alpha99

I'm getting bad at this, it has been nearly a month since I last wrote and I am pretty mad at myself for not keeping up with something I used to enjoy. Anyway, a whole bunch of games have arrived since I last wrote so there is plenty to talk about. I'm going to try to keep it concise as to avoid having to write for three hours... but here is what is on tap for this entry: Forza Motorsport 3, Dragon Age: Origins, Modern Warfare 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. We're Oscar Mike! (we'll talk about that in a moment)

Forza Motorsport 3 (October 27, 2009)
I picked up the LCE version of Forza 3 on release date, but after having a great time playing with the people in the Forza Paintshop Union, I had trouble going back to playing the single player stuff. You see I put the AI on Easy because I hate AI cars... that is one of the reasons I love Burnout so much, smacking into other cars is part of the game, but in a sim like Forza 3 all the AI does is bust up your car because they still don't really respect your space. The problem with Easy is that once you get in front of the pack you only really have the clock to race which is far less interesting. The new season mode is also a neat take on the sim career mode, but still falls on the old "win every race" mentality which gets tiresome fast (another good reason to put the AI on easy). But the driving physics are spot on and the game is really fun to play especially if you can get a field of friends to race with, you'll have a riot.

Dragon Age: Origins (November 3, 2009)
I'm not really sure what to think about DA so far... on one hand I like the conversation trees and the gameplay is pretty fun. But I got up to this part in the game where it feels really contrived, like it's completely designed to take a million years to complete. You have traverse these mazes slowly collecting powers so that you can gain access to a room that you couldn't before... I don't want to spoil anything, but I am having trouble convincing myself that I want to deal with it again. It probably wasn't the best place to stop playing, but I'd bet this thing would take three or four hours to complete just on its own. I'll have to get back to you on Dragon Age once I get passed this sticking point.

Modern Warfare 2 (November 10, 2009)
I'm not going to trouble you too much with praise for this game... it's really good. But I do want to talk about the story for a second, don't worry there are no spoilers, but there are just a couple of elements that need to be discussed. First the controversial Airport Massacre; you know what, it's not a cool thing in the least, but these aren't real people and really this is no different from the hoards of pedestrians you kill while playing GTA or games like it. It really does set up the bad guy as a serious bastard. The other thing about the story is there are no less than 2 betrayals in the storyline and they play out exactly the same, I mean it's almost the same cut-scene. They also play the death card a couple of times, but neither of which have the same impact as the dying soldier in CoD 4. Finally, the use of the term "Oscar Mike" (On the Move) is insane, you'll never want to hear it again.

As for the the length, it is short (maybe too short) as it took me just over 5 hours on Normal, but the real difference maker is that it is probably the most exciting and intense 5 hours you'll ever spend playing videogames (at least this year). It's a rush, it's intense and there are some amazing must see moments even though the story could have used some smoothing out. Of course if all you intend to do is play the single player then it's not really worth buying, but if you liked the multiplayer than you'll be hooked all over again and they way the perks are designed this time give the game a more balanced faster play s.tyle though it still quite a bit about using cover and holding an advantageous position as you can't take much damage, more than moving around the battlefield; you can run and gun, but you are going to DIE A LOT (most likely)... though careful and aware players can move around the maps just fine. MW2 isn't the "greatest ever" but it is another great game from Infinity Ward.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii (November 15, 2009)
I haven't played too much of NSMBWii, but it seems like a good game from what I have played so far. I have completed the first world and a couple levels of the second. It controls great, though shaking the remote to so spins is kind of awkward. I'll have more soon, when I get some more play time in between MW2 sessions.

Closing Out
I am going to try to write more often in the next little while, I still have my 2009 Wrap Ups planned for late December and I still have to play more Dragon Age and such before I can really give more precise thoughts, so there should enough reason to write. Talk to you soon. Loading Complete!