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jacobmccourt

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Games Completed in 2010

Here I'm going to list the games that I complete this year, as I complete them. Along with just listing them, I'm going to talk to you about the games and my experiences with them. Feel free to comment if you agree or disagree!


 

Since I'm not a game journalist or expert, I simply tell you if I think you should buy, rent or pass on this game. Here's my scale:



  • Buy: Excellent game with a lot of replay value that needs to be on your game shelf! (i.e.: Gears of War 2, Uncharted 2)
  • Conditional Buy: An excellent game! However, it may only target a certain audience, or might have a small problem(s) that makes it harder to recommend 100%. (i.e.: Halo 3 ODST, Fire Emblem (GBA), Viva Pinata)
  • Rent: This is the gray area between games that you need to play and those you should avoid. Sometimes, I just don't like the game but see some redeeming quality in it. It might be short but a great experience. I'll explain why the game gets that verdict in each specific case. (i.e. Scribblenauts)
  • Conditional Pass: Games that have a slew of problems but might have some redeeming qualities or might satisfy a specific audience. (i.e.: Mario Power Tennis for Wii)
  • Pass: Bad Game. Don't Play. (i.e.: TMNT, Viva Pinata Party Animals)

List items

  • <b><u>Date of Completion:</u></b> January 1st, 2010 (Adventure, Mini-Games and Survival Modes)

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    <b><u>Total Play Time:</u></b> 6-8 hours (approx.)

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    <b><u>My Experience with the Game: </u></b>

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    Here's the thing. The Steam sale was on. I only have the Orange Box on my Steam account. Until this sale. I saw Plants vs. Zombies for $7.49 and threw my PayPal right at it. Thought I would see what all the hubbub was about. This is an addicting casual puzzle game/tower defense game.

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    Basically, you just want to protect your house from a slew of different zombies types by using plants with different effects (like a peashooter, venus-fly trap type thinger or a cherry bomb). You collect sun and place these plants in a strategic manner to avoid zombie brain eating. There's a few different modes; adventure, survival, mini-game and even a zen garden for growing your own plants to make money!

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    This game really surprised me. It was worth every penny. I bought it on the 23rd of December. That was a mistake. I had God of War Collection, Ratchet and Clank and others waiting and I played this. That just shows how addicting it is.

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    <b><u>Verdict:</u></b> Conditional Buy

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    This is a game you can pick up for ten minutes and then leave and do something else. It's great. Maybe not worth full price, but if it's on sale on Steam, pick it up!

  • <b><u>Date of Completion:</u></b> January 4th, 2010 at 1:30am (beating Final Boss, first play-through)

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    <b><u>Total Play Time:</u></b> TBD (beating Final Boss, first play-through)

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    <b><u>My Experience with the Game: </u></b>

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    Ratchet and Clank has always been a game series near and dear to my heart. I was explaining to a friend the other day that when I play the first game on the PlayStation 2, I didn't see the furry Lombax going anywhere after that. But Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal are some of the best PlayStation 2 games, even today.

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    Enough about the past! This PS3 exclusive, developed by Insomniac Games (Resistance, Ratchet to name a few recent franchises), is the third in an arcing story that began in Tools of Destruction and continued in the PSN Quest for Booty. In this intergalactic, time traveling adventure, the mysterious Zoni separates Ratchet and Clank. Ratchet is tasked with finding his lost partner. Meanwhile (a word you will see a ton of in this game), Clank must discover his grand role in the Universe as senior caretaker of the Great Clock. Consider all of this craziness with a certain evil bad dude and his butler sidekick tailing them at every turn.

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    I really enjoyed this game. I find that Insomniac is one of the only developers that can get a laugh out of me when playing a game. Captain Quark returns and takes a larger role, something I applaud them for. He's hilarious! As far as the gameplay goes, it's a Ratchet and Clank game. You strafe, you shoot, you collect bolts and you upgrade your crazy arsenal of weird weapons. Inter-dimensional portals anyone? However, I found that this game, unlike Tools of Destruction/Quest for Booty was a very tightly knit and complete package. There's a ton of collecting, space battles, arena battles, great boss fights and an excellent cast of voice actors. It's a great game and a great way to finish the trilogy.

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    <b><u>Verdict:</u></b> Conditional Buy

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    I would buy this game if you were a fan of the PS2 Ratchet and Clank game or someone looking for a great action platformer with shooting. It's a fun game above all else.

  • <b><u>Date of Completion:</u></b> January 19th, 2010 at 1:30am (beating Final Boss, first play-through)

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    <b><u>Total Play Time:</u></b> About 9 hours (beating Final Boss, first play-through)

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    <b><u>My Experience with the Game: </u></b>

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    God of War really surprised me. I know what you're going to say to me: "God of War won a ton of Game of the Year Awards and has been universally acclaimed as one of the PS2 best games". Well watching gameplay footage didn't really convince me. I just saw it as an great brawler with some great production values. Although, it has shown its age, this is a must-play for any PS2 owner.

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    First of all, it does the action really well. Sure, you might see the same 20 or so enemies with different skins a lot throughout the game, but the action is frantic. Something that I was not expected was the puzzles. Some of the puzzles were tough-ish to solve, something I was not expecting from the game I thought was going to be very dumb.

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    Then, there's the story, the voice acting and the cut-scenes. What a great story about Greek Mythology. It's amoing some of the best story-telling I can remember. Also, the boss fights were great.

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    <b><u>Verdict:</u></b> Buy

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    During the school period, I only allow myself to play one hour if video games a day or less during the week. I found myself thinking about playing this game when I wasn't playing it. That my friends is the sign of a compelling and complete package. Buy it, beat and be proud to put it on your shelf!

  • <b><u>Date of Completion:</u></b> February 2nd at 3:30pm (beating Final Boss, first play-through)

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    <b><u>Total Play Time:</u></b> About 11-12 hours (beating Final Boss, first play-through)

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    <b><u>My Experience with the Game: </u></b>

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    You remember when I said that God of War surprised me? Well, the second game in the series is killer. When I worked in video game retail, I didn't understand why the game would fly off the shelf (it was one of the last huge PS2 titles). Now, I do. The story continues and begins in a huge way (wink, wink) and is a cinematic roller coaster from the beginning to the end.

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    The game-play is completely overhauled but is tweaked with little things like the addition of secondary weapons. Although they don't have a huge impact on the game-play, they are cool! The thing that makes this game a must-play are the epic boss battles. Compared to the first game, this game must have three-four times more boss battles and they all have story impacts. And you smile when you see characters you know from Greek mythology.

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    I'm so glad I broke down and finally played the series. If you need something for your PS3 or see the God of War collection on PS3, pick it up. It's worth every cent.

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    <b><u>Verdict:</u></b> Buy

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    What can I say that I haven't said? God of War 2 is a masterpiece and needs to be played even if you do not have an appreciation of Greek mythology. It's got a great story and some excellent actions. Plus, Kratos is a badass. Such a badass. Seeing how this game ended, I can't wait for the third game.

  • <b><u>Date of Completion:</u></b> April 29, 2010

  • <b><u>Date of Completion:</u></b> May 6th at 6:30pm (beating Final Boss, first play-through)

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    <b><u>Total Play Time:</u></b> About 8-9 hours, which was way longer then I wanted to spend playing this game. (beating Final Boss, first play-through)

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    <b><u>My Experience with the Game: </u></b>

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    Here's my problem with Dead To Rights: Retribution. It is a jack of all trades and master of none. In the game, there are many different gameplay types; third person shooting with a cover system, third person action-brawling, stealth gameplay via Jack's dog, Shadow and other small gameplay types you will see in the late part of game.

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    The cover system works but is very clunky in certain spots. Having just finished Splinter Cell: Conviction, I unfairly compare the ease of use of the stealth there to this game. There are around 20 guns with varying power and style with most feeling very similar. The fighting system is very basic with two buttons controlling heavy and light attacks with some throws and block breakers thrown in for good measure.

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    The stealth portion? Batman: Arkham Asylum-esque. You control the dog from his perspective and have to stealthy eliminate enemies to get a key or an ID card in an area inaccessible to Jack's. Speaking of the dog, I felt awfully every time he was shot and head him yelp. :(

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    Dead to Rights is a mediocre game. One with forgettable characters, a generic story and a final three hours that made me want to punch myself in the head. Why? I played for four hours thinking I was going to reach the end and multiple times was tricked into the thinking the end was near.

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    <b><u>Verdict:</u></b> Tough to say

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    Even though Dead to Rights: Retribution is mediocre, I kinda liked certain parts of it. I rented it and you should not buy this game. Having said that, certain parts of the game are fun and try the demo first if you are truly interested.

  • <b><u>Date of Completion:</u></b> May 16th at 12:30am (yes, this is a Saturday night, but I was sick)

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    <b><u>Total Play Time:</u></b> 8:57 (beating Final Boss on God (Normal) first play-through)

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    <b><u>My Experience with the Game: </u></b>

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    God of War 3. Do I really have to say much more about it? I'm not going to spend time explaining the story or the previous games. Just look at games 3 and 4 for more information about them.

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    I bought this game from Amazon and received it the day after release. And it sat there for two months. Until last week. I'm kinda mad I hadn't played it until now. It's a great game! They took some of the things I didn't like in the first two games and focused on some great stuff.

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    The biggest pro the game has to offer is the HUGE action set pieces that it offers. Right at the beginning of the game you're fighting a God on the body of a Titan. Everything is moving, there's a ton of things going on and it's almost too much to process at some points. There are a few of these pieces sprinkled throughout the game. It even took a cue from Gears of War 2 at one point. It was a good moment.

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    This game is HELLA violent and sexual. I would not under any circumstance let anyone under the age of 17 play this game. Some of the action sequences were SO gruesome that my jaw literally dropped and stayed open for a few seconds. I can think of one sequence in particular where you dismember someone and watch the crawl away only to pick them up and dismember them again. Plus, there's sex. And boobies.

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    The cinematics really took a step forward in this game. I felt that Kratos didn't sound as stale as he had in previous games and that the supporting cast (Rip Torn and Malcolm McDowell in particular) of voice talent were great. I appreciated the stylized cut scenes that recapped the events of the first games.

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    So was there anything I didn't like? I could have done without the long "Icarus Wings" sections and the purple weapon (I won't spoil the name) was weak and really useless to me.

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    <b><u>Verdict:</u></b> Buy

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    Great game. It has some replay value, but it's one of those "experiences" (look at me going all Ebert on your ass) you want to remember and have on the shelf for the future. The ending sequence had some odd choices but the game was strong nevertheless. If you have a PS3 and are 17 , please play this game.

  • <b><u>Date of Completion:</u></b> June 1st, 2010 at 7pm

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    <b><u>Total Play Time:</u></b> 16 hours at 28.03% (beating Final Boss on Normal)

  • <b><u>Date of Completion:</u></b> July 13th, 2010 at 10:30pm

  • July 15th, 2010

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    Rent only if you're curious, you'll get less then 5 hours out of this one.

  • <b><u>Date of Completion:</u></b> August 20th, 2010

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    Buy!

  • September 2nd, 2010

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    Try the Demo First: the visuals are much better then the game itself.

  • September 6th, 2010

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  • October 27th, 2010

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    Hard to describe this one. It was one broken-ass-good game.

    Completion Grade: S

    Finished at level 36

  • November 2nd, 2010

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    Beat it.

    I know when a game is easy. When I get all 200P the first time through.

  • November 13th, 2010

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    One word: "Meh."

    This game feels like it had a 12 month or less development cycle. If you want to know what this franchise feels like, try the first game. Sure it's more polished then the first game but I beat it in four hours (and I'm an amateur video game player) and there's no reason for you to ever play this game again. PASS.

  • Finished November 30th, 2010 at 3am.

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    Total Playtime: 26:36:49

    This game never ended! I jumped in thinking I could play it in like 8-10 hours before I jump into Mass Effect. There are 6 very different game-play styles with two of the doctors having non-operation modes (one of of the two is very Phoenix Wright-inspired). I would definitely play a sequel if they do one thing: REMOVE TOMOE! I DON'T WANT TO PLAY ANYMORE ENDOSCOPY MISSIONS!

  • Finished at 2am on December 7th. And I'm really confused with the ending. I hate games that stretch the end out an extra half an hour longer then necessary like this game. I'm being really picky...

  • December 8th, 2010. It was a grind to finish through to the end. I won't be going back to it. Unless there's some mutliplayer with friends. Apart from that, that's it.

  • <b><u>Date of Completion:</u></b> December 13th, 2010

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    Completion Time: 5:17 at 61%

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    This has to be my biggest disappointed of the year. I don't even know why I finished it. There is no incentive or challenge to playing this game. I cannot recommend this game to anyone above the age of 12.

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  • December 23rd, 2010 at 2am

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    This game is a weird monster. I've never been the guy that understands the artsy game. I beat this game in about five hours. The puzzles were very fun to figure out, however, the game has little story, sound and graphics. I just don't get why critics love it so much. I just don't get it.

  • December 23rd, 2010 at 10:00pm

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    The day before Christmas Eve was a productive game day. I got to finish two downloadable titles that I have been meaning to finish for a long time. This game has a lot going for it charm-wise, it is so funny. The gameplay kinda sucks though. Beat it in five hours. I can't really recommend this one for everyone.

  • December 28rd, 2010 at 1:00am

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    Such a great game. I've actually never been the type that really dives deeply into a game's narrative but I made an exception on this one. I had more fun going through side missions and absorbing the story then playing the actual game sometimes (especially in the earlier stages of the game; which as a Vanguard was quite difficult).

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    Got an Xbox 360? Are you a fan of Star Wars/Star Trek/Space? Do you enjoy a great multi-layer story? If you answered yes to these questions, run don't walk and pick/borrow Mass Effect 1. From what I've heard the Mass Effect 2 game begins with decisions from Mass Effect 1.
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