Way Back Wednesday's

So i want to do something that i have been thinking about for a while now on my blog. I have an over abundance of "Old School" games in my head that i play or have played over the last twenty some odd years of gaming. 

I have decided to call the section, "Way Back Wednesday's" partly b/c i want a snazzy name for it, and partly b/c i can't think of anything better to call it. 

Since today IS Wednesday, what better day to start it off?

Like Roger Moore instead of Sean Connery...

So despite the fact that Daniel Craig is the new Bond, i decided to use that headline.

I finished playing through the single player story of 007 Quantum of Solace Tuesday. I don't really know what i should have expected from the game but I don't think it disappointed as much as the last several games did. That being said, this game does deliver a limited amount of the James Bond vibe. 

From the outset of the story you get the feeling that you aren't going to truly "Run and Gun" your way through this game. It doesn't go so far as to be the Gears of War 2 "Stop and Pop" either. There are situations that you can't just run in kill everyone and leave the bodies in your wake as you run out the room. Stealth does play a factor in the game as well (achievements please). Sneaking around feels correct in the spots where you need to, the silent kills are pretty brutal despite some of them not "feeling" like you are killing or disabling anyone. The gun play is nice, there are many different types of weapons to use and find through the levels. The sniper rifle as in most FPS's is still my favorite. 

The story revolves around the last 2 movies "Casino Royale" and (naturally) "Quantum of Solace". Before each mission you are given a briefing through the MI6 computer that shows some fancy animations and a time line. I don't know (since i haven't seen the latest movie) if any of it will tie in directly to the story (though I'm almost certain it will) but i always felt like i was missing something. There are people talking about the time line and discussing things that happen and i have no idea why. That and the end of the game's main story kinda ends on a cliff hanger. I guess they are setting you up for the next game? Or maybe the movie itself? Either way i thought there was another stage coming and it simply didn't happen. Time will tell i guess when i see the movie later in the week.

So keeping with the groaners in the game, i have a HUGE gripe with this game. Being that it is a Bond game after all, why is there not a single gadget in the game. None! You can't count the hacking sequences (doors, locks, and cameras) they aren't true gadgets in use. So from what i can tell there are some in the Multi-Player but still... why don't i use them in the main game. I am not expecting a million different things but even the "watch laser" was fun to use in Goldeneye. Seriously, nothing in main game. Did they fire Q?

So did i finish the game, yes. Will i play the multi-player stuff sure. Am i glad that i didn't purchase the game, defiantly. I can't call it a final verdict on the entire game, but as far as the single player game goes, i would give it probably a rent. If you want to play a great Bond game travel back in time to 1996 and play Goldeneye for Nintendo 64. If you are looking for a rental that will pass the time (why aren't you playing one of the million other great games out there) you will probably be happy, for a while. 

So like i said it's ain't Sean Connery, but it for sure isn't Timothy Dalton. 

Gonna go back in time!

So the guys at Criterion have done it again. 

Not only have they brought us new online components for their amazing racing game Burnout Paradise. They also added Bikes, and a day/night switch on time. Both for free i might add. 

Now they are bringing in some new vehicles. With the Legendary Car Pack coming some time (probably early 09 I'm guessing) soon they are adding in the "Jansen 88 Special" a.k.a. The DeLorean DMC12... The thing even fricken hovers! Also in the pack are cars with the names, The Calvary Bootlegger, Manhattan Spirit, and the GT Nighthawk. Not really sure what the other cars are modeled after, but being as the name of the pack is "Legendary Car" they will probably be very recognizable to the average gamer.

This add on will cost you some Microsoft Points or some PSN bucks, but really... flying in the DeLorean around Paradise City... Listening to GnR... its like the 80's all over again.

Dreams do come true...

*The only version i could find without music but it has German subtitles*

Bond is back... I sure hope so!

In honor of the release of the newest James Bond game AND movie; "Quantum Of Solace", I thought i would profess my love of the movies and (some) of the games. 

Though most fanboys would have you believe that the only game with the 007 moniker on it is "Goldeneye" for the Nintendo 64, it's sadly is not. Bond games date back all the way to the Atari 2600 (represent) and Apple II days. Originally just "James Bond 007" game was released back in 1983 by Parker Brothers. In the game the missions were based on three different Bond movies, Diamonds are Forever, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, and the Spy who Loved Me. Also the game is labeled as a "Role Playing Game" I didn't own this game but i am guessing that being it was on the 2600 (not known for wonderful RPG titles) it is labeled as such b/c you take on the "Role" of James Bond.

Fifteen years, and about 10+ games later, Goldeneye for Nintendo 64 hit. Instantly it was a classic. The game followed almost exactly the plot of the movie. Putting you in the shoes of Pierce Brosnan as Bond. The regular single player story was fun enough but where the game really shined was in the multi-player. 

Get four friends, four controllers (and a TV big enough to matter) and have fun for hours. I can't even count the number of times that my friends and i would go a full weekend of just playing this game. I can still remember each of the maps and could easily find each of my friends at any point in time just based on their screen. Despite what some people will tell you about the nostalgia for this game being better than the actual game, i still find it amusing to play.

So now nine years and many many bad Bond games (Including a rehash of Goldeneye, and a Racing game) later comes the latest attempt to put Bond back on the map. Enter 007 Quantum of Solace (movie and game). 

The movie picks up immediately after the end of the last flick (which is actually the first book by Ian Flemming) Casino Royale. Bond is pissed and on a mission of vengeance. Right on!

The game however is a bit of both worlds. You will complete missions based on Casino Royale AND QoS. Going back to a first person point of view the game already has scored major points with me, and with other excited fans of the series. Developed by Treyarch (the folks that did some of the COD games) and using the COD:4 engine, this game looks amazing in previews.

Accomplishing missions using stealth, gadgets, and down right brute force looks like it is a blast. The cover system borrows a bit from other First/Third person shooters, allowing you to suck up to a wall and the camera pulling back to give you a better vantage point. You can still pull of "007 Movie Moments" but they aren't labeled for you with a Giant neon sign that says "Shoot Here, It's What Jimmy Would Do!". You don't ever have to do them but when you figure out something that would make a great action moment you are rewarded. 

Being that i am a huge movie buff, and a total nerd when it comes to both Bond and the games, i for one can't wait to get this one in my hands. 

"007 Quantum of Solace" the game comes out this Tuesday on pretty much every system, and the movie will be in theaters this weekend. This IS however just a preview based on all that i have heard, seen and read second hand. So i will have more on this game as i am allowed to play it. Stay Tuned!

*Update*

Gamefly HAS sent me my 360 copy in the mail. I hope to have it by this weekend.

Bob Barker should have Neutered this one...

Well I thought how bad can you screw up a game show that has been on for literally decades? Oh how wrong I was. 

Yeah that isn't the best of endorsements for this game, but it's the truth. I rented this one for my Wii with the hopes that my wife and i would have a lot of fun bidding on things, spinning the "Big Wheel" and playing the Price is Right Games. Sadly, it didn't happen. 

Starting off the game boots up with the Price is Right music, and i start thinking, "Oh yeah bring it on Bob!" Much to my dismay there is no voice of the beloved Bob Barker in the game... nor is there the voice of the new host Drew Carey. Just some run of the mill voice over actor (no offense whoever you are) that reads the lines that you WISH Bob was. 

The game starts and you get to choose between several different avatars to use as your on screen character. Nothing really of note except that the only African American person looks like a homeless crack head you would see on Cops for some reason. Input your name, and let the fun begin. The next item up for bid... Actually this is one of the things that did impress me about the game. They show you a full motion video of the item you have to put a bid on, complete with "The Bob Barker Girls" showing it off. Then it breaks down again. Everyone places a bid and the winner gets the value of that prize added to their "winnings". No second chance for the other players you automatically move on to the first game. 

You get four different games to choose from, i don't remember what they were b/c they all pale in comparison to "Cliff Hangers" which is in the game. The winner of the previous game gets to choose first, then so on down the line until all the participants have played a minigame of their choosing. Nothing much more than that, again there was FMV but the video at one point didn't match the item description they were giving me on screen, that's a downer.

Next we have the Big wheel spin. You know the drill Spin the wheel get the closest to the Dollar that you can without going over and move on to the Showcase Showdown. Well the only flaw here is that if only one human player gets to closest to the dollar then the game is over. so even if you don't get the dollar you move on anyway. . . 

Showcase showdown is pretty much the same, watch, bid, and hope. Don't go over and win, come with in $250 of the amount and win BOTH. Prizes were shown in the FMV, bids were made, and the game was over... that's it.

Nope i didn't miss anything. Start all over again if you actually liked playing a really bad version of "America's Favorite Gameshow". I didn't enjoy the first trip (it didn't help that my wife won) so after trying to talk myself into playing again (and losing) i put it back in the envelope and back to the warehouse it went. 

This is one of those rare games that makes me very happy that i have a subscription to Gamefly. I don't think i can even recommend this one to the fans of the show that haven't left with good ol' Bobby B. 

Cue the sound ghost of Rod Roddy!!

Bom bom bom ba bom  waaaaaaaaaa....

Mystery Case Files; Millionheir

Do you like those games in Highlites where you have to find all the hidden items in a picture. Did you ever watch "Finders Keepers" on Nickelodeon? Do you enjoy those bar games that make you find the differences between two pictures? Did you find Waldo?

If you answered yes to any of the previous questions, and have a DS and $20 then this game might be fore you. 

Mystery Case Files : Millionheir, isn't going to change the way you look at your DS or revolutionize the game market, but its still fun. The "story" (if you can call it that) is that you are a detective and the millionaire "Phil T. Rich" (no that's not a joke) has gone missing. It's up to you and your trust stylus to find him. I don't know exactly how you connect finding items on a screen to interviewing a suspect, but somehow that's the way to solve the case. Find enough items with in your (optional) time limit and then solve one more puzzle and move on to the next person. 

There are around 10 different areas and their respective inhabitant to talk to and interview. Most of the time you are just finding the proverbial needle in a hay stack. Some of the other puzzles are spin offs of a jigsaw puzzle, bejewelled, and others. There are several special items and little gimmicks that the game uses well enough. Goggles see under water, x-ray sees through things, and you can even blow in the DS mic to "clean things off". 

Once you play through the game you can go back an complete it at different skill levels, and as i said before you can turn on or off the optional time limit, making you work harder to find items. I would say that this game is great for travel but if that travel is on a bumpy road, prepare for motion sickness. 

I rented this as a stop-gap game between several other big name titles that were coming out. It served it's purpose, and i enjoyed it. Like i said before if you have twenty bucks and just need something to do on your DS, you could do a LOT worse than this game.