Anybody want free Half-Life 2 to download via Steam?
Anyhow, updating is taking a bloody long time. At least HL2 is done with.
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Anyhow, I might do s’more reviews over next week. Keep your channels tuned and your remotes primed.
Archive for the “Games” CategoryNow that whatever winter solstice-related holiday you celebrate has come and gone, you probably have some spending money, some free time, or a bit of both. But what to spend it on? Certainly, you could pass endless hours seeking out only the choicest torrents or perhaps indulging in the finest sporting activities television has to offer (new American Gladiators broadcasts January 6!), but there’s bound to be something else to eat up your time. And, in this case, your brains. The perfect thing to liven up your holiday season is some zombie-related merchandise! Everyone knows about the Resident Evil series and the recent million-seller Dead Rising, and what zombie aficionado, even a casual one, is unfamiliar with George Romero’s formidable body of work or the recent British zombie(-esque) films 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later? But if you’re looking for brain-munching entertainment that isn’t a Hollywood blockbuster or another Capcom title, we’ve got some suggestions for you to drop some holiday dough on. The very definition of a sleeper hit, first-person puzzler Portal from Valve’s The Orange Box unexpectedly gained massive critical acclaim and a sizable fan following after the release of the new compilation this year. Though it may just as easily have slipped under the radar, Portal has instead become the pick of the litter, attracting nearly universal praise, including glowing words from notoriously harsh Escapist Magazine reviewer Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw, and inspiring discussion not only on its gameplay but even on how it could be a feminist critique of FPSes. With the year in gaming concluding, Portal is finishing strong and getting named on a lot of best-of lists for its strong style, darkly humorous bent, and ingeniously simple mechanics. Pretty outstanding for a puzzle game bundled with hallmark franchises such as Half-Life and Team Fortress and based around the idea that people like cake.
Eye of Judgment is a card game in the vein of Magic the Gathering on the PS3. Wizards of the Coast is actually making the physical cards you use to play the game. It uses the Playstation Eye peripheral and brings your cards to life on the screen in Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters style. I’ve been reading up on the game and it sounds extremely intricate. It sounds like a fun but gimmicky pitch. This really takes me back to my junior high days back when I played card games like this, but talk about a niche genre on an overpriced system. I suppose it would be worth the cost if you had a few friends with PS3s and Eye of Judgment. The costs don’t just stop at the initial game package though. You will inevitably have to purchase extra booster packs to strengthen your deck and advance to a higher level of play. I figure that Sony’s mindset is that if the consumer has enough money to buy the system, then they must naturally have enough cash to shell out money on extra booster packs, because the packs carry a premium to them. It looks like a risky investment because the game isn’t fully established yet like MtG, the high end price tag is killer, the player base will no doubt be very small, and the good players that are out there will probably be at an advanced level of play (Meaning they’ll kick your butt to Mars and back faster than you can say Rofflecopter). Estimated cost of play (before taxes and/or shipping): Oh okay. I know you want a Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged reference. “Let’s settle this by playing a children’s card game!” Due out this week, but I probably won’t get because the shops are crappy like that:
I’ve played the demo and it ran well at 1024×768 medium-high on my 8600GT, so I’m expecting better rates in the final product [Especially since the demo didn't support dual processors]. In any case, even in the demo I could tell that this was one well-polished game… Although the AI were less impressive than I’d have expected, even when I started out on Delta mode (The hardest available mode) - Although most probably because that mode allows enemy fire to cut you down in a matter of seconds, but that’s another story entirely. The landscapes were absolutely beautiful, and I was amused at how they handled the area borders - If you swim out too far, you get one-shotted by the waiting destroyer ships in the distance. Well, at least it isn’t as unimaginative as the Invisible Wall thinger. The facial details are probably the highest point of the game - They’re easily the most realistically detailed faces out for any game at the moment. I also like how there’s quite a bit of random wildlife around the beach area, namely the tortoises and the crabs. When I tried swimming out the team leader warned me about “Shark-infested waters” but I didn’t see hair nor fin of the beasts. Oh well. If anyone’s curious, the demo ends with you guys staring at a frozen ship in the middle of the island… Right before a giant metal squid-thing bursts through and grabs one of your guys before taking off as though it’s got bread in the oven that was gonna burn in fifteen seconds. I assume it’s about 5% into the game. So yeah, if you have a rig good enough to support this thing, you definitely should give it a run. If not, oh well! There’s always anime and manga. Cheers. Meu out. I just checked up on the gaming news today and one thing really caught my eye over at Kotaku. Okami is going to get a Wii port. *Cue girly scream of joy* Waiting until 2008 is going to be an eternity. I’m adding to my list of must buy games. If you have a Wii, it would be a crime not to. Anyway, expect an animu post later tonight or tomorrow.
1. Gyakuten Saiban - Court Begins Blue Note Scale This is certainly an interesting remix album in the sense that it’s jazz. Most of the time, popular game music is remixed into techno or orchetral forms. In the case of Gyakuten Saiban (Phoenix Wright), those albums exist as well. Before I diverge more than I usually do, here’s the review coming right at ya. It’s refreshing to hear this kind of remix. Most of the recognizable character and court themes are here. The songs are very heavy on saxophone, trumpet, piano, and double bass. If I wasn’t familiar with this music, it could probably pass in a real lounge without a second thought. I think all of the songs are good, but the best one is Godot’s theme which was already a jazzy piece to begin with. Now you didn’t hear this from me, but you can obtain the album here. Rating: I know jazz isn’t for everyone but give it a try. You just might like it. It’s a very well done compilation. 8/10
I spent the day playing the original Super Mario Bros. 2 on the Virtual Console and it’s pretty hardcore. This is the first time in a while that a game has metaphorically kicked my ass and threw sand in my eyes afterwards. Despite its age it’s still very fun. They just don’t make games this tough anymore, which is really a pity. With the way Nintendo and video games in general are catering to mainstream gamers, we probably won’t see very many games of this sheer difficulty in the future. The way to sell games these days is to give in to the casual gamers and make games easy. Don’t get me wrong though. There are still games being released for the hardcore crowd but they are becoming something of a dying breed. All too often these days you will hear fellow gamers complaining because games are just too easy these days. At least we still have the old-school games… I went off on a rant there. Check out SMB: The Lost Levels if you have a Wii and 600 points to spare. You won’t regret it. I’m sure all of you are checking out the Official SSBB site everyday for the latest and greatest news. Sure it’s exciting to get the new announcements as far as stages and items go, but we all know it’s about the characters. Sonic is on the scene now and I think the blue hedgehog is going to kick much butt. I can’t wait to see which characters come out of the woodwork next. I finished Luminous over the weekend and it was pretty decent overall. My major gripe is that it was just way too easy. There were probably two battles that were almost-sort-of-maybe-moderately difficult, but those were far and few between. The second complaint is the unbalance of the characters. Alph and Lucia are the two main characters, but their stats are utterly disgraceful of their classes. Alph was continually overshadowed by better tanks like Leon, Heath, and Kai while Lucia is hands down the weakest witch in the game statwise. I have nothing to say about Pollon. Ugh. On a minor note, a few of the characters seem confused in the skillset department. Alph wants to think he’s a ranged fighter with his gun attacks. Theo has several melee range skills and Flash Drives despite his class being an archer. Overall it was fun. Cliche and systematic story/plot devices. Staple characters. Linear story. It’s not a bad game by and means though. Just above average as we wind down to the rating… Rating: 6.5/10. I recommend it for the die hard SRPG starved DS owners out there. Don’t expect it to be the greatest game in the world and you should be okay. Tags: luminous arc |
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