• 13Jul 09

  Well, there's a first...

  I bought a PS3.

  This is the first time I've ever owned two consoles in the same generation.

  I've had:

  Atari 2600

  NES

  Sega Genesis

  Sega Saturn

  Playstation 2

  XBOX 360 AND PS3

  According to the research I've done, those systems are in console generations 2 through 7. Apparently there was a generation before the Atari 2600. It included the Coleco Telstar and Atari/Sears Pong.

  As you can see, I didn't always end up with the dominant system in the generation. The Sega Saturn in particular was killed by the Playstation. In hindsight, it's very clear what happened, but at the time I didn't think that Sony's newcomer would dominate that generation. It sounds strange to say that now, but back then Sega had more gaming pedigree.

  So here in the 7th console generation. I own two consoles. I told my wife it was kind of a big deal.

  • Posted Jul 13, 2009 10:31 pm PT
  • Category: General
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• 10Jul 09

  My objectivity is gone

  ...and i don't want it back.

  I've spent about 40+ hours on Ghostbusters The Video Game in the last month. My wife and daughter were out of town for one weekend and I really racked up some time. I freakin love this game.

  The reviews for this game have been decent. Nothing spectacular. On the whole I agree with what the reviewers have been saying.

  -too short

  -for Ghostbusters fans

  -not for newcomers

  -frustrating knockdown mechanic

  -not knee slapping funny

  -surprisingly enjoyable multiplayer

  My objectivity seems to have vanished when I play this game. It's like when I saw Ghostbusters in the theatre when I was seven years old. When you're seven you're not looking for the narrative thread, or character development, or plot cohesion. You just experience the film and are at the mercy of your feelings.

  Well, my feelings on this game are clear. It's awesome. I'm kind of an annoying fan boy of this game. However, I'm not going to go around attacking people's opinions of the game. I'm not going to forums of other games and starting threads on Ghostbusters. I've got insight that most fanboys don't have...I'm self aware.

  I even managed to stop myself from giving it a 9.0. I gave it an 8.0 trying to be as objective as I could muster, but the truth is I like it more than an 8.0. If anyone remembers the "Reviewer's Tilt" score that Gamespot used to have, mine would be a 10.

  Surprisingly, most of my time has been spent on the multiplayer. It's competitive coop multiplayer and it's really fun. Normally, I shy away from multiplayer. I get really anxious, but i was willing to overlook that to play Ghostbusters.

  I wouldn't consider this blog a recomendation to buy the game. It's merely an outlet for me to talk about the game.

  *********************************************

  *********************************************

  So here's the thing. I need to get a few Ghostbusters The Video Game apologist things off my chest. I completely understand if you stop reading here. You can comment on the stuff I wrote above the double line of asterisks if you feel so inclined.

  *********************************************

  Point: The game isn't that funny. I smiled, but I didn't really laugh.

  Counter: Did the original Ghostbusters really make you laugh? I found the original humor of Ghostbusters to be made up of "dry" comedy. I think the script of the game does an excellent job of capturing the feel of the original movie. Is it as good? No, of course not, it's capitalizing on characters and shtick that was done 25 years ago. Besides, comedy in games is difficult to do. This, to me, is a pretty good stab at it.

  *********************************************

  Point: The gameplay is repetitive. The Ghostbusting mechanic is interesting at first, but it gets stale pretty quick. Later in the game you encounter ghosts that don't require the ghost wrangling mechanic at all. At this point, it turns into a pretty generic third person shooter.

  Counter: I actually think that the inclusion of different types of play mechanics adds much needed diversity to the gameplay. In a lot of group encounters, you need to use all the mechanics in the same battle. In this regard I think that the short length of the game is an advantage. A longer game would have probably felt too drawn out. I would argue that ALL games are repetitive. It all comes down to how fulfilling the game mechanics are.

  *********************************************

  Point: I wanted to play as an original Ghostbusters, not a rookie.

  Counter: I didn't expect to play as the rookie when this game was first announced. Having played the game, I think the game is better because of it. Being the rookie allows you, the player, to inhabit the game better. Now you can witness the Ghostbusters in action, and bust ghosts by their side.

  *********************************************

  There are a few points that I totally agree with:

  Eventually you start to destroy a lot of ghosts, and you trap less ghosts. The Ghost wrangling and trapping mechanic is the most interesting gameplay feature the game has to offer, they should have kept this feature in greater majority.

  The game's difficulty is uneven. It's fairly easy with pronounced difficulty spikes.

  The game is at its best on casual difficulty. You can experience the game's atmosphere, story, and dialogue while avoiding most of the frustrating game mechanics. At the higher difficulty levels the games knockdown mechanics and cooperative AI becomes an annoyance. Also, the amount of health that the enemies have, especially bosses, makes the combat take too long. Unfortunately, casual is not the default difficulty.

  • Posted Jul 10, 2009 12:02 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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• 23Jun 09

  Short and Sweet

  Game Length

  When I bought Golden Axe on the Genesis it was $60 USD. I completed it a few hours later. There was no hidden collectibles. There was no achievement points. There was no online pvp. Yet, I still felt pretty good about buying that game. I had sunk quite a bit of quarters into Golden Axe in the arcade. Now I had it at home. I was happy.

  When I was looking to purchase a game back then, I didn't ask questions like:
  -What's the game length?
  -What's the replay value?
  -What's the incentive to play the game again?

  I played games over and over because I enjoyed the game. I still play Mega Man 2 and Streets of Rage 2 once in awhile. Those games aren't any longer than 2 to 3 hours at maximum.

  I realize that at present there are a lot of good games competing for your dollars. If 'game A' will take you 6 hours to blow through, and 'game B' will take you 40 hours, then 'game B's' 40 hour campaign gives you more bang for your buck. I understand that. I played through Phantasy Star 1, 2, 3, and 4. Those are longer games. They kept me occupied longer before I reached the game's conclusion.

  Still, it makes me sad that shorter games are often overlooked for purchase, and delegated to rentals. I love a good bite sized game. I like a game that I can blast through in an afternoon. Playing a shorter game is like deciding to watch a good movie. You can just pop it in and finish it. If I decide to play Final Fantasy 8 one day, I'd have to block out weeks or months to experience the whole thing.

  I think games can sometimes benefit from a shorter length. It can make a game a tighter, more cohesive package. Would you really want to play a 20 or 30 hour campaign in X-Men Origins: Wolverine? Some games can't and shouldn't take you weeks to finish.

  Don't get me wrong, I love RPGs, but couldn't you tell the story of an RPG in a few hours? RPGs just fill up the other 10s of hours with filler gameplay. When reminiscing about an RPG am I really looking back at the hours of grinding? I'm pretty sure I'm thinking about the story, the characters, and maybe some of the weapons.

  My game collection has a variety of different game lengths. I've never looked down at my Earthworm Jim cartridge and wished it was a longer game. I think of the numerous times I've played through it, and all of the enjoyment I derived from it.

  I just played through Ghostbusters The Video Game and I absolutely loved it. The campaign was a short enjoyable experience. I can guarantee you that this is a game I will continue to revisit long after the multiplayer servers have gone silent.

  • Posted Jun 23, 2009 12:20 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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