tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72182362024-03-14T03:04:33.022-07:00So Many Games...And so much booze to drink while playing them...Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-49834249603968068702011-03-02T04:32:00.000-08:002011-03-02T04:32:09.266-08:00Beyond Good and EvilOooh! It has finally happened. I've been waiting for this ever since it was announced:<br />
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<i><a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Beyond-Good-Evil-HD/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258410afa">Beyond Good and Evil (HD</a></i>) has landed in the Xbox Live Arcade.<br />
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I played this game back in the PS2 era, and it was excellent. Beautiful graphics, a wide variety of game play style, and a combat mechanic that was well forward of its time.<br />
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Combat in BGE is very fluid, particularly in the multiple-opponent case. Push the stick in the direction of who you'd like to give the smackdown to, press the attack button, and Jade flows her combat moves over to that opponent. A brilliant set of animations and an easy and direct flow to combat. In modern games, this is best demonstrated by <i>Batman: Arkham Asylum</i>, and how Batman fluidly moves from one opponent to the next.<br />
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The game <b>just</b> appeared on XBLA, and is still downloading. I didn't need a trailer or a demo or anything. <b>Bang!</b> MSP 800 away, and the game is mine. Of course, I really should <i>play</i> the damned thing before recommending it, but I will say this is a game you should take a look at.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-16865737878515545172011-02-25T02:15:00.000-08:002011-02-25T02:15:01.700-08:00Driving SkillIf you've been reading my blog for a while, then you'll know that driving games are one of my favorite genres. And that I tend to like "arcade-style" racing games rather than "simulation" driving. In short, give me <i>Burnout</i> any day, over <i>Project Gotham Racing</i> or <i>Forza Motorsport</i>.<br />
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A few months ago, I received a 6-month <a href="http://www.gamefly.com/">Gamefly</a> subscription as a gift. This was very cool, but also has some drawbacks (and as I write that, I think a future blogpost is coming up). But with this subscription, I've had a chance to rent two driving games so far: <i>Blur</i> and <i>Split/Second</i>.<br />
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I saw <i>Blur</i> a long while ago, and it sounded very cool. The trailers looks great. I got the game in the mail and popped it in the Xbox. Sigh. It was back in the mail two days later. Why? Simply put: your driving skill doesn't matter whatsoever. You are totally subject to random events. You fly past your rivals, taking every turn with precision, and then what? ... a freakin' bomb drops on your ass, and you fall back to 3rd place. Did you have any way to avoid it? Nope. It Just Happens. The game is just a frustrating exercise of avoiding random encounters with your opponents, hoping they don't take you out. Sure, you can work your wonders and get the Right defense powerups, but in the end? It doesn't help. You run out of defense much, much faster than the cars behind you run out of shit to throw at you.<br />
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Futility.<br />
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Today, I received <i>Split/Second</i> in the mail. I'd played the demo, and it was great fun. Stuff blowing up all around you, making you dodge at the last second. But you <b>can</b> dodge. Your driving skills actually matter in this game. It isn't about a roll of the dice, but about <b>you</b>. Crap blows up around you (awesome!!) and you need to scoot around it. I'm just starting on the game, but it is already apparent that it has got some great fun, and that I need to learn more. If I bring down a bus on a rival to take him out, then I need to be very careful to dodge that same bus! The game lets you know when you've beat yourself down!<br />
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<i>Split/Second</i> is going to stay here for a while. After playing for a while, I'll decide whether to return the game (after sufficient play), or to send the game back quickly (to get the next one) and order myself a copy to keep. Regardless of that outcome, this is a fun game, without the defeatist gameplay of <i>Blur</i>.<br />
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Try it out! Download the demo, and see what you think.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-72485953930610305122011-01-19T18:34:00.000-08:002011-01-19T18:34:55.469-08:00Plants vs ZombiesThis week, there is <a href="http://goo.gl/V5gV9">a sale going on</a> for <i><a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Plants-vs-Zombies/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584109ff">Plants vs Zombies</a></i>. I <b>highly</b> recommend this game. There is a lot of replay value in its mini-games, survival modes, and even the gentle Zen Garden. It is quick to pick up, fun to play, and will keep you going to unlock all of the play modes.<br />
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Another alternative to downloading the game from Xbox Live Arcade is to purchase a disc with the game. The disc has <i>Plants vs Zombies</i> <b>and</b> comes with <i><a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Peggle/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258410889">Peggle</a></i> and <i><a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Zuma/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584107ef">Zuma</a></i>. It is just <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VJKJG2?ie=UTF8&tag=somangam-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003VJKJG2">$20 from Amazon</a>, and can be sold off on the secondary market when you're done with it (unlike the download).Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-35584801833921368312010-12-27T02:55:00.000-08:002010-12-27T02:55:42.144-08:00A World of Keflings<a href="http://www.ninjabee.com/">NinjaBee</a> shipped <i><a href="http://www.ninjabee.com/a-kingdom-for-keflings-xbox-360/">A Kingdom for Keflings</a></i> back in 2008. I tried the demo and was hooked, so bought the real game (it is an <a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/A-Kingdom-for-Keflings/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584108db">XBL Arcade</a> game). Other things came up at the time, and I never finished it. Then I got back to the game in September or so and played it through.<br />
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<b>Fabulous</b>.<br />
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Then I saw news that a new Keflings game was coming out. And even better: <a href="http://majornelson.com/">Major Nelson</a> said that it was going to be part of a <a href="http://majornelson.com/archive/2010/12/16/coming-soon-to-the-xbox-live-marketplace-dec-16-2010.aspx">holiday series of sales</a> promotions! Just 800 MSP (aka US$10).<br />
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I bought <i><a href="http://www.ninjabee.com/a-world-of-keflings/">A World of Keflings</a></i> the very day it came out. My wife and I played local coop through the entire game over the next couple days. It is simply one of the <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">best</span></b> games for this. Most local coop games have one person in charge of the play, and the second person participates in some limited fashion. Not in <i>World of Keflings</i>. Both players are in charge. It does an amazing split screen when the players are distant and then seamlessly merges the two panels into one, when the players are in the same world space. It is completely fluid and does not disrupt gameplay.<br />
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There is a fun story and a great sense of humor throughout the game.<br />
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This game is a <b>must-buy</b>, whether you are playing by yourself or with a partner.<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(and if you're an XBL friend of mine, then don't hesitate to share collectibles with me! I have enough of them to get you one of the achievements)</span></i>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-61282956771546985642010-11-13T04:18:00.000-08:002010-11-13T04:18:31.721-08:00radiangamesTonite, I just saw a new <a href="http://radiangames.com/">radiangames</a> game ("<a href="http://radiangames.com/?p=417"><i>Fireball</i></a>") appear in the Indie section. This is their fourth or fifth title so far. As soon as I saw the developer name, I downloaded the trial.<br />
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These guys really know how to put together great games and offer them at crazy affordable prices (all their games are 80 points, aka US$1). They have beautiful flowing graphics, great soundtracks, and play mechanics that are easy to learn.<br />
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End result? For a buck, you can grab a game that is wonderfully fun to play.<br />
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These guys seem to just keep cranking the games out. Maybe one every month or two. I've bought several of them already (including <i>Fireball</i>, tonite!). I'm going to keep watching the Indie games section for them, and if they ever move up to an XBLA or full title? Hell yah.<br />
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My eye is on these guys. Highly recommended.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-46110944125558742122010-08-12T01:29:00.000-07:002010-08-12T01:29:23.979-07:00BlindGiRlI just finished the indie game <i>BlindGiRl</i>. Very cool puzzle game, with an excellent set of visuals and sound. And for just 80 points (aka US$1). The past hour has been well worth it!<br />
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Recommended!Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-67101396324028483472010-08-02T13:00:00.000-07:002010-08-02T13:01:20.151-07:00DarksidersI've been playing <i>Darksiders</i> the past few days. Picked it up on sale at GameStop for just $19.99 (see <a href="http://bit.ly/aHlprJ">http://bit.ly/aHlprJ</a>). This is a fabulous price given how new this game is. And it is well worth it!<br />
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The combat is sweeping and visceral. You fight against multiple foes, moving among the opponents with massive weapons, and some awesomely bloody "fatality" moves. One of my favorites is jumping up to grab onto a huge bat's neck, then plunging my huge sword up through its body, and ripping it into pieces in a spray of gore.<br />
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Yup, similar to <i>God of War</i>, and along the same lines as <i>Dante's Inferno</i> that I <a href="http://xboxgamer.blogspot.com/2010/01/god-of-war-in-xbox-clothing.html">commented on earlier</a>.<br />
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The game feels pretty linear, as you move through the story, growing your fighting capability. Some basic environmental puzzles in the areas (get this, unlock that, jump here, etc) provides for some light thinking between the episodes of combat. The graphics are detailed, with vast, open spaces to play in.<br />
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Metacritic gave <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/darksiderswrathofwar"><i>Darksiders</i> an 83</a>. I agree, and for just $20, this game is a no-brainer to pick up.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-76059003316350134832010-03-05T01:51:00.000-08:002010-03-05T01:51:45.020-08:00Pick Up and PlayThere are a number of games which you can start up, play for a half-hour, and then set aside. Depending upon your mood, these can be some awesome games.<br />
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If you're playing <i>World of Warcraft</i>... you don't merely play for a bit, and go hang with the children. You're in. All in. You sit down at 8pm, and rip yourself away from the keyboard at 4am, hopefully with some nice treasure drops, and a level under your belt.<br />
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But what if you only have an hour? Or, heh, what if your attention span doesn't last that long? Here is where your pick-up games come in.<br />
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Lately, <i>Mercenaries 2</i> has been my pickup game. Driving games also excel (heh) at being great pickup games. Shoot some bad guys, or run a race. Done, recorded. Go see your buddy for a nightcap whiskey.<br />
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I've been playing a lot of <i>Sacred 2</i> over the past months. It does not require a "mindset" to get into, and it has a hojillion quests. It works very well for that casual-gaming / pickup atmosphere. On the other hand, my latest <i>Dragon Age: Origins</i> save game is right before some scary-ass demon bitch with a dozen conversation menus of choices about whether I decide to kill her or not. Oh, and if I fail to kill her? Then I gotta redo the menu sequence all over again. It is a "hump" that I am not looking forward to crossing over and over, so I haven't put that game back in the machine. <i>Dragon Age</i> is great, but it requires a mindset, and a time commitment.<br />
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Game style. What do you like? Do you have time? Can you find long stretches of game play? A game could be awesome, but it may require more head-time than you have available.<br />
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And with all that said, <i>Mercenaries 2</i> is available, used, for less than US$20 at GameStop. Pick that up, and go blow up shit. It will take you 15 minutes to use a tank and reduce your enemies to rubble. And <i>Merc2</i> is wicked about destruction. No holds barred. Adrenaline. ... Oh, then go kiss your wife goodnight. She doesn't need to know you're an avatar of wonton destruction. You can always start up Mario and whistle a tune, if you need cover...Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-91985827387371101522010-01-06T14:43:00.000-08:002010-01-06T14:43:35.371-08:00"God of War" in Xbox clothingNo, <i>God of War</i> isn't coming to the Xbox any time soon. But we <b>are</b> getting <i>Dante's Inferno</i>.<br />
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If you haven't downloaded the demo from Xbox Live, then do it now. Serious awesome rush.<br />
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For those not familiar with God of War (which is a Playstation exclusive, and I'm assuming this blog's readers are mostly Xbox players), think about an adventure game like <i>The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers</i>, and mix in some very light platforming like the <i>Prince of Persia</i> series, and throw in a ton of gore and fatalities like <i>Mortal Kombat</i> or <i>Vikings: Battle for Asgard</i>. There are basic combos, and skill progression, but nowhere near the complexity of a fighting game like <i>Tekken</i> or the depth of an RPG like <i>Oblivion</i>.<br />
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Does that all make sense? Basically, you're playing through the nine levels of hell being the biggest, baddest, motherfucker in the universe and beyond. Shoot... in the second scene of so of the demo, you fight Death himself! And kick his bony ass, as he blubbers like a schoolgirl to spare him!<br />
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The controls in the demo take a bit to get used to (right stick is dash/evade rather than camera, which is mostly fixed). But the fights are fast, gory, and really gets the adrenaline going. You're fighting all these monsters using the scythe you swiped off Death. At the end of the demo, you jam the sucker into this huge monster's head and ride him around like the sandworms in Dune, crushing all the teeny minions sent against you.<br />
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A high energy adventure/platformer like this has been a while in coming, and I'm very much looking forward to the game when it comes out next month.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-11871906392011185772009-12-24T22:41:00.000-08:002009-12-24T22:41:03.514-08:00Post #100Heh. Just noticed... this is my hundredth post to this blog. Milestone?<br />
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It is Christmas, and I noted my game wishlist in <a href="http://xboxgamer.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-ive-been-playing.html">a previous post</a>. Santa was good to me! I received all four games: <i>Brütal Legend</i>, <i>Borderlands</i>, <i>Dragon Age: Origins</i>, and <i>Fable II</i>. These games have unique features but all share an RPG/adventuring/story to them. I'm looking forward to playing and blogging about them.<br />
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Now the hard question to answer is: what do I try first?Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-82680984232654416042009-11-23T20:01:00.000-08:002009-11-23T20:01:52.828-08:00Indie Games, RepeatEvery time I think about it, I bring up the Game Marketplace and hit the Indie Games, and its New Arrivals. It seems like there is a new game every day there.<br />
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Just tonite, I downloaded free trials of <i>Platypus</i>, <i>A Killer's Dream</i>, and <i>Neo Terra</i>. They looked interesting, and a trial is a no-brainer. The games are inexpensive, if I end up buying the full version.<br />
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And yes, as I <a href="http://xboxgamer.blogspot.com/2009/11/indie-games.html">mentioned the other day</a>, my download of <i>Armor Valley</i> turn out interesting enough, that I dropped the few dollars to purchase the full game.<br />
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(and I'm still playing through <i>Sacred 2: Fallen Angel</i>, but that's a post for another day)Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-48242301566943802982009-11-12T22:21:00.000-08:002009-11-12T22:21:39.161-08:00Indie GamesI've been playing a buttload of S<i>acred 2: Fallen Angels</i> lately. This RPG came out a while back, but I was effectively console-less, so did not get a proper chance to play it. After getting my console back online, and seeing my friends go all starry-eyed about it... I bought it. Buh... awesome time-sink.<br />
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That said. I want to talk about the "Indie Games" section in the Xbox Live Game Marketplace. There is some serious crap in there. (a "flashlight" app for your living room? really?)<br />
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But there are some really cool, very creative games happening there. And many more arriving constantly.<br />
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<i>Solar</i> is very interesting. Some gravitational mechanics, some strategy on planet pickup, a good number of challenges to try, etc.<br />
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<i>Groov</i> is an excellent little shooter, in the same vein as <i>Crystal Quest</i> or <i>Geometry Wars</i>. You have a defined area to move around within, blasting "baddies". The really neat trick is that your shots are timed to the background music. Tone, beat, and rhythm set the pace to the game. Beautiful.<br />
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And last night, I just discovered <i>Armor Valley</i>. The graphic quality on this is astounding, for a US$5 dollar game. The valley you fly through reminded me of settings from <i>Mech Assault</i> back in the Xbox days. I haven't decided to buy the full game yet, but am quite tempted. I'll certainly play the trial a couple more times.<br />
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The Indie Games are a refreshing source of creativity and simple, pick-up games. They seem to list for about US$1 or maybe US$2 each. I spend more on a beer -- great for a night, but these games can provide ongoing fun.<br />
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Go check it out. Maybe <i>Head Shot</i> (they're at version 2 now!) will intrigue you, but I bet there is something fun for you in this little corner of the Marketplace.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-14489343591369733272009-10-23T15:53:00.000-07:002009-10-23T15:53:11.776-07:00What I've been playingI didn't have access to my Xbox for about nine months (boo hoo!), but got everything set up a few weeks ago. As a result, there is a <b>huge</b> backlog of games that I want to play. Here are the games I've been playing these past few weeks:<br />
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<ul><li><i>Sacred 2: Fallen Angel</i></li>
<li><i>Two Worlds</i></li>
<li><i>Magic: the Gathering</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> (XBLA)</span></li>
</ul><div>Last night, I just found a game named <i>Solar</i> in the "Indie Games" section on XBLA. The trial game was quite neat. Very cool concept, and for just US$3, I picked it up the full, unlocked version.</div><div><br />
</div><div>On my Christmas list, I'll be putting games like <i>Brütal Legend</i>, <i>Borderlands</i>, <i>Dragon Age: Origins</i>, and <i>Fable II</i>.</div><div><br />
</div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-41486737009171979312009-10-23T02:43:00.000-07:002009-10-23T02:48:36.963-07:00Here we go againHey kids... I've gone through several giant life changes since I last posted to this blog. That kept me away from a lot of gaming, tracking the games, and much appreciation for what is going on in the (Xbox) gaming world.<div><br /></div><div>But I'm back.</div><div><br /></div><div>Look for future posts about the different games that I'm playing. As before, my intent with this blog is to help you decide what games might be right for you. If you have a limited budget and want to find That Perfect Game, then I hope that my posts will lead you there. Or if you're on the fence, to help you decide. Or to point you towards new games you may find interesting.</div><div><br /></div><div>You won't find me talking about "me" or my breakfast on this blog. It's about games.</div><div><br /></div><div>The power switch... it's back on.</div><div><br /></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-1167956139495000472007-01-04T13:52:00.000-08:002007-01-04T16:39:10.120-08:00NFS: Carbon... Risk with CarsAlright... here is the bonus post that I promised a while back. Sorry for the delay. I'd been spending <b>so</b> much time with <em>TDU</em>.<br /><br />Over the holiday break, I pulled out <em>Need for Speed: Carbon</em> and caught up on my playing.<br /><br /><b>Damn.</b> <em>Carbon</em> is an arcade-y racer, and it does it near flawlessly. This game and <em>Burnout</em> really defines what I mean by "arcade-y". High speed. Drift all corners. Slamming into walls is not a big deal. Other cars even less.<br /><br />What sets <em>Carbon</em> apart is that it only occurs at night. This allows for the use of lights to dramatically alter the experience. Lots of neon, color washes, and blurs as you smash the nitrous button. The techniques in <em>Carbon</em> come down from the <em>Need for Speed: Underground</em> series, where they brought in some high talent for the game. Lots of things were changed to enhance the notion of speed: sound, physics, and most importantly: light. The light poles on the street are spaced out much further than in real life, so that you have patches of light and dark to flip through. The technique <b>really</b> works well.<br /><br />The gameplay in <em>Carbon</em> is quite neat. The city is divided into regions, with larger groups of regions held by several different gangs of drivers. This is where the <em>Risk</em> style of gameplay comes in. In each region, there are several races that you need to win the majority of to take over that region. When you win all the regions in a group, then you drive in a race against the gang boss. Win that, and you then have to do a "canyon race" against the boss.<br /><br />Canyon races are quite hot. The boss takes off down the curvey road, down the canyon. You have to stay as close as possible, gaining points proportional to how close you can stay near him. (and shoot: if you can <em>pass</em> him and hold it, then you automatically win) Once that race is over, then you take the lead and the boss tries to keep up with <b>you</b>, but <em>deducting</em> points on the way down. You have to cross the finish line with positive points to win. Great concept, and meanwhile you're trying to avoid falling over the edge of the road -- no guardrails here!!<br /><br />Other gangs will try to take back their areas, so occasionally you need to defend your territory by driving in a race. Meanwhile, you're doing more racing, tuning up your car, tweaking out the paint and decals and other parts, and more. The tuning is <b>much</b> better in this game. It is less about what vendor's parts you install (and which vendors <em>paid</em> to be in the game), and more about the visuals. All the performance parts allow you to select between a couple choices: handling vs performance, or torque versus top speed, or whatever. But the visuals and the new "autosculpt" feature really allows for personalized cars.<br /><br />Lastly, see my previous <a href="http://xboxgamer.blogspot.com/2006/11/playing-with-cops-need-for-speed-most.html"><em>Need for Speed: Most Wanted</em> post</a> to learn more about the cop play. The cops are <em>way</em> smarter this round. It makes for a very exhilirating game trying to lose those boys.<br /><br /><em>Need for Speed: Carbon</em> is one of my top picks. The racing is awesome, and the basic gameplay is attractive. I'm nowhere near completing it (not one achievement yet!), so I'm not sure how long or replayable it will be near the end. Graphics, sound, and feel are top-notch.<br /><br />Enjoy.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-1164268318218662132006-11-22T23:42:00.000-08:002006-11-22T23:51:58.233-08:00Movies and TV!Well, movies and television shows have come to the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live. It just launched today, and it looks like there is quite a bit of material in there. TV shows in plain definition run US$2 and high def at US$3. Old movies are $3 or $4.5 (SD or HD), and new movies at $4 or $6. It seems the servers are quite swamped because when I first tried it, I got a lot of errors. Now, things are working better, but are a bit <em>slooooooow</em>.<br /><br />The prices seem kind of reasonable. $4 to rent a movie in 480p (same as a DVD), and that matches what I pay at Hollywood Video. However, I don't get the extras that most DVDs come with. I <em>do</em> get to rent these things without even leaving the house, which is nice, but it isn't exactly "on demand". The SD version of <em>Unforgiven</em> (starring Clint Eastwood... great movie!) weighs in at a 1.4 GB. And the high def version? <b>5.7 GB!!</b> ... sheesh. Microsoft better come out with a storage attachment for the 360. I don't have that much space, and 5.7 GB is gonna take a while to download, too...<br /><br />I love the idea, and this is a bold move by Microsoft to get into our living rooms. The whole Xbox program was designed for <em>exactly</em> this. They are in our workplace, and our home office. They want the living room, though. That is where untold millions of consumers are located, and are people they can sell to. You might call it Big Corporate, but I call it an awesome game playing device, and Xbox Live as a wonderful source of continuing enjoyment.<br /><br />They may be onto something truly spectacular here. Let's see how it shakes out...Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-1163819977221185002006-11-20T14:50:00.000-08:002006-11-20T15:39:32.786-08:00Hawaii Racing: Test Drive UnlimitedThis one is great! It is very different from every other racer that I've played. They have mapped out Oahu in all its digital glory. Okay... well, the graphics could be tuned up to take advantage of the 360, but the game does look really good. And they have the <b>whole</b> island in here. It will take you at least an hour to circumnavigate the whole thing.<br /><br /><em>Test Drive: Unlimited</em> is an attempt at an massively multiplayer online racing game ("MMORG"). There are lots of cars to unlock, houses to buy, clothes to purchase, and several hundred races and missions to perform. This is all done very well, with a good progression of gamepoints to score as you're playing the game.<br /><br />What completely and totally sucks, though, is the <b>difficulty of playing with your friends</b>. Yeah, you read that right. This is an MMORG yet it is practically impossible to play with a friend... and I'm not talking some random Joe, but a person marked on your Xbox Live Friends List. What makes it so hard? At any given point in time, the servers select up to 8 people near you on the island and links you together in your own little pocket universe on the island. 8 <b>random</b> people. No preference whatsoever to the folks on your list. None. Your only hope is to go to some remote location and wait for the server to link you up. You can then do a little trick to lock in your friend so they won't suddenly disappear in a regrouping by the server. But this is hit or miss and can take a while.<br /><br />But it gets worse. Now that you're all linked up, you pop open the map to see where to go. Say some remote location, or a multiplayer race so you and your buddy can race some opponents. <b>Whoops!!</b> Opening the map <em>disconnects you from other players</em>. Yeah. You spend 15 minutes trying to get sync'd up with your pal, and you <em>cannot touch the map</em>. Fuckin' ludicrous.<br /><br />Okay... now past the suck part... this game is fun. The driving physics are working towards "realism" rather than "arcade". However, I do find that the cars can do donuts way too easily... like the programmers included angular momentum, but forgot that a tire skidding <b>sideways</b> is a huge source of friction and should slow the spin. In this game, if you try to drift around a corner, then you better have a <em>really</em> good car and be able to hold it in the proper line. The cars are beautiful looking and will they have a little bit of damage modeling. I've put some truly kickass dual-color pearlescent paint on some of my cars. There is a little bit of tunability, but nothing to the extent of the <em>Need for Speed</em> series.<br /><br />The other night, I linked up with a couple people from the UK, and we simply hit the gas. Just started driving down the highways, with each of us taking a turn defining the lead as we zoomed about the island at high speed. Invariably, one of us would go careening around a corner, lose it, and crash in some horrendous way. The others would slow until the other caught up, and off we went again. Lots of fun with all the open space on the island.<br /><br />I am hoping they will issue a game patch to fix the friends thing at some point. I just can't see how they could call this an MMORG with the current nastiness. But despite that, I do recommend this game. The openness, the unlocks, the cars, and the modeling of Hawaii... all excellent. And at just $40 for the game, this game is a bargain... it has given me lots of hours of fun.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-1162807921638108122006-11-06T02:11:00.000-08:002006-11-06T02:12:01.660-08:00Playing with Cops... Need for Speed: Most Wanted<i>NFS: Most Wanted</i> is an "arcade" racer... physics exist, but not if they get in the way of enjoyability. Similar to <i>Burnout</i>, this game is about speed, sliding around corners, slamming into things, and sweet cars.<br /><br />And cops. As you slam into civilian cars, or (gasp!) into cop cars, or inflict property damage... your "heat" goes up. The higher your heat, the more you will attract Mr Law Enforcement. If they spot you, then the chase is on. The cop chases are simply awesome. It ends up being a crazy, wild spin around the town, trying to shake them. Certain environment features can be collapsed onto the cops to knock them out of the chase. Or you can slam into them, send them into walls, whatever... eventually, they'll get crushed and fall out. Others will eventually come to replace them, but if you can shake them or disable them, then you move into a "cooldown" period where a timer counts down until the chase is called off. But! If you just keep flying around town without ending it, your heat will continue to get upgraded. From simple cops, to SUVs, to FBI, and eventually to helicopters. If you've seen the coppers' escalation in <i>Grand Theft Auto</i>, then you're familiar with this. Shaking helicopters is tough... underground parking lots work, but you <em>also</em> have the ground cops after you.<br /><br />Seriously exhilirating.<br /><br />The controls are awesome... very responsive, easy to manage, and the cars respond as you would expect. The graphics are very good, althought I think it suffers a bit of "least common denominator" since <i>NFS: MW</i> was ported to all platforms... In other words, it doesn't fully represent the power of the 360, but it <em>is</em> beyond what you'd find on the previous generation. The sound is unbelievable... tire noise, rain noise, engine noise, other cars, ... everything. The <i>NFS</i> series has done excellent work on the audio for a couple game generations now (starting back with <i>Need for Speed: Underground</i>).<br /><br />The story lines and missions and progression in this game is excellent. The overall feel and attitude is spot-on for a street racer.<br /><br />Now... I would highly recommend this game, but for just one thing... <i>Need for Speed: Carbon</i> came out just last week. If you're going to buy just one racing game, then you may want to see my review of that one first.<br /><br /><b>Wait. What?</b> ... yup. Bonus review: I've been playing <i>Carbon</i> and will throw in a review of that game as part of this series.<br /><br />Seriously, though... with <i>NFS: Carbon</i> out now, I expect <i>NFS: MW</i> to hit the bargain bin. I'm seeing it for $29.99 at EBgames.com and Amazon. This could make an excellent bargain gift for the holiday season. Great game, very much recommended!Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-1162613449398794542006-11-03T20:08:00.000-08:002006-11-03T20:10:49.423-08:00Driving Simulation: Project Gotham Racing 3<i>Project Gotham Racing 3</i> is what I would call a "technical" racer, or a "driving simulation". The handling of the car, the stickiness to the course, weight distribution, braking and tire behavior, and more... all modeled as closely as possible to the real world. You don't hit 90 degree corners at 100 miles an hour like in an "arcade" racer. Try it, and you're gonna hose yourself.<br /><br />I'm personally not a big fan of this kind of game. I want fast-paced action rather than knowing that the driving faithfully matches reality. I don't need reality. I want adrenaline. I want to smash through traffic, slide around a corner, hit my nitrous, and leave competitors inhaling my exhaust.<br /><br />But! This game is a teriffic challenge. You have to be on your game. If you miss that line through the corner, then you're out. Hit a wall? Cut too sharp? Bash into another car? Don't do it. You have to draft, take the lines tight, glide thru your opponents... all necessary parts to winning the race.<br /><br />Meanwhile, there is a "kudos" system scoring you for good driving. Do all the driving right, and you get big kudos bonuses. The kudos then bring on some excellent unlocks and other goods.<br /><br />And the game is *beautiful* ... it really showed off the graphics of the 360 at launch time. As you fly by the buildings and crowds... all detailed. The cars are kick-ass modeled. Sound is awesome.<br /><br />This game is very much recommended if you like simulations and "true" driving. It is the best out there for that sub-genre of racing.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-1162242826789638132006-10-30T13:12:00.000-08:002006-10-30T13:13:46.790-08:00F.E.A.R.<i>F.E.A.R.</i> is releasing tomorrow (October 31st)... great news, given they were planning to release mid-November.<br /><br />Time to get creeped out for Halloween...Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-1162242212544723402006-10-30T12:46:00.000-08:002006-10-30T13:03:32.566-08:00Driving the 360: Burnout RevengeIf you've been following my blog the past couple years, then you'll already know how much of a <i>Burnout</i> fan I am. The series is fantastically cool.<br /><br />Now... I played <i>Burnout Revenge</i> all the way through on the original Xbox. I didn't spend time getting every single gold medal, but I did play through to Elite status and acquiring almost every single car. <i>Burnout: Takedown</i> was my crazy get-all-medals playthrough. A couple months ago, I played the Xbox 360 version of <i>Revenge</i>, and the gameplay was just the same as the original Xbox game. The graphics are tuned up, and the sound is better, but the game is the same.<br /><br />I would characterize the <i>Burnout</i> series as a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat game. There is no way you can just sit back and roll through the tracks. The game is <b>FAST</b>. Way, way fast. One little pixel shows up on the screen, and you have know "car coming up!" and start to steer. You relax for just one second? You're toast. Of course, the car crashes in <i>Burnout</i> are stupendous. Nothing like it anywhere else, so this isn't a Bad Thing... but it does mean that you're going to lose that tight race.<br /><br />The controls are a bit forgiving, so I wouldn't call this a "technical racer" or a "simulation"... it is all about having fun. Fun on adrenaline, mind you, but lots of fun. The various play modes and crashes are crazy. This game is about getting in your car and <em>moving</em>. Sliding around corners, bashing into your opponents, finding shortcuts, dodging oncoming traffic, and more. Getting out on the streets and zooming as fast as possible, for as long as possible, until you twitch just a bit too late and go up in a flaming ball of car parts.<br /><br />I think that I like <i>Burnout: Takedown</i> a bit better. In <i>Revenge</i>, you can plow into the backs of cars which are moving in the same direction. It will slow you down, so you don't want to do this all the time, but the problem is that it makes it a bit too forgiving. The crash mode is also not quite as cool: you can't get a replay and move the camera around to see what is going on, and how you can improve for another try. Blowing crap up is always awesome, but they lost a bit in the crash mode, I think. But these little issues are like complaining about that small scratch on the front bumper of your car... in the bigger picture, it is totally moot.<br /><br />Unquestionably <em>recommended</em>.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-1161909014001184042006-10-26T17:23:00.000-07:002006-10-26T17:31:00.643-07:00Driving Games, part 1 of 6One of my original motivations for starting this blog was to provide information about games. I'm lucky enough to be able to buy a whole passel of games, but many people are not. So I figured that I might be able to talk about games, so people could use that to help their buying decisions.<br /><br />This year, I've been on the weak side of passing along information. "Dear God, Greg, can't you post about something <b>other</b> than <i>Oblivion</i>?!?!" Obviously, not very well... hehe.<br /><br />Well... I've played a bunch of the driving games on the Xbox 360, so this is the first post in a series about each of the games I've played:<ol><li><i>Need for Speed: Most Wanted</i></li><li><i>Project Gotham Racing 2</i></li><li><i>Burnout: Revenge</i></li><li><i>Test Drive Unlimited</i></li></ol>I'll wrap it all up with a sixth, summary post.<br /><br />And you, in the back row... stop heckling. Yes, I'll shoot for posting once every day or two. Nyeah.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-1159673680140308172006-09-30T20:30:00.000-07:002006-09-30T20:34:40.153-07:00Xbox 360 CalendarHey all... sorry for the lack of posts over the past few months. I've been doing a lot of travel, and my gameplay has suffered for it :-(<br /><br />I've created a Google Calendar that contains the release dates for a bunch of games that I'm interested in. If you want to track some upcoming releases, then this calendar might be helpful for you. As release dates change and announcements are made, I'll work on keeping it updated.<br /><br />If you see any incorrect dates or have suggestions/additions for it, then feel free to comment here or drop me an email.<br /><br />Smack this button to subscribe to the calendar:<br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.google.com/calendar/render?cid=mhbir2ibh2k3fs2gbcoq8it01s%40group.calendar.google.com"><img src="http://www.google.com/calendar/images/ext/gc_button1_en.gif" border=0></a>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-1156411690388287342006-08-24T02:16:00.000-07:002006-08-24T02:28:21.196-07:00Pause... Break!Obviously, I've been on pause for a couple months. Some work stuff, a bunch of travel, and not a lot new to talk about. I'm still playing <em>Oblivion</em>, though getting close to "done" at this point (if there is such a thing). I've been simultaneously playing all four guild questlines (mage, fighter, thief, dark brotherhood) plus the main questline plus every sidequest I could find. It stacks up to a ton of fun, a huge world to explore, and yes: a good chunk of time. It's <b>still</b> seriously fun.<br /><br />But! New things are afoot.<br /><br /><em>Ninety-Nine Nights</em> (N3) was released. Not great reviews, but screw that. The playstyle may be repetitive to some, and the story may be shallow, but whothefuckcares? How many other games let you grind through a <b>thousand</b> enemies singlehandly?!! And oh jeez... download the demo. The graphics are sweet. Watching a hundred goblins come down the valley at you? All rendered with no popup? <b>Booyah!</b> Watch out Koei! There's a new sheriff in town.<br /><br />My buddy has been playing it and having a blast, which is surprising since he never really got into <em>Dynasty Warriors</em>. Given the graphics in the demo tho... understandable. I have a feeling the strategic aspect of DW won't be there, but I'll report on that next week once I get my own copy of the game (props to my Microsoft buddy for sharing his discounted price!).<br /><br />And last tidbit for this evening... a <a href="http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/700/700186/vids_1.html">new trailer for Heavenly Sword</a> (a PS3 game that might just make me buy one). If that game plays as well as it looks? Yeeeawww...<br /><br />Out.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7218236.post-1151179372307098482006-06-24T12:47:00.000-07:002006-06-24T13:02:52.686-07:00Kudos, Microsoft!Now, I'm not some raving fanboy who wontonly raves about Microsoft, but for this post? Yeah. I will. This is about sending a big <strong>"<a href="http://www.answers.com/kudos&r=67">Kudos</a>!"</strong> over to Microsoft.<br /><br />"Why?" you ask? Well, the sad news is that my Xbox 360 horked up on me a few weeks ago. I came back from a trip over Memorial Day weekend, and it wouldn't turn back on. Yeah. Bad news. The previous week, I had a lockup and a scary moment trying to get it restarted (and when it <em>did</em> finally come back on, I copied all the "critical" save games off to a memory card!).<br /><br />So. As I said: full-on wedge. Not good. Some perusing on the web showed how to get an error code out of the thing, and some things to do to try and get it working. No luck. Hunk o' unusable circuitry. Sent an email to Xbox Support describing the problem. Got one back saying "do this", which I had already done. Called them, and here is where it gets good.<br /><br />The guy on the phone was quite apologetic for the problem. I wasn't being a pain, yet he was being very nice and solicitous. He got my details and had an empty box sent to me. It arrived the next week, and I packed up the Xbox and sent it off to repair.<br /><br />"Oh, woe is me!" thinking it wouldn't come back for several weeks. But no... I got back from a trip today, and sitting there is a replacement Xbox. Just like that. No muss, no fuss, and even while out of warranty. How frickin' cool is that?<br /><br /><em>Very</em><br /><br />Thanks, Microsoft.<br /><br /><small>(yeah, it shouldn't have broke in the first place, but I work with computers all the time, and the Xbox is even more finely-tuned than those... it doesn't really surprise me to see a failure. what makes it all nice is their <em>response</em> to the problem)</small>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02475017701402788075noreply@blogger.com0