Started playing Halo ODST, actually my son is playing and I am watching.
) I thought you'd said your son had abandoned the 360 for greener pastures. Oh well, I'm sure you'll get your turn at the trigger soon enough.
Very impressive so far. One thing that has caught my attention is the music, which my son also mentioned. During a scene with "The Rookie" the music was really lonely, which matched the scene well. So far very impressed, nothing like killing some helpless grunts for Saturday night entertainment.
I picked the game up today and played until the first flashback. The music is well done and the story seems to be more cohesively presented than in past games. The game is also pretty atmospheric; walking about the ruins of New Mombasa and surveying the wreckage has a somber eerie feeling to it. About my only gripe so far is that the scenes with the rookie all take place at night and things get very dark. The visor HUD comes in handy but the dark palette does sometimes get in the way of the eye candy. Also, its my understanding that the entire game takes place in and around New Mombaso, so hopefully things won't get too repetitive.
Interestingly, this game was developed by a different studio - Gearbox, I think - using Bungie's assets; and if the rest of the campaign lives up to the first hours its a good sign for Microsoft that someone other than Bungie can make a good Halo game.
I really think the Halo story lends itself real well to a movie, whcih I wish would get made. Last I heard the movie was nowhere.
The movie was indefinitely shelved when the studio (I think it was Universal) got cold feet about the budget and producer Peter Jackson's choice of the then unheralded Neil Blomkamp as director. Interestingly, that pair went on to make District 9 for a mere $30 million; it has since recouped its costs several times over already and was very much Blomkamp sticking his middle finger at the Hollywood machine and their often closedminded policies.
Personally, given all the alien races, otherwordly scenery and faceless main protagonist, I've always thought an all CGI Halo movie would be the way to go. I'm sure a Halo CGI film made by Pixar or Dreamworks' CG division would probably make a tidy sum.
Well I finnished Ghostbusters at the weekend and now i'm going back to pick up some items I missed first time through. Overall it's pretty good if a little short. The only thing that really got me was the occasional spike in difficulty, you'll plow throught several scenes and then get stuck on a mid level boss for no real reason than the AI Ghostbusters have a habit of not helping each other up if they get knocked down. Meaning you have to stop fighting to run round reviving them giving the boss chance to attack while your back's turned.
I remember that late in the game there was a level where you had to pin down and destroy some demonic fiery cherubs; that was the worst part for me (other than the occasional glitch). Still, it was a fun game overall. I'll have to go back to it at some point and find some more of the secrets.
Lately I've been playing Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 and I must confess that after playing the superb Batman: Arkham Asylum, the gameplay and presentation in M:UA2 feel pretty shallow. It is a button masher in the truest sense of the word as you're constantly jamming the "X" and "A" buttons until you fill your Fusion Attack meter that allows two heroes to combine their special moves into one devastating attack. Rinse and repeat ad infinitum. Another problem I have with the game is the Civil War storyline it is largely based on. I didn't care for it in the comics and I still don't care for it here. Adding insult to injury, the developers change the final act, ditching any moral ambiguity in favor of a new enemy that conveniently allows the who superhero registration issue to be conveniently sidestepped and forgotten. The voicework, consisting mainly of bad Russian accents and juvenile one-liners, also becomes annoying pretty quickly. I'll play it thru to the end but honestly, at this point it doesn't feel like a keeper.
Halo 3: ODST is waiting in the wings but I don't want to divide my attention and I'll dive into that only after I finish M:UA2.
Sad to hear the lackluster review of MUA2, Tony. I've literally have been on the go for the past four weeks, so haven't picked it up, knowing I'd have no time to play it. I'll probably pick it up next weekend and try it out for myself. Even the original Ultimate Alliance was pretty repetitive, but it's saving grace for me was the wealth of characters and costumes that added variation to the gameplay. As a Marvel fan, it was the most immersive Marvel interaction venue to date.
Sad to hear the lackluster review of MUA2, Tony. I've literally have been on the go for the past four weeks, so haven't picked it up, knowing I'd have no time to play it. I'll probably pick it up next weekend and try it out for myself. Even the original Ultimate Alliance was pretty repetitive, but it's saving grace for me was the wealth of characters and costumes that added variation to the gameplay. As a Marvel fan, it was the most immersive Marvel interaction venue to date.
You may want to rent it first if you have that option. This time around, you only get two costumes per hero (and unlocking the alternate outfit is a chore as it is tied into how much you use a specific character) and unlike the first game, there are a relatively small number of heroes available at the outset and throughout the game. Beyond what is initially offered, you unlock heroes as you meet them or by locating special objects hidden throughout the game (ie: get all five pieces of the M'Kraan crystal to unlock Jean Grey). Also, given the storyline, once you choose a side (pro- or anti-registration) certain characters will be locked out for most of the game since they are on the opposing side. As such you cannot for example have Captain America and Iron Man on the same team for most of the game since they are leading the opposing factions.
Well, Tony, despite your recommendation, I finally purchased MUA2, but am only a short ways into it (I have just selected my faction). I agree that the game is a bit hollow compared to the original, and there are pluses and minuses - the graphics have improved, but the voice acting seems to have dropped a notch. The gameplay is basically the same as the original, but I am a bit underwhelmed by the 'fusion' abilities (the major drawback is that you need two characters to execute them. One of the joys I had with the original game was playing as a single character rather than a team - something that's not allowed here.)
I can't say I'm disappointed, however, because I had no real expectations (although I'll miss playing as Moon Knight). MUA2 is one of those games that it is in the difficult position of wanting to try something new, without sacrificing the things that made the original so fun.
I finished the game last week and the later levels actually got fairly good but in the end I was still disappointed by the small number of classic heroes at my disposal and the very generic gameplay. I sold the game back the day after I beat it. Hopefully you'll get more mileage than me.
Having finished M:UA2, I plunged into Need For Speed: Shift, EA's latest entry into the venerable racing franchise. It ditches the tuner / outlaw philosophy of the last few games and tries instead to be a more realistic racing sim with about 80 realworld cars and a mix of actual and fantasy racetracks. The results are mixed: on the plus side the cars are mostly fun to drive and the various tracks offer some nice venues to race on; you can also trigger some spectacular crashes with cars getting airborne and piling up. On the other hand, the graphics are decent but pretty generic, lacking the resolution and special effects of most console exclusives like Forza or Project Gotham. The game also incorporates some hideously bad drift races which are absolutely no fun to drive at all. I'm still on the fence as to whether I like this game or not. Just when I'm about to pull it out of the console for the last time, I seem to unlock a new feature that keeps me interested for a little more. It's a serviceable game and will keep me occupied until Forza 3 comes out at the end of the month; I don't know how much mileage it will get at that point.
I still need to get going on Halo 3: ODST. I haven't touched the game since the day I bought it as there have been too many other releases. Hopefully one of these weekends....
BTW, for anybody contemplating picking up a Wii, Nintendo recently dropped the price to $199 for the console, which also comes with a Wiimote, nunchuck controller and the Wii Sports compilation. There is still way too much shovelware for that console but there have also been a few gems released such as the Metroid Trilogy and The Conduit. Dead Space: Extraction also looks very promising.
I finally got around to playing Halo 3: ODST and beat the game last night after a solid day and half of gameplay. The game takes place concurrently to events in Halo 2 in, around and below the largely abandoned African city of New Mombasa over the course of one day. You are part of a squadron tasked with locating some mysterious information of tactical value. You get separated from your squadmates at the start of the game and as you follow clues to figure out what happened to them and where they may be, the game flashes back to their respective encounters with the Covenant and efforts to stay alive and complete the mission.
Overall, this probably ranks as my second favorite Halo game, the original still coming out on top. Graphically, the game looked really nice and made good use of the aging Halo 3 engine. While the levels themselves lacked the intricacy of the first game, there was all sorts of interesting architecture and several levels made very good use of vertical space (including a dizzying walk across two skyscrapers connected by an all too narrow bridge as Banshees buzzed around). I played the game on Normal difficulty and didn't have much trouble at all getting to the end; the difficulty seemed more balanced this time around and there were only two or three moderately bad choke points in the game, but nothing as bad as the Flood levels from Halo 3. Overall a very solid effort by Bungie (I thought another developer had coded this one but it was definitely Bungie) especially considering that it started out as a simple add-on.
Will be picking up- Modern Warfare Call of Duty II today, reviews I have seen have been very good, I know my son is excited to get started.
I need to get started on Halo ODST, just can't seem to find the time and worried once I get started I won't be able to stay away.
Tony - Did you get repaired 360 back yet?
Hi Barry,
Yup, MS sent me a refurbed 360 a while ago; since I had already purchased a replacement I decided to set it up in my bedroom with an old 19" computer monitor I had lying around. Nothing like blasting invading aliens to help you unwind and drift off to sleep.
You should definitely make time for ODST; it was a fun campaign that was challenging but never unfairly difficult. There are also plenty of checkpoints in each level so the game can be played in short spurts if necessary. There is also a free app on Xbox Live called Halo Waypoint that you can download to your hard drive; in addition to providing videos, pics and other content about the Halo games, it also aggregates all the gamerscores from the Halo games on your hard drive into an overall score. As you raise your score you can receive free awards like gear for your Avatar. Kind of pointless but still somewhat fun.
I was reading a few reviews of Modern Warfare II; critical response has been positive but it seems that the single player campaign can be completed in as little as five hours, the emphasis clearly being on multi-player and a new spec-ops mode.
I was also reading that one of the missions in the game has your character going undercover and joining a group of terrorists, who then force you to go on a killing spree at an airport, indiscriminately targeting civilians, as a test of your loyalty. The level in question can be skipped and the game does display a disclaimer, but I think that kind of scenario crosses the line into very bad taste and I really don't see any reason to include stuff like that other than simple shock value and for the headlines the publisher hopes will draw more attention to the game (nothing like a little controversy to boost those sales).
I know its just a game and I'm most likely overreacting but that kind of stuff can potentially open a can of worms and paints a big bullseye on the videogame industry. I've also read that parts of Washington DC basically get nuked as part of the storyline which, again, in a game like this strikes me as pretty tasteless. I just don't see the need to go to those kinds of extremes in a videogame, especially one based (even loosely) on current events.
Given the short single player campaign and some of the questionable content decisions I'll probably wait for a price drop before thinking about purchasing it.
Thanks for that information Tony, you are always well infomed on the various games. I completly agree with your sentiment on the two levels you mentioned. I never let my kids get any of The Grand Theft Auto games, because I didn't like the culture that was being portrayed, so I am especially disappointed in the terrorist level.
In my son's case, I am pretty sure his greatest interest is multi-player, as he plays against and with his friends, but I will be checking.
Good to hear you will be able to blast some aliens before drifting off to sleep. Kind of curious what your dreams may be like.
just got back from another holiday (it's great when your wife works for a travel company) and updated my xbox, the only difference I can see is that now if you have a sky subscription you can watch sky programs through your box. Does anyone know if there's anything else changed?
It appears Microsoft is about to kick about one million people off of XBox Live for "modding" their XBox console. Not sure what "modding" is, but apparently it allows the use of pirated software. Anyway, I thought the article was interesting.
usually "modding" involves soldering extra chips onto the motherboard or "flashing" the memory which wipes certain parts of the code so that it will allow the console to play copied discs
this sort of stuff happens all the time whenever someone charges for something someone else will allways find ways to hack/mod/unlock it somehow
just got back from another holiday (it's great when your wife works for a travel company) and updated my xbox, the only difference I can see is that now if you have a sky subscription you can watch sky programs through your box. Does anyone know if there's anything else changed?
In America I've read that a forthcoming dashboard update will include direct support for social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. I've also read that you'll be able to stream music for free via LAST.FM, an online music streaming site. I would imagine those types of updates will occur globally as well. LAST.FM might be a moderately interesting addition if I can use it to stream music thru games I'm playing although personally I just want to use my 360 to play games and this ancillary stuff doesn't hold much interest for me.
usually "modding" involves soldering extra chips onto the motherboard or "flashing" the memory which wipes certain parts of the code so that it will allow the console to play copied discs
this sort of stuff happens all the time whenever someone charges for something someone else will allways find ways to hack/mod/unlock it somehow
The other area where modding becomes an issue with the 360 is online gaming where people use hacked versions of software to cheat their way to victory by making themselves invincible, obtaining super-powered weapons and so on. That's always been a thorny issue with MS and they've come down pretty hard on people who've abused the Xbox Live service in that way.
In America I've read that a forthcoming dashboard update will include direct support for social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. I've also read that you'll be able to stream music for free via LAST.FM, an online music streaming site. I would imagine those types of updates will occur globally as well. LAST.FM might be a moderately interesting addition if I can use it to stream music thru games I'm playing .
Hmm could be interesting, I realy dont see the point with the SKY player though if you've got SKY already why watch it through you xbox? Anyway I thought we were supposed to get a Zune/Netflix/Video marketplace all-in-one?
A couple of weeks ago before my trip to Antigua (did I mention that already? ). I was skimming through the list of films and found Superman/Batman: Public enemies, but when I selected it I got a message saying that it was'nt available for download. now after the update its dissapeared along with a few others.
Why do I get the feeling we're going to get shafted again.
I think the idea behind Sky (and Neflix streaming as well) is MS's continued effort to position the 360 not just as a videogame console but your "entertainment hub" from which you do everything.
The Zune Video Marketplace is also supposed to show up in the next update as it will supposedly be integrated into the Xbox Live Marketplace but still be separate from NetFlix.
As for Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, I actually downloaded it from Xbox Live a few weeks back as I was unsure whether it warranted a purchase or not (turned out to be a very good show BTW) so I'm kind of surprised to hear it disappeared from the marketplace though it isn't unprecedented; I used to be able to download the remastered Star Trek shows from the marketplace (in 720p and complete with new widescreen CG effects) but those were eventually pulled as well.
we've never had T.V shows or anything like that. I was looking forward to downloading the remastered Star Trek till I found out it was only you guys in the U.S that could get them.
So we finally get the new Zune update and it's all the same films just now you can stream the films and you can now get them in 1080p. Still no sign of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies *sigh*
One thing I'll say about the Zune Marketplace is that its fast. I streamed some movie trailers over a wireless connection just to check the service out and playback started almost instantaneously and the picture quality was very good for a wireless feed. I've read that people with hardwired connections get full 1080p quality seamlessly and almost instantly.
Kind of strange that Superman/Batman: Public Enemies has disappeared as it was definitely available a few weeks ago, at least here in America. I just tried to look it up on the Xbox Live website and even though the search engine returns a link, once I click on the link I get a "page not found" message. I also did a search for Green Lantern: First Flight, which again definitely used to be available as well, to no avail. Looks like the WB stuff was pulled for some reason.
As Patton once said "I'd rather have a German in front of me than a Frenchman behind me".
I've yet to pick up Modern Warfare 2; the by all accounts short single player campaign gives me pause and I've little interest in multiplayer as these types of games attract too many foul mouthed 10 year olds who are pumped up on Mountain Dew. I'll probably wait for a price drop before making an investment.
I did buy Terminator: Salvation for the 360 as it was on sale for only $20. Even at that price, I'm hard pressed to find much good to say about it. The game, which plays like a grossly simplified version of Gears of War, is the very definition of mediocre. There are only a handful of enemies that you fight over and over again; you get dropped into each level and finish it after crossing a magic threshold or destroying every enemy in a given area; your computer controlled squadmates have the IQ of a pocket full of lint, and some of the levels are literally shorter than the cinemas that precede them. The graphics are similarly uninspired and not yet once have I gotten any kind of visceral rush from killing a T600 or other machine. I've gotten about half-way thru the game and feel very little incentive to push any further.
Faring far better is the God of War Collection for the PS3, which bundles remastered versions of the God of War and God of War II games from the old PS2 onto one disc. Loosely based on ancient Greek mythology, the games sport greatly improved graphics and a 60fps framerate. They uniformly look and play better than most "next generation" offerings and feature sprawling and expansive levels, truly inspired achitecture and level design featuring massive structures, and a very deep and fun to use combat system that allows you to pull off some amazing moves. The games are also ridiculously violent and definitely not meant for a younger crowd (they both have a "17" rating and definitely earn it). Still, at $40 for two games on one disc its one of the best bargains out there if you happen to own a PS3.
I've yet to pick up Modern Warfare 2; the by all accounts short single player campaign gives me pause and I've little interest in multiplayer as these types of games attract too many foul mouthed 10 year olds who are pumped up on Mountain Dew. I'll probably wait for a price drop before making an investment.
I just recently activated my Xbox Live account (my gift to myself for finishing my degree program). I've been using it primarily for watching Netflix but did jump into some Call of Duty 2 multiplayer. Thankfully, everyone was well-behaved, and it resulted in a positive first experience. Modern Warfare 2 intrigues me and I'm hoping that I can convince a couple of friends to invest in an Xbox 360 so we can play as a group.
I just recently activated my Xbox Live account (my gift to myself for finishing my degree program). I've been using it primarily for watching Netflix but did jump into some Call of Duty 2 multiplayer. Thankfully, everyone was well-behaved, and it resulted in a positive first experience. Modern Warfare 2 intrigues me and I'm hoping that I can convince a couple of friends to invest in an Xbox 360 so we can play as a group.
Congrats on getting your degree Darenhat. Be sure to post some impressions when and if you try MW2 out. You can probably also score the original Modern Warfare game for short money these days.
And if you (or anyone else) feel like adding me as a friend, my Xbox Live name is XboxPhantom.
I purchased MW2 for my son and I can report, that as Tony indicated, the single player is very short, I believe my son beat it in about six hours. However, he is loving the multi-player and I confess it looks very cool. I do not join it because they would make swiss cheese out of me in about 5 seconds.
I am currently playing through Assassins Creed II. The original game was one of the reasons I bought my PS3, I was very excited to play it after seeing the previews. I was initially blown away by the first game, the scale and graphics were very impressive. However, it soon ran out of steam becoming very repetitive so I never completed it.
I wasn't really excited about the sequel as the first game left me a little cold. After reading a few positive reviews I decided to pick up a copy. The game starts where the first game finished (or so I’m told, I never saw the end of the first one :v) and first hour of the game is a little slow. The action soon picks up and within no time you are free running and taking down bad guys in a number of quite brutal ways. I won’t go into the story too much as I don’t want to give anything away. I will say that the story is very involving and the lead character, Ezio, is a very likeable protagonist.
The free running is well handled, if a little easy and I would say the same for the combat. Combat consists of either stealth assassinations, which are very satisfying or taking on a number of guards by blocking and countering which is a little too easy but still quite enjoyable. The missions are wide and varied and I haven't yet felt any repetition setting in (I am 10 hours into the game which is a reported 25 hours for the story alone and 40 hours for 100% synchronisation).
There are a few issues I have with the game, the controls are a little frustrating and the camera can occasionally hide behind scenery leaving you clueless as to what is happening. The control issues are most frustrating during climbing sections when Ezio will decide to take a high dive off a huge tower after having spent a good few minutes getting to the top. You may find yourself wanting to punch Ezio in the face when this happens but that isn't advised as given the ease of doing it, he would probably just block and counter leaving you in a pool of blood.
Despite a couple frustrations which are few and far between I am really enjoying the game, the developers seem to have learned from the mistakes of the first game and made a very enjoyable adventure. The game is everything the first game should have been and more. If you liked the first game then you will likely love this one and if like me the first game left you disappointed then you may find Assassins Creed II is the game you were hoping for 2 years ago. I would highly recommend it.
1- On Her Majesty's Secret Service 2- Casino Royale 3- Licence To Kill 4- Goldeneye 5- From Russia With Love
I also picked up Assassin's Creed II a few days ago and have been having a lot of fun with it.
For those unfamiliar with the Assassin's Creed games, they follow the adventures of one Desmond Miles, who is unwillingly caught in the middle of a centuries old conflict between the Knights Templar and the Guild of Assassins, as they vie for control of a mysterious device that will give whoever possesses it great power. It turns out that Desmond is descended from a long line of assassins. In the first game he was kidnapped by a shady company called Abstergo, which was a front for the Templars. Using a device called the Animus, he was made to re-live the exploits of one of his ancestors called Altair, who's memories are somehow stored in Desmond's DNA, in the hopes of uncovering the location of the mysterious device.
The original Assassin's Creed set up an interesting premise but then dropped the ball somewhat by saddling the game with really repetitive gameplay. While the plot was interesting, the individual missions themselves got quite tedious and many gamers lost interest after a few hours since they were basically doing the same thing over and over again.
As part two kicks off, Desmond is rescued by agents of the Assassin's Guild who then promptly use their own Animus to send him back to 15th Century Italy where he inhabits the memories of his Italian ancestor Ezio as he continues to attempt to unravel the mysteries of the Assassins and Templars.
This time around the storytelling and action are far more well balanced; you gradually gain more abilities as you progress in the game and your assignments are more varied and interesting. The game cleverly incorporates real-life historical personalities such as the Medici family and even Leonardo DaVinci (who basically functions as your personal Q-Branch) into the narrative and it all works nicely most of the time. Some of the Italian accents can get a little corny (I was really rolling my eyes when one character said "It's A Me! Mario!" but the gameplay is engaging without ever getting frustrating, the graphics are very nicely rendered with very accurate recreations of 15th Century Italian architecture, and the cities you explore are positively massive.
I've already put in a got 6 or 7 hours into the game and it has held my interest so far; hopefully this one will maintain critical mass and won't drop the ball like its predecessor did.
Saw a gaming analyst on television this morning and he said that Microsft would be coming out with a new console in October or November of 2010. Later in the interview I think he said it would attach to the current 360. Based on that information and what I could find on the internet I think he was referring to Project Natal, which is the camera attachment to the 360 that allows interactive gaming using body motion. I have attached a link that examines the conflicting reports.
Poor Steve Ballmer must be going senile. It's pretty clear that he was referring to Project Natal and I'm sure that when its finally released MS will have some sort of a bundle that includes the console, a standard controller and the Natal attachment and that may well have been the source of his confusion.
It'll be interesting to see if Natal takes off or if its a quickly passing fad. Historically, add-ons like this really haven't worked out well in the long run. Nintendo is infamous for introducing all manner of gadgets to extend their consoles, only to then never foster support for them. Their recent Wii-Motion Plus attachment, which gives games specifically coded to support it 1:1 motion tracking, was only used in a handful of titles and has since quietly fallen off the radar. Going further back, Sega basically went out of business in large part because of the failure of some of its attachments like the 32x add-on for the Genesis. It remains to be seen if Natal (or Sony's PS3 equivalent) has better luck.
As for me, I'm still playing thru Assassin's Creed II; that is one long game as I've already put in a good 15 hours and am probably only 2/3 to 3/4 of the way thru the adventure. The story is very interesting and it has held my attention nicely. Its always nice when a developer rewards gamers who prefer the single player experience; kudos to Ubisoft for doing just that.
After that, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is now selling for $39.99 (don't know for how long) so I decided to pick up a copy from Amazon; it should arrive by the time I finish Assassin's Creed II.
Comments
I picked the game up today and played until the first flashback. The music is well done and the story seems to be more cohesively presented than in past games. The game is also pretty atmospheric; walking about the ruins of New Mombasa and surveying the wreckage has a somber eerie feeling to it. About my only gripe so far is that the scenes with the rookie all take place at night and things get very dark. The visor HUD comes in handy but the dark palette does sometimes get in the way of the eye candy. Also, its my understanding that the entire game takes place in and around New Mombaso, so hopefully things won't get too repetitive.
Interestingly, this game was developed by a different studio - Gearbox, I think - using Bungie's assets; and if the rest of the campaign lives up to the first hours its a good sign for Microsoft that someone other than Bungie can make a good Halo game.
The movie was indefinitely shelved when the studio (I think it was Universal) got cold feet about the budget and producer Peter Jackson's choice of the then unheralded Neil Blomkamp as director. Interestingly, that pair went on to make District 9 for a mere $30 million; it has since recouped its costs several times over already and was very much Blomkamp sticking his middle finger at the Hollywood machine and their often closedminded policies.
Personally, given all the alien races, otherwordly scenery and faceless main protagonist, I've always thought an all CGI Halo movie would be the way to go. I'm sure a Halo CGI film made by Pixar or Dreamworks' CG division would probably make a tidy sum.
www.scottacademymartialarts.co.uk
Lately I've been playing Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 and I must confess that after playing the superb Batman: Arkham Asylum, the gameplay and presentation in M:UA2 feel pretty shallow. It is a button masher in the truest sense of the word as you're constantly jamming the "X" and "A" buttons until you fill your Fusion Attack meter that allows two heroes to combine their special moves into one devastating attack. Rinse and repeat ad infinitum. Another problem I have with the game is the Civil War storyline it is largely based on. I didn't care for it in the comics and I still don't care for it here. Adding insult to injury, the developers change the final act, ditching any moral ambiguity in favor of a new enemy that conveniently allows the who superhero registration issue to be conveniently sidestepped and forgotten. The voicework, consisting mainly of bad Russian accents and juvenile one-liners, also becomes annoying pretty quickly. I'll play it thru to the end but honestly, at this point it doesn't feel like a keeper.
Halo 3: ODST is waiting in the wings but I don't want to divide my attention and I'll dive into that only after I finish M:UA2.
You may want to rent it first if you have that option. This time around, you only get two costumes per hero (and unlocking the alternate outfit is a chore as it is tied into how much you use a specific character) and unlike the first game, there are a relatively small number of heroes available at the outset and throughout the game. Beyond what is initially offered, you unlock heroes as you meet them or by locating special objects hidden throughout the game (ie: get all five pieces of the M'Kraan crystal to unlock Jean Grey). Also, given the storyline, once you choose a side (pro- or anti-registration) certain characters will be locked out for most of the game since they are on the opposing side. As such you cannot for example have Captain America and Iron Man on the same team for most of the game since they are leading the opposing factions.
I can't say I'm disappointed, however, because I had no real expectations (although I'll miss playing as Moon Knight). MUA2 is one of those games that it is in the difficult position of wanting to try something new, without sacrificing the things that made the original so fun.
I finished the game last week and the later levels actually got fairly good but in the end I was still disappointed by the small number of classic heroes at my disposal and the very generic gameplay. I sold the game back the day after I beat it. Hopefully you'll get more mileage than me.
Having finished M:UA2, I plunged into Need For Speed: Shift, EA's latest entry into the venerable racing franchise. It ditches the tuner / outlaw philosophy of the last few games and tries instead to be a more realistic racing sim with about 80 realworld cars and a mix of actual and fantasy racetracks. The results are mixed: on the plus side the cars are mostly fun to drive and the various tracks offer some nice venues to race on; you can also trigger some spectacular crashes with cars getting airborne and piling up. On the other hand, the graphics are decent but pretty generic, lacking the resolution and special effects of most console exclusives like Forza or Project Gotham. The game also incorporates some hideously bad drift races which are absolutely no fun to drive at all. I'm still on the fence as to whether I like this game or not. Just when I'm about to pull it out of the console for the last time, I seem to unlock a new feature that keeps me interested for a little more. It's a serviceable game and will keep me occupied until Forza 3 comes out at the end of the month; I don't know how much mileage it will get at that point.
I still need to get going on Halo 3: ODST. I haven't touched the game since the day I bought it as there have been too many other releases. Hopefully one of these weekends....
BTW, for anybody contemplating picking up a Wii, Nintendo recently dropped the price to $199 for the console, which also comes with a Wiimote, nunchuck controller and the Wii Sports compilation. There is still way too much shovelware for that console but there have also been a few gems released such as the Metroid Trilogy and The Conduit. Dead Space: Extraction also looks very promising.
Overall, this probably ranks as my second favorite Halo game, the original still coming out on top. Graphically, the game looked really nice and made good use of the aging Halo 3 engine. While the levels themselves lacked the intricacy of the first game, there was all sorts of interesting architecture and several levels made very good use of vertical space (including a dizzying walk across two skyscrapers connected by an all too narrow bridge as Banshees buzzed around). I played the game on Normal difficulty and didn't have much trouble at all getting to the end; the difficulty seemed more balanced this time around and there were only two or three moderately bad choke points in the game, but nothing as bad as the Flood levels from Halo 3. Overall a very solid effort by Bungie (I thought another developer had coded this one but it was definitely Bungie) especially considering that it started out as a simple add-on.
I need to get started on Halo ODST, just can't seem to find the time and worried once I get started I won't be able to stay away.
Tony - Did you get repaired 360 back yet?
Hi Barry,
Yup, MS sent me a refurbed 360 a while ago; since I had already purchased a replacement I decided to set it up in my bedroom with an old 19" computer monitor I had lying around. Nothing like blasting invading aliens to help you unwind and drift off to sleep.
You should definitely make time for ODST; it was a fun campaign that was challenging but never unfairly difficult. There are also plenty of checkpoints in each level so the game can be played in short spurts if necessary. There is also a free app on Xbox Live called Halo Waypoint that you can download to your hard drive; in addition to providing videos, pics and other content about the Halo games, it also aggregates all the gamerscores from the Halo games on your hard drive into an overall score. As you raise your score you can receive free awards like gear for your Avatar. Kind of pointless but still somewhat fun.
I was reading a few reviews of Modern Warfare II; critical response has been positive but it seems that the single player campaign can be completed in as little as five hours, the emphasis clearly being on multi-player and a new spec-ops mode.
I was also reading that one of the missions in the game has your character going undercover and joining a group of terrorists, who then force you to go on a killing spree at an airport, indiscriminately targeting civilians, as a test of your loyalty. The level in question can be skipped and the game does display a disclaimer, but I think that kind of scenario crosses the line into very bad taste and I really don't see any reason to include stuff like that other than simple shock value and for the headlines the publisher hopes will draw more attention to the game (nothing like a little controversy to boost those sales).
I know its just a game and I'm most likely overreacting but that kind of stuff can potentially open a can of worms and paints a big bullseye on the videogame industry. I've also read that parts of Washington DC basically get nuked as part of the storyline which, again, in a game like this strikes me as pretty tasteless. I just don't see the need to go to those kinds of extremes in a videogame, especially one based (even loosely) on current events.
Given the short single player campaign and some of the questionable content decisions I'll probably wait for a price drop before thinking about purchasing it.
In my son's case, I am pretty sure his greatest interest is multi-player, as he plays against and with his friends, but I will be checking.
Good to hear you will be able to blast some aliens before drifting off to sleep. Kind of curious what your dreams may be like.
www.scottacademymartialarts.co.uk
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33866696/ns/technology_and_science-games
this sort of stuff happens all the time whenever someone charges for something someone else will allways find ways to hack/mod/unlock it somehow
www.scottacademymartialarts.co.uk
In America I've read that a forthcoming dashboard update will include direct support for social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. I've also read that you'll be able to stream music for free via LAST.FM, an online music streaming site. I would imagine those types of updates will occur globally as well. LAST.FM might be a moderately interesting addition if I can use it to stream music thru games I'm playing although personally I just want to use my 360 to play games and this ancillary stuff doesn't hold much interest for me.
The other area where modding becomes an issue with the 360 is online gaming where people use hacked versions of software to cheat their way to victory by making themselves invincible, obtaining super-powered weapons and so on. That's always been a thorny issue with MS and they've come down pretty hard on people who've abused the Xbox Live service in that way.
Hmm could be interesting, I realy dont see the point with the SKY player though if you've got SKY already why watch it through you xbox? Anyway I thought we were supposed to get a Zune/Netflix/Video marketplace all-in-one?
A couple of weeks ago before my trip to Antigua (did I mention that already?
Why do I get the feeling we're going to get shafted again.
www.scottacademymartialarts.co.uk
I think the idea behind Sky (and Neflix streaming as well) is MS's continued effort to position the 360 not just as a videogame console but your "entertainment hub" from which you do everything.
The Zune Video Marketplace is also supposed to show up in the next update as it will supposedly be integrated into the Xbox Live Marketplace but still be separate from NetFlix.
As for Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, I actually downloaded it from Xbox Live a few weeks back as I was unsure whether it warranted a purchase or not (turned out to be a very good show BTW) so I'm kind of surprised to hear it disappeared from the marketplace though it isn't unprecedented; I used to be able to download the remastered Star Trek shows from the marketplace (in 720p and complete with new widescreen CG effects) but those were eventually pulled as well.
www.scottacademymartialarts.co.uk
www.scottacademymartialarts.co.uk
Kind of strange that Superman/Batman: Public Enemies has disappeared as it was definitely available a few weeks ago, at least here in America. I just tried to look it up on the Xbox Live website and even though the search engine returns a link, once I click on the link I get a "page not found" message. I also did a search for Green Lantern: First Flight, which again definitely used to be available as well, to no avail. Looks like the WB stuff was pulled for some reason.
(Yes I know but the old ones are the best)
www.scottacademymartialarts.co.uk
I've yet to pick up Modern Warfare 2; the by all accounts short single player campaign gives me pause and I've little interest in multiplayer as these types of games attract too many foul mouthed 10 year olds who are pumped up on Mountain Dew. I'll probably wait for a price drop before making an investment.
I did buy Terminator: Salvation for the 360 as it was on sale for only $20. Even at that price, I'm hard pressed to find much good to say about it. The game, which plays like a grossly simplified version of Gears of War, is the very definition of mediocre. There are only a handful of enemies that you fight over and over again; you get dropped into each level and finish it after crossing a magic threshold or destroying every enemy in a given area; your computer controlled squadmates have the IQ of a pocket full of lint, and some of the levels are literally shorter than the cinemas that precede them. The graphics are similarly uninspired and not yet once have I gotten any kind of visceral rush from killing a T600 or other machine. I've gotten about half-way thru the game and feel very little incentive to push any further.
Faring far better is the God of War Collection for the PS3, which bundles remastered versions of the God of War and God of War II games from the old PS2 onto one disc. Loosely based on ancient Greek mythology, the games sport greatly improved graphics and a 60fps framerate. They uniformly look and play better than most "next generation" offerings and feature sprawling and expansive levels, truly inspired achitecture and level design featuring massive structures, and a very deep and fun to use combat system that allows you to pull off some amazing moves. The games are also ridiculously violent and definitely not meant for a younger crowd (they both have a "17" rating and definitely earn it). Still, at $40 for two games on one disc its one of the best bargains out there if you happen to own a PS3.
I just recently activated my Xbox Live account (my gift to myself for finishing my degree program). I've been using it primarily for watching Netflix but did jump into some Call of Duty 2 multiplayer. Thankfully, everyone was well-behaved, and it resulted in a positive first experience. Modern Warfare 2 intrigues me and I'm hoping that I can convince a couple of friends to invest in an Xbox 360 so we can play as a group.
Congrats on getting your degree Darenhat. Be sure to post some impressions when and if you try MW2 out. You can probably also score the original Modern Warfare game for short money these days.
And if you (or anyone else) feel like adding me as a friend, my Xbox Live name is XboxPhantom.
Congrats on your degree Darenhat! -{
I wasn't really excited about the sequel as the first game left me a little cold. After reading a few positive reviews I decided to pick up a copy. The game starts where the first game finished (or so I’m told, I never saw the end of the first one :v) and first hour of the game is a little slow. The action soon picks up and within no time you are free running and taking down bad guys in a number of quite brutal ways. I won’t go into the story too much as I don’t want to give anything away. I will say that the story is very involving and the lead character, Ezio, is a very likeable protagonist.
The free running is well handled, if a little easy and I would say the same for the combat. Combat consists of either stealth assassinations, which are very satisfying or taking on a number of guards by blocking and countering which is a little too easy but still quite enjoyable. The missions are wide and varied and I haven't yet felt any repetition setting in (I am 10 hours into the game which is a reported 25 hours for the story alone and 40 hours for 100% synchronisation).
There are a few issues I have with the game, the controls are a little frustrating and the camera can occasionally hide behind scenery leaving you clueless as to what is happening. The control issues are most frustrating during climbing sections when Ezio will decide to take a high dive off a huge tower after having spent a good few minutes getting to the top. You may find yourself wanting to punch Ezio in the face when this happens but that isn't advised as given the ease of doing it, he would probably just block and counter leaving you in a pool of blood.
Despite a couple frustrations which are few and far between I am really enjoying the game, the developers seem to have learned from the mistakes of the first game and made a very enjoyable adventure. The game is everything the first game should have been and more. If you liked the first game then you will likely love this one and if like me the first game left you disappointed then you may find Assassins Creed II is the game you were hoping for 2 years ago. I would highly recommend it.
For those unfamiliar with the Assassin's Creed games, they follow the adventures of one Desmond Miles, who is unwillingly caught in the middle of a centuries old conflict between the Knights Templar and the Guild of Assassins, as they vie for control of a mysterious device that will give whoever possesses it great power. It turns out that Desmond is descended from a long line of assassins. In the first game he was kidnapped by a shady company called Abstergo, which was a front for the Templars. Using a device called the Animus, he was made to re-live the exploits of one of his ancestors called Altair, who's memories are somehow stored in Desmond's DNA, in the hopes of uncovering the location of the mysterious device.
The original Assassin's Creed set up an interesting premise but then dropped the ball somewhat by saddling the game with really repetitive gameplay. While the plot was interesting, the individual missions themselves got quite tedious and many gamers lost interest after a few hours since they were basically doing the same thing over and over again.
As part two kicks off, Desmond is rescued by agents of the Assassin's Guild who then promptly use their own Animus to send him back to 15th Century Italy where he inhabits the memories of his Italian ancestor Ezio as he continues to attempt to unravel the mysteries of the Assassins and Templars.
This time around the storytelling and action are far more well balanced; you gradually gain more abilities as you progress in the game and your assignments are more varied and interesting. The game cleverly incorporates real-life historical personalities such as the Medici family and even Leonardo DaVinci (who basically functions as your personal Q-Branch) into the narrative and it all works nicely most of the time. Some of the Italian accents can get a little corny (I was really rolling my eyes when one character said "It's A Me! Mario!" but the gameplay is engaging without ever getting frustrating, the graphics are very nicely rendered with very accurate recreations of 15th Century Italian architecture, and the cities you explore are positively massive.
I've already put in a got 6 or 7 hours into the game and it has held my interest so far; hopefully this one will maintain critical mass and won't drop the ball like its predecessor did.
http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/59204
It'll be interesting to see if Natal takes off or if its a quickly passing fad. Historically, add-ons like this really haven't worked out well in the long run. Nintendo is infamous for introducing all manner of gadgets to extend their consoles, only to then never foster support for them. Their recent Wii-Motion Plus attachment, which gives games specifically coded to support it 1:1 motion tracking, was only used in a handful of titles and has since quietly fallen off the radar. Going further back, Sega basically went out of business in large part because of the failure of some of its attachments like the 32x add-on for the Genesis. It remains to be seen if Natal (or Sony's PS3 equivalent) has better luck.
As for me, I'm still playing thru Assassin's Creed II; that is one long game as I've already put in a good 15 hours and am probably only 2/3 to 3/4 of the way thru the adventure. The story is very interesting and it has held my attention nicely. Its always nice when a developer rewards gamers who prefer the single player experience; kudos to Ubisoft for doing just that.
After that, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is now selling for $39.99 (don't know for how long) so I decided to pick up a copy from Amazon; it should arrive by the time I finish Assassin's Creed II.