Midnight Club: Los Angeles

So, a couple of games that I already have for the PS3, one game I barely popped in my 360 before I returned it last year, and a few brand new ones I have high expectations for. 
 

Game 1: Borderlands

 
BEFORE: This is one of the games I'm expecting to enjoy, based on reviews, quick looks and Jeff Gerstmann's obsession over it. Going for a soldier right off the bat.
 
AFTER: I really like the art style, absolutely loved the intro. Great music. I like my pistol better than my machine gun so far. Loot is fun, I wanted to continue playing when the first achievement popped 26 minutes in. 
 

Game 2: Forza Motorsport 3 

 
BEFORE: Forza 2 turned me on to simulation racers, and based on the demo for Forza 3, this is going to be class. 
 
AFTER: Oooooooohhh this game is tough to put down. Got the first achievement for jumping 5 meters nine minutes in, and that's including the optional install. Just had to try a few more races with my first F-class car, and racing a Yaris has never been more fun. This is going to last me a while. 
 

Game 3: Alone in the Dark

BEFORE: This is gonna be brutal. Based on reviews, this is at best interesting but severely flawed. Practically got it for free, have to see for myself. 
 
AFTER: There is no "after." I quit before I got an achievement. This is a real stinker. Horrible controls, clipping all over the place, cheap deaths abound. I'm removing this from my played list and throwing it Gamestop's way ASAP. 
 

Game 4: Midnight Club Los Angeles.

 
BEFORE: I'm cheating a little here. I actually bought this last fall and played it for about an hour. It felt kind of weird after coming off 250+ hours of Burnout Paradise, so I gave up on it and traded it in. Found the Complete Edition on sale and decided to give it another go. 
 
AFTER: What was I thinking? This game is awesome. I could have used a higher framerate, but zooming around LA in first person with Snoop on the radio is pretty sweet. I got pulled over and burned rubber as soon as the officer got out of his car. There's an achievement for that. 24 minutes. 
 

Game 5: Mirror's Edge

BEFORE: I've already played and finished this on PS3, I'm expecting this to be pretty much the same. 
 
AFTER: Tutorial level complete, 7:35 in. I still love the atmosphere in this game. The controls feel pretty OK, though I might prefer the bigger shoulder buttons on the DualShock. I'll probably finish this a second time on the 360. 
 

Game 6: Unreal Tournament III

BEFORE: This is another one I have on the PS3, but I picked it up real cheap and wanted to see how it feels on Xbox Live. 
 
AFTER: 6:17, "Lock and Load." A little more pop-in than I remember from the PS3. I play better with the Xbox controller. 
 

Game 7: Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time

BEFORE: I've been playing through the Ratchet series with my son the past few weeks. This is supposed to be the best of the bunch, and I'm excited. 
 
AFTER: 15 minutes, first trophy, and I can already tell this is going to be a great one. Ratchet & Clank on the PS3 is what I expected games to be like in the far-flung future when all I played was platformers on my Amiga. The production values are sky high. My son's gonna be thrilled, too.
 

Game 8: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 

 
BEFORE: For Xbox Live Arcade games, I usually play the trial version up until I get the first achievement, then I buy the full version and cash in. This game I bought on a whim while looking through the XBLA titles. It feels a little wrong to be playing this after completing Shadow Complex, but I guess it's never too late to brush up on your gaming history. 
 
AFTER: I'm guessing the VO recording budget didn't break any industry records. I love the music, though. This game must have been pretty ground-breaking at the time. "Rampage" unlocked seven minutes in. Lost all my stuff. Need to pick this up again ASAP.

Here are the games I'm planning to get (I already have Valkria)  
 

• Super Street Fighter 4 (It was announced really quickly)
• UFC 2009 (Yukes should stick with Dana's Boys)
• GT5 (Come on, I know it will not have the firebird until DLC time but hey - DAMAGE - and not the sucky kind and not "The Player should had died Burnout damage)
• BlazBlue (Whatever new version coming out)
• Star Ocean 4 International (PS3) (Ok, This is the Enterprise version of the franchise and some say it got worse after a certain point - but Im a completist) 
• DMC4 (duh)
• Blitz The League (liked the first game)
• NBA The Show (Sony has gotten better with the Baseball Game and the Basketball game is damn close)
• Uncharted 1 and 2 
• Heavenly Sword 
• Folklore (Wanted to buy it because of the Japanese advert way back when)
• Ratchet and Clank (And the PSP version)
• Midnight Club LA (Played the other versions)
• Yakuza 3 (Better than GTA4 ever was)
• GTA4 (when they have all of the DLC the 360 has)
• Soul Caliber 4
• Other games such as White Knight Chronicles 1, Tekken 6, God of War Three etc

 
On the PSP side: 
 

• GTP (60 Frames, 800 cars and I hear you transfer data from there to GT5! What's not to like)
• MGS Peace Walker: When Naked Snake becomes the bad guy.
• Valkria 2 (when ever its ready)
• That Bancho game what ever its called
• Holy Badman (Dead Penguins are the new Cool Cats)
• Patapon (UK Version)
• Soul Caliber Broken Destiny (and sadly we cannot take Kratos to 4)
• Persona and Persona 3 (the first game back in 96 was done in the Dawson's Creek style - in someways it made it more authentic and in other-ways it fell flat)
• Other such games from Level 5, that will take years to translate...

 
That will take awhile for the PS3 side to get to 25 games (I have 30 something on the PS2 side) and more than I have for any version of the Gameboy on the PSP side (I have 15 now to add GTP later) Im gonna have to keep them in a safe place nobody will find them if you believe the conspiracies out on the net...
 
As for the WII... What did i tell yall? Its a damn mess I hear. Some choice info: 
  

System Menu 4.2 seems to be bricking non-HBCed Wiis. It doesn't matter whether you've ever installed the Homebrew Channel or hacked your Wii, people who have never even heard of HBC are having these issues.

The problem appears to lie with an incredibly shoddily programmed update to boot2 of the Wii. boot2 is basically the area that "starts up" the Wii. According to the people who have developed HBC, the code for Nintendo's updated boot2 is prone to making write errors, therefore making the possibility of bricking your Wii extremely high, whether or not you have ever hacked or modified your Wii.

Here some more: 
 
 And some more: 
 

The really simple version is that ECC is extra bits that can be used to get a good, error-free read even if some of the data is errored somehow.

All forms of storage—Flash, disk, whatever—have a certain tolerable amount of errors. Makes them cheaper since they don't have to junk so much in manufacturing. Using various strategies like bad block remapping and ECC, they then present a certain amount of reliable storage to the rest of the system.

As I understand it, the Nintendo update code wasn't doing ECC properly. So if your boot2 area had errors, the update was more likely to fail than with code that did write out the ECC bits properly. So, if there was some problem reading that area back, boot2 would come back corrupted.    

Now im not the greatest Computer Wiz out there, but when a thing need to "Start Up" said system - to prevent homebrew or pirates, fails because the homebrewers realized that thing used to start the system is "fucked already and we don't even touch it" - and then for that same company to go and fix a problem that isnt the cause of the issue - and have it mess up non - HBC systems reeks of very bad planning. There are more complicated issues with this and you should check (not that I condone this) the many boards and forums that deal with such things. 
 
Its proves a point I have. Ninty had us, but they didn't get us. Sony has recovered (50,000 for 4 weeks straight is still nothing to sneeze at in Japan) 360 has lower prices and is setting up Jasper (a bit too late though). This should be news right now - but give it 2 weeks -  the media is always late on these things.  
 
But why in gods name Ninty would create a boot up system that bricks the system during an update. They had over 30 - 50 some updates during the Wii's life span with no problems. As soon as they see a chance to hurt the sons of bitch pirates... they cant even do that right. 
 
So folks, you mean to tell me your girlfriends bought a system with 7 year old tech - for 261 bucks (ecomany of scale folks), sells 2.5 million during the bubble and now some of those wii's have the chance to brick? 
 
Sounds like a bad investment to me. Not unlike how the media makes a mockery of your GF's.  
 
But then again, maybe they will get it and realize Bayonetta and games like it wern't the bad boys or girls of Video Games. 
 
Maybe the bad boys, acted like the good guys - in order to save something they lost over the decade. Maybe Endgame was always right about the Wii and we are just getting to the truth. 
 
More later, with why I hate the Pirates - and why the Go should have waited a little "while" longer. 

Well, since I didn't have the ends I thought I would have this week, my gaming has been a bit...eh.  Instead of picking up MUA2 or Dirt 2 like I had hoped...or even getting the CDs I was planning on, I decided to do some discount game purchasing.  I had no particular games in mind when deciding the purchases. 
 
First, there is Mercenaries 2.  I hadn't really played the game too much (about 15 minutes on a demo when it came out), and I hated the first game.  However, I decided to give this a chance.  I now realize that I'm glad I only spent $7.00 on it.  Boring, stiff, and not very fun in the least.  Luckily, it has no achievement-adding DLC, so I'll 1K that and move on.  I just don't know when I'll decide to 1K it. 
 
Second, there is Spectral Force 3.  I've never heard of the game (which made me curious about how there are three of the games apparently).  I saw "Atlus" on the front and that it was a tactical/strategy RPG...kind of like Disgaea.  I like Disgaea...and TRPGs in general.  I picked it up.  It's an interesting game and I enjoy it (nothing like Disgaea, though)...although it seemed VERY weird not having a tutorial to explain the systems right at the beginning of the game.  You definitely gotta read the manual on this one.  I like a lot of the ideas that are in the game.  The difficulty curve definitely starts kicking your ass VERY quickly, and I haven't found a way to make my healer actually heal himself yet.  Don't know if that's possible.  While I like the game, I just really don't want to sink that much time into one game at the moment.  I'll probably pick that one back up sometime next year. 
 
Third, there is Midnight Club Los Angeles.  I LOVE the Midnight Club franchise.  It always represents to me everything that the Need for Speed franchise SHOULD be in recent years.  Los Angeles is ABSOLUTELY no exception to that rule!  I'm loving this game.  The environment feels very much alive, the cars are excellent, the feeling of arcade-style physics is well done, the online is pretty cool (and there are still plenty of people on it, surprisingly).  I'm seriously considering picking up the South Central Premium Upgrade (which I think is 1,000 MSP).  With as much time as I dumped into Midnight Club 3, I can see this stealing a lot of my time.  Luckily, I know that it won't, as I have a ton of games that I'm wanting to play right now.  I also want to point out that an update has since been added to the game that takes away that degree of crippling difficulty that Ryan mentioned in his initial review.  Therefore, if you haven't checked it out yet, it's on the cheaps at most retailers now.
 
Last up, there is the Red Faction Guerrilla DLC Pack 2.  This adds either multiplayer maps and two new game modes to the multiplayer component.  I haven't gotten to sit down with it yet, but it's downloaded and waiting for me to get off work.  I can't wait to check it out.  Just wish it had new achievements with it.  =  /
 
This one is a pretty short blog, mainly because I am starting to get this itch for making tons of lists.  I've only made two so far, but I have a feeling that I'm going to be coming up with some crazy ones.  Once I get the new character page I created approved, then my newest list will be complete!!! 
 
Until next time, piece.

Oh I am so happy. Thanks to Best Buy (Your 60 bucks insurance check is in the mail) i got the PS3, with arguably the two best games in the system - MGS4 and Killzone2. 

So, after getting slaughtered because of my negative opinions in my last blog, I'm going to go for something slightly more light hearted :).

• Left 4 Dead
  Left 4 Dead itself is an amazing game, but I only love playing it so much because of my friends. Whether you decide to play everyman for himself on versus or working seriously as a team, you can have a hell of a good time. The campaign keeps itself fresh with a different experience every time and the multiplayer brings a great sense of competitiveness to the whole online portion of the game. Playing as the infected is the funnest part of the versus mode, well aslong as your not playing as a smoker but can still sometimes feel frustrating. The three problems that come to mind are the large amount of people that try to cheat ,the use of the melee button against Hunters and the lack of multiplayer maps to play on. However with DLC on the horizon and patches being released that shouldn't be a problem.                                                                        

      
        The good in L4D heavily outweights the bad, so if you have the money and some friends. L4D is a must have.

• Fable 2
  I was a huge fan of the first Fable and the second has exceeded my expectations immensely. The plot though a little strange in places, was a large factor for me loving this game. The different characters and choices, give Fable 2 great replay value and makes your experience and character unique to everyone else's. Fable's humour and immersive world can have you playing for hours on end; your silent, customizable protagonist/ antagonist is one of the games best features and really brings your into Albion.
  
  I'm afraid this blog is gonna have to stay unfinished until tommorow/ Tuesday, so I'll add a few more games and details then.
  
  But for now, what are your favourite 360 games? and has anyone beat my friend Sean's 7,400 damage total as infected on L4D?

      

Normally my non-gaming topics go at the end, but how about I stick the garbage in the front?

Yeah, well I'm gonna do it anyway.


Hot For Teacher(s)

My job (which just concluded for the holidays) involved installing computers at public schools around the Central Coast and Hunter regions of New South Wales, Australia.

I've noticed a trend which has spiked since this time last year. That trend is beautiful Kindergarden teachers!

Where are these hotties coming from? Why did these teachers wait until now to emerge?

There was one particular school in which every female employee was attractive. Even the older office lady was quite the looker!

Maybe this should be used as a promotion for going to school. I still go!...

I have now realised that I have done practically nothing but go to school all my life. How depressing. Will I ever get a real job?


R* Trax

I recently purchased Midnight Club: Los Angeles. Most aspects of the game are good so far, but one thing that is a complete downer for me is the soundtrack. It makes the game feel like a Need For Speed game, which is certainly not what I'm looking for in a racing game.

At least N.E.R.D isn't in a soundtrack FOR ONCE.

I've dropped in my personal playlist that I use in Burnout Paradise and now use it in this game, so I guess everything works out. Metallica makes me drive better.


The Game That Never Comes

Guitar Hero: Metallica is my most anticipated title for 2009, and with some of the setlist being revealed I can say that I'm very pleased so far.

Quite honestly, I'd buy the game if "Wherever I may Roam" were the only track in the game. It certainly is in there, among many more significant tracks.

I urge everyone out there to put down their Street Fighters, Sonics and other junk and play something proper. Damn proper.


Rock Scam

In THIS interview Axl Rose talks about the possibility of Chinese Democracy making it to Rock Band as downloadable content. Of course with Shackler's Revenge already on Rock Band 2 this is just another tick on my conspiracy.

I might be on to their plan, and it's a pretty good one.

Some of their downloadable albums are missing a track, which just so happens to be in Rock Band 2. If you still only have the first Rock Band, you're getting screwed on the album DLC!

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters and Megadeth all have DLC albums from which one track is on RB2, and if Chinese Democracy releases for Rock Band, you can add Guns N' Roses to the list.

Of course this isn't a big deal at all and hardly a scam, but merely an observation. This is just an issue for me personally because Rock Band 2 hasn't released in Australia.

The real scam here is the tentative AU$50 price tag on the AC/DC Track Pack!

Maybe we can use this method to guess upcoming content?...



Billy Idol compilation confirmed!

elektrixxx.

So the new update came for Midnight Club Los Angeles that addresses the overwhelming difficulty in the game.  I played a good chunk last night and found it to be interesting.

So what they have basically done (or as it appears to me) is to make the Easy and Medium races less frustrating.  For these two specifically it seems easier to catch up to the AI if you wipe out and when you pass them.  If you dive flawlessly, you get get a good distance from them; however, if you do mess up and "wipe out" they can still fly past you because the game still has that rubber band AI thing where they catch back up to you.  For all difficulties they seem to have made it so that the opponents run into cars more which makes them more likely to "wipe out" themselves - this is where it gets kinda weird.  First thing, sometimes they just ram into cars and keep on going, and these "flying" cars sometime make you crash, and then makes it near impossible to catch back up on the Hard (Orange) and Hardest (Red) races.  Also, it seems that the only opponent prone to "wipe out" is the car closest to your position; so if you were in 4th, the only car that will "wipe out" is the one in 3rd.  This really doesn't make sense cus even if you pass that guy the guy in first is still driving flawlessly and it is always frustrating to catch up to that guy.
 
So all in all it is a smart update that makes the game more approachable; the Easy and Medium races are pretty easy now and can be beaten without much frustration.  You still miss those turns and screw up the whole race and whatnot, but that is Midnight Club.  It's a great game and now because of this update, the only frustrating races are the Hard and Hardest races, which, I guess is how it should be... but maybe not to that extent.

• Smackdown vs Raw 2009

• Midnight Club LA

The last Midnight Club game I played was 3 for my PS2 and I was crazy about it, unfortunately my sexy sexy love affair with this game came to an end when it got really scratched at a mates house. So I'm hoping I'll be able to pick up the sequel this December.

• Left 4 Dead

There's no question about me picking up L4D this Christmas and I don't think I need to go into much detail about it, seeing as the people I'll be playing it with have wrote more than enough about it. What I will say is I really can't wait to play it with ma boys! Its just a laugh and a great time, now just to decide whether to get it for Christmas or for my birthday.