Xbox 2 news on May 12
Well, there isn't any real information in this article on news.com, but we'll finally know something about the Xbox 2 soon!
Game Depth
I've been playing Everquest II on my PC for the past week or so. It's a great game that can really draw you in. But wait! What about poor Mr Xbox?! Have I left it to gather dust?
Nah. EQ2 is great because of its depth. There is always more "just around the corner", and you get drawn in to find out just what that is. But it isn't an adrenaline-raising game like Ninja Gaiden or Burnout 3. So for certain moods, the Xbox is going to be the winner.
But what about the times you have that "deep game" mood. Has the Xbox lost to MMORPGs on the PC? It very much depends on your play style. I'm generally a solo player. I want to go explore and to kick some ass. The MMORPG is a continually evolving system, so there is always more. I'm not there to interact with other players, to group up, and even less for PK (tho EQ2 does not support PK which is great). And we have seen a deep RPG game on the Xbox before: Morrowind. I played that sucker till my eyes bled. EQ2 is just another deep RPG for me (tho, to be honest, it is also great to play a separate character with my buddy; co-op RPGs rock).
Social players might think, "but the Xbox doesn't have a social/co-op Morrowind, so I'm gonna have to go to the PC." Yes, that is generally true for now. I think it is going to change in the next year or two, however. I'll also point out that a game like Halo 2 has changed the entire notion of social play. The support for clans, bungie.net, big deathmatching, different game types, etc etc. It's a whole new game world. Not an RPG and it lacks that kind of depth, granted, but it provides a great vehicle for social gaming.
I'm looking forward to the next Elder Scrolls (the official name of the series that Morrowind is part of). It is being called Elder Scrolls: Oblivion right now and is being targeted at the next-gen Xbox console. Will it support Live? I'm guessing it will be -enabled, but there won't be any real co-op or multiplayer support. Bethesda is pretty hard core into the single player experience. And I love 'em for that. It does mean that a co-op RPG is going to have to come from somewhere else. Not sure where right now...
Nah. EQ2 is great because of its depth. There is always more "just around the corner", and you get drawn in to find out just what that is. But it isn't an adrenaline-raising game like Ninja Gaiden or Burnout 3. So for certain moods, the Xbox is going to be the winner.
But what about the times you have that "deep game" mood. Has the Xbox lost to MMORPGs on the PC? It very much depends on your play style. I'm generally a solo player. I want to go explore and to kick some ass. The MMORPG is a continually evolving system, so there is always more. I'm not there to interact with other players, to group up, and even less for PK (tho EQ2 does not support PK which is great). And we have seen a deep RPG game on the Xbox before: Morrowind. I played that sucker till my eyes bled. EQ2 is just another deep RPG for me (tho, to be honest, it is also great to play a separate character with my buddy; co-op RPGs rock).
Social players might think, "but the Xbox doesn't have a social/co-op Morrowind, so I'm gonna have to go to the PC." Yes, that is generally true for now. I think it is going to change in the next year or two, however. I'll also point out that a game like Halo 2 has changed the entire notion of social play. The support for clans, bungie.net, big deathmatching, different game types, etc etc. It's a whole new game world. Not an RPG and it lacks that kind of depth, granted, but it provides a great vehicle for social gaming.
I'm looking forward to the next Elder Scrolls (the official name of the series that Morrowind is part of). It is being called Elder Scrolls: Oblivion right now and is being targeted at the next-gen Xbox console. Will it support Live? I'm guessing it will be -enabled, but there won't be any real co-op or multiplayer support. Bethesda is pretty hard core into the single player experience. And I love 'em for that. It does mean that a co-op RPG is going to have to come from somewhere else. Not sure where right now...
Burnout 3
Last week, Steve Jenson told me, "Burnout 3. Best. Recommendation. Ever."
If you haven't played this title yet, then do it. Now. You won't regret it.
If you haven't played this title yet, then do it. Now. You won't regret it.
Replayability
Over the weekend, I took over a dozen games to GameStop and sold them. Got some reasonable credit for them towards buying stuff there. The question then comes up: what games to sell off? What games to keep?
It's all based on replayability. I sold off the games that I knew that I wouldn't play any more. Generally, the games that I have finished, tho there were a couple where I never finished it but a sequal is out already (e.g. sold Tony Hawk Pro Skate 4 cuz I also have THPS: Underground).
What makes a game replayable? A number of factors: are there other modes you can try? If you play it again, do you have choices that will change the gameplay or the story? Are there multiple paths and strategies towards finishing the game? Is it something that you might play with friends?
One game that I love, but sold off was D&D: Heroes. I played through it as a fighter (surprise, surprise), so I could play it again as (say) a mage. But the story line and the exploration and the puzzles will be unchanged. I'll get to see and use some spells and some minor strategy variants for using a mage. But the bulk of the game (about 25 hours of play) will be just the same. D&D: Heroes is also a fantastic game for a group of (up to) four people. But it isn't something you just sit down and play with a friend one evening. Even at four hours a night, you'll play it for a week. That's pretty hard to get into. If it was online, then that might be a bit different. But, sadly, the game is not Xbox Live-capable.
Now, on the other hand, I've basically finished Burnout 3: Takedown. But I'm not going to sell that unless/until Burnout 4 comes out. Why? It's a game where you can just sit down and have fun with it. No investment. No length brain-engagement. And it is fantastic for a quick play with friends. Same kind of thing with Timesplitters 3.
When buying a game, consider its potential for replayability. Something like Dynasty Warriors has been a fantastic buy for me. I can just keep going back to play through campaigns with new characters. It is a little repetitive, but as I've said here before: it can be a fantastic game when you're up for some hack and slash.
RPGs will generally not be replayable, though the developers are trying to make them so. Two recent games, Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) and Fable, have a good or evil decision that you can make. But you have to ask: will the game be that different if I play the other alignment? I believe the answer is "no", so I'm not going to be replaying Fable as an evil guy. Might be fun, sure, but worth another 25 or 30 hours? Probably not.
This is a big topic, so I'll stop now and hopefully revisit on another day...
It's all based on replayability. I sold off the games that I knew that I wouldn't play any more. Generally, the games that I have finished, tho there were a couple where I never finished it but a sequal is out already (e.g. sold Tony Hawk Pro Skate 4 cuz I also have THPS: Underground).
What makes a game replayable? A number of factors: are there other modes you can try? If you play it again, do you have choices that will change the gameplay or the story? Are there multiple paths and strategies towards finishing the game? Is it something that you might play with friends?
One game that I love, but sold off was D&D: Heroes. I played through it as a fighter (surprise, surprise), so I could play it again as (say) a mage. But the story line and the exploration and the puzzles will be unchanged. I'll get to see and use some spells and some minor strategy variants for using a mage. But the bulk of the game (about 25 hours of play) will be just the same. D&D: Heroes is also a fantastic game for a group of (up to) four people. But it isn't something you just sit down and play with a friend one evening. Even at four hours a night, you'll play it for a week. That's pretty hard to get into. If it was online, then that might be a bit different. But, sadly, the game is not Xbox Live-capable.
Now, on the other hand, I've basically finished Burnout 3: Takedown. But I'm not going to sell that unless/until Burnout 4 comes out. Why? It's a game where you can just sit down and have fun with it. No investment. No length brain-engagement. And it is fantastic for a quick play with friends. Same kind of thing with Timesplitters 3.
When buying a game, consider its potential for replayability. Something like Dynasty Warriors has been a fantastic buy for me. I can just keep going back to play through campaigns with new characters. It is a little repetitive, but as I've said here before: it can be a fantastic game when you're up for some hack and slash.
RPGs will generally not be replayable, though the developers are trying to make them so. Two recent games, Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) and Fable, have a good or evil decision that you can make. But you have to ask: will the game be that different if I play the other alignment? I believe the answer is "no", so I'm not going to be replaying Fable as an evil guy. Might be fun, sure, but worth another 25 or 30 hours? Probably not.
This is a big topic, so I'll stop now and hopefully revisit on another day...
KOTOR II
Finally got that PC to work properly. Had to replace the motherboard. Sheesh.
When I'm not playing Everquest 2 with my buddy, I've been spending a ton of time with KOTOR II.
Keep in mind: I never played the first one. A lot of reviews on the web comment on how it is very similar to the first, and it hasn't advanced the tech or gameplay all that much. So if you played the first KOTOR, then this will be more of the same goodness, but not as revolutionary. For me, though, it kicks ass.
The graphics are great, and the sound is simply awesome. The combat and movement animations are great. The surrounding environments and textures are very well-done. When you're standing in your apartment on Capital Station, shuttles and stuff will fly by your big window. Very nice -- it makes the environment much more dynamic.
The controls are pretty good, though I don't know why the right stick (camera) doesn't look up/down. Just left/right. You have to move to first-person point of view to get the look up/down. Some of the menu controls are a bit wacky, too. I want to hit "A" to make things happen, not "X". So some parts feel a bit clumsy, but once you learn them, it isn't bad at all.
One of the issues that I've had is selecting skills (feats) and Jedi powers, whenever I level up. It is very difficult to really understand how these different things balance against each other. What should I pick? Will it be useful? It almost seems that you have to simply guess, or have played the game before. If I want a character with some particular style, then which ones should I select? How should I invest in this training?
So tweakies aside, the game is great. The story line is absolutely fantastic and draws you into the game. You want to participate, to see the next unfolding of the plot, or to interact with the NPCs to see how they react. Moving through the environments, collecting new weapons, fighting various groups, and choosing sides. All great stuff.
Very highly recommended if you like RPGs with rich stories. The "classic RPG elements" are not very strong because of the uncertainty around them, but you do watch your character grow, change, and increase in abilities. While I haven't finished the game, it appears the richness of the world is on par with that of Morrowind.
Great stuff.
When I'm not playing Everquest 2 with my buddy, I've been spending a ton of time with KOTOR II.
Keep in mind: I never played the first one. A lot of reviews on the web comment on how it is very similar to the first, and it hasn't advanced the tech or gameplay all that much. So if you played the first KOTOR, then this will be more of the same goodness, but not as revolutionary. For me, though, it kicks ass.
The graphics are great, and the sound is simply awesome. The combat and movement animations are great. The surrounding environments and textures are very well-done. When you're standing in your apartment on Capital Station, shuttles and stuff will fly by your big window. Very nice -- it makes the environment much more dynamic.
The controls are pretty good, though I don't know why the right stick (camera) doesn't look up/down. Just left/right. You have to move to first-person point of view to get the look up/down. Some of the menu controls are a bit wacky, too. I want to hit "A" to make things happen, not "X". So some parts feel a bit clumsy, but once you learn them, it isn't bad at all.
One of the issues that I've had is selecting skills (feats) and Jedi powers, whenever I level up. It is very difficult to really understand how these different things balance against each other. What should I pick? Will it be useful? It almost seems that you have to simply guess, or have played the game before. If I want a character with some particular style, then which ones should I select? How should I invest in this training?
So tweakies aside, the game is great. The story line is absolutely fantastic and draws you into the game. You want to participate, to see the next unfolding of the plot, or to interact with the NPCs to see how they react. Moving through the environments, collecting new weapons, fighting various groups, and choosing sides. All great stuff.
Very highly recommended if you like RPGs with rich stories. The "classic RPG elements" are not very strong because of the uncertainty around them, but you do watch your character grow, change, and increase in abilities. While I haven't finished the game, it appears the richness of the world is on par with that of Morrowind.
Great stuff.
The Xbox Advantage
A good friend of mine has nearly sworn off the Xbox stating that the PC is a much better gaming platform. I mean, who can argue with its potential for a faster processor, better graphics card, various input devices, etc.
Wait. Back up. Look at that word: potential.
My friend was all, "Let's play Everquest II". Okay. Great. I pick up a copy. Install. Install. Install. 45 minutes later, I get this leetle teeny dialog that says something about pixel shaders and texture units and that I can't play EQ2. Yo, Google. Talk to me. Well... apparently, the video card that I bought just last year isn't good enough. Oh, great fun.
Greg runs off to Fry's. Buys new video card for $100.
And lay on the pain. Nearly 24 hours later, I'm still struggling with a crashing system. Apparently, my Windows XP installation (upgraded from Windows 98) just doesn't like my new card/driver. I get fleeting glimpses of the classic blue screen before the machine reboots. It comes back and says, "there was a crash. send a report to Microsoft?" Generally, I always say no here... I don't want Microsoft knowing what's up on my box. But what the heck... I give it a shot. It reports my graphic card driver is the culprit. Heh. Thanks for the info.
Where am I now? Reinstalling the operating system from scratch, hoping that will cure the situation. Thankfully, this is just a gaming system where I don't have to worry about installed apps or docs or whatever.
What's the point of all this?
With the Xbox, I buy a game. Put it in. Play. Fun fun fun.
With the PC, I buy a game. Oh. My hardware isn't good enough. Pay more. Waste time. Play on teeny screen rather than big tv. "But the graphics are so much more detailed!" Bite me.
Xbox programmers build their games for the Xbox. It is a known quantity and they make the game run as best they can on that machine. They concentrate on squeaking out the last bit of performance. The best load time possible. Clean interaction with the controller.
On the PC? Fuck load time. Let's move it to market. Let the user buy faster hardware. Graphics? They can buy a new video card. We don't have to optimize it. I work in the software business. I know what it does to programmers. You concentrate on getting the software in your users' hands. If there is a reasonable excuse to avoid extra work in favor of time, then you take it. PC game developers could care less. They'll make you upgrade rather than optimize that loading time. They'll consume more texture memory rather than fit it to your 32MB video card. No skin off their back.
The Xbox (and other consoles) are the best platform because you can concentrate on the game. It isn't about the latest hardware. Buy it. Play it. Have fun.
Don't be fooled by the potential for faster CPUs or graphic cards. It's a sucker's bet. Stick to your console...
Wait. Back up. Look at that word: potential.
My friend was all, "Let's play Everquest II". Okay. Great. I pick up a copy. Install. Install. Install. 45 minutes later, I get this leetle teeny dialog that says something about pixel shaders and texture units and that I can't play EQ2. Yo, Google. Talk to me. Well... apparently, the video card that I bought just last year isn't good enough. Oh, great fun.
Greg runs off to Fry's. Buys new video card for $100.
And lay on the pain. Nearly 24 hours later, I'm still struggling with a crashing system. Apparently, my Windows XP installation (upgraded from Windows 98) just doesn't like my new card/driver. I get fleeting glimpses of the classic blue screen before the machine reboots. It comes back and says, "there was a crash. send a report to Microsoft?" Generally, I always say no here... I don't want Microsoft knowing what's up on my box. But what the heck... I give it a shot. It reports my graphic card driver is the culprit. Heh. Thanks for the info.
Where am I now? Reinstalling the operating system from scratch, hoping that will cure the situation. Thankfully, this is just a gaming system where I don't have to worry about installed apps or docs or whatever.
What's the point of all this?
With the Xbox, I buy a game. Put it in. Play. Fun fun fun.
With the PC, I buy a game. Oh. My hardware isn't good enough. Pay more. Waste time. Play on teeny screen rather than big tv. "But the graphics are so much more detailed!" Bite me.
Xbox programmers build their games for the Xbox. It is a known quantity and they make the game run as best they can on that machine. They concentrate on squeaking out the last bit of performance. The best load time possible. Clean interaction with the controller.
On the PC? Fuck load time. Let's move it to market. Let the user buy faster hardware. Graphics? They can buy a new video card. We don't have to optimize it. I work in the software business. I know what it does to programmers. You concentrate on getting the software in your users' hands. If there is a reasonable excuse to avoid extra work in favor of time, then you take it. PC game developers could care less. They'll make you upgrade rather than optimize that loading time. They'll consume more texture memory rather than fit it to your 32MB video card. No skin off their back.
The Xbox (and other consoles) are the best platform because you can concentrate on the game. It isn't about the latest hardware. Buy it. Play it. Have fun.
Don't be fooled by the potential for faster CPUs or graphic cards. It's a sucker's bet. Stick to your console...
Silence?
No, I'm not dead.
Crashed my car? Sure, I can get another.
Wearing stilettos and a dress with slits up to here? Oh so fun.
Shot in the back? I've got great friends.
Squished by a troll? They are big, you know.
Thrown through a glass wall? Sure, why not?
So yah... I haven't posted cuz I've been gaming. And a little jaunt to Vegas and Europe, but that's beside the point. We're talking about games, pal.
If you can't figure it out, above I was referring to a bunch of new games that I've been playing: Burnout 3, Bloodrayne 2, Halo 2, Lord of the Rings: Third Age, and Dead or Alive Ultimate.
So a bit slow on the posting front, but I'll try to post a bit about each over time. Lately, I've been playing Third Age. Very good looking and fun, but so far it has seemed a bit easy. After I get further through, then I'll write some more.
And good news: Christmas is coming. And you know what that means: tons of new games released. In particular, Ghost Recon 2. Now, where is that friend of mine... I've got a machine gun to show him...
Crashed my car? Sure, I can get another.
Wearing stilettos and a dress with slits up to here? Oh so fun.
Shot in the back? I've got great friends.
Squished by a troll? They are big, you know.
Thrown through a glass wall? Sure, why not?
So yah... I haven't posted cuz I've been gaming. And a little jaunt to Vegas and Europe, but that's beside the point. We're talking about games, pal.
If you can't figure it out, above I was referring to a bunch of new games that I've been playing: Burnout 3, Bloodrayne 2, Halo 2, Lord of the Rings: Third Age, and Dead or Alive Ultimate.
So a bit slow on the posting front, but I'll try to post a bit about each over time. Lately, I've been playing Third Age. Very good looking and fun, but so far it has seemed a bit easy. After I get further through, then I'll write some more.
And good news: Christmas is coming. And you know what that means: tons of new games released. In particular, Ghost Recon 2. Now, where is that friend of mine... I've got a machine gun to show him...
Animations
One of the key aspects of most video game are the "animations". Typically, this is with respect to various people, animals, monsters, or what-have-you on the video screen. The best animations are life-like, fluid, respect the surroundings, and even use the environment when possible.
A game like Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball has excellent characters models (probably the most life-like models out there today), but it does not have a rich set of animations. On the volleyball court, the women don't have a bunch of moves, though what they do have are very fluid and realistic. In some of the more voyeuristic modes, they move fluidly, but they still have a limited set of animations.
Compare that to a game like Ninja Gaiden. In that game, Ryu looks and moves with near perfection. His running, his flowing movement from one attack into a defense into a jump off a wall, how he wields nunchuks and swords... all of them done with a rich, flowing, and varied set of animations. He sometimes gets clipped by the terrain, but it rarely draws you away from the utter amazement of watching him move.
One the latest games that I just bought, BloodRayne 2, has got some truly amazing moves. The character model is also fantastic. In word, hot. In the initial levels, she has a long dress on which is slit on each side all the way up to here. Yah, perv: upskirts are there. What is amazing is watching her in combat with the dress and her hair flowing around her as she glides and spins and jumps from one stance or attack or defense to another. Very, very nice. I haven't played through enough to comment on game play (seems fine so far), but the graphics are quite amazing.
Other games with excellent animations: Otogi and Otogi 2, the Splinter Cell series, and even Psi Ops: the Mindgate Conspiracy. These are all amazing games and are excellent demonstrations of some of the best animations out there.
A game like Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball has excellent characters models (probably the most life-like models out there today), but it does not have a rich set of animations. On the volleyball court, the women don't have a bunch of moves, though what they do have are very fluid and realistic. In some of the more voyeuristic modes, they move fluidly, but they still have a limited set of animations.
Compare that to a game like Ninja Gaiden. In that game, Ryu looks and moves with near perfection. His running, his flowing movement from one attack into a defense into a jump off a wall, how he wields nunchuks and swords... all of them done with a rich, flowing, and varied set of animations. He sometimes gets clipped by the terrain, but it rarely draws you away from the utter amazement of watching him move.
One the latest games that I just bought, BloodRayne 2, has got some truly amazing moves. The character model is also fantastic. In word, hot. In the initial levels, she has a long dress on which is slit on each side all the way up to here. Yah, perv: upskirts are there. What is amazing is watching her in combat with the dress and her hair flowing around her as she glides and spins and jumps from one stance or attack or defense to another. Very, very nice. I haven't played through enough to comment on game play (seems fine so far), but the graphics are quite amazing.
Other games with excellent animations: Otogi and Otogi 2, the Splinter Cell series, and even Psi Ops: the Mindgate Conspiracy. These are all amazing games and are excellent demonstrations of some of the best animations out there.
Fable
Well, I finished Fable a couple nights ago. It was a definitely quite cool.
The graphics and visual style are exellent. The animations are beautiful (people walking around, as you "emote", while in combat, with spells, etc). Heck, even the grass waves in the wind. Rad.
Combat in Fable is very smooth and straight-forward. I never really used my bow -- generally, I just play tanks that wade into combat. I did find the "Force Push" skill to be highly useful. Excellent for crowd clearing. At max'd level, it did some good damage, too. I'd bash a group with it, then run after one the guys. By the time the others picked themselves up and regrouped around me, then I'd push them all back again. It didn't work so well agains the big trolls tho :-)
The story line is rather light, but it works well. The various quests and progressive opening of areas leads you through the story very well.
One negative: the game would "stutter" every now and then when I ran places. It never did that in combat. I think it was mostly about loading new areas/textures.
I did just about every side quest and optional quest possible. All told, it took me about 22 hours to finish the game. I've heard that you can do it in 15; I just like to explore and see what else is doable. For example, I had four wives, about eight houses, and had travelled all over the place several times.
I'm not sure whether to reply it as evil now, though. Your alignment doesn't really change the gameplay that much, and I'm not sure that I want to put in the time just to see my character grow big old horns on his head.
I very much recommend Fable. It is a fantastic RPG. You have many, many ways to grow your character along different paths. The story is not deep, but the graphics are amazing, the potential character directions are simply incredible, and the quest/explore/combat is very good.
The graphics and visual style are exellent. The animations are beautiful (people walking around, as you "emote", while in combat, with spells, etc). Heck, even the grass waves in the wind. Rad.
Combat in Fable is very smooth and straight-forward. I never really used my bow -- generally, I just play tanks that wade into combat. I did find the "Force Push" skill to be highly useful. Excellent for crowd clearing. At max'd level, it did some good damage, too. I'd bash a group with it, then run after one the guys. By the time the others picked themselves up and regrouped around me, then I'd push them all back again. It didn't work so well agains the big trolls tho :-)
The story line is rather light, but it works well. The various quests and progressive opening of areas leads you through the story very well.
One negative: the game would "stutter" every now and then when I ran places. It never did that in combat. I think it was mostly about loading new areas/textures.
I did just about every side quest and optional quest possible. All told, it took me about 22 hours to finish the game. I've heard that you can do it in 15; I just like to explore and see what else is doable. For example, I had four wives, about eight houses, and had travelled all over the place several times.
I'm not sure whether to reply it as evil now, though. Your alignment doesn't really change the gameplay that much, and I'm not sure that I want to put in the time just to see my character grow big old horns on his head.
I very much recommend Fable. It is a fantastic RPG. You have many, many ways to grow your character along different paths. The story is not deep, but the graphics are amazing, the potential character directions are simply incredible, and the quest/explore/combat is very good.
Urf
Yet again, Starcraft: Ghost has been delayed. We're now looking at June of next year. Damn thing better be worth the wait...
Until then, here are the top games on my watch list:
Hoo boy... this holiday season is looking up! Last was nuts. I was buried when so many top-notch games came out. But... I'd call that a Happy Problem.
Until then, here are the top games on my watch list:
- Otogi 2
- Need for Speed Underground 2
- Ghost Recon 2
- dang, that's a lot of "2" games...
- KOTOR 2 (yah yah, another one)
- Halo 2 (see a pattern yet?)
- Dead or Alive: Ultimate (not a 2!!! actually, it is like a billion or so) -- this baby comes out in about two weeks!
Hoo boy... this holiday season is looking up! Last was nuts. I was buried when so many top-notch games came out. But... I'd call that a Happy Problem.
Lookee there...
Ya know, I'm not normally one to say, "I told you so", but hey. I told you so.
Burnout 3 is tearing up the charts. Reviews are giving it raves left and right. metacritic is listing Burnout 3 as the number three game overall (behind Halo and the GTA double pack).
I'm still waiting on my friend at EA to score a copy of this bad boy, but in the interim, you can read a review from those Penny Arcade boys. Again, they give it blistering marks.
...
Are you still sitting there? Get to the store. What's wrong with you?
Burnout 3 is tearing up the charts. Reviews are giving it raves left and right. metacritic is listing Burnout 3 as the number three game overall (behind Halo and the GTA double pack).
I'm still waiting on my friend at EA to score a copy of this bad boy, but in the interim, you can read a review from those Penny Arcade boys. Again, they give it blistering marks.
...
Are you still sitting there? Get to the store. What's wrong with you?
Strategic Gaming
Some of the best games are those with strategic elements to them. Where you need to stop and think about how you're going to solve the particulare issue at hand. The best games give you multiple options for a solution. There are definitely times when you really don't want or care to think about your game, but simply to play. Racing games are a good example for those.
But strategy games... I'm talking about things like Hitman, where you need to plan your strategy for infiltrating some location, wiping out your target, and exiting cleanly. There are lots of options and approaches -- snipe the target from a distance? put on a disguise and garrotte him? walk into his location mowing everything down in your path? Options!
Dynasty Warriors is also very good. I've written about it before as a mindless killfest. But between the bouts of mayhem, there is a lot of strategy necessary. Which units do you mow down first? What officers do you go after? Can you wipe out the guard retinue before they escort that officer off the map? When the map first starts up, it takes some sitting back and some thought to plan an approach to the mission.
One of my favorite games when I'm in a strategy mood is Ghost Recon. It takes some serious thought to figure out how to navigate the map and take out baddies without having them kick your team's ass. With Ghost Recon, I really want to be able to complete the level without damage to my team. Thus, planning an approach to the level is quite important. Patience is also helpful with this game. Tracking down the baddies, waiting for them to hit that sweet target spot, or creeping along to ambush them.
Ghost Recon is simply a great game for whackin' bad guys, and doing it in style.
But strategy games... I'm talking about things like Hitman, where you need to plan your strategy for infiltrating some location, wiping out your target, and exiting cleanly. There are lots of options and approaches -- snipe the target from a distance? put on a disguise and garrotte him? walk into his location mowing everything down in your path? Options!
Dynasty Warriors is also very good. I've written about it before as a mindless killfest. But between the bouts of mayhem, there is a lot of strategy necessary. Which units do you mow down first? What officers do you go after? Can you wipe out the guard retinue before they escort that officer off the map? When the map first starts up, it takes some sitting back and some thought to plan an approach to the mission.
One of my favorite games when I'm in a strategy mood is Ghost Recon. It takes some serious thought to figure out how to navigate the map and take out baddies without having them kick your team's ass. With Ghost Recon, I really want to be able to complete the level without damage to my team. Thus, planning an approach to the level is quite important. Patience is also helpful with this game. Tracking down the baddies, waiting for them to hit that sweet target spot, or creeping along to ambush them.
Ghost Recon is simply a great game for whackin' bad guys, and doing it in style.
Got Monkeys?
If you're into FPS's, one of the best shooters that I've played is Timesplitters. I'm not a huge fan of th FPS genre, but Timesplitters is quite excellent.
I first ran into it on the PS2. When I first got the PS2, I picked up a game from each genre, and TS was the shooter. It is fast. I mean really fast. The game never slowed, even when we did four player deathmatches on the console (thank you, Mr Multitap).
Then TS2 came out for the Xbox, I was all over it. Way, way better. Improved graphics, that kickass framerate, and even more player models, weapons, and locations. The story line on these games is pretty lame, but who cares.
If you're looking for a great game for parties, then this is it. Fun environments, fun weapons, and the only game where you can play as a monkey carrying a rocket launcher. Fear the monkey.
(yah, yah... Halo is great for party deathmatches, too, but it doesn't have monkeys)
I first ran into it on the PS2. When I first got the PS2, I picked up a game from each genre, and TS was the shooter. It is fast. I mean really fast. The game never slowed, even when we did four player deathmatches on the console (thank you, Mr Multitap).
Then TS2 came out for the Xbox, I was all over it. Way, way better. Improved graphics, that kickass framerate, and even more player models, weapons, and locations. The story line on these games is pretty lame, but who cares.
If you're looking for a great game for parties, then this is it. Fun environments, fun weapons, and the only game where you can play as a monkey carrying a rocket launcher. Fear the monkey.
(yah, yah... Halo is great for party deathmatches, too, but it doesn't have monkeys)
Splut!
I've been playing some Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy lately. It rocks. Your various powers unfold as you start to play the game. First comes telekinesis. Then remote viewing. And then "mind drain". The latter is awesome. You can recover psychic go-go juice from corpses. No more need for powerups to replenish your psi power. But even better? Sneak up behind a live person and mind drain them. A kickass lightning bolt goes between you and your (ahem) subject and they lift into the air as you start sucking their brain. Voom voom voom! And then BLAM! Their head goes up in a merry fountain of giblets.
Psi-Ops is proving to be some serious fun. Yes, you've got guns and can shoot the crap outta the bad guys. But it takes a lot of hits, and they're usually wailing on you, too. But use a telekinesis on them? Whap! Whap! As you toss them around like rag dolls. It's very satisfying...
I've heard the game is a bit on the short side, but no matter. I've got the sucker on hard, and I'm just too methodical with this stuff. It should prove to be many, many hours of enjoyment, making this game well worth the purchase.
Psi-Ops is proving to be some serious fun. Yes, you've got guns and can shoot the crap outta the bad guys. But it takes a lot of hits, and they're usually wailing on you, too. But use a telekinesis on them? Whap! Whap! As you toss them around like rag dolls. It's very satisfying...
I've heard the game is a bit on the short side, but no matter. I've got the sucker on hard, and I'm just too methodical with this stuff. It should prove to be many, many hours of enjoyment, making this game well worth the purchase.
And the games keep rolling in...
I just ordered Sudeki and Rallisport Challenge 2.
I played a demo of the latter, and it was quite cool. Some awesome graphics, though I'm not sure about the overall feel of the game. But for 25 bucks, why the heck not? I know I can get that much enjoyment out of it. I'll post some info after I get a chance to really dig into the thing. The interesting point for RS2 is the rally aspect. Street racing has got Need for Speed: Underground or Midnight Club II. Track racing is probably best served by TOCA (though I haven't played it, it has been getting some awesome reviews). I'm not much of a track racer, so I don't have much personal experience to relate there (just what I've read, seen or heard).
And Sudeki. Well, yah. I've talked about it before. Definitely looking forward to it...
I played a demo of the latter, and it was quite cool. Some awesome graphics, though I'm not sure about the overall feel of the game. But for 25 bucks, why the heck not? I know I can get that much enjoyment out of it. I'll post some info after I get a chance to really dig into the thing. The interesting point for RS2 is the rally aspect. Street racing has got Need for Speed: Underground or Midnight Club II. Track racing is probably best served by TOCA (though I haven't played it, it has been getting some awesome reviews). I'm not much of a track racer, so I don't have much personal experience to relate there (just what I've read, seen or heard).
And Sudeki. Well, yah. I've talked about it before. Definitely looking forward to it...
Twitch?
Much of the gaming "scene" is defined and driven by "twitch" games. Also known as the First Person Shooter. Doom started it all. Since that time, hardware, performance, and frames per second are the measure of the day. Wanna be cool? Well, you can't just have a computer. It has to be a "gaming rig".
Doom led into Quake, into Half-Life, into Counterstrike, into Unreal. Okay. Maybe not that order, but those are the games that define twitch. Those games where your reflexes have to be at 110%. When that single pixel appears on your screen as an enemy starts to round a corner, and you slam your thumb down, "BLAM!". Twitch, twitch, twitch.
Our next twitcher for the Xbox comes out momentarily: the long-awaited release of Doom 3. Half-life is on deck for (maybe!) next spring, and Timesplitters 3 for later next year.
When playing with friends, it can be great. I'm usually up for a Halo deathmatch, but while I'm pretty good, I know that there are zillions of players who could totally school me. For shooter games, I tend towards the more strategic and tactical games. Things like Splinter Cell, or Rogue Ops, or Soldier of Fortune. These are games where you can slow down and use your brain to dominate the game, rather than reflexes.
I just want to conclude with a shout out to Angela in Illinois. She reminded me of where gaming really started. Doom has certainly started the latest era of high-power gaming, but the true roots of video gaming originate back in the 80's. I want to stick to the Xbox in this blog, but for those with a bit of nostaliga, please raise a toast to Drol, Marauder, Bilestoad, and all those other games you grew up with.
Doom led into Quake, into Half-Life, into Counterstrike, into Unreal. Okay. Maybe not that order, but those are the games that define twitch. Those games where your reflexes have to be at 110%. When that single pixel appears on your screen as an enemy starts to round a corner, and you slam your thumb down, "BLAM!". Twitch, twitch, twitch.
Our next twitcher for the Xbox comes out momentarily: the long-awaited release of Doom 3. Half-life is on deck for (maybe!) next spring, and Timesplitters 3 for later next year.
When playing with friends, it can be great. I'm usually up for a Halo deathmatch, but while I'm pretty good, I know that there are zillions of players who could totally school me. For shooter games, I tend towards the more strategic and tactical games. Things like Splinter Cell, or Rogue Ops, or Soldier of Fortune. These are games where you can slow down and use your brain to dominate the game, rather than reflexes.
I just want to conclude with a shout out to Angela in Illinois. She reminded me of where gaming really started. Doom has certainly started the latest era of high-power gaming, but the true roots of video gaming originate back in the 80's. I want to stick to the Xbox in this blog, but for those with a bit of nostaliga, please raise a toast to Drol, Marauder, Bilestoad, and all those other games you grew up with.
Sudeki is out...
I've got an "inside" in Microsoft (the publisher of Sudeki), so I'm going to order the game via my friend. However, it hasn't shown up in their internal, online store yet. I would probably just pay for the whole thing and start playing it right away, but I'm out of town all next week. May as well do the slow order and have it when I get home...
Very exciting. New RPG. Woot!
Tho I did read a review that said it is about 20 hours. That's a little on the short side for an RPG, but that also means a great chance of finishing the thing. (tho I finished Morrowind after untold hours, so maybe "short-ish" isn't really necessary...)
And Fable comes out in September. Life is looking good...
Very exciting. New RPG. Woot!
Tho I did read a review that said it is about 20 hours. That's a little on the short side for an RPG, but that also means a great chance of finishing the thing. (tho I finished Morrowind after untold hours, so maybe "short-ish" isn't really necessary...)
And Fable comes out in September. Life is looking good...
Crash! Boom! Kablooie!
Earlier, I mentioned how Need for Speed: Underground is so completely immersive. You fly along the city streets at a breakneck pace. Lights go zooming by, taillights reflect in the light sheen of water on the pavement, you barely keep the car on the road as you careen around that final corner... NFSU simply moves. Everything about the game puts you there.
There is another driving game which deserves at least as much praise. It's a series called Burnout. This game started out as a basic racing game with a bit of bonuses for driving dangerously (catching air, drifting, driving against traffic, and near misses). All quite competent, but what captured everybody's eyes (and commentary!) were the crashes. Burnout didn't simply send you spinning out, maybe with a little explosion or somesuch. In this one, your car is literally demolished. Parts flying, glass shattering, a shorn off bumper sliding across the pavement, and the twisted remains of your car body hurtling into that little compact car tooling up the cross street. The crashes were simply impressive. Nothing had been done like it before.
Along comes Burnout 2. They knew where the bread was buttered. This game had a crash mode. The entire goal was simply to crash your car and cause as much damage as possible. Well, "as much as possible" generally means playing pinball with cross traffic. The strategy is to hit the cars just so to create a pile-up like that and then bounce over there to cause a secondary pile-up. Bing! Bing! Bing! The dollars of damage ring up as you watch your car get shredded across the highway leaving twisted hunks of family cars, semis, and busses in its path. The experience is exhilarating.
I seriously lost it when my brother-in-law plowed into a big-rig tanker just so and caused that sucker to fly into the air end-over-end. Sure, just a bit unrealistic, but the adrenaline of watching that much metal spin into the sky... unnatural, but so, so satisfying as it crunches back to the hard concrete and skids into the barrier.
Burnout is fun. Pure, visceral fun. It doesn't have quite the driving immersion as NFSU, but when you're flying down a beach highway on the wrong side of the road, twitching into the other lane to avoid some oncoming traffic, and just hoping that, as you crest that low rise, you won't suddenly find yourself nose-to-nose with a car... it's a serious rush. The game is largely about the magnificent crashes, but the driving portions and the unlockables are also fantastic.
Rent this game. Now. And when Burnout 3 comes out this September -- buy it. Okay. Maybe wait for the review if you're timid. But after you play the game, you'll understand. This game is a keeper.
There is another driving game which deserves at least as much praise. It's a series called Burnout. This game started out as a basic racing game with a bit of bonuses for driving dangerously (catching air, drifting, driving against traffic, and near misses). All quite competent, but what captured everybody's eyes (and commentary!) were the crashes. Burnout didn't simply send you spinning out, maybe with a little explosion or somesuch. In this one, your car is literally demolished. Parts flying, glass shattering, a shorn off bumper sliding across the pavement, and the twisted remains of your car body hurtling into that little compact car tooling up the cross street. The crashes were simply impressive. Nothing had been done like it before.
Along comes Burnout 2. They knew where the bread was buttered. This game had a crash mode. The entire goal was simply to crash your car and cause as much damage as possible. Well, "as much as possible" generally means playing pinball with cross traffic. The strategy is to hit the cars just so to create a pile-up like that and then bounce over there to cause a secondary pile-up. Bing! Bing! Bing! The dollars of damage ring up as you watch your car get shredded across the highway leaving twisted hunks of family cars, semis, and busses in its path. The experience is exhilarating.
I seriously lost it when my brother-in-law plowed into a big-rig tanker just so and caused that sucker to fly into the air end-over-end. Sure, just a bit unrealistic, but the adrenaline of watching that much metal spin into the sky... unnatural, but so, so satisfying as it crunches back to the hard concrete and skids into the barrier.
Burnout is fun. Pure, visceral fun. It doesn't have quite the driving immersion as NFSU, but when you're flying down a beach highway on the wrong side of the road, twitching into the other lane to avoid some oncoming traffic, and just hoping that, as you crest that low rise, you won't suddenly find yourself nose-to-nose with a car... it's a serious rush. The game is largely about the magnificent crashes, but the driving portions and the unlockables are also fantastic.
Rent this game. Now. And when Burnout 3 comes out this September -- buy it. Okay. Maybe wait for the review if you're timid. But after you play the game, you'll understand. This game is a keeper.
Discounts!
Oooh. EBgames is currently running a 10% off special. Any in-stock game gets the discount. Great discount, but oof... if I wanted the game, then I would have ordered it by now. I want a discount on all pre-orders, dammit.
Of course, this is a good time to review those old games which I passed up. They may have dropped in price since they first came out, and with the extra discount, they might be kinda nice. For example, Rallisport Challenge 2, or MtG: Battleground. Undecided...
Of course, this is a good time to review those old games which I passed up. They may have dropped in price since they first came out, and with the extra discount, they might be kinda nice. For example, Rallisport Challenge 2, or MtG: Battleground. Undecided...
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