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sparky_buzzsaw

Where the air smells like root beer.

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Gaming Update beats you down with a mace to the face!

By sparky_buzzsaw 5 Comments


OK, that's the worst Gaming Update title to date.  Eh, what can you do, Scooby Doo? 
 
CRAB BATTLE! 
 
I hate when games include ridiculously cheap bosses without a countering cheap method of getting around them.  Take my latest grievance, The Last Remnant.  There is a boss that has become essentially impossible for me to beat, the appropriately named Hell's Gate.  Now, Last Remnant is something of a guilty pleasure for me up until that battle.  I enjoy the story, as simplistic as it may be, the character designs are solid, and I think the gameplay shows potential (even if it's fatally flawed).  However, the randomized attack options drag the game down into murky black depths from which I can't escape my irritation. 
 
Hell's Gate should be just a matter of healing and chipping away at his hit points.  Sounds simple in theory, and with the behemoth summoned for the battle, it should be.  But often times, when my characters need to concentrate on healing or defensive capabilities, I'm getting the shaft.  It's almost the RPG equivalent of the old Mortal Kombat arcade games, where you'd rip through the first few baddies with mild jumps in AI, and then, BAM!  Hit right in the twig and berries with super-fast, super-combo AI that can seemingly predict and block your every move.  Except, in Mortal Kombat, there's generally always a cheap way around the harder characters. In the early versions, it was a simple jump kick (especially versus Goro).  With The Last Remnant, there's no cheap out, no uber-leveling tricks, no powerhouse armor to get you through, because it's the gameplay itslef that's screwing me over. 
 
Sadly, I think this game will remain unfinished, at least until I have a long couple of weeks to invest in different tactics and efforts.  But ultimately, I'm kind of disappointed that this game showed some great potential and failed. 
 
Were there ever any middle-aged Scrolls? 
 
Boy, my puns today are atrocious, aren't they?  I've been playing pretty much one game this last week - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.  Let's get something straight up front - this game is the sole reason I bought a 360 a few years ago, and if I seem to gush on about it, there are plenty of damn good reasons.  One - the game still looks amazing to me.  I still love exploring the environments and I think the towns look gorgeous.  I know people have complaints about the leveling system, but honestly, it doesn't bug me all that much.  So long as you're not setting out to create super-powerful characters straight from the get-go, the leveling system works fine and scales upwards pretty smoothly. 
 
So far, I've completed the Mage's Guild quests, some of the Dark Brotherhood ones (need to work on my sneaking and security skills before I tackle that sewer mission), and a handful of Fighter's Guild quests.  I'm just starting on the Knights of the Nine expansion stuff, which is fun so far, and will be looking forward to playing through the Shivering Isles expansion when I'm done with that.   Playing as a Redguard warrior/mage combo, which is a whole lot of fun.
 
One thing I forgot was how hard it is to make cash money in this game.  It feels like I'm always hovering around 2k, but then again, I'm pretty spendy when it comes to spells and training.  Eh, oh well. 
 
General Updatery 
 
My contract ends with my current employer on Monday, and my laptop is down for the count for at least a few more weeks, so I'm only going to be on here sporadically throughout the coming couple of months.  I'm hoping I can get on here with the use of the city library's computers.  We'll see how that goes.  I'll be back on here regularly as quick as I can, hopefully with good news about finding a new job (still searching). 
 
Question of the Week 
 
Who is or was your most hated boss in a game?
5 Comments

Gaming Update tells a story. A legend. A fable?

By sparky_buzzsaw 9 Comments


Scalpel?  Check.  10 blade?  Check.  Surgical mask?  Got it.  Rubber ducky?  Yep.  Ball bearings?  Sure.  A leather glove?  All there.  OK, kids, prepare for the operation, because we're going into... another Gaming Update! 
 
Only really focusing on one thought today, though I'll briefly talk about what I've been playing. 
 
A Hero's Quest 
 
I'd like to think I'm not one of the old men around Giant Bomb, but the truth is that I'm 27 and I've been gaming for close to 22 years.  That means I've been playing games longer than most people on this site have been alive.  Pretty sad, but this is my number one hobby besides reading and writing, and I enjoy the hell out of the site.  I say all this as a pretext because I'm going to talk about a series of games that practically no one remembers and another that practically everyone here has heard of. 
 
When I started gaming, it was on a Tandy 1000 with only a few games.  Space Quest, Leisure Suit Larry 2, Hero's Quest (later to be retitled Quest for Glory), and Police Quest.  As you can tell, I grew up on Sierra adventure games.  All the games were enjoyable to a certain degree, but I was especially enamored of two of them - Leisure Suit Larry and Quest for Glory.  Now, my thoughts on LSL, Al Lowe, and the recent two travesties in the series could fill many, many blogs, but I'm talking today about Quest for Glory.  Quest for Glory was enchanting for a young boy who would grow up to become slightly obsessed with fantasy novels.  It had action, adventure, and while the plot was pretty basic by today's standards, at the time, it was all sorts of awesome.  I could read very well at an early age, so I had that as an advantage, and I'd need it too, because I wanted to read about every little detail in the world of Spielberg.   I would go on to play through every game in the series multiple times, with the highlights defintely being the first and fourth in the series.  I loved those worlds with a passion, and Quest for Glory 4 was really the first "talkie" computer game I ever played.
 
When it comes to the adventure games of the day, I do something akin to looking through rose-colored glasses, but I still genuinely love the genre and revisit many of the classics on a yearly basis.  Quest for Glory is sadly not one of those, not for a lack of desire, but because the series has become insanely expensive to find and my discs have long since been lost.  It makes me happy to see Steam offering the Space Quest and King's Quest collections, and I continue to hope they offer this fantastic series.  But I'd be lying if I said that the gameplay in Quest for Glory hasn't been made obsolete. 
 
One series of games in particular feels like a wonderful throwback to Quest for Glory, and that's Fable.  The second game in particular felt more like an homage to Quest for Glory than anything I've played.  The basics are all there - lovable townsfolk, skills that increase by using them, a fantasy world, beautiful music (ok, Quest for Glory's was beautiful back in the day - shaddup), swords and sorcery, the works.  Lionheart's world and Sierra's felt like kinsmen, and I love the Fable series for that.  That's why I'm so excited to see Fable 3 being announced.  My hope, though, is that Fable 3 continues the enjoyable gameplay and beautiful world without becoming overly gimmicked, if it's reliant upon Natal (not sure if it is or isn't).  The other thing I'd like to see is more unique townspeople and characters to allow for more creative interactions.  Basically, I want to see NPC's that don't feel like friendly mobs. 
 
What I'm Playing 
 
Been revisiting a bit of Puzzle Quest, trying to mop up the last few achievements on there.  Also, still playing Ultimate Alliance, a bit of Worms 2, and am trying to beat a certain boss in Star Ocean: The Last Hope so that I can finally finish that game. 
 
Question of the Week 
 
    How long have you been gaming, and what game holds the most sentimental value to you (regardless of quality nowadays) and why?
 
9 Comments

Gaming Update puts on some spandex tights. Too sexy!

By sparky_buzzsaw 4 Comments


Stop the crying.  Quiet down with that whining.  Sparky's back, baby, and what an update do I have for you.  You and me, we're gonna laugh.  We're gonna cry.  We're going to crush those Soviet scum! 
 
New Dashboard Update 
 
Woke up early this morning (well, early for me - hey, no one should ever have to wake up before 10), and downloaded the new dashboard update for the 360.  Most of the changes under the hood work well, though I'm noticing some new-ish lag in loading pictures for many dashboard items.  This probably will work itself out as the patch becomes widespread and the service stabilizies again (or that's my guess, anyways).  I tested out two things, the new Avatar shop and the Netflix upgrades. 
 
While I didn't purchase anything from the avatar shop, I thought what was there was mildly interesting.  Some of the new outfits look good, but the pricing definitely needs to come down for me to purchase anything.  Free outfits on special days are definitely going to be a must to get me to really come back to this service, but I could see myself purchasing a couple of small things if I had some extra MS points to spare and if the outfits dropped in price. 
 
The Netflix upgrades are simple but effective.  You can now find movies to watch through the 360 as opposed to needing a computer, which is handy since my laptop is still broken.  The videos also stream a bit faster, and the lag seems lessened.  I'll have more time to test this out thoroughly tonight, but in general, I really like the new Netflix stuff.  It's not going to rock the foundations of the 360, but it's simple little upgrades like this that will keep me satisfied. 
 
Spiderman, Spiderman, doing whatever a spider can... 
 
Been playing a bit of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance to help alleviate my need for a Diablo-esque game.  I'd finished Ultimate Alliance when it first came out, but I lost the achievements when my former gamertag couldn't be updated for Xbox Live Gold (very long and stupid story).  I'm really enjoying my replay through this game.  Gameplay-wise, it's fun as all hell, has a handful of relatively easy achievements (ahem, GamerGeek360), and I like the overall feel and look of the game.  Some of the voicework doesn't really do it for me and feels pretty generic and repetitive, but all in all, it's a heck of a fun game. 
 
I haven't read comics in close to 17 years (holy crap, that's a long time), but I remember enough to know that I'd love to see many more characters become playable.  Off the top of my head, my favorite (and admittedly obscure) character was a guy called Annex, who had a very brief solo run for Marvel Comics.  He was similar to War Machine (another favorite).  Along with Annex, I'd love to see Wonder Man, Quasar, Vision, Gambit, Cable, Domino, Scarlet Witch, Psylocke, Ghost Rider, Punisher, and Beast be playable characters.  I'd also love to see more villains make appearances as playable characters - namely Crossbones.  He was a relatively minor character in the great scheme of things, but he was always one of my favorites. 
 
He's got the need... the need for speed! 
 
After months of frustration, I've finally beaten the second world in Sonic 2.  I know, sounds dumb, right?  It's a relatively basic platformer that I should be able to rip right through, but I'll be damned if the underwater parts don't drive me bugnuts.  I guess you could say I cheated, because I'd save before and after every hard part of the level in order to not lose a life.  Not much more to say about that, except the next world is even more difficult - damn you, water levels! 
 
Question of the Week 
 
What would you like to see in future dashboard updates for the big three consoles?  What features do you want?  Go crazy, folks.  Personally, I'd love to see a form of console-to-console chat or messenging, probably through a third party.  Hey, a guy can dream.
4 Comments

Gaming Update is ballin', son!

By sparky_buzzsaw 5 Comments


Ladies and gents, boys and girls, and small flurglebeasts from Betelgeuse 3 (don't judge them!), I'm here to give you your weekly dose of all things insanely awesome and awesomely insane.  In this weeks profoundly wonderful and wonderfully profound epi-epi-episode (that's the sound of a turn-table, son!), Gaming Update does a little street ballin', a little thuggin', and a little cell phone action. 
 
   Goodness, gracious, great (basket)balls of fire... 
 
Yeah, yeah!  This week brings us an old favorite - NBA Street Homecourt.  Now, GamerGeek360, pay attention here, bucko, because Easy Achievements, Thy Name is NBA Street Homecourt - and for less than ten bucks!  I had played the hell out of this game when it was first released, loaned it out to a family member, and never thought about it again until I saw it at a game shop for less than most new XBLA releases.  Overwhelmed by the nostalgia of a game lacking the series' annoying announcer Bobbito, I snatched it back up and played it again.  Still working my way through it, but holy hell, is it fun.  EA Sports BIG produced two of my favorite series of games - this, and the inimitable SSX.  I don't normally enjoy basketball in the least, except for the occasional game of Horse or just goofing around, but this game is awesomely over-the-top good fun.  Give it a go, and look for a review soon. 
 
EA Sports BIG, I miss ya.  Please, at least give me another NBA Street and SSX - especially SSX, because unlike Street, we never had the chance for an SSX on the 360 or PS3.  The third had the best gameplay, but SSX Tricky will always have a special place in my heart for its nutty casting choices.  Anyone who utilizes the talents of the man-god Oliver Platt is A-OK in my book.  I'm still waiting for my Ready to Rumble video game adaptation, by the way. 
 
Cell Phone Mania, I tells ya! 
 
 I don't talk much about cell phone games on here, mostly because, well, most of 'em suck on my little cheap phone.  But I have a few worth mentioning, and they're well worth the price of admission if you ever get bored, lonely, and desperate for the electronic version of a quickie or some afternoon delight. 
 
First, we've got the classic Scrabble.  Now, there's no release version or anything similar that I can see, but Scrabble is always pretty much going to be Scrabble.  It's entertaining, the AI comes in three flavors of difficulty, all feeling about right, and most importantly for me, it's easy on the eyes, especially thanks to a zoom feature.  If you're a word junkie like me, it's good fun, and the pass and play multiplayer works well. 
 
Next up is Text Twist Turbo.  This was a favorite of mine along with Bookworm on the PC, and it translates fairly well to the cell phone.  She's not the prettiest gal on the block, but the gameplay remains the same.  I'm more of a fan of the classic gameplay as opposed to its "puzzle" mode (which isn't exactly puzzling at all), but it's a solid bit of entertainment.  Not sure exactly where the "Turbo" part of the title fits into it.
 
 And last but certainly not least is the fairly amazing Capone Casino 2 3D.  First, game developers, there is no longer a need to EVER label anything 3D.  It's sort of like adding a movie tagline reading "...in Color!"  Of course it's damn well in 3D.  Any idiot is going to see that right off the bat.  Anyways, even on a cheap looking cell, this is a good looking game.  It's not spectacular, and wouldn't even really hold up to a mid-nineties standard, but seriously, comapred to most of the other games I've played on my Alltel phone, this is the Crysis of cell games available to me.  The gameplay is rocking, too, with all manner of traditional casino games to play, including machine slots, poker, and blackjack, as well as table versions of various forms of poker, regular old blackjack, and roulette.  I'd love to see more of a variety of games in a sequel, including craps and a high-low game, but what's here is definitely plentiful.  My only real complaint is that it's very easy to cheat the computer to death once you can play Jokers Wild on the machines.  Essentially, the game gives you cheat tokens for various accomplishments in the game, and by using cheat tokens assigned to you when you hit a three of a kind involving a Joker, you can get two cheat tokens for the price of one.  In this fashion, you can build up cheats very quickly, and essentially blow through the game pretty fast.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, as it opens up the higher stakes games, but it's still something that needs to be addressed. 
 
3rd Street Saints 
 
 I've been playing a bit of Saint's Row 2, trying to go back through the game without cheating in order to get some achievements and enjoy the awesomeness.  For me, there wasn't a doubt when it came to which open-world game was more fun, Saint's Row 2 or Grand Theft Auto 4.  Technically, GTA 4 is a marvel and has some great moments, but overall, they forgot one itsy-bitsy thing... the fun stuff they'd spent developing over years of work.  I missed the crazy moments of the Grove Street boys, of modifying cars, of popping into a plane for no reason other than to see how high I could pull it up just for a skydiving session.  There weren't any moments like that for me in Grand Theft Auto 4, but Saint's Row 2 had them in spades.  It's everything I want in an open-world game and more.  It's insane, it's got a hell of a good cast for voice work (more on that in a second), and it's got car customization and garages.  Sounds stupid, I know, but I love that sort of thing. 
 
On a semi-related note, I've been watching Lost lately, and I still can't believe that Johnny Gat is voiced by Daniel Dae-Kim.  The two characters aren't apples and oranges - they're apples and mountains!  It's absolutely insane to me to think they're the same guy. 
 
Question of the Week 
 
What video games have had your favorite voicework?  Are there any particular standouts for you, and who voiced them? 
 
Until next week brings you more fond memories of me, your Sparkiest Buzzsaw of them all.
5 Comments

Gaming Update plays a banjo and a kazoo

By sparky_buzzsaw 6 Comments

Ninja, ninja rap!  Ninja, ninja rap!  Go ninja go ninja go!

Uhhh.... hello, and welcome to yet another Vanilla Ice flavored, kid-tested, mother-approved Sparky_Buzzsaw Gaming Update, with your host, the sleaziest of them all.  Remember kids, it ain't easy bein' sleazy.  Anyhowzas, let's get to crackle dackling, shall we?  We shall.

So a bird and a bear walk into a bar...

...and the third guy ducks.  OK, bad joke aside, I've been playing a ton of Banjo Kazooie and its sequel, Banjo Tooie.  And by ton, I'm not talking one of those wussy American or British tons.  No, I'm talking full bore Betelgeuse 7, Slartibartifast tons.  Fo' realz.

I wanted to really like the first game, and for the most part, I did.  Banjo-Kazooie's a blast to play, but there are several head-slapping design choices that drag the entire game down.  You can read more about my complete thoughts in my review of the game (check it here, home slice!), but suffice it to say that I've had a mostly pleasant experience with the first in the series.  I hadn't played the original on the Nintendo 32*2 (oh damn, I've got mad mathematics skills), so this was a pleasure.  As many amazing games as I've played from this current generation of consoles, it's really the retro gaming services that have made me drool.  Well, that, and the rampant rabies spreading through my system from that coyote bite, but mostly it's the retro gaming stuff.

Banjo-Tooie, on the other hand, is batshit crazy addictive, and I've loved just about every step of it.  If it wasn't for some nagging issues left over from the first game (annoying camera stuff, water levels, a distinct lack of an Accordionzo character in the title), I'd have given this a perfect score.  As it stands, I've given it a highly respectable 4.5 outta 5 here on Giant Bomb.  This really is one of the finest examples of a 3d platformer in the genre's history, and if you haven't played it, give it a shot.  It may look like a kid's game, but there are some clever puzzles, a few wry jokes, and enough solid gameplay to entertain anyone.

Sim-ply Sim-pering Sim-ulations

OK, that title's just awful.  One of the things about The Sims that's always had me on the fence is the blatant cash-cow of its expansion packs.  On the one hand, I highly respect Maxis for supporting their games the way that they have.  On the other hand, Holiday Stuff?  Really?  It would be less of an irritant if these expansion packs could somehow transfer to the next game in the series, giving a little meaning to the potential hundreds of dollars a buyer could invest into the game.  As it stands, I've only bought one expansion for The Sims, and that was so long ago, I don't even remember which one it was.  This brings me to the Sims 3.

Instead of free custom downloadable stuff designed by both Maxis and the community, Maxis has decided to create a micro-transaction method of obtaining new official items for Sims 3.  In theory, I don't mind micro-transactions as a means to do business, so long as emphasis is placed on the "micro" bit of that word.  It feels like Maxis is still testing the waters on the costs of their items.  I was given something like $10 worth of points for the Sims 3, and spent it all mostly on Tiki furniture, new hairstyles, and a few bits of clothing.  Again, in theory, I like this system.  It allows the user to pick out individual objects guaranteed to work, not carry bugs, and with some pretty damned solid designs.  But the pricing still feels high.  I can't imagine laying down real-world cash to outfit any of my Sims, but if the prices dropped by, oh, about half or if they create "clearance" items, I could see myself buying some of the furniture at low costs.  Yes, I know, that's hypocritical.  Sue me.

I should mention that the downloader and web integration is pretty much top notch.  It's easy to use, though there were some early issues with being asked for my name and password repeatedly when I'd just purchased an item.  Those seem to be worked out.  I probably will not review The Sims 3 until I've had a better chance at playing through a larger portion of the game.  It feels like I've just scratched the surface, but out of the box, it's definitely the best Sims to date.

Silence is golden

Last week, GamerGeek360 and I discussed our thoughts on the dead air in online games on the 360.  It should be noted at this point that I don't have a headset for PS3 or the Wii microphone, so I can't really speak for those platforms, nor for PC gaming.  He mentioned the general silence that greets him on Call of Duty 4, and I mentioned Halo 3.  Online silence seems very odd and counterproductive to me, as well as against our nature.  When Xbox Live first started to become popular, I thought most games would be something like what you see in The Breakup, where Vince Vaughn's character is talking smack good-naturedly back and forth.  And for a while, this seemed to be the case (plus the thousands of annoying bratty kids, heavy breathers, background screaming, and all the other joys of online chat).  But over the last eight or so months, I've noticed a severe lack of any sort of conversation in games.

It would seem to me that video games would be a great anonymous way of chatting people up, giving advice, teaming up, and of course, obligatory smack talking.  But lately, other than the people who seem intent on being annoying douches, Xbox Live has gone mute.  Part of it, I realize, is that not everyone can get a stable chat up and going with their connection.  I have trouble with this myself, as my mic often bubbles and cuts out online.  But surely that isn't the case for the majority, so why the silence?  Why the quiet?

Question of the Week

What's an area or environment in a game that you've adored?  For me, I love the world created in the Quest for Glory games, especially Spielberg and the fourth game.  These were areas I'd love to see more of, or even explore for myself.  They were haunting, enchanting, and felt like something out of a great fantasy novel.  In more modern days, the Fable 2 world has really done a hell of a job of recreating this kind of lovable atmosphere and environment, which is appropriate, since I consistently call it the spiritual successor to Quest for Glory.  I'm also really fond of the Fallout universe, as well as Final Fantasy 7's world.

6 Comments

Gaming Update eats sad pandas for breakfast!

By sparky_buzzsaw 6 Comments

The focus of the Gaming Update is likely to shift for a bit, as I've been concentrating mostly on the same games you've been reading about here for weeks, and that's unlikely to change until I can find steady work.  I just found out I'm being released from my current contract, and will be looking for gainful employment elsewhere.  I'm sure I'll find something soon, but in the short term, it's a bit of a scary proposition.  Anyways, on to the chunky panda bits of the blog!

Gaius Frakkin' Baltar

I want a return of the space flight simulator and NOW.  And what better fictionalized world to use as the backbone than my very own favorite TV show, Battlestar Galactica?  It's ripe for a video game adaptation, especially done right.  Something similar to the Wing Commander games would be ideal, mixing space combat with small interactive in-the-ship conversations and moments.  Dual or even triple campaigns would be possible - the two primary battlestars in the TV show and a Cylon campaign, perhaps?  You could even spin away from the primary show and set it in an entirely different campaign against the Cylons.  Their fictional war was long enough to delve into a meaty campaign set apart from the main thrust of the story.  Pun intended.

Dude, you totally had that game won until you f****ing blew it at the end.

That's a genuine quote from someone after a game of Worms 2 on XBLA, 'cept the f-bomb was uncensored.  What is it about the Internet and video game anonymity that turns people into royal pricks?  Why do we snicker and laugh behind screen names and cheesy avatars at anyone and everyone?  We hide behind anonymity, but is this our true natures that we're unleashing when we can be faceless?  Why is it that we lean naturally towards assholery instead of kindness towards others?  Ask yourself these things the next time you post something.  Remember, at the end of the day, you're accountable to you.  Do you really want the memory of insulting someone to be the pride and joy of your day, or would you rather reach out an ethereal hand and help someone?

What I'm Playing

After weeks of fruitless games, I've finally managed to win one stinkin' tournament in the Career mode in Tiger Woods 10, as well as getting my first couple of eagles.  The career mode win was a pleasant surprise, not easily duplicated.  I'm not great at Tiger Woods - I average probably a -3 on each course, which means that when I pull a win out of the bag, it's a hell of an accomplishment for me.  The eagles counfounded me.  I should have had a dozen of them by now, but I always managed to screw them up.  I finally scored one on the fantasy course Predator (of all the places, right?).  After that, I rapidly had a few more on a couple of tournaments, so that curse appears to be lifted.

I loaned my parents my copy of Mario Kart Wii, and have been playing that at their house.  It's a testament to the Wii's sense of fun that my mom, who never plays video games, is hooked on Mario Kart and Wii Fit.  My dad, for his part, loves Tiger Woods 10 and Zelda on the console.  I think I'll loan 'em Galaxy next.

It took way longer than it should have, but I've finally downloaded Lord of the Rings Online and The Sims 3 again.  Right now, those are the only two PC games I have installed.  I'll probably install Titan Quest again (I crave Diablo-esque games on a consistent basis), and I'd like to play through the Witcher again, so those will be installed soon.  I'd love to pick up the Monkey Island games, but those will have to wait until my work situation is cleared up.

I plan on plowing through a few DS games soon.  Not sure which ones yet.  I really like the DS for its RPG's, and there are many great ones to choose from.  I'm sure I'll also eventually pick up a couple Castlevania games on the DS.  That should make the handheld one I'll revisit years down the line.

Question of the Week

What genre, if any, would you like to see more of a focus on?  Any specific games or titles you'd like to see for that genre?  And what platforms would you prefer?

6 Comments

Gaming Update has bronchitis. Fo' realz.

By sparky_buzzsaw 7 Comments

Sorry, gang, not much of an update this week.  I've got bronchitis.  Or is that brontosaur?  Whichever one is meatier and trims my neighbor's hedges from forty feet.


WHAT I"M PLAYING

  • My faithful monster of a laptop crashed
but good last Thursday, leaving me to do a factory image scan.  So far, the only game I've re-installed is The Sims 3, but I'll be downloading Lord of the Rings Online as soon as I'm feeling better.   Right now, I can hardly focus enough to write even this paltry little blog.

OK, the unnumbered list buttons won't pop up after I hit enter after a paragraph, nor will it outdent to the left.  What am I missing?  Microsoft Word's Auto-Format has also become one hell of a mess lately.  Ugh.

When I've been feeling well enough to game, I've been going between Worms 2 on XBLA and the last batch of Fallout 3 content, which I'm finding pretty amusing.  I love Fallout 3 enough that I've supported Bethesda by purchasing all the DLC, and my most anticipated game is Fallout Vegas.  The only thing I'd still like more of from Fallout is weapon types, but there are a ton already, so I'm pretty happy.  Fallout Vegas could repackage Fallout 3 with new settings, characters, and weapons,and I'd still gobble it up.  Worms 2 continues to be a great game, and now that more and more people are picking it up, the early multiplayer issues are starting to level out.  It can still be frustrating to find a four player game, but that's really the last of the niggling issues left, other than some technical crashes when exiting out of the multiplayer options.

I'm also a good chunk of the way through my second playthrough of Devil Survivor for the DS, which is proving waaay easier with the New Game+ option.  Leveling is a breeze with the exp. reduction eliminated for weaker enemies, so I'm having fun trying out some different teams.  I've also been thinking about going back through and finally finishing up Final Fantasy IV, but the thought of that one cavern where you can't wear any metal still annoys me.

That's it for this week.  Your question this week, dear friends, is what would you love to see in an MMORPG or MMO game in general?  Personally, I'd love to see some kind of MMO based upon Tad Williams' Otherland or Memory, Sorrow, and Thorne novels.

7 Comments

About my reviews

By sparky_buzzsaw 5 Comments

I want to get something crystal clear about my reviews.  Someone recently wrote and asked me if I value graphics and sound over gameplay mechanics, since the basic layout of almost all my reviews is:

Intro
Graphics and Sound
Gameplay
Conclusions

Actually, I value gameplay far more than I've ever valued graphics and sound.  There was absolutely no thought, rhyme, or reason in putting graphics and sound before gameplay, so no, I certainly do not have a bias towards graphically superior games.  My recent reviews of Devil Survivor and Covenant of the Plume should be fine examples of how I prefer gameplay over graphical power.  However, with every game, I do feel that graphics and sound are important enough issues that they need to be seriously examined.  If a game doesn't have powerhouse graphics, does it animate well?  Does it have a nice artistic style?  Or if it's plain vanilla, is there a good enough reason (indie developed, etc.)?  Those are the kinds of questions I hope to answer as best as I can with that particular section.

Kinda nice to know at least one of you out there is reading some of my reviews.  Always feel free to leave comments, positive or negative.  I can always use the feedback.  As an aspiring novelist, it's always kind of nice to have my ego stroked a bit when it comes to writing of any sort.  Hah!

5 Comments

Gaming Update thinks it's turning Japanese (it really thinks so)

By sparky_buzzsaw 2 Comments

Quick update this week, ladies, gentlemen, and things of a vague sexual nature.  Today brings us thoughts on two DS games and Worms 2: Armageddon.  Read on, oh patron of Sparky, and be entertained.  Or bored.

What I'm Playing:

  • I talked a bit about Devil Survivor last week.  I'm still hooked on it this week.  I still think one certain boss battle is a royal pain, but the New Game+ option makes leveling insanely easy, and it feels like I'm doing a bit less level grinding this time around.  My only complaint with the game is the lack of multiple saves.  You can only save one game at a time, which means I can only experiment with one team setup at a team (technically, I could do more, but it would be tedious).  If you own a DS or enjoy SRPG's, definitely give this game a go.
  • I've also begun a playthrough of Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume.  It's another SRPG for the DS, this time from the Square Enix team.  It's a good game, with some great visuals for the genre and an easy-to-grasp combat system.  However, it can be frustratingly difficult at times, especially given its few-and-far-between side quests.  There are no opportunities to level grind or earn more cash on the side, so if you're not happy with the team you've been developing for several chapters, you're kinda screwed.  On a technical level, it looks better than Devil Survivor, but gameplay wise, I'd say Atlus's little gem is far superior.  Still, if you enjoy the genre, it's a decent enough purchase.  Look for a review later when I get into the latter parts of the game.
  • Worms 2: Armageddon is both a blast and incredibly frustrating.  Single player-wise, it's the best to date in the series.  However, the online multiplayer matchmaking needs a patch, and I mean NOW.  When the game isn't crashing from the matchmaking, it's taking upwards of three to four minutes for me to find even a one-on-one match.  There's no excuse at this point for this kind of shoddy matchmaking, and it really kind of bogs the whole thing down.  I'll post a review once I've played through more of the modes online - if I can get it to work for more than twenty minutes.


Thoughts:

  • I didn't realize the new Monkey Island episodes would be released so quickly.  I'll be picking these up as soon as I buy an external hard drive (which might mean sometime next month).  Really looking forward to playing this.
  • The other big news for me this week is the announcement of LucasArts reaching a distribution agreement with Steam.  Puzzle and adventure fans should definitely pick up The Dig, which isn't the best of the LucasArts library, but it'll definitely work your brain for a few hours.  Looking forward to seeing what else is released in the future.  The minute Full Throttle and Grim Fandango are released, I'll be on Steam downloading them again.  I own physical copies of both, but having Steam support would be nice... and hey, I support just about any halfway decent adventure game release.


Until next time, chilluns, keep it gangsta.  Or at least keep it hoodsta.  Or maybe just, you know, keep it white and nerdy.

EDIT REGARDING WORMS 2: ARMAGEDDON -

It appears as though the online matchmaking has evened out, and wait times are far less than just a few days ago.  Perhaps it's because more and more people are playing.  I can't claim to know the specifics.  However, my prior gripes about the multiplayer have now been admirably addressed.  I do recommend using the "Custom game" button rather than trying to search for a quick game, as it definitely runs quicker, and if you're playing Player Matches instead of Ranked, you have quite a few options to choose from.

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Gaming Update - Now with half the calories and twice the flavor!

By sparky_buzzsaw 7 Comments

Imagine this gaming update as one giant, delicious, freshly baked cookie that you can take your sweet, sweet time devouring.  Maybe it has chocolate chips.  Maybe white chocolate.  Maybe M&M's.  Just no damned raisins, thank you.  Now go ahead.  Take a bite.  You know you want to.

What I'm Playing:

  • Tiger Woods 10 is all-consuming, all-knowing, and all-powerful.  Yes, it's light on a whole lot of features, but seriously, this is the most polished version of TW yet, and I think I'll be satisfied with it for a couple of years.  If you ever meet the created Zen master of +14 rounds (damn those par 3's on the Play the Pro tournaments!) known as Chin Feng, be warned - he has a mean chip shot.  It's just too bad I always have to follow up the chips with, oh, five or so putts.  But you know what TW needs?  Zombie golf.  Imagine a fairway full of mumbling, half-eaten zombie types, and you get points for however many you hit within a certain amount of time.  Hell, that's just the tip of the iceberg for zombie mini-games.  Golf cart rampages, anyone?
    • I picked up Devil Survivor for the DS this week, and let me tell you - it's strategy RPG joy-tastic.  It's a teensy-weensy bit light on environments, but it's a hell of a good story and a very solid SRPG game.  Fans of Disgaea, Final Fantasy Tactics, or Giant Bomb's very own Endurance Run may want to take it out for dinner and a few drinks. 
  • The Sims 3 works beautifully on my computer.  A friend sent me a copy as a belated b-day gift, which was way too generous of a gift for this mean, old, cantankerous bastard.  I'm still getting into it lightly, but the more I play, the more I like.  I'm still trying to figure out a few of the intricacies, like if I create two Sims in different family trees, can they interact with each other?  Or are they like seperate game worlds?  One of my fondest things to do in the original Sims was to create a few different households for friends and family.  Anyways, the Sims 3 looks to be a hell of a lot of fun.
  • For those of you Worm-ites out there, Worms 2 Armageddon should be released on XBLA this week.  When it comes out, you'll notice me stopping any sort of other gaming for about, oh, three months.  When Armageddon first came out on the PC, I was like a junkie being given the keys to an LA county evidence locker.  I was in heaven.  The Worms games are pure strategic bliss, and I'm looking forward to all the additional weapons and landscapes.


What I'm Thinking:

  • Good God, I wish game consoles had less cords, or that I could hire some kind of professional to come in and rework my setup.  At one point, I'd thought about buying another TV for my bedroom, so it might eventually work itself out if I move one of them, but still - three consoles hooked up to one CRTV is bad news.
  • While I love the remake and re-releases of games like Monkey Island, I want more!  There's a huge back catalogue of games out there that deserve new games or updates, so hopefully we'll see more of this in the future.  In the meantime, I want to see more releases on all three consoles of decent games from their older libraries.
  • IGN recently released a great list of their top 25 picks for the Wii.  I recommend all the Wii-haters out there read it, because this really is a great list of games.  I don't agree with Conduit being on the list, but other than that, I've played most of the games, and they're all a blast.
  • Still have yet to download the Tex Murphy games from GOG?  Do it.  Do it now!  Download them!   You know you want to!


That's all for this week.  Here's your slow-broiled, honey-glazed question of the week: which gaming mascot would you want to punch in the face and why?

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