Random Blog: And Now For Something Completely Different

I have WAY too many unfinished blogs and some of them have no real point while on others I was never able to fully flesh out the point. So instead of letting them rot in my backlog, here's what I have. Just splattered all over for you to read. My thoughts on things from reviewers to sports. I hate to use the word "rant" but that's what some of these are, so don't take them too seriously and don't throw bricks at me for anything I say.

3D(on't.)

With everything going 3D and motion control these days, it seems like video games are trying to become a different sort of medium. Going beyond games to become "interactive experiences." I don't think the original creators of Space Invaders ever thought that motion would be used to control a game.

I for one think makers are getting away from the point: GAMES. I don't want an experience, I just want a game. I don't want to become immersed in another world, I have too many problems in this world to ignore them. Gimmicks and flashy advertisement campaigns will not make me want to flail my arms around with a controller (or without). The problem with all the touchscreens, motions, and hand waving is that there's no pressure sensitivity. That's what a controller does best. Leave it at that. Until a touch screen can be pressure sensitive (and I'm sure it can) then let's just leave it to the controllers.

Half-Life Theorum:

Is it just me or does Freeman seem more like the cause of trouble in some things?
Was he placed at Black Mesa as a test subject or did he know what he was getting in to?
The opening text scroll of Half-Life states he's 27, with a P.h.d. in Theoretical Physics. The text seems to state that he's already been employed by whomever the G-man works for.

What are his "employers" really trying to get him to do?

G-Man isn't the bad guy since he's sent Freeman to liberate people. Or is he? Is there a hidden agenda behind the G-Man? Such as by destroying the Combine, does it give way to something greater?

And why did Freeman's "employers" wait so long to send him back?

What happened in the time between Black Mesa and City 17? Was Freeman sent to other places that we don't know about? And if he was, was the Combine there waiting for him, or another threat?
While we're on the subject, Cpl. Adrian Shephard was put in the same position by G-man but never released from his holding. How does he play into the story or was that just the dev team playing games with us?

Gaming Jockey:

(International readers, please note that when I say football, I don't mean futbol. I mean American Football. With the guys holding the brown egg-shaped object most of the time and running around with it.)

So Auburn Tigers won whatever championship just a few days ago. I don't know which one, I don't keep track of that crap. There will be another championship in a couple of months, I guess. I don't see the appeal in a bunch of guys running around a field chasing a ball. I have to hear it from almost everyone else, mindless droning. I live in a city where three or four college football teams converge and the amount of meat-headed fans grows each year.

Some football lover can say they don't see the appeal of playing games all the time.

     Because its me doing it.

Its me unlocking achievements, getting high scores, showing off what I've accomplished. Me going on the adventure as a character I control, meeting people, killing scores of enemies and me playing the game.

Not some guy on my favorite team who scores the goal. Who acts like a jerk off the field. Who trips and is out for three games because of hurt pride.

Gaming is personal for me. When someone bests me in a game, they're just better. With football, you can say whatever team you want and there will be a million fans behind you. When it comes to a championship you have to swallow your pride and root for some other team.

With gaming, we're all together. No matter what. Personal rivalries exist, yes, but regardless we are all gamers under the same banner.

I would much rather spend an hour playing a bad game than spend an hour sitting in a chair yelling at a TV while a football game is going on.

While we're on the subject, what is with football fans referring to their teams as "we?" You are not on the team just because you wear a hoodie or have a bumper sticker. You are not running on the field. You are sitting around watching jocks.

Reviewers Reviewing Reviewers: 

Ladies and Gentlemen, enough is enough.

We have come to the point that reviewers are themselves being reviewed (btw, you might be sick of the word by the time this blog ends).

I, unlike many, discovered the Angry Video Game Nerd just before he became the AVGN, back when he was the Angry Nintendo Nerd. His videos were hilarious and shed light on some bad games. It was something new: a man being frustrated by simple NES games and being tormented to the point of randomly cursing over losing a life. And who would argue with him? Some of the NES games he reviewed are just awful.

Of course, with success come imitators. Soon the Irate Gamer appeared and practically copied words from some of the Nerd's reviews. Following this, even more "angry reviewers" came along. (For purposes of keeping this gaming I'm excluding the Nostalgia Critic, even though he too has many clones and has very little in common.)

I thought the breaking point would finally occur once videos of the Angry Contra Kid  as well as some long-haired 13-year-old needlessly cursing out his viewers hit YouTube. Instead, this sparked more imitators. People sitting at home on their sofas, in front of webcams on their desks, copying hours of gameplay and (half the time) writing and rehearsing scripts. Most of them can't think of something more to come up with other than cursing a lot because they lose a life. I've said before: Don't curse the game, curse your lack of skills.

When I write reviews I try to give the good and bad points of the game regardless if I liked it or not. There are always some things about a great game that I don't like. I try to go for an air of professionalism in anything I write and mull over sentences in my head several times before I think about writing things, including this blog, including this sentence. My grammar and spelling might not be 100% accurate all the time but I pride myself on knowing what a paragraph is. Meanwhile, I've seen two-word reviews that get massive amounts of thumbs up by people because the game is popular.

It seems more gamers are turning to community sites where other gamers post their thoughts and are being driven away from professional sites. This can be attributed to some sites being bought out by major companies, or by some employees being fired, or by giving the Legend of Zelda an equivalent of a 'B.'

If you've seen the last few AVGN videos, you'll realize that they're not as good as they once were, like James Rolfe is becoming burned out. On the contrary, he has a lot going on for him and something must give slack. Thus the AVGN reviews have slowed and he's not as angry. He's a bit more informative and while that has deterred some fans, others have gone the opposite direction to the point of frothing madness, giving themselves online screen names similar to the "Angry Video Game Nerd" and cursing out anyone in a comments section who doesn't agree with them or didn't like the video. Rabid fanboys, if you will. They've lost sight of WHY games were created and only focus on the minor and bothersome details of some of them.

Things must change. Cursing up a storm about a video game, old or new, may get you a few hits on YouTube, but in the long run it is not a job. I'm not saying these established reviewers need to quit, quite the opposite: the rest of us need to quit. They have it covered, they're good at what they do.

Pat the NES Punk is informative, although his acting can be called cheesy, he's not a professional actor.

Angry Joe is opinionated but informative. Its those factors that make people trust what he says.

Spoony makes his frustration of games to be the humor in his reviews.

There are other reviewers that do things well. But you, sitting at home, thinking you're a hot shot, spouting off curse words because Cloud from Final Fantasy isn't in the next Smash Bros game isn't doing a whole lot for yourself or people who think about their reviews, much less helping the world of gaming.

Find a niche: be original or be professional. Do something that sets you apart from the cursing YouTube children or do reviews on par or better than the professional sites. You might get fans either way, whether doing videos or writing.


An Open Talk About Gaming Communities:
When I first started playing PC games back in 2001, I was behind on a lot of things. It wasn't until I installed Shogo: Mobile Armor Division that I was introduced to GameSpy Arcade, a shareware multiplayer game server browsing utility (thanks for clarifying that, Wikipedia). I went to check out what GameSpy was and was hooked. The news and reviews of games that I didn't even know existed were all right there. Fargo and shaithis were the two that made me stick around; their humor and back-and-forth banter was a weekly thing for me.
Later I discovered Gamespot and I loved all the information they had. I joined up and established myself as a gamer there. Not long after I saw an ad for 1up in a gaming magazine. I signed up but didn't take the community seriously. A few months later they announced they had been bought by UGO and I had left. I don't like UGO, they're more concerned with showing soft-core porn of video game heroines than the news I'd rather read about
Over the years several community websites were added to and deleted from my favorites list. Either they weren't the right communities for me or they went out of their way to insult me and not make me feel a part. Destructoid and Giantbomb being two of them. Communities for trolls and foul-mouths, I was even cursed out by one of the staff members on Destructoid for claiming I was Christian.


Opposite Ends of A Spectrum:

Another 360 controller broken.

Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

Never before have I played a more glitchy, buggy, unenjoyable, slow-paced, wreck of a POS such as this. It somehow manages to make navigating your way around a chore. There's no clear sense of direction and I'm left with a wiki to tell me which way to go. The fighting system is the worst in a game that I have ever come across. 19 times out of 20 my strikes have me missing the enemy completely, even if I'm standing right in front of them. It can't be that hard to swing a sword and hit something.

"Whoa whoa whoa... Morrowind is an AWESOME game. You're crazy!"

-100 difficulty and I still died against a Clanfear. Does that tell you something? I'm level 3 and if leveling up were any more difficult I'd probably have to cancel all plans in one week to get to a level good enough to explore the map.

I understand the imagination behind it and how it could be a great game, but how people ignored all of these problems is a wonder to me. There are just too many.

At one point I looked at a cloth sign hanging on a wall and pressed the A button. "Your crime has been reported." WHAT?! How can the game penalize me for pressing a button at a sign? I'm not trying to steal it, its a sign on a wall. I'm not there to vandalize it or sell it, its a cloth sign on a freaking wall.

All of that fail and on the opposite end of this spectrum resides Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Quite possibly one of the better games I've ever played.

My character isn't treated like an animal, I can easily earn people's trust, the storyline deeply involves my character, the compass tells me where to go, the traveling is fast and easy, the environments make me want to explore, the combat is never too difficult and I can always land a hit, the magic system is open to all professions and races, leveling up is never a chore and feels rewarding, and its just FUN overall.

I spent about 8 hours one day playing Oblivion because its that good. So why is it some people have overlooked Oblivion in favor Morrowind when the sequel is a much better improvement overall?

On the frontlines of Guild Wars 2: The First Few Days (updated)

I've had Guild Wars 2 installed on my computer since the beta but have only been able to fully play since a few days ago. I pre-purchased the collector's edition because I deserve it after two years of waiting and its worth it. The 10-inch Rytlock statue is amazingly detailed and is a great collector's piece. The rest of the collector's edition comes with a book, custom art prints, a frame, a music sampler, and the game disc. I wouldn't really say it's worth $160. Maybe 120 at least. A Making Of DVD would have been better than the book.
But I'm not really here to talk just about the collector's edition, this is about the game itself. Since its fairly new there are a few rough edges this early in the release, of course. But these problems are prevalent and immediate; things that should have been fixed in the several betas leading up to release day. I just have a small list of things that are negligible but are constant, looming problems.

-Random audio cues cause confusion. I don't know whether I just passed an NPC or if its shouting at me from the area I just teleported away from.
-Armor dealers are segregated into levels of 5 and you can only start buying armor from Armorsmiths at level 10, and even then you WILL find something of better use out in the wild than waiting to level up for the appropriate gear.
-You need a newer model computer to run it smoothly with full graphics. I'm sorry to say but it looks  best at mid-level, or at least with the shaders turned off. For some reason the shaders cause an improper light texture on the character model, even when covered by shadows.
-Thankfully, the game was planned out that the random events that happen throughout the world are joinable by all people while the minor enemies respawn quickly. Sometimes too quickly. Several times I've found myself between a couple of bandits with less-than-half health.
-The Down But Not Out is both a blessing and a curse. While you never really die in this game you simply teleport to a waypoint of your choosing at the mere cost of money. There are a few times where you'll simply be outnumbered or overpowered and even then the DBNO can't save you. You simply don't heal yourself well enough.
-The game modifies your level depending on what area you're in. Say you're level 20 and have headed back to the starting area, you'll be scaled down to the same level in order to make it a fair fight. I understand that doing so adds a bit of realism and the only way you can overpower the enemies are by your armor and weapon power, but it negates the skill levels that you may work so hard to earn.

I play a ranger, its my favorite class. But it seems to have been nerfed by the changing of the skills. -You can no longer switch out skills individually. This time the skills in your bar depend on what weapon you are currently carrying. If I'm wielding a short bow then my attacks will be quick with not a lot of power or range. A long bow will yield greater range with slower but stronger attacks. Additionally I can choose to fight with a sword this time around. And my attacks will be tailored to that weapon.
-The ranger class has been reduced to a support role, not a major damage dealer or one that can hold its own in a fight. It seems that the creators were hellbent on forcing the player to have a pet around the whole time. Which leads to the problem of pets being more trouble than they're worth. They cause a greater aggro circle and will sometimes wander off or stay behind to attack whatever enemy that was passed by if approached too closely.
-Ranger targets what it wants to. That's a major problem and there's no excuse for it. It makes me miss the auto-targeting of GW1.

I'm sure many of these issues will be fixed but some of them are design decisions that just turned out for the worse. I'm going to keep playing and if you want to, feel free to join me on the BORLISS PASS server. Look for Marcone Antelius.
Also, for the g1s out there, I created the guild Screwattack (wouldn't let me use two capital letters) with the clan tag GOne (wouldn't let me use numericals), so come find me.
No one joined, possibly because no one cared, so I deleted the guild.

Keep Playing.

Classic Game Room's Review of Enthusia Professional Racing

I'm not one to post other's reviews since I prefer doing them myself. But since I've already done Enthusia, I figure showing off another viewpoint wouldn't be so harmful. Classic Game Room has posted their review and its decent. It doesn't really go into details of the problems of the game, and Mark's terrible driving in the background isn't helping anything either, but it addresses a couple of points I missed or didn't go into detail about. If you're not following Classic Game Room anywhere, you should check them out. They do several reviews a week and you can get a chuckle out of the humor every now and then.

Retro Game Hunt: A&K and Joey's

I REALLY must apologize for the background noise throughout this video. The places we shot in had noises and they came through clearly with my ultra-freakin-sensitive camera.

Also, it was filmed on my birthday so what better gift than to go retro game hunting?

What I Did While ScrewAttack Was Down

A few weeks ago (as of writing this), the best website of all time went offline for some upgrades. I checked back every few hours only to be met with a filler page. SA hosted a contest asking for videos about what we did while the site was down. Some people showed off their comedic sides, others just talked, and since I'm not one to sit in front of a camera and ramble on, here's my funny.

Book Review: Guild Wars: Edge of Destiny by J. Robert King

So here's something different: since I'm slow on game reviews right now, I have done a few game-based book reviews over at GoodReads.com (by a few, I mean I lost them all when I deleted my account the first time). The only game review I have planned is a Shotgun of Diablo 3, but for now here's a quick review of the second Guild Wars novel, which in the timeline comes before the first. Go figure.

I've played Guild Wars for over 6 years now, I've completed most of the game and expansions, I believe I have a decent grasp of the universe and the goings on of it. I know about the events that changed Tyria, the continent on which the Guild Wars games are based, into what it is. J. Robert King takes what I know and ignores most of it. From time jumps of indeterminable amounts, "80s montage" moments, hollow and single-minded characters, a lack of depth in respect to the universe, a repetition of the words "Just then," and "hackles," and just plain lazy writing, Edge of Destiny seems like a quick paycheck from an author that doesn't seem all that interested in the source material or his own work.

Whether you've played Guild Wars or not, Edge of Destiny hurts to read.

The previous book of the series, Ghosts of Ascalon, made the readers care about the characters, giving them back stories and reasons for what they do. In Edge..., the characters are being led by their societal norms. They refuse to look past what they've been told and rarely show respect for each other. The side characters are forgettable with a few offering more than just padding. The overall storyline of the books plays out like an RPG: character gets quest, character completes quest, trouble arises where character is given another quest (at least its not Kill 10 Rats).

The only saving grace is the overall back story to some of the characters that are met in Guild Wars 2, even if it makes each of them sound like complete tools.
The ending is a quick one. Happening almost too suddenly and with the resolution being unsatisfying, just like the rest of the book. If you like Guild Wars, it could be considered required reading. But for an average reader who likes tales of other worlds, knights, magic, dragons, etc., then this was definitely not written for you.

A Second Look @ SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3

(Images are taken from Gamespot.com)

(Please note that I haven't been able to play the multiplayer for this game yet. I did buy my copy new but my home wifi security setup isn't compatible with the PSP.)

Fireteam Bravo is back in a black ops mission that has them running around the fictional country of Koratvia. A military regime has risen to take power and threatens the Russian government, their nuclear arsenal, and the world. The story is extremely weak and awfully cliche, often sounding like a rejected script for a Tom Clancy novel. Its best to be taken with a grain of salt and only to give you reason for shooting up rural areas. As Wraith, you are joined by former-team lead Sandman, team member Raven, and newcomer Toro. While a four-man team might seem to be overkill this time around its much needed as enemies are less forgiving, there are more blind corners, and open areas are just begging for your ambush.

Fireteam Bravo 3 was developed by Slant 6 Games, the ones responsible for the previous SOCOM Tactical Strike on the PSP, leaving Zipper Interactive to make mediocre games such as the Online Only SOCOM Confrontation. Throw in a few surprises such as former-SEAL-turned-merc-leader Lonestar making a major appearance, a nice variation in the environments, as well as a wide selection of weapons and you've got the second best in the FTB series. But with all of the improvements, FTB 3 is still lacking in certain areas that make it hard to appreciate.

 See this enemy in the background? Most of them will do this: stand out in the open.

A small amount of tactics can be used this time around with the four-man team, split between Able and Bravo, but nothing that resembles Tactical Strike's advanced, and initially puzzling, two four-man team tactics. Two people can cover a target or a door better than just one. However that's not really the case here as it rarely presents the opportunity to do so. There is very little need to cover targets, use bounding overwatch, or even split the team to open a door. Its more run-and-gun, less planning, and its so painfully obvious that it seems the developers intended it to be so.

The major flaws of the game are more pointed towards the enemies themselves. While there are a decent amount of them scattered throughout the levels, things such as some never needing to reload, the inability for some to find cover, and the way they can pinpoint your exact location after one misfire makes them less like soldiers and more like robots.

Another problem comes from level design. While they do vary nicely, they're just as linear as they've always been in SOCOM games: narrow ways opening into arenas where you're free to snipe and pick off opfors with ease.

The sound is one of the better aspects of this game, with the environmental effects being surrounding and clear. Rain water hitting the roof of a car in the level Grey Dawn is something unexpected and lends to the thought of just how much attention went into sound details. While guns lack powerful sound they do vary in tones. Explosions, however, do pack a punch. They are better placed and more defined than in the previous games.

The orchestral soundtrack is something that comes with the territory of a SOCOM game. Whatever effort has been put into it can be changed by simply adjusting the sound options. There's no reason to have it on since the only time you might notice it is at a scripted moment.

Voice acting can be described as sterile: its clean and clear at all moments. Very little emotion even after two events happen that split the team. There's no confusion, only determination. Sure, they're hardened military men, but I doubt real people stay as stern as these guys when facing odds like in this game.

BOOM goes the dynamite. While there is no TNT in this game, the explosions are loud and clear.

The graphics are definitely amped up for this title. Its a huge step from the first FTB game and as a latecomer in the PSP lifespan shows that the system was capable of graphics comparable, and maybe even surpassing, those of the PS2.

A gradient has been placed over the foreground to give a cold, dusty feeling on some levels  whereas sunny skies and in-doors are without. Cracks in the ground, rocks protruding, lights giving off rays, and even some water effects show that the PSP still has some beef to it. While most edges are squared, its to be expected. It shouldn't distract from the gameplay.

Cutscenes are in-game rendered and what's most noticeable is the mouth movement on the characters. The engine for this game does what it can and does it very well.

 Class photo: Raven, Wraith, Toro, Sandman, and Lonestar.

If you've played the other two FTB games, then you're sure to navigate through this with very few hangups. Its tuned so that it might be challenging only to newcomers. Veterans only need to learn the new button layout and they're good to go. The initial single-player game clocks in at a humiliating 3-4 hours and while there is a decent replayable factor to it you'll just wish more could have been done. With enough attention, you could sweep through with 100% completion on your first playthrough. The custom missions replace the non-campaign missions from the last game but give you very little reason to play them since some last less than 5 minutes.

There's just NOTHING memorable about this game.

Overall, Fireteam Bravo 3 should see our SEAL team retiring with an honorable discharge. Thanks boys, but I don't think we'll need you on the PS Vita.

Keep Playing.

Shotgun Review: Halo CE Anniversary Edition

(Shotgun reviews are my one-shot, opinionated, quick reviews of games. I hit you with the facts and a little bit more all at once. Pictures taken from Gamespot and power-on.blog.hu)

Hard to believe its been 10 years. Actually, for me, its easy. I was never one that was heavily invested in the Halo games but I do like the extensiveness of the universe. I was curious to see how the new 343 Studios would handle Bungie's baby, seeing as how 343 is comprised of former Bungie devs.
Let's clear this out of the way first: its the original Halo game with graphical improvements, achievements, Kinect functionality, skulls and more storyline added via the data terminals hidden throughout the game. If you played it so long ago on the original Xbox, its the exact same game.

The new graphics are just the icing on the cake. Some things that might not be clear to see with the classic graphics become great to look at with the new. You can switch the graphics styles by simply pushing the Back button and the change happens fast, there is no level reloading. All its simply doing is placing the new textures over the old. It almost seems to be a rush job at some moments. Unfortunately, I will say that the graphics aren't as good as Halo Reach.
There are a few pop-ins, particularly a few Grunts and Elites appear out of nowhere, as well as Sgt. Stacker in the flashback video the Chief takes from Jenkin's helmet. Textures at a slight distance will also have a pop-in effect. Its definitely not fitting for people who get angry at glitchy graphics.

Is it worth playing? Yes, but possibly only for the achievements and data terminals if you're a fan of the story. If you're in it for the flashy graphics and are expecting a complete overhaul and re-telling of the first Halo game... its not here. If you're worried about the game needing Kinect to be playable, its not. The only thing the Kinect brings to it is a library of data from scannable weapons, enemies, and objects. The game can be played without it and its no reason to rush out and buy one. Its just an addition to give more depth to the universe.
As an added bonus, the game comes with a standalone Halo: Reach Anniversary map pack. The maps are remakes from the original Halo game and can be played without the need of owning Reach, just know that you will be missing out on a better game.

*Dodges objects thrown by fanboys*

Hey, hey, hey! Reach is better to me because you actually get to know a little bit about the characters rather than being a faceless space marine! For some reason that baffles me, there was a pre-order bonus that included avatar gear and the Grunt Birthday Party skull. Thing is, you didn't have to pre-order anything. I bought mine from the store with the cardboard box around it. it would be tough to find it that way now so any early adopters need not shell out $10 for the DLC.

The combat is the same as the original Halo, the button layout is different but not a huge change. The friendlies, enemies, vehicles, weapons, and power-ups are all in the same places. Driving the Warthogs are still wonky and floaty. Some small confusion might ensue because things look different but that's practically a moot point. There are some moments where the new graphics aren't attached well and you can find yourself poking through walls.

What it boils down to is this: if you want the achievements, get it. Its cheap and can provide a weekend of something to do. A rental at best.
If you're expecting a grand re-packaging of Halo, its not worth it.
All others need not apply. If the original game didn't draw you in to the Halo universe so long ago then this one will not help any. I've had it since a couple of weeks after release and I haven't even bothered to complete it. Its just not very interesting.

Keep Playing.

Retro Hunt: Front Porch of the South

A few weeks ago, LordRyuujin and I went to a fairly new flea market called Front Porch of the South. Upon seeing the name you would think it would be just a bunch of southern antiques (farm tractors, beer bottles, a pitchfork) and you'd be wrongly discriminating us. Its a typical consign flea market with private booths open to the public. Not a bad place. Here's the results....

A Second Look @ Tony Hawk RIDE

I have had this game for less than a week, and I've already broken the skateboard controller.

This game is an absolute waste of time, money, and effort.
When you create a peripheral, its supposed to work. Plain and simple. But when that peripheral can't recognize one motion from another, then you have wasted everything. If there ever was a failed experiment in new ways to play video games, its the skateboard controller. I think we can all blame this for being the tipping point in the "too many add-ons" argument for video games these days.

To be bluntly honest: it doesn't work. During my less than 20 minutes playing around with the game, I didn't make it through the training before breaking the board. I was able to do more just by turning the board in my hands than by standing on it and attempting what it was trying to train me to do. The motion sensors in the skateboard are either too sensitive or do not respond at all. Attempting to do an ollie will be split between accomplishing the jump, entering a manual, doing a flip trick, or nothing at all. While it is a sturdy piece of plastic, its too small for anyone over 5 ft tall and you'll find yourself sliding over a carpeted surface.

The game itself is just bland with the environments being unnoticeable. They're frustrating to navigate since there is no way to slow your character down aside from running into a wall. The graphics look as though they came from the previous generation and there's just a general sentiment of grabbing thin air in a desperate attempt to keep the dying early 00's skateboarding craze going.

I'm not pissed that the game doesn't work, I'm pissed that I'll never have that $15 again because I can't return a broken product. $15 of my own money wasted. I thought "well, it was cheap enough, I'll buy it again one day." Then I came to my senses. Never again.

Never again, Tony Hawk.

If you're looking to collect peripherals, sure. Go for it and buy it. Its cheap enough now.
But if you were expecting a good game and were waiting for it to be cheap: now's the time to use that money to buy Elder Scrolls Oblivion, DiRT, Forza 3, Halo Reach,  Mass Effect 2, or any other game for that matter.

There are far better games that you can spend your money on. In fact, you could even buy a REAL skateboard and learn to ride that. It would be a better experience than attempting to play this game.

Keep Playing Anything But This.

Random Blog: Fighting Games (And My Problem Thereof)

 (As always, pictures taken from Gamespot.com)

A few years ago I posted a blog on several gaming communities titled 2D Fighters (and my problem thereof). To date this has been the single most viewed blog I've ever had with over 1200 views on GameTrailers. The topic of fighting games is a big one and in most cases one that rarely brings out flamers unless you proclaim one game is better than another. Pretty much all fans of fighting games can agree that they take skill, timing, knowledge of character combos, hit detection, and a little bit of luck.

All of these are things that I don't have yet I still like to play them.

Every now and then I dig out Street Fighter Anniversary Collection and play 3rd Strike when my cousin's kids come over. I'm trying to teach them to play Ryu/Ken but they can't get the hang of the quarter-circle.

I'll give you a minute to pick yourself off of the ground from laughing so hard about that one: they don't know how to do the quarter-circle.

 

 

Better? Okay.

In the blog mentioned I talk about how I was hooked on fighting games for a while. I played through Guilty Gear X2 #Reload on the Xbox and broke several controllers because of I-No. To this day I have never bothered to try and beat her again. I went through the Dead or Alive series on Xbox with very few problems and was just underwhelmed with how easy it was to win while button-mashing. I'll give the DoA series kudos for fluid fighting controls and being able to smoothly stream combos together, but aside from that its shallow on story and mainly caters to pervs because of the jiggle physics. But I digress, I'm not here to review games.

Since writing that blog I've found:
Soul Blade on PS1
Soul Calibur on Dreamcast
Soul Calibur 3 on PS2
Street Figher Alpha on PS1
Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max on PSP
Street Fighter 2: Championship Edition on Genesis
Super SF2 on SNES
Street Fighter IV on PC
Capcom vs SNK 2 EO on Xbox
Art of Fighting on SNES
King of Fighters '95 on GameBoy
King of Fighters R-2 on Neo Geo Pocket Color
King of Fighters XI on PS2 (which was stolen)
I reacquired TMNT Tournament Fighters and its still impossible to beat even one match
Killer Instinct on GameBoy
Primal Rage on GB and SNES
Fighter's History on SNES

As you can see my fighting game collection has increased quite a bit and some of them I'm amazed that I've found. I'm still looking for whatever fighting games I can and since recently getting a job Amazon and Ebay have opened up new doors. But while all of these games are great, they each do their own thing and do them well. I just have one major gripe  with all of them: I'm playing them alone.

On some rare occasions I can get together with some friends and play some Marvel vs Capcom 3, but unless its my cousin's kids who can't throw fireballs or being unable to win while being verbally abused by a "friend," I just can't find anyone to play with. I know there's always playing online but more people use the Xbox 360 and I have no money to spend on a gold account, on top of that it leaves out all the classic fighting games. I'm one of the few who prefers to have friends around when we're beating the crap out of each other.

On one hand I can hone my skills against the AI by playing offline but sooner or later I just grow tired of it and by the time that happens no one plays the game anymore. I'm not competitive so I don't really care about getting good enough for tournaments or playing online for hours.

Its all a dilemma: I love fighting games because of the skill, even though I lack it on most of them. I hate the fact that no one ever wants to play 1-on-1 with me because they think I already know all the moves to every character when I don't.

I recently bought Street Fighter IV on PC because it came with a DVD, it was cheap and it was a better option than the Sonic Mega Collection I was originally going to get for the DS (Sorry SEGA). It took over 10 minutes to install and when I hopped on I went right to the arcade but was immediately challenged by someone. After the fourth time that happened I figured out how to turn the auto-accept off and could play the arcade mode in peace. After that I only played two matches online and only won one round. It was good but my lack of experience coupled with slow connections of other players means its tough for me (not to mention that there were only 4 or 5 other people playing).
I've heard of people disconnecting because they started losing a match and I could easily disconnect by pressing a single key on my laptop but I promised myself I wouldn't do that. I played 2 hours of the arcade and got hellbent frustrated with how difficult it gets even on the easiest setting.

Which brings me to another problem I have with fighting games: the difficulty in arcade modes. I've said before and I'll always stand by it that I am not an expert at fighting games. Some of them, Street Fighter in particular, are known for increasing the difficulty with each match as you progress in the Arcade mode. I can understand and appreciate challenge, but when the AI knows exactly when to block after I throw what would have been a 6 hit combo at them, it starts to get more than a little ridiculous.

Another problem is the behemoth of Street Fighter, or more so Capcom itself. They've created a giant with the series and it seems that most reviewers always try to compare a new fighting game to anything SF-related. With Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition soon coming out along with Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom AND Street Fighter x Tekken (additionally Tekken x Street Fighter due out next year), it seems impossible for any other series to hold a candle to the biggest fighting franchise in history.
I'll just come out and say it: I prefer King of Fighters. For the past few games they've gone through the Ash Crimson saga and are now on a new "storyline" in the game universe. The action is more fast-paced and the fighting system has changed little over the years. It doesn't need to change because its stable as it is.
Capcom also has a problem with DLC and being greedy. They've been releasing high-priced DLC not just for Street Fighter but for their other games as well as releasing new versions of SF, even after claiming they wouldn't do that. And yet people keep buying them.

I may forever be terrible at fighting games and I'm sure there are more controllers to be broken in my future, but I'll keep playing them. I enjoy the challenge of some fighting games even without other people. The fast-paced action of some of them is a good eye opener and keeps me on my toes with a good adrenaline rush. While it is up to me to push myself to get better, I'd rather play with other people more often than I do. I just bought SFIV on the PC and I have two PC controllers, I guess I can always trick my brother into playing against me.

 Keep Playing.

Want to see a HUGE list of fighting games from all consoles, all generations, and all styles? Check out Fighters Generation.com by clicking the banner above.

Dreamcast 12th Anniversary!

Its that time of year again, where we look back on one of the most successful failures in video gaming history. A system, that even to this day, has games still being made for it. A pioneer console of the online network, MMORPG, DLC, and ease-of-creation with Windows CE. While everyone was waiting patiently for a PS2, there were some loyal DC owners and Sega fans that refused to give in and let their system die. When Sega finally folded, they still couldn't get the DCs off of the shelf. Sony was putting that much harm into them and since then Sega seems to have been unable to get almost anything right. (I'm looking at you, green-eyed Sonic...)

I'm short on words, time, and attention span and since I've already posted in the past about Remembering the DC, I also talked about the underground homebrew scene, gave some facts, etc. Last year I gave mini-reviews of my (then current) DC game collection. Lately and honestly I haven't felt drawn to write anything new in the way of blogs but I can think of a few things to say about the newest games that I've gathered as well as a few questions to ask.

Yes, its a repeat of last year unfortunately, but with this job I now have its hard to stay away from Amazon and the classic game sellers so the only DC action I've had lately is used games that take a week to get to me.

*I'd like to point out that as I started writing this, I ordered Jet Grind Radio and Phantasy Star Online v2 from Amazon. JGR arrived a couple days ago and I was able to throw a few sentences together about the overall game. PSO arrived today (9-9-11) and I'm going to do a full retro review of the game later on. Its in my DC right now. Offline, of course.*

Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future is best described as a "dolphin simulator" game. You need to suspend disbelief when trying to understand the storyline: Dolphins and humans live together in peace and have come to a greater understanding of the universe. But an alien race wants to disrupt that peace by causing... something. Who knows. You're Ecco once again and its mostly a repeat of the first game. When you get to that point of "How high in the sky can you jump?" things go incredibly wrong. A warp hole opens up and everything gets sucked into it. Now you're on a quest to fix everything cause YOU screwed it up!

The gameplay is incredibly smooth and there's full circular motion when moving around the open areas. The problems come by way of uninspired quests, confusing pathways, and enemies that are more annoying than troublesome.

The graphics are bright and you can expect to see a loooot of blue. They're very tight with light refractions and shadows abundant. Unless you look for things, like flat textures on background objects, you'll be impressed the whole way through.

The music is ambient and flows with the game; increasing at the right moments when the action ramps up. The sound effects are dulled in water while things like echolocation and responses are clear.

Its an adventure game worthy of a Dreamcast lovers collection but it might not keep someone glued to their seat due to the confusing pathways and unclear objectives at some points.

Evolution: The World of Sacred Device is a hard game for me to appreciate. The storyline isn't appealing: you're the son of an infamous treasure hunter who did something and now owes the treasure hunter guild a lot of money and blah blah blah. Maybe I'm just not a fan of child-RPGs but I can't seem to stay interested in any of it.

The combat consists of placing your three characters either front, middle, or back of the action. The healer preferably behind it all. You choose your action, you attack, you get attacked, you need to level up extremely high to beat a single boss. Aside from the character placement mechanic,  the rest of the action is pretty cookie cutter.

The graphics aren't all that impressive either with dull surfaces, cartoonish action, and bland character models. No real flash or flare to it. I know that's not what it takes to make a great game but you'd think they would at least have some polish.

Maybe I'm too harsh on it but I can say that after only about 45 minutes total playtime I won't be returning to it. With Dreamcast hoarders becoming more common these days I'll still keep it in my collection.

As of writing this I actually just received Jet Grind Radio in the mail yesterday (9-8-11) and have only played about an hour of it, but from that hour I can definitely say that this game has STYLE. The cell-shaded graphics were unique for the time and made the game look and play smoothly. You play as one of three members of the gang "the GG's" and tag your way across Tokyo fighting off other gangs and the relentless police. I played the "sequel," Jet Set Radio Future, before this one and I have to say that JSRF has smoother controls, faster gameplay and a different and larger city. But I digress, Jet Grind Radio is a must-have for anyone. It's a unique game in that it isn't a sports title at all; its about artistic expression and Sega has created and nailed it with that in mind. 

The main downfalls of the game are the controls and camera. Sometimes the controls just don't feel accurate enough and they take some getting used to. Meanwhile the camera is the biggest problem. Using L-trigger, it refocuses behind your character, when all along it should just be set that way.

The music is the main draw-in with a funky beat that plays all throughout and really sets the atmosphere. The inclusion of the soundtrack player in the garage menu is an awesome afterthought. You don't have to load up a level and wait to hear that one good song.
The graphics are also one of the main selling points. The cell-shading keeps the game running at a smooth pace and never causes clutter. Its always interesting to turn a corner and see what's there. Although despite being the middle of Japan, the streets are quite devoid of people, which can be good so you don't have to worry about running into people when attempting to flee from the police.

Its a classic Dreamcast game that deserves to be remade or have several sequels already. Its unique, atmospheric, and with a lot of hidden tags and pathways, its worth it to play again to hunt down everything.

Have you ever played the first Project Gotham Racing on the original Xbox? Then you've played this. Metropolis Street Racer is the predecessor to PGR and in reality, PGR is just the graphical upgrade of MSR. Same tracks from all the same locations. Does that make it a bad game? No way. Never.

The graphics are tight and really shows off what the Dreamcast is capable of with each locale resembling the real world area in great detail. Car models are rendered perfectly and are the best I've seen in a DC game.

But its not about the graphics, its all about style and how you drive. Wanna be reckless? Prepare to lose Kudos, style points that are used to unlock new cars and tracks. Proper braking and acceleration, drifting cleanly around corners, overtaking cars without colliding, and passing between checkpoints without hitting walls is what its all about.

The sound effects have a depth that other racers, and games, just didn't have at the time: clear engine sounds, tires screeching, cars crunching. The soundtrack features unlicensed music but its not bad at all.

Its an arcade racer with a heavy emphasis on sim driving. One other game that comes to mind that attempted to pull the same thing off is Enthusia on the PS2. Where Enthusia was too focused on an odds system, PGR almost does the same with its Kudos. In spite of that fact, its another must-have in a collector's.... collection.

It takes balls to take on one of sim racing's most prolific racing series, Gran Turismo, and Sega went all out to try and take it on. Sega GT works well, for the most part. While it doesn't really do anything ground-breaking or exciting, it is a solid racer and one that goes in-depth enough for a gearhead to enjoy. All others might not care to try out the overly precise controls and generally bland presentation. There are license classes that must be done in order to get to the higher levels (just like in GT) and while some of them can be easily done for those who are used to sim racers, some are just ridiculously hard and will leave you with only tenths of a second to complete.

The graphics are tight for the most part and the car models are excellently detailed. The tracks are unique but there aren't a lot of them, and you'll be racing the same small-time races several times over in order to get enough money for either a tournament race or upgrades. 

I can't really recall the sound right now but I do know that its not worth talking about.

As far as sim racers go, Sega GT is a weak link but still a must-have for DC owners, sim racing fans, and collectors alike. But if you really want to try out Sega GT, there is a better sequel on the original Xbox that was a pack-in title, a double disc that includes, go figure, Jet Set Radio Future.

Take all of the classic Sega games you know and love, port them to the Dreamcast, give them sloppy controls and HORRIBLE midi sounds, and you've got a poor excuse for a Dreamcast game. If you play it on mute and re-learn your controls by using either the overly-sensitive control stick or the bad d-pad, it could be good. But if you don't care to do that, stick with the original Genesis games or one of the newer collections and give this one a definite pass.

Have you ever played SSX? Well this isn't it. Its a boring and uninspired racing game that features hoverboards, generic characters, overly futuristic but bland locales, and a trick system that doesn't want you to succeed. As misleading as the name is, the game isn't about tricks, its about getting through the 2-minute twisting tracks the fastest while getting a small score from tricks and not crashing. If you're looking to hunt down a full collection of Dreamcast games, then by all means go for it. But if you want only good games to show off, definitely never give this a second glance.

Its freakin' Unreal Tournament, on the Dreamcast, and its compatible with the DC mouse and keyboard. What more could you ask for? Its a perfect replacement to the PC version since its directly ported over.

While there aren't as many maps (there are a couple of DC exclusive ones) as the PC version it doesn't pull punches in the amount of action that takes place. Mods, tournament ladders, and characters are all here. The same insane action that an FPS-arena fan craves. It's a must-have for any Dreamcast owner.  I also own the PS2 version and I can definitely say that, without a doubt, the PS2 version is the weakest while the DC hits all the right body parts. Now you can yell "HEADSHOT" when playing on your Dreamcast.

Believe it or not, Rockstar was experimenting with open world games even on the DC. Wild Metal is a perfect example of how NOT to do it. You choose from a small assortment of tanks that differ in firepower, speed, and armor and take it to the battlefield... a very barren battlefield. Why are you fighting an overly accurate enemy AI AND poor controls at the same time? Who knows. Rockstar definitely missed the mark with this one and while the terrain is open its just very bland. There's not much to see besides powerups, enemies, and more desert. Wild Metal is in the same lines as Trickstyle: you can do without it if you're going to play these games for real, but its okay to have in a collection.

So here's a couple of questions for you all...

What is your favorite game, THE killer app that everyone must own, for the Dreamcast?
If you've never owned a DC, why?
If the DC had succeeded how do you think the gaming scene would be different today?

Keep Playing Your Dreamcast.

Sonic Fan Film Teaser Trailer

From Eddie Lebron, the mind that brought us the live-action Mega Man fan film. Finally, my childhood hero of the SatAM cartoons makes the jump to the real world.

And yes, that is Jaleel White as Sonic.

And I nerdgasmed.