Hey, what do you know! A post before the late hours of the night! My oh my, what a surprise! Is this me turning a new leaf, knowing my readers want to know what I'm playing before 11:00 pm every night? Is this going to be the norm from here on out? Sorry to disappoint you all, but that's not going to happen. It is the weekend, so it shouldn't be too much of a surprise really. But honestly, I have a big poker game at my house tonight, and since I've already played the game I planned on playing anyway, I don't want to risk running out of time tonight to write about it. Just consider it a favor to you, the readers, to make my life easier as well. Win-win for everyone, right? Anyway, I played Machinarium, an odd little point-and-click adventure game on the PSN. It's about a robot, trying to, um, get to the city I think? The story line isn't exactly hashed out thoroughly, as there is no dialogue at all except for the disapproving grunts your character gives you when you try to make him do something he can't or doesn't want to do. The only other form of communication is thought bubbles that pop up from your character and the other robots he encounters along the way to wherever it is he is going, for whatever reason it is. Look, I can't say with 100% honesty that I didn't miss anything when starting the game, and could very well have missed a key story plot point, unbeknownst to me. I'm fairly certain, based on what I played, the game wants you to discover the story as you go along - that is, if you care enough to. The game looks good. It's a fun, rustic and grimy kind of cartoonish style, but it drives the point across that this world you are in is a mechanical utopia. Think of a run down version of the movies "Robots," and that's what Machinarium brings you. The point-and-click game play works fine, but it is a bit frustrating at times, when you think you are clicking on something only to click on another. And once you start a movement, whether it is walking across the room or pulling a lever, you can't stop until that action is completed, meaning if you do something you didn't mean to do, you just have to wait it out. Like I said, frustrating at times. The game doesn't hold your hand at all, either, giving you know real indication as to what to do in which order. There is one free hint per "area", but those remain to be fairly unhelpful. There is a guide book you can look at, which gives you step by step instruction on what to do in which order, but you have to play a seriously overcomplicated and difficult mini-game to unlock the book to take a peek. And if you walk away from one area, into another and then back, your book locks up again. Of course, you can by-pass the book altogether, but some of the puzzles are impossible without tons of time wasted on trial and error. There is little indication at all which items you can interact with or pick up, which makes random cursor moving and clicking a chore at times. The game's menus and settings are all featured on screen, during game play, which keeps you invested in the game where you might lose interest easily having to open inventory items, drag and click over and over again. It's a fun game, just not a really fun game. Maybe there will be a crazy, unexpected payoff in the end, like Journey ... but we'll see. I'm about half way through already, and while I enjoy the trophies I popped along the way, it will be a chore to drag myself back to it to wrap up whatever it is I'm doing there. From what it seems, the experience outweighs the minor complaints, and if there is only a couple more hours left, it's pretty manageable and reasonable to think I can finish it in another sitting. I can't just let the trophies sit there unclaimed, now can I? Gotta run, I have some money to win. These games don't buy themselves, you know. Oh, and next week I have something really special planned, so be on the look out for that. Finally, I have a couple of shout-outs to get out of the way. First, AIAS, for hooking it up with a couple of free games for entering a twitter contest. Follow them @Official_AIAS. Also, I connected with some really cool guys over at Everyday Gamers, who are holding it down for all the small-time gaming journalists just trying to make a splash in the vast ocean of the video game industry. Follow them on twitter @everydaygamers, or their website www.everydaygamers.com. Keep on keeping on, everyone!
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It should be no surprise to anyone that this Spring is full - and I mean FULL - of huge, big name games. One triple-A title after another will be released, with seemingly no break in between. One noticeable pattern is clear when you look at the list, however. Almost all of the big games, and all of the biggest games, are being released on either the PS3 or Xbox 360 (or both), with the Wii U notably left out of the mix for the most part. There was one for sure Wii U exclusive that was going to go toe-to-toe with the big action-adventure games coming out, and it's a colorful, whimsical, over-the-top platformer: Rayman Legends. It's a game that Wii U owners have not only been waiting for since launch, when it was supposed to come out, but it's a game that Wii U owners have been clamoring for. It's a game they were going to rub in the face of PS3 and Xbox owners, bragging about how the follow-up to the smash hit Rayman Origins was coming to Nintendo exclusively, because Ubisoft was impressed with the GamePad controller, they couldn't see the game being played on any other controller. Unfortunately, there is one problem with all of that hype. Yesterday, Ubisoft dropped a bombshell on the hearts of Wii U owners everywhere. Make that, two bombs, culminating in a nuclear fallout of bitterness and heartbreak. First, Rayman Origins is getting delayed, with the release date being bumped from the end of February to now September. Secondly, the game will no longer be a Wii U exclusive, as PS3 and Xbox owners will get a chance to experience the madness as well. Because of moving to these other consoles, and Ubisoft wanting to launch the game simultaneously on all of them, they decided to avoid the Spring launch madness for the Wii U, despite the game practically being done. This, of course, sent Wii U owners into a frenzy. I've seen petitions circulating online trying to convince Ubisoft to just release the Wii U version on time and the other ports when they are ready, presumably in September. People don't understand that this decision is a business decision and nothing else. Executives aren't concerned, ultimately, about hurting the feelings of gamers, they are concerned with the bottom line and making the biggest profit. Ubisoft tried to explain their decision, and also announced an exclusive demo coming to the Wii U sometime soon as a way to try and ease the pain of not being able to play their game as expected. At least they are trying, right? I believe it is no coincidence that just a few days after Nintendo officially announced that sales of Wii U were lower than originally projected, Ubisoft came forward with this announcement. It's not hard to imagine that there was a deal on the table that stated that if the Wii U console sold X amount of consoles by a certain date (essentially establishing the install base), then they would launch Rayman Legends as expected, exclusively for the Wii U for the time being. But if Nintendo couldn't sell the amount of consoles that Ubisoft felt was worth it to them in a business sense to remain exclusive, even for a few months, then they had every right to pull and delay the game until the other ports were ready. Is that really a stretch in the cutthroat world of business? It's all about the money, people. Always has been, always will be. Will all this make the game less of a game, or diminish it's value or entertainment level? Absolutely not. The only thing is we will just have to wait a few months to play. While September wouldn't be my first choice to release a game (GTA V anyone?), and while the Summer would be ideal for a game like this with the market wide open, I can't complain too much. This will just be one of a handful of games that will lead into the wild and crazy holiday season, hopefully filled with new, shiny consoles and limited libraries. So I'm still excited for the game. I just feel bad because my Wii U is desperate for some TLC, which I can't give it without new games to play on it. Again, Pikmin 3 can't come soon enough! And oh yeah, I was supposed to play and talk about a game tonight, wasn't I? Well, I played the game that rebooted the franchise for the better, and the reason for all this controversy to happen in the first place: Rayman Origins. I've beaten it soundly on both Xbox 360 and the PS Vita, and have no qualms about every playing it still to this day. It's a super fun, beautiful platforming game that still doesn't get the respect it deserves from the general gaming community. If this had Mario on it, instead of Rayman, it would be considered one of the greatest games ever. I have no problems admitting that, and I'm as big of a Mario fan as they come. Calm down, all you rabid Nintendo fans. You will still get your game, and it will still be awesome. If this first one is any indication, and from what the demo has shown already, Rayman Legends will be epic. Hopefully you remember that it's out, though, when Grand Theft Auto 5 will be dominating the gaming dojo of September. The DICE awards happened tonight in the fabulous city of Las Vegas, which is the official and most renown awards for the video game industry, presented by AIAS. It's your typical award-type show, tossing out trophies to many different category winners. The biggest winner of the night, however, was the downloadable games genre. TellTale's heart-wrenching game The Walking Dead and ThatGameCompany's emotionally powerful game Journey swept up at DICE, leaving most of the big-name, triple-A titles in the dust. Journey, the little 2 hour, dialogue free game that is more of an experience than a standard game, won the overall Game Of The Year award, and stunning feet for a game of its kind, but no surprise to anyone lucky enough to experience the masterpiece. Because of this, and in honor of this, I played Journey tonight for my project of playing a different game each day, every day for an entire year. Not only did I play Journey, and experience Journey, but I beat Journey as well. That is, if Journey can actually be beaten. It is my 4th or 5th time plaything through to the end, and each time I loved every minute of it, despite the length or lack of surprises. It is still a game I haven't tried at all for any of the trophies, and enjoy all the same. Each time I play I find myself drifting off mentally to a different place, thinking about different things and taking in different aspects of what I see the message of the Journey to be. Tonight was no different. A lot of stuff going on in my personal life made me reflect a little bit while I maneuvered my silent wanderer through the desert to his ultimate destination. Still quite a powerful experience, even after making the journey so many times already. And that is why this game is so powerful, and why I unequivocally agree with Journey receiving Game Of The Year from DICE. I said it when the game came out, and was met with crazy looks and arguments. Now? Looks like I wasn't so crazy after all. Either that, or everyone else became as crazy as me. Congrats, ThatGameCompany. You earned it. Tonight I was joking with a buddy that I should count my adventures of doing my taxes as my game played tonight. While I wish I could justify that stretch of the term "game," I did play another game tonight. Bentley's Hackpack is a mini-game collection of the old-school style mini games found in the newest Sly Cooper game (which I wrote about last night). I had mentioned how even the hacking game in Sly 4 was significantly upgraded, and how much I enjoyed playing it. Well, the developers anticipated lots of people enjoying those games, along with others, to the point where they released a stand-alone DLC via the Playstation Network, which, like Sly 4, features a cross-buy feature, allowing you to buy one version and get the other one free. Not sure if it comes with double trophies also, but I'm hoping so! Even if not, there are still a handful of trophies to hunt down, and for only $3, it's a hell of a deal. I like the idea of stand-alone DLC like this, where you don't have to be playing the main game to play the DLC. Why don't more people do this? Anyway, that's all for tonight. Taxes kicked my ass tonight and I'm wiped clean of mental fortitude. Good game, IRS... Well, you can cross another game off my list of what I am most excited to play this year. Today, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time was released to little fan fare, mainly because a little game called Dead Space 3 came out as well. Why am I not excited about Dead Space 3? For the same reasons I talked about last night with Borderlands. I haven't played any of the games in the series, and until I do, I don't foresee myself getting into the third ... just yet. So instead of the game everyone else is playing today, I opted for the fourth installment of the long-dormant Sly Cooper franchise. I worked my way through the first three games over the last couple of months, obtaining the Platinum trophy in all of them, and because those games were so, so good, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this new game. For one, this is the first one made for the PS3. That's crazy to think about, right? Sly Cooper 3 was released in 2005 for the PS2, and of course was later released for the PS3 as part of the Sly Cooper Collection. Also, this is the first Sly Cooper game not to be developed by the Sucker Punch studio, who moved on to the infamous InFamous franchise for the PS3. All these uncertainties, topped off by the fact that Sony not only refused to market this game in any way, but also gave it a price drop before the game came out (to $39.99), would be enough for me to be very cautious about what I would be getting into. I didn't sweat it, though. It's a Sly Cooper game. How could they possibly screw up a Sly Cooper game? Well... They didn't. They nailed it. Maybe an hour into the game, and I already know this is by far the best Sly Cooper game to date. The graphics are beautiful, the voice acting/dialogue/writing is spot on and memorable, the story is fascinating in only a way Sly Cooper could make it, and the updates to the familiar game play are outstanding. Even the little things like upgrading the "hacking" mini-game that Bentley uses to hack computer systems looks amazing. So amazing, my seven year old noticed how much better it looked. Also, the new look of the coins and treasures are perfectly designed. Scanning through the trophy list makes me excited to see how much time I will need to put into this game to get the Platinum trophy, but if the rest of the game is anything like the beginning, then I will be in for a treat. Another awesome thing I haven't even mentioned yet is the Cross-Buy promotion for this game. In buying the PS3 version of the game, you also get the Vita version absolutely free. Better yet, you can cross-save, so anything you do in the game on one console, you can snag the save file and play it from that save point on the other console, and vise versa. Also ... double trophies. Yeah, you heard me right. Get a trophy in one version of the game, it automatically pops for the other version. Can't complain with double trophies ... ever. Also, apparently you can use the Vita in some way while playing the PS3 version, as a scanner of some sorts, but I haven't even bothered to look into that. The more time I waste fooling around with downloads and what not, the less time I spend playing this game. The only bad thing I have to say about this, so far, is that it is definitely taking gaming time away from other games I am working on or thinking about playing, like DmC. And with a steady stream of top-notch games about to come down the pipe, my backlog is in serious jeopardy of getting congested. Since when did having too many good games to play become a problem? Just wait until the summer time, when everyone is starting to brace for the next round of new consoles. No one will be complaining about having a backlog then. Well, at least until GTA V comes out in September. There are a few game franchises that I've always wanted to get into and play, but never have for one reason or another. Whether it be bad timing as to when the game is released, a lack of funds to buy the game when I am interested, or the fear of the unknown, there are plenty of excuses for plenty of games and franchises. Usually, when I don't pull the trigger on the first game, it's hard for me to justify springing for the next game in the series without visiting the first one, first. This was the case for Bioshock, as I was incredibly interested in it when the second game came out, but couldn't do it without playing the original one first. Because of this delima, it took me another year or so to venture into Rapture. I was so glad I finally took the plunge, but looking back, I wish I had done it a lot sooner. When Borderlands 2 came out a few months ago, the first thing I thought of was my experience with the Bioshock series. Borderlands 2 looked so good, so fun ... but because I hadn't played the first one yet, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Instead of just going on a whim, like I should have done with Bioshock, I resisted temptation to just jump right in. Oddly enough, when the second one was released, the wonderful and amazing service that is PS Plus decided to give all subscribers the original Borderlands - FOR FREE! Unfortunately, due to timing (and lack thereof), I never got around to playing it. So alas, Borderlands 2 is still waiting for me to pick it up. One of the biggest problems and fear that I have with Borderlands is that I won't like it. I have heard so many people rant and rave about it, yet I still remain cautious. I love the art style, which is quite similar to XIII with the cell shading effects and all, so that's not my issue. I enjoy FPS, as evident with my instant love for Far Cry 3. So what's my problem with it? Well, the fact that everyone I talk to praises the game for being such an awesome multiplayer co-op experience. Ughhh... multiplayer co-op? We all know how I feel about that. Is Borderlands a game that a guy who hates playing with others is still enjoyable when played alone? I wanted to find out, tonight. I enjoy the leveling up, I enjoy the universe it takes place in (very Water World minus the water feel to it), I enjoy the characters so-far, and I enjoy the game play mechanics. The shooting seems stiff at times, and the fact that soooooooooo many random monsters and bad guys spawn continuously from the same spots is a little frustrating. But my main complaint is that there just isn't anything that is grabbing me by the shirt and yelling, "YOU MUST LOVE THIS GAME!" It's just OK. Nothing special, yet. It's a little frustrating, especially when doing the main missions feels like grinding. Maybe I just need to spend more time with it. Maybe I need to play with others. One thing is for sure, though. I don't think I will be playing Borderlands 2 anytime soon. Not until I'm given a reason to. Well, I bet you didn't see this game coming. With such a busy day (and week, actually), and me operating on very little sleep this morning, while trying to get ready for a day-long Super Bowl party, I managed to squeak in a little gaming action. Unfortunately, my seven year old was playing games on the living room, and because I really didn't feel like kicking him off just so I could play a random game, I figured I would play with him, since it was a game I haven't used for this project anyway. He was playing Kung Fu Panda, which was the first game, along with Lego Indiana Jones, we got for the Xbox 360 several years ago, as it came packed in with the system. There is nothing really to the game; it's just your typical movie tie-in platformer. I also can't say I really enjoyed playing the game, but I did enjoy playing with my boy, so that counts for something, right? The one thing I took most from the game is that it is the perfect benchmark to display how good he is getting at playing video games. It was always a game he wanted to play when he was just starting to get into games, but because platformers suck for kids that are still learning what hand/eye coordination is - even if it is an easy game - he was never really good at it and would often get stuck doing simple missions. Sometimes all it took was rotating the camera to get a better view, or double-jumping instead of just jumping once. Today, though, he was flying through it. It's been a while since he played it, but it was like he's been grinding away at it for weeks. Sure, he had a few hiccups here and there, but he is seven, after all. So what did I actually play? Well, we passed the controller back and forth to play different sections. And I also took the reigns when he needed assistance, so he wouldn't rage quite or anything like that. It was fun, overall. I'm glad I got to play it with him. It's moments like these where it is really fun being a gamer dad, and a dad of gamers. Tonight, I got myself ready for the "Big Game" tomorrow. Screw it, I'm not getting paid for this. I can say Super Bowl all I want. So in between creating my totally awesome Super Bowl cake for our big Super Bowl party tomorrow, I took a little bit of time to see if I could predict the future ... by simulating it in Madden '13, of course. Now, I know this game isn't the best version of the Madden '13 games, despite the cool features the GamePad provides. Mainly, due to poor frame rate and the older engine of the game not used on the PS3 and 360 versions, which got the latest game engine, it doesn't have the same polished look as the others. But that's ok, at least for tonight. All I was worried about was simulating the Super Bowl. I could have just set up the game to simulate itself, and see who won that way, but I figured for the sake of this project, I had to actually PLAY the game. So I chose the Ravens, and cranked up the difficulty to try and resemble how hard fought the game should be tomorrow. While playing, I was thinking about the next version of this game, which just got announced to be released (shockingly!) in August. Instead of being called Madden '14, however, the game will be paying homage to its own legacy, as it will be appropriately named Madden 25, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the most popular sports video game franchise ever. The cover athlete, like the last couple of years, will be chosen via the fans, in an online vote. But instead of just one player from each franchise, they will also be all-time greats to vote on as well. I can't wait to see all the players to vote on. If Bo Jackson isn't one to vote on, I will be sorely disappointed. So anyway, I always love Madden games, and I always plan on playing full seasons, running a successful franchise for several more seasons, and sucking every drop of content out of the game. It never happens that way though, unfortunately. After a while it gets hard to dump hours and hours into several football games. Just the way it goes. Unless you don't play anything other than sports games, they are super-hard to stay dedicated to. Anyway, I had fun tonight, but I have to get back to my SUPER BOWL cake ... before Roger Goodell sues me for saying SUPER BOWL or something like that. Oh, and were you wondering who won in my simulation game? I did, of course, but it wasn't easy. I ended up hurting Kaepernick on a vicious sack, and the ice-cold Alex Smith didn't have enough in him to bring the 49ers to the promised land. So is this foreshadowing for tomorrow's game? Only one way to find out ... and I guess that's why the play the game, as they say (which I will probably get sued for as well). I started this game several months ago, before I had seen the tie-in movie. At the time, I didn't fully realize that the game was a tie-in to the movie, so as I'm starting it up and getting deep into the storyline, I start to notice that just maybe I was spoiling certain plot points of the movie I had yet to see. That instantly made me uninterested in the game, for the fact that I hate having movies spoiled. I didn't know how closely the game was following the the movie, but I figured it had to be pretty close, and that was enough for me. So now, after seeing (and enjoying, which I didn't think would happen) the movie, I'm ready to get back into the game. Can't say that I will chase after the Platinum trophy or anything, mainly because it takes a lot of open-world collecting and grinding, but I think I'm ready to enjoy the Spider-Man universe. Actually, playing it again, this is by far the prettiest, best looking Spider-Man game I can remember playing. The controls of swinging, and especially combat, are very fluid and effortless, and feels like they took a page from the newest Batman games ... which isn't a bad thing at all. I've always been a big Spider-Man fan, but his games have never really felt like they gave his character and personality justice. With this newest game, I think they captured it perfectly. Of course, that might be because the movie did such a great job at reinventing the wheel, and the storyline, and maybe the game was just fortunate enough to reap the benefits from it. And in case you were wondering, no, I didn't play this game with PlayStation Move, as the box art implies I can. I don't own the Move peripherals, and don't plan on ever doing so. Hell, I wouldn't own a Kinect for the Xbox 360 if I hadn't won it for free in a contest. I Oh, and I was going to do a recap of the month of January for me, but tonight is just crazy. I still might in the wee hours of night, or even tomorrow. I just needed to make sure I got this blog post done for sure. |
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February 2014
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