Over the last few weeks I've finally had an oppourtunity to play some of the games I have in my massive unplayed catalog, and decided to essentially eliminate the rest of my XBOX 360 collection (save for NFL Head Coach and Dead Rising). Coincidently, all three games have a sequel coming in the near future (or are already out).
First: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
I wanted to love this game. I have recently found a new connection with the Marvel universe, and so I picked the game up expecting it to really do justice to both my favorite characters and to the RPG genre. It only sort of got it in both respects. Leveling up didn't do a whole lot to your characters abilities and didn't happen all that often. Powers were the biggest disappointment, as some didn't work very well and others didn't even seem very character specific. Even after finishing the game I never quite got used to the controls, especially the superpowers and squad commands. The presentation was great in some spots, but horrible in others. All in all, the game was about as average as a game about superheroes can be. I may still play Fusion despite my qualms, since it goes over the Civil War storyline (the source of my returned Marvel love) but I think I already know what to expect. 
Second: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
You can chalk up another first person shooter that i'll make an exception for. My dislike for the FPS is well documented, but a few like Bioshock and Fallout 3 defy the odds and become among my favorite games overall. Modern Warfare doesn't reach that upper echelon, but the experience was enjoyable overall, specifically the later half. The flashback sniper mission in the USSR was a great level, as was the final bit where they stormed the nuclear facility. It of course looks good, and uses sound well. The levels are well designed, and I almost never had any problem figuring out where I was supposed to be going. The only faults I could find were in the inconsistent difficulty and occasionally impossible enemy fire. I most likely won't touch the sequel, but I have little doubt it will be just as good.
Third: Assassins Creed
Assassins Creed is an odd little game. On the one hand, there are so many things about the game that frustrate and annoy me, between the inconsistent enemy detection ability, repetitive gameplay and occasionally unresponsive controls. I do want back the hours of my life that were wasted redoing missions after Altair jumped left-forward rather than forward. At the same time though, the story was interesting, the kills were VERY satisfying, and the game may be the best looking of the generation thus far. Seriously, it is a good looking game. I really enjoyed the endgame as well. Some people when talking about the combat deride it as just waiting to counter, and I'm sure that worked fine, but I think people that use the full arsenal get much more out of the game than those who don't. I'm really looking forward to the sequel.
By the way, if anyone has a better name for this blog (I plan on making a series) let me know.
Trio Reviews: Echsbawks Circle Edition
Over the last few weeks I've finally had an oppourtunity to play some of the games I have in my massive unplayed catalog, and decided to essentially eliminate the rest of my XBOX 360 collection (save for NFL Head Coach and Dead Rising). Coincidently, all three games have a sequel coming in the near future (or are already out).
First: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
I wanted to love this game. I have recently found a new connection with the Marvel universe, and so I picked the game up expecting it to really do justice to both my favorite characters and to the RPG genre. It only sort of got it in both respects. Leveling up didn't do a whole lot to your characters abilities and didn't happen all that often. Powers were the biggest disappointment, as some didn't work very well and others didn't even seem very character specific. Even after finishing the game I never quite got used to the controls, especially the superpowers and squad commands. The presentation was great in some spots, but horrible in others. All in all, the game was about as average as a game about superheroes can be. I may still play Fusion despite my qualms, since it goes over the Civil War storyline (the source of my returned Marvel love) but I think I already know what to expect.
Second: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
You can chalk up another first person shooter that i'll make an exception for. My dislike for the FPS is well documented, but a few like Bioshock and Fallout 3 defy the odds and become among my favorite games overall. Modern Warfare doesn't reach that upper echelon, but the experience was enjoyable overall, specifically the later half. The flashback sniper mission in the USSR was a great level, as was the final bit where they stormed the nuclear facility. It of course looks good, and uses sound well. The levels are well designed, and I almost never had any problem figuring out where I was supposed to be going. The only faults I could find were in the inconsistent difficulty and occasionally impossible enemy fire. I most likely won't touch the sequel, but I have little doubt it will be just as good.
Third: Assassins Creed
Assassins Creed is an odd little game. On the one hand, there are so many things about the game that frustrate and annoy me, between the inconsistent enemy detection ability, repetitive gameplay and occasionally unresponsive controls. I do want back the hours of my life that were wasted redoing missions after Altair jumped left-forward rather than forward. At the same time though, the story was interesting, the kills were VERY satisfying, and the game may be the best looking of the generation thus far. Seriously, it is a good looking game. I really enjoyed the endgame as well. Some people when talking about the combat deride it as just waiting to counter, and I'm sure that worked fine, but I think people that use the full arsenal get much more out of the game than those who don't. I'm really looking forward to the sequel.
By the way, if anyone has a better name for this blog (I plan on making a series) let me know.
Log in to comment