Saturday, October 09, 2004

Time and space

It would seem that my putting down Fable, most likely permanently, and subsequent purchasing and playing of KOTOR would have something do with each other, but they really don't. I was probably about two-thirds through the main quests of Fable, and after being away from it for a couple of days, I just wasn't compelled in the least to go back. Ever. It's such a great game in so many ways, but it just never fully came together for me; especially the story, which is a big problem in the "best RPG ever." That, and once KD was out, I just couldn't justify not smashing barrels over rolling up balls of writhing fun.

Fast-forward to a couple of days ago, where I saw a grossly inexpensive used copy of KOTOR at Gamecrazy, where I still have plenty of "credit" left. I figured I should give the debatable 2003 GOTY a shot, and I'd like to be excited for the sequel (and even more excited for Jade Empire, which I'm already looking forward to quite a bit). I'm predictably enjoying it so far, though I would still give last year's prize to PoP by a wide margin. This seems like a great RPG, whereas PoP was one of the best action/adventure games ever. Though I'm still on the first planet, so I guess my opinion could change quite a bit. I really like the action inherent in the quasi real-time combat, but it feels a little out of my control a bit too often. Just in terms of not being able to do what I want exactly when I want to do it. But again, I'll give it more time before I lay down the official Word of Nick.

In other, vastly more current news, I'm really fucking looking forward to Psychonauts. I was surprised when Microsoft dropped it from it's publishing lineup alongside Stranger earlier this year based on what little I had seen of the game, and after reading and watching a shitload about it since they announced it was going multiplatform, I'm downright shocked. The crux of the game has you adventuring inside the minds of various people on a sliding scale of sanity, a Lucasartsy adventure game bred with a platformer and the better parts of The Cell, of sorts. It's not hard to see the Lucasarts influence from the cutscenes alone, but it turns out it's no coincidence - Tim Schafer, the President of Double Fine, had a hand in Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango. And if you haven't played any of those, or at least Sam & Max, well...there's a place in hell for you, I guarantee it. The story, setting, art style and gameplay just look really appealing to me. The amount of great games that are going to be released in the first quarter of next year sickens me, perhaps moreso than this last, this, or next month.

I figured Tom would blather on endlessly about all the recent DS news, but apparently not. Though I'm not likely to ever buy a portable system again when it comes down to it (the last being a Game Boy Color), I enjoy tracking their progress as much as anything I'm actually going to be playing. While nothing mind-blowing has been shown yet in regards to the DS, the $30 price point for games is pretty sweet if not at all shocking, as is Feel the Magic: XY/XX. Don't ask, just follow the link.

And, in perhaps the last paragraph devoted specifically to Halo 2 before it's release, all I'll say is that I'm looking forward to it quite a bit. Quite. I just figure once it's out, there will be little reason to play anything else, with friends or alone. I've enjoyed the mystery and the hype as much as anyone up to this point, but after reading two separate features in the new EGM and XBN finally exposing some of the single-player game, I've about reached my capacity for anticipation. Now there's just a constant, throbbing, sweaty desire to be one with it. Hopefully GTA will be able to ease my mind for half of the torturous month that stands between me and my green, armor-plated mistress.

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Short answer = "No"

Jonah asked me tonight whether I think the SmartJoy FRAG, a new keyboard/mouse adapter for XBox and PS2, will ruin online gaming, specifically Halo 2. It's a good question, and it seems the gaming community has been buzzing about it since yesterday sometime. Fears of people dominating Halo 2 unfairly, hot dogs being snatched out of open hands, and general grey-matter implosion might be commonplace, but not to worry. What people seem to be forgetting en masse is that Bungie already has counter-measures set up for this by way of their online ranking and matching systems. Based on your performance, you're placed with players of a generally similar, slightly higher skill level from your second game onwards; the more you play the more accurate it will get, one can assume. So even if the keyboard/mouse combo does give players a significant advantage, which I don't think it will (more on that in a second), they'll soon be playing in rooms populated solely by their cheat-attempting douchebag brethren. That, and the people willing to shell out $75+ for the whole package will be the vast minority of Halo 2 players.

Though as I said, I don't think that this will give people an advantage whatsoever when it comes down to it. The movement and look speeds will still be limited by the game settings, and any good player (such as my immodest self) knows that when you want to go somewhere or shoot something, you do it. The limitations and challenge come in the form of reflexes, knowing the level and your weapons, and anticipating your opponents. None of that changes with a mouse in your hand. If anything, I can move my thumb a hell of a lot faster than my whole hand, and more subtly too. So that's that. No worries. This game needs to come out already so we can stop coming up with reasons why it won't be awesome.

Sunday, October 03, 2004

OPM Demo Disc Review Issue 86

Demos:

Area 51 - I'm quite glad with how this turned out. Even though the original looked like shit since the day it came out, it's still an arcade classic in my book. That, and I used to be able to beat it on one credit. So, anyhow, this demo is pretty snazzy. There's not an option to invert the look, and the default isn't inverted, but besides that I had a good time playing through the couple rooms they give you to mess around in. The graphics are impressive, especially for PS2, and the aliens are nice and aggressive. You also have a squad of teammates backing you up, and they seem fairly intelligent without being controlled. In general, the gameplay seems like a nice combination of several other shooters. Of course, I'm only judging from one bit of one level, but if the whole game stays intense and gets interesting it will certainly warrant a play-through.

Crash Twinsanity - I'm a huge fan of the PS1 Crash games - Warped specifically is one of the most fun, replayable games ever made in my opinion. So, while I've always been interested to see how Crash would work as a fully-3D game, without Naughty Dog at the helm it seems I just shouldn't expect too much. It certainly seems like a solid game, and there is some clever level design and humorous ways of going about collecting items; when it comes down to it though, it's just not anywhere close to as polished as any of Sony's big platformers. Outside of the main interactive elements, the levels just aren't vibrant or inhabited in the least. And while the side-scrolling, ball-rolling, other more quirky levels keep things fresh, they too don't exactly exude fine-tuning. I'm glad that Traveller's Tales managed to keep the humor of the world and some of the clever gameplay devices of the series intact, but without the talent or priority to get the basics down and add a layer of polish at the end, it all but makes the license (for what little multi-platform value it still has) irrelevant. If you want the best Crash Bandicoot has to offer, pick up Jak II.

Fight Club - Unlike most other people I've spoken to, I'm not against this game's existence. Even it were the worst fighting game ever, or not even a fighting game at all, it wouldn't take way from the movie one bit (and if it does, well, you're really not that much of a fan). Classic movies are a fairly untapped resource in gaming, and though it will indeed be weird to see the Scarface and Godfather games square off against each other next fall, a good game is a good game. So is Fight Club a good game? Well, that remains to be seen. Though the basic fighting in the demo is fairly harmless and appropriately violent, none of the big features are in it to judge properly. No x-ray bone-breaking, no customizable fighters, very limited moves of any sort, and no online play. In general, and considering it only has a versus mode (how weird is that?), it would seem this is a pretty early demo. On the other hand, the game comes out in the next month sometime if I'm not mistaken. As far as what's there, it's perfectly serviceable, but I really like to be able to check out what's not there. I can't imagine it will be able to touch MK: Deception or DOA: Ultimate, but I also don't think it will end up the embarrassment it could of been.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - This demo reminded me a lot of Bungie's Oni, only without the failed ambition. It controls like shit (name one other game that has you fire with L1), the coolest moves are purely automatic (a context-based dodge maneuver does all the acrobatics for you), and the narrative seems even more confoundingly irrelevant than the movie. Though somehow, it stayed compelling enough for me to finish both levels they provide and have a mildly good time doing so. This probably lies in the fact that the firepower is plentiful and the game is as easy as robot pie. I've never heard of a rocket launcher having 20+ shells, but hey, I'll take it. So while I do appreciate the attempt at making the game entertaining in a forgiving way of sorts, I still wouldn't recommend it anyhow but the hardest of the hardcore fans.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - I don't quite know how the Metal Gear series is so head-and-shoulders above almost anything else on the PS2 (or anywhere, I suppose), but it is. There just an attention to detail, a passion for character and storytelling, and a general layer of quality that drips from every polygonal pore. When it comes down to it, there isn't much new to say about this game - if you've played a Metal Gear game before, you know what kind of greatness you're in for, and you know the commitment required to keep up with everything. This is Metal Gear in the forest, and it plays beautifully. The graphics and sound are top-notch, of course, and the dialogue is as political and heady as usual. Every game mechanic touted thus far fits in perfectly naturally with the MGS feel, and lives up to it's hype. It's certainly not a game you can jump right into, and it won't convert anyone who's not a fan of stealth (well, probably not), but for my money and production values it doesn't get any better than MGS.

Need for Speed Underground 2 - Bleh. The first game was visually impressive, and enthralling for about twenty minutes. After playing Burnout 3, this unrequested (by me) sequel is just a bunch of useless fluff. You can...drive around a city, looking for challenges and getting messages from various game characters. Wasn't this game called Midnight Club 2? And wasn't it much better? And faster? And more fun? Yes, it was, and no, you don't need to bother with this sequel. If you're an arcade racing fan, you already own Burnout (and are planning on buying Midnight Club 3), and if you're a sim fan, you're counting the days and dropped features til' Gran Turismo 4 hits. And if you're a tuning nut, well, god help us all.

Neo Contra - Ahhh, nice, relaxing, awesome gameplay. Hard as a bitch, but damn satisfying. They can say this is the best 3D Contra yet all they want, but in actuality it plays much more like a 2D game. And that's a good thing. Well, judging from the long demo level at least. It's pretty, it's intense, and there's a ton of variety. Shattered Soldier was great, and this lives up to that kind of quality. If anything, this one is a bit more forgiving, so I may actually be able to beat it in less than 190 lives. Also a good thing. I mean, when you're riding a dinosaur, firing a grenade round at a tank, can things really go wrong? I can't wait to play this co-op (I got dibs on the Samurai!). I mean, I really, really can't wait.

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal - If you read this site at all, you'll know I'm about the biggest R&C proponent you'll find. So, when I say I'm thrilled with UYA, you better believe it's a damn good game. That, and this demo is absolutely massive. A regular single-player level, an arena level, one of the new side-scrolling Captain Qwark levels, and a 4 (!) player multiplayer demo. And some nice videos showing off the rest of the game. What else can I say? The gameplay is as perfect as ever, and the lava whip kicks ass. Insomniac just knows how to do platformers better than anyone else at the moment (*cough*), it's as simple as that. I mean, Spyro was good, but this is GOOD good. And even though it's not included in the demo (shockingly), the online play looks as fun as anything else being released this fall. So really, you have here, the perfect game. Well, what's sure to be the perfect game. Here's looking forward to November even more, somehow.

Robotech: Invasion - The fact that I've owned the first Robotech game for over a year and never played it is a bit of a tell as to my allegiances to the series. I just don't really give a damn, as cool as it may look. And this one just plays boringly, at best. It looks decent enough, and the transforming into a robocycle is cute, but it's just not fun in the least. Destroy robot #1, then destroy another twenty that look exactly like robot #1. Or, do it in bike form. Lame. That, the design of this assumed first level is just ass. Avoid.

Silent Hill 4: The Room - You know what? I just wasn't in the mood to play a scary game. So fucking sue me, it's my goddamned site. I adore the Silent Hill series, but I can only stomach about one per year, and I already played through most of SH3 in April. I'm sure the game is as creepy as ever, I don't really need to confirm it for myself. If you do, rent it.

Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams - I'm glad I'm ending this on a good note. That's right, this game is good. Well, the demo is good, as was the first one. The level was completely gorgeous, and the 'puzzles' were well-designed and really fun. You have this little "Jibulba" (sp?) dude who you can throw around to bite or put enemies to sleep (he looks like a ant), and it's all funny and fun and all that good stuff. It is, sadly, still kind of a kids game (it is made by Nick games, after all), but it certainly kept me entertained from what I played. It's a bit different from anything you've played before no doubt, but there's lots of wacky goodness to be had if you don't take yourself too seriously.

Everything else: That's enough for one month, frankly. Killzone and Call of Duty are looking pretty good, but that's all I have to say about anything else on the disc.

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