Something went wrong. Try again later

jakob187

I'm still alive. Life is great. I love you all.

22970 10045 179 517
Forum Posts Wiki Points Following Followers

I Seriously Can't Think of a Good Title...

It's been a while since I've written a blog.  Thanks to my re-found love of comic books, I've been knee deep in trips to the local comic book store and spent little time actually playing a video game.  It's been a good change of pace, however, so I can't complain much. 
 
So what HAVE I been playing? 
 
To start, I've gotten pretty deep in Sacred 2 now.  I spoke about this in a previous blog at some point, but Sacred 2 is an INCREDIBLE hack 'n' slash RPG that is bogged down by bugs and...at times...poor optimization (why should I have to stream-load every three steps that I walk in a village?!).  When I first jumped into the game, I hadn't read the manual or anything.  I pretty much went in and said "let's fuckin' do this".  Word to the wise:  read the manual.  There's not really any tutorial to vividly explain to you how a lot of stuff works in this game, like the Combat Arts system.  However, after starting up a second character and really taking some time to figure out everything, as well as sitting down with the manual for a bit at my side, I get the game now...and it's WONDERFUL!  For those who are looking for a deep-as-Hell RPG in the same vein as Champions of Norrath or Titan Quest, Sacred 2 is a no-brainer to pick up.  Hell, I'm 32 hours in on my Shadow Warrior...and I've only seen 42% of the map so far!!! 
 
We got some new games in at work, so I've been playing around with those as well. 
 

I think I like The Rookie more than Master Chief. 
I think I like The Rookie more than Master Chief. 
Halo 3: ODST - I hated Halo 3.  It felt like they did so much to make it uber-noob-friendly and completely ruined a great multiplayer experience for me.  MANY people will disagree with that, but whatever.  I had no excitement for ODST until a couple weeks before the release of the game, and after playing it...man, that game is pretty awesome.  It's sad that it lacks a strong online component.  Firefight is cool and all...but I hate to say that it just doesn't equal up to some of the other "survival" modes that are out there.  The campaign, however, is pretty fun and definitely has a sting of difficulty on the higher levels.  All this, personally, is thanks to reverting things back to the way Halo 1 was:  no recharging health, limited ammo for guns, and tons of super strong enemies.  I'm looking forward to actually plugging into the Xbox I usually play on and busting out some achievements on that, and I might even be up for doing some of these Vidmaster achievements just for the Hell of it! 
 
Thor is SOOOO OP! 
Thor is SOOOO OP! 
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
- I finally read Civil War about two weeks ago.  I know, I'm late to the party.  Nonetheless, when I plugged in this game and that moment hits when Captain America is confronting Maria Hill, and he jumps out of the window and lands on that fighter jet...I almost creamed my pants to see how true they were remaining to the comics.  I've picked Anti-Reg for my first playthrough, solely because I wanted to play as Captain America.  HOWEVER...there comes a point in that story (around 60% or so) where things deviate pretty hard from the Civil War track...unless it's all stuff that was included in side stories outside of the main Civil War arc.  Basically, it made me sit back and say "you KNEW this was going to come at some point, Josh".  It did.  I mean...seriously...NANITES?!  Grrr...  Nonetheless, the game is a MASSIVE improvement over its predecessor.  The way your boosts work is so much nicer than trying to equip all this equipment on people, the Autospend function actually doesn't suck, the difficulty in the game isn't crippling but it isn't shitty either, and I'm not falling asleep after ten minutes of gameplay!  Definitely recommend this game for everyone. 
 
This looks a little cooler than it actually is. 
This looks a little cooler than it actually is. 
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes
- I've been wanting to check this out for two main reasons:  I like Star Wars and I likeKrome Studios' Ty the Tasmanian Tiger games.  Unfortunately, I'm not so excited after playing it.  It's not that the game doesn't have an interesting premise to it, but the execution turns out to not work quite as well as one would hope for.  The platforming elements feel like they were ripped directly from Prince of Persia, with specific rail walking and wall-climbing...but those elements were then beaten with a baseball bat and stuffed into the game as a segway to relatively boring combat.  You can "jack" droids by hopping on top of them, hitting X, and then using them to destroy all the other droids.  It kind of defeats the purpose of being a fucking Jedi, doesn't it?  You can actually jack ANY kind of droid in the game, as they will also play into some of the *ahem* "puzzles" in the game.  That pretty much boils down to "there's a rock in your way, and this explosive robot can be thrown into that rock and blow it up".  This is the part that really pisses me off...because again...YOU'RE A FUCKING JEDI!  There are these moments when you play as a clone trooper, and the only way that I can describe that part is "why?".  You use the left and right analog sticks to steer around a completely linear path and then shoot a bunch of bad guys.  Add in the fact that you never seem to truly die, there's no real difficulty in the game (I know that it's meant for kids, but seriously, Master difficulty levels take about 5 minutes to get through), and the many bugs and bad controls that are featured in this game...and I'm just sad that it wasn't able to be made better.  If you are looking for a good Star Wars game, this is not the direction to look.  If you are looking for some easy achievements, though, you could definitely do it with this game.  ALSO...how the FUCK do I take off those damn masks?!
 
I'm going to be digging into Guitar Hero 5 and The Beatles: Rock Band at some point before next week, because after that, I'll be picking up a copy of Brutal Legend and HOPEFULLY beat that game before the 20th hits.  Borderlands is right around the fucking corner, and I cannot WAIT! 
 
One last thing:  the last blog I wrote was a counter-bet to Snide's Halo 3 ODST contest.  Unfortunately, I have not heard from Snide any official confirmation that he will accept that bet.  Due to this, I'm cancelling said bet.  HOWEVER...I'm still going to be donating $50 to Locks of Love, as I think flat-out cancelling the bet without someone getting something out of it is kind of crappy.  I've never backed out of a bet before, but since I haven't heard any word on it, I just don't think the bet even exists at the moment.  Once I receive the thank you letter from Locks of Love, I'll post up a picture so you guys know that I'm not just blowing smoke up your asses. 
 
It also doesn't hurt that...well...apparently, long hair still has its advantages.  = D
 
Until next time...PIECE!!!

22 Comments

23 Comments

Avatar image for jakob187
jakob187

22970

Forum Posts

10045

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 9

Edited By jakob187

It's been a while since I've written a blog.  Thanks to my re-found love of comic books, I've been knee deep in trips to the local comic book store and spent little time actually playing a video game.  It's been a good change of pace, however, so I can't complain much. 
 
So what HAVE I been playing? 
 
To start, I've gotten pretty deep in Sacred 2 now.  I spoke about this in a previous blog at some point, but Sacred 2 is an INCREDIBLE hack 'n' slash RPG that is bogged down by bugs and...at times...poor optimization (why should I have to stream-load every three steps that I walk in a village?!).  When I first jumped into the game, I hadn't read the manual or anything.  I pretty much went in and said "let's fuckin' do this".  Word to the wise:  read the manual.  There's not really any tutorial to vividly explain to you how a lot of stuff works in this game, like the Combat Arts system.  However, after starting up a second character and really taking some time to figure out everything, as well as sitting down with the manual for a bit at my side, I get the game now...and it's WONDERFUL!  For those who are looking for a deep-as-Hell RPG in the same vein as Champions of Norrath or Titan Quest, Sacred 2 is a no-brainer to pick up.  Hell, I'm 32 hours in on my Shadow Warrior...and I've only seen 42% of the map so far!!! 
 
We got some new games in at work, so I've been playing around with those as well. 
 

I think I like The Rookie more than Master Chief. 
I think I like The Rookie more than Master Chief. 
Halo 3: ODST - I hated Halo 3.  It felt like they did so much to make it uber-noob-friendly and completely ruined a great multiplayer experience for me.  MANY people will disagree with that, but whatever.  I had no excitement for ODST until a couple weeks before the release of the game, and after playing it...man, that game is pretty awesome.  It's sad that it lacks a strong online component.  Firefight is cool and all...but I hate to say that it just doesn't equal up to some of the other "survival" modes that are out there.  The campaign, however, is pretty fun and definitely has a sting of difficulty on the higher levels.  All this, personally, is thanks to reverting things back to the way Halo 1 was:  no recharging health, limited ammo for guns, and tons of super strong enemies.  I'm looking forward to actually plugging into the Xbox I usually play on and busting out some achievements on that, and I might even be up for doing some of these Vidmaster achievements just for the Hell of it! 
 
Thor is SOOOO OP! 
Thor is SOOOO OP! 
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
- I finally read Civil War about two weeks ago.  I know, I'm late to the party.  Nonetheless, when I plugged in this game and that moment hits when Captain America is confronting Maria Hill, and he jumps out of the window and lands on that fighter jet...I almost creamed my pants to see how true they were remaining to the comics.  I've picked Anti-Reg for my first playthrough, solely because I wanted to play as Captain America.  HOWEVER...there comes a point in that story (around 60% or so) where things deviate pretty hard from the Civil War track...unless it's all stuff that was included in side stories outside of the main Civil War arc.  Basically, it made me sit back and say "you KNEW this was going to come at some point, Josh".  It did.  I mean...seriously...NANITES?!  Grrr...  Nonetheless, the game is a MASSIVE improvement over its predecessor.  The way your boosts work is so much nicer than trying to equip all this equipment on people, the Autospend function actually doesn't suck, the difficulty in the game isn't crippling but it isn't shitty either, and I'm not falling asleep after ten minutes of gameplay!  Definitely recommend this game for everyone. 
 
This looks a little cooler than it actually is. 
This looks a little cooler than it actually is. 
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes
- I've been wanting to check this out for two main reasons:  I like Star Wars and I likeKrome Studios' Ty the Tasmanian Tiger games.  Unfortunately, I'm not so excited after playing it.  It's not that the game doesn't have an interesting premise to it, but the execution turns out to not work quite as well as one would hope for.  The platforming elements feel like they were ripped directly from Prince of Persia, with specific rail walking and wall-climbing...but those elements were then beaten with a baseball bat and stuffed into the game as a segway to relatively boring combat.  You can "jack" droids by hopping on top of them, hitting X, and then using them to destroy all the other droids.  It kind of defeats the purpose of being a fucking Jedi, doesn't it?  You can actually jack ANY kind of droid in the game, as they will also play into some of the *ahem* "puzzles" in the game.  That pretty much boils down to "there's a rock in your way, and this explosive robot can be thrown into that rock and blow it up".  This is the part that really pisses me off...because again...YOU'RE A FUCKING JEDI!  There are these moments when you play as a clone trooper, and the only way that I can describe that part is "why?".  You use the left and right analog sticks to steer around a completely linear path and then shoot a bunch of bad guys.  Add in the fact that you never seem to truly die, there's no real difficulty in the game (I know that it's meant for kids, but seriously, Master difficulty levels take about 5 minutes to get through), and the many bugs and bad controls that are featured in this game...and I'm just sad that it wasn't able to be made better.  If you are looking for a good Star Wars game, this is not the direction to look.  If you are looking for some easy achievements, though, you could definitely do it with this game.  ALSO...how the FUCK do I take off those damn masks?!
 
I'm going to be digging into Guitar Hero 5 and The Beatles: Rock Band at some point before next week, because after that, I'll be picking up a copy of Brutal Legend and HOPEFULLY beat that game before the 20th hits.  Borderlands is right around the fucking corner, and I cannot WAIT! 
 
One last thing:  the last blog I wrote was a counter-bet to Snide's Halo 3 ODST contest.  Unfortunately, I have not heard from Snide any official confirmation that he will accept that bet.  Due to this, I'm cancelling said bet.  HOWEVER...I'm still going to be donating $50 to Locks of Love, as I think flat-out cancelling the bet without someone getting something out of it is kind of crappy.  I've never backed out of a bet before, but since I haven't heard any word on it, I just don't think the bet even exists at the moment.  Once I receive the thank you letter from Locks of Love, I'll post up a picture so you guys know that I'm not just blowing smoke up your asses. 
 
It also doesn't hurt that...well...apparently, long hair still has its advantages.  = D
 
Until next time...PIECE!!!

Avatar image for agentj
AgentJ

8996

Forum Posts

6144

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 31

Edited By AgentJ

Are you serious? They have the Captain America plane jumping? That game just jumped about 20 spots on my wishlist

Avatar image for cowmuffins
CowMuffins

1781

Forum Posts

435

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 1

Edited By CowMuffins

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 has the same gameplay as the first, except you can unleash fusion attacks that are totally useless because most of them are "clearing" type used to eliminate a large group of enemies, which is rarely seen. So during boss fights, when it's actually helpful to use them, you have to equip random characters who suck like Dare Devil in order to actually do damage because Dare Devil is the only character in the game with a "targeted" fusion attack.

Avatar image for crunchuk
crunchUK

6052

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By crunchUK

How is halo 3 "uber noob friendly"? I've seen games of big team where one team gets a -300 k/d spread

Avatar image for jeffsekai
Jeffsekai

7162

Forum Posts

1060

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

Edited By Jeffsekai
@jakob187 said:
 
Glad to see someone else digging into Sacred 2, that game is so much fun 60+ hrs on one char alone and 30+ on a few others.
Avatar image for pie
Pie

7370

Forum Posts

515

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 7

Edited By Pie
@crunchUK said:
" How is halo 3 "uber noob friendly"? I've seen games of big team where one team gets a -300 k/d spread "
Single player crunch, single player in halo3 is weak...
Avatar image for jakob187
jakob187

22970

Forum Posts

10045

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 9

Edited By jakob187
@PeasForFees said:
" One of the only things, I disagree with was that ODST had a bad story, and was saved a little by firefight, not much however "
I haven't played more than two of the flashbacks in the campaign yet (and it wasn't on the Xbox I usually use...and it was in co-op with a buddy).  I can't say that I was paying much attention to the story.  I was more focused on how the game PLAYED, and it played very well...better than Halo 3 IMO.  I'll pay more attention to the story on my solo playthrough, but even then...it's not like the campaigns for the previous Halo games weren't already unbalanced in the "blowing shit up : actual story elements" ratio.  =  / 
 
@AgentJ: Dood, it's almost frame-by-frame the same as the comic, and even Nitro blowing up was almost frame-by-frame from the comics.  They really did do a good job of holding true to that stuff.  However... 
 
Avatar image for hitchenson
Hitchenson

4708

Forum Posts

121

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By Hitchenson
@Pie said:

" @crunchUK said:

" How is halo 3 "uber noob friendly"? I've seen games of big team where one team gets a -300 k/d spread "

Single player crunch, single player in halo3 is weak... "
But it said multiplayer - "Made it uber-noob-friendly and completely ruined a great multiplayer experience for me." Hm...
Avatar image for jakob187
jakob187

22970

Forum Posts

10045

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 9

Edited By jakob187
@crunchUK said:

" How is halo 3 "uber noob friendly"? I've seen games of big team where one team gets a -300 k/d spread "

In comparison to Halo 2 (since it's the only other one with Xbox Live), the addition of the X button usage in general turned me off from that game.  Also, BR is OP.  Halo 2 required some level of honest skill.  I've met an 11 year old with absolutely no true skill in games, but because he can use life drains, he's able to actually perform well in Halo 3.  Granted, by the time I stopped playing, I hadn't played much in the MLG playlists.  I just personally prefer Halo 2, as it had a much better feel to the game. 
 
Now that we have Halo 3 Mythic at work, though...I REALLY need to play that Midship remake... 
 
Sorry, I come from the old school world of FPS multiplayer - Quake III, Unreal, etc.  Halo 3 just isn't as good as Halo 2 in my eyes.  Hasn't been, probably never will be.  However, with the return of the original Halo 1 setup in ODST, it's a crying fucking shame that there is no matchmaking component in that game.
Avatar image for pie
Pie

7370

Forum Posts

515

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 7

Edited By Pie
@Hitchenson: My mistake
Avatar image for agentj
AgentJ

8996

Forum Posts

6144

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 31

Edited By AgentJ
@jakob187 said:
"
 
@AgentJ: Dood, it's almost frame-by-frame the same as the comic, and even Nitro blowing up was almost frame-by-frame from the comics.  They really did do a good job of holding true to that stuff.  However... 
 
"
Actually, I'm kind of glad they got rid of the clone. I thought it was a stupid plot point to begin with. The rest of that seems kind of unfortunate though
Avatar image for jakob187
jakob187

22970

Forum Posts

10045

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 9

Edited By jakob187
@AgentJ: Well, you've gotta remember this:  that clone was a HUGE point in the book.  I mean...look at the shift it caused in each side's roster.  It ALSO brought about Thor's anger, and it feels like instead of using what was in the comics, they decided to just make it a generalized thing...and then not actually kill off characters that needed to be killed off. 
 
Then again, I'm still kind of angered about Punisher being excluded from the game.
Avatar image for natetodamax
natetodamax

19464

Forum Posts

65390

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 32

User Lists: 5

Edited By natetodamax
@jakob187 said:
Also, BR is OP.
lol?
Avatar image for agentj
AgentJ

8996

Forum Posts

6144

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 31

Edited By AgentJ
Avatar image for jakob187
jakob187

22970

Forum Posts

10045

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 9

Edited By jakob187
Avatar image for metalgearsunny
MetalGearSunny

7466

Forum Posts

13349

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 3

Edited By MetalGearSunny

WIMP!

Avatar image for agentj
AgentJ

8996

Forum Posts

6144

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 31

Edited By AgentJ
@jakob187 said:
" @AgentJ said:
" @jakob187:  
"
Dood, he never even did the big reveal!!! "
Well that doesn't shock me, but it is a bit dissapointing. MUAII has now dropped back into its original position on my wishlist
Avatar image for jakob187
jakob187

22970

Forum Posts

10045

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 9

Edited By jakob187
@AgentJ: Dood, despite all that stuff, the story is pretty damn good in it, and it's an EXCELLENT game.  Like someone said earlier, the gameplay isn't that different from the first, but the pacing is SOOOOO much better.  
Avatar image for everyones_a_critic
Everyones_A_Critic

6500

Forum Posts

834

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 4

User Lists: 1

I found ODST to be a bit dissapointing to be honest. I thought the story sucked, and I know that's a weak argument because it's an FPS, but I thought the main Halo series had a pretty cool and intruiging storyline. The health system felt archaic to me, but I suppose that's forgivable since it adds to the atmosphere and gives you the feeling that you're human, not a super soldier. Firefight I thought was rather "meh" but I can't say I didn't have a good time with it. Halo 3 Mythic is a fucking bargain for me too, since I didn't get any of the map packs.

Avatar image for crunchuk
crunchUK

6052

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Edited By crunchUK
@jakob187 said:
" @crunchUK said:

" How is halo 3 "uber noob friendly"? I've seen games of big team where one team gets a -300 k/d spread "

In comparison to Halo 2 (since it's the only other one with Xbox Live), the addition of the X button usage in general turned me off from that game.  Also, BR is OP.  Halo 2 required some level of honest skill.  I've met an 11 year old with absolutely no true skill in games, but because he can use life drains, he's able to actually perform well in Halo 3.  Granted, by the time I stopped playing, I hadn't played much in the MLG playlists.  I just personally prefer Halo 2, as it had a much better feel to the game.  Now that we have Halo 3 Mythic at work, though...I REALLY need to play that Midship remake...  Sorry, I come from the old school world of FPS multiplayer - Quake III, Unreal, etc.  Halo 3 just isn't as good as Halo 2 in my eyes.  Hasn't been, probably never will be.  However, with the return of the original Halo 1 setup in ODST, it's a crying fucking shame that there is no matchmaking component in that game. "
You can use "life drains" as well... It's just another thing to master. Halo 2 was borderline broken, the only weapon that  might as well have existed in that game was the BR. Sure you could fling down a bubble shield whenever your shields are low and you want a few extra seconds of life, that could be considered cheap, but you could also make far better use of it by deploying it when your team needs it the most. The clever thing with equipment is it has the same effect for both teams, meaning it's all about how you use it. How does there being far more viable weapons, setups, and degrees of map control make it MORE noob friendly?
Avatar image for hamz
Hamz

6900

Forum Posts

25432

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 5

Edited By Hamz

Glad I bypassed MUA2, I loved the living hell out of the Civil War story arc and reading what they do to it in MUA2 just offends me. Offends me I say!

Avatar image for raddevon
raddevon

515

Forum Posts

5663

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 5

User Lists: 11

Edited By raddevon
@jakob187: Thanks for telling us about the new Star Wars game. That one seems to be flying under the radar a bit.