Killzone 2

Just a quick little post about the Beta. Again thanks to Robin Yang of GameDaily, for the Beta code.

I have played a couple of the Multi-Player matches now and my first impressions are pretty good. Other than the fact that I am a n00b as far as this game goes and am not sure of what I should be doing, my experience has been a pleasant one. The game runs very smooth, I have yet to have any major frame rate issues. Also the controls are pretty easy to grasp, being as I didn't play the first one, I have been able to catch on quickly. This game also looks beautiful! Running at least at 60fps everything looks great. The one area that I have played (I don't know if there are more) is very well done. Animations look great, from behind the gun everything looks smooth and everything just feels good. 

The first game was hyped as the PS2's "Halo Killer" and didn't even come close. This one on the other hand... Well it may not be the "Halo Killer" it will certainly make the Bungie (or Gearbox, or who ever) step their game up quite a bit. PS3 Fanboys should be very happy with this game, as long as they flesh out the story and keep the muti-player kids happy.

Left 4 Dead

So I got Left 4 Dead in the mail on Friday of this past week, and was able to get to it finally on Sunday. A friend and I played about 3 hours of the Off-line Co-Op together. We played through the entire first section/movie/area... whatever you want to call it. 

This game is simply put, Fun! We both had so much fun running through the town blasting everything that limped, ran, and jumped our way. I have never in all my years of gaming played a game that created a more authentic feeling of fear. Not that fear like you have playing Resident Evil where you are waiting for the Zombie in the closet to get you, no. It's more the fear of if you see one zombie slowly walking your way, you are pretty confident there are about 100 behind him that are going to rush you very soon. There is also a very real feeling of being afraid of the dark. I was talking to my friend about how this game makes you afraid to be the one that is lagging a little behind. If you are the last one to leave a room or you wander too far off from the others, it could very well be the last mistake you make. The game warns you right from the beginning. "Stay Together To Survive!" So very very true in this game. 

I absolutely cannot wait to play more of Left 4 Dead. I haven't even scratched the surface of the regular sections, not to mention trying it out online as a Zombie. My only recommendation is to try this game on advanced. Sure it is a little harder but it makes it all the more realistic when that smoker starts dragging you away from your friends into the woods and they don't hear you screaming!

KillZone 2 Beta, Here I Come!!!

Big time thanks goes out to Robin Yang @ Game Daily for the Code to the KillZone 2 Beta. I am absolutely stoked to get into this one. Now i wish i didn't have plans tonight... but tomorrow IT'S ON!!!

Fallout 3 on Google Maps

So google maps can do anything. Add in a dash of "nerd-dom" and it can do even more. 

Here you can see where people have gone through and found places in the game for you. If you don't want spoilers (I guess) don't click, but if you are stuck trying to find a location, check it out. 

Out of Afrika

So Afrika is coming to the US... as strange as that sounds it's true. National Geographic has picked up the publishing rights to the PS3 game already out in other areas of the world.  

Afrika is pretty much a digital safari. You go out on tours and take pictures of digital representations of real life animals. I am not so sure about this one, but it seems like it would be a pretty relaxing game. Also, who needs anymore reason to buy a game than how GREAT it will look on an HDTV. I may have to put this one in the Queue. 

"I have the key to One-Eyed Willie..."

Wow, where do i begin with this game. Of all the games I played on my NES, this one probably has the most fond memories for me. That includes other big titles like Super Mario Brothers, Final Fantasy, and River City Ransom.

First of all to give you a little more back story on myself, I have always loved the movie version of Goonies. I have literally watch the movie upwards of triple digits. I can give you just about the entire script word for word with no assistance. I really don't know why I latched onto the film like I did but it is quite the obsession. So I vividly remember getting this game the year it came out for Christmas. From the second the title screen dropped in and the first stage started with that rendition of Cindy Lauper's "Good Enough" I was totally hooked. 

I played the game every moment that I was allowed to and probably have an entire notebook somewhere of all the passwords that I would acquire. That's right kiddies, before there was hard drives, or even memory cards, you had to do things the hard way. Beat it in one sitting or get a pad and pen and write down your code, or you were back to square one. Anyway...

I don't think I really ever cared that the game was called "Goonies II" and I never saw the first game, that was released in Japan only. Nor did I seem to care that the story line of the game was a complete fever dream of the movie. I mean really, three Fratelli brothers, and ice world, and... AND a mermaid named Annie!! None of that mattered to me. I was just happy to take on the in game persona of "Mikey" as he went on a quest to save his friends from the evil Fratelli's. 

The game took you to strange locations not seen in the movie, like the Fratelli's Attic, the "Underworld", a strange Ice level, and the underwater level where you had to rescue Annie. You would collect interesting items along the way. Some were weapons, like the slingshot, the bomb, and the boomerang. Some items helped you out in stages, like the spring shoes, the helmet, and the candle. There were also other random NPC's that would help you along the way too. There was the old man, and the old woman that would either give you info or items. There was the Eskimo and how could I forget "Konami Man". Best thing about the NPC's was that if you hit them either with a hammer or your fist they would usually say "OUCH! What do you do?". That is just some great engrish there. 

I absolutely loved this game. I can't say enough about it. I have played it recently through ROMs on my PC but it just isn't the same. I need to have Nintendo release it on the Virtual Console, then i can get the full pleasure of playing it again with a (mostly) original controller. To me this game hasn't aged a bit. Sure the graphics aren't "Next Gen" but who cares. This game is timeless to me. So if you still have an old NES sitting around your house and a couple extra bucks, you almost owe it to yourself to play this game if you never did in the 80's.

Gears of War 2

The hype machine rolled into town and I had a ticket to get on. The view wasn't any different than the last time i took this trip but, the ride was still fun.

So after finishing Gears last night I realized that, as a whole this game is essentially the same as the last game. The environments all feel like Gears, the weapons all function the same, the characters all still interact the same. That being said... I am fine with all of it. I wouldn't want EPIC to change anything really. What i enjoyed about the first game held over to the second. The game is a lot of fun to play in single player and the fun factor ramps up exponentially from there when you add extra players. 

The story is (obviously) a continuation of the first. You are still trying to stop the "Locust" from destroying the whole of human civilization and pretty much destroying the planet. There are several different areas for you to traverse with you squad, including, cities, countrysides, underground levels, and a very very organic level. Like I said before all of which feel like they are part of the "Gears" world. You never get the feeling that this level is just tacked on at the end to give you something else to do. The progression of the game is very fluid. Though you make a lot of stops in different places you never find yourself asking, "How the heck did i get here?". 

As far as how the game controls... pretty much like the first. I did feel however that the controls were a little tighter. I can't really describe it in detail, it's just something you feel as you play the game. There are several different and new weapons to use, most of which make Marcus (and Dom) feel even more like the super soldier they already are. To name a few, there is the "Mulcher" which is a Gatling gun, the "Flamer" a flame thrower, and the "Mortar", which is... well if you don't know what it is then you probably won't play this game anyway. There also are some new Locust weapons but i really didn't use them at all except to get the achievements. The lancer in my opinion is still the best weapon overall to use in the game. Speaking of the Lancer, they added another "Chainsaw Kill" animation to the game, eh... I don't think it was needed but it's still there.

Multiplayer? Well do you have some friends with this game, or do you have an extra controller lying around? Then you will probably be playing this game for a long time to come. Online and off line Co-Op is still there, this time however it is drop-in drop-out, and doesn't disrupt the game. Also there can be different difficulty levels for each player. New to the game is the "Horde Mode". Which allows you and several friends to take on wave after wave of Locuts, in progressing difficulty, for up to 50 levels. The rest of the standard FPS multiplayer modes are there too. Capture the flag is now "Meatflag" where you have to grab an NPC and drag him to a location, only he doesn't come quietly.

I have been trying to think up something negative to say about the game, and I really can't think of anything. I mean I am sure that there are faults in the game, but I guess i just overlooked them b/c the total package is just solid. It feels like more of the same from the first, but as I said that isn't a bad thing. EPIC has created a world that Gears exist in and that's the point. The "Bro-mance" continues through this one, and probably the next game (come on that's not a spoiler the game has sold millions already). I had a lot of fun playing through the regular story alone and can't wait to take friends on a tour of the Locust Nexus, and the busted cities of the world in Gears.

This game has legs (lots of them) and I can tell that I will be playing it for a long time to come. Multiplayer is also an easy way to keep players coming back for more again and again. This game did not disappoint the triple A hype that was behind it I just hope that in the next game that Marcus and Dom can come to grips with their feelings for each other. Now if you will excuse me I have a Brumak to tame.