Ah, there you are. Thank you for coming, once again. You know the drill by know, don't you? No? Well, let me educate you, then. Here at One Hour In, we do our best to convey the opening hour of the featured game of the week. Simple as that, correct? Yes, it is. Would you like to get right into, then? Of course you would. Here we go!
Vanquish
I will say, unabashedly, that I am in love with Platinum Games. They've made some of my favorite games as of late. Bayonetta being at the top of the list, but even hearkening back to their Clover days, with Viewtiful Joe, Okami, and God Hand. They've made some of the most fun, off-kilter, unique games of the past few years. So, I was expecting no less than all-out crazy from the minute I fired up Vanquish. And, without skipping ahead too much, I got it! Let's head right into the fray, shall we?
In the immortal words of Barney Stinson, "It's time to SUIT UP!" And suit up I do, right at the get-go. I'm playing as Sam Gideon, a tough-guy DARPA agent putting the latest iteration of a new exo-skeletal combat suit through its paces. Elena Ivanov, whom I will call Sam's "handler" gives the go-ahead to test out the suit's systems. Professor Candide, the creator of the suit, is also observing the test. I put the thing through the wringer, testing maneuvering (ROCKET BOOTS FTW!), aiming and shooting, weapons switching (the gun actually transforms instead of carrying around a bunch of different guns), and so forth. Satisfied, it's time to get out of there and relax.
The scene switches to the city of San Francisco. People going about their day. Then, we're show some sort of complex. A sequence of some mechanism is kicking in. It's giant. Then, the exterior of a space colony, with panels aligning, and portals opening. An energy builds up in the thing. It's obviously a weapon. A computer targets San Fran, and a beam of light flashes from the colony. SF gets nuked (well, microwaved, actually), people literally explode in the streets, buildings get vaporized, and Golden Gate Bridge collapses. The "Order of the Russian Star" issues an ultimatum to the U.S. government. Surrender, or New York City is next. The President (a lady, who looks a lot like Hillary Clinton) vows that the United States will not negotiate with terrorists, and will eliminate this threat. There's only 8 hours to go until NYC gets blown off the map.
Time to assault! An armada of Marine space ships faces off against Russian ships around the space colony. We get introduces to Lt. Col. Burns, a man who's obviously seen some action. He's scarred and has a robotic right arm. It also seems that he and Sam may have some history? It's unknown at this point, but I'm willing to bet they've known each other previously. Sam is going to join the mission, and Burns doesn't seem too happy about it. He might not like DARPA so much. The ship Sam and Burns are on makes it through the front lines to the interior of the colony. The inside is teeming with Russian robots. The ship sustains heavy damage, as the Marines launch landing craft. Sam and Burns crash land, as the space ship plummets the the ground, barely missing crushing Burns' troops. It total chaos at ground level. Marines and robots shooting it out all over the place. We need to make it to the Main Gate to proceed further into the colony.
Fighting up further, the Russian robots are dug in, but I flank around them, using my suits boosters and evasions to get in close and knock some blocks off. We fight up to near the Main Gate, battling until Elena warns of a large heat signature coming in from below. A giant robot bursts through the ground! This is the ARGUS. It's a quadrupedal construct, so blasting the legs should help take it down easier. I cripple the knees, opening up the opportunity for some shots on it's core. Sustaining massive damage, it transforms into a more humanoid form. It's firing off lasers and missiles all over the place. I disable one of it's arms, and Sam decides now's a good time to go full-assault on the thing. He runs up the arm, kicks the back of it's head and leaps into the air. ARGUS fires cannon shots, which Sam evades, eventually kicking one back into the arm, destroying it. (or, at least that's what I think happened, it all when by so fast!) I fin ally get to a gun emplacement, and tear through the robot's core, and it blows apart. Elena hacks the gate, and we can proceed further into the colony.
In the next area, the Russians are holding some Marines hostage. Sam wants to free them, but Burns isn't sure he wants to sacrifice his squad to save four men. Sam assures Burns that he won't have to bother, Sam will take care of it himself. I blast around the room, taking out more Ruski 'bots and freeing the captives. As troop transports arrive to drop more robots, Burns, Sam, and the squad move up to secure an elevator to the next level. The Marines present tell the Colonel to go on ahead, they'll hold off the reinforcements. Sam, in bewildered that they'd stay behind, because he's sure they'll be killed. Burns orders Sam to move out, and they leave the brave Marines to their fate as the elevator takes them up.
And, *WHEW!* my hour with Vanquish comes to a dramatic close. If this pace keeps up, I think this will be a very satisfying experience. Platinum has crafted a slick, interesting shooter that's quite unlike anything that's come before. God, I just love flipping around, booster-sliding, and general looking like a fool in this game. But, that's the thing, even as silly as Sam may look doing all his acrobatics, he also looks bad-ass at the same time! I really am looking forward to getting further into this puppy to see what other bat-shit crazy stuff gets thrown my way. If the first 60 minutes is any indication, it'll be sweet!
Thanks, once again, for taking the time to join me. I'm not sure if I'll be doing an entry for next weekend, it being Easter and all. I may try and get one in early. (say near the end of the week; Thursday or Friday) If I do, I do; if not, I apologize in advance. Whatever happens, the next game will be a surprise! (mainly because I haven't decided what I want to do yet!) Oh well, see you next time, regardless, on One. Hour. In! 5 Comments
Ah, welcome friends. Please, enter. Have a seat. Comfortable? Would you like some refreshments? So, here we are again. As I begin this, the fifth installment of my little blog here, I trust you are settled in. Well, if you're good and ready, let us start, shall we? We have a ways to go in the sci-fi action adventure game that is Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. Well, not much of a ways, as it's just an hour in, right?
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Have staff, will travel Man, this game takes no time getting right into the thick of it. Monkey awakens on a slave transport ship on it's way to the "Pyramid". While trying to decipher his surroundings in the pod he's in, Monkey notices another pod across the way opening, and a teenage girl jumping out of it. Before he can react, the girl sets of an explosion that topples the pod Monkey's in. He bust the door open as the slave ship starts to explode and break apart around him. Monkey makes his way forward, as the ship rumbles and bounces due to the explosions. A mech bars the way forward, and Monkey can go after it until he has his gear. He confronts a guard, who tells him where to find his stuff. But, unfortunately, the guy is zapped by a headband for assisting the escaping Monkey. Make his way down to the cargo hold, Monkey reacquires his gauntlets, shield, and staff. Now, to take on the mech, Beating it with ease, Monkey proceeds into the next two rooms, confronting more mechs. Unfortunately, the way forward is block by the girl, who lock the only door into the next section of the ship. Monkey's got to clamber around on the hull and wings of the ship to get to the forward section and to and escape pod, since this thing is going to go down. More mechs pop out, but are easily destroyed. As Monkey gets to the port side of the ship, avoiding the backdraft of a jet engine, the ship clips the torch of the Statue of Liberty (!). Monkey finds his way to a loose panel, ripping it off; but accidentally flinging it into one of the engines! It explodes, causing the ship to tilt violently. Monkey has to climb up the wing quickly before he's scraped off on an incoming building! Making it up, he finally gets to the last escape pod. But, Trip (the girl) is already inside it. She decides to launch with poor Monkey hanging onto the outside! The slave ship careens and smashes into the ground as the escape pod with Trip in it and Monkey on it falls into some nearby ruins.
A groaning Monkey awakens slowly. Trip explains why his head hurts so much. She's placed a slave headband on him, and wired it to respond to her vocal commands. She says that she'll only remove it when Monkey guides her safely back to her home, some 300 miles to the west. Having no choice, Monkey agrees to escort Trip out of danger. The two start exploring the ruins they've crashed in. "Missing" posters adorn the crumbling, moss covered walls. (Looks like Grand Central Terminal's seen better days...) A drawbridge blocks the path. Trip lowers it part way, but Monkey needs to find a way across the hole to lower the other half. He does so, but is attacked by a pair of mechs. He takes care of business, and the two travels proceed out of the building. A beautifully ruined New York City skyline greets them outside. Trip wonders how many people used to live here. Thousands? Monkey surmises probably even more than that. The smoke rising in the distance indicates where the two need to go. Monkey thinks that his ride (a motorcycle, by the way he describes it) might have survived the slave ships crash, and he can't think of a faster way to go the distance to Trip's home. A few more mechs to destroy, and more ruins to explore. The pair come across some mechs that need distracting to get past. Trip whips up a Decoy at this point to help Monkey deal with the enemy. It works effectively, and they continue on. Entering the next area, Monkey notices mechs littering the way forward. Mined, he deduces. Trip notices some mechanical dragonflys around, and asks Money to catch one. After a short chase, he nabs the little guy. Trip quickly modifies the bug to help detect the mines. Monkey carries Trip through two short minefields. They come to a larger minefield, with a sentry gun at the far end. Using the dragonfly, Trip detects metal fatigue in the billboard above the sentry gun. If Monkey can make his way around, he can take out the turret by toppling the board. Using the dragonfly once again, Trip detects a few "sleeping" mechs that Monkey needs to sneak around. Not waking a one, he makes it to the building behind the turret gun. Gather the plasma shot for his staff, he blasts the supports for the billboard, crush the sentry gun below. A few more mechs rush in to attack Trip and Monkey, and are made quick work of. Trip says the she can download the schematics of the enemies, making it easier for Monkey to exploit their weaknesses. Sounds like a good idea.
Whew! That's it for the first hour of Enslaved. Man, that first chapter on the slave ship was straight up intense. There were a couple of instances that I didn't think Monkey would make it! And man, is this game really nice looking. Especially the characters. I'm looking forward to see how the relationship between Monkey and Trip evolves, and if they end up meeting anyone else interesting.
Thanks for reading, everyone. It is my sincere hope that you enjoyed this entry of my blog. Please to come back next week, when I'll be relaying the first hour of my experience with the shooter Vanquish, which I'm told is pretty awesome. And again, if you would like to request a certain game for me to cover, don't hesitate to shoot me a PM and let me know! Again, thanks for giving this a look, and we'll see you next time, on One Hour In.
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Greetings and salutations all good people who enter! I would like to welcome you to this, the next entertaining entry into the vaunted and hallowed One Hour In series. Obtain some refreshments, find yourself a comfortable seat, and settle in as I regale you with strange and mysterious tales of gaming! Onward, to adventure, dearest of friends. In this entry, I give you the first hour of my experience in the world of Red Steel 2, the hardships of finishing off the Elite Four in Pokémon Black/White, and how much I loved shooting mutants and creeps in Bulletstorm. Let's kick it off in style, shall we?!
Red Steel 2
Yeah, he'll shoot you, AND stab you! Yeouch!! So, the first Red Steel was, how do I put this?... Oh yeah, not that good. Seriously, just check the reviews. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the expectations of motion controlled sword-and-gun-play. But, thankfully, the franchise was given a second chance. But, instead of keeping with the modern-day Yakuza and underworld vibe, Red Steel 2 takes the core concepts of the first game and injects then into a world that, interestingly, looks a heckuva lot like Borderlands. That's a complement, not a complaint! So, as I load the disc into my Wii (after I dust it off a little. Sorry, buddy, it's been a while!), I'm expecting a slick looking game where I can shoot dudes and then slice them up! Let's do this thing!!
As it turns out, this ain't the friendliest of place, wherever I happen to be. Looks like a desert of some sort. My vision blurs in and out as the sun blinds me temporarily. What's going on? Am I dying? No, quickly comes the answer, but it seems I may be about to. My hands have been bound, and I'm tied to a motorcycle. The guy driving takes off, pulling me along through the sand, scrub brush, and down into a culvert at the edge of a town. He shoots a tank that explodes, spreading flames across the concrete. He drags me to a stop, his fellow gang members saying that I'm not dead yet. Biker guy looks the remedy that. He takes off again, me in tow. We barrel through the fire, which starts burning the ropes binding my wrists. I break a hand free, grab my revolver (bad idea, leaving the good guy with any usable weapons!) and fire at the motorcycle. He careens into an open drainpipe, and the bike explodes. I flip end over end, sliding to a stop. Before I can react, a big tattooed guy jumps me. He grabs the katana off my belt, threatening to kill me with my own sword. I kick him off, through the flaming bike wreckage, and grab my gun. I start making my way through the sewers. Climbing out, I overhear a couple of thugs threatening to kill someone. I round the corner, and cap the bads, saving an old man from being hanged. Seems he recognizes me, and is kind of happy to see me. From his dialogue, I glean that I'm part of a group called the Kusagari, and I'm apparently, the only one around.
Jian, the old man, test me to see if I'm still able to wield the sword. I take a few practice swings at a dummy, proving I've still got it! He tasks me with hooking up with Tamiko via comm set, and seeing how I can help take down the gang that's been running wild in town. Here's where I get my first taste of combat. A group of Jackals (the gang) harass me as soon as I leave Jian's dojo. I cut and gun them all down, then get called back for a smidgen more training. This time, I learn the ever-important dodge technique. After this, Tamiko contacts me, and says that there's a heavy named "Jack" that needs to be dealt with. I hunt the big boy down, and take him and his buddies out. Returning to Jian yet again, I obtain my first Hidden Strike "The Rush". Now I can sprint forward and stab, knocking enemies to the ground, or using it as a finisher. Tamiko lets me know that Sheriff Judd is holed up in the saloon, under attack from Jackals. I rush to his rescue, only to find the saloon being guarded by a heavy going by the name "Big Bill". Dude has a giant hammer! After some quick gunplay and dodging, I land the final blow on Bill, burying him. Sheriff Judd is happy to see me, but says that I'd better go find an assist Tamiko, because the Jackals are heckling her now! (geez, everyone's got problems!) I rush out the backdoor of the saloon, and to Tamiko's aid. I find some gang members trying to break down her door, and dispatch them. Entering her safehouse, she thanks me, but then is distressed that I've lost my katana. Apparently, it was of some import. Looks like I'll have to be going after it eventually.
Jian says I need some more training, and I learn the art of armor-busting. Gotta swing big, baby! Tamiko contracts me to take out the Jackals occupying Caldera's (the town's name, btw) communications center, and reactivate the system. I head over to the complex, and take care of business and reactivate the comm system. Heading back, Tamiko has intercepted a communique between the Jackals and their boss, Payne. Sounds like they're getting ready to loot the town's supplies, and it's up to me to stop them. Blowing up their transportation should suffice! I make my was through the streets, demolishing trucks and Jackals alike. As I round the corner to the last truck, there's a surprise waiting. Tattoo-guy (whom I don't think I've heard a name for) speeds toward me in one of the trucks! I leap onto the roof, stabbing my sword into the truck to hang on. We barrel through streets, alleyways, and ever buildings! He tries to shake me off, but I get to him, making the truck crash. I make it away, and tattoo-guy vows revenge. All the trucks take care of, I work may way toward Judd's office. He's under siege by Jackals! As I roam the streets, there's more trucks to detonate, and gang members to mutilate. I finally reach the sheriff, who's grateful for my assistance. He offers me his supplies, at this point I can buy a new gun. I refrain, choosing to save my cash right now. Jian teaches me more moves, this time, how to parry stronger attacks by hold my sword at the correct angles. That finished, Tamiko requests my help yet again. This time, I need to reactivate an relay tower so she can hack the front gate of the Rojo House; The Jackals are using the House as a base of operations. I find a get power to the tower, and Tamiko starts working on her hack.
And, my 60 minutes are up! From the look of things, I'll have a variety of activities to work on while I wait for Tamiko to hack that front gate. Which means more money and more killing! I'm thinking I'll be liking Red Steel 2. The art style works well, the controls make good use of Motion Plus, and there's a nice variety to the combat. It took me a little getting used to doing things with the sword, and there's a bit of weirdness with shooting, but I'm sure I'll get over it. After all, I'm not used to playing my Wii so much! (sorry Wii, I promise to do better!)
Afterthoughts
In this new addition to One Hour In, I'll be discussing my experiences with games previously mention in this blog. My impressions, where I think the franchises might go (or not go), when it's time to rethink things, that sort of stuff. I hope you'll stick around for this. I probably won't be doing an Afterthoughts section each week, but I will as frequently as I am able. Also, this section I will try to keep as spoiler-free as I possibly can. Don't want to ruin anything for those of you who've yet to play any of the game I talk about here! Here's my afterthoughts on Pokémon Black/White and Bulletstorm!
Pokémon Black/White
Alright, let me say I HATE the Elite Four. Hated them in Blue, hated them in Black, and will probably hate them in White (yeah, I got both versions, so sue me!). I mean, I could've gone online and looked up which pokémon they use, the best team to assemble to beat them, and what items to use, but instead, I stupidly just walked up to the Pokémon League and started fighting them. Not the right move! I was absolutely hammer the first three tries, but then, I started to get a feel for what my team selection should be. I gradually built my killer combination of pokémon that would crush the Elite Four. I battled them with vigor that I didn't know was in me! I took them down, one by one, until none but Caitlin, the psychic-type user, remained. And you know what, I barely scrapped by her, almost blowing at the end. But, I emerged victorious! Funny thing was, I did this while I was on my lunch break at work. I can tell you the looks I got as I laid my DSi XL down on the table and pumped my fist in the air hissing, "YEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS!" as Caitlin fell. Man, what a battle through those four! Of course, that wasn't the end of the game, but it may as well have been, since the final three of four real battles were kind of pushovers. Oh well, guess I'll get to train up and fight them all again! Also, there's a whole big area of the world map that opened up, I can't wait to go exploring in those new regions. To adventure!!
Bulletstrom
Not much to say other than: I loves me shootin' dudes!! This was one of the most fun experiences I've had with a FPS in about 900 years! Man, just the great implementation of the Skill Shot system, the almost Insomniac-style weapon designs, and the COLOR! Oh man, the color! No grays, browns and blacks here! (well, there was a Gray, but that's the main character!) Everthing about this game made me grin. Hell, even the wacky dialogue was no slouch either. I hope this has sold well enough that we'll get to see another one. I mean, not to give anything specific away, (and Vinny's already mentioned it on the Bombcast) but there's totally a setup for another game in this series. Please give People Can Fly another go, Epic! Please, oh please, oh please?!?! You won't regret it!
And thus ends another edition of One Hour In, my friends. Thank you for joining me one this journey. I hope and pray that we've all grown a little stronger, a little wiser, and, perhaps, a little more enlightened in this endeavor. Join me next time when I will be outlining the first hour of the action-adventure Enslaved. And, as always, if you have a game you'd like to request I do a rundown on, be it old, new, or somewhere in between shoot me a message, and let me know! Thank you all, see you next time, on One Hour In!
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Okay, so, I finally got my first hour of Dragon Age 2 in! And, as I had promised in Episode #2 that I would do both Okamiden and DA2, I figured that, instead of this being the next numbered entry to One Hour In, that I'd just do a supplemental Episode. So, here's #3.5, the first hour of Dragon Age 2. Let's do this!!
Dragon Age 2
BOOM! Look at how badass Hawke is! And yes, I got the Signature Ed. Let me start off by saying that I didn't get to play Dragon Age: Origins. Luckily, it seems that, aside from some story points, that won't have very much bearing on my playing DA2. That's good, I suppose, but I guess I'll have to look into getting on that. Heck, maybe that'll be another entry in this blog sometime down the road! Keeping that in mind, I won't be able to compare and contrast the differences between the two games. Sorry about that. Oh well, let's fire this baby up and see what we have here.
Alright, first and foremost, the critical "choosing of the main character's gender and class". I, of course, choose the male warrior, cause I like to hurt things! Jumping right in, there's an opening cutscene, in which a dwarf is dragged into a chamber and confronted by a Seeker. She asks the dwarf to tell her about The Champion. He obliges. I get thrown into combat straight away. My dude has some kick ass armor and a huge sword. I scythe through throngs of Darkspawn easily, with my mage sister providing backup. They keep coming and coming, and I keep mowing them down. Then, a troll barrels in. I dispatch him fairly quickly. All of the sudden, a dragon shows up, swooping down on the enemies. This scene is cut short by the Seeker calling bullshit. The dwarf states that this is how the legend goes. The Seeker doesn't want the legend, she wants the truth. So, Mr. Dwarf tells her she can hear it, but she needs to hear "the whole story". A short scene, in which is explained what's happened with the Darkspawn, we learn that Lothering has fallen, and our hero and his family are fleeing the defeated city. Here I get to create my hero. I just use the second preset face (I like the face paint), change his first name to "James" (my first name also), and get straight into gameplay. The Hawke family has nowhere to go. We decide to try for Kirkwall, across the sea, but it seems that the Templars, who run Kirkwall, are not very welcoming. But, it's the only place to go, and we have extended family there. We press on, slicing through gangs of Darkspawn, and meet up with a Templar, Wesley, and his wife Aveline. It seems Wesley doesn't like my sister, Bethany, very much, since she's a mage. We decide to team up, since it would be in the best interests of us all. We need to head south, through The Wilds. It's dangerous, but that's the only way that we can go. We head out, going through more Darkspawn. A troll shoes up, and kills my brother Carver almost effortlessly! This scene mirrors the "fantastical" beginning from the legend of the Champion that the dwarf initially told the Seeker. The Darkspawn keep coming, seemingly without end. Then, a dragon shows up, torching the baddies. Awesome! And then, it turns into a lady! She speaks a bit strangely, like she already knows Hawke, or something. Anyway, she offers her help to get through The Wilds, if Hawke will make a delivery for her. I agree to do it, and we make ready to leave. Unfortunately, Wesley is suffering from The Corruption due to an injury he sustained earlier. There's only one cure. I offer to end his suffering, so Aveline won't have to. I put Wesley out of his misery. Wow, that was tough, even though I only just met the guy. Back to the Seeker and dwarf again. She doesn't believe that The Champion met Flemeth (the dragon-lady), because she's a myth. The dwarf tells her that he's being truthful. He continues the story, telling that Hawke and his family endured the trip to Kirkwall, ending up there, but it may be no better than where they left from. So, we arrive in Kirkwall, but it appears that no one is being allowed to gain entry to the city proper. I find out that I need to talk to Captain Ewald, to see if I can get in. I find the Captain, but he's already being accosted by other refugees. I speak to the Captain about our situation, telling him we have family in Kirkwall. He agrees to send Uncle Gamlen our way next time he sees him. This pisses off the dudes already there, and they attack! We fend them off, impressing the Captain. He says he'll do his best to find our Uncle. 3 days later, Gamlen shows up. Unfortunately, the only way to gain entry to the city is for Hawke and Bethany to basically be taken into indentured servitude, and work our way in. There are two choices, to work for a mercenary, or a smuggler. I choose to work for the merc Meeran. He asks me to kill off a guy. I do so, and I'm welcomed into the mercenary company, and more importantly, I can now gain entry to Kirkwall proper.
And -- that's it! I know I've probably barely scratched the surface of this game. RPGs are always nice and lengthy. I'll say this, I liked the bit I've played so far. I'm hoping that the combat gets a little less button-mashy the further I get into the game. But, I like the setting, and the characters I've met so far are interesting. (I'm guessing that the dwarf in the opening scene joins my party later on) It seems to be an almost medieval Mass Effect 2, with which I have no problem. Hopefully, if this is the case, there's an awesome guy that'll be my Garrus equivalent. (man, I love that dude!)
Alright, there's your first hour of Dragon Age 2. Join me next time, when I'll be delving into the first hour of Red Steel 2! Also, if y'all have got any games (no matter how new or old they may be) you'd like me to cover, give me a shout in the comments, or shoot me a PM, and let me know! Later all.
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Welcome once again to the show that never ends! I mean -- well it does end, after about an hour or so. So, I guess I was just leading you on with that opening line. I apologize for that. I also must apologize for misleading you in my last entry. I said I'd have the first hours for two games done for this time. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to pry Bulletstorm out of my 360 to get Dragon Age 2 in there! So, looks like I'll only be having Okamiden's starting hour up this time. I'll try and see if I can barrel through hour one of DA2 either tonight or tomorrow and maybe get that up too! So, for now, please enjoy my rundown of the opening hour of Okamiden!
Okamiden
Chibiterasu -- D'awww! Lookit the cute puppy! First off, did you play Okami? I did! It seems like I was one of about 27 people on the planet who did when it originally came out on PS2. That number skyrocketed to 31 when it was re-made for Wii! Well, if you have played it, good for you. If you haven't, for shame! I demand you go find a copy; new, used, stol -- uh, "borrowed", it doesn't matter. Now, have your copy? Good. Play it. Go ahead. I'll wait. ... Finished yet? Not quite? Okay, tell me when... ... All done? Good job! Fell better now? Okay, now we can talk about Okamiden!
So, here we go. The direct sequel to good ol' Okami, looks like things are going to be pretty straight forward. Starting off, a cinematic, outlining the events leading up to and through the original game. Okay, yeah, I knew all that. But, it's always good to recap. The cinematic ends, and here we find little Issun, the tiny bug-man-artist-Celestial Envoy doing his best to remind the people of Nippon of Ammy's good deeds 9 months earlier. Seems, according to him, that if the people forget about the gods, then they lose their power! So, he's doing his best to keep the folks mindful. But, as he's doing his job, the sky turns dark, and a pair of demons appear out of nowhere! Issun is quite flustered, thinking these creatures were banished by the Great Goddess Ameterasu! But, a small puppy, who's uncanny resemblance to Ammy is unmistakable shows up. Issun gives some pointers on battle, and I handily dispatch the pair of baddies. Issun surmises that this pup must be the offspring of Ameterasu. Knowing this, he suggests that Chibiterasu try to use his Celestial Brush powers to restore the sun to the sky. Just like in the original game, I paint a circle in the sky, and the sun reappears, banishing the clouds that had rolled in. This done, Issun suggests that we find and speak to Miss Sakuya, and figure out where this new evil may have come from. Heading out of the small starting area, we trek a short way to Kamiki Village, home to Susano the warrior who helped Ammy defeat Orochi. I stop to talk to the few villagers along the way, finding out that they can't see the red markings on Chibi, only viewing him as a normal white dog. The same thing happened to him mom, too! Issun and Chibi make it to the Konohana Tree, where Miss Sakuya resides. She mistakes Chibi for his mom initially, but Issun corrects the mistake. As she's about to explain the situation, the sky darkens and a bolt of lightning splits the tree! Issun tries to use his own brush to repair the damage, as he'd seem Ammy do numerous times, but it fails! Fortunately, Chibi shortly gains the Power of Restoration, and I quickly outlines the tree with the Brush, restoring it's trunk. Getting it to re-bloom will be another matter. Unfortunately, it looks like Issun won't be able to accompany Chibi on his journey, so we need to find him a new partner. We head out to Shinshu Field, but it looks like the place is being overrun with evil! We turn back, deciding to find Chibi's partner in Kamiki. But, what's this? Everyone has been turned to stone! Issun suggests we head to the highest point in the village, to get the sun to shine. I do so, and it seems to turn all the people back to flesh. But, another encounter with demons! I take care of them easily. Uh oh, looks like Susano has blacked off the exit from the village with a boulder. There's no leaving, so we've got so searching to do. Chibi turns back, and encounters Kuni, Susano's son. He's just as clueless as his dad. He agrees (somewhat reluctantly) to find a crying girl's stolen mirror that was taken by the demons in the fields. Stragely, he can see Chibi's red markings, meaning maybe he's the right guy to take the job of Chibiterasu's partner! Issun bids the duo goobye, and our new pair head out to Kuni's hidden "training ground" - The Cave of Nagi.
As my hour wound down, I found myself thinking, "I know what I'm getting into." Okamiden is giving me the same sort of vibes I got from it's predecessor. Which is fine by me. The biggest problem I think I'm going to have with it is controlling Chibi in the full polygonal world with a D-pad. I've not wanted to do that since the first Tomb Raider! Oh well, I'll get used to it, I'm sure.
So, there you go. Again, forgiveness please for my lack of DA2. I just got busy and could only get Okamiden in. If it so happens that I can do my hour of Dragon Age 2, I'll do another blog entry in the next day or two. Until next time, faithful GB Crew!~
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Greetings all, and welcome to the next installment of One Hour In, the blog that makes it's own gravy! I mean - gives you snap decisions based on nothing more than the first hour of a game.
Get kicked in the face! What do you get when you take the insanity of Painkiller, the gruff, buff boys of Gears of War, and a little bit of old-school arcade shoot-y scoring and blend them together? Well, probably some sort of mess in your kitchen, OR Bulletstorm! Yes, the good folks over at Epic Games teamed up with People Can Fly to bring you some bonkers over-the-top shooter action. And, I have to say, after just an hour of playing, I sure am glad! Let's get to it, shall we? Alright, then, here we go!
Man, I like a game that gets right down to business. No filler, all killer, as they say. (Do they say that? I dunno, it just sounded good. Shut up!) Right off the bat, I'm plopped into the skull of Gray, interrogating a bounty hunter. The dude's got a bottle tapped to his head. Oh, I get it, this is the "here's how you look around" (RS, yeah, thanks game, I already knew that) tutorial. It's made even better by the blurred vision and slurred speech of Gray, who's had a bit too much to drink at this point. Okay, now I know how to shoot, too. After that, something explodes, and Rell and Gray almost get sucked (or is it blown?) out in space. A bit more tutorial (okay, how to duck, "use" things, kick stuff, got it), then some story.
Ishi, Gray's buddy piloting the ship, has some bad news. We've warped right into the vicinity of a Confederation warship, the Ulysses! Oh boy, it looks like Gray wants to go up against the big ship, since his old boss, who betray the crew, is up on that ship. Probably not smart, but I don't think Gray really is in charge of his faculties at this point. A kinda neat turret section, but it's all for naught, the warship is too much for us, and we're going down! At least, not before smash through the hull of the larger ship sending both us and them careening toward the planet below.
Ooh, flashback time! A short, but cool, sequence that explains why Gray and crew (well, mostly Gray) are going after General Sarrano, their old boss. Seems he's kind of a jerk, and not very honest to boot. Well, I'm sure he'll deserve what he may get in the end, if Gray has his way. Anyway, back to the present. Seems that we made it down to the planet. Ishi's been badly wounded, though, and Doc needs some supplies. Luckily, looks like some escape pods with what we need are nearby, so Rell and I go hunting. Uh oh, we've got company. Crazy savage guys start busting into the ship. Making short work of those dudes, we make our way outside. More targets, oh yeah! The shooting feels solid, but is gets better. Looks like a member of an Echo Squad, some sort of elite commandos, gets smooshed, but I get his Leash! Rell finds the parts Doc needs, and we head back to the ship. Leashing guys is satisfying, especially since they go into slow-mo, and I can kick, or shoot, or do whatever with them. Say like, IMPALING THEM IN REBAR! Ouch!
Back at the ship Doc gets to patching up Ishi. But, those savages bust in! Ishi and Gray barely get away as the ship explodes! We find out that the General is stranded, and that means that our way off this planet is to find him and hijack one of the rescue ships that will surely be coming. Ishi is now half robot, and he needs to recharge before we can make our way to Sarrano. We head toward a mine facility that should have what Ishi needs. I finally unlock the Skillshots, which is the whole hook of this game. And boy, is it satisfying to Leash and kick and shoot and explode dudes and then have a bunch of points pop up on screen. Nice.
Also, this game looks real nice. I like how, at least so far, it's really bright. A turn from those drab FPSes. So, we finally make it to get Ishi recharged, and, unfortunately, looks like his refill may have overloaded the facility's electrical grid! Luckily, there's a train that we can hop on and use to get out of there. What's this? A guy with a minigun? No problemo, I shoot him and then Leash his head off. (BOOYAH!) Ishi gets the train running, but things have gone from bad to "we're gonna get crushed!" A giant grind wheel, which was being used at the mine to dig out huge tranches, breaks free from it's moorings and starts rolling after us! Get that train moving, or we'll be jelly stains on the desert floor, Ishi!
What, really, my hour's up already?! Man, that went by pretty quick! So, Bulletstorm. I downloaded the demo when it came out, and enjoyed it, but didn't really get into it as much as I thought I might. But, since getting the full game, I can say I think I'll be getting my money's worth. As I wasn't putting my expectations up very high, I've been pleasantly surprised. The story, which I thought might be non-existent, is not as paper-thin as it could've been. I really hope it keeps a good pace throughout the rest of the game. The Skillshot system is cool, but I've heard it's hard to pull of the 'shots if you're trying. Better to let them happen naturally, I suppose. Well, this was fun, and I fully expect it to only get better. So far, so good!
Join me next time, when I'll give my thoughts on the first hours of both Dragon Age 2 and Okamiden! Until then GB faithful...
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When I decided to start writing a blog here on GB, I though, "Hrm, what might I do to set myself apart? A gimmick, perhaps? That might work..." And so, after a little brainstorming, an afternoon of consulting psychics, and a dollop of laziness, I think I found it!
What if I gave my impressions of new and - hey, why not - old games, but after only an hour of gameplay? Now I know this may seem a bit cheap to some, or not at all worth it to others. Let me say this - I will in no way be "reviewing" the games I talk about here. I'll simply play them for an hour (or so) and then let you know what I think. Where might the game go? How does it play? What's the game's world like? Just simple things like that. Hopefully, this will be an entertaining experiment that could turn into something (at least) semi-regular. Now, join me, won't you?
Pokémon: Black Version
Up this round! Let me start out by say that I haven't played a Pokémon game since Blue was released back in '98 on the original Gameboy. I remember having a very enjoyable time with that game. In fact, it was one of the few games I actually owned for my Gameboy, and it got me through numerous road trips back then. Since then, I fell away from Pokémon, and handheld gaming in general. Not that I disliked the games, I just wanted to focus more on my console gaming. That is, up until the end of 2009. With my time being more and more consumed by work-related activities, and having less time to sit down in front of the TV and fire up my 360 or PS3, I found myself wanting to get back into handheld gaming over the course of the last year. So, I got myself a DS, and picked up a few games for it over the past few months. Then came the reveal of a new Pokémon game. As it had been so long, I figured I'd give this new generation a go to see how much has improved (and, more likely, what's stayed the same!).
Okay, enough of the backstory, here's where the fun part comes in! I finally got my copy of Pokémon: Black Version from Amazon in the mail yesterday. Like I said, it's been over 12 years since I lasted played a game in this series, so I was eager to fire it up. I clicked the cart into my system and dove right in. First off, I picked the girl trainer (naming her Sarah, after my little sister) because I thought she looked a little more sassy than the boy. Sure, it probably won't matter in the long run, but hey, it's what I wanted, right? Anyway, the next thing I know it's time to choose a starter Pokémon. Well, not so different from what I remembered. I chose Oshawott, the water-type. Next thing I knew, BAM! Pokémon battle with my two friends right there in my room. No big deal, cause it was bound to happen, so you can see what your new little buddy can do in a fight. But, then? Battle over, and my room's a complete mess! Wow, that was a good touch, and a bit unexpected!
Well, it's time to start the journey to catch as many of the little animals as possible to help Professor Juniper (ah ha! tree name people must have high IQs...) fill out the Pokédex! She's nice enough to show how to catch 'em all. Of course, it looks like this hasn't changed either, thankfully. So, I spend the next few minutes tromping through the grass up and down Route 1, battling and catching new Pokémon. Satisfied with the small team I collected, I make my way into Accumula Town, the first place the resembles somewhere interesting. The Professor is there, ready to show me the ropes on how to use the Pokémon Center's services. Oh look, Nurse Joy! She heals my Pokémon. I use the shop and pick up some potions and more Pokéballs (can never have enough, right?). Proceeding outside, there's a commotion. Here's where I fist meet Team Plasma. Okay, obviously the bad guys, right? There's a speech, and then they leave. A strange kid named N challenges me to a battle. I defeat him, and he takes off. Not the last I'll see of him, I think.
Let's keep going! Route 2, here I come. Oh look, my Mom shows up with some running shoes. Good, I felt like I was moving kinda slow. Now it's on to more battles, this time with other Trainers! I beat them all, continuing to build up my team's strength. No doubt I'll be facing a Gym Leader sooner or later. Better to get them leveled up now, right? So, I'm almost to the next town when I get stopped by one of my friends, Bianca. She wants to have a battle. I soundly trounce her, and she takes off into Striaton City. Looks like there's a Gym here, and a Gym Leader to take down!
Unfortunately, looks like my hour is up! From what I can tell, the Pokémon series hasn't changed all that much from back when it first started. Oh, I'm sure there are new features that I'll get to delve into later on in the game, but for now it's just like I remember. The game sure does look nice, the polygonal world is a step up from the flat sprite-based map. Plus, I love the new animations given to all the Pokémon during the battles. It brings so much more character and life to them! All in all, if the first 60 minutes is any indication, I'll be having just as much fun with Black as I did with Blue.
Look for next time, when I'll relate my first hour with Bulletstorm! See you then.
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I'm sitting here at a quarter after 6 this morning. It's probably because I went to bed earlier than I usually do last night. But, I don't wake up this early, even when my sleep starts sooner than usual. I'm distressed. I don't know what is really bothering me, but I can point to a few different things that are weighing heavily on my mind. I'm sure that if I listed everything, I'd just bore anyone who reads this. Suffice to say, I'm just plain annoyed at a bunch of stuff that's either out of my control, or just simply stupid. I can only change my circumstances so much. I feel like I should have more control over how things in my life are going, but right at the moment, I have the sensation of floating down a river in a boat with a paddle. Am I really in control? Does life have to be so seemingly unstable? Why can't things just spontaneously get better? I don't truly know the answers to those questions, and frankly, I'm not sure if I'll ever understand why I even ask. But, I just needed to vent a little bit, so thanks to any who read. I know my situation can, and hopefully will, improve. I just need the patience to see this time through to the end.
Having just finished Darksiders, I must say, I do believe I've complete one of the best games of 2010. And, seeing as how, at the beginning of the year, I counted nearly 40 games earlier that will be out between then and the middle (yeah, middle) of the year, 2010 seems to be shaping up to be the year that I buy more games than I ever have before. (Fortunately, my recent raise at work will help pay for this debilitating hobby of mine!)
So, anyway, Darksiders. A very good game that, in a nutshell, is what Zelda would be if Link was a man made out of a giant mound of meatloaf and Epona had flames coming out of her nostrils. Oh, and a Portal gun. But, as much a Darksiders cribbed from Zelda and God of War, it was very enjoyable in it's own right. The only things I had trouble with was there were a couple of puzzles that made quite brain-bending; and the final boss was a bit of a pushover. But, other than those small qualms, I was very satisfied when I finished the game. And, with the (seeming) promise of sequels that will involve the three other Horsemen, this franchise looks to be on a good track. I'm really curious to see what Vigil Games brings to the next iteration.
Well, other than that, I might try to finish FFXIII soon, but, considering that Splinter Cell: Conviction is almost out (Tuesday!) I may just have to hold off on my l'Cie action for a little bit...
Oh, and, when you finish a game, please watch all the credits, a lot of people work really hard on a game, and they deserve to at least have their work recognized. So, please, just take a gander at all the folks who put so much time and effort into the experience you just finished. I think they'd appreciate it!
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