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• 19Aug 08

  Keep me away from Vegas!

  Gears of War gets put momentarily on the back-burner as I finally got to play Bully: Scholarship Edition, a game I've been looking forward to seemingly forever. I know Rockstar doesn't want this game tagged as "Grand Theft Auto in a school", but more or less, that's what you got. You know, minus the murder.

  I also see the many subtle (and not so subtle) glitches are still around, like people randomly disappearing, or getting stuck during the walking animation. Kind of a bummer, but hardly a deal breaker, as like The Simpsons Game before it, I'm having too much fun with the game to be bothered by a few spasmoid students.

  The other big timesink in my life is Fable 2's Pub Games. Ye Gods is this game addicting, and I'm not a big fan of gambling or gambling games. I admit this purchase came primarily from my desire to get anything Fable 2 related on my 360, as October seems so far away.

  Apparently, the wifey is a much better gambler than me, as most of the Achievements unlocked have been from her. I, on the other hand, have been steadily dragging my eventual Fable 2 character into nigh-insurmountable debt in the name of earning a Backflip Trick for my dog. Unreal. Something tells me once I merge the two games, burly men are going to come after my soft, exposed pink parts, and I shudder in fear....and then I bet another 1500 on Fortune's Tower.

  • Posted Aug 19, 2008 8:57 am PT
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• 15Aug 08

  Target Strikes Back

  First off, the new Gamespot layout. Meh *shrugs*. I don't really have any strong opinion either way. It doesn't suck, it doesn't rule the freakin' universe, it's just here. Looks kinda spiffy, I guess.

  Onto gaming! Over the last few days, I polished off Tomb Raider: Legend 1000/1000, adding another game to the trade-in stack. I also got lucky while booting up Assassin's Creed to find the last Templar, as he was in the first little outpost I came to in the Kingdom. Bam! Another game down. That's what the kids call "dope fresh".

  Though he's been quiet on the Gears of War front, I know NeonNinja is waiting for his moment to strike unless I play the game, hanging there in the shadows, like a graceful duck. So yes, I finally popped in Gears for some real playtime. And the verdict thus far.....?

  I like it, it's a really good game....but....I don't think it's "great". *Ducks*

  Don't misunderstand me, I'm not knocking the game. Visually, it's stunning, the controls are (mostly) spot-on, and the story is about as engaging as one could hope for, but it just hasn't captured me the way I expected it to. Then again, I'm the guy who actually enjoyed playing Open Season, so maybe I'm in no position to talk. Maybe later on in the game (I'm only just past the first Act), it can grab me. I hope so, 'cause I really want to love this game.

  In reference to my blog title, just as I've started making headway in my gaming backlog, my local Target hits me with Bully: Scholarship Edition for a mere $14.95! Now I ask you, how can ya pass that up? I'm asking you a question!

  They also had The Darkness for $9.95 (I had to pass for the time being) and tons of Madden '08 starting at $14.95. I think I'll wait for the Maddens to drop some, but I'll probably pick up The Darkness today, as it was the only copy there. Curse you Target and your delicious Clearance section!

  • Posted Aug 15, 2008 8:12 am PT
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• 7Aug 08

  Reflections on Rapture

  In one of my lazier weeks of gaming, I made my way through Bioshock on Hard to mop up some lingering Achievements. Definitely a different experience playing on the higher difficulty, as I think this is what the developers meant when they talked about players making Rapture work for them. The aura around the Big Daddies shoots up another 104% as well.

  I was still as enamored with the world of Rapture as I was the first time around though, but I doubt I'll be rushing out to buy the PS3 version. The "Rapture Challenge Rooms" or whatever they're calling them, sound interesting, and I'm sure that one day when it's dirt cheap, I'll pick it up, but for now, I say goodnight to Bioshock.

  However, all this got me thinking about the next game and some ideas I'd like to see realized. I already touched on being able to repair turrets or security bots, and I think copping some of Condemned's melee combat would fit in well, but the story is the important thing. While I actually think that a direct sequel playing of the "Bad" ending would be awesome, I realize the prequel route is the most probable one. But we need a hook, a character gamers can sink their teeth into.

  Why not Frank Fontaine? We find out that Fontaine wasn't always the sneaky villain he ended up as. Maybe he came to Rapture as a regular working slob like so many others, but the choices he made decided his fate. I think 2K could get a lot of mileage out of showing Fontaine's rise to the top of Rapture's food chain. You could show him meeting Suchong and Tenebaum for the first time, play out the discovery of Adam and Plasmids (and thus work them into the game), the possibilities are pretty open actually.

  Any ideas out there for Bioshock Revisited (I think this title is a great fit)?

  • Posted Aug 7, 2008 8:28 am PT
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