Guess what, they are all sequels (with the exception of 1 or 2 relaeses)
Another year, another round of games. 2012 will be the last year of the current gen (and of our entire civilization apparently) and hopefully Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft go out strong. Most of 2012's releases are just sequels and reboots but such is the nature of this industry. Here's a look at what I'm looking forward to in 2012...
From what I've heard so far, this game is an Oblivion clone in 3rd person without the completely open world. Sounds like a mix of Elder's Scrolls and Fable, and I'm down for that. It's supposed to come out early 2012 but I believe Skyrim will release DLC at the same time and it would be a shame for me to forget about this. Rich is always talking up this game on the bombcast so it's time to see if there's anything there.
One time Jeff came back from a preview and said it was a bit like Deus Ex, that's good enough for me. I have no previous history with the series, I seriously have no idea what it is but apparently this announcement pissed off quite a few people.
It's about time this came out, seriously what the fuck has Ubi been doing to this game? I've seen it in a million different states and each time it looked worse and worse. Honestly I'm more excited to see the result rather than play it. This is my Duke Nukem Forever.
I'll be honest, I'm scared to play this. Scared because I have 2 characters in ME2; one was my original playthrough of ME2 without a previous save and the other is the Shepard that's been through ME1 and ME2. I want my first ME3 game to be the true story of Shepard but I feel like I'll miss out on stuff, stuff like Wrex being there because he was dead in ME2....It's a confusing mess but my excitement remains everpresent for the series.
Borderlands was ssssoooooooo boring, holy shit was it ever boring...but somehow I spent 50 hours playing it, alone. I'm excited because I know Gearbox will take the original complaints and it's shortcomings and will make Borderlands 2 the greatest game ever made. Weird how these things can work out...
This is really the last chance I'm giving this series. If it's not Assassin's Creed 3 then I'm done. I love Assassin's Creed, I love the original and it's glorious setting (perhaps the greatest setting in the history of videogames), I love AC2 and the myriad of improvements they made to the series. I love ACB and it's refinement of the AC2 formula and I even love Revelations despite it's lack of innovation. The ending to Revelations sets up AC3, not another spinoff...get it toghether Ubisoft!
This is a game I'm looking forward to playing today, but ask me again tomorrow and I'll tell you how this game looks super stupid. Bioshock was a true achievement in games. I wasn't as impressed at the time but looking back I can easily say that it is a masterpiece. I have a feeling the team responsible for it can do it again, I just wish they had named this something else.
This right here is my most anticipated game of 2012. I never played Far Cry but I did play Instincts and it was glorious. Far Cry 2 had the major issue of playing like shit until you figured out the right way to play it, which is the worst thing a game can do. Far Cry 2 lacked the "trapped on an island and must survive" formula that made the previous games great, which doesn't seem to be an issue here. I'm looking forward to sneaking up on dudes and breaking their necks...
Worst kept secret in videogames in recent memory. In a world where SR3 has managed to nail the over the top antics of GTA SA it's going to be interesting to see what Rockstar has cooked up for us. Will they continue the serious tone of GTA4? Will they revert to the crazyness of San Andreas, and if so will it take a piss on Volition's best game or just look like a sad attempt at humour?
I loved Blood Money more than I had any reason to, and it's been a while since Agent 47 was in a video game. I remember watching "how not to play hitman" on gamespot.com, those videos were awesome. A recent trailer had the youtube comments proclaiming stuff like "RIP Hitman" and "Well there's another series killed off" so we have yet to see what this game is truly about.
This is still called Halo 4 right? They should change that. Iconic series like this one aren't often just given to a brand new develloper with the intent of starting a whole new trilogy. I'm excited to see what 343 studios will acomplish with Halo....4....ugh what a dumb name....
Wait actually I don't care about Max Payne, why is this on here? Oh right because I'm an idiot and will simply buy anything that has a Rockstar logo on the box.
Metro 2033 is an amazing game, especially when played entirely in Russian. More games should just let you play in the native language of it's characters. The struggle for survival of the Moscow citizens is something I want to experience again, few game can manage to pull off a feeling of helplessness quite like Metro does.
I though this already came out. But seriously it's about time Nintendo put out some games. Super Mario 3D Land made me feel slightly better about spending $300 on a 3DS, and I realize only Nintendo will release the games that make me care about the handheld. Stuff like Luigi's Mansion 2 is great but the Paper series is my favorite mario format. If they keep on bringing the games, and finally release the true 3DS Zelda then maybe I will stop proclaiming that the 3DS is a failure...
I went into Dragon Age 2 with no previous experinece with the series, and from an outsider's perspective what Bioware offers is a fantasy Mass Effect type of game. I love Mass Effect to be honest so what I got from Dragon Age 2 filled some weird need for one of those games. Yes the dungeons were all the same but after going through Dragon Age Origins later on it didn't seem like dungeon variety was a major theme there either. I'm not going to apologize for it's short comings because I understand perfectly why the fans may have been dissapointed but overall it's a pretty fun and competent product. The fast past combat is an improvement over Origins The combat was fun, the characters were mildly interesting and the universe seemed fleshed out but didn't leave you lost. I had a great time with the game and thus it deserves a spot on this list. But hey, I might be singing a different tune had I played Origins beforehand.
LA Noire
I was fairly excited for LA Noire last spring and when it finally came out it met most of my controlled expectations. The basic gameplay was a bit over-simplified with the sound and vibration cues and the interrogations were video-gamey enough, which made the investigations lack any serious consequences. Locking up the wrong dude made your captain yell at you in a cutscene but 2 seconds later have dinner with you as if nothing happened. What makes this game special is everything surrounding the actual procedural. The characters were great, 1943 L.A. was well realized and the feeling of being a police was great. Story is a big part of the game so it’s hard to talk about it, but it’s definitely worth a go. Rockstar excels when they decide to work in a different state of mind from the usual generic crime story (see: Red Dead Redemption & Bully). There's murda afoot! I am extremely glad they got onboard this project with Team Bondi. In the distant future when they release a semi-related sequel I just know it will be amazing thanks to their ability to iterate.
Assassin's Creed Revelations
When Ubisoft decided to annualize Assassin’s Creed many were sceptical it would work. Fortunately they built this franchise on a solid engine backed by a strong narrative wrapped in solid gameplay, all of which still hold up in 2011. The jump from AC2 to Brotherhood was significant in terms of advancements but the same cannot be said about the jump to Revelations; some of the minor adjustments like seeing a guard’s path and the hook-blade work well but the den defence just seems out of place. I played through 5 or so DNA sequences wondering if I still like Assassin’s Creed but then sequence 6 began and everything changed. Then ending just kicks into 6 gear and has you stabbing dudes on horses from a parachute. The Altair moments are handled very well; those memories are perhaps my favourite in the game. The Hagia Sophia overlooking beatiful Constanti...uhh Istanbul? Konstantinye? Not sure anymore The reworked multiplayer is often overlooked when talking about Revelations and it's a real shame, the stuff you can get up to and the uniqueness of the experience go a long way in prolonging your time with the Creed. There's also a whole bunch of new unlockables and perks which work surprisingly well. I saw the multiplayer potential back with Brotherhood but felt like they missed the mark only slightly, it's safe to say they nailed it with this one. If you’ve enjoyed the previous instalments and the story you should play this game.
Batman Arkham City
Arkham Asylum was a great surprise in 2009 for me, but my lack of interest in the Batman character made me sceptical about a sequel. Luckily the gameplay still holds up thanks to its uniqueness. The gadgets, the baddies, the combat, the stealth and the Batman are still great. Vinny put it best when he said it felt like making house calls but Rocksteady does justice to the characters making everyone of those house calls fun and rewarding. It’s not really an open world but the “city” is still fun to explore and the 12 side missions were mostly fun too, I just wish there were less collectibles (yes I did find the Riddler). Spoiler! You get to play as Bruce Wayne
Portal 2
I never played Portal and I don’t have some crazy boner for Valve games so my love of Portal 2 comes entirely from what a great game it is. They made a hell of a game in Portal 2, the puzzles are great in both singleplayer and co-op and the story manages to hold your interest throughout. Also that ending was fucking amazing. Technically it’s a great game and it’s just fun and rewarding to figure out the levels, perhaps the most rewarding game of the year. When a game so original manages to entertain you for its entirety it’s almost criminal to not put it on your list of favourite games of the year. Gosh that ending!
Dead Space 2
Remember how amazing Dead Space was? Well this is the sequel. Everything that was good in the first is still here and all the inexistent bad parts in the first are still inexistent. If anything the minor improvements just made the whole thing better. Just a polished piece of entertainment that deserves all the praise it received. One minor complaint: it wasn’t as scary as the first, and the first wasn’t really scary to begin with. Isaac Back!
Dirt 3
Dirt 3 is simply an amazing racing game. The variety of cars and tracks gives it the edge over my other favourite racing series that had a release this year. (I enjoyed Forza 4 tremendously, it's the best Forza game yet but I kept it off this list for the sake of variety.) The controls are tight but at the same time you feel just on the edge at all times. My best memories with Dirt 3 were getting that mini cooper down the mountain in time and jumping cars over the trains in the gymkhana practice area.
Dirt, Far Cry 2 and a few others are the rare games that take it to Africa. Not a lot of games have those types of moments and not a lot of games have you rallying a Subaru on a wet and muddy track followed by a gymkhana event in a Ford Focus followed by racing a dune buggy in the snow, in the dark!
Gears of War 3
I have a terrible secret: after finishing the campaign I went and read Cole Train fan fiction. I feel terrible shame about this but for once a Gears game had a semblance of a story and it made me want more. As a trilogy it’s nice to see a story wrap up, it doesn’t happen much in this sequel driven industry. The Gears of War series is the king of TPS’s in my view, the mechanics and the shooting are top notch and the engine runs smooth in-game. Shit is all fucked up It focuses on one thing and does it outstandingly. Graphically it pushes the limits of the console and leaves you awe-struck, making for one of the best looking games on the market. The multiplayer is improved in many ways with one major difference being accessibility. Finally anyone can play and enjoy themselves in the multiplayer even without having mad skills. Like every competitive shooter it has its balance issues and whatnot but overall Epic nailed it this time. Oh and horde returns with many improvements, making it the best survival mode on the market. Gears of War 3 is like the husband who doesn’t let himself go just because he knows you love him unconditionally; even if he’s amazing he’ll strive to improve just for your attention.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
I put Deus Ex in the same category as Portal 2; they are just amazingly well made video game-ass video games. This game does the right things at the right moments and doesn't shy away from borrowing from past and present video game conventions. The gold and black theme works so well and there's a certain charm to this beauty, I can't quite put my finger on it but throuout both my playthroughs I just felt so enamoured with the gameplay, the characters, the story and the universe. It was a joy to play non-stop and where many video games will have their low points here and there, this had none. Honey and licorice Oh and letting me play the whole campaign without a single kill? Yes please! I love freedom, like a lot, and when a developper alows me that freedom I am always grateful. I tip my hat to the gentlemen and women at Eidos Montreal for providing one of the slickest experiences of 2011.
The Elder Scroll V: Skyrim
Freedom....as I mentioned just above, I love freedom and I love it when it extends to my video games. Skyrim is the very definition of free will in a game. The moment I got out of Helgen and was told to hit up Riverwood I wandered off and got killed by a bear. Now you might think that's poor design but the very opposite is true, Skyrim gives you that freedom to do what you want, when you want and where you want.
Took me forever to figure out the logo was actually a dragon
Brad Shoemaker put it best: This is the best one-of-those games Bethesda has made. The engine ran well, the world was well realized, the main story was interesting, the characters felt like actual people, dragons, the UI improvements worked and the lore was well defined. All of it made for a game I simply could not put down. I can appreciate when a game world is good, and Skyrim is nothing short of amazing. I can barely wrap my head around the massive task the folks at Bethesda had to accomplish in order to make this thing a reality, and even then they somehow managed to fit it all on a single xbox disc.
Skyboxes and Nord Heaven
I understand that some things will mess up in engine when so much is going on in the background and I can forgive Skyrim for the small bugs; but a lot of people wont feel the same and I also understand. I played for 100 hours on the xbox and experienced only 1 or 2 bugs (one being a dragon wall not activating, the other being a harmless freeze on a load screen) so I feel like I got the optimal experience but I feel terrible for PS3 owners. Still I judge Skyrim on my personal experience and feel like Skyrim is the best game of 2011, bar none.
The Year in Review
Best year in video games ever? Well that's subjective but there's no denying it was an incredible year. Simply put there were too many games in 2011 and too many of them were of exellent quality. There's a lot I left out on this list mostly because I could not find the time to play all the new releases. Stuff like Saint's Row 3, Uncharted, Bastion, Dark Souls and Zelda I haven't gotten around to. Then there's also all the other great games that came out like Bulletstorm, which was surprisingly good, Forza 4, Crysis 2, Battlefield 3, Call of Duty and Killzone 3 which were all very good as well. Too many games! Just too many! And 2012 isn't showing signs of slowing down. I wish everyone here at GB a happy new year and hope you take the holidays to be with family or to catch up on a year full of gaming.
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**Note: I was inspired by GB user Bruce and his album reviews so I decided to look back at one of my favorite albums**
With the recent release of Albert "Prodigy" Johnson from prison for weapon offenses, the release of his autobiography "My Infamous Life" and the announcement that Mobb Deep signed with the indie division of Sony records
I though it would be great to look back at the album that defined P and Hav as underground kings in the rap world.
I don't claim to be an expert on Mobb Deep, and I wasn't "betrayed" by them when they signed with 50 cent, but I really love this album. I think Havoc is extremely underrated as a producer, but that's also his fault in a way. Prodigy's new book reveals a lot about how they came to be and how Mobb Deep operates, and also talks about P's fight with sickle cell, his thoughts on homosexuality, his Jazz background and just a bunch of other stuff relating to his life. Some claim that the audiobook version deserves to win rap album of the year, it's definitely worth a read if you're even remotely interested. Nevertheless, here are some of my thoughts on The Infamous....
Released in 1995, it was backed by a promotional single called Shook Ones Pt I which the group releases soon after signing to Loud records. It is basically the same song as Part 2 but with a different beat and different Prodigy verse:
It was on the B-side of Shook Ones pt II and on the international release of Hell on Earth, their 3rd album. It introduced the world to a grimy, dark and haunting underground sound that differed from their previous songs such as "hit it from the back" and "peer pressure".
The album starts strong with "The start of your ending", a macho description of what Mobb Deep will do to you if you fuck with them. They are from the hood and will shoot anyone (even at the hoes). I has perhaps one of the eeriest beats ever put on wax and is backed by a great drum loop, this songs sets the mood for the rest of the album. If you came for a brutal description of urban life surrounded by drugs and murder then this song is the perfect way to set it off.
"Survival of the Fittest" is a classic in my mind. The dark piano loop will probably remain with me for the rest of my life. The song is similar to Shook Ones in terms of music and video. All of their videos are pretty much the same, you'll see Prodigy and Havoc hanging around their crew in the streets and rapping. I blame it on lack of imagination but at least it was fitting, there was no dancing and no girls but it did have a cameo by P Diddy and Nas. Speaking of Mr. Jones, before his feud he was recording with the Mobb regularly and contributed a verse to "An Eye for an Eye" along with Raekwon from the Wu Tang. The Mobb with Nas and Raekwon The Infamous isn't particularly filled with guest spots but this one stands out. The first 3 songs have no sample credits and I'm unsure why, I know Havoc is good at sampling and keeping it secret but maybe these are completely original beats.
"Give up the goods" was the final single released and it contained a verse by Big Noyd who would later be a big part of the Mobb Deep....euuhhh....experience. He claimed that that one verse on the song landed him a $300 000 deal with another record label. The video follows what I wrote above but this time in a club. Seriously, just go watch the Murda Muzik movie if you want to see a hour long version of this formula. They should watch that on the next BLLSL. Q-Tip knocks it out the park with an awesome sample of Esther Phillips' "That's all right with me". He also produced the next track "Temperature's rising" which similar to Nas' "One Love" is told in a letter to an incarcerated friend. In this case it was Prodigy's brother Killa Black who had been caught by the authorities while both were on their way to the studio where they heard the news. The Patrice Rushen sample works great just like every other track. Seriously, if you can find a sample tape on the internet I suggest you check it out.
Some will tell you that 2Pac's song of the same is better....firstly: that is irrelevant and secondly they are crazy. "Cradle to the grave" is one of the best stories told in hip hop. This is up there with the stuff Kool G Rap, Rakim and Slick Rick were doing in terms of storytelling. The synergy between P and Havoc is ever-present on this track, and the deep base added to the overwhelming feeling of despair I got when I first heard this track. " Drink away the pain" is similar to songs such as "I gave you power" and "me and my girlfriend" where the narrator will talk about an inanimate thing but acting as if it were a person. I'm sure there's a term for that but I don't have a PhD in English literature.
Shook Ones Part II
This is the one, the one song that defines a rapper or group. This is their "paranoid", their "thriller", their "crazy train", their "Straight outta Compton". It is their greatest song and greatest video. I had the jersey Prodigy was wearing custom made with the miss-pelt Hennessy and all. If I was forced to only listen to one song for the rest of my life, this would be a strong candidate. Only listening to it will do it justice.
The sample used was uncredited for the longest time because Havoc kept the secret so well, it was only in March 2011, some 15 years after it's release that an internet user finally discovered what it actually was. Havoc made such a good job of disguising it that it took some clever music majiks to finally uncover it. Check out the video below of how Shook Ones Pt 2 came to be:
Ive watched this video over and over and still am amazed by it. Just a great random internet video!
A score you ask? 5 mics, 5 stars, 2 thumbs up, whatever it's a classic where every song is amazing!
The self titled album
So here's to hoping that whatever Mobb Deep works on next will be great again. Prodigy released a pretty decent EP after his stint in jail and the group once again recorded with Nas after their long feud. I truly believe Havoc can still produce haunting beats like he used to. His production on the Bad Meets Evil Ep is proof:
This was my favorite song on the album before I even looked at the production credits. However pissed he may be at Prodigy, Hav just needs to put that aside and make music again and get their cash flow to return, as they like to put it.
Here's to hoping....for better photoshop skills. 7 Comments
Seriously, right now Deus Ex is my GOTY, I just finished it and bitched out and decided to restrict scientific freedom. This game is awesome and I just thought I would give some of my final impressions. These are coming from a guy totally new to the Deus Ex franchise.
First off, I totally understand why Jeff was put off by Mr Sarif, his voice betrays him, no way could he possibly start up a biotech company. On the other hand, as rough and sometimes hilarious Adam's voice is, I though it fit perfectly and made him a genuine badass. From the minute I saw Hugh Darrow I knew he would be bad. I then found it hilarious when I read an ebook stating that holographic people are not trustworthy. Having lived in Montreal for a while, I was giddy when Malik dropped me off at the top of the future Stade Olympique. Montreal gives us Splinter Cell, Assassin's Creed and now Deus Ex, I hope the future remains bright. I played the whole game and used praxis points to unlock my inventory and still totally ran out of room constantly. I only got the fall anywhere and first stealth camo too and by the time I finished the game I had over 20 praxis saved up in fear of boss battles....I think I played it wrong. As for the bosses themselves, they seemed impossible at first but there's always something with them that made them a breeze. First was the dude with the barrels and gas tanks. Then came the easily stunned and unable to aim Yelena, followed by the pussy who can't take 2 grenades without dying. It was all topped off by a boss who is defeated by hacking a thing and waiting 3 minutes. I'm hoping Deus Ex difficulty will be more challenging. I was a bit bummed to not hear from Malik after I saved her in Shanghai, I wonder if she was affected by the broadcast.... I totally didn't get the post-credits scene, who's bob and what's he doing with Meagan? When Jeff said the world was the reason to come to future Detroit, he was completely right. The amount of detail and random things is awesome. Anyone else find the sniper's secret drop-off? Or the Final Fantasy XXIIV poster? I do have to disagree with him though, for me the action was where the action was, I had a great time. Come to Deus Ex for the gameplay too!
All of the missions, locales, side-quests, investigations, plot points and gameplay moments were awesome. I hope the GB community enjoyed it as much as I did.
With the recent QL of Ubi's latest 3DS abomination I thought it would be a good time to look back on some of the levels in the series that I consider to be the best. And since I can't simply say all of the Chaos Theory levels are the best and move on I made sure to give every game it's fair share.
5. Ellsworth Penn.- Splinter Cell Double Agent
Double Agent is noteworthy for having been released on 2 generations of consoles simultaneously and unlike Hitman Blood Money, providing 2 completely different experiences. Either way you still had this mission in both games and it was one of the most unique at the time. You were stripped of your fancy gear and were dressed in your county blues and had to not only escape, but also ensure the survival of another prisoner. The original xbox version began the level with a moral choice that affected the difficulty and Sam had to improvise by using a kitchen knife as a weapon. The 360 one had you jacking a news helicopter to help with your escape. Why the hell do you still have the light on your shoulder? By the end you either felt thrilled to have made it out or frustrated by the lack of gadgets and weird level design. This level gets my praise praise for being original, even if at times awful to play through, and therefore deserves a spot on my list.
Another level that is completely unique and either hated or loved by fans. For some reason this reminded me so much of the Mission Impossible game for the N64. This level seems completely impossible to ghost with it's one alarm limit and narrow corridors but that's where the fun lies. You can take the safe route by clibing the outside of the speeding train or attempt the impossible and go through the inside of the cabins. One of my best gaming moments was when I finally discovered how to get through the inside without knocking out anyone, it's an extremely specific route with very specific timing but I felt so rewarded when I finally found it.
3. Third Echelon HQ- Splinter Cell Conviction
The more I look back on Conviction the more glad I am Ubisoft decided to go in this direction. Yes there were some major omissions to the gameplay but they realized that sometimes change is for the better. As much as I like the series, a 5th title with the same basic gameplay would have been too much. I could no longer spend hours looking for the quietest route but I also doubt I still have the patience to do so anymore. You can still pull dudes out of windows Returning to the NSA HQ, the place that made Sam, was quite exhilarating. Throughout the series you infiltrated the most high-tech agencies but this time the table were flipped, the infiltrator became the infiltrated...uhh or something along those lines. This was also the level where Sam gets his goggles and the infamous Giantbomb bet played out.
The part where Sam enters the reception area and claims to have "worked" there before was so cool, at least the first time, until you had to repeat that cutscene over and over again....Still I believe this is one of the best Conviction levels and a standout in the series.
2. Bank- Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
This one's a hard choice as all of the Chaos Theory levels are my favorite. But if I had to choose one that stands out the most, it would be infiltrating the bank. Throughout his career Sam has infiltrated countless military complexes with futuristic security measures, but this time he had to break into a simple bank in Panama with outdated tech, something that should be child's play. You quickly find out that shit can go completely wrong and can just barely make it to the vault. Luckily in Chaos Theory it was no longer simple trial and error, if you wanted to face off against armed militia that blocked every door with tables it was your decision. This was the first mission I got a perfect rating on and it felt so good to be judged based on my stealthiness for once (I'm not very stealthy in real life...)
1. CIA HQ- Splinter Cell
Yo dawg you're going to break into the effin CIA!!
This is not Ice Cube's rap duo in high school, that's a different thing... What more do you need to know? You're stripped of all your gadgets and are tasked with infiltrating one of the world's largest intelligence agencies. Everything in this mission is done to perfection, from the alternate routes to the locked keypads to the eerie atmosphere in and around the building. It is the quintessential Splinter Cell mission, just go play it!
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It's pretty much a given that if the game is called Modern Warfare then it's a guarantee that they'll be part of the story. But what I fear is that IW is working on some weird side-story unrelated to the events of MW2 and by the time MW3 proper comes out I'll be past all this.
3 to 4 storylines that merge together in the end
Call of Duty 1-3 did not merge the stories in the end much but MW1 and 2 did a great job of having all the mini campaigns merge in the end in one way or another. Black Ops proved to me that a character focused CoD does not interest me, sorry Ghost. Having Price launch a nuke in Russia only to see the consequences first hand in Washington is still great.
The guy who voiced Gaz and Ghost
Don't know his name but I sure as hell know the voice. At this point not having him would be weird.
Snow & Stealth
Guns in cold weather and snow camo are just cool (pun intended). Some of the best levels in the franchise take place in a snowy military base, submarine base, village, etc. The only levels I remember in Black Ops are the two snow levels with glasses dude and crossbows. Also the Prypiat level was awesome because of the stealth parts, like laying down and having a platoon of Russians walk on top of you.
Russia
English with a heavy Russian accent, bad Russian V.O., Russian weapons, Russian villages, anything that relates to the country or people needs to be in there regardless of the "actual" bad guys.
Co-op that isn't zombies....
Let's be honest, one of the best parts of MW2 was Spec-ops. Nazi Zombies on the other hand.... If it only takes a zombie 2 hits to kill me it should only take 2 shots for me to down one, not a full clip. I understand it's popular but it's not for me, and this blog is about me so don't even mention the undead, get out my face wif that bullshit! If they can come up with anything else, even just more Spec-ops, I'll be totally excited for it.
And that's about it
At this point I don't care for the multiplayer, especially if it's more of the same. I just want to see how the story plays out. I don't even need any crazy shit like first person nukes or AC-130s. Just the stuff mentioned above is enough to get me to buy a CoD game this November. So to the rest of you, what would you like to see?
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I think I might be the only one on this website, but it's not as if I've never played games as a kid it's just that they weren't my main thing like many others. And no don't be expecting a list packed with CoD because I don't know "real" video games. Every other list out there has the same Super Mario 3 and FFXII on it, so I like to think that mine is at least a bit original....or just shitty depending on your viewpoint. Probably just shitty.
10. NHL 99
I spent a bunch of time creating custom teams and players, even going as far as recreating the 1972 summit series. This game was before silly cards, "dynasties", management and whatever other crazy thing that clogs up the gameplay and keeps me away from the series. It looked like shit on my awful computer but it controlled great and that intro movie blew my mind every time.
9. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Yeah I played Ocarina of Time, this is better! What are you gonna do about it? I don't want to disregard Ocarina of time, it's an awesome game but I think the fact that it took me 12 years to finish it might have skewed my judgement. Phantom Hourglass has a great art style (Windwaker) and a neat way of implementing the weapons which made the experience one of the most unique on the DS. Returning to the Ocean Temple every time sucked but it still beats the infamous water temple and never-ending final boss of Ocarina.
8. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Another Game that ran on my weak computer. Those are pretty rare. From the outside this game looks like a weird FPS with no gun model, but once you get it, you realize the depth this game has. This is still the tactical shooter to beat. GRAW was awesome for what it is but it's not Ghost Recon, it's GRAW so let's leave it at that. Building your team up then taking them out in the field is still the greatest feeling ever. Knowing that you can get shot at any moment and ruin the entire mission was so satisfyingly nerve-racking, I recommend you go out there and experience this gem.
7. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
7 and 8 could have been switched on this list with no effect. Although they are both modern military shooters, they are completely different games. One is a test of patience and the other one is a never ending thrill ride. YOU GET NUKED IN FIRST PERSON! One of the coolest campaigns out there. And the multiplayer is great too. Yes I alluded to this in the intro to this very blog, but even the most hardcore of gamers can recognize when something as new and unique as this comes out. There's a reason every game today gets compared to this...annoying but still.
6. Donkey Kong 64
I still to this day curse the fucker who stole my copy of this. This was the shit! All the worlds, the characters, the bosses, the upside down ship and all that good stuff! Honestly I don't remember ever beating the final boss (couldn't get past the lava pit inside the Croc's mouth) and seeing the ending but it was still amazing none the less. I remember coming home for lunch and just playing this instead of eating and then returning to school hungry. I played the recent Donkey Kong Country on the Wii and just don't understand why they would remake that garbage instead of this. I have close to zero love for the series but if they remade this, I would buy it day one.
5. The Simpsons Hit and Run
This is one of my favorite GTA games. The Simpsons fell off after season 10 or so, but thankfully most of the humor in this was alluding to the first seasons of the show. It was a hard choice to choose this over Fallout 3 and I kind of wish I made a top 20 list at this point, but if you have any love for the Simpsons, go out and scour the internets for a copy of this. You won't regret it.
4. Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30
I remember downloading videos of Randy Pitchford and Col. John Antal demonstrating this game. It had real time squad dynamics (I fucking love squads) and some of the coolest A.I. out there. It was miles above any other WW2 shooter or even any shooter but it never got any recognition for being so awesome. People were playing their Call of Duties and Medals of Honor thinking they were "realistic" when this game was based on actual missions and soldiers. I spent hours playing on Authentic, that's 2 shot deaths and no checkpoints, just to unlock the extras. Looking back I should have just used the internet but where's the fun in that?
3. Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
This is the culmination of all previous stealth games. They even let you play most of the game with zero stealth and still pass the levels. Graphically this was at the top for a while, and story wise this is the best Tom Clancy game. It was the freedom to play however you wanted that makes this better than the original SC. It was packed with a great single player campaign, a unique multiplayer (Ubisoft is good at that) and fun co-op missions. I wish my dad was as bad-ass as Samuel Fisher.
2. Mass Effect 2
This is the part where I get called a noob with no taste but fuck ya'll! This is the shit! This is how you make games, this is how you implement story into your game. Other than Jade Empire I had no idea what Bioware was about until I got this. It blew my mind the minute I stepped on the bridge and saw the planet through the exploding ship. It would be number one if another game hadn't come out a few months later...
1. RED DEAD REDEMPTION
The greatest video game story ever told in the most satisfying game world ever created.
This is what good games are to someone who's never played Diablo, Starcraft, Half Life, Super Mario Bros. 3 or Final Fantasy VII. Is it weird to have a list without your usual suspects? Maybe. Is it weird that the top 2 came out just months apart? I bet! Will you chastise me for not having any classics on this list, that remains to be seen....
I've played much more than just these games here, I feel shame for not having more RPGs and racing games on this list but I don't regret missing out on a bunch of the so-called "classics". If you have weird lists like mine feel free to reply I would love to see some of them.
Honorable mentions: Halo CE, Fallout 3, Fable 1, Hitman Blood Money, Forza 3, Bad Company 2, NFS hot pursuit.
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This might be hard but I thought I would try to remember my first games for specific consoles.I might have to reach a bit but my memory isn't that terrible. I didn't grow up with video games but I was exposed to them in one way or another. Maybe this little journey will help me better understand my preferences in modern games.
First Contact
I can't remember the first time I was exposed to a video game but my earliest memory was with the NES. I had to hang out with my sister for the day and her friend had a brother who was about my age. We were about to have lunch with his family (this was also the first time I ever had chocolate milk) when he decided to bust out the NES. It might sound cliche but the odds of him having Super Mario Bros. were pretty high at the time. Yes as with most kids my earliest video game memory comes in the form of that Italian plumber.
Gallery
Game Boy
That big ass gray brick was bulky and heavy as shit but it played a colorless version of Mario bros in which I could not beat 1-1. Eventually I gave the thing back to my friend and went back to playing soccer. I think that was the day I realized I did not care for Mario, I was 6 at the time and I already felt like I outgrew the thin. I don't care for you
N64
It was a rainy day and I was bored out of my mind. Alone at home I waited for my mom to come home from work and feed my sorry ass. To my surprise she walked in the door of our modest apartment with a brand new N64 in her arms. It was not Christmas nor was it anywhere near my birthday, but I didn't question the decision. I quickly plugged in the machine into my Goldstar television before realizing it came with no games. Everything was alright though cause the next day I would play the first ever game for a console that was all my own. Opening the Blockbuster rental I quickly dove into:
Got my ass whooped 74-3 by the NO Saints but the experience was still great. I had awesome memories of Banjo-Kazooie, NHL99, Waveracer, 1080 snowboarding, Quake and more following but I still remember that first time.
Playstation 2
By the time I owned my own PS2 I had already been exposed to years of games on the console by way of my friends. NHL 2003 was a wonderful hockey game, it did not stand up the the greatest of all time: NHL99 (the PC version not the N64 mentioned above) but I still had hours of fun marveling at the next gen graphics. Jarome Iginla, black man extraordinaire!
XBOX
This was the first console I bought with my own money. I had saved up for so long before I was finally able to commit to buying it. I did not want Halo or any other game in particular, I just wanted to own the damn thing because nobody else I knew did. Maybe I was just an idiot who knows. I remember opening the thing and putting in my copy of Mechassault 2 that came with it. I was all like "This shit is like a movie!!" whenever a cutscene would play out. But the best part was that it came with a demo of Forza Motorsport on the disc. Yeaaaahhh!!! Robots!! This is better than future robots!
I still have great memories of that thing. Some of my favorite games are on that thing: Brothers in Arms, Splinter Cell(s), Halo, The Simpson's Hit and Run. Just to name a few. And unlike the 360, that thing never breaks. It still sits here waiting for me to feed it my copy of SC Chaos Theory....
Xbox 2 (or 360)
"Yeah I know, guy from best buy, that the 360 has a history of breaking and yes I do want the 3 year warranty. Would you just hurry up and let me play GTA 4?! "I was feinding to play that game after watching those machinima videos. I was contemplating buying a PS3 to get my hands on GTA but it was to close to my visit to Florida so I decided to put it off until I returned. Visiting my cousin would change my gaming future, see he had an xbox and I watched him play CoD 4 once or twice and decided that I would be best off owning the console with which I could play with him online. (Isn't that the case with all xbox owners?) Upon my return I eventually picked up the thing and finally got my hands on some GTA 4. I spent two night without sleeping just to finish it, at the time nothing could compare.
You Crazy Serb!!
The Lesson...
So here I am writing terribly written blogs and trying to figure out why I like the games I like. I do have memories of the Sega Genesis, Game Boy color, PS1, Gamecube but none of those have impacted me. Like many my first console was a nintendo but here I am a grown ass man and with no Wii to call my own. Maybe people are right, maybe they are a child's toy after all. I have no interest in the next Mario thing, I never play sports games, and all that N64 platforming is out of my system. I sure as shit don't give a fuck about the Blitz series, nor do I want Mechassault 3. If I learned anything it's that the first games you play aren't always the greatest in your mind. Even GTA4 can't compare to Red Dead in my eyes. Nostalgia isn't always awesome.
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Awesome story made me cry at the end. Multiplayer has a bunch of griefers.
Mass Effect 2
Awesome world and awesome universe, most technically sound game this year. Mining was garbage.
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Amazing looking world both technically and artistically, the level of detail blows my mind, so many side things to do, by far my favorite open world eva! Wish the assassin management was straight from the pause menu.
Halo Reach
My second favorite halo singleplayer. My number one favorite halo multiplayer. There's at least $120 dollars worth of content up in here! Leveling up takes forever.
Battlefield Bad Company 2
BFBC2 Cover Awesome multiplayer which really encourages teamplay, and for once I feel like I can affect the outcome of the battle. Singleplayer left me wanting.
Fable 3
Witty, charming with incredible writing and great music. The ending of the MAIN QUEST screwed me over.
Splinter Cell Conviction
A great departure for the series, they really went for the cinematic gameplay and it's great. I sometimes felt like it forced me to use one single style of gameplay instead of letting me choose.
Call of Duty Black Ops
Awesome, well balanced multiplayer experience, the singleplayer is still strong. Going back to shooting Russians feels like going back to health bars in shooters. We need to move on.
Bioshock 2
More of the first game world, sweet! Looking at the achievements makes the whole thing feel like a checklist kinda game.
Fallout New Vegas
More fallout is a great thing. Sometimes the game world does not have a real feeling of despair, like as if a nuclear war took place, also some bugs are unacceptable.
I spent a lot of the year playing older games, and there were a lot of games from 2010 that did not make the list but that were still great.
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