Halo is the game that made the xbox. Had it not been for this genre defining game, the xbox would not be what it is today.
Halo comes to us from Bungie, formally a PC game making company. The story of Halo follows Master Chief, a big brick of super powered armor, who is woken up from his cryogenic nap because the ship has come under attack by an alien group that call themselves The Covenant. After fighting through a few aliens here and there, Master Chief makes it o the lost ship and lands on an enormous ring structure called Halo. Chief, along with his smarmy AI companion Cortana, make their way all over the ring and try to regroup the marines and go on a reunion tour and kick the aliens ass.
The gameplay of Halo makes the FPS for the console feasible. It’s reminiscent of the keyboard and mouse controls of a computer game. The controls are tight, and effective. While it does take a while to get used to them. Most shooters in this day and age follow the control scheme of Halo because of it’s simplicity. Halo sets itself apart from these shooters, even those that came after it, with it’s incredibly fierce AI.
Halo does allow for different difficulty levels, the most advanced called Legendary. It is indeed the stuff of Legend as it is still talked about with pride, or fear, among gamers today. Halo also makes itself known with expertly crafted levels, both in multiplayer and single player.
The single player campaign is one for the books, as it maintains some of the most memorable moments in game. Most of that comes from the imaginative and superb level design. Whether it’s storming the beach of an island, to fighting your way through a bridge while being harassed from another bridge that runs along side it all while being attacked by a Banshee. The character design is also easily recognizable, and simple. Players are immediately filled with a sense of horror as they come across an Elite, clad in golden armor as he charges toward them with energy sword drawn. This desperate struggle between player and energy sword guy is accompanied by an incredible soundtrack.
People throughout the world recognize the Halo melody as it has become that of household importance. The main Halo theme along with the rest of the score that complete the soundtrack, makes for welcome accompaniment. Like a buddy that you can play through the entire campaign with.
Speaking of….
Halo has a plethora of multiplayer options, including cooperative mode, where you can play split screen with a friend through the entire campaign mode and on any difficulty level. The multiplayer, however, does not have xbox live support, which is a bit of a let down as the game types and maps to play on with Halo are so much fun. Good thing they introduced that, along with some other features in the second game.
All in all, Halo is a fantastic game that is easy to pick up for the hardcore audience, and a good place to start for those looking to become hardcore. Halo combines all the things we really like about games like these. Action, adventure, tough AI, a host of impressive and interesting weaponry, and a sense of mystery and the unknown. If you don’t have this game, you probably don’t own an original xbox. Good news though, as at this years E3 during Microsoft’s press conference, they announced that the original Halo would be remade in HD, and with updated graphics. How about that?
Ten years? Wow!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Flower
Flower is a PSN downloadable game that I believe that everybody can, and should play. It’s simple, it’s fun, it’s easy, and it’s gorgeous.
Flower has no story, it has no characters. It only seems to make a statement. Go outside, and make the world a better place. Flower touches on the tones of the big city destroying our naturally beautiful world with it’s big buildings, and ugly construction sites…. I think. This game can truly be considered art. It’s left up to the interpretation of its audience. All video games are art, but that’s for another Monday.
The gameplay is simple: hold button, steer controller. The objective is simple, fly over other flowers, make them grow, bring the place back to live. And boy does it ever come back to life. The environment turns from a dull gray to lively greens, blues, reds, whites, and a plethora of many other colors that send you into a shock of awe. It’s a game that you can sit back and admire. Te game can be beaten, or rather completed, in about 45 minutes to an hour. It’s not supposed to be a long game, but it’s fun and pretty and you should play it.
That Game Company, the developers of Flower, have a brilliant team of folks at their studio and who can make a game that is simple and enjoyable. They were also at this years E3, showing off their up and coming game, Journey. While it has nothing to do with the band of the same name, it still looks amazing. It maintains the feel of a game by That Game Company while being something else all together. Be sure to keep track of That Game Company and all that they are doing at http://thatgamecompany.com/
Flower has no story, it has no characters. It only seems to make a statement. Go outside, and make the world a better place. Flower touches on the tones of the big city destroying our naturally beautiful world with it’s big buildings, and ugly construction sites…. I think. This game can truly be considered art. It’s left up to the interpretation of its audience. All video games are art, but that’s for another Monday.
The gameplay is simple: hold button, steer controller. The objective is simple, fly over other flowers, make them grow, bring the place back to live. And boy does it ever come back to life. The environment turns from a dull gray to lively greens, blues, reds, whites, and a plethora of many other colors that send you into a shock of awe. It’s a game that you can sit back and admire. Te game can be beaten, or rather completed, in about 45 minutes to an hour. It’s not supposed to be a long game, but it’s fun and pretty and you should play it.
That Game Company, the developers of Flower, have a brilliant team of folks at their studio and who can make a game that is simple and enjoyable. They were also at this years E3, showing off their up and coming game, Journey. While it has nothing to do with the band of the same name, it still looks amazing. It maintains the feel of a game by That Game Company while being something else all together. Be sure to keep track of That Game Company and all that they are doing at http://thatgamecompany.com/
Case of the Mondays: NO YOU'RE NOT HARDCORE
This years E3 showed off a lot of game3s for the “hardcore” audience. Every single one of these games were, violent, bloody, had realistic graphics, and will be rated M for mature. This is not hardcore! This is just senseless violence, and it doesn’t help the medium progress to being considered an art form, or to be taken seriously.
What always bothers me about people talking about hardcore games, is that they always have to be violent, realistic, have guns, and has to be described with the words “visceral”, “action” and “intense”. Why can’t a hardcore game just be good? Don’t get me wrong, some of these violent games are good. However, it seems they’ve all been done, they’re all the same, they all feel expected. Call of Duty, Halo, Gears of War, Ninja Gaiden, and several others were showcased at E3 and they were all presented for the “hardcore” audience.
I always end up referencing the game Pikmin, because I was a doubter of the games capability to be a challenge and to hook me. I was dead wrong. Pikmin is extremely challenging as well as addictive. While the graphics come off as childish, they are charming and give the player of being tiny and insignificant. But with the power of your regiment of Pikmin, you can overcome almost any obstacle. It’s a tremendous sense of accomplishment when you take down a monster that’s a hundred times your size. I know that Shadow of the Colossus does this as well, and it does it very very well. However, let me put on my hipster glasses and say that Pikmin did it first.
I have no qualms about the showcasing of violent video games. But it bothers me to say that the hardcore audience, the ones who not only play nonstop, but play a variety of games, get angry at games that look “childish” or “cartoony” and cast them off to the side.
Originality was a rare find at E3 as well. Most games were sequels or ports. I was excited for these sequels and ports as well, but come on fellas! Show me something original! I know it’s tough coming up with something new, and it’s probably too much to ask for as making a game is a lot of work. E3 is one giant commercial and producers and developers want to make money so that they can continue to make new, exciting, and original IPs. So perhaps, I, and everyone else, should just be patient. But at least let us know that when you’re done with your visceral, epic, action intense trilogy, that you’re thinking ahead to the future and we will see something new.
Nintendo.
Everybody always seems to get on Nintendos back about not having anything new or original, and how they rely on their new peripherals and gadgets to see them through ad make them money. While it may seem that way, I honestly don’t care. I love The Legend of Zelda, and you do to! You love the idea that you can play The Ocarina of Time on your 3DS and take it wherever you go. You love these games because they are they reason you became hardcore gamers. You love these games because they are the reason you got into games. You love these games because they are good.
What always bothers me about people talking about hardcore games, is that they always have to be violent, realistic, have guns, and has to be described with the words “visceral”, “action” and “intense”. Why can’t a hardcore game just be good? Don’t get me wrong, some of these violent games are good. However, it seems they’ve all been done, they’re all the same, they all feel expected. Call of Duty, Halo, Gears of War, Ninja Gaiden, and several others were showcased at E3 and they were all presented for the “hardcore” audience.
I always end up referencing the game Pikmin, because I was a doubter of the games capability to be a challenge and to hook me. I was dead wrong. Pikmin is extremely challenging as well as addictive. While the graphics come off as childish, they are charming and give the player of being tiny and insignificant. But with the power of your regiment of Pikmin, you can overcome almost any obstacle. It’s a tremendous sense of accomplishment when you take down a monster that’s a hundred times your size. I know that Shadow of the Colossus does this as well, and it does it very very well. However, let me put on my hipster glasses and say that Pikmin did it first.
I have no qualms about the showcasing of violent video games. But it bothers me to say that the hardcore audience, the ones who not only play nonstop, but play a variety of games, get angry at games that look “childish” or “cartoony” and cast them off to the side.
Originality was a rare find at E3 as well. Most games were sequels or ports. I was excited for these sequels and ports as well, but come on fellas! Show me something original! I know it’s tough coming up with something new, and it’s probably too much to ask for as making a game is a lot of work. E3 is one giant commercial and producers and developers want to make money so that they can continue to make new, exciting, and original IPs. So perhaps, I, and everyone else, should just be patient. But at least let us know that when you’re done with your visceral, epic, action intense trilogy, that you’re thinking ahead to the future and we will see something new.
Nintendo.
Everybody always seems to get on Nintendos back about not having anything new or original, and how they rely on their new peripherals and gadgets to see them through ad make them money. While it may seem that way, I honestly don’t care. I love The Legend of Zelda, and you do to! You love the idea that you can play The Ocarina of Time on your 3DS and take it wherever you go. You love these games because they are they reason you became hardcore gamers. You love these games because they are the reason you got into games. You love these games because they are good.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Modern Wednesday: Modern Warfare 1&2
Modern Wednesday 2
Recently I have been slacking off, but there have been good reasons for it! Seriously, things have been going on. However that is no excuse to not update my blog. So without further ado, Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
The Call of Duty franchise is synonymous with recreating battles that have actually happened. OK, so it’s just been World War II. In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the folks over at Infinity Ward decide to make up their own war, which is somewhat similar to the war that’s going on right now.
The story of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare follows two separate characters. One a British S.A.S, the other a U. S. Marine. The story goes that there is terror in the middle east and the terrorists have weapons of mass destruction, it’s confirmed this time. The opening mission has players boarding on a large boat and taking out Russian terrorists to find the weapon in question. In an instant, players are thrown from fighting off the Russians to running for their lives, as the ship is attacked by enemy fighter jets, and they have to get off before it goes under. This is the kind of experience that only a Call of Duty game can provide.
So with all of this modern warfare and modern technology the gameplay has changed drastically from the past Call of Duty games. Players can have multiple attachments added to their gun for an extra assist in taking down the bad guys. Also, with night vision, flash grenades, C4 explosives, claymores, rocket propelled grenades, M203 grenade launchers, and silencers players are more than well equipped to take on the enemy. CoD: Modern Warfare has set the standard for how we play an FPS on our consoles. Suck it Halo! With the “snap to” auto aim system, players can methodically kill a squad of enemies in less than five seconds. Quickly pulling the left trigger, then the right to lock on to an enemy then fire at an enemy, in itself, creates an intense energetic game atmosphere.
Speaking of atmosphere, the atmosphere of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, in the single player, can range from hectic to eerie, in the too quiet kind of sense. Enemies are seem to be around every corner. Especially during the sequences in the campaign when players take on the role of a U.S. Marine, who blindly charge in to battle. Call of Duty creates a brilliant contrast with it’s mission selection and arrangement. With the frequent switching back from the gun-ho Marines, to the quiet, methodical British S.A.S. agents sets a rollercoaster of up and downs. There are still the signature monumental moments in the single player of Call of Duty games. Whether it be taking down a helicopter, blowing up a monstrously large power line to cut the power at the enemy base, or shooting a target from over a mile away with a fifty caliber rifle, this game has moments that you remember.
There’s also multiplayer, which also set the standard for modern FPS games on consoles. Call of Duty - 2, Halo -0. There’s the standard fare of multiplayer game types: deathmatch, capture the flag, search and destroy, and the like. Call of Duty sets itself apart from other shooters by having weapon load outs which players can customize and earn new items and abilities to customize the load outs. Call of Duty, has a host of weaponry, attachments and abilities to create dynamic and effective classes. Another feature of the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare multiplayer is it’s kill streak rewards. If a player is doing well, he or she can call in radar at 3 kills, air strikes at 5 and attack helicopters at 7 kills. All of these elements create an intense multiplayer experience.
All in all Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a fantastic game, with an epic single player and a superb multiplayer. This game is belongs in any fan of shooters library.
Modern Warfare 2
Those crazy British S.A.S. agents are at it again in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Modern Warfare 2 is the first direct sequel of any Call of Duty game, following the same characters and the same story line.
The story line picks up right after the first game, with Imram Zakaev finally dead, his right hand man, who happens to even more crazy than him. Makarov, the aforementioned crazy, is on the loose, and tearing things up. Players must once again take on the roles of both a British S.A.S and a U.S. Marine. Modern Warfare 2 also has players taking on the role of a C.I.A. agent, who goes under cover and follows Makarov. This is not as good of an idea as it sounds, as the C.I.A agent is found out, killed, and framed for the death of hundreds of innocent civilians that were killed in an attack lead by Makarov himself. This angers the Russian military, so they launch an attack on the U.S. directly.
The gameplay hasn’t changed a lick since the first Modern Warfare game, and that’s not a bad thing. There’s more attachments for guns, there’s new levels, yet only a five hour single player campaign. The campaign isn’t half bad, but I wish that there was more to it. It’s plain to see that with the success and the popularity that the Infinity Ward team spent a majority of their time on the multiplayer, again, not a bad thing. It’s just that the single player of the first game was so good, I wish that I could have seen a bit more of the original genius shine forth a bit more in the second time around.
The single player game of Modern Warfare 2 has the same sort of shock value and pacing as the first game, just in half the time. Which is impressive. It’s somewhat surreal and horrifying when players are fighting their way through a nice neighborhood on U.S. soil, or are forced to watch at Makarov and his men mow down countless civilians in an airport. This is war, it’s not pretty or glorious, and the Modern Warfare series states that plainly. However all that “war is hell” stuff is tossed right out the window when multiplayer is in town.
Multiplayer is the main focus, and most likely the reason that many people have purchased the game itself. With new weapons, perks, attachments, and even kill streaks Modern Warfare 2 is how competitive multiplayer is done. Players can level up and unlock new weapons, perks, and the kill streaks. Each kill streak has it’s own value, ranging from 3 kills without dying, to 25 kills without dying. New kill streaks include, but are not limited to: stealth bomber, an air strike that goes across an entire map, chopper gunner, allowing the player to control the helicopter, a Pavelow attack helicopter, like the attack helicopter, but can take more punishment, about as much as it can dole out. However, I am not a huge fan of the map design of the multiplayer. They’re all too small and feel more like an arena than a setting for a battle. Some work, some don’t.
All in all, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a solid game, which redefines the way we play multiplayer FPS games. The sad thing is that’s all it does. The story is somewhat weak and it’s just too darn short. It feels more like Counter-Strike than a Call of Duty game. But, because the multiplayer is so addicting and well done, I can forgive it.
Recently I have been slacking off, but there have been good reasons for it! Seriously, things have been going on. However that is no excuse to not update my blog. So without further ado, Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
The Call of Duty franchise is synonymous with recreating battles that have actually happened. OK, so it’s just been World War II. In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the folks over at Infinity Ward decide to make up their own war, which is somewhat similar to the war that’s going on right now.
The story of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare follows two separate characters. One a British S.A.S, the other a U. S. Marine. The story goes that there is terror in the middle east and the terrorists have weapons of mass destruction, it’s confirmed this time. The opening mission has players boarding on a large boat and taking out Russian terrorists to find the weapon in question. In an instant, players are thrown from fighting off the Russians to running for their lives, as the ship is attacked by enemy fighter jets, and they have to get off before it goes under. This is the kind of experience that only a Call of Duty game can provide.
So with all of this modern warfare and modern technology the gameplay has changed drastically from the past Call of Duty games. Players can have multiple attachments added to their gun for an extra assist in taking down the bad guys. Also, with night vision, flash grenades, C4 explosives, claymores, rocket propelled grenades, M203 grenade launchers, and silencers players are more than well equipped to take on the enemy. CoD: Modern Warfare has set the standard for how we play an FPS on our consoles. Suck it Halo! With the “snap to” auto aim system, players can methodically kill a squad of enemies in less than five seconds. Quickly pulling the left trigger, then the right to lock on to an enemy then fire at an enemy, in itself, creates an intense energetic game atmosphere.
Speaking of atmosphere, the atmosphere of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, in the single player, can range from hectic to eerie, in the too quiet kind of sense. Enemies are seem to be around every corner. Especially during the sequences in the campaign when players take on the role of a U.S. Marine, who blindly charge in to battle. Call of Duty creates a brilliant contrast with it’s mission selection and arrangement. With the frequent switching back from the gun-ho Marines, to the quiet, methodical British S.A.S. agents sets a rollercoaster of up and downs. There are still the signature monumental moments in the single player of Call of Duty games. Whether it be taking down a helicopter, blowing up a monstrously large power line to cut the power at the enemy base, or shooting a target from over a mile away with a fifty caliber rifle, this game has moments that you remember.
There’s also multiplayer, which also set the standard for modern FPS games on consoles. Call of Duty - 2, Halo -0. There’s the standard fare of multiplayer game types: deathmatch, capture the flag, search and destroy, and the like. Call of Duty sets itself apart from other shooters by having weapon load outs which players can customize and earn new items and abilities to customize the load outs. Call of Duty, has a host of weaponry, attachments and abilities to create dynamic and effective classes. Another feature of the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare multiplayer is it’s kill streak rewards. If a player is doing well, he or she can call in radar at 3 kills, air strikes at 5 and attack helicopters at 7 kills. All of these elements create an intense multiplayer experience.
All in all Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a fantastic game, with an epic single player and a superb multiplayer. This game is belongs in any fan of shooters library.
Modern Warfare 2
Those crazy British S.A.S. agents are at it again in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Modern Warfare 2 is the first direct sequel of any Call of Duty game, following the same characters and the same story line.
The story line picks up right after the first game, with Imram Zakaev finally dead, his right hand man, who happens to even more crazy than him. Makarov, the aforementioned crazy, is on the loose, and tearing things up. Players must once again take on the roles of both a British S.A.S and a U.S. Marine. Modern Warfare 2 also has players taking on the role of a C.I.A. agent, who goes under cover and follows Makarov. This is not as good of an idea as it sounds, as the C.I.A agent is found out, killed, and framed for the death of hundreds of innocent civilians that were killed in an attack lead by Makarov himself. This angers the Russian military, so they launch an attack on the U.S. directly.
The gameplay hasn’t changed a lick since the first Modern Warfare game, and that’s not a bad thing. There’s more attachments for guns, there’s new levels, yet only a five hour single player campaign. The campaign isn’t half bad, but I wish that there was more to it. It’s plain to see that with the success and the popularity that the Infinity Ward team spent a majority of their time on the multiplayer, again, not a bad thing. It’s just that the single player of the first game was so good, I wish that I could have seen a bit more of the original genius shine forth a bit more in the second time around.
The single player game of Modern Warfare 2 has the same sort of shock value and pacing as the first game, just in half the time. Which is impressive. It’s somewhat surreal and horrifying when players are fighting their way through a nice neighborhood on U.S. soil, or are forced to watch at Makarov and his men mow down countless civilians in an airport. This is war, it’s not pretty or glorious, and the Modern Warfare series states that plainly. However all that “war is hell” stuff is tossed right out the window when multiplayer is in town.
Multiplayer is the main focus, and most likely the reason that many people have purchased the game itself. With new weapons, perks, attachments, and even kill streaks Modern Warfare 2 is how competitive multiplayer is done. Players can level up and unlock new weapons, perks, and the kill streaks. Each kill streak has it’s own value, ranging from 3 kills without dying, to 25 kills without dying. New kill streaks include, but are not limited to: stealth bomber, an air strike that goes across an entire map, chopper gunner, allowing the player to control the helicopter, a Pavelow attack helicopter, like the attack helicopter, but can take more punishment, about as much as it can dole out. However, I am not a huge fan of the map design of the multiplayer. They’re all too small and feel more like an arena than a setting for a battle. Some work, some don’t.
All in all, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a solid game, which redefines the way we play multiplayer FPS games. The sad thing is that’s all it does. The story is somewhat weak and it’s just too darn short. It feels more like Counter-Strike than a Call of Duty game. But, because the multiplayer is so addicting and well done, I can forgive it.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Case of the Mondays: Enviro-MENTAL!
No I'm not going to talk about the environment! Even though "Earth Day" was this past Friday. I'm going to talk about the importance of the environment in video games!
The only time I hear about video games and their environments is when they are destructible. If the environment is boring to look at and uninteresting to explore, I don't want to spend any time there, even if I can blow it all to pieces.
I suppose that I consider video games to be a vacation, in that, if a video game doesn't have a beautiful, or at least interesting, environment I really don't like it that much. Nor do I even remember much of it. Most folk are visual learners. So, if what they are seeing is a bland, boring environment, then chances are that they will most likely forget all about it.
Crysis 2 has gorgeous graphics, that are intricately detailed and designed. However it took place in a ruined New York City. I, like many other gamers, have witnessed a city in ruin before and New York is no exception. The game Mirror's Edge also took place in a big metropolis similar to that of New York, but it was interesting to look at because of it's interesting and unique art style. That being said, Mirror's Edge was not the greatest of games and while it looked pretty, it didn't play all that well. Most of the missions and instances were rather forgettable.
Part of what players remember about games are the things that they do in these virtual environments. Freedom Fighters was not a great looking game, but I remember most of what the environment looks like because I remember doing some amazing things. Like blowing up a helicopter pad in a ship yard, or taking a post office over for the rebels. Another example of memorable actions is Call of Duty, the original. Call of Duty is full of fantastic crescendos which players have to fight through. For example, the first mission in the Russian campaign has players storming a Nazi foothold at the top of a hill... without a gun. The sheer fear and panic of just trying to move while having bullets rain down on your position is adrenalin pumping. However, we've gotten to the point where it is standard for a game to look good.
Mass Effect 2 is a great example of having both good looking graphics and interesting gameplay. Mass Effect 2 in itself is interesting as it crosses genres between a role playing game, with the ability to level up and strengthen skills, and a 3rd person action shooter with cover-based gameplay. The game looks cool with a realistic look, and takes players to unrealistic environments... space! Given the opportunity to work with the great unknown, Bioware creates a series of unique interesting places for players to interact with and explore.
There are many games that offer interesting and incredible environments. From the realistic, to the imaginative like the levels in Psychonauts. Level design is an important part of game design, and it should be worked on more carefully in a modern video game industry.
P.S. I have not been updating this blog daily (except on Sundays) like I promised that I would. So I am writing you, the internet, an official I O U. So, the next few days will have more than just a single review. What has kept me from frequently posting you ask?
This
The only time I hear about video games and their environments is when they are destructible. If the environment is boring to look at and uninteresting to explore, I don't want to spend any time there, even if I can blow it all to pieces.
I suppose that I consider video games to be a vacation, in that, if a video game doesn't have a beautiful, or at least interesting, environment I really don't like it that much. Nor do I even remember much of it. Most folk are visual learners. So, if what they are seeing is a bland, boring environment, then chances are that they will most likely forget all about it.
Crysis 2 has gorgeous graphics, that are intricately detailed and designed. However it took place in a ruined New York City. I, like many other gamers, have witnessed a city in ruin before and New York is no exception. The game Mirror's Edge also took place in a big metropolis similar to that of New York, but it was interesting to look at because of it's interesting and unique art style. That being said, Mirror's Edge was not the greatest of games and while it looked pretty, it didn't play all that well. Most of the missions and instances were rather forgettable.
Part of what players remember about games are the things that they do in these virtual environments. Freedom Fighters was not a great looking game, but I remember most of what the environment looks like because I remember doing some amazing things. Like blowing up a helicopter pad in a ship yard, or taking a post office over for the rebels. Another example of memorable actions is Call of Duty, the original. Call of Duty is full of fantastic crescendos which players have to fight through. For example, the first mission in the Russian campaign has players storming a Nazi foothold at the top of a hill... without a gun. The sheer fear and panic of just trying to move while having bullets rain down on your position is adrenalin pumping. However, we've gotten to the point where it is standard for a game to look good.
Mass Effect 2 is a great example of having both good looking graphics and interesting gameplay. Mass Effect 2 in itself is interesting as it crosses genres between a role playing game, with the ability to level up and strengthen skills, and a 3rd person action shooter with cover-based gameplay. The game looks cool with a realistic look, and takes players to unrealistic environments... space! Given the opportunity to work with the great unknown, Bioware creates a series of unique interesting places for players to interact with and explore.
There are many games that offer interesting and incredible environments. From the realistic, to the imaginative like the levels in Psychonauts. Level design is an important part of game design, and it should be worked on more carefully in a modern video game industry.
P.S. I have not been updating this blog daily (except on Sundays) like I promised that I would. So I am writing you, the internet, an official I O U. So, the next few days will have more than just a single review. What has kept me from frequently posting you ask?
This
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Modern Wednesday: Killzone 3 and Crysis 2
It's Wednesday. Which means two reviews for the price of one! It also means that I'm going to review games for consoles of the current generation. And while Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat came out only yesterday, I don't have the money or opportunity to play either of them. So that being said, here are my reviews for Killzone 3 and Crysis 2.
Killzone 3
Killzone 3 is the final installment of the series, and while I haven’t played the other two, KZ 3 is pretty OK. The story of KZ 3 takes so many twists and turns in the first act of the game it’s easy to lose track of the timeline, as it flashes back and forth. However, it’s easy to see that the Helghast, or whatever, are the bad guys and the not Helghast are the good guys. It’s pretty generic. The Helghast are a super militaristic society and whish to rule the entire galaxy by wiping out everybody that isn’t wearing a gas mask. This is where the rag tag group of stereotypes comes in. I mean, the heroes of the game come in. With a gung-ho attitude, and zero tolerance for waiting around, this group of Dues Ex Machina get the ball rolling. It’s not like there’s a whole army of humans to fight the Helghast…
Lame story aside, the gameplay of Killzone 3 is solid. It’s cover based, which is odd for an FPS. Players spend almost all of the game crouching behind some form of cover. Once players get to a piece of cover, they are planted there and cannot move. Moving requires getting up and exposing oneself, which means getting oneself filled with bullets. Speaking of bullets, there aren’t that many different kinds.
There are only a handful of weapons and not many of them differ from their counterparts on the opposite side. There’s the good guy assault rifle, which is just like the bad guy assault rifle. The only bit of cool weaponry is the heavy weapons that players are allowed to carry along side their primary and secondary weapons. At least KZ 3 allows for more than two different weapons. The heavy weapons are mostly found as turrets, which the player can miraculously dismount and carry around no problem. Another problem that the player doesn’t have to deal with is lack of ammunition. There are ammo boxes located everywhere throughout levels. While they are full of ammo for the Helghast weaponry, it’ll work just fine for the human weaponry. Also, side arms have unlimited ammo, but are completely useless, because of the aforementioned ammo boxes and quite simply because they deal miniscule amounts of damage. But they all look really cool.
The art direction of KZ 3 isn’t necessarily unique, it does look nice. When compared to other modern day shooters, you probably couldn’t tell the difference between the two. However, KZ 3 does have some unique looking guns. At least all the Helghast guns look different. All of the human guns look like modern weapons and aren’t that interesting to look at. Every gun at least sounds different, and the sounds they make are super satisfying at that. Every pull of the trigger releases a loud bang that echoes in the sky, letting you know that you have unleashed a force of extreme pain.
Despite all this production value, Killzone 3 falls rather short of the mark, in my opinion. Enemy AI is rather dull, at least on normal mode it is, and they rarely rush the target. It isn’t until about halfway through the game that Killzone 3 introduces new enemies that actually pose as a threat to the players. However, these new enemies are few and far between. For the most part, players will have to deal with enemies that just sit tight and occasionally pop their heads out of cover only to throw grenades. Lots and lots of grenades. Ally AI isn’t too smart either.
The allies which are given to you in Killzone 3 are useless. They don’t provide any support what so ever. They never kill the enemy, and they always die right at the start of the level. This here is a one horse show. Unless of course that ally is a main character, then that ally cannot die. Also, apparently people can be revived in Killzone 3. The game never told me this. So it was rather frustrating to me when I was just lying there for about twenty seconds, until I heard my friend say, “I can’t reach you!”, and he’ll be saying that a lot. The path finding for the AI is lame, and cowardly. Allies will not risk their lives to save yours, nor will they stick with you while you, and only you, push through the enemy lines. Which is strange because of how the bromance between the two male leads is portrayed.
Every single interaction between the two male leads, or rather any character, is draped with some form of romantic tension. Even in game, when there are moments when players get a boost up a ledge and help their buddy up the ledge. I’m not really sure if this is intentional, and the games story isn’t supposed to be taken seriously or not.
All in all Killzone 3 is mediocre. Plain AI, plain guns, plain level design, plain story, plain characters. There’s nothing particularly new here that breaks ground or defines the genre. If you have a Playstation 3, then that’s the only reason, and the only way that you’re going to get a hold of this game. However, it isn’t particularly worth it, as there are other, third party, shooters out there for the system.
Crysis 2
Crysis 2 is a first person shooter game that comes to us from Crytek, the company that developed the first Crysis and Far Cry. The original Crysis was released only for the PC, Crysis 2 on the other hand is out now for the PC, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3. Crysis 2 is a game about a Marine who is sent, along with the rest of his squad, to investigate the goings on in New York City of all places. It turns out that there is an alien invasion that is going on in New York City, of all places.
The game of Crysis 2 starts out with less than a minute of gameplay, followed by a cinematic of all the cool things that you are about to do. Why am I not doing these things right now? This cinematic is not a tutorial or even a direct demonstration of the gameplay, it’s just a movie. Which occasionally cuts in and out of the first person view-point. This just seems like a direct insult to the player. The first experience gameplay that the player actually gets to interact with, the aforementioned less than one minute, it a tutorial that tells players what button is crouch. Once things actually get going and players are inside of the super suit, it doesn’t get much better from there.
The gameplay of Crysis 2 is that of any other current first person shooter on the market. The controls are immediately familiar and coincide with that of Call of Duty. The enemy AI is thick as mud, with frequent glitching they often run into a wall with their backs turned to the player and continue running once they get there. There is your standard fare of enemies here: big guys, regular guys, and quick guys. None of this is new. The single player experience is basically a shooting gallery. The kicker with Crysis 2 is that players have a super suit, which allows them to accomplish inhuman feats of strength and skill. The fact is that there are two basic functions to the suit itself. Cloak and armor. Each one, once activated slowly drains the energy gauge. If an enemy attacks the player, causing the power gauge to drain faster, it takes less than five seconds for the gauge to fill all the way. This means that players can basically do whatever they please. They don’t even have to hide in cover. They character can sustain enough damage long enough for the suit to recharge and become invulnerable again. There are some nice things about the game though. For example, it looks really nice.
The thing with games by Crytek, is that they always look good. Crysis 2 is no exception. The environments are really pretty, like really really pretty. Every single element of the world is detailed to such a degree that it almost looks real. It’s uncanny how good this game looks. The games soundtrack was composed by the duo that did the soundtrack for the movie Inception, Nick Deleplane and Kawczynski. However, because of it’s intense graphics and sound, Crytek must assume that you also own a 40” HDTV, because the text and font in the game is incredibly hard to read on a normal television.
All in all, Crysis 2 is the Michael Bay of current first person shooters. Really shiny, full of explosions, booming soundtrack, and plenty of gun fights, but it just lacks the depth that makes a game like this great. Stupid AI, a story that was so bad and confusing I didn’t even bother seeing the game through. Cardboard cutout stereotype characters with a script written by a fifteen year old, Crysis 2 just doesn’t cut it.
Killzone 3
Killzone 3 is the final installment of the series, and while I haven’t played the other two, KZ 3 is pretty OK. The story of KZ 3 takes so many twists and turns in the first act of the game it’s easy to lose track of the timeline, as it flashes back and forth. However, it’s easy to see that the Helghast, or whatever, are the bad guys and the not Helghast are the good guys. It’s pretty generic. The Helghast are a super militaristic society and whish to rule the entire galaxy by wiping out everybody that isn’t wearing a gas mask. This is where the rag tag group of stereotypes comes in. I mean, the heroes of the game come in. With a gung-ho attitude, and zero tolerance for waiting around, this group of Dues Ex Machina get the ball rolling. It’s not like there’s a whole army of humans to fight the Helghast…
Lame story aside, the gameplay of Killzone 3 is solid. It’s cover based, which is odd for an FPS. Players spend almost all of the game crouching behind some form of cover. Once players get to a piece of cover, they are planted there and cannot move. Moving requires getting up and exposing oneself, which means getting oneself filled with bullets. Speaking of bullets, there aren’t that many different kinds.
There are only a handful of weapons and not many of them differ from their counterparts on the opposite side. There’s the good guy assault rifle, which is just like the bad guy assault rifle. The only bit of cool weaponry is the heavy weapons that players are allowed to carry along side their primary and secondary weapons. At least KZ 3 allows for more than two different weapons. The heavy weapons are mostly found as turrets, which the player can miraculously dismount and carry around no problem. Another problem that the player doesn’t have to deal with is lack of ammunition. There are ammo boxes located everywhere throughout levels. While they are full of ammo for the Helghast weaponry, it’ll work just fine for the human weaponry. Also, side arms have unlimited ammo, but are completely useless, because of the aforementioned ammo boxes and quite simply because they deal miniscule amounts of damage. But they all look really cool.
The art direction of KZ 3 isn’t necessarily unique, it does look nice. When compared to other modern day shooters, you probably couldn’t tell the difference between the two. However, KZ 3 does have some unique looking guns. At least all the Helghast guns look different. All of the human guns look like modern weapons and aren’t that interesting to look at. Every gun at least sounds different, and the sounds they make are super satisfying at that. Every pull of the trigger releases a loud bang that echoes in the sky, letting you know that you have unleashed a force of extreme pain.
Despite all this production value, Killzone 3 falls rather short of the mark, in my opinion. Enemy AI is rather dull, at least on normal mode it is, and they rarely rush the target. It isn’t until about halfway through the game that Killzone 3 introduces new enemies that actually pose as a threat to the players. However, these new enemies are few and far between. For the most part, players will have to deal with enemies that just sit tight and occasionally pop their heads out of cover only to throw grenades. Lots and lots of grenades. Ally AI isn’t too smart either.
The allies which are given to you in Killzone 3 are useless. They don’t provide any support what so ever. They never kill the enemy, and they always die right at the start of the level. This here is a one horse show. Unless of course that ally is a main character, then that ally cannot die. Also, apparently people can be revived in Killzone 3. The game never told me this. So it was rather frustrating to me when I was just lying there for about twenty seconds, until I heard my friend say, “I can’t reach you!”, and he’ll be saying that a lot. The path finding for the AI is lame, and cowardly. Allies will not risk their lives to save yours, nor will they stick with you while you, and only you, push through the enemy lines. Which is strange because of how the bromance between the two male leads is portrayed.
Every single interaction between the two male leads, or rather any character, is draped with some form of romantic tension. Even in game, when there are moments when players get a boost up a ledge and help their buddy up the ledge. I’m not really sure if this is intentional, and the games story isn’t supposed to be taken seriously or not.
All in all Killzone 3 is mediocre. Plain AI, plain guns, plain level design, plain story, plain characters. There’s nothing particularly new here that breaks ground or defines the genre. If you have a Playstation 3, then that’s the only reason, and the only way that you’re going to get a hold of this game. However, it isn’t particularly worth it, as there are other, third party, shooters out there for the system.
Crysis 2
Crysis 2 is a first person shooter game that comes to us from Crytek, the company that developed the first Crysis and Far Cry. The original Crysis was released only for the PC, Crysis 2 on the other hand is out now for the PC, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3. Crysis 2 is a game about a Marine who is sent, along with the rest of his squad, to investigate the goings on in New York City of all places. It turns out that there is an alien invasion that is going on in New York City, of all places.
The game of Crysis 2 starts out with less than a minute of gameplay, followed by a cinematic of all the cool things that you are about to do. Why am I not doing these things right now? This cinematic is not a tutorial or even a direct demonstration of the gameplay, it’s just a movie. Which occasionally cuts in and out of the first person view-point. This just seems like a direct insult to the player. The first experience gameplay that the player actually gets to interact with, the aforementioned less than one minute, it a tutorial that tells players what button is crouch. Once things actually get going and players are inside of the super suit, it doesn’t get much better from there.
The gameplay of Crysis 2 is that of any other current first person shooter on the market. The controls are immediately familiar and coincide with that of Call of Duty. The enemy AI is thick as mud, with frequent glitching they often run into a wall with their backs turned to the player and continue running once they get there. There is your standard fare of enemies here: big guys, regular guys, and quick guys. None of this is new. The single player experience is basically a shooting gallery. The kicker with Crysis 2 is that players have a super suit, which allows them to accomplish inhuman feats of strength and skill. The fact is that there are two basic functions to the suit itself. Cloak and armor. Each one, once activated slowly drains the energy gauge. If an enemy attacks the player, causing the power gauge to drain faster, it takes less than five seconds for the gauge to fill all the way. This means that players can basically do whatever they please. They don’t even have to hide in cover. They character can sustain enough damage long enough for the suit to recharge and become invulnerable again. There are some nice things about the game though. For example, it looks really nice.
The thing with games by Crytek, is that they always look good. Crysis 2 is no exception. The environments are really pretty, like really really pretty. Every single element of the world is detailed to such a degree that it almost looks real. It’s uncanny how good this game looks. The games soundtrack was composed by the duo that did the soundtrack for the movie Inception, Nick Deleplane and Kawczynski. However, because of it’s intense graphics and sound, Crytek must assume that you also own a 40” HDTV, because the text and font in the game is incredibly hard to read on a normal television.
All in all, Crysis 2 is the Michael Bay of current first person shooters. Really shiny, full of explosions, booming soundtrack, and plenty of gun fights, but it just lacks the depth that makes a game like this great. Stupid AI, a story that was so bad and confusing I didn’t even bother seeing the game through. Cardboard cutout stereotype characters with a script written by a fifteen year old, Crysis 2 just doesn’t cut it.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Splinter Cell
Splinter Cell is one of the first of the Tom Clancy games. Splinter Cell is also a genre defining stealth action game. As opposed to Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell has intuitive controls, and an original use of lighting.
The gameplay of Splinter Cell focuses on the use of lighting and using the darkness to the players advantage. Splinter Cell gives players the opportunity to be a modern day ninja. With a host of gadgets, and a slick pair of goggles players are well equipped to take on the terrorists threatening the safety of our society. That’s not to say that with all these gadgets, it will be a walk in the park, in fact, it is far from it. The enemy AI is smart cunning, and will not hesitate to shoot on sight, provided they ever see the player. The core of the game is all about creating darkness. It soon becomes second nature of the players to shoot out lights everywhere they go. This does get a bit tedious, but the payoff is well worth it. Luring enemies into a dark room for players to prey on is absolutely priceless. Using the environment to the players advantage is highly encouraged.
The game has items such as soda cans, glass bottles, and rocks to simply mess with and distract the enemies. Splinter Cell gives players a pretty nice gun with some really cool attachments. Said attachments can be used to scout ahead, knock out enemies, or even create distractions. Strategically placing a sticky camera to see what is up ahead can help in plotting out a course to avoid detection, or just to see how many baddies there are. This is the beauty of Splinter Cell’s gameplay.
Players can use the environment, sneak past the enemies without touching them, or just waste them all. Some levels force players to not kill any enemies, it doesn’t mean they can’t knock them out however. Players can challenge themselves to avoid enemies all together. Easier said than done of course. Splinter Cell can go either way between predator stealth tactics, or evasion stealth.
The sound design and score of Splinter Cell lend themselves to the gameplay. If played with a surround sound system, players can hear what’s behind them. The music of Splinter Cell gets things going when the going gets tough. High paced energetic score when there’s action, and slick quiet music when there’s sneaking to be done. All around the sound of the game is essential to the whole game.
All in all, Splinter Cell is a fantastic game. It has earned it’s place among the greats. Splinter Cell is an iconic game that belongs in your game library.
The gameplay of Splinter Cell focuses on the use of lighting and using the darkness to the players advantage. Splinter Cell gives players the opportunity to be a modern day ninja. With a host of gadgets, and a slick pair of goggles players are well equipped to take on the terrorists threatening the safety of our society. That’s not to say that with all these gadgets, it will be a walk in the park, in fact, it is far from it. The enemy AI is smart cunning, and will not hesitate to shoot on sight, provided they ever see the player. The core of the game is all about creating darkness. It soon becomes second nature of the players to shoot out lights everywhere they go. This does get a bit tedious, but the payoff is well worth it. Luring enemies into a dark room for players to prey on is absolutely priceless. Using the environment to the players advantage is highly encouraged.
The game has items such as soda cans, glass bottles, and rocks to simply mess with and distract the enemies. Splinter Cell gives players a pretty nice gun with some really cool attachments. Said attachments can be used to scout ahead, knock out enemies, or even create distractions. Strategically placing a sticky camera to see what is up ahead can help in plotting out a course to avoid detection, or just to see how many baddies there are. This is the beauty of Splinter Cell’s gameplay.
Players can use the environment, sneak past the enemies without touching them, or just waste them all. Some levels force players to not kill any enemies, it doesn’t mean they can’t knock them out however. Players can challenge themselves to avoid enemies all together. Easier said than done of course. Splinter Cell can go either way between predator stealth tactics, or evasion stealth.
The sound design and score of Splinter Cell lend themselves to the gameplay. If played with a surround sound system, players can hear what’s behind them. The music of Splinter Cell gets things going when the going gets tough. High paced energetic score when there’s action, and slick quiet music when there’s sneaking to be done. All around the sound of the game is essential to the whole game.
All in all, Splinter Cell is a fantastic game. It has earned it’s place among the greats. Splinter Cell is an iconic game that belongs in your game library.
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