Seeing as my last piece was on Mario, I thought I'd drop a quick line on Super Mario Marathon 3. Now, these guys are raising money for Child's Play, an awesome charity created by the Penny Arcade guys. Many links for such a small post, but be sure to click on THIS ONE and if you are feeling generous, do not hold back.
Keep it up guys, I hope you get the blue coins for all those kids who really need it! :)
EDIT: Well, it's over for this year! The guys have received just shy of $82,000 in donations. Bravo Mario Marathon! See you next year!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Super Mario Galaxy 2: The Ultimate Test
"It's a-me, Mario!"
Thus began the 3D adventures of Mario, the first game released on the N64 (along with the oft-requested, Pilotwing 64). Much like it's predecessor, Mario 64 redefined a genre and in more ways than not, proved that 3d platformers could work. Its free camera allowed players to view the action from practically any angle and made jumping from one platform to the next that much easier. I remember playing the first Bowser stage numerous times, because of the music and the platforming element. Spinning the camera around had become second nature by then.
Although it took another system and more than a few years, the next 3d Mario, Super Mario Sunshine, although fun, was never considered a true sequel to Super Mario 64. This is in part due to the fact that you carry this water gun around and the best stages in the game are those where you are free from said water gun. To be faire, the fluid mechanic was used effectively and Nintendo most likely wanted to echo the ghostbusting vaccum of Luigi's Mansion (now, that is a game I'd love to see a sequel for). Needless to say, Sunshine is not that fondly remembered.
Super Mario Galaxy finally arrived in 2007 and it was the 3d Mario people had been waiting for all those years. Apparently, the staff at Nintendo had so many ideas (with the whole planet concept) that they made a sequel. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the second Mario to use the same model that the previous did (the other being the real Super Mario 2, aka The Lost Levels). However, Galaxy 2 is a much better game than this other sequel (although almost as mean in certain aspects).
So where does this brief history lead us: The Ultimate Test. You see, once you grab the first 120 stars, you have to go beat Bowser again. Once you do this, you activate an extra 120 stars (the green stars). Effectively doubling the number of stars, you now have to seek from 2 to 3 stars per stage. This is basically the game telling you: can you use all of Mario's moves? Don't forget to use Luigi once in a while because he does jump higher. And once you grab those final 120 stars, the game doesn't end there, a new galaxy opens up: the Grand Master galaxy. Basically a true test of your Mario skills with the kind of cheap tricks you saw in The Lost Levels. By the way, did you put 9999 bits in your bank, because if you did, once you pass the Ultimate Test, you get to play the Perfect Run. It's this same bastard stage with one little different, you can't get hit.
So if you are crazy like me and reach for 242 stars, I hope you are patient because that last star truly is, the Ultimate Test.
Time to hit another game! Until next time Mario!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thus began the 3D adventures of Mario, the first game released on the N64 (along with the oft-requested, Pilotwing 64). Much like it's predecessor, Mario 64 redefined a genre and in more ways than not, proved that 3d platformers could work. Its free camera allowed players to view the action from practically any angle and made jumping from one platform to the next that much easier. I remember playing the first Bowser stage numerous times, because of the music and the platforming element. Spinning the camera around had become second nature by then.
Although it took another system and more than a few years, the next 3d Mario, Super Mario Sunshine, although fun, was never considered a true sequel to Super Mario 64. This is in part due to the fact that you carry this water gun around and the best stages in the game are those where you are free from said water gun. To be faire, the fluid mechanic was used effectively and Nintendo most likely wanted to echo the ghostbusting vaccum of Luigi's Mansion (now, that is a game I'd love to see a sequel for). Needless to say, Sunshine is not that fondly remembered.
Super Mario Galaxy finally arrived in 2007 and it was the 3d Mario people had been waiting for all those years. Apparently, the staff at Nintendo had so many ideas (with the whole planet concept) that they made a sequel. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the second Mario to use the same model that the previous did (the other being the real Super Mario 2, aka The Lost Levels). However, Galaxy 2 is a much better game than this other sequel (although almost as mean in certain aspects).
So where does this brief history lead us: The Ultimate Test. You see, once you grab the first 120 stars, you have to go beat Bowser again. Once you do this, you activate an extra 120 stars (the green stars). Effectively doubling the number of stars, you now have to seek from 2 to 3 stars per stage. This is basically the game telling you: can you use all of Mario's moves? Don't forget to use Luigi once in a while because he does jump higher. And once you grab those final 120 stars, the game doesn't end there, a new galaxy opens up: the Grand Master galaxy. Basically a true test of your Mario skills with the kind of cheap tricks you saw in The Lost Levels. By the way, did you put 9999 bits in your bank, because if you did, once you pass the Ultimate Test, you get to play the Perfect Run. It's this same bastard stage with one little different, you can't get hit.
So if you are crazy like me and reach for 242 stars, I hope you are patient because that last star truly is, the Ultimate Test.
Time to hit another game! Until next time Mario!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, June 21, 2010
Two Minutes to Midnight
That's when this was getting started. When it's posted, much much later, XD. A quick update now that E3 is over, news is slower than it was a week ago.
Firstly, just beat Lego Rock Band. While I didn't get into the setlist quite as much as the first two (and Beatles, but that one goes without saying), it grew on me, I'm glad it's in my collection, and even more glad I payed the 10 bucks to import the songs onto my RB2.
RB 3 I'm quite excited for, the Keytar looks pretty neat, and the initial setlist is going to be huge since all previous importable songs will be compatible with it. RB 2 songs I believe will be importable as well, for a fee. I'm always a sucker for Rhythm games, and this one is far from an exception.
DKC Returns is sounding like a better and better idea the more I think about it. Even though it's been stated that the Kremlings and King K. Rool are not a part of it, I'm still psyched. If this game was going to be exactly like the previous ones, I would just go and play the others, and not spend more money on what is essentially the same bloody game. Also, it's DKC, so K. Rool is probably going to at least have a cameo, if not end up being the Final boss anyways.
Finally, Activision is shooting itself in the foot again. You'd think it'd be an amputee by now. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has announced that he would like to implement a subscription fee to COD in the near future. While I don't really care about shooters, least of all ones published by Activision for reasons I'll bring up in the Podcast, adding a fee to a game that, depending on the system you are buying it for already has two fees, is just asking too much of people.
Now, this is using the 360 as an example, but here's what you'd be paying: 60 bucks a year for Xbox Live, plus another 70 Dollars (Canadian) for the game. If there was another fee on top of that just to play the game online with your friends, how many people do you think would actually pay for it? Well, judging by all the people who payed 15 bucks just for a map pack for Modern Warfare 2, I'm afraid to say quite a few people.
That's all for me tonight. Stay tuned, Canada Day is fast approaching, and with it, something new for you wonderful people to listen to. From PSTP, I'm Chris Taylor, blasting off again!!!
Firstly, just beat Lego Rock Band. While I didn't get into the setlist quite as much as the first two (and Beatles, but that one goes without saying), it grew on me, I'm glad it's in my collection, and even more glad I payed the 10 bucks to import the songs onto my RB2.
RB 3 I'm quite excited for, the Keytar looks pretty neat, and the initial setlist is going to be huge since all previous importable songs will be compatible with it. RB 2 songs I believe will be importable as well, for a fee. I'm always a sucker for Rhythm games, and this one is far from an exception.
DKC Returns is sounding like a better and better idea the more I think about it. Even though it's been stated that the Kremlings and King K. Rool are not a part of it, I'm still psyched. If this game was going to be exactly like the previous ones, I would just go and play the others, and not spend more money on what is essentially the same bloody game. Also, it's DKC, so K. Rool is probably going to at least have a cameo, if not end up being the Final boss anyways.
Finally, Activision is shooting itself in the foot again. You'd think it'd be an amputee by now. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has announced that he would like to implement a subscription fee to COD in the near future. While I don't really care about shooters, least of all ones published by Activision for reasons I'll bring up in the Podcast, adding a fee to a game that, depending on the system you are buying it for already has two fees, is just asking too much of people.
Now, this is using the 360 as an example, but here's what you'd be paying: 60 bucks a year for Xbox Live, plus another 70 Dollars (Canadian) for the game. If there was another fee on top of that just to play the game online with your friends, how many people do you think would actually pay for it? Well, judging by all the people who payed 15 bucks just for a map pack for Modern Warfare 2, I'm afraid to say quite a few people.
That's all for me tonight. Stay tuned, Canada Day is fast approaching, and with it, something new for you wonderful people to listen to. From PSTP, I'm Chris Taylor, blasting off again!!!
Friday, June 18, 2010
What's next?
So the big videogame news weeks is over, which means that I can go back to my regular habits, although I still have some podcasts to listen to. So what is next? Well, for us there is a certain podcast to launch. For me personally, my girlfriend and I are expecting our second child, and even though she or he will arrive only in January, there's a whole room to reorganize and such things to do. This is going to be a very busy summer.
That being said, what is on my gaming slate at the moment:
-Super Mario Galaxy 2: Believe it or not, I'm almost at 240 stars. A perfect sequel to an amazing game. More on that on the podcast.
-Bioshock 2: I believe that I busted my first PS3 playing that game's multiplayer. I'm now enjoying the single player. Not being a fan of FPS in general, I really dig this game's setting. I do believe that I will finish it before continuing...
-Red Dead Redemption: If you enjoy westerns in any way, you owe it to yourself to play this game. Made in the GTA mold (it is a Rockstar Game after all), this magnificently realised vision of the old west is, so far, my game of the year.
There is also ModNation Racers, but it's a kart racer, so unless I want to get my hands on the platinum trophy, it will be an on and off game for now. And SSFIV...
Eventually, StarCraft II will hit... But, there's going to be more than one entry until then.
J.-F., signing out
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That being said, what is on my gaming slate at the moment:
-Super Mario Galaxy 2: Believe it or not, I'm almost at 240 stars. A perfect sequel to an amazing game. More on that on the podcast.
-Bioshock 2: I believe that I busted my first PS3 playing that game's multiplayer. I'm now enjoying the single player. Not being a fan of FPS in general, I really dig this game's setting. I do believe that I will finish it before continuing...
-Red Dead Redemption: If you enjoy westerns in any way, you owe it to yourself to play this game. Made in the GTA mold (it is a Rockstar Game after all), this magnificently realised vision of the old west is, so far, my game of the year.
There is also ModNation Racers, but it's a kart racer, so unless I want to get my hands on the platinum trophy, it will be an on and off game for now. And SSFIV...
Eventually, StarCraft II will hit... But, there's going to be more than one entry until then.
J.-F., signing out
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Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A Quickie
Just a quick post before I head into writting mode. (It's a review of... something, I'm not quite sure what yet. All reviews so far can be found on GameFAQS under the name nobodys_savior)
Unlike Jeff, I actually enjoyed the Prince of Persia movie. The action was decent, the plot was average... it was an average movie. Nothing really sang out to me, Gylanhall (or however you spell his name) did an adequate portrayal, could have bombed hardcore. Of course, it also helps that I haven't beaten the game yet, or even played it all that much.
3DS just seems like more of a gimmick the more I think of it. I don't think I can plop down another two hundred dollars on a Nintendo handheld, even though handhelds are all I've been playing recently. That being said, if they ever incorporate the Virtual Console with the system, I might be down for it. (also, link it with the Wii account please, I don't want to have to pay for my games twice Nintendo).
And... New Silent Hill. I don't care how disappointed I've been with the last two games (more on that another time), I will always pay for a Silent Hill game day 1. For those that are interested, here is the E3 Trailer:
Working on learning how to use Audio editing software, and once that's been learned the Podcast will be well underway. Stay tuned for more updates soon.
Unlike Jeff, I actually enjoyed the Prince of Persia movie. The action was decent, the plot was average... it was an average movie. Nothing really sang out to me, Gylanhall (or however you spell his name) did an adequate portrayal, could have bombed hardcore. Of course, it also helps that I haven't beaten the game yet, or even played it all that much.
3DS just seems like more of a gimmick the more I think of it. I don't think I can plop down another two hundred dollars on a Nintendo handheld, even though handhelds are all I've been playing recently. That being said, if they ever incorporate the Virtual Console with the system, I might be down for it. (also, link it with the Wii account please, I don't want to have to pay for my games twice Nintendo).
And... New Silent Hill. I don't care how disappointed I've been with the last two games (more on that another time), I will always pay for a Silent Hill game day 1. For those that are interested, here is the E3 Trailer:
Working on learning how to use Audio editing software, and once that's been learned the Podcast will be well underway. Stay tuned for more updates soon.
007 and the Surprises of Time
Back from the Sands of Time movie... Wouldn't mind being to use that dagger right now. It is as bad as they saw. If you want a great free running sequence (which I thought, for some reason, tha I would get to see), just take a look at the opening sequence of Casino Royale, now that's intense.
Speaking of James Bond, is anyone else weirded out by the Daniel Craig retcon happening in the new Goldeneye game? Do we really need a new Goldeneye? By Activision? Does anyone know the team that is working in it? Some of the single player stuff looks neat, although the character models are... lacking in polygons. Surely this look is not intentional.
Noteworthy E3 surprises so far: Dead Space Extractions for PSN. Most other things having been announced or leaked earlier, the impact of the event is sopmewhat lessened. Doesn't stop me from being on news feeds more than usual though. Time to catch some Zs, tomorrow is another day.
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Speaking of James Bond, is anyone else weirded out by the Daniel Craig retcon happening in the new Goldeneye game? Do we really need a new Goldeneye? By Activision? Does anyone know the team that is working in it? Some of the single player stuff looks neat, although the character models are... lacking in polygons. Surely this look is not intentional.
Noteworthy E3 surprises so far: Dead Space Extractions for PSN. Most other things having been announced or leaked earlier, the impact of the event is sopmewhat lessened. Doesn't stop me from being on news feeds more than usual though. Time to catch some Zs, tomorrow is another day.
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Tuesday, June 15, 2010
E3 Part 3
Some more stuff announced that was cool, if only Gamespots conference encoding was working, I'd have full length stuff. As it is, a quick little bit before I scrounge around for more tidbits, and of course just be lazy and play stuff.
Donkey Kong Country Returns: A Wii game that not only came completely out of left field, but something that I'm going to pick up Day Freaking 1. I'm suddenly glad I own a Wii, and not just for the Virtual Console games (which is severly lacking right now). Best DK game I've seen since the SNES days, which since Retro studios is doing it (Metroid Prime series), I'm not all that surprised. Now, lets hope the finished product is awesome.
Twisted Metal PS3: First of all, I called it ^_^. Secondly, the new Capture the Flag mode looks awesome. One thing though: Doesn't look overly different from Twisted Metal Black. That being said, Black was my all time favorite of the Twisted Metal games, so as long as each characters story is just as good (if not better, obviously) as in Black, another Day 1 purchase.
Dead Space 2: Glad to see that if I pick up the "Collectors" edition, I get 2 games in one, in this case being DS Extraction, from the Wii. That, and Trophies. Also, Quick Time Events, something I don't remember from the first one, but I'm like the only person on the planet who thinks GTE's are good... as long as they aren't overdone.
Other tidbits: New Kid Icarus, that hasn't been seen since the NES days
Goldeneye, would look good if it wasn't Activision (for reasons you can hear on the Podcast, coming soon to a Press Start Two Play Blogger account near you), and if I cared. I'm like the only person I know who didn't think Goldeneye 64 was anything special. New Kirby looks... I dunno. Art direction seems interesting, gameplay seems kinda cool, but I know Nintendo is going to make it Motion Sensor controly, and that's going to be a major turnoff.
That's all for now. Wish I didn't have a full time job so I can actually watch all the conferences, but I guess that just gives me an excuse to plug the Podcast (did I mention you can find that here, and soon? Well, you can find it here, and you can find it soon). Party on dudes!
Donkey Kong Country Returns: A Wii game that not only came completely out of left field, but something that I'm going to pick up Day Freaking 1. I'm suddenly glad I own a Wii, and not just for the Virtual Console games (which is severly lacking right now). Best DK game I've seen since the SNES days, which since Retro studios is doing it (Metroid Prime series), I'm not all that surprised. Now, lets hope the finished product is awesome.
Twisted Metal PS3: First of all, I called it ^_^. Secondly, the new Capture the Flag mode looks awesome. One thing though: Doesn't look overly different from Twisted Metal Black. That being said, Black was my all time favorite of the Twisted Metal games, so as long as each characters story is just as good (if not better, obviously) as in Black, another Day 1 purchase.
Dead Space 2: Glad to see that if I pick up the "Collectors" edition, I get 2 games in one, in this case being DS Extraction, from the Wii. That, and Trophies. Also, Quick Time Events, something I don't remember from the first one, but I'm like the only person on the planet who thinks GTE's are good... as long as they aren't overdone.
Other tidbits: New Kid Icarus, that hasn't been seen since the NES days
Goldeneye, would look good if it wasn't Activision (for reasons you can hear on the Podcast, coming soon to a Press Start Two Play Blogger account near you), and if I cared. I'm like the only person I know who didn't think Goldeneye 64 was anything special. New Kirby looks... I dunno. Art direction seems interesting, gameplay seems kinda cool, but I know Nintendo is going to make it Motion Sensor controly, and that's going to be a major turnoff.
That's all for now. Wish I didn't have a full time job so I can actually watch all the conferences, but I guess that just gives me an excuse to plug the Podcast (did I mention you can find that here, and soon? Well, you can find it here, and you can find it soon). Party on dudes!
Nintendo, during the conference...
It looks like Nintendo will give us, once again, what looks like a great Zelda game. Although some might not like the waggle control, controlling the items differently than with a button press has a lot of appeal to me, especially after playing Metroid Prime 3 which had some great Wii control. Although we didn't see everything, the new bug item offers a myriad of puzzles that I am definitely looking forward to. Motion Plus should finally be used in something other than a mini-game collection. The WiFi interference was funny and at first, I thought it was simply a joke at Apple's expense.
As for the other things, Mickey looks good, although I am not sure I am interested in playing it. I missed the hockey part of the Mario sports collection, but those have generally been quite fun to play.
Metroid: Other M, old news at this point and coming out on August 31st.
Kirby and Donkey Kong Country: I'm sure that Chris will have more to say on these two, especially the latter.
3DS: Ad was nice. System has an analog stick and gyros. Can take 3d pictures? Iwata is sure taking his time before showing the system in action. Showing movies that will be on the 3DS... OH SNAP it's Kid Icarus!!! Not sure what to make of it... It seems to reach in the screen too... Will have to read hands-on on that one.
Okay, enough babbling for now. Too bad I'll miss the Sony conference, can't wait to be back from work.
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As for the other things, Mickey looks good, although I am not sure I am interested in playing it. I missed the hockey part of the Mario sports collection, but those have generally been quite fun to play.
Metroid: Other M, old news at this point and coming out on August 31st.
Kirby and Donkey Kong Country: I'm sure that Chris will have more to say on these two, especially the latter.
3DS: Ad was nice. System has an analog stick and gyros. Can take 3d pictures? Iwata is sure taking his time before showing the system in action. Showing movies that will be on the 3DS... OH SNAP it's Kid Icarus!!! Not sure what to make of it... It seems to reach in the screen too... Will have to read hands-on on that one.
Okay, enough babbling for now. Too bad I'll miss the Sony conference, can't wait to be back from work.
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Monday, June 14, 2010
Ubisoft: The First Hour
Greetings fellow Press Starters (name for fanbase still in the work in progress stages...), did not have too much time to watch the conference unfortunately, getting this thing started does take a lot of precious time. I did however have time to watch the first hour, and this is what I thought of it...
Child of Eden: The first thing Ubi showed, from the same guy that did Lumines on PSP, and wow, this game looks awesome. It looks like it's using a combination of Natal (now Kinect) and a glove designed specifically for this game. Honestly, this is the first time I've seen something that could potentially use Natal that actually looks cool. My interest is now officially piqued.
Assassins Creed Brotherhood: Huge fan of the franchise, even the first one which was repetative as hell, and the handhelds which... I can barely consider part of the franchise. This takes place somewhere within the timeline of Numero 2 as far as I can tell. Again, looks pretty cool, I am thinking that the combat is going to drag this one down though. Attacking towers with canon's is cool and all, but the fighting mechanics... I don't know. It looks identical to 1 and 2, except now the enemy is constantly attacking you, even when you are attacking the other dudes around you. I'll still pick it up day one, but I'm fearing the "More of the Same Sequelitis" going on in this one.
Shawn White Skateboarding: It's another Shawn White game. Never did like the guy, (am I the only one here thinking Carrot Top?), but this idea seems interesting. The area starts off black and white, as you skate around and do tricks you actually bring color to the area. There are also green bits that change itself based on how you're playing. So, if you're grinding on a rail, and turn left, if the railing was green it moves a few inches in front of you, so it'll turn left too. Not genre breaking, I don't think Skate is going to be dethroned yet, (although Tony Hawk should think about taking some notes), I do think the idea is neat and I'll be looking more into this as more info is released.
Right after Shawn White walks off the set, a bunch of people start playing lazer tag. I'm not even kidding, the game they were showing is exactly what lazer tag is, except you set up your own checkpoints and stuff. I'm not a big fan. I love lazer tag, (what self respecting bro doesn't?), but this stuff came out years ago. Putting something onscreen doesn't make it any different. Not impressed.
Innergy: It's a breathing simulator. No joke, there's a little meter on a screen with a ball going around, and you have to make your breathing leveled so that the ball doesn't cross lines that go up and down. If I wanted a breathing simulator... I wouldn't want a breathing simulator. Next!
Well, lastly from this hour, they showed off a Project Kinect (I swear I typed Natal there a bunch of times first) version of Wii Sports, and a Kinect version of Wii Fit. Ripping off Nintendo 101, class is now in session. The games looked interesting in a small and "beem there done that" kind of way, I don't know if I'll pick it up, and I'll definitely need more info first.
And that's it for the first hour. Stay tuned, more on this conference and all of E3 coming shortly.
Child of Eden: The first thing Ubi showed, from the same guy that did Lumines on PSP, and wow, this game looks awesome. It looks like it's using a combination of Natal (now Kinect) and a glove designed specifically for this game. Honestly, this is the first time I've seen something that could potentially use Natal that actually looks cool. My interest is now officially piqued.
Assassins Creed Brotherhood: Huge fan of the franchise, even the first one which was repetative as hell, and the handhelds which... I can barely consider part of the franchise. This takes place somewhere within the timeline of Numero 2 as far as I can tell. Again, looks pretty cool, I am thinking that the combat is going to drag this one down though. Attacking towers with canon's is cool and all, but the fighting mechanics... I don't know. It looks identical to 1 and 2, except now the enemy is constantly attacking you, even when you are attacking the other dudes around you. I'll still pick it up day one, but I'm fearing the "More of the Same Sequelitis" going on in this one.
Shawn White Skateboarding: It's another Shawn White game. Never did like the guy, (am I the only one here thinking Carrot Top?), but this idea seems interesting. The area starts off black and white, as you skate around and do tricks you actually bring color to the area. There are also green bits that change itself based on how you're playing. So, if you're grinding on a rail, and turn left, if the railing was green it moves a few inches in front of you, so it'll turn left too. Not genre breaking, I don't think Skate is going to be dethroned yet, (although Tony Hawk should think about taking some notes), I do think the idea is neat and I'll be looking more into this as more info is released.
Right after Shawn White walks off the set, a bunch of people start playing lazer tag. I'm not even kidding, the game they were showing is exactly what lazer tag is, except you set up your own checkpoints and stuff. I'm not a big fan. I love lazer tag, (what self respecting bro doesn't?), but this stuff came out years ago. Putting something onscreen doesn't make it any different. Not impressed.
Innergy: It's a breathing simulator. No joke, there's a little meter on a screen with a ball going around, and you have to make your breathing leveled so that the ball doesn't cross lines that go up and down. If I wanted a breathing simulator... I wouldn't want a breathing simulator. Next!
Well, lastly from this hour, they showed off a Project Kinect (I swear I typed Natal there a bunch of times first) version of Wii Sports, and a Kinect version of Wii Fit. Ripping off Nintendo 101, class is now in session. The games looked interesting in a small and "beem there done that" kind of way, I don't know if I'll pick it up, and I'll definitely need more info first.
And that's it for the first hour. Stay tuned, more on this conference and all of E3 coming shortly.
E3: From the other guy
Hello everybody. With E3 upon us, I've been wondering... exactly what am I excited about? To be honest, a lot of assumption, and a little bit of hope.
Kinect: Microsofts answer to the Wii, it alwasy looked like a gimmick, and changing the name probably won't change my stance on this. That being said, I'm going to see what it's like, maybe it'll surprise me?
Force Unleashed 2: I loved the first one, and the second one looks cool, except... clones? Really? Why not continue down the Dark Side ending from the first?
LBP 2: Truth be told, while I liked the first one, the controls were a little too floaty, and I never actually got around to creating anything. I did play a bunch of user created levels though, and I'm looking forward in seeing what the rest of the community cooks up.
Twisted Metal PS3: To be fair, this one is just a hope of mine. Since the only thing that was even mentioned of this was a port of PSP's Head On title, and nothing else has been said, I'm thinking this is just a pipe dream.
Zelda Wii: *prays for gamecube controller compatability*
Golden Sun DS: Even if it's just one new screenshot, I'll be happy.
Ubisofts press conference is tonight at 8PM Eastern (5 PM Pacific according to the Gamespot time dealie), so be sure to check out my thoughts on that later on tonight. Have a good one, Party People!
Kinect: Microsofts answer to the Wii, it alwasy looked like a gimmick, and changing the name probably won't change my stance on this. That being said, I'm going to see what it's like, maybe it'll surprise me?
Force Unleashed 2: I loved the first one, and the second one looks cool, except... clones? Really? Why not continue down the Dark Side ending from the first?
LBP 2: Truth be told, while I liked the first one, the controls were a little too floaty, and I never actually got around to creating anything. I did play a bunch of user created levels though, and I'm looking forward in seeing what the rest of the community cooks up.
Twisted Metal PS3: To be fair, this one is just a hope of mine. Since the only thing that was even mentioned of this was a port of PSP's Head On title, and nothing else has been said, I'm thinking this is just a pipe dream.
Zelda Wii: *prays for gamecube controller compatability*
Golden Sun DS: Even if it's just one new screenshot, I'll be happy.
Ubisofts press conference is tonight at 8PM Eastern (5 PM Pacific according to the Gamespot time dealie), so be sure to check out my thoughts on that later on tonight. Have a good one, Party People!
E3 - What am i looking forward to...
So E3 has already a begun... In a manner of speaking. Natal is Kinect.
Here is what I am really looking forward to, bear in mind that I do not own a X-Box.
-LittleBigPlanet 2: A level maker that is easier to use, some much needed NPC like characters and hopefully tighter jumping.
-Zelda: Finally, another game that will use the Motion + well. And if the early rumors are true, we may finally get a NEW Zelda game that is not entirely made in the Link to the Past mold.
And that is it for now, I mean, the titles I am really looking for are coming out this summer so... For now, I'm just trying to finish Galaxy 2 and Red Dead Redemption.
More news on the actual podcast soon.
Jeff
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Here is what I am really looking forward to, bear in mind that I do not own a X-Box.
-LittleBigPlanet 2: A level maker that is easier to use, some much needed NPC like characters and hopefully tighter jumping.
-Zelda: Finally, another game that will use the Motion + well. And if the early rumors are true, we may finally get a NEW Zelda game that is not entirely made in the Link to the Past mold.
And that is it for now, I mean, the titles I am really looking for are coming out this summer so... For now, I'm just trying to finish Galaxy 2 and Red Dead Redemption.
More news on the actual podcast soon.
Jeff
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Sunday, June 13, 2010
But what about videogames?
Greetings fellow humans,
This is the poster person previously refered to as Mr. J-F, or Jeff, or Djih'Ef. Let's stick to Jeff for now. First posts are always problematic, a lot like introductions basically... Since this blog is mainly a vehicule for the podcast, I will let myself be introduced more properly on the podcast. As briefly mentionned by Chris, we are currently in the building phase of this whole enterprise and hopefully, aside from some polishing, the machine will be up and running. (I.e., It may look like the Death Star 2, but it will be fully operational to repel a Rebel attack).
In the meantime, game on!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
This is the poster person previously refered to as Mr. J-F, or Jeff, or Djih'Ef. Let's stick to Jeff for now. First posts are always problematic, a lot like introductions basically... Since this blog is mainly a vehicule for the podcast, I will let myself be introduced more properly on the podcast. As briefly mentionned by Chris, we are currently in the building phase of this whole enterprise and hopefully, aside from some polishing, the machine will be up and running. (I.e., It may look like the Death Star 2, but it will be fully operational to repel a Rebel attack).
In the meantime, game on!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Alan Wake Review
A man with a troubled mind. A town with a dark secret, a sordid past. Someone the main character holds fond feelings in his heart goes missing. Sound familiar? If you guessed this as the next Silent Hill... you'd be wrong. This is Alan Wake, a new IP from Remedy, the team that brought us Max Payne, and an exclusive title for the Xbox 360.
New games are hard to set on the masses. It's untested waters, could be hit or miss. Sequels usually don't have to worry about this, since there's at least an established customer base who will buy the next installment if only to get more insight on the characters or situations from a previous game. Being a completely new title, does Alan Wake hold up? For the most part, yes, although not without a few hiccups along the way.
You play the role of Alan Wake (who woulda thunk it?). He travels with his wife to Bright Falls in the hopes to cure his severe writers block. After getting the key to his new resting spot from a creepy old woman in a diner, and then heading to the place that the key belongs to, he finds his wife missing, as well as a week from his life. There are also crazy people coming out and attacking him from the darkness of the forest. But, the forest has armed him well.
You attack your foes firstly by shining your flashlight on the weirdos with the creepy voices. When your light does enough damage, there is a brief flash, and then you're free to attack with whatever armaments you have found in your travels. If the enemies get too close, you can always try dodging. There was a problem I had with this however.
The dodging rarely, if ever, works properly. The dodge mechanic is mapped to the left bumper. To dodge, you must hold the left bumper while moving with the left stick. It felt horribly awkward to me. Then again, I was never all that great at dodging in the first place, so it could just be something I had a problem with, but still, the button placement could have been better.
The music fit the game pretty well. Licensed tracks find their way into the game through a radio station, which you activate whenever you can find a radio, and the score works well to set up tension. The music starts to speed up and get louder when enemies are approaching, which is cool for a while, but does lower the tension a bit. If you're lucky enough to have snagged the Collector's Edition of the game, the bonus video disc actually has a segment which explains how they made some of the sound effects and music to the game, very cool if you're like me, and love video game music in general.
Graphically... well, it's not terrible, but for a game that's been in the making for five years, it lacks a certain polish. The character models and environments look good at night, but during the day, movements look a little bit more unnatural, and I even noticed some clipping in certain parts. Not a huge issue, graphics are usually the least of my worries, but it has to be said, the game is not as graphically potent as other recent titles.
Now to the story. In any kind of Horror type, the atmosphere is the defining principle. Most if not all horror is fictional, and we all know that, but it's the suspension of disbelief that sells the horror. Truth be told, Alan Wake pulls it off... for the first half. Another part of horror is knowing as little as possible about the goings on. Crazy A looks like Crazy B until Crazy A is just Schizophrenia, and Crazy B had an Aunt who touched them the wrong way and now he's out for revenge. Horror movies stopped being scary when they start explaining the how's and whys, and that is one of Alan Wake's biggest shortcomings.
For the first half, the weird goings on don't really have an explanation. There are townspeople who seem possessed, and they're out to kill you. They also don't seem aware of anything that's wrong with them, going as far as to talk using phrases they'd probably use in their everyday life. It instills an idea of "What the HELL is going on here?", and kept me going when the combat was merely average at best. It also made me come up with my own conclusions about what was going on, again furthering my need to play more and see if I was right.
It was around the midway point where the they start explaining exactly why things are going weird, what is happening in the town, even other people who have experienced the same thing as you. It put a damper on my suspension of disbelief, and although it never got to the point where the story was overly predictable, it did kill some of the replayability of the game. One playthrough of the game is enough to get everything out of it, except for a few manuscript pages and the achievement for the hardest difficulty.
Another thing that irked me is that even though almost everything was tied up at the end, the ending seemed a little shoe-horned, setting up a possible sequel rather than closing things up neatly. It's something that's been popping up in other games as well. Not all stories need sequels, and even if they do, it shouldn't feel tacked on like the ending to this game.
I did like the game, it was good enough for me to sit through it and play only this game until I beat it. However, the flaws stopped it from becoming great. The forced sequel ending as well as the directness of the plot points were major contributors to my score. I would still recommend this to anyone looking for a good, scary game, especially those disappointed by the recent Silent Hill games, but those looking for more shouldn't be surprised when they still need to look elsewhere.
7/10
New games are hard to set on the masses. It's untested waters, could be hit or miss. Sequels usually don't have to worry about this, since there's at least an established customer base who will buy the next installment if only to get more insight on the characters or situations from a previous game. Being a completely new title, does Alan Wake hold up? For the most part, yes, although not without a few hiccups along the way.
You play the role of Alan Wake (who woulda thunk it?). He travels with his wife to Bright Falls in the hopes to cure his severe writers block. After getting the key to his new resting spot from a creepy old woman in a diner, and then heading to the place that the key belongs to, he finds his wife missing, as well as a week from his life. There are also crazy people coming out and attacking him from the darkness of the forest. But, the forest has armed him well.
You attack your foes firstly by shining your flashlight on the weirdos with the creepy voices. When your light does enough damage, there is a brief flash, and then you're free to attack with whatever armaments you have found in your travels. If the enemies get too close, you can always try dodging. There was a problem I had with this however.
The dodging rarely, if ever, works properly. The dodge mechanic is mapped to the left bumper. To dodge, you must hold the left bumper while moving with the left stick. It felt horribly awkward to me. Then again, I was never all that great at dodging in the first place, so it could just be something I had a problem with, but still, the button placement could have been better.
The music fit the game pretty well. Licensed tracks find their way into the game through a radio station, which you activate whenever you can find a radio, and the score works well to set up tension. The music starts to speed up and get louder when enemies are approaching, which is cool for a while, but does lower the tension a bit. If you're lucky enough to have snagged the Collector's Edition of the game, the bonus video disc actually has a segment which explains how they made some of the sound effects and music to the game, very cool if you're like me, and love video game music in general.
Graphically... well, it's not terrible, but for a game that's been in the making for five years, it lacks a certain polish. The character models and environments look good at night, but during the day, movements look a little bit more unnatural, and I even noticed some clipping in certain parts. Not a huge issue, graphics are usually the least of my worries, but it has to be said, the game is not as graphically potent as other recent titles.
Now to the story. In any kind of Horror type, the atmosphere is the defining principle. Most if not all horror is fictional, and we all know that, but it's the suspension of disbelief that sells the horror. Truth be told, Alan Wake pulls it off... for the first half. Another part of horror is knowing as little as possible about the goings on. Crazy A looks like Crazy B until Crazy A is just Schizophrenia, and Crazy B had an Aunt who touched them the wrong way and now he's out for revenge. Horror movies stopped being scary when they start explaining the how's and whys, and that is one of Alan Wake's biggest shortcomings.
For the first half, the weird goings on don't really have an explanation. There are townspeople who seem possessed, and they're out to kill you. They also don't seem aware of anything that's wrong with them, going as far as to talk using phrases they'd probably use in their everyday life. It instills an idea of "What the HELL is going on here?", and kept me going when the combat was merely average at best. It also made me come up with my own conclusions about what was going on, again furthering my need to play more and see if I was right.
It was around the midway point where the they start explaining exactly why things are going weird, what is happening in the town, even other people who have experienced the same thing as you. It put a damper on my suspension of disbelief, and although it never got to the point where the story was overly predictable, it did kill some of the replayability of the game. One playthrough of the game is enough to get everything out of it, except for a few manuscript pages and the achievement for the hardest difficulty.
Another thing that irked me is that even though almost everything was tied up at the end, the ending seemed a little shoe-horned, setting up a possible sequel rather than closing things up neatly. It's something that's been popping up in other games as well. Not all stories need sequels, and even if they do, it shouldn't feel tacked on like the ending to this game.
I did like the game, it was good enough for me to sit through it and play only this game until I beat it. However, the flaws stopped it from becoming great. The forced sequel ending as well as the directness of the plot points were major contributors to my score. I would still recommend this to anyone looking for a good, scary game, especially those disappointed by the recent Silent Hill games, but those looking for more shouldn't be surprised when they still need to look elsewhere.
7/10
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Introduction
Hello ladies, gentlemen, and lentlemen, I am Chris Taylor AKA Taylortron5000, and what you are looking at right now is the inagural posting of what is soon to be the #1 gaming blog and podcast on the internet: Press Start Two Play. The idea was brought up by a good friend of mine, Mr. JF Gagne (him and I are partners in this, hence the Two part of the title) that there isn't really a Podcast or major Blog about gaming in Canada, so we came up with the idea of doing a gaming Podcast about gaming in Canada. Pretty straightforward.
So what you will be seeing here is our opinions on different things going on in Gaming in general, our thoughts on what's going on. Not just about Video Gaming (although truth be told, that is what I personally am most involved in), but on Card Games, Board Games, and other random stuff that happens to pique our interests. Each week there will be a new podcast where you can actually hear our glorious voices, starting with the first broadcast being posted on Canada Day. (A Canadian centered podcast starting on Canada Day, who woulda thunk it?). In the meantime, stay tuned for posts right here on the blog for some reviews and other tidbits leading up to Opening Day.
And above all else, tell your friends. It'll be Historical ^_^.
So what you will be seeing here is our opinions on different things going on in Gaming in general, our thoughts on what's going on. Not just about Video Gaming (although truth be told, that is what I personally am most involved in), but on Card Games, Board Games, and other random stuff that happens to pique our interests. Each week there will be a new podcast where you can actually hear our glorious voices, starting with the first broadcast being posted on Canada Day. (A Canadian centered podcast starting on Canada Day, who woulda thunk it?). In the meantime, stay tuned for posts right here on the blog for some reviews and other tidbits leading up to Opening Day.
And above all else, tell your friends. It'll be Historical ^_^.
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