A gaming commentary blog, dedicated to finding out the truth behind all the System Wars Nonsense.
And sometimes I talk about myself.
And sometimes I talk about myself.
Saturday, Oct 18, 2008
Holy crap I haven't updated this thing in a long time. Anyways, here goes!
Recently I've been working my way through some stuff that I haven't had enough time to give a full review of but have developed some impressions. Thought I'd share them because... eh, why not?
Saint's Row 2:
I'm about half way through this game and I have to say I'm loving it so far. This game is exactly the type of stuff that I love in GTA-esque sandbox games like this. The game controls excellently (with the exception of the helicopters which handle like a cow on ice), the gunplay is brilliantly percise (this is one of the few games where I'll take a pistol over a shotgun or assault rifle due to how devistatingly accurate it is), the humor is alternatingly crass and clever but always funny, the bits of seriousness don't feel out of place, and there's so much stuff to do. Wrap that up in a package which is designed to encourage mass chaos and mayhem and you have a game which is so much fun. Only problems so far are the relative lack of challenge (I'm on normal difficulty and it takes two submachine gun clips to kill me?), some pretty bad pop-in and pop-out with the cars, and a lack of voices in the otherwise excellent character customization (only three voices each for male and female?) This game is a lot of fun and while it's far from perfect I'll take it over any other true open-world game (No More Heroes doesn't count) that's come out since Crackdown in 2007.
Star Wars: Force Unleashed:
Not too far into this one (maybe 20-25% in), but so far it's one heck of a mixed bag. For every pro (awesome force attacks, snappy writing) there's a con (mediocre level design, your light sabre is neutered). Have to put more time in to give a better impression, but so far definate mixed bag here.
Guitar Hero: World Tour Guitar:
My 360 Xplorer controller recently died, my 360 Gibson guitar is spotty at times, and the Rock Band guitar I'm borrowing is frustrating to use, so I've been looking for a new guitar. Lo and behold, at my local Best Buy I find, hooked up to the GH: Aerosmith demo, the guitar for GH: World Tour. I have to say, the thing is a dream to play. The strum bar makes that familiar clicking noise and some resistance to add precision that was missing from the Rock Band guitars while adding the strum shape of the Rock Band guitars with the bulge at the end to better catch your thumb. It's the best of both worlds merged into one. The buttons are better positioned than any of the other 360 controllers, making hitting notes much easier and before. The other big improvement is ergonomics. I had problems with the Xplorer and Gibson guitars due to design choices (the Xplorer had that one protruding part that stuck into my arm and the Gibson was too thick) but this guitar fit perfectly. Red Octane really improved with this guitar. One innovation which I didn't see coming but is absolutely fantastic is the Back/Select button, which also deploys Star Power/Overdrive, was moved right next to the strum bar and elongated so it's incredibly easy to hit in mid-song. The only things I haven't tried yet are the touch-sensitive buttons, the whammy bar, and the tilt-sensor (due to the aforementioned select button). Regardless, I'm sold. I was wavering on getting Guitar Hero: World Tour before, but now I'm sold on getting a Guitar & Game bundle. I can't wait to get some more time with this thing.
Recently I've been working my way through some stuff that I haven't had enough time to give a full review of but have developed some impressions. Thought I'd share them because... eh, why not?
Saint's Row 2:
I'm about half way through this game and I have to say I'm loving it so far. This game is exactly the type of stuff that I love in GTA-esque sandbox games like this. The game controls excellently (with the exception of the helicopters which handle like a cow on ice), the gunplay is brilliantly percise (this is one of the few games where I'll take a pistol over a shotgun or assault rifle due to how devistatingly accurate it is), the humor is alternatingly crass and clever but always funny, the bits of seriousness don't feel out of place, and there's so much stuff to do. Wrap that up in a package which is designed to encourage mass chaos and mayhem and you have a game which is so much fun. Only problems so far are the relative lack of challenge (I'm on normal difficulty and it takes two submachine gun clips to kill me?), some pretty bad pop-in and pop-out with the cars, and a lack of voices in the otherwise excellent character customization (only three voices each for male and female?) This game is a lot of fun and while it's far from perfect I'll take it over any other true open-world game (No More Heroes doesn't count) that's come out since Crackdown in 2007.
Star Wars: Force Unleashed:
Not too far into this one (maybe 20-25% in), but so far it's one heck of a mixed bag. For every pro (awesome force attacks, snappy writing) there's a con (mediocre level design, your light sabre is neutered). Have to put more time in to give a better impression, but so far definate mixed bag here.
Guitar Hero: World Tour Guitar:
My 360 Xplorer controller recently died, my 360 Gibson guitar is spotty at times, and the Rock Band guitar I'm borrowing is frustrating to use, so I've been looking for a new guitar. Lo and behold, at my local Best Buy I find, hooked up to the GH: Aerosmith demo, the guitar for GH: World Tour. I have to say, the thing is a dream to play. The strum bar makes that familiar clicking noise and some resistance to add precision that was missing from the Rock Band guitars while adding the strum shape of the Rock Band guitars with the bulge at the end to better catch your thumb. It's the best of both worlds merged into one. The buttons are better positioned than any of the other 360 controllers, making hitting notes much easier and before. The other big improvement is ergonomics. I had problems with the Xplorer and Gibson guitars due to design choices (the Xplorer had that one protruding part that stuck into my arm and the Gibson was too thick) but this guitar fit perfectly. Red Octane really improved with this guitar. One innovation which I didn't see coming but is absolutely fantastic is the Back/Select button, which also deploys Star Power/Overdrive, was moved right next to the strum bar and elongated so it's incredibly easy to hit in mid-song. The only things I haven't tried yet are the touch-sensitive buttons, the whammy bar, and the tilt-sensor (due to the aforementioned select button). Regardless, I'm sold. I was wavering on getting Guitar Hero: World Tour before, but now I'm sold on getting a Guitar & Game bundle. I can't wait to get some more time with this thing.
Friday, Mar 28, 2008
No matter what you do, do not play Forza 2 immediately after playing Burnout Paradise. It does not end well.
Sunday, Jan 27, 2008
Well, the TV is fixed! My roommate checked online, turns out what's wrong is the vertical alignment was off. The best way to fix that? Violence. It still gives me trouble whenever I turn the TV on, but a couple of hard whacks and I'm playing No More Heroes.
Man: 1
Insolent TV: 0
Man: 1
Insolent TV: 0
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