Metro 2033 Review

About a year and a half to two years ago Bethesda released Fallout 3 the sequel to Fallout’s 1 and 2 from Interplay and the brand has suddenly returned from extinction. As someone who played Fallout 3 for over 100 hours I went to numerous message boards and a topic that was coming up a lot was Fallout in another country like Japan, England, or other locales. Metro 2033 is based on the book “Metro 2033″ by Russian author Dmitry Gluhkovsky about an apocalyptic event (nuclear war) that leaves the world in shambles. In Russia citizens retreated to the Metro Tunnels to survive the nuclear winter and hope to one day return to the world they missed so much. As with most apocalyptic games there is some sci-fi elements to the game. So does the book adaptation hold up on the 360?

So Does The Game Hold Up To The Book?

Well, simply put no. There are a multitude of issues with this game and they will make most of the people who play these games frustrated and stop playing.

So Who’s This Aryole?

In Metro 2033 you play as Artyom who is the main protagonist in the book and is the Gordon Freeman/everyman character who is tasked with going to a station to deliver a warning message. As Shepherd Book said “It’s not where you going, it’s how you get there”. While you have point A and point C, point B is the real danger as you are going through areas infested with monsters, inhabited by not so friendly humans, and something else. The Gordon Freeman part of Artyom is that he’s not only mute but you are with him throughout the entire game and unlike something like Halo you are in Artyom’s body throughout the entire game. The everyman part is that your fighting monsters, raiders, humans, and other unforeseen aggressor’s with not that much resources (Internet Superstar?).

Aaahh!!! Real Mutants?

In Metro 2033 with the nuclear winter ravaging life on Earth new species were created as a mix of former animals. The most common enemy type in the game are the Nosalis which were a combination of animals already living in the tunnels like Rats, Bats, Moles, and Shrews. There are also probably the most annoying enemies I’ve ever faced in my years of gaming, Lurkers. These are mutated rats/dogs who attack you and run away into tunnels and are honestly some cheap jerks. The fact that you can fall into the tunnels and die upon impact is frustrating enough without being attacked by them monster dogs. The scariest one of all is the Librarian which is like a mix between a human and a gorilla and are possibly the strongest, oddest, and most terrifying enemies I’ve ever seen. Well aside from Gil Alexander’s tank form in BioShock 2. Another of these foes are the Demons or “b*tches” as they are referred to are gargoyle-like mutants that are known to take bodies that are lying on the ground to eat them or do something with them. Howlers: mutated wolves that have traits of rats, dogs, and are found in small groups. The most intriguing foe are the Dark Ones which are called “the next step in human evolution” and “homo novus” they appear to you in visions where it is unclear whether or not they are good or evil.

Mood, Atmosphere, and the Whole Nine Yards

While I have played many horror games like Condemned, Dead Space, and Rez Evil 1-4 I haven’t actually been scared playing any of them because in all the games you can get to a point where you are unstoppable which is what happened with BioShock. This game actually made me dread playing it because I knew I would be scared with the Nosalises and Dark Ones. There were times where I would be low on ammo and I would here the beasts going through the tunnels and get anxious. The “Ghosts” which are the spirits of the dead who are trapped in the Metro Tunnels because purgatory was atomized can kill you if you come into contact with them you will be killed in an instant. Something that the developers (4A Games) did that really affected me is that when I was doing a stealth section two guys were talking and one asked “how are the kids” and the other responded “they miss their daddy” just them saying that brought in the feeling of morale that wasn’t apparent in games like GTA, Call of Duty, or Postal. I felt terrible and wanted to just walk up to them and let them kill me. There is another part where there is an attack on a station and by the time you get there everyone is dead and the feeling of walking through the station really makes you feel as if you were actually there. This type of feeling is something you don’t necessarily see in gaming anymore. Recent games like BioShock & Fallout 3 have started to get the ball rolling on the moral judgment and Heavy Rain took it and ran with it and there were times were you’d feel like the worst person in the world due to your choices whether its good, bad,or in the middle.While I won’t ruin anything for you guys there is a moment with a child and the sky and it is one of the most heartwarming things I’ve ever seen in a video game.

That’s Why They Call It A Bastard Gun!

With the most recent apocalyptic game Fallout 3 (Borderlands takes place on another planet so it doesn’t count as apocalyptic) the currency was handled in a great way with having bottle caps as the currency for the universe. Metro 2033′s currency is pre-war ammo since it is harder to find then bottle caps. As a result of that your main source of ammo is “homemade ammo” which is in other terms sh*tty ammo because it is extremely weak and it takes a hell of a lot of shots to kill an enemy which is hard enough since the aiming in this game is harder than in most or all of the games out on the 360. The perfect way to describe it is like using a mouse that has sensitivity issues and is hungover and stoned out of its mind.  This game unfortunately has one of the worst things in gaming and that is “protect” missions when you have a person to protect and if he dies you fail the mission.

This AI Is Making Me Angry!

The Artificial Intelligence for this game is not dumb but not smart in that when you are in cover they will run past you and take cover on different areas while you can just destroy them without even moving. The other problem with the AI is with grenades, when you throw a grenade at a pile of dudes most of the time they will all die. The mutants though are supposed to be the way they are like the grunts, jackals, hunters, and elites of Halo. But they mainly charge at the player or NPC’s and at a certain point it will be close to controller throwing territory.

Metro 2033 Tries To Take Alot Of The Things In The Book And Translate It To The Game Scene But A Poor Targeting System And Poor AI Make Things Not So Good For Artyom and The Other Humans In The Metro Tunnels.

Pros

• Great Atmosphere
• Fantastic Mood
  
• Amazing Moral Guilt
• Dark Ones FTW!

Cons

• Poor Targeting
  
• Bad AI
  
• Weak Bullets
• Powerful Enemies
• Ammo As Currency Falls Flat Like A PS3 Slim

I Give Metro 2033 A 5.0 out of 10

Aliens vs Predator (And Humans?) Review

If you are like me then you have definitely seen either Predator or Alien or both. These movies both had an alien species wreaking havoc on the human race. In some cases making our race look like chickens with their heads cut off. Naturally these two series had no connection to each other whatsover until a crossover was created by Dark Horse Comics about 20 years ago and as time went on the series went to different mediums such as Literature, Film, and Video Games. 15-16 years ago Aliens vs Predator was released on the Atari Jaguar by Rebellion Games based in the UK and it was a smash hit. They later brought it to the PC back in 1999 and that was praised by mostly everyone. Ever since then Rebellion really hasn’t done much. They’ve certainly made more games but have been not reaching the level they were at with AvP. Recently there have been two AvP movies and while the first was mediocre the second is probably one of the worst movies ever and makes the Chupacabra Terror look like Casablanca. In 2oo6 SEGA, the former hardware maker and now software maker purchased the rights to the Alien license and announced Aliens: Colonial Marines by Gearbox(Brothers In Arms, Borderlands) which is a squad based game like Brothers In Arms and takes place on LV-426. The other game announced was an Aliens RPG by Obsidian (NK2, KotOR 2, Alpha Protocol, Fallout: New Vegas). The Aliens RPG was canceled while Colonial Marines should be out in a few more years (hopefully). In 2008 SEGA announced Aliens vs Predator developed by Rebellion so that meant Colonial Marines had to be pushed back to avoid CM stealing AvP’s thunder. I personally was excited as can be for this game since its seemingly the only series that Rebellion can actually do without having it be shovelware oh boy was I wrong. Last year I reviewed Shellshock 2: Blood Trails developed by Rebellion and thankfully that game is still worse than this.

Story

The Plot in AvP goes across three campaigns from The Xenomorph (Alien), The Predator, and of course the Marine as if we don’t have enough of them already. As the Alien you are in captivity and you escape. Seriously that’s about it. For The Predator you are a rookie Predator who is just going through a rite of passage, and with the Marine you are going through the environment trying to find your team (sound familiar? ODST?). The thing about the opening for the Marine is that I was expecting it to begin the way Quake 4 did where people who were trying to get you up were continuously getting killed. The main arc of the game is Charles Bishop Weyland who goes to a planet inhabited by Predators and Xenomorphs and is in search of the coordinates to the Alien homeworld. (On a side note this game rapes the Canon for both series over and over again until it is dead so don’t treat this as a prequel of sorts for Alien or Predator)

Presentation

As with Alien and Predator visuals and sound are a big part of the franchise because of the Xenomorph, Pred, Facehugger, Pulse Rifle, and Motion Detector. No matter how bad this game is they deliver the things fans loved about the movie. They even got William Hope (Lt. Gorman) to voice the villain in the Alien campaign. Of course they got Lance Henriksen to reprise his role as CBW but at this point having him in the AvP series is like a slap in the face to fans of Alien. The visuals in this game are mediocre across all 3 campaigns and there is really nothing special to this game.  Dead Rising which came out 3+ years ago looks better plays better and is all around better.

I Have An Idea Lets Make A 12 Hour Game And Set It Across Three Campaigns!

While most games these days are 8-10 hours (excluding RPGs) they are mainly play one character through and have fun ones. AvP? No. You get to play the game across three different campaigns i.e. You play a campaign that’s 4-5 hours long and then play another crappy one at about the same length. The thing with this is that Rebellion tried to make three different games. First, the shooter which doesn’t do much. Then, a game based on the hunter from Left 4 Dead. Finally, there’s the stealth-meets Far Cry Instincts game. Not only do they not pull any of these clearly separate games off they fail miserably. Worst of all is the ending which leaves an opening for a sequel which would be like George Lucas announcing he’s remaking the original trilogy with sock puppets replacing the actors.

Aliens vs Predator Is A Game That Attempts To Bring The Game That Fans Loved To The 360 and PS3 While They Will Simply Ignore It Like The Plague A New Audience That Has Never Played AvP Will Think About This Game When People Reminisce About Fun Times On AvP Which Is Why They Could Have Done What Publishers Did With Games Like Rez, Serious Sam, and Monkey Island. Update The Graphics On The Original Game And Tweak What Needs To Be Tweaked And Everyone Wins.

Pros

• Fan Favorites Aren’t Bastardized
  
• Dedication To Aliens

Cons

• Everything Else

I Give This Piece Of Crap A 3.5 out of 10

Major League Baseball 2k10 Review

Back in 2005 Take Two the publisher of BioShock, GTA, and Borderlands bought the MLB exclusivity license as a response to Electronic Arts getting the NFL exclusivity license. When this happened there was backlash everywhere since 2k hasn’t made a good baseball game..ever. While EA on the other hand could have taken the Sports genre by the storm with Madden, Tiger Woods PGA, and MVP Baseball. If Sony hadn’t done MLB The Show for the past few years baseball on consoles would be like a ghost town. To address the problems of the past 2k decided to do a few things. Get a shiny new cover, get an all star cover star, and make everything about the Pitcher versus the Hitter which is what the game is all about. They tried fixing the game with 2k9 but that bit them hard as it has become one of the worst Sports games in existence, or the “E.T.” of Sports games. So after years of disappointment does 2k deliver the goods?

The Baseball Wars Have Begun!

Yes. MLB 2k10 while not on the MVP Baseball level is on the All Star Baseball level which is right below MVP. If any of you who read this have played MLB 10 The Show then you will agree that the Baseball Wars have truly begun, since The Show this year was basically a repeat.

Controls, Controls, Controls,

In the previous MLB 2k games you controlled things as you’d think you would with the face buttons (A,B,X,Y). Last years excrement fest 2k9 changed the way you played the game by having you use the thumbsticks to control the pitching and hitting for your game. Since the whole mission statement for this game is Batter vs the Pitcher you can and will get into jams with 2 on and 1 out or bases loaded and no one out. With the improvements to the pitching controls specifically you can get out of said predicaments and feel like your Nolan Ryan or Randy Johnson. Also, depending on how you move the right thumbstick your energy will be displayed in the right hand corner of the screen and like most sports the more energy you put into the pitch the more effective it will be. To avoid players mastering this within the first game 2k put in an opposite mechanic where if you mess up the pitch it will be slower, less-controlled, and the batter has a greater chance to hit it. Like Mariano Rivera and Clayton Kershaw the pitchers all have a best pitch. For Mo it’s his Cutter and for Kershaw it’s his Curveball. These pitches are the main weapon of these hurlers.   This years game was changed so you had three options with hitting, Contact, Power, and Defensive swing. The interesting thing about defensive swing is that as in real baseball games, when you are down 0-2 or 2-2 or even 3-2 your main goal is to avoid getting struck out so as you are fighting to the brink of being K’d you can wear down the pitcher by continuously fouling off everything they can throw at you excluding the kitchen sink. While this may be a nice addition for hardcore fans of 2k baseball games (0?) but for casual players the three options on the right thumbstick may be too much.

Presentation

For anyone who watches baseball a big part of the game is the sound whether it’s a ball going into a mitt, a ball hitting a bat, or even a foul ball hitting something in the stadium. For the folks watching the game at home channels like FOX, ESPN, and the MLB Network are their only experiences with America’s Pastime. That is the case with the presentation for MLB 2k10. As in the picture above you are given the score, inning number, at bat info, etc. A cool thing that is done by 2k is the ridiculous amount of data being presented to you like stats for a season  (previous,current), for a teams winning streak info (hits,HR’s, K’s, and BB’s), and even career milestones (HR’s, Hits, W’s, K’s, BB’s,etc.). Not only is the text data there but the commentators (Steve Phillips, Gary Thorne, and John Kruk) have amazingly detailed things to say and I heard alot just playing as the Yankees so it may be more in-depth with the other 29 teams. This is a major refresher compared to the MLB: The Show series which is just going by on it’s good looks while 2k10 is going through on data, feedback, and new ideas. One of these which as I’m writing this is already done is the $1,000,000 perfect game challenge. Not only is this a very interesting idea that would be perfect in a better economy but the challenge is a great way to sell copies. Perhaps one of the biggest implementations to 2k10 is MLB Today which not only updates your rosters to reflect the real life data of the players, but gives you the option of playing games that are on during the day. While this is likely going to be added with information or other features to next years game I am very intrigued over what 2k has in store with it’s new mode.

Game Modes

The game modes for any baseball game is very predictable with the regulars Exhibition, Franchise,Postseason, and Online returning. Some new ones arrive to The Show (get it). Drills, which is a practice mode where you can refine your hitting, pitching, fielding, etc. and Home Run Derby which concerning how bad last year’s game was HRD is pretty much the same. The newest mode is My Player which is basically a clone of Road To The Show in which you take a bumbling prospect and turn him into the next Derek Jeter or Whitey Ford. Based on how I played it the pitcher is the best position to play since that is one of the best ones available. Fans of MLB The Show will likely scoff and go back to Heavy Rain and Uncharted but people who only have 360′s will love this feature.

The Dark Times I.E. The Bad Things

While I’m basically in love with this game there are things that can hinder one’s thoughts on the game. The bug that has been present since 2k9 is here unfortunately. The one I am referring to is the one where your player gets swapped out with someone else who is basically a default model. This is something that can affect not just one player but multiple players which is a drag.  Visual Concepts (developers) put in the ability to que up throws which, as someone who has the thumbstick in a different area when I’m pitching there will be a bang play and my fielder will do a sliding attempt to get the ball and he will throw to my shortstop since I accidentally had my finger pointing the thumbstick to the left. That’s something I would just like if they made it an option. Probably one of the biggest problems with this game is still the animations after all these years. When someone grounds into a double play your fielder will get the ball and throw it as if he’s throwing a touchdown pass even though the other fielder is a couple of feet away. There are more I won’t get to for times sake but the last thing that bothers me is the way some of the players look when you see them after the game because they look like Heavy Rain or Alan Wake gone wrong.

Major League Baseball 2k1o is a far better improvement than it’s predecessor and better than MLB 10 The Show which essentially phoned in this years game. It gets things right with the Presentation, Controls, and Visuals. On the other hand it gets things wrong again like Animations, Player Models, and Bugs that have remained since the engine change. But for people who have both 360 and PS3 I still suggest The Show for consistency reasons but if you only have a 360 then go wild on MLB 2k10.

Pros

• Magnificent Presentation
• My Player Mode Definitely Interesting
• MLB Today Has Loads Of Potential
• Controls Are A Nice Change From Using The Face Buttons

Cons

• Animation Problems
• Bugs Survived 2k9
• Player Models Look Goofy
  
• Que Up Throws Wonky

I Give Major League Baseball 2k10 For The Xbox 360 An 8 out of 10

Review- Stargate Resistance!

If you are a Sci-Fi fan like I am you’ve definitely heard of Stargate. Whether its the feature film, SG-1, Atlantis, and unfortunately SGU. You know that while it is starting to get up there with the Wars and Treks, it hasn’t necessarily gotten the treatment that the aforementioned franchises have gotten. By “treatment” I mean Games. Back in 0’5-’o6 work was almost completed on the first big Stargate game. Stargate SG-1: The Alliance was axed in 2006 and ever since then the only Stargate Video Game on the vine was Stargate Worlds. But like The Alliance, SGW has fallen under tough times due the economic downturn. And with MGM suffering as well people thought that Worlds would get canned and they would never get the chance to battle with Jaffa or Goa’uld. But TPTB didn’t want the fans to miss out so in December the folks at Firesky announced that CME (Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment) the developers of Stargate Worlds would be releasing a third person shooter in the Stargate Universe (not the show, the actual universe). Although CME’s track record wasn’t really much of anything since SGW and SG:R are there only games, the real purpose of SG:R is to not only help fund the development of SGW, but to hopefully convince present and future investors that they can release a game.

The Story

Yes, Yes, it’s an online shooter so there’s not much of a story so SG:R’s story is………. well there isn’t an actual story mode but there is an overview of the main plot. Resistance takes place in the current timeline of the Stargate Universe. So think Season 12-13 of SG-1 if you are fans of the show. In Season 8 of SG-1 the Goa’uld had been eliminated as a main enemy of the show although they would have small antagonistic roles in season’s 9 and 10. Now the new System Lords have risen up and are looking to reclaim what they think is rightfully there’s. They have also re-enslaved the Jaffa into their service of being incubators for their young. The only thing standing in their way of this diabolical goal are the Tau’ri who defeated the Goa’uld, Replicators, and Ori.

The Bleeps, Bloops, and Visuals

The music to SG:R isn’t really there which is a letdown since the Stargate series has some fantastic organic music. If you don’t believe me listen to the SG-1 or Atlantis soundtrack. The sound effects on the other hand is a success. The iconic Staff Weapon shots are here and P90 shots are heard in the distance and even going through the Chappa’ai (Stargate) feels authentic. At this point there is no voice chat but there are of course commands associated with the number keys such as Kree!, Go Go Go!, and Ashrak! but there is always hope for future updates.  Last but not least, the visuals. Along with the music and sfx the stargate franchise is a very visual one so if things didn’t look right this game would be panned. So thankfully that is not the case as this game looks authentic in every way, even though it only matters for the SGC map (Hat’ak gate room is attached to the map for System Lords). To make the  map bigger a fuel silo is added to be the bulk of the map. It could just be me but camping in the embarkation room as the SGC with my team blasting the System Lords to hell is really satisfying.

The Character Classes

There are 3 Classes for the System Lords and 3 Classes for the Tau’ri. The SL have the Jaffa (foot soldiers of the Gods) Ashrak ( stealthy assassins) and the Goa’uld (Parasites who burrow into the body of human hosts who then take control and pose as gods). With the Jaffa you have the staff weapon that shoots a small energy blast, a melee that can finish off foes, and of course grenades. The Goa’uld have ribbon devices that fries the mind of those who come into contact with the Goa’uld using the device, also there’s the ability to throw enemies in order to get them away, and there is a healing device that can be used to heal your teammates, and of course you have the shield that blocks enemy projectiles for a limited time (grenade launchers still do damage).  Then there’s the Ashrak who has the ability to become invisible so it can get behind the enemy and backstab them.  As for the Tau’ri you have the Commando, who is equipped with a Sniper Rifle, Magnum, and Claymore Mines. The Scientist, who has deployable turrets, administers health to weak teammates, a pistol, and another pistol that shoots out a symbiote poison that slowly kills anything that has a Goa’uld symbiote in it whether its a Jaffa, Ashrak, or Goa’uld in a host body. Finally there is the Soldier who has a grenade launcher, smoke grenade, and one of the most popular guns in the Stargate series (TV series), the P90. Like the Jaffa who has a 1+2 punch with the Staff and Melee, the Soldier has the shoot a grenade at an enemy and shred them to pieces combo. The most effective way of killing foes with the Soldier class is bending the kozars and shooting the fron of the enemy.

Where The Hell Are You!

Like the setting in TV and Film, the maps of multiplayer games are crucial to how the game can be played. If you have a game with a  stellar multiplayer setting people will latch on to it and love it (CoD4, GoW) but if you have a game with a bad multiplayer mode people will stay away like it’s the plague. In the case of SG:R it’s actually fun compared to a certain third person shooter that came out on the 360 in ’08. Aside from some balancing issues there isn’t much kruvis with it. This game suffers from the Team Fortress 2 conundrum in that it launched without the usual amount of maps. TF2 launched with 6 maps and 3 game types while Resistance has only 3 maps and 3 game modes but in March there will be a free map add-on to pave the way for future DLC. The actual locations in SG:R are as follows: SGC, Piramess, and Amarna. The SGC is of course the headquarters for the Tau’ri and the most beloved location in the franchise. Piramess is a world that was once normal but due to conflict from the Goa’uld has been shrouded in snow and ice from a device very much like the Touchstone from the SG-1 episode of the same name. Amarna is a world that has a rich source of the element Naquadah  the energy source for all of the advanced alien technology.

Dominate The Galaxy or Protect It

While most games MP modes are just mindless go into a game and go into another game and earn XP, SG:R has a unique way of handling it. The Goa’uld are trying to dominate the Galaxy like those who came before  them and it is up to the people of Earth to stop them. It is a nice way of expanding the galaxy once the downloadable content arrives.

Stargate Resistance While It May Just Be A Way To Fund Stargate Worlds Not Only Proves How FireSky and Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment Can Not Only Deliver On A Product But Make A Damn Good Game. Yes SG:R Has It’s Flaws With The Limited Amount of Classes, Maps, and Game Modes But CME Has Already Confirmed They Are Working On Maps, Classes, Tweaks, and Character Skins. So The Next Few Months Will Be Interesting.

Hits

• Stargate Woo!
• Authentic In Many Ways
• Feels Great To Cross The Event Horizon
• The Classes Are Deep
• Decent Visuals
• Ribbon Device FTW
  

Misses

• Not Enough Classes,Maps,Game Modes
• Certain Points On Maps Are Useless
• Lack of Voice Chat
  
• Lack of Soundtrack

I Give Stargate Resistance An 8 out of 10

I Now Leave You With A Video Showing A Battle For The SGC

Game History- Obsidian Entertainment

The history of Obsidian Entertainment is tied into the story of another studio, the now defunct Black Isle Studios. It’s sole reason for existing was for the development of CRPGs (Computer Role Playing Games) BIS were famous for creating the legendary RPG series Fallout, Icewind Dale, and Baldur’s Gate. Due to financial issues BIS was later shut down but from the ashes of Black Isle Studios rose Obsidian Entertainment started by some of those who left Interplay ( Feargus Urquhart, Darren Monahan, Chris Jones, and Chris Avellone) Obsidian has released two series of games while they’ve been around, Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic 2 The Sith Lords and three titles based off Neverwinter Nights 2. Next year they have two new games releasing one being Alpha Protocol an RPG/FPS hybrid that is an original IP and the other being Fallout: New Vegas. Which is a good thing since they were in fact the creators of Fallout 1, 2, and 3 (Van Buren). Now be on the lookout for Alpha Protocol this Spring and Fallout: New Vegas in June.

Quick Hit! Borderlands Review

Back In 2007 Gearbox Software the guys behind the Brothers In Arms series announced a new FPS/RPG game called Borderlands. This game is possibly one of the deepest and violent game I’ve ever played.

A Lone Soul On An Alien Planet

Borderlands takes place on an alien planet called Pandora where there is little of value except for Alien Ruins and the myth of something called “The Vault” that has everything you could possibly want (Wealth, Technology, and Artifacts) but like some lottery winners those who seeked the Vault disappeared. You have the choice of four characters with four different classes. “Brick” who is a Beserker who is basically like the Tank in Left 4 Dead in that he is a master of melee combat and can enter a rage mode where you rapidly punch enemies. ”Lilith” is a Siren: beings with superhuman powers though they can not control it, her special move is causing a shock-wave as a result of entering and then exiting another dimension. “Mordecai” is a Hunter who is aided by his pet bird can attack foes from long range and can scavenge things. “Roland” is a former mercenary who can deploy a close-range turret.

Not A Traditional RPG

Borderlands isn’t your regular turn based rpg, it is more in the style of Fallout 3, (FPS/RPG hybrid) that being said the big selling point of this game is the loot. One of the most important things about RPG’s are the items you can loot off your fallen foes and Borderlands knocks it out of the park. The loot system in Borderlands is just astounding, the bigger the bad guy the better the loot. As with most RPG’s they try to go for realism and most of the time it doesn’t  work (Elder Scrolls IV, Fallout 3) but with Borderlands they go for a stylized sort of cartoony type of look and believe it or not it actually works pretty well.

This Game Is Crazy, Seriously This Game Is BatS#&^ Crazy

As I’ve been saying Borderlands isn’t your garden variety RPG. This game is really messed up in that you slaughter animals, roid-ed up dudes, psychos, and midgets. That’s right folks midgets. Included are roided out giant midgets which really doesn’t make much sense. As with most games these days there is loads of violence and most of that happens to the psychos and anyone who gets in the way so expect to see some exploding heads and mushed up bodies as a result of driving. They also deal with respawning in a good way, when you are out of health you fall down and to avoid death you must kill at least one enemy and you triumphantly rise back up with more health.
You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me This Is The Story

The story of Borderlands isn’t really that good because there really isn’t much to it other than finding The Vault. Comparing this game to a really solid FPS/RPG title like Fallout 3 will be one sided since in Fallout some of the side quests are tied into the main quest (Little Lamplight) and in Borderlands the side quests can sometimes can be pointless an example being making weapons. If you can loot a very powerful shotgun that shoots acid why the hell would you want to create a wimpy shotgun that just shoots bullets? There is actually a key component of RPG’s that is missing from this game, followers. You are a 100 % lone wolf and like I said earlier you are a lone soul on an alien planet. One of the perks of this game is the co-op where you and three other friends traverse Pandora and kill skags and psychos. This feature is something that would have been ideal for something like KotOR and Fallout 3. The downside is that unique weapons if taken by one player will be unavailable to the other player.

Borderlands shows how a company known for a WWII shooter can create a brand new IP and has now created a new franchise. Now that Borderlands is here lets hope that Aliens: Colonial Marines will get here quickly enough because that game looks sweet.

Hits

• As Deep As The Marianas Trench
• Nice Stylized Graphics
• Fantastic Looting System
• This Game Is Bats#!t Crazy
• Co-op System Is A Welcome Addition To RPG’s
• Clever Way of Resurrection

Misses

• Not Much of A Story
• Pointless Side Quests
  

I give Borderlands a 9 out of 10

Halo 3: ODST Review

Back in 2001 a small company named Bungie software released a title for the Xbox, the debut console for Microsoft. This game was called Halo: Combat Evolved, it was based on a future war between two races. One were humans and the second were an alien race known as the Covenant. Fast forward eight years and now there is a new Halo game out. The new title is called Halo 3: ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers). It focuses on a group of ODST’s and is set between the end of Halo 2 and the beginning of Halo 3. There are 6 main characters total and believe me they are great.

So What Happened Again?

In Halo 3: ODST you play as 4 characters Buck who is the leader of the squad, Romeo who is the sniper, Dutch is the heavy weapons man, Mickey is the pilot, while the Rookie is basically that, a Rookie. Your squad are ODST’s and that means you need to drop so while you drop the end of Halo 2 happens and you lose contact with your team. Your playground in this game is the city of New Mombasa and the s has hit the fan and this city is a ghost town. One of the tones of the game, music wise is you are all alone and you need to find your comrades and get the hell out of here before you all die.

Browncoats Revolt!

Even if somehow Halo fans weren’t interested in ODST there is another fanbase that would be, the Firefly fanbase since this game has Adam Baldwin, Alan Tudyk, and the one and only Nathan Fillion. This game also features Tricia Helfer and Nolan North a.k.a Nathan Drake. The funny thing about ODST is that Bungie was wondering about Voice Actors and they thought “They did it well on Firefly so let’s just do what they did”.

You Are Not A God You Can Be Beat

Throughout the Halo series Master Chief progressively became more and more invincible and didn’t offer much of a challenge since you could just take fire and hide behind a wall and let your health recharge. So going forward with ODST Bungie went back to the well and brought pack med-kits and it is amazing since most FPS games have gone with health recharging and haven’t looked back. So when you play ODST you can no longer just run n’ gun like a maniac. You have to plan out a strategy whether its picking off stragglers or sticking brutes from afar.

Some Welcome Changes

The Halo games were mainly FPS where you are a one man army, now Bungie has changed the playing field by modifying the type of game ODST is, the presentation, and the weapons. ODST is an FPS Stealth game since you are one man with no rechargeable health against hordes of enemies. The presentation has changed in that you have a thermal type of vision where everything in the area is outlined and the enemies are outlined in red. The weapons were changed in that there is no Battle Rifle at all, the SMG is silenced and so is the pistol and I just have to give kudos to Bungie for bringing back the Halo 1 pistol.

Mysteries, Mysteries, Mysteries

The main storyline of Halo 3: ODST is solving the mystery of what happened not only to your team but what has happened to New Mombasa since the Covenant marched into town. A way of figuring that out is by using the Superintendent which controls mainly everything in the city. There is also a side story about a young girl named Sadie who is trying to find her father and while this may sound boring there is something I left out, this is going on as the Covenant are invading New Mombasa. While you don’t actually see Sadie or any part of her story all you have are the equivalent of audio diaries and it actually makes a good means of storytelling.

Audio Is The Most Integral Part Of A Game and BAM Said The Lady

In the past Halo 1-3 had a rock type of soundtrack but ODST has probably the best soundtrack I have ever heard in a Video Game. In my opinion the song titled “Difference for Darkness” absolutely steals the game as it is something you can listen to if you not only hate Halo but if you hate Microsoft and are a Sony fanboy.

Firefight, Firefight, Firefight

Taking cues from Call Of Duty: World at War and Gears of War 2 and of course Left 4 Dead, Halo 3: ODST has an extra mode called Firefight where you take on waves of enemies and see how far you can last without dying horrible deaths. While this sounds like Horde mode and Nazi Zombies there is a twist that only Bungie could pull off. As you progress various skulls will be activated and they range from having no view of your HUD, gun, or anything to confetti popping out whenever someone gets a head-shot on a grunt. Since everyone has played Halo with skulls on they know this is going to be more challenging than any of the Smash TV modes current games have.

Wait What? I Thought This Was The Last Halo Game By Bungie? While Halo 3: ODST may not be Bungie’s last Halo game it is tied into the final Halo title by Bungie in a big way. On the ODST disc there is an extras section and in that section is something called “Halo Reach Beta” this as you can guess is an invitation to the the beta of Halo: Reach, the prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved. Recently at the Spike TV VGA’s there was a world premiere of the trailer for Halo: Reach and it is obviously an amazing looking game.

Halo 3: ODST is a new take on the world of Halo and goes from a protagonist that is a silent lone wolf  to a Brothers In Arms stealth style game with characters that you really start to care about.

Hits

• Firefly FTW!
• Great Campaign
• Incredible Score
• Bam Said The Lady!
• Bungie Has Mastered The Firefight Type Of Game
• Sadie’s Story Is Not That Bad
• Gives Small Hints To Halo Reach

Misses

• Halo Engine Is Starting To Show Its Age
• Rookie Is A Place Holder To Master Chief
• Wanted Some More Campaign

Halo 3: ODST Gets A 9.5 out of 10

And Now I Will Leave You With The World Premiere Trailer of Halo: Reach.

Blast From The Past-The Thing

27 years ago The Thing was released in theaters and while it wasn’t as big as E.T. it soon grew a cult following and made it one of the best Sci-Fi horror films of all time and basically is the grittier of the two alien films. Several years ago after the film celebrated it’s twentieth anniversary a game based on the ’82 horror fest was released on the PC, Xbox,and Playstation 2.  It deals with the military going in and attempting to clean up the mess made by the Norwegian team and the American team. The game does feature the last two characters of the film, Childs and MacReady. And the alien life forms from the film are featured showing what their base form is.(Something John Carpenter didn’t want to show)

The gameplay is built on a fear and trust system reminiscent of how things were in the film with people refusing to go with you unless you give them a weapon to defend themselves. Also the shooting is part strafing and part Resident Evil style stopping to shoot.  The game features guns ranging from pistols to shotguns,grenades,and flame throwers to defeat the Thing beasts.

Now that I have told you guys all this how about you get the game and play it. Here’s a trailer for it.

MLB 09: The Show Review

BASEBALL!

It’s baseball season and that means one thing, games based on America’s pastime. And I’ll say this, 09 is hands down better than the not so good 2K9 from Take Two. Another way to look at these two games is to compare them to games of another sport. Wrestling. MLB 2K9 represents TNA iMPACT while MLB 09 represents Smackdown vs Raw. 2K9 is a game with very little customization options while 09 has deep customization options.

Best Looking Baseball Game

As expected from SCEA this game looks amazing. When you are playing an afternoon game you will be in awe of how beautiful the stadiums look, the surrounding environments,and the players. Even when you zoom in on a player’s face it will be as if you are watching a CGI baseball game.

ROIDS! ROIDS! ROIDS!

Some people will like that instead of playing a game of chance with your players on offense(Contact,Power,Bunting Ability,etc.) or defense(Arm Strength,Arm Accuracy, Speed,Blocking Ability) you can boost their attributes essentially Roid-ing them into oblivion. But the other people will scoff at the improbability of someone having a 99 Power,Speed,and Contact skill.

Franchise,Career,Manager,Exhibition,and Online

Off the top of my head the features I can list are Franchise in which you take a franchise either to the summit of the sports world or back home hoping to win next year, Career where you start as a rookie and end up as a Hall Of Famer, All Star,Legend, or A Sultan Of Swat,Manager mode is exactly what the title implies, you make all the decisions in the game without actually taking part in the game offensively or defensively,Exhibition basically is a standard game against any one regardless of American or National League. And Online (Sports Connect) has lobbies to face off against people online, MLB Headline News, and Downloadable Rosters even updates to the current rosters.

Closing Comments

MLB 09: The Show is the best baseball game I have played since All-Star Baseball 2005 on the Xbox 5 years ago. 09 is possibly the best baseball game I ever will play.

Hits

• Astounding Visuals
• Great Presentation
• Authentic MLB Feel
• Cool Online Community
• Roid-ing Players Can Sometimes Work

Misses

• No Misses

I Give This Game A 10 out of 10

Game History-Interplay

Interplay is one of those companies just like Atari that was big back in the day and is now a shadow of it’s former self. Interplay had many IP’s including Earthworm Jim, MDK, Decent, Bard’s Tale,Baldur’s Gate, Clay Fighter, and Fallout. With all those games it seemed like Interplay would be on top of the world. Interplay was founded in 1983 by Brian Fargo (Now at InXile Entertainment). Interplay soon made a name for itself by creating great CRPG’s with The Bard’s Tale and Wasteland. Interplay also had a similarity with Bethesda, they both loved making Star Trek games. About 14 years after Interplay began, they released one of the greatest role-playing games of all time, Fallout. Which was the spiritual successor to Wasteland (EA had the rights to Wasteland so a sequel could not be done at the time) the mix of retro-futuristic elements and the post-apocalyptic setting made Fallout a smash hit. But not one of Interplay’s big IP’s. That was Bladur’s Gate a D & D game developed by Bioware.

In 2001 Interplay just like Atari was purchased by a French publisher, Titus Interactive. This led to many bad things including the departure of founder and President Brian Fargo. They then shed most of their publishing functions and made a deal to have Vivendi Universal (Now Activision) publish all their games. Interplay then went and is still in a dark place full of debt and bad luck.

To avoid bankruptcy Interplay had to sell its Fallout IP to Bethesda Softworks for  $5.75 million. After the transaction Interplay restarted in- house development announcing sequels to MDK, Earthworm Jim, and more. Hopefully Interplay can reclaim their former glory.