Space universe and manages to keep you excited until the end. Though it won't scare you one bit... New Super Mario Bros. Wii is one of the biggest games on the Wii this year, and it is understandable. Good, old Mario gameplay blended with a great multiplayer experience makes NSMB Wii a game to remember. Punchout Wii manages to knock out (pun intended, unfortunately) its oppostion by being strictly old-school and nothing else. Strategy is the key component here, and it translates to a great experience. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is a reimagining of the first Silent Hill, and is a great inclusion to the series. Bringing it back to its roots, it removes combat and relies completely on atmosphere...and it is truly a great move. It is too short, but it manages to entrance and amaze in equal amounts. Wii Sports Resort, though not exactly an amazing game overflowing with quality, manages to use the new Motion plus in a number of novel ways, and is ultimately a fun experience that can be shared with family and friends. The Wii might not be a monolith of quality titles, it still manages to churn out a number of not only good but great games.

  The PSP hasn't come forth with much this year in comparison to the last few years, but there are a few highlights. GTA: Chinatown Wars was put on the PSP as well, and has received very favorable reviews just as its DS counterpart. Patapon and LocoRoco both had their second entry come out 2009, and though they did nothing relatively new, they still manage to be fun games that keep up the honored tradition of just having fun. Half-Minute Hero manages to innovate and surprise as an interesting twist on the genre, and holds you entranced in its funny mechanics and frantic gameplay. Star Ocean: Second Evolution is a remake of a cla$$ic RPG, and even though the new voice work is not consistently great, it is still the same great game. Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero? stars the beloved tortured penguins, the prinnies, and put them in the spotlight. Though it is not the height of platforming, it is a great entry in the slowly collapsing (unfortunately) genre. The PSP can't stand against the beast that is the DS, but it is still a source of much enjoyment and pure fun.

  The console of the year for me, the Playstation 3, has certainly managed to step up to the plate compared to its first few years. Though 2008 had many great PS3 games, 2009 is definitely the year of the PS3. Uncharted 2 is without doubt one of the most amazing games of this year, receiving across-the-board amazing reviews thanks to its amazing visuals and presentation, adrenaline-fueled gameplay and Hollywood-sty1e story. Demon's Souls is a journey back to the days of incredibly punishing games, and is a polished, hardcore RPG with enough appeal to keep the enthusiasts busy for months. Killzone 2 offers realistic visuals and intense firefights in a dystopian environment, and a multiplayer experience that will keep fans hooked for a long time. inFamous is a great blend of super-human powers and moral choices that add greatly to the game's replay value, and it is a truly great addition to the PS3 library. Flower is gaming's equivalent of Prozac, and blends serene audio and beatiful environments to create a soothing experience that will calm the most enraged of gamers. Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time is another quirky adventure with everyone's favorite lombax and robot duel, and its endless variety of weapons will amaze and entertain. On top of all that, the PS3 Slim was released later this year, and with it a great price cut, making the console accessible to a wider audience. A truly strong year for the PS3.

  I won't be going in-depth into the PC format, since I have not only little experience in that area, I have next to none. But the PC has been strong as usual, offering some great exclusives and multiplatform games.

  The multiplatform area is where the most action happened. Batman: Arkham Asylum is a sterling delve into the Batman universe, atmospheric, exciting and fast-paced, it is EVERYTHING a comics fan wants, and more. Assassin's Creed II improved on the first entry's faults and has therefore become one of the year's most amazing games, having both a great story and fantastic gameplay. Modern Warfare 2, one of the most heavily anticipated games of the year, was, to the surprise of no-one, a polished, if not familiar, experience that gave FPS fans enough to play for ages. Literally ages. Dragon Age: Origins is one of the most expansive and complex RPGs of the decade, and is truly the thinking man's game. Try to get the PC version, but if that is beyond your reach, the console versions are still great in their own right. Street Fighter IVrevitalizes the beloved series to its fullest, and brings amazing gameplay, great balance and an alluring visual style to suck gamers in to its world, and has become one of the biggest fighters of the year. Borderlands uses a clever hybrid of RPG and shooter elements to make a completely unique sty1e that draws you deeper into the game's mechanics, and if you have a pal to play it with, there is nary a game out there that will provide more overall fun.

  In conclusion, 2009 has been an incredibly entertaining and varied year, offering enough games for everyone to enjoy. I am 100% sure I have forgotten many, many games in my review of sorts, but this is just an overview, and in no way an exhaustive list, but these are the games I have felt had the biggest impact on the gaming world this year, and what a year it has been. Thank you for reading, and have a happy holiday.

  -Calvinsora

  • Posted Dec 14, 2009 5:03 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 10Dec 09

  Next year in preview Part 2

  Hello again! Well, my last blog was basically my most anticipated games, but Ijust didn't have time to put all the other games up here. Well, that is what I will do right now. Here I will list all games (well, as many as I can) that people are looking forward to next year, and also some games I just forgot to put up here. Now, let's go!

  Mass Effect 2 (360/PC)

  The Mass Effect series is one of the main reasons I want a 360, and the sequel seems to be set to be an epic adventure. Coming out in January next year, expect sales to be huge. 2010 starts out well, and this game is the prime example of that.

  

  -Is it me or is that a new suit?

  Starcraft 2 (PC)

  Another game I really want, but can't play. Sad. I loved the first Starcraft, it was a genius game, and one of the few RTSs that I've finished completely without cheats. That is just a testament to how well the first game was built, and if the second is an improvement to the first, we might be seeing the best RTS to come forward in a decade. Set you phasers to stun, because Starcraft 2 will blow you away.

  

  -Ooh, lights!

  Resonance of Fate (PS3/360)

  One of the games I forgot in my last blog, Resonance of Fate is made by one of my favorite developers ever, Tri-Ace. Having made the Star Ocean games, which in themselves are innovative and massively entertaining games, RoF seems to be continuing that thread, offering something new to the RPG scene, and I seriously can't wait. Awesomeness be coming.

  

  -Police should be like this. Cool and stylish.

  God of War III (PS3)

  I would have put this game on my list, but I haven't played the former games in the series. I will be doing that soon, but until then, I can't say that I am looking forward to the game in that way. However, there is no doubt the game will be good. Very good. It looks amazing, plays well (like the others, ergo, well) and will be truly epic. Another crown jewel in the PS3 exclusive library.

  

  -Dentistry in the old days wasn't as nice. No novocaine, at least.

  Star Ocean The Last Hope: International (PS3)

  Another Tri-Ace game, another gem. When I heard Last Hope was 360 exclusive, my heart almost stopped. So imagine my relief when I heard the game was coming to the PS3 next year. Anyway, there is nothing left to say. Good old Star Ocean gameplay on the PS3. Oh, the joy.

  

  -There is no IGN logo there, your eyes are lying!

  White Knight Chronicles (PS3)

  Another game I forgot. Typical me White Knight Chronicles has been released in Japan, and to the best of my knowledge, is considered to be a very good game. Seeing as it is made by Level 5, of DQVIII fame, I'm very psyched for the game, even though it is a bit too focused on online. But still, it looks like a must-buy.

  

  -I wish I knew Japanese...

  Bayonetta (PS3, 360)

  When I think about it, ALL the good games come out in the first three months of 2010. That is weird, and quite unusual. I'm not THAT excited about the game, but it is definitely worth a buy, and it looks like it is doing something new. That is always fun. Bayonetta does look a lot like Sarah Palin, though...

  

  -Isn't that a bit too provocative?

  Darksiders: Wrath of War(PS3, 360)

  Another game coming out early next year. Man...anyway, playing as one of the four Horsemen of the apocalypse is a genuinely interesting mechanic, and I have to say I'm a bit excited about this game. Hopefully, it manages to turn out well. If not, Dante's Inferno will do it for me.

  

  -The big guy contest: who will win?

  MAG (PS3)

  Seriously, the January release games are getting tiresome. Anyway, another PS3 exclusive coming out soon, and it seems to be doing something not many games have done this generation: focus COMPLETELY on multiplayer. 256 players at a time sounds like chaos, but lag-free? I must say, that sounds interesting. That is probably as close to war that we'll get, I guess.

  

  -Shiny guns shoot shiny bullets, yes?

  Dark Void (PC, 360, PS3)

  No, not again. Please, no! Anyway, a shooter where you can fly around on a jetpack? Call me intrigued. If they manage to pull off the flight mechanics, we might have a sleeper hit here. We'll just have to wait and see, now won't we? I believe I can fly!!!!!!!!

  

  -Falcon...PUNCH!

  Aliens vs. Predators (PS3, 360, PC)

  OK, now I'll shoot someone. Of what I've seen in previews, this actually might be a good game based on the amalgam of Alien and Predator. Being able to play as all three species is certainly intriguing, and if they balance the characters well, this might be a game to look out for. Stay tuned!

  

  -Once again, the IGN logo is a lie. Anyway, I'd be afraid. Wouldn't you?

  Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (PS3, 360)

  Finally, an unannounced release. The CV series hasn't exactly been wildly successful on the 3D front, but I'm very hopeful that LoS manages to pull it off. I know gdw is with me on this. C'mon, we've been waiting!

  

  -Enigmatic camera angles? Check.

  Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (PSP)

  Big Boss on the PSP. Need I say more? Well, OK, a bit more. It is a new entry into the MGS series, spearheaded by Kojima himself. Now I need'nt say more.

  

  -The coolest beard EVER!

  Well, that is all I can remember. Don't tell me I forgot something! My fingers are dead now. I did this for you people you know that? You see what I do for you?! Aaarghh!

  Have a happy holiday, GS users!

  • Posted Dec 10, 2009 3:11 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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