I've been getting far too many games recently. I don't know why I act surprised that my GamerScore doesn't add up, when I don't get around to finishing the games. Well, that's a lie, there's just a few that I don't play, but they're often the ones that I'll probably get the most out of if I stick with them. Let's have a run down.
Mass Effect
[S]He wants your children...for breakfast!I had no intention on giving up Mass Effect. I bought it cheap in late December, given how long it's been out. I bought an 360 in the summer of '08, so I'd missed the release date by a wide margin. I played for about 10 hours or so before I kind of just moved on from other games and after 10 hours, I got the impression that the story had just started. Like, I'd finished the prologue. I appreciate long games. Grand Theft Auto IV was a great game, and 30 hours is a hefty chunk of time to invest in one campaign. But with GTA, by hour 3 it felt like I was knee-deep and it only progressed from there. Mass Effect takes too long to find it's groove which leaves me feeling like I'm running in circles, going nowhere. Stories are not vital to video-games. I dig stupid shooters and racing games, but there comes a point in a game that relies heavily on its story that it needs to actually give you some story. Mass Effect fails in that respect. I've still not quit on ME, but I'm not rushing back. I'm not stoked for the sequel, I'd like to finish the actual game first. We'll see.
Far Cry 2 Boom goes the Dynamite?You know when you can tell the game you're playing is good but... well, you just don't feel like playing it? It's not even that it's not fun. Hell I had a good time with it. But it's a flawed game from the start. By which I mean to say that it is insanely fucking difficult. I like a challenge, man, but ya'know...thats why I play on Hard later. My refusal to play any game on Easy kicks in here, too. It's a pride thing. I'm very arrogant like that... You know what would make the game feel better? If it was a Third-Person action game. I like First-Person-Shooters as much as the next game, but Far Cry 2...it's too wide, too open. Too big, to loose. And it's just too fucking realistic for it's own good. I had fun with it for about 10 hours, but then it just felt like I had made my way to South Africa and was fighting a real war, rather than playing a game. Immersive qualities be damned, I like games, not realism. It's the reason art exists, as a form of escapism. I want to escape, not be pulled back into this shitstain of a planet.
Fallout 3 "Shoot that muthafucka'!"Fallout 3 is freaking brilliant, yet I've not played the game in about a month and I'm only half way through the main storyline. I keep on trying to convince myself to play more but I never get around to it. Same as Mass Effect, other games have taken my attention first. Which really sucks now that I think about how much I was enjoying Fallout. Whereas Far Cry felt too big, Fallout doesn't. Maybe it's the fact that you don't get assaulted everytime you travel five feet across the map. Maybe it's because it's so out there, in it's own future world that it doesn't bring me down every time I play it. I don't know, But I'm sure I'll get around to playing through some more sooner or later.
Left 4 Dead Genocide. It's the new black.I've never been a massive Valve fan. Half-Life 2 was ok, although I never played too much, really. I dug Portal as much as any other guy. It was cool, but one fucking annoying glitch killed my progress and I've never been bothered to return. I do not like Team Fortress 2 at all. Left 4 Dead, however, I love. It's so tight and immersive. As a total nerd, I'm also obligated to love it due to the content revolving around zombies. Although one incident did frustrate me (some fucker on Xbox Live asking if I "have a girlfriend"? What business is that or yours you total fucking freak?) I don't think anything can overshadow the awesomeness of finding a good crew of team-mates and annihalting civilizations of Z's. I'm laying off for a bit because my friend Tom has yet to buy it. But when he does get it, I'll be playing for days at a time. Call of Duty: World at War Any game with explosions and Jack Bauer gets a 10, though...I had a bit of fun with World at War. I crammed through the campaign and it was cool. The whole multi-player aspect left a lot to be desired though, which sucked because it's *ALL THAT ANY OF MY FRIENDS WERE PLAYING*. I shit you not, every night, man "Up for some COD5 action?" Shit man, that ain't action. Get back on COD4, dude, that was action. Hop on Left 4 Dead, that my pal is action. The closest COD5 comes to action is in it's Veteran difficulty, and then it suffers from Far Cry 2 syndrome, but I'll give it credit for knowing its place. The Regular difficulty was of an appropriate difficulty (bar the last level which just go absurd.) Oh, and credit to the crew on getting Kiefer Sutherland on board. As a massive fan of 24, just hearing his voice reassured me through half of that game. Kudos on Gary Oldman, too, except you can't really tell it's Gary Oldman, which is kinda weak. Use your stars to their full potential to draw in the money. He puts in a decent performance, sure, but it doesn't mean anything if I don't know it's him =/ So, yeah, capable shooter. Fairly fun. I might nip back for some more Veteran difficulty. Perhaps.
There's more but I'm late and I'm tired. Maybe tomorrow.
![[S]He wants your children...for breakfast!](https://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/0/2071/305507-mass14.jpg)
