I think everyone in their life wants to feel like they've made a difference or has changed the world. The youth join causes and start revolutions. The old have children. But to make a difference without having to do either of those things would be pretty special right?
How about changing what games people are playing?
I talk about what I'm playing. The highs and lows. Mostly the lows, I'm sure. Never once did I think that what I said would make someone change what they were playing. Then I got a message from a friend. He's just finished a game and was looking for something else to play. With nothing new on the horizon that piqued his interest he turned to a game I've been talking about a lot recently. Final Fantasy VII.
Like me, he's played this game before. Unlike me, he's actually finished it. Somehow my talking about the game got him excited to revisit the memories of the past. I'm interested in hearing if this play through of the game lives up to his memories of playing it a long time ago. The graphics are very dated, but a good story is still a good story no matter when or how often you play it, right?
I have a twitter account that I keep updated less than how much I keep this blog updated. And that ain't much. When I restarted Final Fantasy VII I made the conscious decision to tweet my experience playing the game for the last time. If I can't make it through this play through (for whatever reason) I don't think I'll try to play it again. I'm using the hash tag #FinalFF7restart. If any of you want to follow along my twitter name is @PengwennGamer. Very original, I know. I can't guarantee that they'll be more tweets than blog posts, but every time I play FF7 I will be tweeting soon thereafter what I did in the game. If you've played it you can follow along and relive your memories of the game without the extensive time commitment. If you haven't played the game you can read some interesting stuff to see what you're missing.
I could say that my evil plan has started and that I'm out to change the world, one gamer at a time, but my dreams and aspirations don't go that far. But I hadn't realized that when this little Pengwenn flapped her flippers that someone halfway around the world would change the game he was playing. It's kind of cool. Maybe this Pengwenn is turning into a butterfly.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
I want it my way!!!!!
I think there's only a few things in life that you should custom order and get the way you want. Bras and hamburgers being two of them. Everything else should be taken as it comes.
That includes video games.
While I appreciate the convenience and "add on" nature of DownLoadable Content (DLC) too often I find that the part you need to download is actually some computer code that unlocks what is already loaded on the disk in the first place. If I purchased the disk I should have access to file on the disk to play a game so why am I asked to pay more for what I've already bought. But the problem is more than just DLC.
It's now about endings.
While I own Mass Effect 3, I haven't played it yet because I've just started playing the second one. From everything I've heard from friends, the game packs one hell of a whopping ending. What I read online is another matter.
There are so many people out there that are lodging complaints with the FCC about how the games ends in ME3. They've filed lawsuits and petitions and bombarded websites that allow people to review products with negative reviews. BioWare at first came out and said it was a great ending and they were sorry gamers didn't see if the way the developers did. Now they're coming out with a different story.
They're listening to people's "constructive" comments and just recently released a statement that they are working on "fixing" the ending so gamers can have a more enjoyable experience with the game. Really?
Is that what's our society has come to now? I remember when video games came out in a static format. Cartridges that couldn't be changed. All content created for the games was INCLUDED with the game when it was released. If there were bugs you dealt with it or moved on (and there were many games that were killed because of all the bugs). There was no opportunity to change the ending of a game.
Since when has it become acceptable to whine like a little baby to the point that a developer has to change the outcome of a game from the way they saw things happening to the way a few gamers wanted things to be? Even a Choose Your Own Adventure game had predetermined endings for the protagonist. If you want more leave it up to the developers to design a sequel or a "shadow" series like Orson Scott Card did with Bean from the Ender's series.
And what does this all mean for those of us who haven't played the game yet? Will there be an automatic game update that will change the ending whether we want to or not? Will we be able to see the "original" ending at all? Will we be forced to deny any game updates (and thus be regulated to playing "offline" for the whole game) to avoid those updates in order to preserve the original ending?
And why do we look down on Geroge Lucas for fiddling with his Star Wars Saga when a select few gamers are asking . . . no demanding . . . BioWare does the same thing with their franchise?
I know Mass Effect tauts the gameplay of making choices that effect the outcome of the game. But people need to understand that BioWare can't take every possible outcome into consideration when designing the game. Did you persuade here but intimidate there? Did you place nice right up to the end? Did you "accidentally" kill someone you shouldn't have because the dog just peed on your carpet and you took your frustrations out in the game? Come on people, get real.
If you're lactose intolerant you're not going to want cheese on your hamburger. If you're the proud owner of a pair of jugs that would make the Baywatch lifeguards jealous with how much they can bounce, you're not going to want to squeeze them into an A cup. Stop your whining and let's play video games the way they were meant to be played. ALL the game content available when it's purchased AND with the original endings. That's the way it should be. And that's the way I want it.
That includes video games.
While I appreciate the convenience and "add on" nature of DownLoadable Content (DLC) too often I find that the part you need to download is actually some computer code that unlocks what is already loaded on the disk in the first place. If I purchased the disk I should have access to file on the disk to play a game so why am I asked to pay more for what I've already bought. But the problem is more than just DLC.
It's now about endings.
While I own Mass Effect 3, I haven't played it yet because I've just started playing the second one. From everything I've heard from friends, the game packs one hell of a whopping ending. What I read online is another matter.
There are so many people out there that are lodging complaints with the FCC about how the games ends in ME3. They've filed lawsuits and petitions and bombarded websites that allow people to review products with negative reviews. BioWare at first came out and said it was a great ending and they were sorry gamers didn't see if the way the developers did. Now they're coming out with a different story.
They're listening to people's "constructive" comments and just recently released a statement that they are working on "fixing" the ending so gamers can have a more enjoyable experience with the game. Really?
Is that what's our society has come to now? I remember when video games came out in a static format. Cartridges that couldn't be changed. All content created for the games was INCLUDED with the game when it was released. If there were bugs you dealt with it or moved on (and there were many games that were killed because of all the bugs). There was no opportunity to change the ending of a game.
Since when has it become acceptable to whine like a little baby to the point that a developer has to change the outcome of a game from the way they saw things happening to the way a few gamers wanted things to be? Even a Choose Your Own Adventure game had predetermined endings for the protagonist. If you want more leave it up to the developers to design a sequel or a "shadow" series like Orson Scott Card did with Bean from the Ender's series.
And what does this all mean for those of us who haven't played the game yet? Will there be an automatic game update that will change the ending whether we want to or not? Will we be able to see the "original" ending at all? Will we be forced to deny any game updates (and thus be regulated to playing "offline" for the whole game) to avoid those updates in order to preserve the original ending?
And why do we look down on Geroge Lucas for fiddling with his Star Wars Saga when a select few gamers are asking . . . no demanding . . . BioWare does the same thing with their franchise?
I know Mass Effect tauts the gameplay of making choices that effect the outcome of the game. But people need to understand that BioWare can't take every possible outcome into consideration when designing the game. Did you persuade here but intimidate there? Did you place nice right up to the end? Did you "accidentally" kill someone you shouldn't have because the dog just peed on your carpet and you took your frustrations out in the game? Come on people, get real.
If you're lactose intolerant you're not going to want cheese on your hamburger. If you're the proud owner of a pair of jugs that would make the Baywatch lifeguards jealous with how much they can bounce, you're not going to want to squeeze them into an A cup. Stop your whining and let's play video games the way they were meant to be played. ALL the game content available when it's purchased AND with the original endings. That's the way it should be. And that's the way I want it.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Destined for Failure
It's gone.
No more.
Inaccessible.
Ruined.
I've been spending a lot of time playing Final Fantasy VII and I've been very proud at how well I've done. I've spent 40 hours and 42 minutes, reached level 50, had one Materia mastered and was within 3-4 battles of mastering another plus 1-2 hours more of mastering 1 or 2 more. And I still wasn't to the point in the story where I was before all my stuff was stolen. I was playing smart. I was being careful. But not careful enough.
On Sunday, I turned the PS on and tried to load my game file when I got an error message that said the "File is ruined". Not a nice polite "you game save is corrupt" or "can no longer read saved file". But a quick short little "you are fucked" type message.
I was being careful in the game in how I played and managed characters, but not with my save file. That was the only save file I was using. I've played and restarted this game enough to know exactly what I had to do and where I would have problems. I carefully saved before those moments. And once again right after. But all on the save file slot. It never crossed my mind that my save file would somehow, some way become "ruined" and I would be out of luck.
After a brief moment of stunned silence I tried looking at the file on the PS dashboard. Nothing wrong there. I even tried copying the file to another memory card. No such luck. Even putting the card in my PS2 and trying it from there didn't matter. I was screwed.
And I was pissed. At myself.
The first feeling I had when I realized it was a lost cause was that I was robbed all over again. The first time I missed all my stuff but what I missed the most was my memory cards. Hundreds on hundreds of hours of gameplay in hundreds of games lost. All that work would have to be repeated and more hours would be lost that I could be playing other games but instead had to sit and replay games and levels I had already done.
But this time it was worse because I had done it to myself. Through my own stupidity I had doomed myself to Murphy's Law. I made a conscious effort to replay this game and finish it (after all this is one of the reasons I started this blog many years ago). I didn't learn my lesson about loosing a game save file before and I did nothing to prevent such a problem from happening again. Although this time it's by mechanical/electrically failure instead of theft.
And now, if I want to complete the challenge I have with my brother, I'm left to start all over again. It took a couple of days before I could call dain and commiserate about my fate. I had briefly considered asking him if I could copy one of his game saves and just start from there (I was further along than him so I wouldn't have to repeat as much). But that felt like cheating and I would never know what he did earlier in the story that might effect things later on.
So the more I think about starting again the more I also have to wonder about what happened. Why did the file get ruined? Was there a spike in the power that corrupted the file? Did that spot on the memory card finally burn out or something? Is there a flaw in the disk that would have made any save file corrupt at that point in the game? What if I play all the way to that point again (The Temple of the Ancients) and the same thing happens? I could create a backup file but wouldn't that file be ruined as well?
Yes, I've started the game again. I blew up the No. 1 reactor in Midgar for the hundredth time (it sure seems that way) and finally got to a save point. I save the file. And saved it again in another slot. I didn't save it to another card but I think the next time I put the game in I will. And maybe a third card as well. But I'm beginning to wonder if I'm destined for failure with this game. Are the fates (or the Ancients) trying to tell me NOT to play (or at least finish) this game? If I do finish it maybe that's when the world will end. Either way I feel destined to fail.
No more.
Inaccessible.
Ruined.
I've been spending a lot of time playing Final Fantasy VII and I've been very proud at how well I've done. I've spent 40 hours and 42 minutes, reached level 50, had one Materia mastered and was within 3-4 battles of mastering another plus 1-2 hours more of mastering 1 or 2 more. And I still wasn't to the point in the story where I was before all my stuff was stolen. I was playing smart. I was being careful. But not careful enough.
On Sunday, I turned the PS on and tried to load my game file when I got an error message that said the "File is ruined". Not a nice polite "you game save is corrupt" or "can no longer read saved file". But a quick short little "you are fucked" type message.
I was being careful in the game in how I played and managed characters, but not with my save file. That was the only save file I was using. I've played and restarted this game enough to know exactly what I had to do and where I would have problems. I carefully saved before those moments. And once again right after. But all on the save file slot. It never crossed my mind that my save file would somehow, some way become "ruined" and I would be out of luck.
After a brief moment of stunned silence I tried looking at the file on the PS dashboard. Nothing wrong there. I even tried copying the file to another memory card. No such luck. Even putting the card in my PS2 and trying it from there didn't matter. I was screwed.
And I was pissed. At myself.
The first feeling I had when I realized it was a lost cause was that I was robbed all over again. The first time I missed all my stuff but what I missed the most was my memory cards. Hundreds on hundreds of hours of gameplay in hundreds of games lost. All that work would have to be repeated and more hours would be lost that I could be playing other games but instead had to sit and replay games and levels I had already done.
But this time it was worse because I had done it to myself. Through my own stupidity I had doomed myself to Murphy's Law. I made a conscious effort to replay this game and finish it (after all this is one of the reasons I started this blog many years ago). I didn't learn my lesson about loosing a game save file before and I did nothing to prevent such a problem from happening again. Although this time it's by mechanical/electrically failure instead of theft.
And now, if I want to complete the challenge I have with my brother, I'm left to start all over again. It took a couple of days before I could call dain and commiserate about my fate. I had briefly considered asking him if I could copy one of his game saves and just start from there (I was further along than him so I wouldn't have to repeat as much). But that felt like cheating and I would never know what he did earlier in the story that might effect things later on.
So the more I think about starting again the more I also have to wonder about what happened. Why did the file get ruined? Was there a spike in the power that corrupted the file? Did that spot on the memory card finally burn out or something? Is there a flaw in the disk that would have made any save file corrupt at that point in the game? What if I play all the way to that point again (The Temple of the Ancients) and the same thing happens? I could create a backup file but wouldn't that file be ruined as well?
Yes, I've started the game again. I blew up the No. 1 reactor in Midgar for the hundredth time (it sure seems that way) and finally got to a save point. I save the file. And saved it again in another slot. I didn't save it to another card but I think the next time I put the game in I will. And maybe a third card as well. But I'm beginning to wonder if I'm destined for failure with this game. Are the fates (or the Ancients) trying to tell me NOT to play (or at least finish) this game? If I do finish it maybe that's when the world will end. Either way I feel destined to fail.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
I'm a Serial Starter
Since I was having a hard time getting people to play with me on Xbox Live I decided to take a break and go old school. Like Playstation old. I fired up Final Fantasy VII and played for a bit. After all, that is one of the games that started this whole blog thing about 3 or 4 years ago or however long it's been.
While I'm still not up to playing any new part of the game, I am further along with my characters. With this play through I'm taking my time to level up my limit breaks and all the Materia I've collected. I've been grinding away on the world map and getting into any battle I could when I enter an area. Right now I've got Aries's Limit Break up one level higher than where I was before my stuff got stolen and I've still got a lot of game left to play before I start seeing anything new. My only problem is keeping a consistent rotation with my third party member. And now that I've just picked up Vincent I've got another one thrown into the mix.
After playing Final Fantasy VII for several hours I decided I needed a break from that game. I wasn't in the mood to go back to Xbox so I flipped through all my games to find something new to play. Since my games are alphabetical and I started at the top I didn't get far before I decided to put in Chrono Cross.
This is a game that I've started several times even before my stuff got stolen. I'd start and play for 10 hours or so and then put it away for awhile to play something else (or several something elses). When I pull the game out again I couldn't ever remember where I was in the story. And worse . . . what world I was in (if you've played the game, you know). When I would flip through the strategy guide to see if I could jog my memory about what I needed to do I would find that I missed recruiting several characters along the way because I forgot to do one simple thing. Since I was past that point it usually meant that I wouldn't get to add those characters to my party. After a little bit of soul searching about the time I had already spent playing the game (okay, maybe not that much soul searching) I would restart the game and make it a point to collect those characters. After a couple of days (and another 10-12 hours of the first part of the game) I would put it away for something else. And thus the cycle would begin again.
As it did Sunday night.
I put the game in and instead of rushing through the first part that I've played a million times (at least it feels like a million times) I decided to take my time. If I can get further along in Final Fantasy VII while still being behind, perhaps it could work for Chrono Cross as well. And it has.
That big bird boss in the valley where you pick up the talking skull (weird game by the way) use to give me fits every time I played the game. This time it was a piece of cake. There are other areas that use to be hard but now they're kind of boring because they're so easy. I've probably played the game for 10+ hours but in reality I've probably only progressed 2 hours in the story. It sure makes things easier, but it does get kind of boring grinding most of the time. That's why I put in another game.
That game was Final Fantasy Tactics. It wasn't another start, but it's another game that I've started many times. I guess you could say I'm a serial starter. If I ever get to finish one of these games I think it will be a miracle. Now, if you'll excuse me I've got a game to start.
While I'm still not up to playing any new part of the game, I am further along with my characters. With this play through I'm taking my time to level up my limit breaks and all the Materia I've collected. I've been grinding away on the world map and getting into any battle I could when I enter an area. Right now I've got Aries's Limit Break up one level higher than where I was before my stuff got stolen and I've still got a lot of game left to play before I start seeing anything new. My only problem is keeping a consistent rotation with my third party member. And now that I've just picked up Vincent I've got another one thrown into the mix.
After playing Final Fantasy VII for several hours I decided I needed a break from that game. I wasn't in the mood to go back to Xbox so I flipped through all my games to find something new to play. Since my games are alphabetical and I started at the top I didn't get far before I decided to put in Chrono Cross.
This is a game that I've started several times even before my stuff got stolen. I'd start and play for 10 hours or so and then put it away for awhile to play something else (or several something elses). When I pull the game out again I couldn't ever remember where I was in the story. And worse . . . what world I was in (if you've played the game, you know). When I would flip through the strategy guide to see if I could jog my memory about what I needed to do I would find that I missed recruiting several characters along the way because I forgot to do one simple thing. Since I was past that point it usually meant that I wouldn't get to add those characters to my party. After a little bit of soul searching about the time I had already spent playing the game (okay, maybe not that much soul searching) I would restart the game and make it a point to collect those characters. After a couple of days (and another 10-12 hours of the first part of the game) I would put it away for something else. And thus the cycle would begin again.
As it did Sunday night.
I put the game in and instead of rushing through the first part that I've played a million times (at least it feels like a million times) I decided to take my time. If I can get further along in Final Fantasy VII while still being behind, perhaps it could work for Chrono Cross as well. And it has.
That big bird boss in the valley where you pick up the talking skull (weird game by the way) use to give me fits every time I played the game. This time it was a piece of cake. There are other areas that use to be hard but now they're kind of boring because they're so easy. I've probably played the game for 10+ hours but in reality I've probably only progressed 2 hours in the story. It sure makes things easier, but it does get kind of boring grinding most of the time. That's why I put in another game.
That game was Final Fantasy Tactics. It wasn't another start, but it's another game that I've started many times. I guess you could say I'm a serial starter. If I ever get to finish one of these games I think it will be a miracle. Now, if you'll excuse me I've got a game to start.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Oh my achy breaky heart
I've been feeling very unloved lately on Xbox Live. I can't find anyone who wants to play with me. If I jump into a friends room usually within 2 matches suddenly everyone wants to get off line. That happened the other night but before I decided to play something by myself I walked away for awhile. When I came back instead of "going to bed" like everyone said they were, they were playing a private, invite only, match. How subtle is that.
I might not be the best player out there, but I'm fun to be around, mostly anyway, right? I'm competitive but I'm never going to be the best player out there. If I can break even with my kill/death ratio (no matter the game) I consider that a huge success. If you play with me, we might not win but I promise, next to me, I'll make you look good. So why won't anyone play with me?
I know there are friends out there still playing Gears of War 3 but there are also other games out there that I have that I would love to play with people. For starters there's Left for Dead. I haven't played much, if any, of that game but I don't feel confident in my abilities to play by myself. I need help.
And then there's any of the Call of Duty games. While I get bored playing Team Deathmatch over and over again all night long, I love trying out other game types, even if I suck at them. One of the few nights where I actually got to play with other people we played a new game type in Modern Warfare 3 about capturing and holding a flag. I LOVED playing that game type (partly because I had the flag for awhile) but everybody else hated it and wouldn't play it again. Why not spice it up every now and then with different game types or maybe an older version of Call of Duty?
And then there's Halo games. There are game types I had never heard about until I saw someone play them a while ago. Games a lot like soccer or basketball or other weird stuff. I'm up for weird.
I know there's a lot of reasons why it's harder to get online sometimes for a lot of us. I'm not saying we have to spend all out time online playing together. But a night or two a week where old friends can get to together and shoot the breeze while we shoot the enemy would be nice. I'd even go back to old school original Gears of War to play with friends. Hell, if Star Wars Battlefront were still active I'd be there right now.
I know we're all busy but if any body an spare an hour or two to play with me then I won't have to start singing "My Achy Breaky Heart" in voice messages to you all over Xbox Live. You don't want that ear worm taking up residence inside your head now do we?
I might not be the best player out there, but I'm fun to be around, mostly anyway, right? I'm competitive but I'm never going to be the best player out there. If I can break even with my kill/death ratio (no matter the game) I consider that a huge success. If you play with me, we might not win but I promise, next to me, I'll make you look good. So why won't anyone play with me?
I know there are friends out there still playing Gears of War 3 but there are also other games out there that I have that I would love to play with people. For starters there's Left for Dead. I haven't played much, if any, of that game but I don't feel confident in my abilities to play by myself. I need help.
And then there's any of the Call of Duty games. While I get bored playing Team Deathmatch over and over again all night long, I love trying out other game types, even if I suck at them. One of the few nights where I actually got to play with other people we played a new game type in Modern Warfare 3 about capturing and holding a flag. I LOVED playing that game type (partly because I had the flag for awhile) but everybody else hated it and wouldn't play it again. Why not spice it up every now and then with different game types or maybe an older version of Call of Duty?
And then there's Halo games. There are game types I had never heard about until I saw someone play them a while ago. Games a lot like soccer or basketball or other weird stuff. I'm up for weird.
I know there's a lot of reasons why it's harder to get online sometimes for a lot of us. I'm not saying we have to spend all out time online playing together. But a night or two a week where old friends can get to together and shoot the breeze while we shoot the enemy would be nice. I'd even go back to old school original Gears of War to play with friends. Hell, if Star Wars Battlefront were still active I'd be there right now.
I know we're all busy but if any body an spare an hour or two to play with me then I won't have to start singing "My Achy Breaky Heart" in voice messages to you all over Xbox Live. You don't want that ear worm taking up residence inside your head now do we?
Monday, December 12, 2011
Gears of War 3 review
So I've finished the campaign on Gears of War 3 and I wanted to think about my impression of the game before I posted a review. You may agree or disagree with some of what I have to say and that's okay . . . just say what you have to say in the comments section.
1) The boys are back . . . but their neutered
This games was cowritten by Karen Traviss who wrote a bunch of Star Wars books and is writing the Gears books. While I've liked her books there just seems to be something off with the characters in this game. Their banter could be a little annoying sometimes in the earlier game but it's what made those characters stand out and have their own personalities. In this game it feels like everyone is the same. The constant banter between Cole and Baird is gone and everyone walks around like a mute. Part of what made some of the characters hilarious was their interaction with Carmine (and his responses). There was a whole promotional campaign to "save Carmine" or "kill Carmine" a year or so ago but the Carmine brother in this game seems nonexistent. So what was the point of those avatar t-shirts except for making money? There was so much potential for the characters in this game, given the history of the planet, but I feel like they've all been neutered.
2) Hello, not everyone is going to read the books
I've only read the first Gears of War book although I own the next 3 or 4. When the game started I had no clue what was going on in the story or why things were the way they were at that time. What made it worse was there was no backstory in the game. If you wanted to know what was going on you had to read the books. There were some things that made sense because I have read the first book, but other things are still lost on me. Since I've told my friends NOT to spoil the books for me they can't tell me anything. So if you haven't read any of the books you're basically going to be lost for a lot of what is going on and the why behind it all.
3) A major case of deja vu
While playing this game I couldn't help but get the feeling that I was actually playing other games. The doors and wires the squad had to walk through to get from one area to another was like the elevator rides in Mass Effect. It's a way to load the next area without a blank load screen. Towards the end the designed gave up that pretense and had their own elevator rides/load screens. And the "farmers" (I think that's what they're called) that all of a sudden came chasing after you like zombies from Left 3 Dead? Been there. Done that. There was even a scene that felt exactly like one from that game. It involved not disturbing ash people just like you shouldn't disturb cars to set off their alarms in L4D. And then there wasn't much story between action scenes . . . kind of like a Call of Duty game. That wasn't like the first couple of games. Who could ever forget the "slow" moment of Kai's death? Or when Dom finds Maria? Or either Carmine's deaths? Gears wasn't a run-and-gun type game. It had story. It had heart. But not in this one.
4) Foreshadowing should be more than 2 minutes before things happen
When you want to foreshadow something you should really lay hints out long before the event happens. Having Dom give up his dog tags before the "event" happens in the next scene is NOT foreshadowing. It's an "oops we forgot to set this pivotal moment up" decision. When Dom is looking for Maria in the second game you see and hear him talking about that long before he finds her. And when you get to the part of the story where he's looking for her he doesn't find her in the first place he looks. Once you have a big pivotal scene like that you have the after effects. And based on previous games the after effects should have had a longer deeper feeling to it than "oh well, let's move one". Whatever passion for life Marcus had been keeping a tight hold on for years should have at least bubbled to the surface a little bit afterwards. But Marcus was just the same afterwards as he was beforehand. While I liked him in the first two games, I though he came across as a emotionless bastard in this game. When they neutered the characters they stripped all emotion from them as well.
5) combat de-evolved
One area of combat that annoyed the heck out of me was the corpser scene. All the other "boss" battles and such in all the other games was about finding a way to kill all the enemies present. There was no "do this" then "do that" and then "boss dies". Going through the 5 stages with the corpser (and to some extent with the final boss battle) felt like battling a boss in an RPG game that evolves as the battle progresses. The first incarnation is a fire demon (attack with water). The next incarnation is a dark demon (attack with light). The next physical defenses are down (attack with your weapon). It's repetitive and monotonous. And boring. There had to be a better way to make that battle more interesting. There's a ceiling so no Hammer of Dawn. Why not have the guys try to position the corpser under a section of roof and blast a pillar down, hopefully not on their heads? There was potential there but I think it failed miserably in the execution.
6) weapon change outs
I could buy that the saw-off shotgun and retro lancer were older guns that Gears retired and moved to something a little more advanced. But where does the One Shot fit in in all that? And what about the Hammer of Dawn? I can't tell you how many battles I faced where the Lancer (or retro) was all I needed to get through an area. In the other games there were several places that only a certain weapon would see you through to the next area. In this game it didn't really matter what you had equipped. So where's the challenge in that? I want a little challenge to my murderous rampages. Is there a guy on a far tower I need to kill that my guns won't reach? Give me a special gun in order to get him. Unfortunately there were no special guns because there were no guys on far ledges that you couldn't reach. Everything was up close and personal so a Lancer and and shotgun was all you needed.
I'm sure I could tell you more things that bugged me about this game, but I want to hear what you have to say. (Just don't get me started on Marcus's hair.) I'll give my review of the multiplayer portion later. Overall I liked the game. I just wished I knew more about what was going on and that the feel of the previous two games was included in this game. The campaign was short but that's a typically Gears game for you. I didn't find it all that challenging to play but I'm glad I played it. I'm now working on the hardcore and insane play throughs. If you want to join me jump on it.
Overall score (out of 10): 8
Combat: 7
Story: 5
Characters: 7
1) The boys are back . . . but their neutered
This games was cowritten by Karen Traviss who wrote a bunch of Star Wars books and is writing the Gears books. While I've liked her books there just seems to be something off with the characters in this game. Their banter could be a little annoying sometimes in the earlier game but it's what made those characters stand out and have their own personalities. In this game it feels like everyone is the same. The constant banter between Cole and Baird is gone and everyone walks around like a mute. Part of what made some of the characters hilarious was their interaction with Carmine (and his responses). There was a whole promotional campaign to "save Carmine" or "kill Carmine" a year or so ago but the Carmine brother in this game seems nonexistent. So what was the point of those avatar t-shirts except for making money? There was so much potential for the characters in this game, given the history of the planet, but I feel like they've all been neutered.
2) Hello, not everyone is going to read the books
I've only read the first Gears of War book although I own the next 3 or 4. When the game started I had no clue what was going on in the story or why things were the way they were at that time. What made it worse was there was no backstory in the game. If you wanted to know what was going on you had to read the books. There were some things that made sense because I have read the first book, but other things are still lost on me. Since I've told my friends NOT to spoil the books for me they can't tell me anything. So if you haven't read any of the books you're basically going to be lost for a lot of what is going on and the why behind it all.
3) A major case of deja vu
While playing this game I couldn't help but get the feeling that I was actually playing other games. The doors and wires the squad had to walk through to get from one area to another was like the elevator rides in Mass Effect. It's a way to load the next area without a blank load screen. Towards the end the designed gave up that pretense and had their own elevator rides/load screens. And the "farmers" (I think that's what they're called) that all of a sudden came chasing after you like zombies from Left 3 Dead? Been there. Done that. There was even a scene that felt exactly like one from that game. It involved not disturbing ash people just like you shouldn't disturb cars to set off their alarms in L4D. And then there wasn't much story between action scenes . . . kind of like a Call of Duty game. That wasn't like the first couple of games. Who could ever forget the "slow" moment of Kai's death? Or when Dom finds Maria? Or either Carmine's deaths? Gears wasn't a run-and-gun type game. It had story. It had heart. But not in this one.
4) Foreshadowing should be more than 2 minutes before things happen
When you want to foreshadow something you should really lay hints out long before the event happens. Having Dom give up his dog tags before the "event" happens in the next scene is NOT foreshadowing. It's an "oops we forgot to set this pivotal moment up" decision. When Dom is looking for Maria in the second game you see and hear him talking about that long before he finds her. And when you get to the part of the story where he's looking for her he doesn't find her in the first place he looks. Once you have a big pivotal scene like that you have the after effects. And based on previous games the after effects should have had a longer deeper feeling to it than "oh well, let's move one". Whatever passion for life Marcus had been keeping a tight hold on for years should have at least bubbled to the surface a little bit afterwards. But Marcus was just the same afterwards as he was beforehand. While I liked him in the first two games, I though he came across as a emotionless bastard in this game. When they neutered the characters they stripped all emotion from them as well.
5) combat de-evolved
One area of combat that annoyed the heck out of me was the corpser scene. All the other "boss" battles and such in all the other games was about finding a way to kill all the enemies present. There was no "do this" then "do that" and then "boss dies". Going through the 5 stages with the corpser (and to some extent with the final boss battle) felt like battling a boss in an RPG game that evolves as the battle progresses. The first incarnation is a fire demon (attack with water). The next incarnation is a dark demon (attack with light). The next physical defenses are down (attack with your weapon). It's repetitive and monotonous. And boring. There had to be a better way to make that battle more interesting. There's a ceiling so no Hammer of Dawn. Why not have the guys try to position the corpser under a section of roof and blast a pillar down, hopefully not on their heads? There was potential there but I think it failed miserably in the execution.
6) weapon change outs
I could buy that the saw-off shotgun and retro lancer were older guns that Gears retired and moved to something a little more advanced. But where does the One Shot fit in in all that? And what about the Hammer of Dawn? I can't tell you how many battles I faced where the Lancer (or retro) was all I needed to get through an area. In the other games there were several places that only a certain weapon would see you through to the next area. In this game it didn't really matter what you had equipped. So where's the challenge in that? I want a little challenge to my murderous rampages. Is there a guy on a far tower I need to kill that my guns won't reach? Give me a special gun in order to get him. Unfortunately there were no special guns because there were no guys on far ledges that you couldn't reach. Everything was up close and personal so a Lancer and and shotgun was all you needed.
I'm sure I could tell you more things that bugged me about this game, but I want to hear what you have to say. (Just don't get me started on Marcus's hair.) I'll give my review of the multiplayer portion later. Overall I liked the game. I just wished I knew more about what was going on and that the feel of the previous two games was included in this game. The campaign was short but that's a typically Gears game for you. I didn't find it all that challenging to play but I'm glad I played it. I'm now working on the hardcore and insane play throughs. If you want to join me jump on it.
Overall score (out of 10): 8
Combat: 7
Story: 5
Characters: 7
Poll Results - How do you display your Xbox 360?
I'm sorry for the delay but sometimes life creeps up on you, grabs you by the scruff of the neck and just won't let go. I'm better now. Thank you! Here's the (belated) results of my last poll:
I've displayed mine horizontal almost all of the time. There was an experimental period when I tried it vertical but it just didn't feel right. I wonder if Zenra's comment about it being a matter of age might have something to do with it. Or maybe it's all that advertising I see. They always have it vertical. It seems that younger people like it vertical and they're more susceptible to advertising than us jaded old folks.
I did have a sales clerk at Gamestop (a young one) tell me when I was buying a new Xbox 360 a while ago tell me to use it horizontal because standing it up on end was what was causing all the Red Rings of Death. Really? I got the RRoD on my first machine and I never stood it up. I guess that's the intelligence of today's youth for you.
The Wii on the other hand just doesn't look right when used horizontally. I don't know why, it just doesn't seem right that way. The PS2 could be done both ways and you could even swing the logo around on the front to match the way you had it set up. Maybe it's my history with the SNES and PS but I never considered playing the PS@ up on end either. It just never felt right. And there was not RRoD to worry about on that machine.
I guess it doesn't really matter how you display it, but how you play the games for the Xbox 360. As long as it works for you, you can be a backwards-stand-on-it's-end type of gamer . . . just remember to let me win.
How do you display your Xbox 360?
Horizontal = 3 votes
Vertical = 0 votes
I don't have an Xbox 360 = 0 votes
I've displayed mine horizontal almost all of the time. There was an experimental period when I tried it vertical but it just didn't feel right. I wonder if Zenra's comment about it being a matter of age might have something to do with it. Or maybe it's all that advertising I see. They always have it vertical. It seems that younger people like it vertical and they're more susceptible to advertising than us jaded old folks.
I did have a sales clerk at Gamestop (a young one) tell me when I was buying a new Xbox 360 a while ago tell me to use it horizontal because standing it up on end was what was causing all the Red Rings of Death. Really? I got the RRoD on my first machine and I never stood it up. I guess that's the intelligence of today's youth for you.
The Wii on the other hand just doesn't look right when used horizontally. I don't know why, it just doesn't seem right that way. The PS2 could be done both ways and you could even swing the logo around on the front to match the way you had it set up. Maybe it's my history with the SNES and PS but I never considered playing the PS@ up on end either. It just never felt right. And there was not RRoD to worry about on that machine.
I guess it doesn't really matter how you display it, but how you play the games for the Xbox 360. As long as it works for you, you can be a backwards-stand-on-it's-end type of gamer . . . just remember to let me win.
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