Chiming in . . .

Wow, not a single post in the month of July?  I suck.

 

I’ve been doing sporadic gaming as of late: picking up old titles, trying a few smaller new ones, contemplating whether to purchase some Arcade games, and just waiting for the eventual influx of games later this year.

 

So what has graced my consoles in the last month?

 

- Black-Ops: Yes, I am still playing this game with more frequency than any other.  Say what you will about this franchise, but I sure do get my money’s worth with it.  I’ve picked up the last two map packs to keep things fresh (still haven’t picked up the first one) and I am still having a great time.  Got my k/d ration up to 2.12.  I’ve said it before, but I think this is the best, most balanced multiplayer of the series so far.

 

- Gran Turismo 5: For a span of about 3 days I got totally hooked on GT5 again, much to my surprise.  I have SOOO many problems with this title, but the cars and the actual racing still manages to draw me in, despite the MANY design and execution flaws.  But something happened the last time I played which infuriated me so much, I may not play this game again (waiting for Forza 4 anyway).  The crazy part is that despite all my issues with the game, this incident was not the game’s fault.

 

Against all reason I decided to do one of the endurance races.  An endurance race?!  Really?  It was a Saturday afternoon, I had nothing to do, and decided to do the very first one, which is only 60 laps.  So, for like an hour and a freakin’ half I am racing, actually enjoying myself, working on perfecting my racing lines and paying attention to tire wear (I know, doesn’t sound that fun come to think of it).  I am 58 laps into this 60 laps race when . . . the power goes out in my apartment!!!!!  Are you kidding me?  I actually took it pretty well.  I sat there looking at my screen for about 5 seconds, letting it register that I just wasted my afternoon driving around in circles with no payoff, and then I just started laughing.  I laughed as I ejected the disc, put it in its case, and put it away for probably the last time.  Maybe that was a sign that I should just wait for Forza.

 

- Dead Nation: Still hacking away at this one little by little.  Instead of doing one whole level at a time now I find myself doing a few check-points before I stop.  The game is getting pretty difficult and unmerciful.

 

- Contra 4 (DS): Speaking of difficult and unmerciful, after good word of mouth I decided to pick up Contra 4 for the DS, since I needed a new portable game and I was feeling old school.  I’ve been playing this one every night before going to bed.  Holy crap the game is brutally hard!!!  I’ve managed to beat it on easy (after several tries) but they don’t let you play all the levels on the easy setting, you have to play on normal to get an actual ending and see the last few levels.  I’m hacking away at it and I’ll get there.  It is a lot of fun.  It is one of those games that forces you to become a better player.  First few times I couldn’t even beat the first stage without losing all my lives and having to continue.  Now I can breeze through it without losing a life.  The one-hit-kills do stand out in this day and age and may feel a little cheap sometimes, but that is old school Contra for you.  The game also lets you unlock the original Contra and Super C, which I have done, by beating certain challenge stages (which are really fun).  So, plenty here to entertain (and torture) you.

 

- Monkey Island 2: After purchasing this one the day it was released (loved the first one) and playing it for about an hour before I stopped, I played it for the first time since then this weekend (over a year ago?).  Hope to get into it and finish it.  I have too many games left unfinished!

 

Speaking of unfinished games, maybe I will eventually finish L.A. Noire.  And Tomb Raider Collection.  And, oh, about 20 other games I have pending.

 

Last note, I have really wanted to pick up Bastion and Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet.  I really enjoyed the trials for both games, but with so many unfinished games I am reluctant to pick up new ones and having them suffer the same fate.

 

Chiming in . . .

My love affair with L.A. Noire has gone sour.  A few days after my positive impressions post, the "newness" veil was lifted and the game began to feel far more linear and formulaic.  The gameplay elements that were fun and unique, such as examining crime scenes and chasing down the occasional fleeing suspect, became redundant when it turns out poor detective skills don't really affect the outcome of a case (aside from a poor star rating) and every other "suspect" thinks it is a good idea to run from the law for seemingly no reason.

 

Since then I have taken plenty of time between play sessions (sometimes more than a week) and in small doses that game can still be enjoyable.  But it is not as impressive as I once thought it was.  The tech and atmosphere is still absolutely fantastic though, so the game has that going for it.

 

As part of Sony's "Welcome Back" program I picked up Dead Nation and Wipeout HD for the PS3 and Killzone and ModNation Racers for the PSP.  I've only dabbled slightly with Killzone (first time I have powered on my PSP in over a year) and the game is interesting, but I am sure it was far more impressive with it was released like four years ago. I'm only about three missions in, so I'll reserve judgment.

 

I haven't touched ModNation Racers or Wipeout yet, but I have spent a good amount of time with Dead Nation.  What can I say, I am a sucker for zombies.  The game is a lot of fun and it can be incredibly tense sometimes.  In fact, I find it is also good in small doses (one level at a time), but not because it begins to get old (like L.A. Noire) but because you are on edge so much while playing it that you need the break to relieve the tension.  I'm hoping for a sequel and I'm only halfway through this first one.

 

But the bulk of my time over the last week or so has been spent watching Arrested Development.  I've had this series on my Netflix queue for years it seems but I never got around to watching it.  Word of mouth (from the small minority that obviously watched this show) has always been fantastic, so I kept saying I would get to it.  Well I finally did (thank you instant watch) and I gotta say, the show is even better than I expected.  What a shame that this series could not find an audience, because it is absolutely hilarious and original.  The cast is fantastic and the writing is spectacular.  I find myself not being able to watch less than 3 episodes everytime I sit down to watch it.

 

Do yourself a favor.  Watch this show.

 

Quick E3 thoughts

- PS Vita.  Won't comment on the name because I do not think there has been a single videogame device released where I have liked the name initially.  They all become second nature by the time they are released.  Anyway, its $249.99 price point is pretty amazing.  I am sure Sony is taking a loss at this price, but it is all win for the consumer.  $299.99 for the 3G version is also not a bad deal.

 

- While we're on the subject of names, I give you the "Wii U".  Just like with the Wii, the console itself is not the star, the controller is.  The Wii U controller is big.  Like, very big.  Looks like a tablet with analog sticks.  It promises to do many things, I just don't know if I want to do those things when I play my games.  I'll reserve final judgement until I try it myself.  I recall everyone thinking Nintendo was crazy when they showed off the Wiimote for the first time, but 5 years later they clearly got the last laugh.  Nintendo IS crazy.  But sometimes they are crazy smart.  We'll see.

 

- The new Tomb Raider reboot looks promising.  They may want to consider cutting back on Lara's grunts and groans during gameplay though.

 

- Halo: Anniversary.  I was actually hoping for a full-blown remake of Halo: Combat Evolved using the Reach engine and including many of the gameplay improvements the series has seen over the years.  Looks like this remake is running off the exact gameplay engine of the original, but is using two of the original's graphics engines simultaneously for the upgraded visuals.  One cool thing is that you can switch between the original and enhanced visuals on the fly with the press of a button, like with the Moneky Island remakes.  I'll probably pick this one up as long as it is not full-price.

 

- Halo 4 was announced.  I knew this series would continue, but since Halo 3 ended that "trilogy" and storyline, I assumed any new games would sport a new title.  I guess that was silly of me, considering the clout and recognition the name "Halo" has.  I wonder if Halo 4 will even have halos in it!

 

- The Resistance 3 demo they showed at the Sony press conference looked pretty weak to me.  The game seemed totally uninspired and uninteresting to me.  I've never been a fan of this series though, so your results may vary.

 

- Uncharted 3, on the other hand, looked phenominal.  Granted, gameplay-wise I am not expecting anything different, but I'll be damned if Naughty Dog does not know its way around the PS3 hardware.  Looks like they are trying to take back the "best graphics on a console" crown from Killzone 3.  The visuals were amazing and the processing power at play to generate the movement of the ship (which from what I understand is all real-time with actual physics at play, not some canned animation) is extremely impressive.

 

- Rayman Origins looks absolutely gorgeous.  One of the most vibrant games I have seen in recent memory.  I really hope this game is sucessful and brings forth a slew of 2D games using these powerful consoles to display truly breathtaking 2D visuals.  And good God can someone PLEASE release a remake of Out of this World and Flashback with enhanced visuals like this?  PLEASE!!!!

 

That's all for now.  I still have plenty of more media to see.

 

L.A. Noire

Anyone going into L.A. Noire expecting Grand Theft Auto set in 1940's Los Angeles is going to come away disappointed.  Red Dead Redemption might have taken the GTA formula and masterfully transported it to a Wild West setting, but L.A. Noire tries to do no such thing.  Good thing too, because as much as I enjoyed RDR, L.A. Noire comes off as a truly unique experience.

 

The game's main hook is its new facial animation capture technology and in my opinion Team Bondi pulls it off beautifully.  It truly is impressive tech.  And it does not stop there, the entire visual package is top notch.  1940's L.A. has been recreated with a surprising level of detail.  The city is large and sprawling, the lighting engine is excellent and the animations (as has been the case with all recent Rockstar games) are incredibly life-like.  The game suffers from some pop-up, texture fill-in and the occasional frame-rate drop, but I don't know of an open world games that doesn't.

 

On the audio side the level of quality continues (if not surpasses the visuals).  Excellent voice-acting and some fantastic music transport you into the game world.  The entire audio/visual package is top notch.

 

Gameplay is much slower paced than prior Rockstar open world games, but also much more focused.  Similar to Mafia II, the game world is open for you to explore, however, the game is linear and story-driven with practically no incentive to go off the beaten path.  So while you can drive around aimlessly and explore, there is little incentive to do so aside from the occasional crime which will come through your police scanner.  The game is broken down into acts which are basically the different cases you'll be trying to solve.  The majority of your time will be spent driving to various crime scenes or to question P.O.I's (persons of interest) related to your case.  Thrown into the mix are car chases, on foot chases, fist fights and gun battles.  Unlike in GTA, you cannot un-holster your weapon at any time in L.A. Noire.  Gunplay only becomes an option when the game deems it appropriate.  Some may find this as restricting your freedom, but it doesn't bother me much.  You are a detective after all, no need to be capping civilians in this game.

 

The newest gameplay mechanic comes during the interrogation sections.  During these scenes you ask individuals a series of predetermined questions and then decide whether they are being truthful or lying based on their response.  This is where the facial animation really comes into play since you need to study how they respond not just by their words, but their mannerisms.  Shifty eyes or a nervous twitch are telltale signs that a subject may not be entirely truthful.  It is too early for me to tell how deep this system is, but it has been different and enjoyable so far.

 

L.A. Noire has been a refreshing change of pace.  Fantastic atmosphere and top notch production values, along with unique gameplay.  I applaud Team Bondi for trying something different with a such a high budget title.  I hope it pays off for them.  I'll give further impressions as I experience more of the game.

 

Chiming in

Haven't posted in a while, mainly because I haven't been doing much gaming.  Except for Black-ops.  I can't seem to put that one away.

 

I was looking forward to Brink but the reviews and impressions have taken that game off my immediate must-buy list.  I will however be picking up L.A. Noire today after work.  Been looking forward to that one and early word is that it is a very unique experience.  Which I am more than willing to dive into.  And a much needed change of pace from all the fast-twitch fragfest I've been getting from Blops.

 

Of course, looking at my schedule for the rest of the week, I'm not sure I will have much time to put L.A. Noire through its paces.

 

Portal 2 impressions

The short version.  It's fantastic.

 

I've been playing Portal 2 for the last two nights and the game is an absolute joy to play.  It has a ton of polish and attention to detail.  It oozes charm.  The animation and voice-acting is so impressive that the game has an almost Pixar quality to it.  Not in visual fidelity mind you, but in general look, feel, and level of talent involved in making it.  All characters you interact with are robots, but their animation and voices are so well done they come across as more "human" than most characters in lengthy RPGs.

 

The game is also down right hilarious.  Even funnier than the first one.  I have not stopped smiling while playing and I have lost track of how many times I have actually laughed out loud.

 

The puzzles and level design is also fantastic.  Solving a particular clever/tricky puzzle is quite exhilarating.

 

I purchased the PS3 version since Valve seemed to favor that one (over the 360).  You get a free copy of the PC version through Steam with the PS3 copy.  You can also play co-op with PC users from the PS3.  And you get Steam cloud save support.  I applaud Valve for again seeming to treat their customers right.  The Orange Box was (still is) one of the best values out there and the PS3 version of Portal 2 seems to give a lot back.  Good job guys.

 

Not sure how long the single-player is (I'm by Chapter 5 I think) but I've already put more hours into it than the first game.  I'm in no hurry for it to end.

 

Crysis 2

I never added my thoughts on Crysis 2, which I picked up for the 360 the day it was released.  Since it has been a few weeks now, laziness has set in and I don't feel like writing up a detailed impressions post.  So just some quick thoughts.

 

- Game is plenty pretty, although Killzone 3 and Uncharted 2 are still holders of the best-console-graphics crown imo.

 

- The Nanosuit is a lot of fun to use and can make you feel like a bad-ass.  Me like.

 

- I found the sections that have you fighting against the human forces far less entertaining than when you were up against the Ceph.  Not sure why.  Maybe I just like killing squid-like aliens.

 

- Gameplay is solid.  The game controls and feels great and I didn't have any problem utilizing all of the nanosuit's powers and abilities, since they are all smartly mapped to the controller.

 

- While battles don't feel as dynamic and entertaining as those in the Halo series, the battlefields are large and offer you plenty of ways to approach them.  Enemy A.I. is smart at times, but can also be very glitchy with enemies walking in circles, getting stuck in the environment or sometimes being oblivious to what is going on around them.  And sometimes, the opposite is true, with enemies spotting you instantly from 50 yards away while you are hiding behind some foliage as if they were looking in your direction the whole time.

 

- The story was . . . well it was kinda weak and relayed to the player poorly.  I never played the first Crysis but I've read even if you did, it had little to do with this game.  You basically follow way points the entire game, not really knowing (or caring) what you had to do most of the time.  Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention since it was all pretty uninteresting.

 

- I've only tried a handful of multiplayer matches and the impression I got was that engagement usually just consistent of both players activating Maximum Armor and unloading on each other.  That may not be a fair assessment of the whole experience given my limited time with it.  Not sure if it interests me enough for me to devote much time to it to find out though.  Or I should say, not sure if I am willing to stop playing Black-Ops to find out.