C0V3RT
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What I'm Playing
Added by C0V3RT on Oct. 19, 2009
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I'm probably playing the same thing everyone else is, but have felt inclined to write about it.  I know listening to the Bombcast, one of my favorite parts is just what the crew is playing and their take on games.  Maybe someone out there is like me and finds it interesting?
 
For the Toys-R-Us, B1G1F I bought Brutal Legend (360), Uncharted 2, and Dead Space Extraction.  Won't get into it, but I ended up with two copies of Dead Space Extraction and managed to flip one to Best Buy (spare me the moral ethics crap) for Saw (360).  I also ordered Demon's Souls off Amazon and have that en route.  Okami ( Wii) and Far Cry 2(360) are sitting on the shelf waiting to crack into.
 
Achievement wise, I ran through Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.  $20 was totally worth it to play Sonic Spinball again.  In addition, I'm grinding my way towards a couple NCAA Football 10 achievements, more specifically the one that involves winning every bowl game trophy.  Little more then half way there - but even with 1 minute quarters it's a drag.  I played the crap out of NCAA Football 09 last year, but have hardly played any this year.
 
I ran through Uncharted so I'd know what to expect in Uncharted 2.  A co-worker loaned it to me months ago and never got around to playing it.  Great story, loved the characters ( although someone please tell developers that there are other voice actors out there then Nolan North), combat was total shit.  I've been playing games for a long time, and I've got a pretty good idea how to kill dudes in FPS'.  Nothing was more agitating then having a head shot register less then half the time.  Pumping 4 to 6 bullets into a dude also agitated the crap out of me.  Most of the time I died, I didn't feel like it was my fault or because I could have done something better.  I'm glad to hear Uncharted 2 fixes these problems and am just waiting to complete Brutal Legend before jumping into it.
 
I've been sinking some time into firefight mode in Halo 3: ODST.  At first I was totally turned off by ODST but the more I played the less awful it got.  I still need to run through on legendary difficulty but am in no rush.  I've only got two firefight maps to complete in Chasm 10 and Rally Point.  The challenging part for me and the guys I play with is the round where black eye is on.  If we can make it through that wave, we're golden.  I still need to throw in the multiplayer disc that came with ODST and get some skulls.  We're still on the fence about doing the rest of the multiplayer achievements.
 
I've played the first hour or so of Brutal Legend.  Really not digging that game.  Outside of a few spots, I don't think it's funny.  The RTS elements get in the way of enjoying some of the missions.  I'll keep grinding away at it to give it a fair shake, but it's been a huge letdown thus far.
 
As I noted earlier, I picked up Saw on the 360.  I'll be honest that I totally anticipated the game to be junk and there were better games out there I could have got - but I'm a fan of the movies (yes, they've been down hill since Saw 2) and am getting amped up for Saw VI.  As a survival horror game, the game has never really scared me yet.  I've had plenty of tense moments though.  An example being the shotgun collar.  Your character wears a shotgun collar and if gets to close to another character wearing a shotgun collar for more then a few seconds, your collar goes off and dies.  This can be averted from bolting doors and running back if you see a guy running at you with a collar on.  I found myself on the edge of my seat frantically hitting 'A' to close the door and 'X' to bolt it while the dude was only feet away.  What bugs me about the game is the liberty it takes with the Saw story.  The game takes place in an asylum and the movies take place in a warehouse and abandoned meat packing plant.  In addition, in the movies most of Jigsaw's traps are directed people who have done wrong and must make a self sacrifice to live.  The game involves your character being responsible for saving the lives of others.  I can totally see why this was done from a game play perspective, but it bugs me.  I'll probably write a review after I complete the game but I'm sitting between two and three stars.
 
Other then that, looking forward to Ballad of Gay Tony next week. 
 
I want to give A Boy and his Blob a try at some point.  I remember renting that game as a little kid and loving it even though I had no idea what to do.  For anyone younger and hasn't experienced the original NES version, it's a must try.  The game gives you zero instruction.  Through trial and error and memorization you learn what each jelly bean would  do.
 
Ultimately, I probably will need to curb my game buying next month.  I blew out my tire on the way into work Sunday and had to dump $600 into my car for new tires and repair.  I need to replace my brake pads too.  I can't decide what I'll pass on.  I'm not a huge Call of Duty/Modern Warfare guy but I think I'd be the only guy not playing that come November.  I enjoyed Assassin's Creed but am not going crazy about Assassin's Creed 2.  I'm most excited about Left 4 Dead 2 but the people I play Left 4 Dead with online aren't the most dependable when it comes to hopping online. 
 
I've played Scribblenauts here and there.  The novelty has long worn off.  My fiance is really enjoying it though.  Glad someone is.
 
Finally, my friend has modded my PSP.  He's supposed to give it back to me late this week and he said he threw a few roms on there including Persona, so maybe I'll actually play my PSP for more then a few minutes for the first time in a few years.    

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$60 for Saw?!?!
Added by C0V3RT on Sept. 29, 2009
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The other day I was sitting out to budget October and one of the first items I budget out outside of living essentials is gaming budget.  Recalling "Saw" was due out in October, check out amazon to see the game was launching at a full $60 price tag - this really surprised me. 
 
I should establish that I appreciate the Saw movie series.  The first one was awesome and while 2-5 haven't been at the original's quality level, it's still my guilty pleasure movie series and own all of the movies on Blu-Ray and always catch the newest in theaters. 
 
So this game should be targeted at me, right? 
 
I won't rip on the game until I've played it.  Even if it was total garbage - I'd still buy it.  But $60 for a game based on a movie series that you either love or you hate seems a bit steep.  If you look at 3rd person "gore" games like Madword and Manhunt - it's a wonder what Konami is thinking not putting this out at a lower price as I can't imagine this game will be moving a whole lot of copies. 
 
Based on what the game is and other games in it's genre - Saw has price drop written all over it.  My guess is by December, $40 which what feels right in the first place.  By January - $20 as an Amazon.com game deal of the day.

Related to: SAW

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RIP Lone Wanderer (80 hrs:15min:19sec)
Added by C0V3RT on Aug. 5, 2009
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Having just beat Mothership Zeta, the last reported Fallout 3 DLC - I wanted to take a moment to look back and give my final thoughts on Fallout 3. 
 
I loved the game as a whole.  Having never played any of the previous Fallout games and not liking Oblivion very much, I questioned last year why I pre-ordered it.   
 
This game was easily one of my favorite games I've played, ever.  Sure, there are games out there that handle specific aspects better then Fallout 3 did.  However with my experience, there was always something to do or someplace to see.  The characters were compelling.  The story sucked me in.  The DLC added life beyond the intial game. 
 
It's a shame the game ends with DLC like Mothership Zeta.  The whole DLC felt like someones pipedream and didn't fit into the Fallout 3 universe at all.  Most of the time while playing it, I felt like I was playing Prey...except the ship was considerably less interesting...and the guns weren't as cool...and the plot wasn't as compelling.  Coming off Point Lookout, which I adored, I had high hopes despite my skepticisim about Fallout 3 going to space.
 
If I had to rank the DLC, I'd rank: 
1 - Point Lookout 
2 - Broken Steel 
3 - The Pitt 
4 - Mothership Zeta 
5 - Operation Anchorage 
 
Mothership Zeta really felt like a cop out and for me is kind of a sour note to end the DLC on.  I would buy future Fallout 3 DLC in a heart beat should Bethesda opt to crank any more out. 
 
I may go back in due time to tie up a few loose achievements.  The only ones I'm missing are the karma achievements (Bad: Level 8, 14, 20 and 30 and Neutral: 8, 14, 20 and 30).  I could get the 30 achievements for bad and neutral by loading up my save prior to MZ and play for about an hour and a half or so.  I don't have the time to start from scratch and go back to dump anther 80 to 160 hours into this game. 
 
On that note, quick thanks to Bethesda for making such an awesome game and supporting it with great (for the most part) downloadable content.  Thanks to my fiance for putting up with me neglecting her for 80 hours or so while I played the game.  
  
So as it stands right now...RIP Lone Wanderer, October 28, 2008 - August 5, 2009.  80 hours, 15 minutes, 19 seconds.
Related to: Fallout 3

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My Prototype vs inFamous take
Added by C0V3RT on July 1, 2009
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Because I like talking about things that have already been overly discussed, I figured I'd throw in my two cents on Prototype vs Infamous.  I know I'm a little late to the party, but better late then never.

Months before Prototype came out, I bought into the hype.  I actually held off on getting inFamous because of Prototype.  I eventually played both (I finished inFamous within the hour of writing this) and while both games are fun, I enjoyed inFamous quite a bit more.

Ultimately, inFamous felt more like a conventional sandbox game.  Empire City felt a lot like the city in Crackdown with a dash of Grand Theft Auto.  I really felt like I was a part of the city and enjoyed roaming and scaling buildings.  Even though this phrase bugs the hell out of me, Empire City felt more alive. In the case of Prototype, while I can appreciate trying to recreate New York City, I spent most of my time running up buildings and gliding from rooftop to rooftop to the designated point of my mini map.  The city never felt big or very real as the only time I went down in the streets was when a mission required me to or when I was nabbing a Web of Intrigue target.

I also felt more of an attachment to the characters in inFamous.  While I totally think Alex could kick Cole's ass, Cole seemed more human to me.  The supporting cast in inFamous was more developed as well.  I'm still wondering what the hell happened to Alex's sister after I dropped her off with the doctor - I can only assume she's still in a coma.  Although the morality choices in inFamous were very in your face, I totally didn't mind them.

The one thing I liked quite a bit more about Prototype was the combat.  It was really satisfying to elbow drop a tank from 500 feet in the air.  The hand to hand combat felt very hack n' slash which I dug.  The combat with inFamous was okay at best.  I felt like most of the time I was zapping dudes which seemed to take forever, or throwing grenades.  I also really noticed a difference when I upgraded powers in Prototype as opposed to inFamous – upgrades in Prototype really felt like upgrades.

When I was initially scoring Prototype, I had to remove my let down from the hype. I initially settled on 4/5 stars.  After playing inFamous, which feels more polished then Prototype, I'd also give it 4/5 stars and probably bump down Prototype to a 3/5.  Infamous is easily the best PS3 game I've played this year and is the most I've played my PS3 since Little Big Planet.

Ultimately the real winner is the PS3 owner (for once) as they can play both of these great games.  The most confusing thing to me around the time of the Prototype launch was the PS3 enthusiasts just ripping in Prototype which to me was like cutting off your nose to spite your face. The more appropriate rip would have been how 360 owners can't play inFamous.

Moral of the story: I liked inFamous quite a bit more then Prototype but if you have the chance to play both - do it.

Related to: inFAMOUS, Prototype

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Capcom Games Artificially Difficult?
Added by C0V3RT on March 31, 2009
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I'm composing this in the aftermath of beating 5-3 in Resident Evil 5 on Professional.  If anyone's done this or dabbled in professional, you may understand where I'm coming from.

The point I'd like to bring up is that Capcom's recent games seem to be artificially hard.  I'm all for a challenge and getting my moneys worth, or experiencing something challenging if it makes me better in the log run.  However looking at some recent titles, I see neither.  Rather then cranking up the difficulty I see cranking up the cheap.  If you're thinking about writing some dumb response, let me save you the time.  I just suck.  I'm a n00b.  You > Me.  Whatever it is you kids say now-a-days to put down other people...look no further.

Now that that's out of the way...

Let me use Resident Evil 5 as it's freshest on my, and I'm sure many others, mind.  I'm not ragging on the game.  Read my previous blog post and you'll read some RE5 love and say it's my GOTY at the 1/4 way point.  Inherently, the inventory system is jankey.  I think The Escapist (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/624-Resident-Evil-5) puts it best when saying that an egg takes up as much space as an artillery round.  Whatever, you learn to deal with it and once you start unlocking unlimited ammo it's really a moot point.  Much has been said about Sheva's partner AI.  For the most part I found her useful - especially when she was pulling off amazing shots saving us from impending doom.  Everything is out the window when playing Professional.  Yes, I understand it's an unlockable mode that's supposed to be difficult, but this is difficult to the point where when I clear a troublesome spot, rather then sigh with relief - I'd rather jump up and repeadly do a pelvic thrust towards my TV while yelling "IN YOUR FACE".  Myself and Sheva are each rolling around with fully upgraded handcannons with unlimited ammo and rocket launchers with unlimited ammo, and while it's helping - isn't excusing the fact my bleed out time is execllerated and I'm standing right next to Sheva, and rather then heal me, she'd rather focus on shooting someone on some distant platform.

Another recent Capcom release is Street Fighter IV.  Now the replay value for SF is going to be different in that you may run through arcade mode to unlock some dudes or achievements, however the meat and potatoes is fighting online.  However Seth on any difficulty is a challenge, but Seth on the hardest difficulty is nuts.  The thing about it is, in no way does it make me a better fighter.  There is no other fighter like him, no one uses him online.  His sole reason for being in the game is to piss you off, and tie up a few lose ends at the conclusion on a couple character's arcade mode.

Some other semi-recent Capcom games: Mega Man IX, I never played it however recall from an older Bombcast that Brad referenced it being unreasonably difficult.  Dead Rising, I want to like this game but there are a handfull of things about it that keep pushing me away.  It's been on my "to go back and play" list for a while now - but find myself finding excuses not to go back.  Lost Planet, I recall the control scheme pissing me off and dying lots.

All this being said, I totally enjoy playing Capcom games.  Despite all of the above, I still find myself picking up their titles.  Years back when I got on my retro kick and purchased a bunch of old NES games, I recall overpaying for the MegaMan games yet playing those the most. 


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