I'm alive

Okay here is an update with some compact reviews. First off let's review Crackdown 2, I love it more than I loved the first one, but don't think this game is more than just an excuse to run around like a superhero and blow stuff up.....which is why I love this game.

I also would like to review all the downloadable games I have played lately. Scott Pilgrim is an amazing side scrolling beat up. Shank was a 2D homage to the NES era. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a great addition to the Tomb Raider series. Dead Rising 2 Case Zero actually made me want to play Dead Rising 2. And I just got Castle Crashers last night.....and holy crap this game is fun.

AS for further updates. I went to Disney World with my family last week and that is one reason I have been bad at keeping up with the blog. Also school started a couple weeks ago and so I have been busy with classes as well.

The Playstation Move is currently in transit and should be here by Monday so I can start to give some updates and impressions on the new hardware. Honestly I am looking forward to it. Okay I will try to be better at updating more often and with more important news.

Review

Okay so with summer school over and a few weeks before Fall semester I have been picking up used games at Gamestop beating them and then returning them. We call this a Gamestop rental, it is a neat little loop hole in the Gamestop used game practice that I use when I can. It let's me play a lot more games than I normally would otherwise.

Since there are 4 games to review I am just going to say a little summary about each.

Aliens VS Predator: I liked this game but only as the Alien or Predator playing as the human felt way off. Also this game could have been much better than it was. I still think that the real time worlds team who made crackdown (which I still haven't reviewed I know) should make a Predator game. That would rock.

Transformers War for Cybertron: This game was amazing. They finally got transformers right, I felt like I was in one of the great comic story lines. The cast of transformers, the abilities, the locations, and the story line were top notch.

Battlefield Bad Company 2: This game was better than MW2 and I loved all the destructible environments in it. Not a game I would keep but a fun rental none the less and a game that deserves it's following unlike MW2.

God of War 3: The God of War series is great and this was an awesome way to finish the series. Giving the story line and Kratos both a great finale. I loved every second of it.

Okay so there we go. I will post my Crackdown review soon....well maybe. I do have more gaming responsibilities to attend to.

Review

Okay so a lot of people look at this game as a kids game. Yeah in a lot of ways it is and there are numerous nods to old school games. But after the mention of Demon's Souls by having a girl say she had sticky white stuff in her hair (play demon's souls and you will understand) I realized that this game was going to be hilarious.

Graphically this game is very simple, a bunch of 3D blocks make up everything. But it is vibrant and so well done that you be wishing they would just remake the original Legend of Zelda like this.

The audio is very basic, but the sounds and music make me think of Zelda, and Dragon Warrior, and even Crystalis on the NES. I loved it.

The story is simple PRG fare, ancient evil was defeated and now it is coming back and you must follow in the foot steps of the ancient hero blah blah blah. But all the references to other classic and new games is simply amazing. If you don't laugh at these then you are too young or you are not a real gamer.

The gameplay is par for the course. Travel to dungeon, check; find special item, check; kill dungeon boss, check; rinse and repeat. The glory of this game comes from how well all of this is done and how fun everything is. Having a sword that shot beams out when you were full health was great in the Legend of Zelda. But having a sword that is longer that the entire screen and four times the width of your character when you have full health is genius.

The game is short, and it is very much an homage to titles like The Legend of Zelda. But with a $40 price tag it is hard to say no to something that let's you relive the good old days with out making it feel old.

Review

Alpha Protocol, first off this game is not as horrible as many of the reviews would have you believe. However do to the fact that it was delayed from October 2009 to June of 2010 this game has many unacceptable flaws.

Let's start with things I don't care too much about. The graphics are passable at best, but the lack of customization for Michael Thorton is underwhelming. The armor and weapons customization are good and actually one of the best things about this game.

The sound works though some of the shots and explosions don't hit the mark. The voice acting is hit or miss either great or completely campy.

The gameplay is hard to judge, many reviewers dislike it because they expected it to be more of a shooter than an RPG. However Obsidian is an RPG maker, I think the RPG elements work well building your character and shaping his skills is fun but playing the game is not so much. I was very dependent upon my skill set instead of the gameplay mechanics to beat the game. In fact the final boss was beat because I used a stealth ability to be invisible and hide then use a pistol skill to chain 6 shots at once and did this twice while hiding to beat him.

All in all the game is good as an RPG but not really up to the standard of a game in our current game cycle. If you want a good RPG, look to Bioware's Mass Effect series or Dragon Age. Or if you really want a shooter RPG get Bethesda's Fallout 3. However if you want a spy game that actually feels like a spy game then get Alpha Protocol because this is the only way it works.

Review

Okay Yeah too long I am aware. In fact I have this review , Alpha Protocol, and 3D Dot Heroes. But first to the matter at hand.

I love the old west. I was first in line to by GUN on the PS2 and I loved it because it was the best western game that had ever been made. And then Rockstar did what they do best and released Red Dead Redemption it has forever changed my gaming history.

Let's start with what matters least in this game, the graphics as an open world game it of course has weird random hiccups, in fact quite a few have been posted on youtube. But it does feel worn and leathery like the old west should.

The sound is impressive, the weapons all make the right snaps and bursts. The animals, people, and atmosphere all shine. The voice over work is great with Marston sounding absolutely like he should.

The gameplay is great the dead eye slowing down and picking your shots give you a satisfaction of disarming a guy shooting off his hat and then blowing his face off. There are few things as fun ans lassoing a guy of his horse or dragging someone behind you with it while you are riding your horse.

The story for this game is standard fare, outlaw who has to go back and take out his old partners in order to redeem himself. The way the story plays out is what makes it great hitting high marks on all wild west fares. Stage coach chases bounty hunting, shootouts, and high noon draws.

The multiplayer is great the coop is so much fun, and I haven't even tried the new coop story mode download that came out a couple of weeks ago. I am also looking forward too the zombie ghost town download that is coming soon.

This game is one of my top 5 of all time. I have no fears that Rockstar will make another due to the great sales figures. So if you have not tried this game go get it. And I will see you online.

Review

Yes I know I should be reviewing Red Dead Redemption since I got it before I got Alan Wake, but I haven't played much of the multiplayer in RDR and therefore I feel that I can't give a full review just yet but it is coming soon.

Now as for Alan Wake I will start off by saying that it is not a prefect game and there is more it could have done with such a long development cycle. However this is by far the best survival horror game I have played since Silent Hill 2 (Resident Evil 4 and 5 are not survival horror but action horror) and I am glad it was not done open world as originally planned.

The Story is where I want to start because I feel it is Alan Wake's strongest feature, the story is captivating with great and believable characters. The only problems I have is that some characters motivations are not totally clear at times and there are a few holes in the plot that I figure will be filled by the two remaining games in the trilogy.

The gameplay is done quite well, this is a good handle for survival horror having fast enemies but a great dodge mechanic let you feel strong and weak at the same time. The use of light as weapon and a defense is pulled off quite nicely. The only problem I have is that sometimes the aiming can be a little sloppy, but you are a writer after all not a trained soldier.

The presentation is impressive, there are some graphical hiccup sometimes but the are very minor. There is a graphical trick that makes bushes and trees look like enemies until you turn your light on them. The audio is great too the dialog is delivered well and the effects and music fit perfectly.

All in all Alan Wake is a great game, I am glad it made it through it's development cycle hell and got to my 360 I am now looking forward to the two final installments of this series over the next few years. If you are looking for a good survival horror game you could do much worse that this game.

I will do a RDR review soon I hope but let's just say it is one of my top 5 games of all time and I am getting Alpha Protocol for my Birthday in a couple weeks despite the negative reviews that it has been receiving I know I will enjoy it.

Update

Yes I know I have been MIA for quite some time now. Between family, school, work, and of course my various gaming habits I have been very bad at keeping this blog up to date. I will be posting a review for Red Dead Redemption in the next few weeks but not until I hit the multiplayer pretty heavily as well.

I am looking for suggestions on FTW games to blog about, or other games you might want to know more information about that I might be able to answer questions on. Pretty much I want to make this an open area where you all can ask questions and make requests of me....let's try to keep it all game oriented though. As much as I love movies and TV (sad now that LOST and 24 are both over) I made this blog to be about gaming.

I am looking for more people to play online with so if you are on the PSN or XBOX live drop me your tag and we can hit some Splinter Cell or Red Dead or MAG even. SO I guess I should go and get back to work since I am sitting at my desk writing this instead of working.