So before I get into the meat of this blog I have a question for you all. You know that Fireflies song that is playing nonstop on the radio these days? Does anyone have any idea what that song is talking about? I mean what is a fox trot or a sock hop? And why would it be weird to hate goodbyes and what exactly do all the fireflies represent? There seems do be some meaning behind this song but what it is escapes me. Or maybe the writer was just really high when writing it and it is just a bunch of gibberish. Anyways, any thoughts?
So I decided to go with Uncharted 2 for my holiday purchase. I also bought Star Wars The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition as a birthday present for a friend of mine. He doesn't actually have a PS3 or X360 so he played it at my house. He beat it in two sittings. I wrote about it last year so I wont go into too much depth. We played the Hoth level which was boring and short, but we haven't played The Jedi Temple or Tatooine. As for the main game, it seems identical to a year ago. Playing on any difficulty above easy still makes playing the game a chore. On easy the enemies do so little damage that you can play around with your force powers and have fun with the sandbox like levels. On normal or higher you are stuck using only a couple of the most effective moves, and taking the time to grab and throw things usually just leads to death. Oh and the Star Destroyer part still sucks. On the other hand, the game still looks incredible with some beautiful art direction. After I see the final two levels I'll assign a score, but right now I plan on giving it a 7.5.
I also played some more Resistance 2. I really want to finish the game. I have to note again that Insomniac's R&C games look infinitely better than its Resistance games. Hopefully the third game will be much improved.
Finally, I started Uncharted 2. I am maybe two or three levels in. So far one aspect has really impressed me and that is the camera. Simply put, the camera is the best I have ever seen in a game. It always points you in the right direction, and often does so while giving you a cinematic angle of the action. Also, some of the graphics are just outstanding. The snow is the best I have seen in a game, and the variety of animations Nate has truly could only fit on a Blu Ray. It really feels that almost every moment of this game is a set piece. There are no repetitious scenes or environments as we saw in the first game. Also, enemies take far less damage and do far less damage. But there are many more of them per area now. What this means is that the game feels more realistic and rewarding. When you are constantly taking out soldiers you feel that you are moving forward. Also, there have only been a couple of scenes that have had me taking on wave after wave of enemies, and the waves of enemies actually made sense in the context of the story. Simply put, Naughty Dog has taken a the same mechanics as the first game and simply put them to use in better situations. I also haven't experienced the issues people have had with Nate taking cover in the wrong place. The game has so far controlled perfectly and I have yet to die because of control or camera issues.
While the game is great, I kind of feel that it isn't as good as people are making it out to be. Yes it's a highly polished and mechanically and structurally flawless but I don't really feel like it deserves to be rated quite as highly as it is. But I'm going to play through the whole game before I make any final judgement. One final thing, I like how Uncharted 2 has all single player trophies. I think it is unfair to players without PSN/XBL to allow games to have MP achievements/trophies. If you are going to put a reward system in a game then you should make it so that all players can get the rewards. Also, I hate the "get 20 kills with X Gun" trophies. Trophies should make me do something special, not just reward me for using a gun multiple times. Actually Uncharted 2 has these trophies for the single player game and I don't appreciate it. Even less, though, do I appreciate the trophies for collecting random objects. In some games these collectibles actually give me something in game and in Uncharted this is somewhat true, but honestly I don't really want to spend hours searching the world corner to corner for some tiny sparkling light. Hopefully Uncharted 3 will have gotten rid of treasure collecting.
Later folks.
Comments
Speaking of, the Jedi Temple expansion is pretty weak... it will only take you a couple of hours to finish at best and the boss battle is, well, you'll see. The only good thing about that DLC is the character costumes you get. Let me know how the other part of the expansion is...
Have not played U2 yet so have no opinion.
@SGTiD1NG0 - I haven't had any problems with the controls. In fact I have found the controls far better than the first game. A lot of people have been talking about cover issues, but I haven't had any problem yet. Maybe as I keep playing. I think the graphics and audio are simply the best I have ever seen or heard in a game. Every game has graphical glitches. I haven't encountered anything massively wrong so far.
@polsci1503 - As I said, Hoth is only about half an hour long and is essentially a bunch of white boxes connected by white hallways. Worst level of the game by far. You also get all the costume packs, but why would I want to play the game as someone other than the apprentice? C3PO especially looks downright silly wielding a lightsaber.
@kellymae - Like I said to Sean, that's great and all, but that doesn't make any sense in the context of the song. The line goes "A foxtrot above my head, a sockhop beneath my bed, a disco ball is just hanging by a thread. I get that they are all dance terms but the song is about Fireflies and dreaming. So what does dancing have to do with it all?
@AKayy_47 - I always play the game through once not worrying about the trophies and then play it through a second time and try to collect them. That way I experience the game normally first without ruining my enjoyment by trying to earn trophies.
Just about every game has trophies that ask you to do things you wouldn't ordinarily do. To many, that's the whole point. They get you to experiment with things in the game you otherwise might not have. But if that isn't fun for you, the game doesn't force you to go for them.
johnsteed7
I like the "kill X number of people with each gun" trophies. They make you try each weapon out instead of just stick to a favorite.
Aren't the treasure trophies rewards for "doing something special"? What exactly would you have preferred?