Adrenaline

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I've been gaming for a while, currently on a decent PC and a PS3.  I try to play the big games on the other platforms too.
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Added by Adrenaline on Sept. 2, 2008 | |
Ridiculously Ambitious Attempt to Experience the Heart of Two-Dimensional Video Gaming, Part 1

So here's something I've been working on. I've been playing games for a long time, but I only really started playing significant ones during the PS1/N64 era. Before that, it was just what my relatives got me or just what I could get my hands on. I wanted to fill in the large gap in my knowledge and memories from back when games were made with sprites instead of polygons. I asked some people on the Internet to help, and they gave me a lot of great suggestions. These are almost all for the NES, SNES, Genesis, or original Game Boy, with some graphic adventures on the PC thrown in as well, mostly Lucasarts' SCUMM games. That's mostly what got recommended, and anything pre-Nintendo is too archaic to be worth anything besides historical significance at this point anyway. I will play as many of these games as possible, and while I can't guarantee I'll finish them all, I'll play long enough to give a valid opinion. So here's the first game, which segues nicely from what I've recently been playing.

Sam and Max Hit the Road (PC)

This is the comic book duo's first foray into video games until the much more recent episodic work by Telltale. I'm kind of working backwards through their history, as the Trade Paperback with all of their comics should be coming in the mail soon. The game obviously looks quite different, Sam and Max are the only characters that appear in the later games, and their voices are different. Still, they're the same people in the same world and it felt familiar. Their sense of humor might be a little more blunt in this, but it's just as funny. Their office and street are a bit different, but more or less comparable, and the game starts the same way, with the mysterious commissioner calling in about a new case that begins the adventure.

Being a full game and not just an episode, there's a bigger scope to the story, many more locations to visit, and more puzzles to solve, although it didn't really feel too much longer. When you know what to do, these old adventure games usually don't take too long, and since I don't have much patience for some of the logical leaps these games make you take, I wasn't afraid to look up and use hints. I don't feel bad about it, because the fun comes from the characters and dialogue, not being confounded by something and trying every item on every object. Most of what you have to do makes sense, but sometimes the solutions are highly specific without giving you much help about what's supposed to be happening. Also, I'm glad interfaces have been streamlined so much in modern adventures, because there's no reason that clicking on an elevator with the walk function selected should result in being told I have to "use" it, when it should be able to figure out what I'm trying to do. Hit the Road is actually one of the better SCUMM games about this it appears, and I slightly dread earlier ones that have a dozen different actions to sort through. It's better than having to type out what you want, but not by a lot. Besides this though, Hit the Road is a very funny and clever little game, and probably as good an example as any of this dying genre's good points.

Next: A young boy fights to save the kingdom from evil.


Added by Adrenaline on July 24, 2008 | |
Here are my thoughts on every demo I've played through the PS3's online network.

BlackSite: Area 51 - I like the concept, but the controls didn't handle that well, and the first time I died it sent me back to the title screen. I never tried it again.

Bladestorm - I don't get it, it looks like it should be a third person hack-and-slash with troops at your disposal, but all you can do is command them with no attacks of your own.

The Bourne Conspiracy - I couldn't even finish the demo before I got fed up with the game. They claim it's based on the books since they couldn't get Matt Damon's likeness rights, but it's clearly a barely interactive rehash of the action scenes from the movies with poor combat.

Burnout Paradise - I hate the announcer, and I wish there were a couple more events available, but it looked great and was a lot of fun to barrel down the highway and knock other cars off the road.

Clive Barker's Jericho - The visual style and premise is kind of cool, but the basic shooting gameplay isn't that fun and I'm tired of timed button presses.

The Club - I don't really like time pressure elements, but I still had a pretty good time racing around, finding enemies to kill to keep my multiplier up. Hard to tell if it could stay fun over a whole game, though.

Conan - There's some hilarious over-the-top violence, but the game itself looks and plays horribly.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot - Succeeds at its goal of being creepy as hell. Looks to be an interesting continuation of a story I don't know much about, and beating the crap out of psychotic freaks with blunt instruments is extremely visceral.

Dark Sector - Pretty solid shooting action, very derivative of Gears of War but the glaive makes it interesting. Boss fight was pretty bad, though.

Devil May Cry 4 - It's more Devil May Cry, which is cool. I like the Devil Bringer a lot, it adds a new dynamic that makes the combat a lot more fluid and constant.

Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit - Really impressive anime-esque cel-shaded graphics, less impressive but still fun combat system.

Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM - Combine two of the most-milked franchises from Japan to create something that's not very interesting or fun.

echochrome - I like the style and concept quite a bit. The execution seemed a little strange, but it's probably something you get used to after playing for a while.

Folklore - A little linear in design, but it looks nice and it's fun to yank out souls.

Genji: Days of the Blade - I liked the demo of the original PS2 game, but the basic hack-and-slash just feels off. Also, GIANT ENEMY CRAB.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - I couldn't find very much actual gameplay in the limited time I had, just magically moving around benches and playing a marble game.

Haze - The gameplay didn't seem bad and the jungle setting was better than the typical stuff, and I liked that the power-up gimmick wasn't bullet time for once. Still, the game got destroyed by critics so I probably won't pursue it farther.

Heavenly Sword - Pretty awesome looking, not a fan of the timed button presses again but the sword combat is fun.

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men - I have a hard time saying good things about it with the whole Gerstmann fiasco, but it's a pretty decent time. Aim's a little slow but the shooting is solid and I like the setting and style.

Major League Baseball 2K7 - Hitting is too hard, but I like baseball.

MLB 08: The Show - Convinced me enough to purchase my first sports game in years, although that wasn't completely the game itself's doing.

Motorstorm - I don't play many racing games but this one seemed pretty fun.

Overlord: Raising Hell - I like the idea of an action-RPG thing where you have tons of minions to do your bidding, but what they showed might have been too simplistic. It would have helped to see some normal gameplay instead of just a bunch of tutorial stuff.

Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction - I love the PS2 games, and this convinced me quickly they're going back to the greatness that was the series pre-Deadlocked.

Resistance: Fall of Man - I didn't like it at first, I'm not a fan of the slow-moving bullets and the apparent difficulty, but after skipping the first level, I got through the second and then went back and beat the first. Good looking, fairly fun shooting.

The Simpsons Game - For a game that makes fun of stupid game design, they shouldn't use it as a crutch so much. Not funny, either.

Siren: Blood Curse - Fairly creepy, and decent looking for a downloadable product. Not a big horror fan, but it could be fun for people who are.

Skate - I love this, for some reason. The complex controls make it much more satisfying and believable when you pull off something cool, and video editing is nice.

Stranglehold - Completely over the top, basically Max Payne on speed. Lots of fun shooting and doing ridiculous things in slow motion.

Timeshift - The time powers don't add enough to the rather generic shooting to make it seem worthwhile.

Tom Clancy's GRAW 2 - Tactical shooters don't interest me much, but I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Tony Hawk's Proving Ground - The basic play mechanics are still pretty good, but after Skate, they just seem less compelling. Also, the writing, animation, and voice acting in the cutscenes were all terrible.

Turok - It looks kind of cool, and stabbing dinosaurs in the head is always fun, but I think the aiming is a little too terrible to warrant a real look.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - I already reviewed the full game, but the demo sold me on it completely, interesting combat system, great style, good cutscenes.



Added by Adrenaline on July 23, 2008 | |
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway - Second year in a row. Looked nice, especially the increased focus on story. Never played many tactical shooters, though.

Crysis Warhead - If it can do what the original couldn't and run at a decent level on my computer, I definitely want to check it out.

Dead Space - Creepy looking survival horror in space. Could be pretty cool.

Fallout 3 - I'm pumped for this. Bethesda's basically making Oblivion in a post-apocalyptic setting, which is all they really need to say for me to want it.

Fable 2 - I thought it looked pretty good. The amount of depth to the world is much more impressive than the combat system.

Far Cry 2 - I'm playing the original right now, but I want to get my hands on this soon - really open and dynamic shooter, could be quite interesting.

Gears of War 2 - The new level they showed looked like a fun, and they showed new features like shields, capturing enemies, and hinted at riding a Brumak, which would be great. The first Gears was a really good shooter and there's no reason the sequel won't be as entertaining.

inFAMOUS - That's the official syntax? Whatever. The idea is cool and I like Sucker Punch as a studio, but they didn't show anything in the demo that would actually compel me to try the game.

Mercenaries 2 - Another return to last year. Blowing the hell out of things in South America still looks highly entertaining.

Prince of Persia - Looks like it will be too easy, but the interesting graphics and fact that it's a new Prince of Persia game makes me still want it.

Project Origin - The sequel to FEAR has potential, although the city streets they've shown don't seem very interesting.

Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty - It being downloadable for 15 bucks and a direct sequel to Tools of Destruction makes it appealing to Ratchet fans, and being short and not requiring that game to play should make it appealing to people who haven't tried the series before.

Resident Evil 5 - Might be too similar to RE4, but the producer said they'll show some changes soon that might surprise us. I'd still be pleased with a nicer looking game that played like 4.

Resistance 2 - I still haven't played the original, but the level they showed look sweet if unpolished, fighting against a gigantic boss, and the trailer set the mood quite well.

Resistance: Retribution - A PSP game that fills in the gap between the two console games. I'm not into Resistance really, but I guess it didn't look bad for an early handheld shooter.

Rock Band 2 - It looks like Rock Band, and it adds a bunch more songs and will include the ability to import most of the songs from the first game (which may cost a fee). So it will be good.

Too Human - Eh. The mix of repetitive hack-and-slash RPG combat and clumsily implemented action elements make it look like a jack of all trades that will really please no one.


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Reviewed by Adrenaline
Jan. 8, 2009
Prince of Persia


Prince of Persia isn't as good as the better parts of the trilogy from the previous generation, but it's a solid beginning to another chapter in the franchise's history. The only thing I can really say it does definitively better is the visuals, and the game really does look amazing. It's not just the technical proficiency of the same engine that did Assassin's Creed, with a consistent frame rate despite massive draw distances. The art style, which the developers call "illustrative", is just gorgeous to look at. Just looking at the environment, especially once it's been healed and returned to its former glory, is always fun. It helps slightly obscure the fact that the gameplay is a bit more limited than I usually like. It might be a mental thing, but the acrobatic platforming seems more forced than it did before. In earlier games, you had to run along walls, swing on polls, climb up columns, and so on to find your way around the world, but you still felt like you were in a place that existed, whether it was a collapsing castle or a city overrun with monsters. Prince of Persia mostly feels like a video game environment with a pretty coat of paint. The platforming is more directly laid out, with specific paths to the next area obviously laid out, just waiting for you to press the right sequence of buttons. The fun of figuring out how you actually get somewhere before you do it is gone, and while running, jumping and grabbing is still enjoyable, and even more out there with new things like clambering across the ceiling, it's only a part of the puzzle.

I also feel like the combat is a big step backwards. People complained about the fighting in the earlier games, and for good reason. Battles went on for too long, and adding a complicated combo system didn't help much. The new game's combat seemed like a good approach at first, with an intuitive attack system and some interesting bosses, but it just got worse as it went on. Enemies start to change into forms that only allow for a specific sort of attack, limiting the freedom that made it interesting, and begin to use way too many scripted moves that require you to hit or mash a button to avoid it, turning it into a tiring affair. Fighting the same boss six times before it was finally finished didn't help keep things interesting, either.

In the same spirit as Farah, sort of, the game introduces Elika, your companion throughout the game. She ends up being important to the gameplay as well as the story, and luckily she's pretty likable. Instead of the ability to rewind time when you screw up and fall to your death, Elika uses her powers to save you and return you to the last place you were safe. While platforming, this means the last normal spot you could stand on, and in combat, it gives the enemy a chance to recover health. Some people think this makes the game too easy, but really it's just different. In some situations, it's actually less forgiving than rewinding time. If you were prone to running out of the sands in earlier games, then dying would send you back to the last checkpoint, and in that way, Elika was helpful. But generally, being returned to where a platforming segment began is harsher than just rewinding a bit to undo a tiny mistake partway through, and her magic actually promotes an awkward tactic in combat. Each subsequent time she saves you, the enemy recovers a smaller portion of their health, so if you have a tendency to screw up while fighting, it makes sense to fail on purpose in the beginning, so doing so later in the fight is less of a setback. Not that it's usually a problem, because it's not Elika that makes the game really easy so much as the overall design of the game, which tends to lead you by the nose to the next plot point.

Although thankfully the plot is decent enough. I'm not a huge fan of the voice actors, who work fine as normal people, but sound out of place in the game's outlandish fantasy setting. You can stop and talk to Elika throughout the game, and too often early on they just try to be clever and it can often fall flat. But as time goes on, they get more serious about their quest and start to know more about each other as people. Even the incidental dialogue while you're running around evolves to show a growing connection between them. The personal relationship makes the otherwise somewhat uninspired plot a bit more engrossing. I wonder how dynamic the story really is, considering the amount of choice you have with how you play through the game. I don't generally think that a world that can be seen in a variety of orders is necessarily more interesting than a carefully constructed single path, but it would be interesting if I ever played it again to see how it changes by going through it in a completely different way. Eventually you heal all the lands and defeat all the enemies and come to the final part of the game back where you started. The whole finale, with the unusual perspective while fighting the boss, and the interactive ending that forces you to do something you might not want to, is pretty compelling, and shows how game designers are continuing to evolve how their products present story. And while the inevitable cliffhanger is a bit disappointing, the actual emotional weight of the decisions made is more than I really expected from the game. In general I find fault with many of the things Prince of Persia does, but I think it's worth experiencing.



Reviewed by Adrenaline
July 21, 2008
Beyond Good & Evil


It's truly sad that nobody played this game, because it is a gem and available for all 3 previous-gen systems. It's a mix of Zelda-style puzzle-focused dungeons and exploration with sci-fi themes and a heavy emphasis on stealth. I think the design succeeds more than the actual execution in some parts. Jade isn't the best-controlling main character ever, but the design IS great, and she's the star of one of the better game stories I've ever experienced... I'm not talking about your crazy RPG plots, I'm saying I actually gave a damn about the characters and felt for them. Truly a game that everyone should play. My only real problem was that completing the story required you to collect a bunch of pearls to repair your vehicle, and that can get tedious.



Reviewed by Adrenaline
July 21, 2008
Half-Life 2: Episode One


Episode One is the continuation of, in my opinion, the best first person shooter of all time. The gameplay engine remains simply the most enjoyable to just run around and shoot things in, and Valve's level design is impeccable. Everything here is created with the intention of making a good video game combined with a strong narrative experience. I love the way Half-Life presents its story, it's just a much more immersive world than almost anything else.

I miss exploring the wide open countryside around City 17, and the game is a bit short even for only being 1/3 of a game, so it might not have been as good if it weren't for one thing - Alyx, thanks to a combination of great voice acting and the best facial animation I've ever seen in a game, is one of the most endearing and likable game characters ever. I really care what happens to her, and it wouldn't be the same if she wasn't around, watching my back. This is one of the times where graphics actually matter in pushing a game over the edge. I can't wait to battle Hunters out in the wilderness in Episode Two.



Reviewed by Adrenaline
July 21, 2008
Shadow of the Colossus


I am conflicted. The main focus of Shadow of the Colossus is obviously the battle with the Colossi, and the game completely nails this. The fights are amazing. I found about 2 to be more annoying than fun, the rest were a blast to run around, scale, and smite. But what if this was a Zelda-style action-adventure game with puzzle-filled dungeons and towns scattered around the vast countryside with people to interact with (the towns are less necessary), and the Colossus battles were the focus and the main conflict, not the entire game? The Colossi ARE awesome, but that's all there is. The environment is beautiful but really not very interesting to explore. I would truly love this game if it just felt complete. Also, I wasn't a fan of the controls, and how
when you take damage from a strong attack, you fall over, and it takes you about ten seconds to stand up, which usually gives the enemy enough time to prepare and hit you again, repeating the process. If you can't tell from my description, this is NOT COOL. Although I really dug the connection to ICO.



Reviewed by Adrenaline
July 21, 2008
Sam & Max Episode 1: Culture Shock


Being the first of six parts of a "season" of new content, and costing only 9 dollars, Culture Shock is allowed to be short. And it is short. Even if you make sure to click on everything and see every last snippet of dialog, it will only take you a couple hours to see all there is to see. The jokes are a bit hit and miss, but they mostly hit. Some of the puzzles are a little annoying or take some cajoling to get working, but it's pretty satisfying when you figure out what you need to do. This isn't some major new release to get sucked into, it's a charming, enjoyable bit of nostalgic adventure gaming. Take a break from whatever hardcore game you're plowing through and have some relaxing fun.



Reviewed by Adrenaline
July 21, 2008
God of War


I can't tell if my opinion was affected by the tons of praise this got. It's definitely a good game. But I really can't see how it deserves PS2 Game of the Year over Shadow of the Colossus, Resident Evil 4 and Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. Or in the case of awards givers who cut off holiday games until the next year, how it's better than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal. Anyway, God of War is a fun game. The combat is very fluid and rewarding, as you progress and become more powerful as the game goes on. There's fairly good enemy variety, although I wish we could have seen a few more centaurs and sirens instead of an overdose of undead soldiers and harpies, and that the Cerberus were just there instead of starting as annoying little shits that spawn like popcorn.

The combat isn't why I like it though, what I really like are the adventure elements and the story. Although it seemed a bit long, the Temple of Pandora was a brilliantly designed area, and really pulled off the feel of an epic, hazardous dungeon. And the cutscenes were more interesting than I expected, by the end I understood Kratos a bit more and wanted to help him kill Ares. The animation on Kratos' double jump is pathetic, but the platforming is fairly enjoyable for a non-platforming game. What really hurt the game was the design on the whole end of it, starting in Hades. They were just lazy (or short on time) here, instead of making what could have been a really cool area, they just threw a bunch of enemies on steroids and idiotic spinning spike hazards at you, and it really isn't fun or interesting. We're nearing the climax, I'm not supposed to be getting bored. After that you fight Ares, and the whole sequence with him is no good either. After the creativity of the first two boss fights, Ares is just a cheap bastard who blocks all of your attacks and winning the final conflict is more about luck than skill. The only redeeming part about the end is how they tied off the end with the gravedigger. So, overall, a fun game, but it's lacking in ways that make it hard to call truly great.



Reviewed by Adrenaline
July 21, 2008
Call of Duty


Call of Duty's creators, who split off from the original Medal of Honor team, manage to do something that seemed to be missing from that other World War II series - make it intense. You're never too far from dying and the extremely loud, chaotic battles are broken up once in a while with an uneasy silence.

The game has many great set pieces that make you really feel like a war hero, fighting alongside your allies and comrades... parachuting into D-Day, holding a bridge from a large siege, storming into Stalingrad with nothing but a few bullets in your hand. It does get a little silly sometimes, especially in the British campaign, when you clear out and take down a heavily fortified dam singlehandedly, race to an air base, and hold off several bomber planes with a single turret.

It's a very fun, exciting shooter, enhanced by the presentation which is strong even now, although I wish more time was spent fighting alongisde large groups rather than by yourself or with a few others.



Reviewed by Adrenaline
July 21, 2008
Guitar Hero


I don't usually play games that I perceive as having no point, sports games, racing games, and music games. But I tried Guitar Hero and decided to pick it up, because unlike DDR and its ilk, I find it fun as hell. In most rhythm games, you're just timing button presses (or footsteps) to some music and getting points. I don't find it very compelling. But in Guitar Hero, you're not playing along, you're actually creating the music yourself. If you mess up a part, you don't just lose points and get closer to failing, the guitar part drops out. When you get it right, it's like you're actually playing these famous riffs yourself, and that makes all the difference. The controls take a bit of getting used to, but before long you'll be rocking out harder than you thought you could. In just a week I've gone from bad to capable of doing well on the hard difficulty. The more complex the tune, the more satisfying it is when you execute it perfectly. It's also a ton of fun with friends. Check it out if you like fun.



Reviewed by Adrenaline
July 21, 2008
Bully


It's cool to see one of these sandboxy, open world games that has a tighter approach and doesn't have a gangster theme to it. It's actually not that open, it would have been cool to play the different factions against each other, but all you really do is proceed through the storyline missions, gaining the respect of all the groups before the final showdown. Having to go to class and stuff like that could have gotten in the way, but it's fairly easy to skip class if you want to, and once you've passed them all, not only do you not have to go anymore, but you get a lot of new moves and upgrades that help you out with the rest of the game.

It's slightly awkward at times, but the story is entertaining, and this is probably the funniest video game I've ever played. It's stuffed to the brim with funny moments and dialogue from the various school kids. The combat system is fun too, you have plenty of moves to make fist fights enjoyable and there are a lot of clever non-lethal weapons to play with. It's a bit glitchy in spots, but it's definitely a fun experience.



Reviewed by Adrenaline
July 21, 2008
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey


It's a little hard to rate Dreamfall, but what it hinges on is whether you think a game that clearly ignores gameplay in favor of story is worthy of a good score if that story is good. If you don't you will hate Dreamfall. But I choose to view it as more of an interactive story than a normal game, which is what it was designed to be, and it succeeds well at that.

The gameplay is pretty bad... the normal adventure gameplay is okay, but fairly simple. The main problems come from the stealth elements, which are poorly realized, and the combat, which is completely putrid. It's comically bad. It also makes one of the three characters you play seem completely worthless, as his story is much less fleshed out than that of the other two and all he does is fight a few people.

But what the game focuses on, the writing and story, are excellent. The characters are generally very well developed and sympathetic, and especially in the magical world of Arcadia, often quite funny. Some awkward animations slightly reduce the effectiveness of the dialogue and voice acting which is much more believable than most games. Despite a couple bits like the increasingly cliche creepy little girl and evil mega corporation, the story is a unique and deeply engrossing tale that grabbed me and kept me playing late into the night to find out how it will all end, which unfortunately it really didn't. The game ends on a cliffhanger with many threads left unresolved, and I hope the final game is released somewhat soon so I can see the end. I do know I will definitely be checking out the first game to see what happens there in the meantime.




84 Points
Ranked #2389 of 27,132

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