Monday, June 14, 2010
Dead Space 2 Sprawl Trailer!
Homefront Trailer and Commentary
Hunted Demon Forge Trailer and Comments.
Kinectic Microsoft Media Briefing 2010
I couldn’t get out to California for the Microsoft Media Briefing today, I’ll be heading out to E3 tonight. But I felt I had to mention how completely and uttering underwhelming Kinect games. I cannot see why ANYONE with an XBOX 360 would bother buying Kinect unless you have a little sister that is around 12 or for some reason your mom wants to play it. Also, if you don’t have a big room for your Kinected XBOX 360, you might not want to pick this up. The games look like they involve running in place, jumping, dancing, etc… You want to do that in your apartment? Not me.
The other games they showed were great even though they really weren’t surprises to anyone. Also, what was with them spending what seemed like five minutes talking about ESPN on XBOX 360? It’s video on demand, I don’t think the concept is too foreign to anyone.
Not to be too critical, but it seemed like EVERYONE who was demoing the Kinect Stuff either got up way too early this morning or acting like they were having fun when they really weren’t. This isn’t usually a big deal to me, but oh my god was it annoying when it was person after person.
If this is the tone of all the new motion controlled stuff, another rip-offs of Nintendo’s stuff; count me out. Unless your going to give me one for free of course. Are you listening Microsoft, I hope so…
The games that were shown were Call of Duty Black Ops; looks like a good game, but nothing earth shattering here. Some good Gears of War 3 footage that was equally good but nothing too original, and finally a Forza Kinect game that looked like Kinect was basically bolted on other than the ability to drive without a controller (Upper Arm strength is going to be through the roof), and there was a very oddly staged Star Wars game for Kinect that had the strangest graphics I’ve ever seen. They weren’t bad, they just looked fake? I know… Had to explain.
Seriously though, I’m starting to think that Microsoft knew this press conference was bad because they decided to give everyone a XBOX 360 Slim to all the reporters assembled to make up for having to sit through it.
Oh and before any of you complain that this is the shortest commentary on a Press Conference ever, well that might go to show how exciting the many announcements were at the conference.
Halo Reach E3 2010 Trailer
Codename Kingdoms E3 2010 Trailer
Gears of War 3 E3 2010 Demo!
Metal Gear Solid Rising Trailer and some commentrary
Friday, June 11, 2010
Snoopy Flying Ace Review(XBLA)
Snoopy lopped out to his dog house that morning, it was like any other. But as he approached the little red structure he soon realized that something was amiss. He heard the distant whirring of an biplane rotator. He then knew that the Red Baron had returned and it was his duty to defeat him.
The above scene has been played out in different ways in many Peanuts cartoons. The essence of this kind of daydream is played out to the fullest extent in the new game by Smart Bomb called, Snoopy Flying Ace. The game takes place during an alternate WWI where the Peanuts characters take up all the parts in their battle against the Kaiser(Lucy) and the Red Baron. The game is an action thrilled ride that can be easily compared to games like Crimson Skies. But this time the whole cast of Peanuts has come a long for the ride.
The best part of the game are the incredible controls. The ability to control your plane and not only shoot your machine guns but also deploying special equipment that consists of everything from homing missiles to aerial mines to an EMP. The controls are exacting and with some practice plenty of fun aerial maneuvers can be pulled off and if your interested in not getting shot down; your going to have to eventually employ some creativity to not only defeat Lucy but the Red Baron.
The game allows you to play through a decent size single player campaign and then go into a multiplayer modes where you can play everything from a free for all deathmatch to more team based modes. All standard fair, but this IS an XBOX LIVE ARCADE GAME after all, so we cannot expect something completely different or more complicated. The game seems to have a multiplayer focus as all the pilots and weapons are available in the multiplayer and new weapons must be unlocked in the single player. The multiplayer is a little frantic but still very fun and will SO MANY competing pilots in the air, the player must use all their creativity not to be shot down over and over.
During the single player campaign the player will be asked to dogfight with other enemy planes, defend different objectives, run races, and man turrets on both vessels and buildings. During the single player, I never felt like I was doing too much of the same thing over and over. I really enjoyed the way they decided to spread out the different types of play.
Just as a final note before I say how much I want all of you to at the very least try Snoopy Flying Ace. I have to say that the achievements in Snoopy are terribly difficult to get. I finished the game and played some multiplayer and was only able to get a single achievement. Some achievements are tied to long term play in multiplayer or excellence in that type of play. Or they are tied to completing the single player in near perfect manner. I really hate when developers choose to make achievements like this. But as fun as the game is, you shouldn’t be held back from trying/purchasing the game because of this.
I found it very fun unlocking all the different planes and weapons in single player. In multiplayer the player is able to level up and get new titles. Hopefully after you level up enough you get other things. But I didn’t have time to level up significantly. This is definitely the right way to do a XBOX LIVE ARCADE game, with perhaps the exception of the achievements. You won’t be sorry if you give this game a shot.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
I can Always use an EXTRA LIFE, How about you?
Today I started reading Tom Bissell’s Extra Lives. I’m only on chapter 2 but Chapter 1 begins with Bissell talking about Fallout 3 and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. In which he talks about the lack of tight storytelling in open world games like the two mentioned. What he fails to mention is Grand Theft Auto IV. Which I’m told has incredible storytelling despite the open world setting. But more than this, I would like to discuss the way in which we view video games and how we discuss them.
Video games are generally considered by most people who play them regularly as an entertainment diversion to things like television or movies. Perhaps even reading. Generally we do this not because we are looking for some kind of diversion from those things (movies, television, reading). We are looking for a feeling… Yes ladies and gentlemen I said a feeling. Now I don’t mean the one that you get during a sad movie or the sense of satisfaction you get from reading a good book or perhaps an intense laugh you might get from a television sitcom. No, we play games to feel: powerful, fearful, and the intense rush you get from just not dying when you probably thought you should have.
So does this make every game nothing more than a sport and that we are after some kind of never ending adrenaline rush? No, because some games are like Alan Wake, Uncharted 2, and Heavy Rain where the story leads us into a position that makes us feel something. Even if it’s just the nostalgia of watching an Indian Jones flick from years gone by. So no, story is VERY important in games. But you usually won’t find that story in a diversion heavy game like Fallout 3 or Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Finally, I would like to mention the most problematic thing I found when reading the first chapter of Extra Lives. That was the fact that Mr. Bissell was recalling something that had happened long before he was even paying attention to video games enough for him to be thinking about writing about them. Usually when I remember a game like Fallout or Oblivion or even something like an MMORPG. I usually remember highs and lows only. Not a kind of chronological history that Mr. Bissell comes up with. Which makes me believe that ANYTHING he experienced at the beginning of either game probably was completely lost to him by the time of the writing of the book.
What is my memory of Oblivion and Fallout 3? Well, in Oblivion I remember the Isle of Madness the most clearly as that was the last thing I did. In Fallout 3, my main memory was coming out of the vault and wandering into an abandoned school and killing four guys who didn’t go down easy, but did go down. It was insane, the feeling of fear and pressure. That is what you played those games for, a place and time you could NEVER experience or see in reality. That is the reason we play video games. If I want an excellent story or excellent acting I would watch a movie or read a novel.
Transformers War for Cybertron Multiplayer Demo: Awesome!
I managed to get in a few hours play time with the new Transformers War for Cybertron Multiplayer Demo that just hit XBOX LIVE. The demo allows you to play two modes Team Deathmatch and Conquest. Allows you to pick between two Classes: Solider and Scout. Which are basically Warrior and Rogue for those of you more role playing mind folk. All other features except for the barest of the bare in customization are locked in lieu of the full game.
But people this game is AWESOME! The amount of strategy and fun you can have with these characters is immense and this doesn’t even crack two classes and flying. Yes, seriously can’t wait to fly as EITHER an Autobot or Decepticon.
The perks unlocked as you level up seem balanced and fun. The game, once it gets started, runs perfectly. I was a little excited for this game before this, but now I’m pumped. Anyone who thinks that this is another licensed game money grab, THINK AGAIN. Transforming is fun, playing your CREATED TRANSFORMER is fun. Once I get the full game and get my grubby hands on all the customization features I will REALLY see what you can do, but so far I can’t wait. Best part is the week after E3 is when this game comes out. So once everybody gets back from the crazy that is E3 we can all sit down and make each other explode for a few hundred games of Transformers War for Cybertron Multiplayer.
Don’t believe me? Download the thing for yourself. The game rocks!