tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64016079227647411642024-02-07T11:38:10.238-06:00The Outlaw and The ElitistThe Elitisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815330173087328628noreply@blogger.comBlogger362125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-32095286889413555932012-03-25T03:23:00.002-05:002012-03-25T15:26:44.516-05:00Mass Effect 3 Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn2.holytaco.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mass-effect-3-hd-wallpaper-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://cdn2.holytaco.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mass-effect-3-hd-wallpaper-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This one took some time. We wanted to give it our full attention and go over every little detail. Normally, one person beats a game and then we go ahead and review it, but we actually wanted to talk this one out. While this is partially due to the ending (which I will address ad nauseum) we really wanted to see how our different choices affected different things. Also, I try never to do this, but seeing as the game has been out for a while there WILL BE SPOILERS. In order to address certain key issues I have to discuss them. They will be held to the ending of the game, though, and nothing leading up to that point will be spoiled. So I guess if you care just don't read the end. I'll warn you when it comes up. Now, there shall be no further delay. <br />
<br />
I'm not going to lie, I almost don't know where to start. While the main game does have a few problems, a vast majority of the final chapter in Bioware's epic is nothing short of an amazing achievement. I really felt like my choices from the past two games were making a real impact. All the alliances I had formed were actually paying off. Even if some of the good I did came back to me in a small way, like running into an old acquaintance who did little more than talk, I still felt rewarded. I was glad to see that Bioware didn't forget characters that only had a miniscule role to play.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.wikia.com/masseffect/images/8/8d/Zaeed_Character_Box.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="337" src="http://images.wikia.com/masseffect/images/8/8d/Zaeed_Character_Box.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Except when I ran into this guy. Seriously, he's always been kind of a twat</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The first real, noticeable improvement is the combat. It's not a vast step up from 2, but things feel a bit smoother. Taking cover and shooting is a fluid process which is absolutely necessary as the scale of fire fights has definitely stepped up. It's galactic war now. You're not fighting rouge groups or mercenaries, you're fighting an unstoppable army. The shooting really gets hectic sometimes (especially near the end of the game) and it all comes together quite well. If I had to complain I would say that combat didn't gain any new features or settings. Mass Effect 2 was such a leap above one that it's strange to see no expansion. It's a huge conflict involving tons of different races and giant space battles. Why couldn't we participate in any of that? Why not an opportunity to pilot the Normandy and shoot down some enemy aircraft? That would have been awesome. That's actually one of my major problems with the game. Like 2, it's amazing, but it doesn't do enough new things to make it as special. <br />
<br />
Despite no new additions to combat, the script and character development is just as good as ever. I've only played through it once so I don't know how different things can be. I've only heard a few stories of variations based on different decisions, but the dialogue I heard was still top notch. To see all of the relationships you have forged culminate in the end result is incredibly moving. That final moment when you talk to your crew one by one and call everyone who can't be there stands out as one of the best gaming moments of the year so far. Mass Effect has always been fantastic with the writing and storytelling and 3 is no different. However... I do have some beefs with the main game that I feel need to be addressed.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.alexhilhorst.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Miranda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.alexhilhorst.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Miranda.jpg" width="390" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictured above: Character development</td></tr>
</tbody></table> First of all, where the hell is the active quest system? Every RPG has one except this series and it gets old pretty fast. Yeah, it's not overly difficult to figure out what you should be doing, but an active quest system is almost an RPG necessity. I hated my galaxy map yelling at me to go all over the damn place. Another issue is the quests don't update with your progress. I spent hours trying to land on a planet to complete a quest not knowing that I had already gotten the item I needed just by scanning it earlier. All I had to do was talk to the quest giver the second I was told to help him and I would have accomplished my goal. I had no idea, though, because the quest never told me I had finished. Knowing where to go can be vague too, and if you make an argument that flat out telling you what system the planet you need to visit is in is too easy, than I would tell you that it's a boring challenge to give someone. There also weren't enough substantial side quests. Too often you completed your goal by merely scanning a planet. Yeah yeah, the galaxy is at stake and there isn't time to do trivial shit, but that illusion is shattered when I'm told a school is about to be attacked by Cerberus and I can do random crap before I go there and I still get there in the nick of time.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/images/mass_effect_mako.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/images/mass_effect_mako.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe I should just be happy that this never came back.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> My other huge issue is making the multiplayer almost necessary. No, you don't have to play it, but if you want every last unit you've earned throughout the campaign to matter you better play. Don't get me wrong, the multiplayer isn't bad. It's actually quite good. My only real issues with it are that reviving downed teammates can be annoying as you'll sometimes end up dodging or taking cover and that ammo boxes only give you one grenade at a time. If you're a character that uses grenades, which is the only special move that requires ammo, it gets old fast. But my original point is that the multiplayer shouldn't have this big of a role. What if you're one of the few people without Live on the 360? The main campaign of Mass Effect is a single player, personal experience. I don't want other things to affect it. <br />
<br />
<br />
Despite these issues, Mass Effect 3 is an absolute masterpiece. It's wonderfully told and completely engaging... until you get to the end. Yes, we here at the O and E have discussed it to death and we have plenty of issues with it. Some of these you've probably seen before, but I assure you, every last one of these complaints came out of conversations between the three of us. We didn't need any outside sources to tell us what was wrong. Spoilers exist beyond this point.<br />
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I'm going to be frank. The ending is a cop-out. It's almost as if they didn't know how to end the thing so they just nuked the galaxy in a sense. No, I don't mean the whole thing was destroyed, but the universe we fell in love with is essentially ruined. These are the reasons we hate it.<br />
<br />
WHY THE FUCK IS THIS REAPER-CHILD THING HERE?<br />
<br />
The second I saw this little bastard, my mouth dropped. His appearance and presence are completely unexplained and come out of nowhere. What is he? Beyond partially being the essence of the citadel (Huh) we have no real idea. Chances are he is in charge of the reapers, which makes him a reaper, but none of the other reapers appear like this. Okay, he leads them so it makes sense he could look different. Then why in the hell does he look like the kid we saw at the beginning and in Shepard's dreams? Can he read Shepard's mind? Reapers have never been known to do this, and if the leader of them can it better be goddamn established ahead of time. And the fact that he just tells Shepard his options and then just stands aside is also ridiculous. Why would the reapers just say, "ahhhh screw it," all of a sudden? They've been pretty determined and malicious before. Just because their logic is supposed to be beyond human comprehension doesn't mean you can just have them do stuff without explanation. It's called lazy writing, something the series has NEVER been known for.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://jmstevenson.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/ai.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://jmstevenson.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/ai.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go play in the street, kid. The space street.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
THE REAPERS' JUSTIFICATION IS STUPID<br />
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So they want to harvest all of us because we will make synthetics that will eventually kill us and this is their way of saving and preserving us. Huh? Say that... again. But, you're all synthetics... and you're killing us. Shouldn't paradoxes blow up robots? Maybe they are too advanced and self-aware for that. Could have fooled me though, you know, with how stupid their reasoning is. <br />
<br />
WHY DID THE REAPERS BUILD A ROOM THAT HOLDS THE KEY TO THEIR DEMISE?<br />
<br />
That final room is reaaaaally stupid. Like... incredibly stupid. If I were going to invade a country, I would not create a control center that, if reached, could destroy all my forces, or worse yet, control them.That's just idiotic. And worse yet, when Shepard reaches it they just let him use the panels because their plans aren't working anymore, or something. Yeah, he got there... it's your room. Have some defenses that stop him. That room should be the most defended place in the galaxy if you're a reaper, and they didn't even put an alarm in it. And the synthesis option? It's science magic. Nothing more. Nothing less. As I said before, explain how things work. If you don't, you're just being lazy and probably including things that don't make sense.<br />
<br />
SHEPARD IS FORCED TO ACT OUT OF CHARACTER<br />
<br />
Shepard finds a way. That's what he does. The reapers told him repeatedly that he had no hope, and yet, there he is standing at the foot of their demise. However, when that little bastard child tells him to do one of three things, he just says, "okay," and does one. What? I couldn't even tell him to fuck off? Shepard just accepts one of three fates and that's it? My fellow writer El Jefe tried to just walk away from all of it and the game wouldn't let him. So much for my own personal Shepard.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.gamerant.com/wp-content/uploads/Mass-Effect-3-Control-Synthesis-Destroy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://cdn.gamerant.com/wp-content/uploads/Mass-Effect-3-Control-Synthesis-Destroy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"...Okay."- Commander Shepard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>BLOWING UP THE RELAYS<br />
<br />
This one hurt the most (but it's not the last issue). I didn't care if Shepard lived or died. I just wanted to see what the galaxy looked like after all my decisions came in to play at the end (and I'll touch on decisions in a minute), and the galaxy as I knew it is gone no matter what I do. What was the point? This is what I meant by "nuking the galaxy." The incredible universe that Bioware created no longer matters because they didn't feel like telling you what race relations looked like after the fall of the reapers. What a terrible move. Also, there is also the gaping plothole. In the ME2 DLC Arrival we are told that a mass relay explosion would take the system it's in with it. Apparently that's no longer the case. Why? Who knows. Maybe someone was lying, Maybe it was the same person that told us the ME3 day-one DLC wasn't on the disc already.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/images/me3_relay_network.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="167" src="http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/images/me3_relay_network.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little known fact: The energy released by a relay explosion is 99% crushed dreams.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
THE NORMANDY AND THE MYSTERY PLANET<br />
<br />
This issue probably presents the most ridiculous leaps in logic. Why is the Normandy running from a relay explosion? That would imply they went through a relay, but why? Joker wouldn't have abandoned the battle or Shepard, so WHY THE HELL ARE THEY DICKING AROUND IN FUCKING SPACE? And when they crash-land on the stupid planet one of the people who gets off the Normandy is always someone who accompanied you on the final mission. You know, one of the people left unconscious at the foot of the beam that takes you to the citadel. That thing the reapers were defending personally. So that means Joker would have had to set the Normandy down nearby or send a shuttle down to pick up his or her limp body and then bolt back into space to run away like an ass. And he would have had to do all of that under fire from the freaking reapers. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?! UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn2.gamefront.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mass-effect-normandy-flees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://cdn2.gamefront.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mass-effect-normandy-flees.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks like leaving Earth was the wrong decision, asshole.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
ALL ENDINGS ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME<br />
<br />
The endings having only tiny differences is downright insulting. The only differences that occur are the color of the beam, if the reapers fall over or fly up, and whether or not people have circuits running up and down their arms because you know... synthesis. So much for 16 different endings. Yes, Shepard can live or die, get killed by the Illusive Man, and Earth might get destroyed or saved, but do any of those things (besides being shot obviously, which just ends things there) really affect the overall ending? No. For the most part, the same shit happens.<br />
<br />
OUR DECISIONS DIDN'T MATTER<br />
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This is the one. The grandaddy of all bullshit. The relays hurt the worst, but this one pissed me off the most. We were told all of our decisions would matter. That everything we have done would affect the outcome. And for a while it was true, until it mattered the most: the ending. As I've said, you get pretty much the same ending no matter what you do. And there's also the matter of all the relays blowing up. No matter what you've done. No matter who you've helped or hindered. No matter what huge changes you've made to the galactic stage... it's all undone. All the races are cut off from each other. Technology is set back hundreds of years. Forces fighting on other worlds are stranded and we don't even get to see how that pans out. Did you cure the genophage? Did you end the war between the Geth and the Quarians? Good for you. We will never see or know the effects of those decisions. They become pointless. And it's not just those decisions. It's every choice you've made across three different games. The hours you've spent creating the perfect save file to import into the next game feel wasted. Bioware told us those decisions would matter... and they didn't. It wasn't a miscommunication. It couldn't be. That's what they told us. I hate to say it, but based on that... we were kind of lied to. And trust me, I reaaaally hate saying that. I love Bioware. I really do. I respect that company above most others... but we were led to believe something other than the truth. There is one word to describe this: wrong. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/10/101304/1667981-creepy_smile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/10/101304/1667981-creepy_smile.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That'll teach you to trust anything or anyone ever again! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>So where does all this leave us. Well, I'm not going to give an overall score. I can't review the main game without the ending or vice versa and one is great and the other is awful. I honestly don't know where that leaves things. If it wasn't for those last ten minutes this would be a 10 for sure. Will Bioware release new DLC to fix things? Will we find out this was all a hallucination because of indoctrination? Who knows. What I can tell you is that it is a shame that one of the greatest experiences in gaming has been hurt by such an avoidable mistake. Whether things stay this way or Bioware charges us more money for a better ending (which is still kind of awful) doesn't matter at this point. Amazing game. Horrible ending. That's what it boils down to. Good day.The Outlawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162674020086046814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-41198922262412748852012-03-13T02:16:00.000-05:002012-03-13T02:16:49.458-05:00Coming to a blog page near you.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.southprincetonlan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/commander-shepard-smile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://www.southprincetonlan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/commander-shepard-smile.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Sorry about (yet another) delay. Midterms and planning have been in the works. The horrible truth is that we have actually recorded about three podcasts since the last. However, each of them ended up with a horrible static that rendered them unlistanable. Our first return to the realm of audio should occur this Wednesday, and by that I mean the actual recording. I'm going to go ahead and post this plan because then we will actually be held to it. On top of this we will get a Mass Effect 3 review up. It could have been up sooner, but the ending is such a huge factor in formulating our opinions that we are waiting for the whole crew to finish. El Jefe and I have beaten the game and formulated our opinions. Now we are just waiting for the fabled Elitist to conclude his playthrough. He is close. We will then write a joint review, because damn we have a lot to say. Hopefully, a good brainstorming session will bring out a few good feature ideas. Lord knows I have one. Remember, we are in college and have learnin' to do! Hope to be back with you shortly.The Outlawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162674020086046814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-53828280493411470162012-02-25T14:42:00.003-06:002012-02-25T14:45:14.515-06:00Just for Fun: Best Games of 2011, A LEGO Short<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KvP-nhMTnyTzjkgGJfzcf7Zo_mD6YHXoXsjEd9JmdI7XVPEyU0Do3NKR3GakoQlL_IWaYOPCAwhY-k_a0frt81HRq0TJ2TQd7RwabOh6_qfGmq1c8MmogYcSGYsXn8lv5o_YROxPi7o/s1600/lego.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KvP-nhMTnyTzjkgGJfzcf7Zo_mD6YHXoXsjEd9JmdI7XVPEyU0Do3NKR3GakoQlL_IWaYOPCAwhY-k_a0frt81HRq0TJ2TQd7RwabOh6_qfGmq1c8MmogYcSGYsXn8lv5o_YROxPi7o/s320/lego.png" width="320" /></a></div>Today I bring you another piece of stop motion video game based brilliance from those cheeky (patient) devils from Kooberz Studios.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Today they show us the best games from 2011, in LEGO form. We see mini clips from Portal 2, GoW3, Uncharted3, Skyward Sword, BF3 and MW3 (pretty funny), and many others. Enjoy.<br />
I certainly did.<br />
<br />
<div><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RXL3Ys5e3Z0" width="560"></iframe></div><br />
<a href="http://theoande.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-i-like-this-week-bricks-of-war.html">This isn't the first time we have given a shout out to the wonderful arts that come out of Kooberz Studios</a>, and I reckon it will not be the last. Keep up the good work!<br />
Cheers!The Elitisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815330173087328628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-43173184101593509612012-02-22T15:40:00.000-06:002012-02-22T15:40:21.202-06:00Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Beta Review"We are Mass Effect you love our game, we want you to play it longer, so we are gonna jump on the bandwagon and make a multiplayer, meeehhhhh!"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gameranx.com/img/11-Oct/me3-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://www.gameranx.com/img/11-Oct/me3-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Not really, it's actually really good.<br />
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<br />
It's impressive to see a game like ME, a game that has been so based in its mission to create a really good single player game, come out with something so balanced like an awesome multiplayer. It's rare to find quality well rounded games now days. Either a game has an awesome multiplayer, but shoddy single player (I'm lookin' at you DICE) or a really good single player but a crap multi, a multi no one plays, or no multi at all. <br />
<br />
Intro ME3 Beta. First off, BioWare did an awesome thing by letting all players get a taste of the Beta, even those without a Gold Membership, by granting you restricted and temporary Gold status upon downloading the demo. So even if you don't have XBL, you can still check out the beta.<br />
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So, you heard about the Single player, it's awesome and sad, Shepard is a bad ass, the reapers are literally douchteroids, time to save the fuckin' galaxy. Well forget all that, because the beta has nothing to do with any of it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/cfs-filesystemfile.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Components-ImageFileViewer/CommunityServer-Components-UserFiles-00-00-44-53-60-Attached+Files/1462.Sequence-01.Still010.jpg_2D00_610x0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://www.gameinformer.com/cfs-filesystemfile.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Components-ImageFileViewer/CommunityServer-Components-UserFiles-00-00-44-53-60-Attached+Files/1462.Sequence-01.Still010.jpg_2D00_610x0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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You're first choice is what class do you want to play?<br />
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Adept, Soldier, Engineer, Sentinel, Infiltrator, or Vanguard.<br />
You should know by now what those mean, if not... well whatever. I don't care.<br />
So, each class also has four races, Humans being able to take on any class, and then other classes breaking down from there. <a href="http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect_3_Multiplayer#Class_and_Race">Each Race in each class has different abilities.</a> E.G. Human Engineers have Incinerate, Overload, and Combat Drone; where Quarian Engineers have Incinerate, Cryo Blast, and Sentry Turret. Yay choices. (Note, Humans are the only race that can be each class. Check that link, every other race has only 2 class choices)<br />
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As you level one class, each race in that class also levels up. Following up on the Engineer example, if you level your Human to level 20(which is the cap, as far as we can tell), whenever you unlock the Quarian, she will also be level 20. All you have to do is decide where to put your points. However, each class levels up separately. So even if you have a level 20 Engineer, all of your other classes will remain un-leveled until you grind 'em up.<br />
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Then next choice you have to make (assuming that in choosing your character, you have established what powers you are going to use primarily) is what weapons are you going to run with. This can be changed at any point outside a match, but what weapons to use brings in some interesting things to consider.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2011/10/me3_coop_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2011/10/me3_coop_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This happens. Often. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Each character has a certain amount of "strength" based on race and skill points. That strength contributes to how carrying weapons affect you. Allow me to explain... because this confused the balls off of all of us when we started this. The heavier the weapon(s) you have equipped, the slower your powers will recharge. in the case of a power hungry Adept, she may want to roll with only one pistol or an SMG. Adding heavier or more weapons is going to slow her recharge time significantly. A Krogan on the other hand, may not care, and have enough strength to dampen the reduction in recharge time. So he can roll with a Shotgun and an Assault Rifle. It adds more decisions for you to make on how you are going to play each and every character.<br />
<br />
One last thing. In true EA fashion, the equipment upgrade, and item/character unlocking system is a random pack buying thingy. You play games, get points, and buy these packs. In these packs are usable in-game items (Medi-gels, missiles, quick-heals, ammo packs), item mods (scopes, magazines, stabilizers, etc.) weapons (Sniper, shotgun, assault rifle, SMG, pistol) and characters. You get six cards in each pack, 3 of which are consumables, the other 3 vary in rarity and such depending on the type of pack you buy. So yeah, that's neat. Unless you are as unlucky as I am, and have yet to see but 2 rare cards while your roommates sit on 7 different characters of differing races and you find your self secrelty plotting their death, in hopes their luck will bleed into you... then you remember that it's just the beta, and all this data will not be saved over to the real game (seriously. It won't).. that fact saves their lives<br />
<br />
For Now.<br />
<br />
So the game itself is very Horde/Firefight/DeadSpace ish. Waves of baddies come to mess you up, and you gotta win. However, sometimes the wave begins, and you and your team of four are given an objective that can range from defending a point, to taking out targeted enemies. The waves get harder, and on wave 11, you have to hold the LZ, and wait for extraction. Tons of fun. Fo Realz.<br />
<br />
Here.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vWaANoSZSzE" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
So that's the info on the multi-player as of the beta and such. I, personally. and pretty excited to see the full game. See you online, on March 6th!The Elitisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815330173087328628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-19711954874946760462012-02-16T17:35:00.001-06:002012-02-16T17:35:05.897-06:00Mass Effect 3 Single Player Demo Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TlzA1SK_4kU/Tz16kdR6KyI/AAAAAAAAAJs/TUDQgp563ZU/s1600/me3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TlzA1SK_4kU/Tz16kdR6KyI/AAAAAAAAAJs/TUDQgp563ZU/s400/me3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We continue the O&E's gradual rise from the ashes of nonproduction (not a real word) with a review of Mass Effect 3's single player mode. "But El Jefe," you might (or might not) say. We're assuming you might, "I bought Battlefield 3 because I am very cool, probably cooler than you. No, definitely cooler. Consequently, I can like play co-op and stuff. Why can't you?????????"<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
First of all, cool down with the question marks, hypothetical reader. That's just too many. Secondly, I'm lame. So I'm just gonna give you my impressions on the single player, since that's all I can play right now. Tomorrow, once they let the unwashed masses in, I'll update you on the multiplayer.<br />
<br />
In the meantime....<br />
<br />
So the single player demo let's you customize your Shepard, both in appearance and, to some degree, in background. Obviously, the full game won't need to do this since it'll have your save data from ME2. Once you've made your Shep, you're good to go.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b_WQJZ30aZE/Tz1-qamtWmI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/R615AJMEOZw/s1600/Mass-Effect-3-Plot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b_WQJZ30aZE/Tz1-qamtWmI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/R615AJMEOZw/s400/Mass-Effect-3-Plot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Good thing I picked Ilos over London for vacation this year..."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well...kinda. Turns out everything is sorta in crisis because the Reapers are on their way. On the bright side, everything <i>looks</i> pretty, at least. Good graphics aside, you still face kind of a challenge. Your good bud Captain Anderson takes you to see some Alliance bigwigs who want to know what your plan is for keeping the human race (and others, maybe, if there's time and if they're nice) you know...alive. The meeting quickly becomes irrelevant, however, and Shep and Anderson end up running on the rooftops, fighting off husks and cannibals on their journey to the Normandy.<br />
<br />
Here you get your first taste of combat, which is overall more fluid. Biotic powers can be combo-ed (also not a real word) very effectively, as can tech abilities. I also like the health system; there is still a shield meter, but the health meter is divided up into sections. You can only regenerate health to fill up one section, meaning that you'll have less total health until you use Unity to heal. This, to me, adds a welcome challenge to the combat system. Furthermore, I really like the heavy melee; there's just something freakin' satisfying about stabbing people in the face with huge omniblades. Call me crazy.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzCMhFP8AVM/Tz2OhbYVcDI/AAAAAAAAAKE/45wjlEwuohI/s1600/omni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzCMhFP8AVM/Tz2OhbYVcDI/AAAAAAAAAKE/45wjlEwuohI/s400/omni.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hey, that's a really nice blade you have there, mister!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At the end of this first section of the demo, there's an incredibly emotional cutscene that sets the tone for the rest of the game. I won't ruin it for you, but it's powerful. It makes me excited for this game, for it will be epic.<br />
<br />
The next section begins on the salarian homeworld of Sur'Kesh, where Shep et al. endeavor to help Mordin save a krogan female. First of all: yes. She is smokin hot.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DXYPMskoaWA/Tz2K9ysQkHI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/Da3AwQISGZg/s1600/kroganprinces.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DXYPMskoaWA/Tz2K9ysQkHI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/Da3AwQISGZg/s400/kroganprinces.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Dang girl, you lookin' fiiiiiiiiiiine!!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There's a lot more combat in this section, and, perhaps more excitingly, you're now level 12! So you can level and stuff. The leveling system is pretty neat, providing more decisions since most upgrades involve some sort of tradeoff between damage, radius, cooldown, etc. I like that; it sure beats waiting to max out a skill before making a one-time choice.<br />
<br />
This section also gives you a taste of the different sorts of weapons and new abilities out there now that you've leveled. One new biotic power is Nova, wherein Shep uses his shield to send out a powerful shockwave into his unfortunate foes. It's pretty cool, especially when combo-ed (there's that word again) with Biotic Charge. Another neat power is Lift Grenade, exclusive to Sentinels. As its name implies, it'll lift up a bunch of enemies on detonation, which leaves you free to pump em full of bullets. Always a crowd pleaser!<br />
<br />
Overall, it's a very short demo, so there's only so much I can say about it. What I <i>can</i> say is that it looks like combat is gonna be more fun and varied, the graphics are gonna be sweet, and the story is gonna be intense. I'm sure we'll get to see all our old friends, or at least the one's who are still alive, and I'm sure all of our decisions as Commander Shepard are gonna factor in to decide the ultimate fate of the galaxy. And that's what Mass Effect is all about: saving the freakin' galaxy.El Jefehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679336805427799406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-73560237902893372572012-02-16T13:29:00.000-06:002012-02-16T13:29:25.553-06:00Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://playerschoicegames.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/feature-Kingdoms-of-Amalur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://playerschoicegames.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/feature-Kingdoms-of-Amalur.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
When I saw this game at E3, my interest for its existence was low to moderate...<br />
Then people started saying things like "HERP! It's Skyrim with good combat!" or "DERP! It's Fable with quests!" and I thought<br />
<br />
"..."<br />
<br />
Okay, so I still didn't care. It wasn't until I saw this trailer that I decided I was going to start giving this game a little interest. My cup of care is well regulated and precious after all.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/fnL2CI4bZC8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Alright... so.. that looks pretty awesome. I decided I'd check it out when it came out. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So it's out, I've played it, and I'm mildly impressed. It's a very well made game, a lot of love went into this sucker, so let's break it down a bit. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.38gamers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/kingdoms_of_amalur__reckoning_by_daarken-d3cx9ti-e1301701348832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.38gamers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/kingdoms_of_amalur__reckoning_by_daarken-d3cx9ti-e1301701348832.jpg" width="337" /></a>The character development/leveling is by far my favorite part of this game. Points go into skill trees of your choosing, and into crafting skills, sneak, lockpicking, persuasion etc etc. Wanna beat the snot outa some monsters face? Might is for you. Blah Blah, you saw the video. The point is it's <i>simple. </i>Leveling shouldn't be a chore; I want this, point point here. However, it also shouldn't be devoid of options, an unfortunate habit Fable had. Each tree is surprisingly large, giving you options (weapon spec, skills specializations etc) within each tree, allowing you to really work out how you want to uniquely build your character. Now here is the fun part.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Most games discourage cross skill leveling. Focus in this, and you will be better. KoA:R does the contrary. Should you want to be Might and Sorcery, you damn well can. As you level each tree, you are awarded these fate/destiny card doohickes, that give you added bones. Level up more than one tree, and you are awarded destiny cards specific to that combination of skills. Diversity achieved. This makes combat very special from person to person, as I have yet to see two people play the same way, even when building the same tree or trees. Greater diversity, and flawless simplicity: Leveling done right! </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The story line.. weeeellll.. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's cool?</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think?</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I keep forgetting what its about...</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh right.. You are a hero who as come back from the dead, and now you are the only hope for the land. It's your job, as the one who can override Fate's decree to defeat the bad guys because you exist outside destiny. You choose your own story, Hero! </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think I have heard this story before...</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/videogames/detail-page/koa.reckoning.02.lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/videogames/detail-page/koa.reckoning.02.lg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An RPG isn't complete without Scantily-Clad-Hot-Elf-Girl!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now, all this is not to say it isn't <i>interesting</i>; being the one solitary being who can tell the gods to fuck off, and end all evil in the world (or whatever) is pretty empowering. I just found myself not wanting to care a lot. The (side) questing is a lot of fun, it has that MMO effect on you, making you want to level and level and level. So they pour quests on you like sweet sweet syrup and you can just drink it up. Only.. it becomes apparent that you are paying no heed to the main story. The only times I <i>ever </i>did a main quest is by accidentally stumbling on to it. (Ending stuff excluded). </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I would just be meandering towards little circles on my map, show up to one.. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wait a sec... I know you...</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Shit! This is main story stuff. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Isn't it? </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So yeah. It's way fun to play.. but kind of in that "I will never stop until I can one hit this giant like he were a mere bunny" sort of way. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One big time flaw. This doesn't happen very often. In our accumulated 60+ hours of playtime (my roomie included) we have only seen this bug four times, but it's a pisser... </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is a craptastic video of the culprit in action from my phone because I was <i>far </i>to lazy to hook up the capture equipment</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pYrmgGkP6U0" width="500"></iframe></div><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sum-up</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li>Fantastic combat that opens itself up to imagination and innovation. </li>
<li>Huge numbers of quests lead to countless hours of game time, but detract from the main story a bit (Primarily, because the main story quests are no more exciting that the side quests.) </li>
<li>A leveling system that encourages creativity, and unique implementation</li>
<li>Bastard Bug</li>
</ul>So there ya have it. Totally worth the cash, if you're into RPGs, 'cause this game will last you, and is definitely fun to play. <ul></ul><div>Cheers</div><div>8/10</div>The Elitisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815330173087328628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-90498609593492844412012-02-15T23:53:00.000-06:002012-02-15T23:53:35.146-06:00The Darkness II Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gamingirresponsibly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/darkness-ii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://gamingirresponsibly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/darkness-ii.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
General George S. Patton once said, "Give me an army of West Point graduates and I'll win a battle. Give me the powers of an ancient, dark force from before time began and two demon heads on my shoulders and I'll win a war." I'm not making that up.* And he would have been right. The Darkness is an incredibly powerful force. History lessons aside, the big question was how it would stack up to the original game. We here at the O and E love the precursor and it sits comfortably in my personal top 10 favorite games list. So how does Darkness Dos fare?<br />
<br />
Two things are obvious pretty early on. The art style and the shooting mechanics. While the original had a very normal look to it, the sequel is designed to look like a comic book, which makes sense... because the Darkness is a comic. In fact, the feel is a little closer to that of the comics, but I'll get to that later. The new style isn't better or worse. It's just a matter of preference. I happen to like it more, but I can see how it would make things a tad too cartoony for some.The shooting is a bit harder to explain. For those of you who played the original Darkness, you might remember the shooting being a bit weird, but not in a bad way. It had an odd, fluent feel and Jackie, our protagonist, would reach his hands around obstacles to shoot if you were trying to take cover. It took some getting used to, but once you did it felt very natural. That has been replaced by a more conventional shooting style. I actually kind of miss the old aiming mechanics, but its loss doesn't take away from the game at all.This too comes down to preference. Don't think there aren't any clear improvements, though. The Darkness powers alone have been expanded on and improved.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.offdutygamers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/DarknessII-Featured.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://www.offdutygamers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/DarknessII-Featured.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also, this handsome devil.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Unlike the first game, your darkness powers and abilities have taken on a bit of an RPG element. Killing people in different ways and eating hearts earns you varying levels of dark essence which you can use to unlock skills in four different skill trees. Most of the original abilities are back, such as hurling black holes and the darkness guns, only this time you have to buy them and they can all be upgraded. Yes, they were given to you at certain points in the original, but now you can get them as soon as you are capable. Being able to upgrade them is an even bigger bonus. You darkness guns, for example, are much better than they were in Darkness 1. Instead of equipping them, you activate them and a dark essence surrounds the guns you are currently wielding, which turns them into infinite ammo spewing death machines. You know, because sometimes guns aren't efficient enough with that. You can eventually upgrade the darkness guns to last longer, auto-aim when you are duel-wielding one handed weapons, and shoot through walls. Combining all of these things usually results in a room full of exploded bodies. And this is only one example. Even using the darkness heads works differently. The right bumper controls the right head, which you use for slashing in a horizontal or vertical fashion, and the left bumper controls the left head, which you use for picking up objects or people. And speaking of grabbing people, you can eventually execute them in four different ways, each of which has a different effect. One gives you more health, another gives you ammo, the third reduces the cooldown of some of your abilities, and the last creates a shield which the left head holds up in front of you. Oh, also, you can spit locusts at people. You get biblical up in this bitch.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.www.carm.org/images/bible6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="328" src="http://cdn.www.carm.org/images/bible6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, you can't kill anyone's first born or inflict them with boils, but there is some crucifixion. Too soon?</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Naturally, doing all of this leads to supreme amounts of gore. And I mean SUPREME. While the first one had its moments (you did eat peoples' hearts), this game blows it out of the water. People explode, get ripped apart from having each leg torn in the other direction, have their spines ripped from out of their asses; it's fucking glorious. Of course, the gore isn't the focus. It's merely the icing on the cake of perhaps the most important element. The story.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_full_width/hash/6b/7a/6b7aa62d6d089dc4622241787b9fd2d2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_full_width/hash/6b/7a/6b7aa62d6d089dc4622241787b9fd2d2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whichever darkness head gets the bigger half gets to make a wish.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>While the story is still strong, it plays out a bit differently. For one, the open-world element of the original is gone, with linear gameplay taking its place. While this is a negative, there are moments when you get to walk around your penthouse and talk to people. One character, Dolpho, let's you play minigames where you shoot bottles and pigeons. I'm still waiting for PETA to get all pissy about the latter. You also get to look at the artifacts you've collected throughout the game in a tidy case while a new character, Johnny, tells you about them. His voice actor is amazing by the way. But what makes a good story doesn't lie in whether or not it's open world. It lies in the writing, characters, and plot, and Darkness II certainly delivers. The story is a bit more comic-booky this time around with more supernatural elements and connections to the actual comics. One example is constant mention of the Angelus. However, the big question on the minds of everyone who played the original was if they could possible pull off something as emotional as the scenes with Jenny from the first game, because you know (spoiler) she's dead. The answer is not quite, but they get damn close. This time around, your interactions with Jenny take place through visions Jackie has, that have more behind them than you would think at first, and seeing her in an asylum. I'm not going to explain the asylum at all because it would give too much away. In any case, your moments with her bring out a sense of emotional loss that I rarely feel in games. Of course, playing the original and actually seeing her die makes up a large part of that. At one point, the game tells you to press X to let go of her. There is no time limit and you can do it when you want, but despite how simplistic that action is, it's way deeper than you would think. The game doesn't let go for you. It makes YOU let go. And by that point, you won't want to. It's little things like this that make the Darkness II one of the most emotionally involving games I've played since the original, and that came out in 2007. Oh, and the game also gives emotional weight to the darkling that follows you around and fights for you. Unlike the first game, there is only one darkling and he is always there with you in the combat sections of the game. He also has a personality and a connection to Jackie. I'm not going to give anything away, but they make you care about that little guy.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2011/03/The_Darkness_II_first_look_2-627x352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2011/03/The_Darkness_II_first_look_2-627x352.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at the little scamp.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> This leads us back to the original question. Is it better than the original. The answer is yes. Yeah, the linear gameplay isn't as good, the story is too short, and nothing ever hit me as hard as Jenny's death, but two is an improvement over one in literally every other way. There's also a new game plus mode which is incredibly fun because you start the game out as death incarnate. Unfortunately, I never got around to playing the multiplayer mode, but I hear it's pretty good and has it's own unique story. The main game itself is enough to earn your purchase, however, and I couldn't recommend it more. <br />
<br />
9 out of 10<br />
<br />
*I'm totally making that up.The Outlawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162674020086046814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-1446343351680687712012-02-06T13:20:00.000-06:002012-02-06T13:20:47.944-06:00We Has New Games!Heya, kiddos. <br />
<br />
Sorry we have been silent, we are currently residing in what is known in the industry as a "butt-load-amount of non-creativity, produced by an imagination syphoning brain monkey named Frank." also known as a dry spell, for you who aren't so versed in the journalistic world. <br />
<br />
I'm totally <em>not </em>making this stuff up. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihK2JmaRYeVz89iAcy7KiDPtofx3fHvHTJy17M4GvX1Q2qqahFekhQ0eSw3cIDyXyLSFC4tSkHKF12dn8ztXVDAjmTKM_xme_GI2hcdW0UtJMkCfsEoz0Voo16APrsZ-e7HtA7cXoyd28/s1600/tumblr+meme+faces_poker+face.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihK2JmaRYeVz89iAcy7KiDPtofx3fHvHTJy17M4GvX1Q2qqahFekhQ0eSw3cIDyXyLSFC4tSkHKF12dn8ztXVDAjmTKM_xme_GI2hcdW0UtJMkCfsEoz0Voo16APrsZ-e7HtA7cXoyd28/s1600/tumblr+meme+faces_poker+face.bmp" /></a></div><br />
<br />
maybe I am. <br />
<br />
Anyway, new games! Tomorrow(tonight) we get DarknessII and Kingdoms of Amalur! Both of which look to be very good games, and I recommend at least checking them out. If you are wary, DarknessII demo is currently on XBLA, and it should assuage any fears you may hold, while giving you new ones! MUAHAHAHA<br />
<br />
So yeah. reviews. They will be here. Soon.. or something. <br />
BYE!The Elitisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815330173087328628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-44194878930245470862012-01-22T16:58:00.000-06:002012-01-22T16:58:11.014-06:00We Won!Congratulations, Internet! You guys did an amazing thing this week! <br />
<br />
<a href="http://venturebeat.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/stop_sopa_400.png?w=300&h=300" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://venturebeat.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/stop_sopa_400.png?w=300&h=300" /></a>It was absolutely incredible to see the size of the response Google, Wiki, Reddit and many others pulled from all of us. It really shows a new and intimidating determination our population has. It showed our legislators that <i><b>we will not simply stand by while our rights are being violated!</b></i><br />
<i><b><br />
</b></i><br />
After Wednesday's protest, huge numbers of senators and representatives switched from being either neutral, or for SOPA/PIPA to being openly opposed to it. After the amount of noise we made this week, Texas Republican in the House Lamar Smith stopped discussion regarding SOPA, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid postponed the voting on PIPA. This is a huge victory for the online community.<br />
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This doesn't mean it's over. We have been heard, we have ruffled feathers, and made some noise, but there is still a very real possibility that SOPA, PIPA or similar bills could be seen in the near future. Keep yourself informed, and when the time comes, we will be ready to strike again.<br />
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Good job everyone!The Elitisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815330173087328628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-4829386136577081792012-01-20T08:21:00.001-06:002012-01-20T08:22:12.665-06:00Resident Evil 6 Reveal Trailer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.arstechnica.net/assets/2012/01/resident_evil_6-4f189c1-intro-thumb-640xauto-29564.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://static.arstechnica.net/assets/2012/01/resident_evil_6-4f189c1-intro-thumb-640xauto-29564.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It's no secret that Resident Evil has been going in a more action oriented direction. Some people love it, others hate it. Personally, either one is fine for me, as long as I get to move and shoot at the same time. Well, the trailer for 6 is out and it's pretty obvious that this is an action game. Oh, and Chris and Leon are BOTH in this one. The thing is, if you go into this wanting an action game, be prepared to be excited. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sS_bGpe9qE8" width="480"></iframe><br />
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According to a press release from Capcom, the game takes place ten years after the Racoon City incident. While Leon seemingly has to deal with a zombie president, which is nowhere near as ridiculous as it is in Final Fantasy VIII, Chris Redfield seems to has his hands full in China. Both, however, seem to be dealing with T-Virus shenanigans again, which I'm kind of glad to hear. There also looks to be two new protagonists, one of which seems to have sought-after blood. Co-op will also be coming back. <br />
<br />
While some might groan at the idea of zombies returning, no joke intended, I welcome it. After all, the T-Virus creates more than zombies, and some of the monsters look downright menacing. Especially that huge one and the one that can rip you out of cover. It also seems that you'll be fighting humans as well. And how about those new dodge maneuvers? Like I said, this seems to be pure action with some horror elements thrown in. The most exciting prospect, however, is that it appears to be coming out this year! And did you notice that the blond woman in the trailer looks and sounds like an older Ashley from Resident Evil 4? Here's hoping we'll find out more soon!The Outlawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162674020086046814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-89447879881785337412012-01-19T21:22:00.000-06:002012-01-19T21:22:16.388-06:00SOPA/PIPA News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sxKwK4ZkInSAl1JFxhfHRvHJsJ6GaFayAkeQUb2N80H5IjzB3yw3cKDL5hERoU7K4JUHeF8JASt4NWvesuaD7whmYzNuJrvwA3HxKytE3-K4dZVOffiAK3Znbo2CKIjCjnbZjUzv9sQ/s1600/stop-sopa-pipa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sxKwK4ZkInSAl1JFxhfHRvHJsJ6GaFayAkeQUb2N80H5IjzB3yw3cKDL5hERoU7K4JUHeF8JASt4NWvesuaD7whmYzNuJrvwA3HxKytE3-K4dZVOffiAK3Znbo2CKIjCjnbZjUzv9sQ/s640/stop-sopa-pipa.jpg" width="550" /></a></div><br />
Hey guys, back with some SOPA/PIPA updates. Yesterday was phenomenal. The response from people's protests, messages, phone calls, letters, blackouts, and petitions caused quite a stir and has made a whole lot of noise regarding our dislike for SOPA and PIPA. I wanted to take this time to explain what PIPA/SOPA does, and why it would be so dangerous to the internet economy. Since my last article was mostly just a rabble rousing attempt to get you guys out there and looking around, I wanted to now give you a bit more detail, in hopes it will push you to start doing your own research. I gave you a ton of links, after all!<br />
<br />
SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP) are essentially the same laws. The PIPA being the Senate version of SOPA. Initially, SOPA was becoming way more popular than PIPA, but at this point, PIPA is growing faster and is just as dangerous.<br />
<br />
Essentially what PIPA aims to do:<br />
<a href="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxzkuzXPIa1qd5giho1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxzkuzXPIa1qd5giho1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a>The obvious (and honorable) goal of PIPA is to stop online piracy on the web. Right. A worthy goal to be sure, the issue comes in <b><i>how</i></b> this is being done. Private corporations and copyright holders want to be able to shut down websites that are allowing illegal downloading of copyrighted content. Unfortunately for them nearly all of the big piracy websites are not based within the US. So a new approach must be taken. ISPs will be required to shut down domain names that infringe upon the rules detailed by PIPA. Furthermore, US based domains could be sued for their lack of compliance. The bill also gives our government the power to tell advertisers for sites breaking the laws to shut off their accounts, crippling the funding for those websites. Recently, the bill has received some massive additions, that place enormous penalties, for minor infringements. An entire website can be wholly removed and shut down for one singular link believed to break PIPA's rules. User based sites are going to be forced to censor each and every user. If a user posts something that isn't legal under PIPA, the website can be shut down. How awful would it be, how crippled would YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, be if every time someone posted something, it had to meet a huge range of ambiguous laws?<br />
<br />
My favorite part.<br />
Nothing would change. Under PIPA, you can <i>still</i> access websites, just by entering the IP address of the domain. Under certain Judges (perhaps a judge not fluent in the workings of the web) could rule to shut down any website found suspect of breaking PIPA. Start-up sights, with little power, and little money, could do nothing to stop this. Soundwave, early YouTube, etc. would be primary targets for this type of legislation. Sites that could provide new innovations to the online culture have to potential to be squashed out before they can grow. Simple things like a song playing in the background of your video, you yourself singing a popular song in a video, a picture from movie or video game, posted to your blog article (the kinda stuff me and Chris do everyday.), a video reenacting scenes from movies or video games, etc. etc. Any content <i>involving</i> copyrighted content is subject to shut-down under PIPA. Users found violating PIPA have the potential of serving up to 5 years of jail time, for something as harmless as lip syncing to your favorite song.<br />
<a href="http://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/01/SOPA-PIPA-Protests-2-537x392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/01/SOPA-PIPA-Protests-2-537x392.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
So what I want for you guys now, is this. Next week, call your Senator. Google who your Senator is, if you don't know, and call their office. Call them <i>ever single day</i> next week. Tell them to vote "no" on cloture. Go into their office (again, Google the nearest office) and show them, in person, to vote "no" on cloture. The more <i>physical</i> presence we can make, the more tangible our voice becomes. We have already made a huge impact on this process. Last week, 5 Senators openly opposed PIPA, after yesterdays protests, <i style="font-weight: bold;">35 Senators now openly oppose PIPA</i>. However, the entertainment companies have so much money and pull these days, that they still have the ability to make this happen. The Senators realize this is unpopular, but they don't necessarily understand why. It's easy to imagine they're minds being changed by pretty words, and ambiguous re-wording. We can't stop now.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://fightforthefuture.org/pipa">Post this video to your Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Forum, Blog, whatever.</a> Get this message out to your friends, run a "call your Senator" article or post, get the word out. Let's end this!<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1564172492"></span><span id="goog_1564172493"></span>The Elitisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815330173087328628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-76392769550348226172012-01-17T23:57:00.001-06:002012-01-17T23:59:15.800-06:00Say No To SOPA/PIPA, boring ranting (please read!!!)Hey kiddos. As I am almost sure you are aware by now, the US is currently sitting on a massive internet regulation bill that could severely hinder progress and growth in the online community.<br />
Essentially, the bill would give any copyright holder the right to blacklist any domain they <b>believed with reasonable suspicion</b> to be in violation of their copyrights. Super power websites would be able to dominate the web, new and budding businesses could be shut down and killed based on speculation and loopholes, and (this is the best part) piracy and illegal downloading... you know... the things this is supposed to stop... would go nearly untouched.<br />
<br />
Take Pirate Bay. They have been battered for years, even by their own country, and have managed to survive. What a lot of these Politicians fail to realize, is no matter how hard they try, the desire, the concept that creates websites like TPB will <i>always</i> exist. We have seen how well the DMCA works after all...<br />
As long as crazy nerds who want to steal shit off the internet exist, there is nothing that can be done. Have you heard what those kids and Anonymous will do to you?! (I would typically, at this point, link you to a Wiki article. However, Wikipedia is currently blacked out in order to raise awareness against SOPA. Seems appropriate.) SOPA will make these things more <i>inconvenient</i> but little else. Let's be honest. Do you <i style="font-weight: bold;">really</i> see TPB going down? Didn't think so.<br />
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Anywhoooo, I've listed several links so you can learn up on SOPA and PIPA, make your own INFORMED decision and opinion over these topics. If you do decide to reject these, I have also linked convenient ways to contact your leaders, and sign petitions to let them know how you feel. See how easy this is?! I urge you to reject these bills, as they may be veiled with good intentions, these bills will for intense and purposes censor the internet. Which, by the way, feels an awful lot like a violation of my first amendment. This is my rant and my opinion, and I would love to discuss it with you in the comment section below.<br />
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Information regarding the bills.<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Learn_more">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Learn_more</a> <br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act</a> <br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PROTECT_IP_Act">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PROTECT_IP_Act</a> <br />
<a href="http://gizmodo.com/5877000/what-is-sopa">http://gizmodo.com/5877000/what-is-sopa</a><br />
<a href="http://www.publicknowledge.org/blog/managers-amendment-sopa-doesnt-fix-whats-aili">http://www.publicknowledge.org/blog/managers-amendment-sopa-doesnt-fix-whats-aili</a> <br />
<a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/01/how-pipa-and-sopa-violate-white-house-principles-supporting-free-speech">https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/01/how-pipa-and-sopa-violate-white-house-principles-supporting-free-speech</a> <br />
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1,2,3 easy mode contact your reps.<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/">http://en.wikipedia.org</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/SOPA/comments/nhyu7/lets_stop_sopa_the_correct_way_idiots_guide_on/">http://www.reddit.com/r/SOPA/comments/nhyu7/lets_stop_sopa_the_correct_way_idiots_guide_on/</a> <br />
<a href="http://lifehacker.com/5871810/how-to-contact-and-properly-communicate-with-your-government-representatives">http://lifehacker.com/5871810/how-to-contact-and-properly-communicate-with-your-government-representatives</a> <br />
<a href="http://americancensorship.org/">http://americancensorship.org/</a> <br />
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Also, this Google run petition.<br />
<a href="https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/">https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/</a> <br />
Do this ^The Elitisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815330173087328628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-69637754569945465722012-01-09T20:02:00.000-06:002012-01-09T20:02:37.869-06:00Why Skyrim Didn't Win my Game of the Year: An Excercise in Nitpicking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/skyrim-lag-problems.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/skyrim-lag-problems.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.wikia.com/elderscrolls/images/7/76/Whiterun_Guard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>A little over a week ago we wrote our game of the year articles. Based on all the awards Skyrim has gotten, it might have stood to reason that all of us would give Skyrim the same honors or at least mention it. I didn't. Not because I don't like the game. I like it. Love it in fact. I've poured about 300 hours into it. I just want to vent about my issues with it, and to give a differing opinion that contrasts the 10/10 we gave it. Also, there might be some spoilers. You have been warned.<br />
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<br />
THE SITUATION NEVER SEEMS DIRE ENOUGH!<br />
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Alduin is a world eater. He will (I guess literally?) eat your world. But, he never really DOES much. Sure, he resurrects the dragons, but they had a presence of their own. This is one of the few, but not only, step downs from Oblivion. The only times you see him early in the main quest are fleeting, and the only other times he shows up you either watch him get his ass kicked or you do it yourself. I know you never see Dagon throughout much of the game, but he still always felt present. And when you saw him at the end of the game it made things feel all the more hopeless. The Oblivion crises was always present and dangerous. Hell, at the beginning of the game the Emperor is murdered and you soon find out that a whole town has been sacked. Right from the start you see what Mehrunes Dagon is capable of. With Alduin you kind of just get told. Sure, he see him resurrect a dragon and eat some souls, I guess, but you also spend most the game devouring souls yourself. You never see him do any real world eating. With the Oblivion crises, almost everyone talks about how worried they are about the Daedra invasion. In Skyrim, some people still talk about the "rumors" of the Dragons returning. It just feels like less is at stake, even though this isn't the case. I'm not defending how tedious it was to go into every city oblivion gate, but you can't deny the coolness of going to what was essentially hell itself and kicking ass. Killing Alduin in Sovngarde IS cool, but Dagon invades the Imperial City for Christ's sakes. And speaking of cities.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://skyrimming.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/600px-SR-creature-Alduin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://skyrimming.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/600px-SR-creature-Alduin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'll devour you! Or something... I guess. Meeeeeh.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
SOLITUDE WASN'T AS COOL AS THE IMPERIAL CITY!<br />
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This one is, admittedly, a bit of a stretch. Both have their merits. I mean, Solitude sits on a giant natural arch. That's pretty awesome. And as a whole, the cities in Skyrim were better than the one's in Oblivion, but if Solitude was going to be the main Imperial presence I wanted something on par with the Imperial City. I know that the Imperial City, or at least the tower, as there before the current empire so this might not make complete sense, but it had actual districts. It was huge! I wanted another city like that in Skyrim and I didn't get that. I used Solitude for the comparison, because I felt it got the closest and it has the best homes, but it didn't feel as expansive.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.oblivionwalkthrough.com/w/m/oblivion_imperial_city.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.oblivionwalkthrough.com/w/m/oblivion_imperial_city.png" width="378" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See! There were districts! It was awesome! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
PEOPLE DON'T RECOGNIZE HOW AWESOME I AM!<br />
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This is kind of a problem with the series in general, but more-so here. My accomplishments don't resonate with anyone. When I became the leader of the Companions, I still had guards laugh at me over how I'm the new member of the Companions and I probably fetch their mead. People who see me destroy a dragon and absorb its soul only acknowledge it immediately and them seem to forget. The best example took place after I joined the Imperial Army and defeated the Stormcloaks. By the end of the quest-line I was promoted to a rather high rank in the army, but it didn't mean squat. Imperial troops still talked down to me and treated me like some common rabble. Being the Dragonborn aside, I outrank them! What's the point of being promoted if no respect comes with it. It irked me to no end.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://images.wikia.com/elderscrolls/images/7/76/Whiterun_Guard.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="201" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And why do these assholes keep asking about fur in my ears? Is this a reference to being a werewolf? I CURED THAT! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? WHAT DOES IT MEAN! TELL ME! TELL MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> WHERE IS MY JOURNAL?!<br />
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I loved my journal in Oblivion. If I forgot the point or progress of my mission I could just go read it. Now you just get a few sentences about the overall mission a mission marker for the current goal.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CsC-G6TTraw/S4C-9p-2yEI/AAAAAAAAAqM/DcijLE4ROwE/s400/Oblivion-Journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CsC-G6TTraw/S4C-9p-2yEI/AAAAAAAAAqM/DcijLE4ROwE/s400/Oblivion-Journal.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RIP Elder Scrolls journal :-(</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
THE FUCKING GLITCHES!<br />
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This is the big one. The granddaddy of all problems. Yes, all games have glitches. The bigger the game, the more there will be. But some of the ones in Skyrim are absolutely unacceptable. I've seen glitches in big games before. Some of them are odd; some of them are funny. But in a AAA title like this one quest breaking glitches are inexcusable. When millions of gamers can't complete a quest because it doesn't activate correctly you've made a huge mistake. In my case, I can't finish the murder quest in Windhelm. Hell, some of the puzzle pillars in a ruin won't activate and I can't finish the quest to get the drum for the bards college. Then there's just general problems that have since been patched, but even those have no right to exist. Dragons not attacking, souls not absorbing; basic factors of the game didn't work and even AFTER the patch I'm still having those problems. Here's the underlying problem. Game companies, especially Bethesda need to stop releasing buggy shit that they can wave away with a day 1 or week 1 patch. You finish the game and then you release it. Patches are meant to fix smaller problems. In the case of Skyrim, it shipped with major ones and some of them aren't even fixed yet. And hell, PS3 players lost hours of progress when their save game data basically imploded on itself. Skyrim, you are a great game, amazing even, but you just had too many problems to be considered for my game of the year. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.inentertainment.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Glitches-in-Skyrim-Video-roundup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://static.inentertainment.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Glitches-in-Skyrim-Video-roundup.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This exploit is kind of awesome, though.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I could also throw in my issues with the leveling system, but I honestly think I'm wrong on that one. I just miss gaining perks with leveling rather than having to choose them. The new system is a proven one and one I can appreciate it. Anyway, these are my reasons. I stand by them.The Outlawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162674020086046814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-75005012902094204772012-01-09T00:10:00.000-06:002012-01-09T00:10:29.352-06:00I am alive! Have some drawings as proof.[crawls out of hole] Oh, hi! I promise I haven't forgotten about this dear ole blog. I just suck! Now that I've stated the obvious, let me state the even <i>more</i> obvious: <b>Mass Effect 3 is less than two months away (March 6th).</b><b> </b>Do you know how excited I am? Excited enough that I wanted to type that in all caps but I didn't want to scare anyone off so I contained myself and drew some pictures instead!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg01DY6aflnO08yzhRHGmG8QwjjkAlqzL4tRQaWTYQc5T4e4PL1y41uDTfRQTPmrazLJPQ6lKjqVrUkFmu73MdAyKsvpoc4Km0PwiRxANNfzcLzWElEQXbN9mG8w61Kgu8yX-sBfPnrQ0E/s1600/garruspaint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg01DY6aflnO08yzhRHGmG8QwjjkAlqzL4tRQaWTYQc5T4e4PL1y41uDTfRQTPmrazLJPQ6lKjqVrUkFmu73MdAyKsvpoc4Km0PwiRxANNfzcLzWElEQXbN9mG8w61Kgu8yX-sBfPnrQ0E/s320/garruspaint.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sketchy Garrus. Not necessarily sketchy as in criminal, although he is a vigilante.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Gu4MJzk_8_P4-GGrvHnYYPOPTGw_6U26kg3eR0zwTgV-uGn-H5BkY7blbYNSbronxXK6FLlMdKNzUF6UV29fdT3RrkAMaxnYnvLkP5yUfeKz5Exa5hisK0MV7le2Pb7eGaMdKJWv0Yc/s1600/garruspaint2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Gu4MJzk_8_P4-GGrvHnYYPOPTGw_6U26kg3eR0zwTgV-uGn-H5BkY7blbYNSbronxXK6FLlMdKNzUF6UV29fdT3RrkAMaxnYnvLkP5yUfeKz5Exa5hisK0MV7le2Pb7eGaMdKJWv0Yc/s320/garruspaint2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Took away some lines in this one. Because I can.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGTWFHA_YVV_BICyBrlGcNSR6q2kKdaSQ0C1_auXwMysAwm3x4SYiPIiHWPd1081b02zSkeboCZWuauY6VEFnSM1WURYLaWnqemmokcN3DSbcU-B8U_qNiNlA7pOmH5DFVtLXPBnD9BM/s1600/tali.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGTWFHA_YVV_BICyBrlGcNSR6q2kKdaSQ0C1_auXwMysAwm3x4SYiPIiHWPd1081b02zSkeboCZWuauY6VEFnSM1WURYLaWnqemmokcN3DSbcU-B8U_qNiNlA7pOmH5DFVtLXPBnD9BM/s320/tali.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super rushed this one of Tali. Don't hate me, Talimancers!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYz_vpns6bDyzp7BpX_W-HJp1EClbb458-mnH3wsmWWDLqySFFn61phjXRbyclYmqJkTpFK_znh2-WWibsKAgGY7qNqnTbjyZ01LpUyidcn7IA-9G2hZNBppm2WVXdM5iT-LWIGYVhMvc/s1600/thanepaintneat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYz_vpns6bDyzp7BpX_W-HJp1EClbb458-mnH3wsmWWDLqySFFn61phjXRbyclYmqJkTpFK_znh2-WWibsKAgGY7qNqnTbjyZ01LpUyidcn7IA-9G2hZNBppm2WVXdM5iT-LWIGYVhMvc/s320/thanepaintneat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After those sketchy Garruses (Garri?) I wanted to draw a much cleaner Thane!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6zpotNZinBVXOM40o9uTQYytVwraUN03osmeM0Er9Saf2C08I64OZIbRbu4TQlfUF7yZS2BvZl_8aeYhkw2ESeB7gsQALgHbfUceg8bwr0ejGESy1Tm3lSg33O3vOzC1cO1_xbrNX04k/s1600/wrex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6zpotNZinBVXOM40o9uTQYytVwraUN03osmeM0Er9Saf2C08I64OZIbRbu4TQlfUF7yZS2BvZl_8aeYhkw2ESeB7gsQALgHbfUceg8bwr0ejGESy1Tm3lSg33O3vOzC1cO1_xbrNX04k/s320/wrex.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wrex, why is your mouth so difficult to draw? Don't worry, I still love you. I know you were worried, big guy. DON'T CRY.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I didn't draw any humans because I basically never took them off the ship. And from the looks of <a href="http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/James_Vega">this</a> guy, that tradition will probably continue. But hey, maybe he will be some sort of kitten-saving intellectual with a heart of gold. Or maybe he will give Shepard free ice cream. I could live with that.<br />
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Anyway, I'll try to be more of a person and post here every once in a while. In the meantime, feel free to peruse my <a href="http://cisuggs.blogspot.com/">art blog</a>. It is mostly geeky fanart because I have no life! And on that cheery note, I bid you good evening. Oh hey, it's morning now!<br />
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</div>CiSuggshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03828233264538410460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-7985716811238203032012-01-01T20:37:00.001-06:002012-01-01T20:38:00.180-06:00The Outlaw's Game of the YearWelp, it's the new year, and for video games it means two thing: Looking forward to a new year's worth of releases, and looking back on the best of the previous year. I'm a day late so let's not dilly-dally!<br />
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GAME OF THE YEAR: BATMAN ARKHAM CITY<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://calmdowntom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Arkham-City-HD-Wallpaper-014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://calmdowntom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Arkham-City-HD-Wallpaper-014.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Surprise! I picked the Batman game! But it freaking deserved it! It had everything. The best combat, the best story, albeit not the best script (that honor goes to the runner up), and some of the best acting. Everything worked into making the Batman mythos feel incredibly alive. The villains, the allies: GOSH, IT WAS ALL SO GREAT! How they smoothed out the combat to near perfection astonishes even me. The addition of the quick-fire ability to so many of the gadgets makes fighting incredibly varied and still incredibly smooth. Stealth is still great and seeing your victims get more and more terrified is always incredibly satisfying. Mark Hamill gives the most chilling Joker performance Ive ever seen and Kevin Conroy is still the best Batman. Throw in amazing villain cameos, some of which I'm still finding, some actually difficult Riddler challenges, and the absolute best way of getting around an open world map in a video game ever add up to what has to be my game of the year. And as an added bonus, they also went ahead and wrote the best theme of the year, too.<br />
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<iframe width="480" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SXKrsJZWqK0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
Seriously... This is amazing.<br />
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Just like the title character, Batman: Arkham City can't be beat. (Don't read the comic Knightfall. It makes this final sentence make less sense)<br />
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RUNNER UP: PORTAL 2<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/191930-168644-portal2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/191930-168644-portal2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D'awwwwwwww</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Portal 2 is absolutely one of the best games I've ever played. It's even better than it's prequel. The issue, however, is that it doesn't have the same impact. It does everything the first game did, but bigger and with even better writing. In fact, the writing is the best of the year, and Cave Johnson is the best new original character by far. The addition of mutiplayer puzzle solving was also great. Yet, for some reason, it just didn't do for me what the original did. When I played 1 I felt like I was playing something completely new and different. Now I just feel like I'm playing Portal. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense to anyone else, but it does to me, dammit! But I'm not insulting it. I'm giving it runner up! <br />
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BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: DUKE NUKEM FOREVER<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wired.com/gamelife/wp-content/gallery/duke-forever/dnf_vegas_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://www.wired.com/gamelife/wp-content/gallery/duke-forever/dnf_vegas_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That blank page should be the whole book. Also, don't look directly in the eyes of that troll child.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Oh, Duke. Duke, Duke, Duke. What the hell happened during that development cycle that lasted over a decade. Somewhere along the line, you forgot who were you. You threw old-school and new-school elements together that didn't mix and your jokes... well MOST of them fell flat. Not to mention the incredibly disturbing scene where women were essentially raped in the mouth and impregnated by aliens. It works in the movie Alien because it's a horror movie and the alien attacks members of both sexes. When the situation is pointed to as a joke it's just terrible. Yes, I did defend the game to an extent in an earlier article, but the main argument was that it wasn't as terrible as some where saying it was. It still wasn't great and it definitely didn't live up to Duke Nukem 3D. Of course, what game in the series since then has? Duke, I am disappoint. <br />
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SPECIAL MENTION: RAYMAN ORIGINS<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://calmdowntom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Rayman_Origins_KeyArt1-e1307053674891-640x360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://calmdowntom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Rayman_Origins_KeyArt1-e1307053674891-640x360.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My face while playing Rayman: Origins</td></tr>
</tbody></table> This game needs some love. ALL OF YOUR LOVE! It was released at a terrible time, and it has sold like crap because of it. It deserves more than that, though. Way more than that. This, my friends, is the best 2-D platformer since Super Nintendo era Mario games. It's smooth, it has tight controls and physics, and gets insanely hard. It doesn't coddle you and you'll love every minute of it. Plus, it's gorgeously animated with beautifully hand drawn art and the level design is phenomenal. These factors make it special because it's a labor of love. It's a perfect throwback to an era of gaming I miss and for that, it deserves my special mention.The Outlawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162674020086046814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-31182142557951820652012-01-01T16:52:00.000-06:002012-01-01T16:52:06.627-06:00Game of the Year, From The Elitist.So game of the year. Wait.. <i>game..? </i>You mean... just one game?<br />
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</div>This year has been a remarkable year for video games, and fallen dictators. Although... I doubt those are related... unless.......<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRCKvO6D8qSH907SOk-b-oscEdSEooT_3Shc-sWCL03n2xlSYUtL2FeVvczXxxleLCROVMRUsJTFcrMc34B-3YzlNQk5yo5karvwcpfM12OuUcgzP69ELJrYJrYU_oWDM9c8VcKMIvEk/s1600/batman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRCKvO6D8qSH907SOk-b-oscEdSEooT_3Shc-sWCL03n2xlSYUtL2FeVvczXxxleLCROVMRUsJTFcrMc34B-3YzlNQk5yo5karvwcpfM12OuUcgzP69ELJrYJrYU_oWDM9c8VcKMIvEk/s400/batman.jpg" width="327" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This article brought to you by my desire to use meme faces. </td></tr>
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</div>I know I know I know, Batman doesn't kill. I just noticed the dates and thought it was funny, don't eat me....<br />
It's a nearly flawless game, with fantastic writing and AWESOME characters. Unfortunately I am not the most familiar with Batman cannon. I felt like in order to truly enjoy the games to it's fullest, one really needs to understand the little nuances of the story that relate back to characters, villains, and events from the comics. I missed almost all of that, save for what Mr. Outlaw explained to me. So I can't give it GotY.<br />
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I'm a huge Zelda fan, you folks know that. So Skyward Sword? I can't. Not in good conscience.<a href="http://www.theoande.blogspot.com/2011/11/legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-review.html"> I loved the game, and I am very happy with it.</a> However, it had enough flaws, and frustrated me to often to justify giving it the best game of the year. Flaws and the like I won't recount... beeecause you can just read my review! Also, I'm lazy.<br />
It does shows growth in the franchise, and we shall see what happens in the future!<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Special Mentions: Arkham City & Skyward Sword.</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://admintell.napco.com/ee/images/uploads/gamertell/Skyrim_dragon_fight_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://admintell.napco.com/ee/images/uploads/gamertell/Skyrim_dragon_fight_thumb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goddammit....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Skyrim? Well... almost. Skyrim brings a whole new standard to quality RPG, but it also lacks several things that make a games story feel consistent. Skyrim was my most anticipated game this year after watching Dragon trailers over and over. The whole idea of random Dragon encounters sounded really thrilling, and it was; until about the 50th time even after I beat the main story.. thingy. I would become leader of a faction, and the members would still treat me as though I was a recruit. Becoming a Bard did little else aside from triggering some guards to refer to me as Bard, the same way they call me "sneak-thief". Not especially prestigious. This game absorbed hours of my life, hours I sha'nt regret, I love it, but aforementioned video game farts deny it the GotY spot.<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Runner Up: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</span></b><br />
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Well, moving on to the important stuff, if you work your memory juice (that's how memory works, right?) back to early early this year. In January, EA brought us a little gem... Dead Space 2.<br />
Dead Space 2 was, in my humble opinion, the best game to release this year, for 3 reasons<br />
1. Huge character and story progress from previous game<br />
2. Brilliant Multi-player<br />
3. EMOTION! SOUL!<br />
Wait.. is that four?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gamernode.com/upload/manager/Dan%20Crabtree/Reviews/deadspace2trailerblog--article_image1296868843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://www.gamernode.com/upload/manager/Dan%20Crabtree/Reviews/deadspace2trailerblog--article_image1296868843.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Isaac was not a character. Not in DS. He was the faceless Hero. Yeah it's cool it's kind of poetic. It allows all of us insignificant bastards to feel like Master of the Universe for 20 hours before we have to clean the dog shit off the carpet, but in reality it's a little lazy. Isaac became a man we could relate to. Someone we wanted to win. An engaging/inspiring/blahblah hero is always more fun. Giving him a face, and a character, made his tribulations feel more real. I was able to see the anguish on his face, and I wanted to just hug him... after I help him sever this mutated baby-monster's head.<a href="http://theoande.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-dont-think-i-have-done-dead-space2.html"> I have made my feelings on Dead Space fairly clear in the past</a>, honestly, I had to stop myself from writing too many "favorite moments" on this game. Every scene felt powerful and was obviously cared for deeply.<br />
Watching a game like DS, turn into DS2, you can <i>feel</i> the desire the teams had to make the game like nothing anyone had seen before. The more love that goes into a game, the more beautiful it becomes. This game felt like a piece of art during the entire game. Not to mention.. we owned the SHIT out of some sonsabitches in multiplayer! It's a teamwork based multiplayer that requires a healthy amount of strategy. You can't just run around Rambo style and hope you win. You gotta think, and you have to work together. Love it. We were unstoppable!!<br />
So... yeah.<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Game of the Year: Dead Space 2. </span></b><br />
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Goodnight! Happy New Year, you rapscallions!The Elitisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815330173087328628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-21994900688180072812011-12-31T19:21:00.004-06:002011-12-31T19:21:53.056-06:00A ReturnGood day, dearest readers, and welcome back to the O&E. We apologize for our prolonged absence; things have been rough on all fronts for all of us. Oh and we've been incredibly and negligently lazy. So that didn't help things. <b>But</b>, rest assured that we are back, and in full force! We do hope you don't hate us very much as a result of our little hiatus, as that would be bad. In any case, we'll soon have Game of the Year posts up to make up for it. So there! :D<br />
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From all of us here at the O&E, it's good to be back!El Jefehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679336805427799406noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-82528704273324963632011-12-31T01:24:00.000-06:002012-01-01T20:49:04.670-06:00Game of the Year, According to El JefeAnd so another year draws to a close. As always, we take this time to reflect on the year bygone, set rather optimistic goals for the year to come, and drink lots of booze. I like to focus on the last of these three. Still, as a video game blogger, it's my duty (teehee) to look back on the games of 2011 to determine the best, the pretty cool, and the biggest letdowns this year. And drink lots of booze, of course. Can't forget about the booze.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Game of the Year: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yj5nUT29moI/Tv-FGCE0y9I/AAAAAAAAAIo/nYcwAYlZ1bM/s1600/Skyrim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yj5nUT29moI/Tv-FGCE0y9I/AAAAAAAAAIo/nYcwAYlZ1bM/s400/Skyrim.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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"Okay, we get it," you might say, "you're completely enamored with this game, blah blah blah." Well... yes. This is true. But in choosing my Game of the Year, I was careful to be as objective as possible. Still, Skyrim came out on top in my opinion. Let me tell you why.<br />
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Skyrim improved on its predecessor, Oblivion, in every way. We don't have to put up with ridiculous menus filled with twenty trillion keys, we can play our characters how we want rather than having to choose how we'll play at the beginning of the game, and dungeons are actually different from one another. People look nice instead of hideous, elves aren't just humans with pointy ears, and your character moves more realistically in third person view this time. Though there are still bugs, there are not nearly as many as there were in Oblivion, nor are they as serious (excepting, of course, the plight of PS3 players). Oblivion was a very enjoyable game; Skyrim not only fixed all of its problems, but evolved beyond them, redefining the direction of the Elder Scrolls series.<br />
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Furthermore, Skyrim is the biggest game I have ever played. Huge? Vast? These words don't do the world of Skyrim justice. I've spent an ungodly number of hours roaming around doing various quests, slaying various creatures, and poking around in various caves and tombs just for fun. There's just so much to do and so much fun to be had in Skyrim that it's hard to get tired of it. In summation, it's improved, it's vast, it's fun, and it lasts. Thus, it's my Game of the Year.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Runner Up: Portal 2</span></b><br />
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Shameful admission time! I hadn't played the original Portal before playing Portal 2. Startling, I know (though I went back to play it afterward). So I came to Portal 2 with fresh eyes, so to speak. In the early levels of the game, I had to learn to think in terms of portals, not the easiest of feats at first, but certainly fun. From then on, I was hooked. I feel that Portal 2 is a brilliantly designed game in both its gameplay and its storyline, and is thus deserving of the Runner Up title.<br />
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As far as gameplay is concerned, each level progresses perfectly in difficulty level. For noobs like me, this means the hold-your-hand, training wheel levels at the outset helps get players on their feet. From there, it introduces new elements and gradually challenges players to use these elements in creative ways to solve puzzles. It keeps players on their toes, it keeps them thinking, and it keeps them having fun. Crazy fun. And when it adds another two portals in the Cooperative Testing Initiative (cooperative campaign), things just get better. Even more puzzles = even more awesome.<br />
<br />
Portal 2's story is engaging even if fairly simple. Characters like the gung-ho Cave Johnson, the rather dumb Wheatley, and of course our good friend GLaDOS kept me laughing with their hilarious quotes. Portal 2 gave me the sense that I was solving the puzzles for a purpose besides just having fun, as if I needed one, and I enjoyed that alot (more than I enjoyed <i>that</i> <a href="http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html">alot</a>). To me, video games are about enjoyment, and to me, Portal 2 is distilled enjoyment. The only drawback is its low replay value. Still, it has definitely earned its Runner Up position.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Biggest Disappointment: Brink</span></b><br />
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When I first heard of Brink, it sounded like it'd be a pretty awesome game. A first person shooter that'd pit the haves against the have nots in a post apocalyptic setting, all centered around a fluid parkour-style movement system sounded quite intriguing and seemed to have great potential. And I'd still say today that it was an impressive concept. It was just executed in an astoundingly ineffective fashion. Here's why.<br />
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First, the story. Brink utterly failed at getting me to care one lick about either The Security or The Resistance (the opposing forces in the game). Missions in the campaign begin with a little cutscene that gives a vague reason for why the mission needs to be done, but it doesn't seem to matter much at all. The mission still feels like any other mission because they're all basically the same: go to objective, secure objective, go to next objective, etc. This sucks, but isn't a dealbreaker necessarily. What makes it especially lame, however, is that Brink had come up with a pretty novel environment and social situation, only to squander it with shallow asides hinting at what I assume was supposed to be an engaging story. That's disappointing.<br />
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It's hardly the worst thing about Brink, though. In terms of gameplay, I only saw one positive aspect: the parkour style. It's neat. It's kind of fun to slide around and blast people with a shotgun. But aside from that, Brink isn't enjoyable. The missions, as mentioned, are all the same. Furthermore, the objectives are plagued by chokepoints, making a boring entrenchment the only reasonable strategy for defense and a frustrated sigh the only reasonable reaction on offense. It's a quagmire, plain and simple. The AI (stretching the use of "intelligence") bots are <i>incredibly</i> stupid, more of a hindrance really than a help. Toss in the awful performance of the multiplayer system (the long waits for matches, the embarrassing texture-rendering issues, and the lag), and you've got one hell of a chore to do, just to get some experience so you can customize your <a href="http://www.crit-hit.net/102247681536000000-unique-character-variations-and-not-one-woman/">male</a> character's outfit and look cute. Hence it's my Biggest Disappointment of 2011.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Special Mention: L.A. Noire</span></b><br />
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To be honest, I didn't really understand the "Special Mention" category when it was first explained to me by the illustrious Outlaw, so I'm going to make it my own thing. I'm using it to highlight a game that did something I consider important to video games as a whole. That game to me is L.A. Noire.<br />
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L.A. Noire was a really fun game: challenging, engrossing, intense, and suspenseful. Sure, it didn't have much replay value, but it was great in its own right. What I really want to commend it for is its revolutionary use of motion capture technology.<br />
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This is significant for more than one reason. Obviously, it's visually stunning. To see characters with such level of detail in their facial animation is amazing. We've seen great animation work before, but nothing to this extent. But more than that, it grabs you and pulls you into the story. Seeing a twitch of a character's jaw as he tries to convince you he's telling the truth drags you past the edge of your seat and right into the shoes of Cole Phelps himself. This is what I want to draw attention to. L.A. Noire masterfully brought motion capture technology into the video game world and thus opened up a brand new level of immersion in gaming. For this, I believe it deserves special recognition.<br />
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Well, that's it for 2011. I'd like to wish you, dearest reader of the best blog in the galaxy, a very happy 2012, filled with plenty of awesome gaming. And booze. Can't forget booze. Cheers!</div>El Jefehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00679336805427799406noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-38566179126219062502011-12-05T12:50:00.002-06:002011-12-05T12:50:39.266-06:00Mojang and LEGO bringing Minecraft to life.<a href="http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/4038" target="_blank">Click this link, right now. Do it now! Click Support!</a><br />
That link will take you to LEGO's public idea project known as Cuusoo. Users can pitch set ideas, and if they gain enough support, LEGO will produce the set. Mojang has started this process to get a Minecraft LEGO set in production.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mojang... you guys are too clever.</span></td></tr>
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Support this beautiful beautiful idea. Make an account, and click that big support button, answer some questions, and hope with me. I will be made child again if these release. <br />
More info on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/minecraft/posts/331284066885626" target="_blank">Mojang's Facebook.</a>The Elitisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815330173087328628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-83750538423041736162011-12-01T12:16:00.001-06:002011-12-01T12:21:06.159-06:00Assassins Creed: Revelations ReviewGuuuuuuuuuuuuys I am really tired of playing the same game!<br />
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From the first time I beheld the concept of AC, I fell in love with it's syfy/fantasy/history hybrid. It's absolutely brilliant. Free running like that had never been done so fluid, and open worlds where the player can choose how he proceeds is (typically) much more engaging. The story was thrilling and mysterious, and it made the yearly release an exciting prospect. However, I believe the annual releases have been a slight detriment. This writer feels like in the long run, the players are actually losing from this.<br />
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Pros:<br />
Still Assassins Creed. Nothing has been dramatically changed, and the main components remain nearly untouched from Brotherhood. A few new gadgets and features, some UI/controlling tweaks here and there, etc.<br />
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Cons: <br />
Still Assassins Creed. Nothing has been dramatically changed, and the main components remain nearly untouched from Brotherhood. A few new gadgets and features, some UI/controlling tweaks here and there, etc.<br />
<br />
I might be getting ahead of myself. I did enjoy AC:R, I did! I really just hadn't intended playing Assassins Creed II: Constantinople Edition. I understand that the game cannot be fundamentally changed, that doesn't make sense. The reason it has been a success is because of it's innovative free-running and unique combat. That can stay. What I had expected change was.. well everything else. This game feels <i>exactly </i>like Brotherhood. Allow me to digress...<br />
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The game starts out.. and I'm already confused. Desmond has been "locked" in the Animus, his brain is scrambled, and his mind is losing the distinction between Altair, Ezio, and Desmond. The Animus is barely holding his fractured mind together. Desmond winds up in blank a environment created by the Animus, and discovers his fate from a stranger. This guy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dur?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Don't know who this is? I didn't either. Don't worry though, Desmond, who has literally only heard of him (unless you finished all of the puzzles in Brotherhood, at which point, he makes a digitized appearance, confuses the balls off of Desmond, and tells you stuff, about Eve.) knows exactly who that is. You still don't know? Come on! It's Clay Kaczmarek! Who is Clay Kaczmarek?! Seriously? It's Subject 16?!?! WHO IS SUBJECT 16?! YOU ACT LIKE HE HAS LITERALLY ONLY MADE OPTIONAL APPEARANCES?! Oh.. he literally has only made optional appearances since the first AC? Huh... well this is the guy that was driven insane by the Animus, and spread his blood all over the walls in the first Assassins Creed. Yeah, that guy. Cheery fellow.<br />
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So that's confusing. Anywho! He gives Desmond his goal for this game, namely, fix your damn brain, it's all broken. To do this, he has to finish Altair/Ezio's memorys. Well duh.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I am so lost.."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>SOOO You are Ezio. He is looking for secrets Altair hid, stuff he doesn't want the Templars to find. He winds up in Masyaf. You know. Masyaf, that place they announce like it hasn't been 2 years since we played the first game (Masyaf was the starting location in AC1) I think we see the pattern here...<br />
<br />
Shit goes down, and Ezio's hunt leads him to Constantinople. This is the city in which the game resides. Ezio meets the leader of the Assassins that have risen in Constantinople as a result of Ezio's effort to bring the Assassins into power. As Ezio peruses Altair's knowledge, he finds himself helping the Assassins in Constantinople, blah blah blah PLOT! <br />
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So now you are in your big city, lets go do stuff! What kinda stuff did you do in Brotherhood? Find viewpoints, buy banks/tailors/blacksmiths/landmarks/faction buildings (Same goddamn factions, except the courtesans are Romanies.), recruit assassins, do some random memories focused on a girl, hunt treasure, occasionally kill officials or bribe Heralds, do faction quests, clear out "some bad guy" and light his tower on fire, kill lots of Templars.... Brotherhood? Oh nonono, that's all the stuff you do in Revelations! It's different now!<br />
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Ubisoft:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same game. Problem?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
There are <i>some</i> differences, and I can't really say I like them. For starters, your "presence" meter (that little bar that gets more red.. and then when it's full people kill you. You know the one.) represents how aware the Templars are of your actions. The Templars are reeeaally active in Constantinople, referred to as Byzantines by the Ottomans. So, when that fills up, they attack you on site. You gain Templar awareness by doing literally <i>anything. </i>Killing Templars (ok..), killing really anything (right, ok), doing quests (um, alright?), buying property (wait.. what?), ya know. The usual. Typically, awareness wouldn't be that big a deal, it just means I have to kill more stupid Templars. Weelll, that's not entirely true. That is, unless you really love Tower Defense games.<br />
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DOOO WHHAAAA?!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8cPuJi6gTFQ" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
I really wish I was kidding. It was cool like.. onc-- no never mind. I hated it the first time I did this stupid mini game. Every time you do this bullshit, <i>every time</i> some tank, artillery thingy shows up at the end and ROFLfucks you. Every time. Vulgar imagery here.<br />
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You <i>can </i>prevent this (thank God), but it requires ensuring your Templar Awareness never fills up. You can also prevent this innevitably (I <i>think</i>) by leveling up your Assassin recruits, and then doing their quests and promoting them to Master Assassin, at which point, once they reach level 15 (they have to be level 10 to start Master Assassin training. ) they can protect Assassin Dens on their own. It takes several hours to level your assassins to 10, and then takes several more hours to get each one to master and I literally have no idea how long it takes them to hit 15, but I think by this point I have 3 level 15 masters? You probably have a dozen Assassin Dens. I'll let you do the math. <br />
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So that's cool. There are a ton of characters, and they all have Turkish names. During one mission, you are immediately innudated with all the names and titles of the royalty and military members important to the story. My Turkish is rusty... so I was unable to differentiate who was who and whose name matched whose face.. and who was betraying who, and whose uncle was whose.. favorite and brother-father, something.. sultan... general Talik.. some person.. Asssassins... yusif... *head explode*<br />
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The faces looks bad sometimes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WHO IS THAT ON THE LEFT OMGOSH!?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>OKAY! Now that you are fully convinced I hate this game: I don't. I'm not impressed with it, and I am certainly glad I didn't have to buy it, but I did have fun. It's still AC, it still has it's charm. There was just not enough newness to the gameplay for me to consider it worth another 65 bucks. It literally could have been a $20 expansion, albeit a long expansion. There are some very cool plot elements though, but that's about all I will say, plot-wise :3<br />
If you have been a big fan from the beginning, and you are still dedicated to the story, you will enjoy it. Rent it on a weekend you have free, or over the winter break, and give it a good run through. I didn't buy it, so I can't speak for the multiplayer, but I imagine it's just as good as Brotherhood's was. Because of DRM bull, you do have to purchase the game, or buy an online pass to play on Xbox Live. Bogus. I didn't wish to slap down that cash, and I have never been one to care much for the mutiplayer. It's a good game. Stand alone, with out comparison to what it mirrors, it is quality. A lot of care went into this game, of that I am sure. I don't believe Ubisoft, or any of the guys at Montreal want to screw their fans, I believe they really do care for this game and for the players. I think they are just really crushed by this annual release business. It limits the scope of innovation, and dampers how much the game can evolve. It's a whole they have dug for themselves and I really hope it doesn't turn into a grave for the franchise. Despite my scathing words, I have hopes for the franchise. I am excited to see what will happen after Ezio, and to watch the plot develop. Next time, Ubisoft... I need to be impressed.<br />
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7/10The Elitisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815330173087328628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-57927118798225699952011-11-30T20:33:00.001-06:002011-12-01T12:21:16.846-06:00Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuz0Zq9PK_02_ObG4ik3ufJfrMimNDuKADh0WRPGwSDczbvsCW4I8wkvJWf7EkcVorDsnNqyDiIbom6cEekn9rXoWialwirbWhos0tUPtPP-L1E8pH0imtW3ZqW_JnUzflrL0etysdNU/s1600/sslogo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuz0Zq9PK_02_ObG4ik3ufJfrMimNDuKADh0WRPGwSDczbvsCW4I8wkvJWf7EkcVorDsnNqyDiIbom6cEekn9rXoWialwirbWhos0tUPtPP-L1E8pH0imtW3ZqW_JnUzflrL0etysdNU/s640/sslogo.jpg" width="550" /></a><br />
Two things, right off the bat:<br />
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1.) I have not beat the game yet, I wanted to get this out to y'all in case you were looking for something to do over the break, also it's pretty long.<br />
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2.) It's not OoT. Stop it.<br />
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With that being said, I have put down a solid 30 hours in the game, and I have experienced enough to let you know how I feel.<br />
Allow me address my second point. This is not, allow me to repeat, <i>is not</i>, are we getting that fanboys? Isn't Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Windwaker, or even Twilight Princess. This game is an attempt to innovate the genre and move away from the stigma everyone puts on LoZ. It's really tough for a game like Zelda that has such a legacy to meet the expectations of all the fans. Especially fans that are so...well...<a href="http://bitchy./">bitchy.</a> (notice how pro batman comments get voted down like crazy.) I have OoT <i>tattoos</i> for crying out loud, so I'm not trying to shut down LoZ fans, I am however making sure we all know that this game isn't not trying to be something we have all already played. Ocarina of Time is widely claimed to be the best Zelda game to date, and that places a ton of stress on the developers. To solve this, Miyamoto wanted to move away from the OoT genre, and make a new age for the Zelda franchise, and frankly, I could not be happier.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeY_07Pu7Fq38JovFnalnI4da4JXpp7eFuh4AeNeFLXufhZGimrgLMnKP_dz47UJQvJzksDk0mP5FFj8YC5RKnV0V2i4qs8NebHVQtXk4injb4CoCjNmVIMUhLCdrlR9hIvOcUAx7LxTY/s1600/zelda.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeY_07Pu7Fq38JovFnalnI4da4JXpp7eFuh4AeNeFLXufhZGimrgLMnKP_dz47UJQvJzksDk0mP5FFj8YC5RKnV0V2i4qs8NebHVQtXk4injb4CoCjNmVIMUhLCdrlR9hIvOcUAx7LxTY/s320/zelda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She is so precious! Why do you take her away from me!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
This is a new game. Comparing it to older Zelda games doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. It has the same <i>feel;</i> that LoZ charm that has kept us in awe for 25 years, but the delivery has been revamped and it's evolving. The story is hard to place in the Zelda time line. It's either the first or last. The three goddesses have little play, instead the people of Skyloft worship one singular goddess, although they do refer to "the god of old" several times. The Hylian crest of old rarely has the Triforce <a href="http://static.desktopnexus.com/thumbnails/18959-bigthumbnail.jpg">like we typically see.</a> (it does appear when you visit an ancient location, in its iconic fashion.) This leads me to personally believe it's way way way in the future, so the Triforce and goddesses of old have been forgotten as they were known in the past. So far in the future that now Gannon has been forgotten, and a new evil has been born.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gJwfI2GFeQi_qtkNHfSoNe3MzGVC3kVgzT5BFExug-Elbwo-9ztAtlVgcS1cF_7CB1iuyu6Vo-Eg4KEErrg0Q53Fr7CboWELJsMrWK7gnPTeNbLb36MfeZL2d_AfHpWgWra95seGqwU/s1600/4_RVL_ZeldaSS_01char03_E3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gJwfI2GFeQi_qtkNHfSoNe3MzGVC3kVgzT5BFExug-Elbwo-9ztAtlVgcS1cF_7CB1iuyu6Vo-Eg4KEErrg0Q53Fr7CboWELJsMrWK7gnPTeNbLb36MfeZL2d_AfHpWgWra95seGqwU/s200/4_RVL_ZeldaSS_01char03_E3.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knights are BAMFs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Link is a student. A soldier in training almost, training to be a Knight of Skyloft; the floating island-village on which Link and his people reside. This is also where Zelda lives. A normal girl, daughter to the Headmaster of the Knights School, and life long friend to Link. It's in the first hour or so of the game that we see how close the two of them are, and the game does a brilliant job at reaching out to you, and evoking a real care for Zelda. It's very engaging, and you'll find yourself attached to Zelda, making it that much more powerful when she is taken away. Now, with a heavy heart, but the passion to proceed, Link must save his Goddess, his spirit maiden.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnpL9dPhDW7kQO7GLwgIE_HGocKPRSuM-dQpdrIACMP3GCjLbD2bkoq-vZrPblL4M7PgsYJebsAKn8a1wq0jUcfIlnXa-HxDyPzKrFmqF5R7jxwIEBKmH5T1L4Vfnh3bUc9dwXAObYXw/s1600/Skyward+Sword+Flying.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnpL9dPhDW7kQO7GLwgIE_HGocKPRSuM-dQpdrIACMP3GCjLbD2bkoq-vZrPblL4M7PgsYJebsAKn8a1wq0jUcfIlnXa-HxDyPzKrFmqF5R7jxwIEBKmH5T1L4Vfnh3bUc9dwXAObYXw/s320/Skyward+Sword+Flying.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Overworld in SS takes another unique form. The sky. This is one main similarity it shares with old LoZ games: The Overworld is very reminiscent of WW. You really can only explore island by island, where you will find other characters, treasures, baddies, and other random goodies. You travel from "island" to island on your new mount. The Crimson Loftwings. Loftwings are giant birds on which the people of Skyloft ride through the skies. Pretty damn cool. Flying around with the epic <i>orchestral score</i> playing around you, it's very powerful. I found the controls for flying very fluid and natural, until you try to do something that requires a lot of precision. Its then that things get a little tricky. To gain altitude, you have to swing the Wii-mote down, however, you steer by rotating and pointing the Wii-mote. When you are just cruising, it's fluid and fun, if you are chasing someone down... it's a little awkward.<br />
<br />
Your second companion takes the form of this strange ancient artificial intelligence known as Fi. She is not <i>nearly</i> as annoying as Navi, and approximately eleventy billion times more useful. Not only will she analyze enemies to give you advice on how to defeat them, she can also give you hints on how to proceed should you find your self stuck. Far less (still a little) annoying and waaaay more useful.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3y0wnzT0SquePeDXcRxg4HCiVLg7LDvxe_DD3tbctq5RDN3Fa097zq6q1PbGkrT-0xWNA0C7JUqbw2OJAu-WL12cj33zL48SCwo3bGXsBvqfZqm_iP5FR-Nd2mx2278mLBtKHC23rDU8/s1600/tumblr_lsvf7s74D01qgb1o5o1_500.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3y0wnzT0SquePeDXcRxg4HCiVLg7LDvxe_DD3tbctq5RDN3Fa097zq6q1PbGkrT-0xWNA0C7JUqbw2OJAu-WL12cj33zL48SCwo3bGXsBvqfZqm_iP5FR-Nd2mx2278mLBtKHC23rDU8/s200/tumblr_lsvf7s74D01qgb1o5o1_500.png" width="185" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm actually a big fan of Fi. She is pretty cool. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Wii Motion Plus!<br />
It works. All combat revolves around your ability to manipulate your sword as you see fit. Almost every enemy has some defense mechanism, with a directional weakness. So long as you don't flail the Wii-mote senselessly like some caffeinated wiener dog, things will work very well. Be careful though... if there are breakables to your right, you may want to move them... one can really get into the sword swinging thing. Not that I would know... it's not like I launched my drink across the room that was sitting next to me because I wanted to dramatically kill the boss... I don't do those things...<br />
<br />
Everything else is just as based on Wii Motion Plus. You aim your bombs, slingshot, and all other fancy items I don't want to spoil (there are many many new item, that are a whole lot of fun.) with the Wii-mote. It works so very well, it's fluid and intuitive. It works exactly like it's supposed.<br />
<br />
Angry time. Well.. sorta.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsHRGwwIpLsEELLfZGmtysT_iuj3Rt7dNyfJPKEtGYGHYtfrVbSJtCPbEOlAhQEGaT3NNfGBl3Apo8WKX2BP0EoFfJUfIYehpJDU42jJngLU69iYlmiToNFotOZzzH4amIEsLCxL264s/s1600/the_legend_of_zelda_skyward_sword_13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsHRGwwIpLsEELLfZGmtysT_iuj3Rt7dNyfJPKEtGYGHYtfrVbSJtCPbEOlAhQEGaT3NNfGBl3Apo8WKX2BP0EoFfJUfIYehpJDU42jJngLU69iYlmiToNFotOZzzH4amIEsLCxL264s/s320/the_legend_of_zelda_skyward_sword_13.jpg" width="320" /></a>I think I just don't like the Wii controls in general. I can't complain about their proficiency, because it works flawlessly, I just don't really like it. My TV is situated maybe a little too close to where I sit, and so the aiming sometimes gets weird, etc etc. I'd would prefer a controller... but then the <i>awesome</i> sword combat would be impossible, so it's give and take. The "underworld" is not really made for exploration as a whole. You fall beneath the clouds into zones, and those zones are not connected. This Zelda is the most linear feeling Zelda yet, but it's probably the longest in a while. There is far less exploration and fewer side-quests, but the main story at times feels like running around exploring and questing. Again, some give and take. Occasionally I got really confused as to where to go. Maybe I'm just a little bit stupid, but there were times I would just sit and look around for an hour yelling at Fi to give me more help. BUT! there are these Shiekah Stones that will give you super hints if you get really stuck. Finally, because the world is comparatively small, there is quite a bit of back tracking, and <i>re-</i>exploring. Which is fine, because things do change as you return with new items and new skills, but I would have preferred more areas. <br />
<br />
Gush time.<br />
I love love love love love love love the art in this game. Everywhere. From the beautiful environments to the fuckin <i>full</i> <i>orchestral score biitch! </i>It's all fan-fucking-tastic. I have always maintained that WW was the prettiest Zelda game to date, but I think the environments are so perfectly created in combination with complimentary music, that there is really no competition. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8-nkqc80rmIk-v1W7VH3fPbUwCvS-wQqcNm3UMIvdSMnQVkR2Wcxn8QYYG_ilCdOGSY7LRyOrjzguZ8rQ59xXJXeNo3PyWJPnJ-NMMcxLRDnNOEL1l8OMvy2mC5F2XT2RlXiEm-vdWQ/s1600/gameguide_zelda_ss_screenshot_027_27046_640screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8-nkqc80rmIk-v1W7VH3fPbUwCvS-wQqcNm3UMIvdSMnQVkR2Wcxn8QYYG_ilCdOGSY7LRyOrjzguZ8rQ59xXJXeNo3PyWJPnJ-NMMcxLRDnNOEL1l8OMvy2mC5F2XT2RlXiEm-vdWQ/s320/gameguide_zelda_ss_screenshot_027_27046_640screen.jpg" width="320" /></a>The game has great characters, an engaging and inspiring plot, beautiful environments backed up with perfect music, and fluid and fun controls. It's a little lengthy and redundant at times, and occasionally awkward, confusing and a little unclear. Overall, I believe this is the start of a brilliant era for The Legend of Zelda.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
9/10<br />
<br />
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Oh also, this guy here?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLR7U1KEY7Di-cGpnNy7NKgqYpIrzs7qHCeH_ODwYHf5MZk0a-SBxsrZNwqJOEayxrJJ0LliebPIKhfm9g66T0xW5t_xzPkg_Jm6W5ShItrrY5SCDCQ9gwpAGdV2EvhpLEWZfzPnr1wUM/s1600/douche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLR7U1KEY7Di-cGpnNy7NKgqYpIrzs7qHCeH_ODwYHf5MZk0a-SBxsrZNwqJOEayxrJJ0LliebPIKhfm9g66T0xW5t_xzPkg_Jm6W5ShItrrY5SCDCQ9gwpAGdV2EvhpLEWZfzPnr1wUM/s1600/douche.jpg" /></a></div> He is a super douche. You will hate him.The Elitisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815330173087328628noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-18705774419718637762011-11-28T14:17:00.000-06:002011-11-28T14:17:17.078-06:00Skyrim 1.2 Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://nerdtrek.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Skyrim-Dragon-Battle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://nerdtrek.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Skyrim-Dragon-Battle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Today, the latest patch for Skyrim has been released for PS3. It should be heading to the 360 and PC around Wednesday.Why does the PS3 get it early? Because it freaking needs it now. And I mean neeeeeeeeds it. After all, peoples' save files are essentially imploding upon themselves. The rest of us only have to wait a measly two days. So what updates can you expect? Here's a convenient list:<br />
<br />
<ul style="font-family: inherit;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">Improved occasional performance issues resulting from long term play (PlayStation 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Fixed issue where textures would not properly upgrade when installed to drive (Xbox 360)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Fixed crash on startup when audio is set to sample rate other than 44100Hz (PC)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Fixed issue where projectiles did not properly fade away</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Fixed occasional issue where a guest would arrive to the player’s wedding dead</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Dragon corpses now clean up properly</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Fixed rare issue where dragons would not attack</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Fixed rare NPC sleeping animation bug</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Fixed rare issue with dead corpses being cleared up prematurely</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Skeleton Key will now work properly if player has no lockpicks in their inventory</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Fixed rare issue with renaming enchanted weapons and armor</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Fixed rare issue with dragons not properly giving souls after death</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">ESC button can now be used to exit menus (PC)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Fixed occasional mouse sensitivity issues (PC)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">General functionality fixes related to remapping buttons and controls (PC)</span></li>
</ul> I like how they specify that specific problems are "rare". I'm sure that doesn't matter to some people effected by these problems. Sure, some aren't a big deal, but if a dragon doesn't give you a soul you have every right to throw things out of an elevated area with utter disregard for innocents below. I think I've had the issue with dragons not attacking and dragon corpses not "clean[ing] up properly." I don't really know what the latter means, but after slaying my first dragon the corpse re-spawned in front of me while I was walking miles away from its resting place. That's just silly though and as long as the dragon that won't attack me decides I'm worth his time to incinerate (or freeze to death which is dumb because I'm a nord) after the patch I'm all set. To our fellow gamers who lost progress on the PS3, our hearts go out to you. Not literally, though. That would prove inconvenient.The Outlawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162674020086046814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-58953838510097729602011-11-16T23:40:00.000-06:002011-11-16T23:40:51.049-06:00Modern Warfare 3 ReviewGAMES! EVERYWHERE! ALL I WANT TO DO IS SKYRIM!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlU79V5bSY4fDeKMIlYbuAIx4X6lARqT90OLJ-R7cgicUcYaDTBqezfoQXPdP6QdiGCTsL5rnW4iSW8uuc1v5qbnsF8C-5uTZGvTOm0q5vUb5G2V9X1S2MFoPWtLybUmdZ_xjxPNyH7qw/s1600/bf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlU79V5bSY4fDeKMIlYbuAIx4X6lARqT90OLJ-R7cgicUcYaDTBqezfoQXPdP6QdiGCTsL5rnW4iSW8uuc1v5qbnsF8C-5uTZGvTOm0q5vUb5G2V9X1S2MFoPWtLybUmdZ_xjxPNyH7qw/s320/bf.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
So, I did manage some time before Skyrim's release, and little ( I mean.. a little) afterwards to get some serious downtime with MW3. Honestly, here is the thought process you should go through if you are debating getting MW3.<br />
<br />
Did you like MW? Did you like MW2? Rent it, at the very least. Do you play online, ideally with your friends? Did you enjoy playing online with your friends in MW and MW2? Buy it. You and your friends will probably have fun.<br />
<br />
There. review done right? Okkkaaayyyyyy<br />
<br />
So, really I don't have words for the campaign besides... more of the same. The story is fun, and there are definitely some reeeaaalllly intense moments. I love the surrealism of the events throughout the campaign, and it is definitely worth a quick play through if you have been invested into the plot thus far. Objectively, as a game. Bleh. It's boring and repetitive. It's keeps you on your toes by <i>constantly </i>sending enemies at you, no matter how many you kill, which is frustrating when the checkpoint is in a very much...well.... not safe place. blah blah blah, First Person Shooter campaign mode...<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3YJYTKREGbsyaX6ek3hQoUu86VInpI6b_QsXasq5I5P4DNXVcKoqlCH4MnjfUagmgf0xjod4iT0gU-LbpeUbD1k6rTndeHU_odnBIy_WGY51A1iVb7lf4mNP9VKmIcOt6eFaHva6dIE/s1600/mw3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3YJYTKREGbsyaX6ek3hQoUu86VInpI6b_QsXasq5I5P4DNXVcKoqlCH4MnjfUagmgf0xjod4iT0gU-LbpeUbD1k6rTndeHU_odnBIy_WGY51A1iVb7lf4mNP9VKmIcOt6eFaHva6dIE/s320/mw3.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Multiplayer is fun. Again, I have little to say. The game stays the course of MW, removing the stupid things in CodBlOps like having to <i>buy</i> your guns/attachments/upgrades. The only real change, aside from obvious performance and graphical upgrades, resides in the killstreak system. The Killstreaks are divided into 3 types. Assault, Support, and Specialist Strike Packages. Assault killstreaks work just like you remember. The Support killstreaks have a fun little twist. The kill count persist through death. For example, at 4 kills you can use a UAV, even if you die at some point during those kills you are still rewarded the killstreak. Makes you useful, even if you suck (I suck). These kill streaks do less killing, and require more kills to obtain. The Specialist package is way different. Instead of receiving equipment or what have you, you get perks as your kill streak increases. <a href="http://www.themodernwarfare3.com/mw3/killstreaks-strike-packages/">All the streaks and rewards are listed here. </a><br />
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Very well made game, but more of the same. Very little innovation is introduced, and nothing really stood out to me like the first Modern Warfare did all those years ago.<br />
7/10<br />
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<br />
Also, Skyrim sold 7million copies within it's first week. Modern Warfare 3, sold 12million, making the world record in launch day, and week long sales.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoS687cuzJ6v_ahxeZJr9RgLmj7Nzwae5f-bvA_gTC2jcoDiegnO6VCdE7wSKfMfE-gRw9R00d9IpHouGn0zHxGtLgsOcB2oldhxv8eghKWqCFS_ooF0NqmEWN5XhyphenhyphenqbYm7mTWUCowcw/s1600/ppl.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoS687cuzJ6v_ahxeZJr9RgLmj7Nzwae5f-bvA_gTC2jcoDiegnO6VCdE7wSKfMfE-gRw9R00d9IpHouGn0zHxGtLgsOcB2oldhxv8eghKWqCFS_ooF0NqmEWN5XhyphenhyphenqbYm7mTWUCowcw/s320/ppl.png" width="320" /></a></div>The Elitisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815330173087328628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-87345336909011520122011-11-16T14:38:00.001-06:002011-11-17T11:18:41.591-06:00Two Mini Reviews: Uncharted 3 and Battlefield 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Holy hell we have a lot on our plate this November. Sometimes we just can't keep up with it all. Luckily, we have a backup plan for when such an event occurs. It's called "half-assing". It's when we write a smaller, more compact review for a game that probably deserves a full-length one. I've delayed these long enough to let's get to gettin'<br />
<br />
BATTLEFIELD 3<br />
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I used to be addicted to the older Battlefield games. When 1942 came out I spent unknown hours missing people with a sniper rifle. A couple of expansions later Battlefield 2 came out and my computer couldn't play it very well. It told me I needed better everything almost, and better internet too (I lived in the middle of nowhere at the time). So I said, "Okay..." And then I paused for a moment.<br />
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I was done with upgrading my system. Most of my games were on consoles anyway so I decided to leave PC gaming behind. And for a long time, it really didn't bother me. Well, with all the hype surrounding Battlefield 3, and with its existence on consoles, I decided to pick it up for the 360. Goddamn, was that ever a mistake. When it asked me to download the graphics all I could do was scoff. "This fucker is on two discs and you can't include the graphics?" I had enough room, and and an Elite model so I could actually do it, unlike those poor saps with a Slim, and it's a decent time. And, of course, I'm referring to the mutiplayer. The campaign is a practice in absolute boredom and frustration. You die almost instantly and your "allies" will straight up push you out of cover. I hated it. But, as I said, the mutliplayer was fun. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2011/09/Battlefield-3-the-barrel-of-a-flashlight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2011/09/Battlefield-3-the-barrel-of-a-flashlight.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Except for this fucking flashlight. It's so bad they're going to patch it.</td></tr>
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Not long after this purchase, a friend came over and told me my laptop would absolutely play Battlefield on the highest settings. So I took a chance and picked up a copy. I couldn't get enough. It was better-looking, there was teamwork, and, most importantly, there were 64 player games. It was beautifully controlled chaos and, until Skyrim came out, it was all I wanted to do. In fact, it solidified my decision to not buy Modern Warfare 3. The experience was much deeper, and the upgrades felt a lot more important. Unlike picking one class and sticking with it, I needed to practice with everything, because different situations called for different responses. It was the experience I had been waiting for for some time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gamersbook.com/repository/images/_variations/a/4/a41314dbf225b7e6235e52f392f8793d_content_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://www.gamersbook.com/repository/images/_variations/a/4/a41314dbf225b7e6235e52f392f8793d_content_large.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just don't fly this if you don't know how, dammit! </td></tr>
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As I said before, though, the campaign is boring. I got excited when they gave me a jet, and then I realized that I would be sitting in the back merely shooting at people. Then we turned our sights to forces on the ground and I couldn't even shoot at them. I was just telling other planes where to bomb. I almost fell asleep. Sure, there are impressive set pieces, but all you do is watch them. If you absolutely need a single-player campaign, look elsewhere.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.wikia.com/battlefield/images/7/78/BF3_M136_AT4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://images.wikia.com/battlefield/images/7/78/BF3_M136_AT4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Way more boring than it might seem</td></tr>
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UNCHARTED 3<br />
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I was a little worried about this one. After Uncharted 2, I was incredibly concerned about Naughty Dog's ability to top it. And that's not a slight against Naughty Dog either. It's just that Uncharted 2 was so action packed, so well-paced, so full of character development, and just so... perfect, that I didn't know how it could be topped. And, as it turns out, I had every right to think about it. Uncharted 3 is, in some ways, a step down from 2.<br />
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Don't get me wrong. Uncharted 3 is still amazing. The action is still there. The sense of adventure and discovery is still in tact. It just doesn't have the same impact.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5085/5318791545_45df03718f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5085/5318791545_45df03718f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is pretty, though.</td></tr>
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The issue lies with several problems. For one, it never matches the same level of excitement as Uncharted 2. True, there are a couple of great moments, but I wasn't constantly on edge like I was in 2. In 2, I felt like anything could happen at any time. I was regularly taken by surprise. This wasn't completely absent in 3, but I was easily able to suspect what would happen next. Yes, the plane chapter is breathtaking. I won't deny that. But that moment has been advertised regularly for a while. I've known about it for months and it's the most exciting moment of the game. I'm serious. I never felt like that scene was topped. Yes, the game had other great moments, but I never held my breath more than when I was slowly making my way back into the cargo hold, or what happens after.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.naughtydog.com/images_blog/2011_09_23_Gamescom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://www.naughtydog.com/images_blog/2011_09_23_Gamescom.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously. How could you top this?</td></tr>
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I won't lie and say the game isn't cinematic. In true Uncharted form, it absolutely is. But nowadays I feel like I'm playing along with a script. No matter how well I do, I'll still fall into this trap, or I'll still get hit by this car. This isn't necessarily a terrible thing. It's a very well written script. I just can't shake the feeling that I'm being dragged down a specific path, which I am. Even in a vast desert environment, I'm encouraged to go a set way. <br />
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Then there's how much damage the enemies take. One of the biggest problems with Uncharted 1 was how much damage the mercs you were fighting would soak up. A straight shot to the head was never guaranteed to drop anyone. This was fixed in 2, but it seems to be back. No, it's not as bad, but it's still ridiculous. When I shoot someone in the head, they should die. Especially when I nail a sniper that has the ability to kill me in one hit. It's just not fair. Sure, a shotgun blast to the face will end most enemies, but getting that close is often dangerous. I'm not complaining that the game is too hard, I'm complaining about it being unfair. When I'm surrounded by several men with rocket launches, snipers, and assault rifles I want my shots to count.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gamingbolt.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Uncharted_3_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://gamingbolt.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Uncharted_3_6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Don't worry, fellas'! He's only got a gun!"</td></tr>
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Another issue is the hand-to-hand combat. Seeing it done in 2009 was something special. It was fluid and impressive. However, fresh off of Arkham City it looks rather sloppy. I've seen way worse, but a bit of the magic seems gone. The Animation seems more broken up and the moves get really repetitive. I know Nathan isn't Batman, but I expected improvement. I didn't really see much. <br />
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I know I'm probably sounding a bit harsh. I just expected more. Don't get me wrong. The game is absolutely worth playing. The script is still amazing, the characters are still well-developed, and the history they delve into concerning Nathan and Sully's past is fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It just wasn't everything I wanted.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thegamersabstract.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/uncharted-3-two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://thegamersabstract.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/uncharted-3-two.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But like I said, it's fucking pretty</td></tr>
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That's all I have to say about that. Stay tuned for reviews of Rayman Origins and Saint's Row the Third! *Spoiler* They're fantastic.The Outlawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162674020086046814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6401607922764741164.post-83959419642150462962011-11-14T14:19:00.000-06:002011-11-14T14:19:10.206-06:00Special Edition 3DS: Another reason you should have waited...So Ambassador program, pretty cool.<br />
Nintendo: "Hey guys... we know you bought the 3DS on launch... we really appreciate your support and we are totally sorry for screwing you out of nearly $100... so here are some free games..."<br />
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Special Edition 3DS' just a few short months later.<br />
Nintendo: "Right, 3DS sales... bad. We need marketing fancies! I got it! Let's release a super awesome system, bundled with the only great game we are currently selling, and release it <i>for $50 cheaper than when it released!"</i><br />
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uh huh... 'cause that isn't gonna piss me off...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cf.shacknews.com/images/20111114/zelda-3ds-limited-edition-3_20046.nphd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://cf.shacknews.com/images/20111114/zelda-3ds-limited-edition-3_20046.nphd.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Could have been mine...</td></tr>
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So, let's back track the months since the 3DS came out... I bought it... played Rayman and Street fighter for about 2 weeks. Then what? I waited for Zelda. Played Zelda. Then What? Got kind of excited about the Ambassador downloads, the most exciting of which I do not have(yet). Then What? Well... Mario...?<br />
What would I have lost if I had just waited till Black Friday when this beauty comes out? A few months of having Zelda. Would fifty extra bucks and an awesome console in exchange for having to wait a few extra months been worth it? Absolutely.<br />
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Anyway, for those of you who would like to cash in on this ridiculous deal, head to GameStop on Black Friday, and you could land yourself one of these, or the Flame Red 3DS bundled with Mario 3D Land(durp). Initially these bundles were EU only, <a href="http://ds.ign.com/articles/121/1212345p1.html">but this leaked GameStop ad begs to differ.</a> Nintendo has given no confirmation on the bundles coming to NA, but it's pretty damn likely.<br />
I, personally, am going to go start disapprovingly at my <i>not</i> Zelda emblazoned 3DS with the hopes it will feel so much shame, it will change before my eyes.The Elitisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06815330173087328628noreply@blogger.com2