Monthly Summary - October 2011
By darkfury 1 Comments
COMPLETED THIS MONTH:
FEAR 3
I played through the single player in a few short sessions, including one in local co-op. Fear's game engine is fantastic, the feel of shooting difficult to match. I don't mind that the series has become a shooter instead of a horror game as it was always its strength - as long as they do a Condemned 3 and make it fucking terrifying! The co-op is interesting but not particularly enjoyable for player 2, forced to play as a psychic without a weapon for long stretches of time. The game was designed with co-op in mind, given away by scoring mechanics running throughout that pits the players against each other to get the award of 'favourite son' each level. I didn't try the competitive multiplayer modes but they do look like fun, I'm just not sure I feel like jumping in with strangers on this one. I recommend a playthrough if you can grab it at a low price.
Gears of War 3
I played through the single player campaign on Hardcore difficulty, including playing the first Act in local co-op. I also played a few versus matches, and some Horde matches with other people. The campaign mode felt tightly scripted and a little lean in terms of events that occur and overall length. I had a blast with the final act and enjoyed the changes of scenery throughout. It's not much of an improvement over the GoW 2 in this area, however the online is greatly expanded. I must find some time to run through an entire Horde session and Beast mode too. Recommended for series fans and shooter fans alike, without reservation.
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
I always had fond memories of moments in Pandora Tomorrow, and some of them still held up in this playthrough. I also enjoyed playing it much more skilfully then I originally did, but did overuse the quick-save again. Chaos Theroy will be the same, and then I'll feel handicapped for Double Agent! It's a shame they didn't HD-ify the multiplayer too as it was incredibly fun and original. The graphics aren't up to much either, but I'm having a good time playing through the series in sequence. Preferred my Halo run, though.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
Quirky visual style that remains entertaining by constantly changing up for each level. The combat mechanics are simple but challenging to stay on top of. The game throws its bosses at you mid-level and gives you the opportunity to defeat them earlier, but you rarely stand a chance. I recommend El Shaddai to anyone looking for a unique platform/action title. It's not crazy like Bayonetta, but it has its moments.
Project Overlord (Mass Effect 2 DLC)
This was my last story-based DLC to get done before I could retake the final mission and get that better completion save done. It's good fun and mixes vehicular exploration with combat nicely. Recommended for Mass Effect 2 players.
Battlefield 3
I played through the single player campaign in a single session, and I've played several hours online with more to come. It's disappointing that DICE chose to mirror CoD's campaign formula so closely. Graphically it is several steps ahead and the engine is fantastic, but the single player is poorly paced, badly scripted and predictable. Luckily, the multiplayer is the best there is and I love playing online with friends. The title will be supported heavily just as BF2 and BFBC2 were so I'll likely keep coming back for me. Recommened for the multiplayer, but don't expect the campaign to excite or engage.
ALSO PLAYED:
FIFA 12 - One short match, unlikely to go back to it much as there are too many other games.
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet - Single player progress made.
DiRT 3 - Made some more progress towards that S rank.
Dark Souls - Got through the tutorial, then kept it in the stack to stare at me whilst I play less daunting games.
Forza Motorsport 3 - Went back to it after watching Forza 4 coverage, kept my sim-racer needs satiated for a while.
Fallout: New Vegas - Took it out the shrink wrap and launched the title. That's it!
Bastion - Played a fairly decent session and made some good progress. Interesting stuff.
Ace Combat 6 - Played the first level as my progress save has disappeared. Finished it then felt quite dizzy.
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory - This game looks miles better than 1 and 2. Currently playing a mission every couple of days.
Batman: Arkham City - Played through about half of the story this month, skipping past most of the side stuff. Loving it.
Mass Effect 2 - I mopped up the rest of the DLC and then embarked on the final mission following a 'how to keep everyone alive' guide. Got it done and also got lucky with Tali for a couple more achievements. I am officially ready to import into Mass Effect 3 when the time comes.
Skylanders (360) - Played half-way through the single player, Trigger Happy is at level 8. Also juggling character packs in my Amazon basket until they lower in price.
PixelJunk Sidescroller - Finished the first level, with a pretty shitty score to be fair. Not liking it as much as Shooter/2, but I'll sit down with it for an extended session in November.
Homefront - Played another level and I like the combat. It doesn't look like much and the scripting can be a little loose but its good.
Skylanders (3DS) - Double-dipped into Skylands and am having good fun with the portable platformer too.
SCORES SUMMARY
FULL GAMES:
FEAR 3 [2011] (4)
Gears of War 3 [2011] (5)
Splinter Cell: PT [2004] (4)
El Shaddai [2011] (4)
Battlefield 3 [2011] (4)
DLC:
Project Overlord [Mass Effect 2] (4)