Friday, October 20, 2006
Sick with Tom - Okami
Anyone else getting a wee bit peeved with all this next gen talk? With gamers and companies staging a war unseen in this land since those Red bastards threw a sticky grenade at the peaceful Blue monks, people seem to be forgetting about actual games. I know it's a weird concept, but there are systems out there that have better games than what's on the X350 and what will be on the PS3 and Wii. I hate the beginning of new generations, with the emptying of wallets and the interminable wait for new releases. But the end of an old generation is something else entirely. It's ironic that so many eyes point towards next gen gaming when the best games usually come out at the very end of a system's life. Remember when people were waiting outside for a PS2 back in 2000? I was in my warm and cozy home playing Final Fantasy IX. And now, six years later, with people lining up outside EBGames for a chance to buy the PS3 in a month, I am once again at home. This time, I am enveloped in an even better game - Okami.
This has been a long time coming. The first time Okami made an appearance on this site was April 28, 2004. Coincidentally, that was when it was first announced. Since then, Nick and I have been pimping its wolfy goodness every few months. I bet you're sick of hearing about it by now, right? Well, you wouldn't be if you had actually played the game. Okami is easily one of the most enjoyable experiences from this entire generation. I was not immediately overwhelmed with it like, oh, Resident Evil 4 and its village of terror, but I grew to love Okami. Clover Studios created a world that felt real. Like Hyrule or Tamriel, it felt like a place I could just jump into for a few minutes if I wanted, or spend hours just exploring. So few games actually make a world that feels right. How did Okami do it? First, the world is just gorgeous. The art style makes environments that would normally be mundane spring to life. But there is even more than that. The land is dead when you first arrive. Monsters roam, water is poisonous, and the animals have disappeared. It's an ugly place. But you can change that. It may not sound too exciting, but making trees grow is one of the most rewarding experiences of this generation.
There are these cursed arks spread throughout the land. When I would come to a new place, one riddled with death, I would immediately search for these. I was like a kid on Christmas; I couldn't wait to wake the world up again. When you conquer these arks you revive a piece of land. A pool may appear where there was drought-plagued dirt before. Or maybe a small orchard of trees will rise up. Seeing life burst from the center of this land and ripple through the world was just incredible. And it always brought animals with it. Bunnies and foxes and even horses. When we first got Okami, Nick and I complained about not being able to interact with the world enough, but the interaction present turned out to be more rewarding than anything else they could have thrown in the game. Most games focus on death and destruction, but Okami is always about life. Even when you are battling a demon, the game never let's you forget why. It is to bring warmth to the land so animals can play and humans can do whatever it is humans do.
And that is why Okami is so powerful. You play as a god and are able to change the world as if you truly are omnipotent. As you go through the journey, seemingly uncrossable barriers now become slight obstacles. You can control the elements, climb sheer cliffs and even walk on water. Yes, Jesus' favorite party trick is no longer restricted to hardcore baptismal services.
It works on a more personal level too. There are likable, believable characters that populate this world. Not just cardboard cutout beings. They are given dialog and mannerisms that make them seem real. They have their own problems and they have their own way of accepting the changes going on around them. That is a truly amazing thing to witness. The characters see the land come alive before them, but have no idea the small, white wolf in front of them is a god. So they assume their happy dance brought life to the land and continue to dance through the rest of your journey. I really loved seeing the people come alive along with the land.
I really need to talk about Issun as well. He acts as your guide and companion in this game. In the beginning, he is like Navi from Ocarina of Time. This is not a good thing. He constantly throws his opinions out there and solves puzzles before you even have a chance to. But his character evolves along with every other aspect of the world as you get deeper in your journey. He acts as your friend later on. He no longer holds your hand but goes through the adventure with you. He adds humor and life to the darkest sections of the game. Ultimately, he is what keeps this game engrossing. He represents the hope within us all. Without Issun riding along on Amaterasu's back, neither the wolf nor the player would be able to go through this game. The hardest part about finishing Okami was leaving Issun behind forever.
On a fundamental, gameplay level, Okami does nothing revolutionary. It is simply a Zelda clone with a paintbrush instead of weapons. But the feel of the game is unlike anything else out there. It is revolutionary because it approaches gaming unlike anything else. It does not use complex physics nor jaw-dropping graphics to create a world, but uses beauty and character. Okami may age poorly over the years, it's graphics on a technical level just not up to the latest trends, but it will live forever in some capacity. It has shown how to create a world that does not feel like a mere video game. It has shown that death can take a backseat to life if developers are clever enough. Okami is a fitting end to this generation of gaming. Interaction and immersion will be the focus for this new generation, and Okami has shown how a vibrant world can be created.
This has been a long time coming. The first time Okami made an appearance on this site was April 28, 2004. Coincidentally, that was when it was first announced. Since then, Nick and I have been pimping its wolfy goodness every few months. I bet you're sick of hearing about it by now, right? Well, you wouldn't be if you had actually played the game. Okami is easily one of the most enjoyable experiences from this entire generation. I was not immediately overwhelmed with it like, oh, Resident Evil 4 and its village of terror, but I grew to love Okami. Clover Studios created a world that felt real. Like Hyrule or Tamriel, it felt like a place I could just jump into for a few minutes if I wanted, or spend hours just exploring. So few games actually make a world that feels right. How did Okami do it? First, the world is just gorgeous. The art style makes environments that would normally be mundane spring to life. But there is even more than that. The land is dead when you first arrive. Monsters roam, water is poisonous, and the animals have disappeared. It's an ugly place. But you can change that. It may not sound too exciting, but making trees grow is one of the most rewarding experiences of this generation.
There are these cursed arks spread throughout the land. When I would come to a new place, one riddled with death, I would immediately search for these. I was like a kid on Christmas; I couldn't wait to wake the world up again. When you conquer these arks you revive a piece of land. A pool may appear where there was drought-plagued dirt before. Or maybe a small orchard of trees will rise up. Seeing life burst from the center of this land and ripple through the world was just incredible. And it always brought animals with it. Bunnies and foxes and even horses. When we first got Okami, Nick and I complained about not being able to interact with the world enough, but the interaction present turned out to be more rewarding than anything else they could have thrown in the game. Most games focus on death and destruction, but Okami is always about life. Even when you are battling a demon, the game never let's you forget why. It is to bring warmth to the land so animals can play and humans can do whatever it is humans do.
And that is why Okami is so powerful. You play as a god and are able to change the world as if you truly are omnipotent. As you go through the journey, seemingly uncrossable barriers now become slight obstacles. You can control the elements, climb sheer cliffs and even walk on water. Yes, Jesus' favorite party trick is no longer restricted to hardcore baptismal services.
It works on a more personal level too. There are likable, believable characters that populate this world. Not just cardboard cutout beings. They are given dialog and mannerisms that make them seem real. They have their own problems and they have their own way of accepting the changes going on around them. That is a truly amazing thing to witness. The characters see the land come alive before them, but have no idea the small, white wolf in front of them is a god. So they assume their happy dance brought life to the land and continue to dance through the rest of your journey. I really loved seeing the people come alive along with the land.
I really need to talk about Issun as well. He acts as your guide and companion in this game. In the beginning, he is like Navi from Ocarina of Time. This is not a good thing. He constantly throws his opinions out there and solves puzzles before you even have a chance to. But his character evolves along with every other aspect of the world as you get deeper in your journey. He acts as your friend later on. He no longer holds your hand but goes through the adventure with you. He adds humor and life to the darkest sections of the game. Ultimately, he is what keeps this game engrossing. He represents the hope within us all. Without Issun riding along on Amaterasu's back, neither the wolf nor the player would be able to go through this game. The hardest part about finishing Okami was leaving Issun behind forever.
On a fundamental, gameplay level, Okami does nothing revolutionary. It is simply a Zelda clone with a paintbrush instead of weapons. But the feel of the game is unlike anything else out there. It is revolutionary because it approaches gaming unlike anything else. It does not use complex physics nor jaw-dropping graphics to create a world, but uses beauty and character. Okami may age poorly over the years, it's graphics on a technical level just not up to the latest trends, but it will live forever in some capacity. It has shown how to create a world that does not feel like a mere video game. It has shown that death can take a backseat to life if developers are clever enough. Okami is a fitting end to this generation of gaming. Interaction and immersion will be the focus for this new generation, and Okami has shown how a vibrant world can be created.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Jack-Okami-Lantern
So, I attended a pumpkin-carving party tonight, and racked my brain as to how I could outgeek last years carving (Pac-Man being chased around a pumpkin by ghosts). Still fine-tuning, but I am decently happy with the results:
If I could trick-or-treat dressed as Amaterasu, I would.
If I could trick-or-treat dressed as Amaterasu, I would.
Lunch with Tom - Too many Dino Masters to count
Developers take note: I will buy just about any game if it has dinosaurs in it. Go ahead, try me. What's that, you're scared? People didn't like that last Turok game so the dinosaur well has officially dried up? I refuse to believe such nonsense. Books and movies are fine, but games are the only medium out there that can actually bring dinosaurs to life. Who wants to read about a dinosaur anyway? Some scientist might, but that's about it. And watching them roam around in a movie is just a big tease. It's like watching a pool party. I want to jump into the pool, cannonball style, and soak that kid and his wheelchair. Since I can't go out right now and play with a dinosaur, I have to look towards the arts. Every video game needs to have either dinosaurs, ninjas or dancing robots in it. I will not budge on this issue.
I actually bought Dino Master. Quick side note here: when Tomb Raider exploded on to the scene in 1996, I thought the game was called Tomb Raiders. This wasn't just a passing thought either. I actually questioned who the other character was. If Lara Croft (who I thought was named Lara Craft for years. Yes, I am an English graduate) was the protagonist, there must be a male counterpart somewhere, right? It wasn't until I actually bought the game did I realize there was only one Raider. 10 years later, I am staring at the box for Dino Masters and wondering who the devil this other Master is. As far as I can tell, there is just one man in the game. Is the jeep he drives the other Master? Or is the scientist who gives the occasional baffling hint ("That thing on your back is a lizard") the mystery man Mastering dinosaurs on the side? Sadly, the incomplete narrative will never reveal its secrets.
Humiliating sidenote: once again, my secret plural problem has been exposed to the world. The game is called "Dino Master." It is a singular experience, in more ways the one. The previous paragraph will remain unchanged as a penance. Next time, I will correctly read the title.
I did a little research for this review. If you've listened to our latest podcast, you'll know Dino Master rips its gameplay off of some classic porn title. I assume the pornographic game ripped its gameplay from an even older, potentially more classic game, but neither Nick nor I could actually recall such a title existing. Leave it to Craig Harris at IGN, the only other person in America who has played this game, to inform me (and only me, who else read that review?) what game Dino Master shamelessly stole from. It's Qix. Note the edgy lack of a "u." Spitting in the face of popular conventions is red-hot fun. Office Create spat in the face of popular conventions, and one very eager dinosaur fan, by sticking lifeless dinosaurs in a boring, uninspired arcade title. I will curse them to my dying days.
If you don't remember Qix, and I sure didn't, I'll briefly explain how DM plays. Note the lack of dinosaurs in my description. You patrol the perimeter of a field - one that could have easily been stretched to two screens if the developer wasn't so lazy - and try not to die. You need to leave your safe home and venture to the middle, drawing lines and claiming land along the way. The funny part is there are fantastic monsters trying to kill you. Giant scorpions, projectile shooting snakes, and even spiders five times as large as a Jeep are inches from you face. Sometimes stomping on your dead body! I don't know why this explorer, this Dino Master, is so obsessed with dusty bones when there are living monsters trying to kill him.
Anyway, the game is completely broken. For some reason, the whole game is controlled via the touch screen. This doesn't work at all. Not even a little bit. Your character kind of follows your stylus around... I'm stopping this here. The game controls like ass. I'm not going to waste your time or mine describing the extent of ass.
Are you wondering where the dinosaurs come into play? There are fossils buried in this playing field you are trying to conquer. If you uncover a complete skeleton you and the other Dino Masters (the Jeep and Scientist) can resurrect the long dead beast. And then you can fight, dino-vs-dino, in a no-holds-barred battle! I could stop here, since I haven't technically lied yet, but Office Create refuses to pay me for this publicity. The battling is so boring I actually prefer the Qix rip-off. I haven't actually taken part in any dino battles for a few days now. It's just the worst game imaginable. You pick a point of your opponent's body to attack and a part of your own to defend and then hope for the best. That's seriously the whole game. It could be cool if the dinosaurs at least battled, but they don't. They only have one frame of animation each. Basically, you are fighting a picture of a dinosaur on a 3-inch screen. I'd rather read about it.
In conclusion, this is a really bad game. It makes me appreciate just how good most games are today. I may insult the lesser games out there, but they are at least playable. DM plays like a poor NES game. Everything is cheap and random. That is not fun. Of course, that hasn't stopped me from pouring hours into it via the comfort of my office bathroom, but we can all admit I have a problem. I just hope Contact comes out today. I can't stomach another day playing Dino Master.
I actually bought Dino Master. Quick side note here: when Tomb Raider exploded on to the scene in 1996, I thought the game was called Tomb Raiders. This wasn't just a passing thought either. I actually questioned who the other character was. If Lara Croft (who I thought was named Lara Craft for years. Yes, I am an English graduate) was the protagonist, there must be a male counterpart somewhere, right? It wasn't until I actually bought the game did I realize there was only one Raider. 10 years later, I am staring at the box for Dino Masters and wondering who the devil this other Master is. As far as I can tell, there is just one man in the game. Is the jeep he drives the other Master? Or is the scientist who gives the occasional baffling hint ("That thing on your back is a lizard") the mystery man Mastering dinosaurs on the side? Sadly, the incomplete narrative will never reveal its secrets.
Humiliating sidenote: once again, my secret plural problem has been exposed to the world. The game is called "Dino Master." It is a singular experience, in more ways the one. The previous paragraph will remain unchanged as a penance. Next time, I will correctly read the title.
I did a little research for this review. If you've listened to our latest podcast, you'll know Dino Master rips its gameplay off of some classic porn title. I assume the pornographic game ripped its gameplay from an even older, potentially more classic game, but neither Nick nor I could actually recall such a title existing. Leave it to Craig Harris at IGN, the only other person in America who has played this game, to inform me (and only me, who else read that review?) what game Dino Master shamelessly stole from. It's Qix. Note the edgy lack of a "u." Spitting in the face of popular conventions is red-hot fun. Office Create spat in the face of popular conventions, and one very eager dinosaur fan, by sticking lifeless dinosaurs in a boring, uninspired arcade title. I will curse them to my dying days.
If you don't remember Qix, and I sure didn't, I'll briefly explain how DM plays. Note the lack of dinosaurs in my description. You patrol the perimeter of a field - one that could have easily been stretched to two screens if the developer wasn't so lazy - and try not to die. You need to leave your safe home and venture to the middle, drawing lines and claiming land along the way. The funny part is there are fantastic monsters trying to kill you. Giant scorpions, projectile shooting snakes, and even spiders five times as large as a Jeep are inches from you face. Sometimes stomping on your dead body! I don't know why this explorer, this Dino Master, is so obsessed with dusty bones when there are living monsters trying to kill him.
Anyway, the game is completely broken. For some reason, the whole game is controlled via the touch screen. This doesn't work at all. Not even a little bit. Your character kind of follows your stylus around... I'm stopping this here. The game controls like ass. I'm not going to waste your time or mine describing the extent of ass.
Are you wondering where the dinosaurs come into play? There are fossils buried in this playing field you are trying to conquer. If you uncover a complete skeleton you and the other Dino Masters (the Jeep and Scientist) can resurrect the long dead beast. And then you can fight, dino-vs-dino, in a no-holds-barred battle! I could stop here, since I haven't technically lied yet, but Office Create refuses to pay me for this publicity. The battling is so boring I actually prefer the Qix rip-off. I haven't actually taken part in any dino battles for a few days now. It's just the worst game imaginable. You pick a point of your opponent's body to attack and a part of your own to defend and then hope for the best. That's seriously the whole game. It could be cool if the dinosaurs at least battled, but they don't. They only have one frame of animation each. Basically, you are fighting a picture of a dinosaur on a 3-inch screen. I'd rather read about it.
In conclusion, this is a really bad game. It makes me appreciate just how good most games are today. I may insult the lesser games out there, but they are at least playable. DM plays like a poor NES game. Everything is cheap and random. That is not fun. Of course, that hasn't stopped me from pouring hours into it via the comfort of my office bathroom, but we can all admit I have a problem. I just hope Contact comes out today. I can't stomach another day playing Dino Master.
G-Pinions: Gaming Radio - Season 2, Episode 5
Lumines Live! Dino Master! Clover Studios! Bitching about EA! This one truly has it all. Classic. G.
Download.
(Or better yet, use the iTunes subscription link near the top of the page and review us! You can call our mothers women of ill repute!)
Download.
(Or better yet, use the iTunes subscription link near the top of the page and review us! You can call our mothers women of ill repute!)
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Lunch with Tom: One more new release
I can't believe I didn't mention The Family Guy game yesterday. Is a release list ever complete without a random licensed franchise? I was actually going to rent this from Gamefly until I realized Bully was coming out this week as well. I have no idea why I thought this was a good idea. Licensed games are almost exclusively horrible. Even when the source material is good the game ends up sucking. Look at 24: The Game. It's based on the best show on television but could only scrounge up a 64% rating. Disgraceful. So along comes Family Guy, based on an average show well past its prime, and I actually had high hopes for it? Sad but true.
As fate would have it, while waiting in line to preorder a Wii last Friday, I was next to a man who worked on this game. I won't mention his name here, but he assured me that Family Guy is nothing but crap. How could I argue with him? The man spent years working on this game. He is more inclined to build it up, make it seem better than it really is, just because he is completely delusional at this point. When you are immersed in crap for years you don't even realize there are happy alternatives out there. When he looked in my eyes and warned me to stay far away from it, I nodded. I had no choice. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from it too.
I'll leave you with a quote from him that ended our Family Guy conversation forever:
"It was in development for two and a half years and it's only going for $30. How good could it possibly be?"
As fate would have it, while waiting in line to preorder a Wii last Friday, I was next to a man who worked on this game. I won't mention his name here, but he assured me that Family Guy is nothing but crap. How could I argue with him? The man spent years working on this game. He is more inclined to build it up, make it seem better than it really is, just because he is completely delusional at this point. When you are immersed in crap for years you don't even realize there are happy alternatives out there. When he looked in my eyes and warned me to stay far away from it, I nodded. I had no choice. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from it too.
I'll leave you with a quote from him that ended our Family Guy conversation forever:
"It was in development for two and a half years and it's only going for $30. How good could it possibly be?"
Monday, October 16, 2006
Lunch with Tom - I am Bully for Contact!
NBA2K7 is another bad sports game. Nick and I spent hours playing it this weekend, though, and my belly hurt so much from laughter I could have been running the court in real life. Sports games are like bad comedies at this point - completely unwatchable alone but a classic when you're with a friend. At one point yesterday, Nick was running a fast break with Shawn Marion of the Suns. As he neared the hoop he hit the "shoot" button, which transferred control to the game. The computer proceeded to do a jump stop at the foul line, run two steps towards the hoop, spin away from no one, and then take flight. It wasn't until Marion was behind the backboard that he flipped the ball towards the hoop. The only thing that would have made this play better is if the ball traveled through the glass. On to the releases!
Contact - I don't read previews. In my first column for the Edmond Sun, I wrote that the best way to pick out a gem from a lineup of titles you have never heard of is to look at who made it. Seems pretty obvious, but I hardly think most people know that Sony London is a crap studio whereas Sony Santa Monica is great. Anyway, Grasshopper is behind Contact. It's hard to judge a developer on just one game, but Grasshopper is the team behind Killer 7. At the very least, Killer 7 is something that needs to be experienced. I still don't know if I liked it, and it definitely wasn't "fun," but it is one of the most memorable games from last generation. Contact is an RPG and the player, which better be you, plays an actual character within the game. Just like every other game out there, you control some main character using convential means of control. However, you are actually an invisible entity within this world. The only one who knows you exist is this crazy scientist who must just get a kick out of seeing you mess with people. I am pumped. I will be spending many a happy hour in the company bathroom playing this one.
Splinter Cell: Double Agent - Up until about two hours ago I was excited about this game. I've never like Splinter Cell because, as Nick already said, it is unforgivable. I don't like games that require trial and error to get through. But the multiplayer, which I first wrote about a few years ago, just sounds so damn interesting. You've got your team of gun wielding mercenaries, risking their life to protect some random government facility. The other guys are badass spies. Kind of like ninjas without katana blades. Crawl along walls, crack some necks, and do all kind of sneaky crap. There just aren't many action games out there that offer different classes. The only difference you see in most games is a different skin, which can make gameplay bland and repetitive after awhile. SC's multi is like an RTS: different classes with their own strengths and weaknesses. Sounds sweet, and the demo is certainly cool, but I'm going to have to pass. Splinter is totally generic compared to...
Bully - There are two things that really annoy me in games: horrible AI and lack of environmental interaction. I can't put up with either of these in next generation games anymore. I just can't do it. If you're trying to create a realistic world yet the non-playable characters are walking into walls and your character can't walk over a brick on the ground, well, you've failed. So here comes Bully, a PS2 title, and it does things next gen games still haven't. All the NPC are real. They act like humans. They have their own lives when you aren't around. This is a living, breathing world. Bully is kind of like The Sims with gameplay. You can build relationships with everyone you meet or you can walk around with pants on your head shooting ducks with a slingshot you made in shop class. It's your call. This is the type of interaction I want in all my games. I am a firm believer that choice is the future of gaming. You need to allow gamers to choose their own path through a game. I may not be a huge fan of RockStar, but this seems like a great milestone for lesser developers to strive for.
Contact - I don't read previews. In my first column for the Edmond Sun, I wrote that the best way to pick out a gem from a lineup of titles you have never heard of is to look at who made it. Seems pretty obvious, but I hardly think most people know that Sony London is a crap studio whereas Sony Santa Monica is great. Anyway, Grasshopper is behind Contact. It's hard to judge a developer on just one game, but Grasshopper is the team behind Killer 7. At the very least, Killer 7 is something that needs to be experienced. I still don't know if I liked it, and it definitely wasn't "fun," but it is one of the most memorable games from last generation. Contact is an RPG and the player, which better be you, plays an actual character within the game. Just like every other game out there, you control some main character using convential means of control. However, you are actually an invisible entity within this world. The only one who knows you exist is this crazy scientist who must just get a kick out of seeing you mess with people. I am pumped. I will be spending many a happy hour in the company bathroom playing this one.
Splinter Cell: Double Agent - Up until about two hours ago I was excited about this game. I've never like Splinter Cell because, as Nick already said, it is unforgivable. I don't like games that require trial and error to get through. But the multiplayer, which I first wrote about a few years ago, just sounds so damn interesting. You've got your team of gun wielding mercenaries, risking their life to protect some random government facility. The other guys are badass spies. Kind of like ninjas without katana blades. Crawl along walls, crack some necks, and do all kind of sneaky crap. There just aren't many action games out there that offer different classes. The only difference you see in most games is a different skin, which can make gameplay bland and repetitive after awhile. SC's multi is like an RTS: different classes with their own strengths and weaknesses. Sounds sweet, and the demo is certainly cool, but I'm going to have to pass. Splinter is totally generic compared to...
Bully - There are two things that really annoy me in games: horrible AI and lack of environmental interaction. I can't put up with either of these in next generation games anymore. I just can't do it. If you're trying to create a realistic world yet the non-playable characters are walking into walls and your character can't walk over a brick on the ground, well, you've failed. So here comes Bully, a PS2 title, and it does things next gen games still haven't. All the NPC are real. They act like humans. They have their own lives when you aren't around. This is a living, breathing world. Bully is kind of like The Sims with gameplay. You can build relationships with everyone you meet or you can walk around with pants on your head shooting ducks with a slingshot you made in shop class. It's your call. This is the type of interaction I want in all my games. I am a firm believer that choice is the future of gaming. You need to allow gamers to choose their own path through a game. I may not be a huge fan of RockStar, but this seems like a great milestone for lesser developers to strive for.
Taking the Elite out of Beat
Remember when Tom and I were talking about whether I would buy Elite Beat Agents yesterday? Wait, weren't you in the car in Libertyville with us? Anyhow: No, Tom. No I am not going to buy this game. I may import the original after all, but this track list makes Lumines Live look like Beethoven's demo tape (like, it's good? did that even come across in that joke?). Ugh. Quadruple ugh with blargh on top:
1. Walkie Talkie Man - Steriogram
2. ABC - Jackson Five
3. Sk8er Boi - Avril Lavigne
4. I Was Born to Love You - Queen
5. Rock This Town - Stray Cats
6. Highway Star - Deep Purple
7. Y.M.C.A. - Village People
8. September - Earth, Wind and Fire
9. Canned Heat - Jamiroquai
10. Material Girl - Madonna
11. La La - Ashlee Simpson
12. You're the Inspiration - Chicago
13. Survivor - Destiny's Child
14. Without a Fight - Hoobastank
15. Believe - Cher
16. Let's Dance - David Bowie
17. Jumpin Jack Flash - Rolling Stones
18. Makes No Difference - Sum 41
19. The Anthem - Good Charlotte
I know I shouldn't shoot the messenger, but you ruined my evening, Game|Life.
""The concept for song selection was this - the roaring songs you would want to hear if you went to a college frat party," says Elite Beat Agents' designer Keiichi Yano." Right, because that quite accurately represents the DS-owning populace in the US. And wait, frat boys listen to Avril Lavigne? At least put some Andrew Motherfucking WK on there. Assholes.
1. Walkie Talkie Man - Steriogram
2. ABC - Jackson Five
3. Sk8er Boi - Avril Lavigne
4. I Was Born to Love You - Queen
5. Rock This Town - Stray Cats
6. Highway Star - Deep Purple
7. Y.M.C.A. - Village People
8. September - Earth, Wind and Fire
9. Canned Heat - Jamiroquai
10. Material Girl - Madonna
11. La La - Ashlee Simpson
12. You're the Inspiration - Chicago
13. Survivor - Destiny's Child
14. Without a Fight - Hoobastank
15. Believe - Cher
16. Let's Dance - David Bowie
17. Jumpin Jack Flash - Rolling Stones
18. Makes No Difference - Sum 41
19. The Anthem - Good Charlotte
I know I shouldn't shoot the messenger, but you ruined my evening, Game|Life.
""The concept for song selection was this - the roaring songs you would want to hear if you went to a college frat party," says Elite Beat Agents' designer Keiichi Yano." Right, because that quite accurately represents the DS-owning populace in the US. And wait, frat boys listen to Avril Lavigne? At least put some Andrew Motherfucking WK on there. Assholes.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
SC:DA Demo
Just wanted to pop in really quickly to encourage everyone to download the multiplayer Splinter Cell: Double Agent demo that went up on Live yesterday. The single-player of the series has always bored and annoyed me to tears (unforgiving gameplay is...unforgivable), and I never felt like relearning another multiplayer game when I had my talons dug so deeply into Halo 2. But times change, 360 gaming is the new hotness, as it were, and Halo 2 eventually fell out of the rotation and into the realm of my beloved classics.
They spent serious time refining and simplifying the SCDA multiplayer game to make it more accessible, and it really shows, even coming from someone who has only read about the previous iterations. I fought it for years, and after a couple of rounds I'm starting to appreciate the legendary love that it gets. So try it out.
(And if you know how to actually play a goddamned mission in the PSU beta, PLEASE to let me know)
They spent serious time refining and simplifying the SCDA multiplayer game to make it more accessible, and it really shows, even coming from someone who has only read about the previous iterations. I fought it for years, and after a couple of rounds I'm starting to appreciate the legendary love that it gets. So try it out.
(And if you know how to actually play a goddamned mission in the PSU beta, PLEASE to let me know)
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]