Alright, I keep trying to put this in the description, but youtube keeps telling me it's too long, and it's driving me apes***-batty. So instead of trying to cut it down any more while being further frustrated, I decided to post this on my personal blog.
This week was all PS2. It's funny, nine years old, and still my most played console. Nothing this gen even compares to it.
Anyways, I has the urge this week to play tactical FPS. I realized that this gen is nearly devoid of an in depth tactical shooter (which is about to change with Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising). The only two games I'd say fit the bill, are GRAW 1/2, and Rainbow Six Vegas 1/2 (though the Vegas series is a completely watered down sad shell of the tactical shooter that the RS name used to be, and can only very loosely be classified as a tactical shooter). Here's hoping for a good Socom sequel (that isn't Hollywooded) with a good single player. I know that UBI says there is no more money in such games, but I'm so tired of seeing developers take the in-depth gameplay of such games of the past, and water them down, till they don't even have a fraction of that depth. I for one am definitely going to look into OF:DR, because I've been wanting to experience a good tactical shooter for a while, but have to look to last gen to find them.
Anyways, enough rambling, here are the games I played this week:
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2)-
OK, so this isn't a tactical shooter, but it is a very addictive game. In fact I went through the PS1/N64 era not being much of a platformer fan (which is why I constantly hear about not having Spyro in my PS1 vid). In fact I only really had the Crash series on my PS1 for the longest time, and Donkey Kong 64 (DK64 was $40 and came with the expansion pack, and the expansion pack on it's own was $30, so I decided to pay a little bit more and get a game with it, but I bought the expansion pack for Perfect Dark).
Jak and Daxter is actually the game in the genre the made me decide to give the whole genre another chance. I borrowed it from a friend many years ago, and it was the first platformer that I tried to complete 100%, and I was one scout fly away from doing that when I had to return it to my nagging friend. I believe that this was 2001 or 2002. Either way, I only just finally got the game for myself earlier this year, and it's completely addictive to me. I don;t know what it is about this game, but when I get into it, I find it harder than hell to stop playing it. Maybe it's because the game feels more like a straight up adventure game than a traditional platformer.
I'm currently trying to complete the game 100% again (minus some Precursor Orbs that I've missed here and there), so this time when I beat it, I'll finally have earned the good ending.
Rainbow Six 3 (PS2)-
OK, I suppose that this is where the Rainbow Six series first started to get watered down, but unlike in Vegas, you don't regenerate health, so it still feels a lot more tense in that way. It just feels a lot more strategic, and tense when you actually get punished for getting hit aside from it messing with you view while letting you regenerate.
The PS2 port of the game is a pretty good port. I already had it on the Xbox, and always wondered how the PS2 port stacked up. The enemy animations are a little choppy, but overall, it's a solid game.
The online mode is a ghost town, so if you're the type who likes to take an online game with your friends,a nd claim it for your own, this game is definitely one you can do that in. I log on every time I've booted the game up this week, and haven't even found so much as a trace of antoher player aside from the leaderboards.
Granted, the biggest nail to the coffin in the online mode is that it only supports up to 6 players in a room for some inexplicable reason. It have voice chat support, but 3 on 3 isn't exactly exciting considering that the Xbox port allows up to 16 players.
In all honesty, they should have degraded the visual quality of the game, and allowed for at least 4 on 4. 3 on 3 is just sloppy, but that's kinda how UBI was with their PS2 ports. Sloppy.
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs (PS2)-
I actually finished up a save game I had for Socom II before I booted the original up. I don't think that I have ever beaten the SP campaign in the original Socom. I used to play it all the time at my friend's house when his Internet was down (I didn't get high-speed internet untill 2005, so I used to have to get my Socom online fix at a friend's house).
Despite the popular claims that the single player in Socom is crap, I find the Socom SP to be very good. Think of them as a mixture of the slower methodical pace of a Ghost Recon mixed with some of the more arcadey feel of Rainbow Six 3. It's plenty heavy on the tactical aspects of the game, but also allows you to do a fair share of running and gunning.
What I like about the mission structure is that you actually have a bit of choice in how you tackle a mission. There are quite a few secondary mission objectives in each level that you can choose to complete, or not. If you fail a secondary objective, then no big deal. It's only the main objectives in the game that you can't fail. You also don't have to stay stealthy if you don't want to. Like I said, you can run a gun with an M60 in most of the levels if you so chose.
Now that may lead some people to ask, if you can just blindly run and gun in most missions, then where exactly is the depth in the gameplay, well, because of the mission structure, you can get as much in-depth tactical gameplay as you personally want to get out of the game. I like running and gunning a lot, because I run out of patience for hiding, but those with more patience who want to go the stealthy route as much as they can will find that this game is also completely immersive in that regard.
It's the kind of game where you get out of it what you put into it.
SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs (PS2)-
Like the original Socom, I had never beaten this game in all my years of owning it. I mainly just played it online, but it's also got a very good SP.
They even improved a few things over the original. The graphics are of course better, the arsenal more varied with the guns being more balanced, but the squad A.I. is also vastly improved, and watch your back a lot better. Just tell them to fire at will, and they'll have a field day taking out guys you never even would have seen. The only downside is that they like to block you in hallways, and doorways which can sometimes get you killed, but overall, they do their job admirably.
I finally beat this one. granted, I didn't go on the hardest difficulty, but even on the the difficulty I chose, this game is hardly a cake walk. Just like the original, there are no mid-mission check points, so if you happen to die (which death can come so swiftly in this game), it's back to the beginning of the level. This will no doubt be frustrating to most of those who have been spoiled by some games who hand out checkpoints like candy on Halloween.
One of the most frustrating things I hear coming from modern gamers is this idiotic belief that all the games on the PS1 were either overrated or crap. Seeing as I own nearly 200 games for Sony's original grey box, I know better.
The problem is most people never went below the mainstream titles that the system had to offer, so when they talk about how "crappy" the PS1 is, they haven't even scratched the surface of the system's library of games which is massive, and varied.
This has led me to make the decision to spotlight the various genres that the system has to offer, and show games that some of you have probably never even heard of, or played. Some of them I have yet to play as well.
One of the genres most often quoted as being crap on the PS1 is the First Person Shooter genre. I know from experience that the lineup of PS1 first person shooters is extremely solid. Are there better shooters on other consoles? That's all a matter of opinion, but what can't be denied is the fact that there is a lot more to the PS1's FPS lineup that most people realize.
Here is a list of the more notable FPS on the PS1:
007: The World is not Enough
This is actually one that I haven't played as of yet. I do own the N64 version of TWINE, and it's great fun, but the PS1 version is completely different, and lacks the multiplayer of the N64 version (which wasn't that spectacular to begin with).
From the reviews I've read and the vids I've watched it still appears to be a solid FPS outing. This is definitely going to be one of the next PS1 games I pick up.
Here's a vid of the game in action (courtesy of Youtube member laxity83):
Alien Resurrection
This is one to play with the lights on. The tense atmosphere will keep you on your toes in this game. This hit near the end of the PS1's lifetime, and is a solid, but very challenging FPS. The enemies are numerous, check points far apart, and the ammo is in short supply. It's a tough, but satisfying experience.
Plus it supports Dual analog control, and even the PS1 mouse for aiming.
Here's a vid of my own creation of the game in action (as played on a PS2 with texture smoothing on):
Alien Trilogy
This being the older of the two Aliens games on the PS1 is less atmospheric than Resurrection, but it was great for it's time. If you're still a fan of Doom style games, then this should be right up your alley. Essentially this is Doom in the Aliens universe. I still love Doom, and I still really enjoy this game.
Here's a vid of the game in action (courtesy of Youtube member shittygamer):
Codename: Tenka
Codename Tenka has the distingueshed honor of being the first fully 3D FPS on the PS1. It's gameplay is simple get the key and open the door, but it's engaging nonetheless. The soundtrack is rocking with the trademark Psygnosis electronic beats.
Here's a vid of my own creation of the game in action (as played on a PS2 with texture smoothing on):
Delta Force Urban Warfare
This one was released in 2002, and is an objective based modern FPS. It's a little choppy, but it's still one of the best looking PS1 games ever released, and what's better, it's actually a fun game to play. There were some people who even made claims around the time the game was released that the graphics were PS2 quality.
It's level setup is similar to Goldeneye, but with a more tactical feel. The missions also have a good variety to them, and this also supports dual analog control for more precise aiming.
Here's a vid of my own posting of the game in action (As played on a PS2 with texture smoothing on):
Disruptor
Essentially just another Doom clone, but from what I've read a solid one at that. It puts it's own unique spin on the formula. It adds psychic powers called psionics which gives the player various new abilities and attacks at their disposal.It's worth a look for fans of Doom's gameplay who are looking for some oldschool FPS action.
This one comes from the good folks at Insomniac, and you though Resistance was their firs foray into the FPS genre.
Here's a vid of the game in action (courtesy of Youtube member SogekingSama . the footage is a little glitchy, so I assume they're playing it on an emulator, but it's the best footage I could find):
Doom
I've never had the pleasure to play the the PS1 port, but from what I've read up on it, it's the premier console port of Doom. It's not quite as good looking as the original PC version, but it adds colored lights and ambient music for a more atmospheric feel.
The PC version may be king, but if you're looking for a version of Doom where you can sit down on your gaming chair in front of your TV, you won't find a better port than this (except for maybe the new Xbox 360 port of the game, but even then you may dig the atmosphere in the PS1 version).
Even now, with the exception of the 32X port, all ports of the original Doom to the multitude of consoles will still run you a decent price(even the sub par 3DO port and the choppy Saturn Port), so you may as well go with the PS1 version over the rest.
Here's a vid of the game in action (courtesy of Youtube member KarntheHellknight):
Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown
This is the PS1 port of Duke Nukem 3D. Having now played this version, I can say that it moves at lightning speed compared to the N64 and Saturn versions. Each port to the three consoles has it's strong points, and the PS1 version looks the worst out of all, but makes up for it due to it's sheer speed. All pale in comparison to the PC version, but Total Meltdown is still a fine port of Duke Nukem to the PS1.
One thing the PS1 version has in it's favor is a rocking remixed soundtrack.
Here's a vid of the game in action (courtesy of Youtube member elbryan42):
Final Doom
I've also never played this PS1 port, but apparently it doesn't have all the levels of the PC original. In fact, they actually threw in 13 levels from the The Master Levels of Doom 2, but it still retains the classic Doom gameplay, and the ambient music, and colored lighting that made the first PS1 port so atmospheric.
Here's a vid of the game in action (courtesy of Youtube member elbryan42):
Hexen
OK, Hexen isn't so much a FPS, it's got more adventure elements in it, I have the N64 version, but have never played the PS1 version. The PS1 port retains the music and the FMV sequences of the PC original, and from the vids I've seen looks like it runs a little faster than the N64 version, but has grainier visuals which is to be expected, and also appears to have some slowdown when a multitude of enemies are on screen.
Here's a vid of the game in action (courtesy of Youtube member elbryan42):
Medal of Honor
This is the obvious one that everyone knows about. When people are attacking the PS1's FPS, they're pretty much talking only about this game and it's sequel. MoH started the historically accurate WWII FPS craze. Unlike Wolfenstien 3D which used a WWII theme, MoH actually had missions based on historical events.
MoH was an objective based WWII shooter. It's feel is more light than later WWII games. It's more Indiana Jones (minus the supernatural elements) than Saving Private Ryan where it goes more into the myth, and legends surrounding WWII, and OSS operations in WWII than the battles fought. Overall I'd say it's a great game, but it's still not my favorite PS1 FPS.
Here's a vid of the game in action (courtesy of Youtube member, you guessed it, elbryan42):
Medal of Honor Underground
In all honesty, I haven't played Underground. It's not that I never wanted to, it's that I just never got around to it.
MoH Underground It a prequel to the events of the original MoH where you play as the French resistance contact form the original MoH named Manon.
From the reviews I've read, some people have complained about how the later missions turn towards the occult practices of the Nazis, but I couldn't say for sure. I do know that the Nazis were into strange occult practices, so such missions would be historically accurate, but it depends on how they executed such levels I guess. I'll tell you when I finally play the game.
Here's a vid of the game in action (courtesy of Youtube member chilloutgames):
PO'ed
This one is another Doom clone, except with a unique cast of enemies, and a unique weapons set. In fact, instead of the cliche badass space marine, you play as a cook on a space ship that's been invaded by aliens.
I've actually got the 3DO version of this on order, because it was a fraction of the cost of the PS1 version.
Here's a vid of the game in action (courtesy of Youtube member TheSeriousCacodemon):
Powerslave (aka Exhumed)
Now this is one that I completely overlooked, but now really want to play. I've heard various reports that the Saturn version is better than the PS1 version, but it's also more expensive. One day I'll have to get both versions to see for sure what the differences are.
Apparently the game has something to do with aliens invading Egypt, and stealing the mummified body of King Ramses, and you're on a mission to get it back.
Yeah, story isn't that important, but the game receives extremely high acclaim form those who have played it. It's definitely an overlooked title.
Here's a vid of the game in action (courtesy of Youtube member elbryan42):
Quake II
As far as I'm concerned, this is the crowning achievement for PS1 first person shooters. They never even brought the original Quake to the PS1, because they said the system couldn't handle it, but sure as heel, the brought Quake II.
Not only is it an extremely impressive port, but it's a remarkable technical achievement for Hammerhead to get a game that required a top of the line PC and a Voodoo 3D accelerator card in it's original form to run on the old PS1. What's even better is that it plays great.
I was always one of those PS1 Quake II doubters. I had the N64 version of Quake II, and figured that the PS1 version was probably crap, but boy was I wrong. Not only is Quake II now my favorite PS1 FPS, but it's superior to the expansion pack using N64 version. It runs smoother, looks better, and doesn't use sprites for guns like the N64 version does. The only advantage the N64 version has is that it's an all new adventure whereas the PS1 mostly mirrors the PC version in it's levels.
The PS1 port even allows for 4-player split screen deathmatches which is also remarkable for a system that isn't known for it's multiplayer capabilities.
My only real complaint about the game is that none of the control schemes feel quite natural. I use the one where you move with the D-pad, aim with the right analog stick, and fire with L1 which takes some getting used to at first, but works just fine.
The PS1 port of Quake II is extremely underrated not only because most people probably assume that the PS1 port has to be crappy, but because it launched around the same time as the original Medal of Honor, and was overshadowed by that game.
Here's a vid of my own posting of the game in action (As played on a PS2 with texture smoothing on):
Here's a comparison vid I made comparing the PS1 version of Quake II to the N64 version (The PS1 version isn't using texture smoothing, but the N64 version is using the expansion pack):
Star Wars: Dark Forces
The humble beginning to what eventually blossomed into the Jedi Knight franchise for Lucasarts, Dark Forces has you playing as Kyle Katarn a former Imperial stormtrooper who defected to the Rebellion. You blast your way through a multitude of Doom inspired levels and hordes of Imperial baddies.
The game came under fire for it's blurry, and choppy visuals, but if you can look beyond that (it actually looks like a first gen N64 games with the amount of the blur), you'll find a fun and rewarding adventure set in the Star Wars universe. This is actually my newest acquisition in PS1 FPS games, and I'm really enjoying it.
There was also a PC version, but I'm not sure what you need in order to get it to run properly on today's modern computers (probably have to deal with Dos Box). The easiest version to just plug and play is the PS1 version.
The game didn't get good reviews even at it's time, but after playing it, I find it to be a much better game than the much heralded Shadows of the Empire which was blander in feel.
Here's a vid of the game in action (courtesy of Youtube member elbryan42 who's also a big advocate of the game):
In Conclusion:
My point of making this post is that, even if all of of these games still do nothing for you, and you're still convinced that the PS1 had nothing but crap for FPS games, the very least you PS1 detractors out there could do is insult the variety of FPS available on the PS1 instead of just mentioning Medal of Honor. The PS1's library is very deep, and varied, so if you're going to insult the console, at least do it right.
Note: I originally posted this in a topic on GamePro.com, but I decided that it was worthy enough to add to my blog
It seems lately that, though there are hundreds if not thousands of games released every year, we only really hear about a small handful of them. I know that it's not realistic to expect any magazine/website to possibly cover them all. There are just too many. However, why does it seem that only a small handful of games even get any attention from the gaming media?
I know that those games are more likely to get the website hits, and to sell the magazines, but am I the only one who gets so tired of hearing about these games that by the time they come out I couldn't force myself to care about them?
Back in the day I was completely content on reading one page to half a page about what the premise of a game was, and then that was good enough. If it sounded interesting then I'd look into it. Today however that doesn't seem to be good enough. They've gotta be ten, twenty, or even thirty page blowouts focusing on just one game. Maybe it's just me, but I could never be so into just one game to want to read that much about it. Do you really need to know everything about that one game before you get it? There are no surprises anymore.
The worst part is, all that extra space could be given to games that won't get the attention they deserve. The reason why gaming seems to be stagnating as of late isn't so much that alternative games aren't out there, it's that they aren't getting the attention they deserve due to the massive over-hype of the big name games. If they don't get the attention, they don't get the sales, and they don't get sequels. It's sad to see some truly innovative games go completely unnoticed by the gaming public at large, because the magazines and website decide to spend their time hyping up every aspect of one or two big name games.
Look, the big name games are going to sell millions of copies regardless. Why not focus more energy trying to help out the lesser known games?
The internet sites are worse about it than the magazines I'm afraid. Every little detail is given front page status. "Breaking News: The main character now has a knife as a weapon. Breaking Breaking News: It's not a knife it's a pair of scissors. Breaking Breaking Breaking News: It's actually a pair of scissors that morphs into a knife." I can't imagine how anyone out there could possibly care enough to salivate over every minute detail of one game enough to want hear about that same game every hour on the hour. Does that kind of stuff really deserve front page treatment? Wouldn't you rather that space be used to bring your attention to a potentially great game that you previously didn't even know existed?
I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but I just don't care that much about any one game to want to devote that much time and energy looking over every last detail while ignoring every other potential great game out there. Maybe it's because I'm an out-of-the-mainstream gamer. I don't know.
Note: I previously posted this on GamePro.com, and am posting it here to archive it. Some of the content may apply to that site, or members of that site.
I have been gaming for many years... and for me one of my favorite franchises has always been the Tony Hawk Series. Well... let's just say that was thrown out of the window about 2 years ago. What caused this? Project 8. Rag doll physics were put in. The level design is bland unlike past games. There are no secret areas.
In my eyes the last good game will always be Underground 2. It was the first to have a plot and let you get off your skateboard but it did not try hard to be an open world game like the others. You went from place to place across the world. Where is that? It is lost. Now they try to give you a more realistic world. That is not the Tony Hawk world I want to live in!
Come on! In T.H.U.G. you did insane lines. Everything was crazy. I am not saying the new games are bad but you have to realize that it has to beat itself and with realism you can not do that.
It is ok Tony... you are not the only one doing it. But you are doing it the most.
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Teh reviews is bought!!!
(by teh2Dgamer)
The obsession with review scores lately is really starting to bug me about my fellow gamers. It's mainly just the fanboys, but even in non-fanboy arguments, I've noticed that people seem to take reviews as fact. If you didn't like a game that has been proven to be the best game of all time, they'll not only tell you that your opinion is wrong, but they'll pull out all the reviews, or ranking sites (I really hate ranking sites) to prove that your opinion is wrong. It was given game of the year, so you're obviously wrong. No matter how much you explain your viewpoint on the matter, the reviews say it's good, so you're wrong. Never mind that it's your opinion, and there's no such thing as a wrong opinion.
If your views don't match some these people's views, then they'll prove to you that your wrong by showing you that everyone else thinks differently than you, so your opinion is wrong. I find this lack of free thought shown by my fellow gamers to be disturbing (A disturbing lack of thought if you will). Not only will they not listen to different views, but they don't even understand the concept of agreeing to disagree. Not everyone will like everything you do. Take for example your favorite band of all time. Think of the band who's songs and lyrics have changed your life. They've helped you through the good times and the bad times. Now realize that there's someone out there that thinks your favorite band in the whole wide world sucks. They hate your favorite band. It's the same thing in gaming. Just because you love a game doesn't mean that everyone else will regardless of how many reviews you show them. An opinion is an opinion, and you can't change most people's opinions no matter how hard you try, so quit trying.
This brings me to the fanboy uses for reviews. Fanboys use some random score to prove that their system of worship is obviously superior to the enemy system. "Game A" got a 9.1 on the Colecovision from cr4ppyg4mer.com while the Atari 2600 version got a 9.12. The VCS is obviously the superior console. It sounds pretty lame when you think about it. What does a .002 prove? Never mind that it may not even be the same guy who reviewed both versions, and that the differences are so minute that it really doesn't effect the enjoyment of a game one bit. Not that I'd ever accuse fanboys of rational thought, but squabbling over a few points does nothing to make your console look better. It just makes you look petty, and turns people off to your console of worship. Seeing also that reviews are just someone else's opinion, and not facts, it makes this practice all the more petty. You guys turn a .1 into 10 points in your propaganda speeches. Do you even know how pathetic that makes you look?
There's also the tactic of fanboys trying to prove the other system sucks because a highly anticipated game didn't get perfect scores. My personal favorite is the ""Game-A" got a 9.1, it flopped because it didn't get a 10. Ha ha, my system is obviously better." Then there's the ones where a game really doesn't score as high as expected, and they again use the reviews to attack the console and the game despite never playing it themselves. A good example is Socom Confrontation. Yes, it had server issues that were highly publicized in the reviews. The fanboys jumped on it saying that the game was obviously crap, and it played like crap despite the fact that most of the reviews were attacking it because of the server issues. I've actually played Confrontation at a friend's house, and I had no problems with it, and it's gameplay is everything a Socom fan would want. It's IMO a good game from what I've played of it, and that's the key, I've actually played the game. People who bash games having never played them are the worst. It's one thing if you played a game and hated it, because you've at least played it, but it's a whole nother thing to let someone else do your thinking for you. If you haven't played the game then you don't get an opinion. Just because someone says it sucks in an "official" review, doesn't mean it's not a good game. Remember it's just someone's opinion, and you won't always see eye to eye.
Speaking of not seeing eye to eye, this whole equation has a flip side. You see, you people who use reviews as facts in arguments, and believe so much into the reviews as the gospel truth, don't seem to like it when the reviews go the other way. When a reviewer gives a game a score other than the one you think it should be, they catch hell. Absolute hell from you same people who worship their reviews, and are so obsessed with them. It's sad that to these people reviews are fact until they don't agree with them. You'll never see so many accusations of "bought" review scores, or bias than when a highly anticipated game scores lower than what some people thought it should (see GP's review of Resistance 2 and a certain Sony fanboy's reaction). Never mind that they haven't played the game themselves, and are just going on the hype of the game. Heaven forbid someone who's actually played the game give it their honest opinion of the game. That's just stupid. In the very least, it'd be polite to actually play the game yourself, before you try and tear the reviewer a new one for the score they gave it. Of course that may actually make it sound like you know what you're talking about, and that just doesn't fly in gaming nowadays.
What I'm trying to say is that gamers need to start thinking for themselves more. This constant bickering over review scores, is getting really damn annoying. How could any rational person make an argument about any game good or bad if they themselves have not played it? My fellow gamers have seemingly become nothing more than mindless followers, and it's time for a change. If you can't argue from your own point of view, then what's the point in arguing in the first place?
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Teh Graficks!!!!!!!!! Teh Graficks!!!!!!!!
(by teh2Dgamer)
I'm going to try and make this a quick rant. Today I got a message on one of my youtube vids by a fellow gamer, and it's not an uncommon occurrence on my vids. This little turd of a youtube member attacked the game I was showing in the vid saying it was crap. Now if he'd played it, and was talking about the gameplay, I suppose I could understand more, but his reasoning, "This game sucks ass. Seriously loo kat the graphics they are horrible" (those were his exact words).
I can understand the appeal of visuals to gamers to an extent. I know that people spend a lot of money on their HDTVs, and top of the line Graphics Cards for their PC to get the best visual presentation possible. Even I turn up the effects on the PC games I play, and I even use the texture smoothing feature on my PS2 when playing PS1 games, so I can understand wanting to have the best visual presentation possible. If you've got it flaunt it.
However, my complaint is over people who can be so ignorant to judge an entire game on it's graphics. How does a game having bad graphics make it bad? I dare anyone to go back and play the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES, and tell me that the gameplay sucks, because it's visuals are old. Tell me that it won't suck you in just as well without the flash.
I like games to movies in a way. Though the special effects technology in movies has improved drastically over the years, that doesn't suddenly make every old movie suck, because it has a more primitive visual presentation. Classic movies are classic movies. An old movie with a great plot can still stand the test of time. When applied to games though, the good plot gets replaced as an old game with great gameplay can still stand the test of time.
Maybe it's time that gamers opened their mind a little to the fact that visuals fade. Like a movie that relies on special effects over substance, a game that relies on great visuals graphics will fade over time. The years will make even cutting edge visuals look old and outdated. Take away the flash, and the bid question is, does the game still stand on it's own in the gameplay department? That's the most important question, and that's also why I don't care how pretty a games graphics are, but only for how fun the gameplay is.
The belief that a game with dated, or bad visuals is crap doesn't make any sense to me. To use an example I've used before, the belief that older games are crap compared to new games because of their bad graphics is like saying that the old Star Wars Trilogy is crap compared to the new Trilogy. How many people in the world would say that?
Since I'm on a Star Wars kick, I'll use a quote I heard George Lucas say once "Special effects are just tools, means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing." I say that pretty graphics are just a means of experiencing good gameplay. Pretty graphics without good gameplay make for a pretty boring gaming experience. Gameplay has and always will be the most important part of gaming. That's just something to keep in mind next time you decide to scoff at a game because of it's visuals.
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My Life in Quake II
(by teh2Dgamer)
I have to admit that lately, I've not really been interested in the current generation of consoles. I've really been losing interest in playing the online games of this generation. None of them truly appeal to my gaming tastes. They just can't hold my interest for long. I tend to crave more mayhem in my games. Something fast paced, and, though I still do like a good strategic shooter like Socom, I like the arcadey shooters better.
Seeing little prospects for this gen, I decided to go back to play the PC greats of the past I missed when I was younger due to never having a PC growing up. Lately there's been one game in particular that I've been playing more than the rest. That game is Quake II.
Quake II was without a doubt the biggest PC game of 1997. I remember the huge hubbub this game created. I remember all the talk of heat.net, and all the stuff about the clans. Even the GamePro staff at the time had a clan I do believe. The buzz about this game has stuck in my head like no other PC game since for some reason. It was the Halo of it's time, and the biggest online game of 1998.
I, however, being poor, was not able to participate in the Quake II pwnage at the time, because I had not a computer. In fact, I didn't get my own personal computer until many years later. Probably about 6 years to be exact, and it was a mere hand-me-down 500 MHZ Pentium III computer. However, I still didn't instantly run out and buy Quake II when I finally got a computer that could handle it. I received the original Quake, and already had Aliens vs Predator, from playing on my dad's computer, but I didn't end up getting Quake II until mid 2005.
I only really played the single player mode at first, and was a little scared to try the multiplayer. Why? Because I knew that I'd be coming up against people who had been playing the game for eight years at the time, and was a little intimidated to be the new guy. I tried it once or twice online, and left it at that.
I then moved on to online console gaming on my PS2, and had great fun playing Socom, Delta Force, Battle Field 2, and a number of others online. During this time, I really didn't try online gaming on my PC, I was perfectly satisfied playing my PS2 online. However, as servers go, most PS2 online developers let theirs fall into laggy disrepair on some of the games I liked to play, and, though I had eventually bought Live on my Xbox, I rarely used it. Halo 2 wasn't my game really, and not much else was played. In fact, I still played my PS2 online more than any other console.
Cut to now, most of the online PS2 games are too laggy, or too glitchy because the developers could care less about them, and I used my Gold account on my 360 so little (aside from a little Halo 3, and a lot of Team Fortress 2) that I just stopped paying for it. I just can't justify paying for something that I don't want to play any games for, so I'm back down to a choice between my PS2 online or my PC, and I'm burnt out of the old games I used to play.
I finally decided to give Quake II the chance I didn't give it in 2005, because I felt like I missed out on it in the past. For the last, probably about, two months (as of me writing this a few months ago), I've been fragging away at id's 1997 masterpiece, and I'm having an absolute blast. In fact, I'm having more fun in Quake II that I've had in any online game in a long time.
Quake II isn't a game that you can just jump into and do good without any practice. QII requires a whole new set of skills just to move around in the game let alone move and shoot. Those of you out there who maintain that run-and-gun games take no strategy have obviously not played a game like Quake II. There so much technique that goes into even the simplest movements in the game. I scoff at anyone who thinks there is no strategy involved. In fact, it takes more skill to get good at a game like Quake II than it does most modern online games that give you more of a break to think. It's the type of game that requires on-the-fly strategic decisions that mean the difference between being victorious and being a red bloody soup-like substance.
There so much more going on in this game beyond just the run and gun. strafing, mastering the many types of jumps, hitting the pickups, and precision aiming with each weapon are just a few things that go into playing a successful round in Quake II, and you've gotta be able to do all of those in a split second. Make no mistake about it, this isn't a campers game (what most gamers are referring to when they say strategy). Sitting still and hiding may work for a little bit in some of the levels, but more often than not, you're going to eat a rail if you do it. In fact, the whole idea is to constantly be moving. Even if you're on a lift waiting for it to cary you up a level, you had better not stop moving. Not for a split second, because that's all it takes for a rail to connect. If you come into this game thinking that your Halo skills will be of any use, you're in for a surprise.
It's suffice to say that Quake II has fulfilled my need for fast paced mayhem in my online games. I'm in no means good at the game. In fact, I mostly do terrible in it, but I still have a blast, because it's so fun for someone with my gaming tastes. On occasions, I go over to a friend's house to play Halo 3 online with our other friend who's stationed in Guam, and, while I have fun playing with them, Halo 3 just isn't exciting to me at all anymore after spending time with Quake II. To me, it's a slower, and less interesting version of the deathmatch in the Quake series. It takes the arcadey feel of Quake, and makes it painfully slow, but with more realistic weapons, and a few obvious differences. I know that having this opinion won't gain me any fans, but I can't help it. Halo 3 just isn't exciting to me when compared to Quake II. Every time we play it, I'm thinking about Quake II. Every slow floaty jump, and floaty step I take in Halo 3 makes me yearn for the fast paced action of Quake II. Halo will never be the same for me after tasting Quake II. I know that's saying a lot, but, for me, it's true. A game who's gameplay is considered to be archaic by many modern gamers has captivated me better than any of the modern equivalents.
Some people may wonder exactly what I see in old games. I mean, why would I bother playing a 12 year old PC game online when there are newer prettier games out there? I, however, see the potential to be entertained by a game I missed the opportunity to experience the first time through. You may be perfectly satisfied with playing just Halo 3, and Call of Duty 4 (the status quo) online, but, as a true passionate gamer, I want to experience every game possible, and in experiencing every game you can, you never know when when you may find an old game that sucks you in the way Quake II has me. I may get bored with it, and move on tomorrow, but I will always cherish the fun I've had in playing Quake II online. Those reading this would be well served to go back and experience a game they've always been curious about. You may just enjoy yourself after doing it.
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Here's a vid of my own personal Quake II Suckage (loud volume warning):
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REVIEWS
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Quake II
(System: Playstation | Developed by: Hammerhead | Published by: Activision | Review by: teh2Dgamer)
I have to admit that for years, even I just assumed that the N64 version of Quake II was the superior version of the game, so I overlooked the PS1 version. Now, having played the PS1 version multiple times, I feel dumb for making that assumption for all of these years.
QII PS1 is a technical marvel considering how graphically intense the PC version was at the time requiring a top of the line 3D accelerator to run. How could they possible make a decent port to the PS1? They didn't even port the original Quake to the system because because they said it couldn't handle it, but yet they made Quake II, and It's a damn impressive port.
I'm not sure what Hammerhead did to get these kind of results out of Sony's old grey box, but the PS1 version of Quake II is the most impressive console port of the game (not counting the 360 port). It runs at a smooth 30 FPS with a little slowdown in a few areas. It also has better lighting effects than the N64 version, and fully polygonal gun models (QII N64 uses 2D sprites).
The PS1 version more closely follows the PC version than the N64 version. Instead of being a completely new experience, Hammerhead opted to try an include as many of the originals levels as possible (though there are some that are MIA), and it even retains the original music. This game just feels more like Quake II than the N64 version.
QII's design has expanded more from the get the key to open the door to a more objective's based gameplay. The level design feels like a precursor to Half-Life in some ways. There are what you could call levels, but they're huge and are divided into multiple areas that the game loads in. You can even, and actually will have to back-track to previous areas at points in the game giving it a more Half-Life than Doom feel.
It's not big on story, something about the Strogg (Borg-like creatures) invade earth, and your company is dispatched in a covert mission to the Strogg homeworld to try and kill the leader. That mission goes horribly wrong during the invasion, and you're separated from the rest of your company who is decimated by the Strogg defenses leaving you as the lone "Doomed Space Marine." It's a pretty typical story, and QII is more focused on action, so the only progression of that story comes in getting new objective sent you way from your command ship.
Quake II's gameplay is simple. You fight your way through hordes of Strogg baddies along your way to fulfill your objectives. The adrenaline pumping gameplay really makes you feel like the lone badass. No hiding like a sissy for your little shield to recover, just run and gun, and kick some ass, and pick a heath pack here and there if you're low on life. It's pure run and gun gamplay, and that what I love about it. It keeps it simple, and sometimes less is more. The shooters of today try too much to be these big cinematic experiences, but, sometimes, you don't care why you're doing it, you just want to shove you super shotgun up a Strogg Enforcer's ass and let the shrapnel fly. QII may be primitive in nature, but it's still a blast.
While, you won't find a control scheme that completely mirrors the dual stick control of today (though the "Right Stick" is the closest with movement w/ the d-pad, aiming with the R-stick, and firing with the L1 button), most of them work smoothly, and the game even supports play with the PS1 mouse.
Another great feature of the PS1 version is four player split screen multiplayer. I can't vouch for how smooth it is with four players, but I've played it two player, and have seen vids of three player matches, and the game still ran buttery smooth. There aren't many games on the PS1 that even support up to four players let alone many (if any other) FPS games. This is the PS1's best answer to Goldeneye for four player deathmatches, and it's a blast.
Bottom Line: Quake II on the PS1 is not just an impressive port, but a very fun game. Some of the newer FPS player will be turned off by it's oldschool gameplay, but those who love the old FPS would do well to pick up this PS1 port.
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Halo 2
(System: Xbox | Developed by: Bungie Software | Published by: Microsoft Game Studios | Review by: captaininsano15)
Halo 2, the Xbox's killer game. The one that really saved Microsofts system. The game that really made Xbox Live what it is today.
The story starts you off where you left off in Halo. You're Master Chief, as one of the last Spartans. You and the Marines fight against the Covenant and the unbearable Flood. The story has it's dull spots, but it's not quite as bad as most people put it to be. It has co-op, which is actually one of the best ways to experience the game in my opinion, and you also have some of the best multiplayer on Live to date.
The multiplayer is where this game it at. It's truly fun and great, even with the annoying ass-holes on Live. The maps are good, the gameplay is better, and the matchmaking is awesome. It's the one of the best matchmaking systems to date.
All in all, the game lived up to the hype to me. I played this game for years, and still do occasionally.
PROS: Great multiplayer, some of the best in it's time. Fun co-op. CONS: Story can get boring.
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Timesplitters
(System: Playstation 2 | Developed by: Free Radical Design | Published by: Eidos Interactive | Review by: teh2Dgamer)
Made from ex Rare employees who branched off to form Free Radical, Timesplitters immediately caught my eye as the PS2 launch game I wanted the most. Those of you who have played Rare's superb Goldeneye and Perfect Dark will see many similarities in the gameplay, music style, and the overall feel of Timesplitters.
TS' storyline is pretty basic, and not very clear. It's something to do with saving humanity from some ancient evil race that travels time, or something to that effect. The game doesn't spend much time on story, and the single player gameplay consists of simple go get the artifact and return it to your spawn point without dying gameplay. It's pretty obvious that this game was rushed to meet the PS2's launch, and the single player mode suffers because of it. It really just serves as an extension of the multiplayer mode which is Timesplitter's main draw.
Despite the inclusion of a slightly lagluster single player mode, and even an added challenge mode (both of which are used to unlock new things in the multiplayer mode), Timesplitters was made as a multiplayer experience and in that regard it out shined every other game of it's time save those that had online play. Taking the best elements of Perfect Dark's much heralded multiplayer, TS will have you and three friends fragging away for hours in it's intense fast paced arcadey deathmatch action, and if you and your friends aren't competitive, or you have no friends, TS also allows up to 10 bots to join in on the mayhem.
Not only is TS' deathmatch a top notch and fun experience, but it ups the ante by allowing players to create their own map. This makes for almost endless replay value for the game, because even if you get tired of the developer created maps, you now have the ability to create a million different maps for you and your friends to frag in. The map editor in both TS sequels may have more tiles, and allow for better maps, this version allows you to create the biggest maps in the entire series. It's a trade off, less tiles for more expansive maps. This version doesn't, however, allow you to create single player maps like it's sequels do.
The greatest multiplayer in the world would mean nothing if the game didn't control like a dream, and didn't have as smooth a frame rate. Even with four players, and 10 bots on screen, there isn't even a hint of slowdown in the game. In fact, the game was actually called Timesplitters because of it's immaculate 60 fps frame rate. The awesome frame rate does mean that there's a lack of graphical detail. Even when compared to Dreamcast games at the time, TS looks pretty bland, but it's a small price to pay for having such a smooth experience. It may look basic, but it's still one of the fastest FPS I've ever played, and it's still faster moving than either of it's sequels. I'll take smoothness and playability over pretty graphics and frame rate dips any day.
The only other complaint that can be waged about the game is it's first gen PS2 load times are a little long, but it's worth the wait.
Bottom Line: Though it has in many ways been surpassed by it's sequels, the original Timesplitters is still a solid experience for FPS junkies looking for a great multiplayer fix. If you're a fan of the series, or a fan of Goldeneye or Perfect Dark, then TS is still a solid buy.
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Assassin's Creed
(System: Xbox 360 | Developed by: Ubisoft Montreal | Published by: Ubisoft | Review by: miamifinfan)
Since the first CGI trailer popped, Assassin's Creed has been a long awaited game among gamers. When the game did finally release, it was met with mixed reviews and bandwagon hopping upon the industry. Many said it was repetitive and had no replay value, and this is true to an extent, but when one sat down, and played the game, Assassin's Creed is a polished experience.
The story has a major twist at the beginning of the game, and a whole concept people were not expecting. I will not spoil that here. Go find that out yourself. You play as Altair, an Assassins in the Assassin's Guild during the Crusades. You are given a list of nine people to assassinate in order to bring peace upon the land. You'll be doing this three humongous cities. The cities are Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus. There are many twists and turns that keep you engrossed throughout.
As for the gameplay department, Assassins Creed shines. Hopping and climbing on buildings should be a game in its ownself. It is addicting, and tremendously fun. You basically have three modes, if I can say that. High-profile mode, where you can sprint, jump, etc. Low profile which is essential when near guards and assassin targets, and normal mode, which is what you'll be in most of the game. Altair has four(five counting his fists) weapons at his disposal. His sword, short-blade, throwing knives, and his hidden blade, which is is essential in your assassination missions. Assassinating the targets take time, and thought. Trying to go in blazing will get you killed easily.
The controls are tight and responsive, so there isn't much I can say about that department. The sound is really nothing to talk about either, but the voice acting is done very well, so well in fact, you'll feel like watching a movie. There are no cutscenes, except for in-game story dialogue. Coming over to the graphics department. WOW. There are very little games today that can match Assassins Creed in visuals and art Everything feels so real. The building stones and cities themselves feel so alive. I was very stunned of how a multi-platform game could do this.
Now, the cons of the game(which shouldn't sway you at all). Before each mission, you are to do a few side missions, which stay the same throughout the game. Pickpocketing, eavesdropping, and intimidating/interrogating. You'll have to do these before every assassination, and it does get a bit repetitive admittedly, but since each city is shaped so different, it feels different each time. In my eyes at least. After the assassinations and the game is over, there isn't much to do. It is a sandbox game, but other than climbing buildings and assassinating random people, not much. There are however, a total of 420 flags to collect (100 in each city, and 20 in Masyaf) and 40 Templars to kill. Now, I found this part to be fun. I managed to find all the flags and kill every Templar, and if you attempt to do this, it is VERY time consuming. This all depends on how dedicated you are. I found this fun, and very enjoyable. Once you find all flags and kill every Templar, the satisfaction is beyond great. You'll feel accomplished. After that, there isn't much to do. Now, i know this review is a little late, but this game deserves attention. At a price of $29.99 for both the Xbox 360 and PS3, this is a steal in my eyes. Go Buy It.
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Metroid Prime
(System: Gamecube | Developed by: Retro Studios | Published by: Nintendo | Review by: James_Earl_Cash)
What a game should be...
Being a fan of the franchise for years, I was totally amazed on how well put together this game was. The graphics weren't state of the art, but it doesn't need them to be a great game. The soundtrack was awsome and inspiring. I couldn't find anything wrong with the gameplay. Prime had just the right amount of control, level difficulty, and inginuity. The button reaction timing was spot on and the puzzle solving to proceed through each level was balanced. I was surprised at how well certain atmospheric and invirons reacted with Samus's helm such as mist, or condesation collecting on her screen, to a blast from an enemy's cannon fire causing her own reflection to appear momentarely on her face plate. All information was easily accessible to her HUD screen and stored for later use. Though there were times that I became frustrated with certain areas of the game, it was nice to know that the mistakes I made were of my own rather than poor game construct.
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Far Cry Instincts: Predator
(System: Xbox 360 | Developed by: Ubisoft Montreal | Published by: Ubisoft | Review by: FETALJUICE)
I have always liked the Far Cry series for its rock solid gameplay and fun underrated multiplayer. This one is no exception, as it includes 2 Original Xbox ports of Far Cry Instincts and Far Cry Instincts: Evolution. It stays faithful to the originals but with somewhat beefed up visuals. The water effects are amazing and very realistic but that's about it for the visuals. As Far Cry is a first person shooter, all of the cutscenes in both campaigns are in first person too so it makes you feel part of the game world. The Instincts campaign is pretty lengthy for a first person shooter, clocking in at about 8 to 10 hours to complete. Evolution is a bit shorter by about an hour and half.
Since the settings of both games take place a tropical island with lots of tropical forests, waterfalls and rivers, the game is somewhat open-ended but not to the extent of the original Far Cry on the PC. Basically, you are Jack Carver, a dude with a mysterious past who is being hunted by mercenaries for reasons unknown. The gameplay consists of a mix of stealth and run and gun gameplay. If you aren't playing on the Predator mode (no radar mode), you have a radar that tells you the location of your enemies, whether they are alert, cautious or simply just minding their own business and all of this is color coded. Red is alert, yellow is caution and green is normal. You can set up tree whip branches on tree and lure your enemies towards them by throwing rocks where the trap is setup. The enemy will be searching to see what's going on and POW!!, he gets nailed by the tree whip. Its an awesome way to kill.
It is recommended that you stay out of sight, as you can take a lot of damage from enemies. You can die ALMOST instantly from turret fire (obviously lol) It is better to pick them off silently with silenced weapons or booby traps like the aforementioned tree whip. Not all of the segments require stealth, as a good portion of the game is mindless shooting. Here is when the fun starts. There are about 12 weapons to choose from (excluding the feral abilities which I will talk about in a bit) that ranges from silenced pistols to P90s to Rocket Launchers. In the campaigns, certains weapons are available after reaching a certain level. Weapons like pistols and SMGs can be duel wielded for extra firepower but at the cost of accuracy. The Assault Rifle is the only gun to have a secondary fire option, since it has a grenade launcher attached to it.
As you progress through the first game's campaign, you start gaining supernatural abilities. Of course, this has its price, as the abilities have a Adrenaline gauge that dertermines how many times can you use or how much time can you use your abilities. Feral Attack: An extremely powerful one-hit kill punch/slash that sends enemies flying. Consumes a good amount of adrenaline. Feral Speed: Ability to run freaking fast and jump at very long distances. Adrenaline is consumed based on how long you remain in this state, since you can relax or run fast at any time. Feral Sense: Ability to smell enemies out to easily locate them. In later levels, Jack starts to improve his senses by being able to see in the dark and better determine whose smell is it coming from. Adrenaline is consumed the same way Feral Speed does but a slower rate. These abilities are crucial to your survival on the island. If your adrenaline runs out, it recovers back at a slow rate but, if you encounter MRE units, it instantly restores it back to full bar.
There is also swimming in the gaming but you are REALLY helpless, as you can only punch or slash with your knife underwater. There are quite a variety of vehicles to drive including ATV's to Hand Gliders.
The game is somewhat difficult since there are a lot of enemies and few medipacks to restore your health. If you are looking for the ultimate challenge, I suggest you play Predator mode, which has no radar and you take extra bullet damage.
Lets talk about multiplayer. It is so underrated that is almost a crime not to play it. Even though it only contains 5 gametypes: Steal the Sample (a variant on Capture the Flag but instead you steal a sample and aren't confined to being helpless, as you can use a SMG or pistol to defend yourself. You can even throw the sample to another teammate if you are in danger of dying so that the team still scores. Its kinda like football LOL) Chaos (deathmatch) Team Chaos (Team Deathmatch) Predator (up to 4 players can be predators that have all of the supernatural abilities from campaign. They have to kill the mercenaries while the mercenaries team must find the generator and power it up for 40 secs to defeat the predators. One of the popular gametypes) and Seek and Secure (King of the Hill) The built-in maps are plentiful but no one plays them. Its all about the user maps. How to download them? You simply just join a room and it downloads it automatically. I forgot to mention that you can make your own maps for multiplayer use. It has a robust map maker with many tools and options to make the best map. A small group of people still play this game online and I encourage everyone to at least give this game a try, as the online is pretty fun. The user maps range from platforming, to good old fashioned maps for killing. Its pretty cool.
Overall I love this game and its only $18 bucks used at Gamestop. It's a steal. I encourage everyone to play this massively underrated shooter.
Score: 9.8/10
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Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
(System: Playstation 3 | Developed by: Kojima Productions | Published by: Konami | Review by: DGeneral)
Whew it's been a long time since i've written a review folks but i'm finally back to give you my unbiased review of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. MGS4 indeed is a wild ride tying up all the loose ends of the story of Solid Snake and his cloned brother Liquid Snake. But is it worth your time? I'll share with you my review of Guns of the Patriots while staying spoiler free. Now let's get into the meat and potatoes part of the review shall we?
First off let me start off by getting this off my chest. I very much dislike the opening scene and gameplay mesh of MGS4's opening. It really takes you out of the action you've been waiting to get started with. While the dialog for the opening scenes are good i feel that it was a bit over extended and Kojima should have either had a opening cutscene to get you into the feel of the game and the surrounds or shortened out the length of the opening segments. It felt like player control of Solid Snake was tooken away from you too often too soon. After the opening then that's when you real fun begins as you maneuver snake through the war torn middle east. During this time is where you really start to see what i've come to dub the "New face of MGS" with MGS4 heading more towards a action orientated game.
Yes the sneaking bits is still very much in tact but they seem very secondary compared to previous MGS games where stealth is the best bet that's not so much the same for MGS4. In MGS4 you can very easily go into the game guns blazing taking out any mofo that stands in your way or you can stealthily sneak past patrolling guards or even stick up one of the flanking guards to take his weapons and knock him out. But there are also new little things that you have to pay attention to such as Solid Snake being a old man now you have to keep him out of the sunlight since you don't want him to have any heat strokes or not staying crouched to long to mess up his arthritic back. While these things are nice little touches to really solidify (no pun intended) Snake as being old they never feel like a gameplay burden such as taking some of your friends out for social events in GTA4.
Also another new gameplay element in MGS4 is the expansive levels. In all of the acts there's more than 1 path you can take to reach your destination. No it's not as open as Assassins Creed or GTA4 but the level expansion is more like what you'd see in a Hitman game where you have multiple ways to execute your objective and even some hidden routes in which you can take to get to your target point. I don't want to delve into how each act plays out because i think it's best to experience them for yourself. What i will talk about though is the Boss fights and not what it takes to beat them or anything like that but the quality of the boss fights. I have to say the Boss fights in MGS4 save for the final 3 that you do aren't as creative as the previous boss battles in MGS games. It's not that their quality is bad but they aren't as creative (over the top) as previous boss battles in the MGS series which for me as a fan was disappointing.
Now to the most controversial part of MGS4: Cutscenes, i'll be frank with you guys here, there is alot of cutscenes in MGS4. They take up, i'd wager a good 40 percent of the overall time for Guns of the Patriots. No there is not a cutscene that lasts half the time of a LOTR movie but the longest cutscene in the game is roughly 56ish minutes and that's the final cutscene of the game. Though the quality of the cutscenes are simply put great specially the fighting cutscenes but the cutscenes that consists of lots of dialog are also good as well and are pretty accessible for newcomers to the series and vets alike. Though there is 1 particular cutscene that could potentially throw off first time players but it's at actually at the end of the story that occurs so if you kept up with the story there shouldn't be much trouble "getting it".
MGS4 has it's strong points and weak points but it is not the best game ever nor is it the best MGS game in my opinion. While the story in i believe is a true benchmark for storytelling in video games, the controls are more accessible and not as clumsy as before, and there's good amounts of action and it's level's aren't linear. There are some blemishes such as alot of cutscenes that take up quite a bit of time, the boss fights are a bit underwelming compared to previous installments and "installing" after every act in MGS4 for 2 minutes is pretty lame. Also the stealth takes a backseat to action in the majority of the game so if you like more gung ho and like to shoot shit up i'd say you'd really like the new face of MGS but if you like stealth gameplay like me you could be slightly disappointed in MGS4.
In the end I'd give MGS4 a 9.5 out of 10. It's not the best game ever or even the best MGS game in my opinion but the story, new elements of gameplay and honed mechanics of previous MGS gameplay makes MGS4 a great game that's worth your time and money. It's not the end all be all of games but it's extremely entertaining and fun. Yes the game gets spotted a few times while trying to sneak past getting away with a few things but before you react to them you've already been tranquilized.
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Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
(System: Xbox 360/PS1 | Developed by: Konami | Published by: Konami | Review by: FETALJUICE)
This Castlevania is the most popular of all the other games, and with good reason. I think I can sum up the gameplay perfectly in two video game names: Super Metroid, Castlevania style. It is so amazingly addictive that you won't want to stop playing it even after you beat it. And dont get me started on the massive amount of extras in this game.
The gameplay in SOTN revolves around exploring a castle and finding weapons, special abilities to make you stronger and find secret areas, much like Super Metroid's system of hunting and gathering. There is a lot more to it than that. I was impressed that this 2D platformer had RPG elements. Like most RPGs, when you kill monsters, you gain EXP and when you reach a certain limit, you gain levels, which obviously increases your stats. You can equip many different types of weapons that range from swords to brass knuckles. You also equip armor and accessories to boost your stats (some armors and accessories have special powers). Its like an RPG in a 2D platformer. I think that is the greatest idea in a video game.
The prologue of the game starts as you playing as Richter Belmont (from Dracula X: Rondo of Blood) in the final stage from that game I just mentioned. So in other words, you begin the game kicking Dracula's ass. The fight takes place 4 years before the events of Symphony of the Night. In the fight between Dracula and Richter, Alucard's (the main character) stats is determined on how fast you kill Dracula, if you get hit, how many weapons you picked up, and if you used subweapons. So if you kill Dracula without getting hit and rapidly, Alucard starts with great stats like a lot of HP and STR. Of course if you die and get revived by Maria (another character from Rondo of Blood) Alucard gets the worst stats. Once the battle is over, you are treated to a summary of the story so far. Then you gain control of Alucard&&&..
As Alucard, you have a variety of moves that are button input sensitive (example: Right, Down Forward, Right + Attack button does a stronger weapon attack) Magic Spells are cast this way. As you explore the castle, you begin to find abilities to travel/enter places you couldn't normally do. I will only reveal one of the transformations in the game. Wolf transformation allows you to run swiftly to attack enemies. Each of these 3 transformations in total can get upgraded by picking up upgrades found in secret areas.
There are ally monsters called Familiars that aid you in your quest. These monsters level up individually so that means that if you kill a monster, your familiar won't gain EXP unless the Familiar kills an enemy. There are 5 in total but I will only reveal the most basic one. The Fairy is a support Familiar. When low on HP, she'll administer potions from your items menu in the heat of battle, administer status-curing items when you are inflicted with status ailments like Poison, Curse, etc. She also warns you about secret areas in a room. She'll say something like "This wall looks weird." Like any other item, these Familiars must be found by exploring the castle.
There are so many items and weapons in this game. There food items, items that temporarily increase a specific stat, throwable items like Shurikens, etc. There are also a lot of weapons but most of them are garbage and a minority are really good.
It is recommended that you find explore the entire castle (including secret areas) to actually continue playing the game. I won't ruin it for you but lets just say there is a surprise waiting for you if you complete the entire castle with 100% completion.
Yes, there is voice acting in this game. I was kinda surprised. Some of it is so bad its good. But its nothing that detracts from the experience. Its pretty decent actually.
You don't have to be a Castlevania freak to enjoy this game (this was actually my first Castlevania). You can find this gem on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 points. Its also available on the PS1 but I think its really hard nowadays to get a copy of it and if there are any copies, its on eBay but ridiculously overpriced. Please play this game. Once you play it, you will be addicted to it. Its like a freaking drug.
Score: 10/10
(the first perfect score I've given to a game)
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On the Toilet
New Super Mario Bros.
(System: Nintendo DS | Developed by: Nintendo | Published by: Nintendo | Review by: ShortHairedOffender)
This months review is New Super Mario Brothers. Anybody who has ever played a game knows the basics of Mario. And those are still there. But now it is bigger and better. If I was forced to describe this in just a sentence I would simply say it was the way Mario was meant to be.
What makes it that way you may ask. Well first off just graphically this looks great. It is a mix between 2d and 3d or as some call it 2.5d. Things you would not think would look good looks good, even pipes.
Now onto sound. There is nothing new here. The sound is still everything it has always been. Catchy as always as memorable as all ways. I still hear it when I go to sleep at night.
The most important thing though is gameplay and it is greater then ever. Now not only can Mario shot fireballs but he can also become huge. In this mode you destroy anything in your way. Even pipes. Depending on how much you destroy depends on how many lives you get out of it. Destroy a level get a lot, destroy a pipe you get none.You can also hold an extra powerup to use if you lose whatever is powering you up.
So overall this has everything Mario is knows for a few things he is not known for.
5/5
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My Gaming Life
(By teh2Dgamer)
It's been a long while since I wrote one of these, and I've done so much gaming since that I just don't know where to start. I guess I could say that lately, I've been buying and collecting more games for my PS1 and PS2 than any other console. I've been picking up stragglers that I missed, and taking chances on games that got mixed reviews. The sting of buying flawed (some are still really good in their own right) games ten years past is that the sting isn't so bad over a five dollar purchase than it would have been for full price. I've been picking up games for my other systems as well, but those are the main two I've been focusing on.
It's amazing how many great games fall through the cracks. I've got 230+ PS2 games, and I'm still finding hidden gems in the system's library. In fact, I've been more focused on that than playing anything new that's come out recently. Part of it is that I've begun a series of youtube videos showing off Underrated Gems for the PS2. I've started branching it off to my other consoles as well (I can't stay focused on any one game system for too long), but I'm still so amazed on how many great games never got their day in the sun.
It's simple, if you only stick to the mainstream games, you're going to miss out on some of the best experiences that gaming has to offer. Some may require a more open mind when going in, but once you get past the quirk, you'll find an extremely rewarding experience underneath it all. Some of the games on the list do take an acquired taste to appreciate, but as a person with a true passion for gaming, I want to experience it all. If there are people who love a game that got crapped on by the gaming public, then I'm inclined to give the game a chance to see if I can see what they're talking about. More often than not, I do find myself enjoying that game for what it has to offer. Once again, I don't expect everyone to enjoy every game I do, and I'm very clear in the descriptions when it's a game that won't be for everyone. However, I find that most open minded gamers buy the games, and also enjoy them. If I can get more people to open their minds to the other side of gaming, than I feel I'm doing my job.
I've got nothing against the Halo's and Gears of the gaming world, but they create so much buzz that it absolutely buries other deserving games. In fact, that's part of modern gaming that's really starting to bug me. Huge hype, and then the gameplay is more limited than ever in the majority of the games out there. It seems like this gen, instead of using the extra power to expand gameplay possibilities, they just use it to make prettier scripted events. There are exceptions, but it feels like most of the game of today play themselves.
That's also why I despise Quick Time Events. They work for a game like Shenmue, because Shenmue isn't an action based game, it's more of a story based game. However, in an action game, I want to be in control of the action. I'll use Tomb Raider as an example. Instead of showing a scene where Lara is escaping traps, let me control it. It takes all the fun out of playing when the developers take the control away from you and let you watch a scene, and occasionally press buttons.
I remember a scene at the end of the first level of second Tomb Raider game where you run over falling floor tiles into a hallway with falling boulders which you follow to a more narrow hallway that has a pit of spikes you have to jump over after which the hallway turns into a slide. The slide dumps you in a room where two spiked walls are closing in and you have to quickly jump up to another hallway that also has falling floor tiles and sword like traps that you have to jump over. Once you leave that hallway you come to a corridor where the walls on one side have spikes that close in on you, and there's a secret pickup on the ground if you're brave enough to try for it. That hallway takes you to another slide that takes you into a room where one side is closing in on you, and you have to run to a corner of the room and wait for a floor tile to fall to escape into an are where you can finally catch your breath. The whole time you're playing this, your testies are in your throat.
I'm telling you this, because a scene like that in todays gaming world would probably be covered with a QTE scene thus cheating the gamer of the exhilaration of completing that scene using their own skill. QTEs used that way kill the fun of a game for me. I want to be the one running and avoiding traps. Never in my entire gaming life did I think that the play styIes of the Sega CD would ever resurface in gaming, but they're back, and as lame as ever. This mindset of "We'll let you watch this awesome scene that we spend more time on then we did on the gameplay, and so you don't get bored, we'll let you occasionally press a button or two." is driving me crazy. It's another example of why modern gaming is going one way, and I'm going in a different direction.
If you love QTEs, that's fine. I, however, despise them in my action games, and will barely tolerate a game that relies on them. I liked God of War, but that was for the core gameplay of the game. The QTEs, are a blemish on that series IMO.
Anyways, before I rant on, I guess I'll call that an end to the final version of My Gaming Rant...er..Life. You can be assured that I shall have many more gaming adventures before my number is up that I'll write about in the future in some form or another. For those of you who have actually bothered to read this section of 2.5D over the many issues, I'd like to give you my thanks (and probably my apologies too).
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Underrated Gem of the Month.
Cold Winter
(System: Playstation 2 | Developed by: Swordfish Studios | Published by: VU Games | Review by: wulfshelmut/game_fan/Skip_Sparks/whatever he's going by nowadays)
I remember first seeing Cold winter in PSM. I was thrilled that the ps2 was getting a more realistic FPS, with current day weapons. I rented it and played through it. I enjoyed every minute I played it. I bought it two months ago and still enjoy it still. It has one of the best stories in any FPS I can think of.
Its almost like reading a spy novel but your playing it and its almost as believable. I play the game just to hear the story, thats just how good it is. The cutscenes dont look as good, however, but that can be overlooked. For a ps2 FPS it looks good. Still it doesnt look bad. The character models look nicely detailed and so do the enviroments. The weapon models look excellent and they even flash light onto your surrondings when being fired. I like this effect, and it makes the weapons seem more realistic.
You also get a nice selection in weapons though you're limited to what you can carry, only two weapons at a time. The weapons also sound well, they all have a fairly realistic sound when fired which adds to the experience. The other in-game sound effects like music and ambient sounds are also of good quality.
Cold winter also controls well. You dont have to struggle with the controls. When playing your character moves fluidly. This makes your experience with cold winter even more enjoyable. Its also simple and easy to get into and play. I enjoy its simplistic style of gameplay.
The gameplay in cold winter is top notch. The enemy AI isnt the best but they do prove to be more challenging on higher difficulties. I also like the ability to pick up items and use them as shields, or flipping tables over to use as cover. You can make your own items through out the game, molotov cocktail, lock picks and bombs. This is also a nice feature that some times allows you to gain access to better weapons.
Cold winter seems to be overlooked by alot of people. I never see many people mention it, even people that own ps2s. It really is one the ps2s best FPS. I dont think it gets enough attention. But You can get it really cheap now at gamestop and EB games. I got my copy for $10. Its definitely worth a purchase if your looking for a great ps2 FPS. This game should be in every ps2 owner and FPS fan's collection.
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A Look Back
PS2 underrated gems
Call me too lazy to write a long feature if you will. However, I was actually planning to write out a whole feature for this section of the mag highlighting underrated PS2 games of last gen, so I decided that I'd make vids of each game and link to them in the article. However, seeing as I've taken forever to get the current issue out, I've been making the PS2 vids like crazy, and have instead of deciding to list them all, I'm going to embed the entire playlist in my blog and let those interested scroll through all of them at their leisure. I'm still working on it, so as time goes on, more games will be added to the playlist.
Be warned, some of these won't be for everyone. In fact, some of them may indeed be hated by some of you who decide to play them, because they take a specific gaming taste to appreciate:
Here's the Underrated PS2 games list (some of these are on other consoles as well, and I list that in their Youtube descriptions):
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The Final Sendoff
Well folks, that's it for the eight and final issue of 2.5D a Blogzine Dedicated to the Games of Old and of New. As you can tell, it's been quite a long while since my last issue. Too long, and that's exactly why I decided that eight was a nice round number to end the zine on. I don't want to promise, and get people's hopes up for something that I'm not putting 100% into anymore. I feel like that would be cheating people.
I'll still continue to write articles for my blog, but not in the same capacity of 2.5D which I put a lot of time and effort into creating. I've become busy with other things in my life, and cannot put as much effort into my blog as I feel is needed. I don't want to cheat the many members who have contributed, and have been waiting for me to finish this issue for months by promising further issues, and not be able to publish them in a timely manor. It's not fair to them. As it is, I'm sure that those who have submitted their writings for this issue have completely forgotten what they wrote, because my lack of focus has caused them to wait so long.
I'd like to thank any and everyone who ever submitted an article to my blogzine, and to anyone who's ever taken the time to read an issue.
I'd also like to thank The Video game Museum for all the pics I've borrowed over the course of the zine, and GamePro.com for first allowing the members to create their own blogs which gave me the inspiration to finally see the fanzine I had always wanted to make for years come to life. I've also borrowed my fair share of pics from GP as well.
That's it for the final issue of 2.5D. I hope you enjoyed it, and sorry for it being so late.
2.5D the blogzine came gave it it's all, and now will ride off into the sunset with it's head held high. I thank you for the time that we shared together in making this blogzine.
