For tonight's game and blog posting to accompany it, I chose to play one of my most favorite games from the last few years - Bastion. I heard it brought up on a podcast I was listening to today, which seems to be a major source of inspiration for the games I pick these days, and so I decided to go back and revisit it. When I played it for the first time, I had no idea I would fall in love with it the way I did. Going back and playing it again tonight, I felt that same charm and allure that I did back then, which is comforting and energizing, as well as refreshing to know that it wasn't just a fling I had with the game, but instead, a true love. I want to do something different for this blog post, however. I want to share with you all the review that I wrote for it back when it was released, because honestly, I can't recapture how I felt about the game as well tonight as I did back then. I wrote with pure affinity and admiration for what I played and experienced, and so, I want to share that with you all. Remember, I wrote this when the game came out, so keep that in mind as you read it, for context purposes. Hope you enjoy! Every story has a beginning. Every game needs a narrator… The annual Xbox Live “Summer of Arcade” event kicked off this year with a surprising title called Bastion, a game that not only shatters expectations of “Arcade” titles, but comes dangerously close to breaking down the fourth wall as it’s known in the process.
Bastion is classified as an action RPG game, and that was my first concern. Admittedly, I am not much of a fan of games from that genre, so going in I had reservations about the game play. Seeing previews of the game beforehand, I knew what to expect, and I was hoping the gorgeous visual design and ever-so-intriguing narrator would be enough to make up for the style of game it actually was. My somewhat low expectations were quickly smashed within the first few moments from the game, and by the time my character first stepped foot on The Bastion (a floating battle hub, if you will), I had already forgotten what I was worried about in the first place. You play as a character known simply as “The Kid,” and the game starts off with you waking up on a floating rock. As you wiggle the joystick to move for the first time, the narrator who just got done explaining that every story has a beginning, somehow notices that you have awoken and gotten up. In his raspy, Marlboro Man voice, he begins to not just narrate the story, but narrate The Kid’s every action. As the ground begins to form under your feet from the world down below, the narrator walks you through every step of your journey. The seamless transition from how he is seemingly explaining to The Kid what his purpose of being there is, to almost talking to you, the player, what The Kid is encountering, is nothing short of spectacular. And don’t think the narrator is just there to streamline the story … he will comment on all aspects of the game play. If you accidently roll off the ledge of the floating pathway, the narrator will chime in, saying something like, “They have meant to build guard rails there…” or “… and The Kid falls to his death. Just kidding…” (as you reappear back on the path, slightly lower in health). One time I got carried away smashing everything I could to collect some extra fragments (the main currency in the game.) After a while of smashing and not advancing the story, the narrator interrupted the mayhem, saying, “The Kid keeps on smashing everything in sight … like he is going to get a special reward for doing so.” Needless to say, I immediately stopped my destruction spree and moved along, feeling almost shameful for keeping the narrator from doing his job, like I had interrupted the flow of his story for my own guilty pleasure. Never has a video game made me feel bad for how I played it. But then again, never has there been a game quite like Bastion with an intangible quite like the narrator … and that is what makes this game special. Once your character reaches The Bastion, you meet Rucks for the first time, who it turns out is the mysterious voice who has guided you there. How could an actual character have been narrating your journey? Before that, you assumed the narrator was an ominous-type being, but the fact he is in flesh, right in front of you, only brings up more questions than answers. And that seems to be the reoccurring theme throughout the game. As you progress, you get more and more information about what is going on. Something called the “Great Calamity” has all but destroyed life as you known it, allowing dark creatures to infest the ruins of your now-shattered world. The more you play, the more of the story you get. Trying to explain what is going on halfway through the game is an impossible task, as it is not until the final moments of the game where everything seems to make sense … or does it? Personal interpretation of what you just played seems to be the catalyst for describing the story. As open as the story is, the visual aspect of the game is as sharp as it is whimsical. The game looks like a cross between a cell-shaded game and a watercolor painting. The colors are bright and vibrant, especially for being about the last remaining life. As the path builds stone by stone, it is easy to get lost in the design and forget that games can be beautiful and simple at the same time. Another thing easily forgotten is the fact that it is still an action RPG. All the basic fundamentals are there, from upgrading your weapons, to obtaining XP with every kill or item collected, and even being able to customize your two-weapon/one-special ability load out. The game plays like your normal dungeon crawl game, as enemies lurk around every corner of every path. Between every level, you recharge back at The Bastion, where after constructing the buildings, you can change which weapons you will head out to battle with, as well as upgrade them with acquired materials. You can also activate drinks that add different abilities or health to your character, with more slots available as you level up your character with XP. To add even more customization to the game, you collect different idols throughout your journey that represent different Gods. If you choose, you can activate one or more of these idols, which will evoke the selected deities to add different degrees of difficulty to the game. Naturally though, the more idols you activate, the more XP you get as you play. What fun would it be to make the game hard be if you weren’t rewarded for it, right? Long story short, the game has all the classic elements of an action RPG, but the overall experience of the game makes you quickly forget that classification. If all games were as good and fun as Bastion, I would be an action RPG super-fan. The game also sounds as good as it looks, if not better. Aside from the amazingly-awesome narrator, the soundtrack is fantastic. There is one level in particular where a song is playing in the background that is simply captivating. To be honest, I don’t even remember how the level played, but I do remember turning up my TV as I got lost in the song. Arcade games usually have no business in making soundtracks this good. Speaking of being an arcade game, it has only 200 achievement points out there to get. I am proud to say that this is officially the first game I have ever completed every achievement for, and while I only had to play through the story twice, I enjoyed every step of the way. Unfortunately, however, now that I have completed everything there is to do in Bastion, I don’t ever foresee returning the captivating world of The Kid, his personal narrator and his quest to undo what was done. There are online leader boards for the main story, as well as the three dream quests found in the game, but unless you are uber-competitive, the only real reason to strive for high scores is to top your friends. Taking into consideration the fact that there is no real explanation as to how point totals are given, the leader board concept seems flawed at best. For such a special game, I feel a little slighted by the fact that once you are done, you are done. I wouldn’t mind having Rucks tell me that I’m wasting time smashing meaningless stuff again, but there just isn’t the reason to do so. But I wish there was, because I had so much fun exploring the destroyed world, hearing the story and making some tough choices at the end of it all. Overview: As someone who doesn’t normally like or play action RPG games, Bastion stole my heart and made me an instant fan of the genre. The narrator gives Bastion that “it” factor every great game has. The visual representation of imagination is simply breathtaking, and the soundtrack is riveting, if not down-right beautiful. While the game doesn’t offer much once all achievements are completed, the want and desire for more is a clear indication that the team at Supergiant Games made a great game, and one that I feel I drastically under paid for at the Xbox Live price equivalent of $15. So much for the normal summer drought of good, quality games, huh?
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Tonight, my kids and I went to Disneyland. Well, we didn't actually go to Disneyland, but instead we went to the virtual Disneyland, via the Xbox 360 and that magical device that is almost Disney-inspired, the Kinect. Well, we tried at least. You should know by now, if you've been following my blog, how I feel about the Kinect. If not, let me just say this: I like the idea of it, but it just doesn't work nearly as good as advertised. Ever. Like seriously, it never works good. There have been a couple of fun game for it, but even those suffer from technological deficiencies. With rumors of the Kinect 2.0 coming packed in with the next-generation Xbox console, you can only imagine my excitement for having this shoved down my throat even more so than now. Yeah... Anyway, this game is OK, for kids at least. Again, like the hardware, this game seems good on paper, but just doesn't work as good as it should. Of course, I was trying to play with a seven year old and a four year old, so that may have had something to do with it. The premise is simple. You play as a kid wandering around Disneyland park (unsupervised, I might add), collecting coins, meeting Disney characters and doing odd jobs for them like finding a hat or posing for a picture with another character, in hopes of earning golden tickets. The game shows Disneyland in all its brilliance, too, and it actually looks really nice. There are crowds and everything (though not nearly as bad as I imagine them to be), trying to stay true to the illusion that you are at the park. You even participate in mini-games based on the popular attractions there at the park, which is really cool for those who can't actually go to the park to experience them. The camera just didn't pick us up at all, and it was chore most of the time to complete the easiest of tasks and gestures. It almost felt like an exercise game, with the amount of wasted motion just to accomplish one goal, solely based on how inaccurate it was and how bad of a job it did of continuously not recognizing us. It was a struggle, to say the least. But the kids had fun, for the most part, and that's the most important thing, right? So I bet you're wondering why I played this game tonight, right? Well, it was the equivalent of pre-funking before going out to the clubs. I was trying to experience, and let the kids experience, Disneyland, before tomorrow, when we actually GO TO DISNEYLAND! Yes, for our vacation, the wifey and I are taking the kids to Disneyland for almost a week. We fly out at the crack of dawn Thursday morning en route to beautiful Southern California to go visit the most magical place on earth. The best part of it all? The kids don't know we are going. At all. They have no clue what's about to go down. We have completely planned this vacation, top to bottom, in secret. We are even packing for them tonight and getting everything ready to go. All they know is that they are taking me to the airport because I have to "go away for work." And I didn't even tell them that until tonight, when I had them go to bed earlier than usual. When we get there, I will have them get out to say their goodbyes, and then spring it on them. With any luck, their reactions are going to be amazing. But being as it will be 5 am, there is a chance their excitement might be overshadowed by sheer exhaustion. It can go either way at this point. When I told them I had to leave, the first thing they asked was if I was going to be back for Easter. It broke my heart to lie to them and tell them I wasn't sure, but I would try, even thought I know the truth! I couldn't imagine being away from my kids for a holiday, so for all those parents who make that great sacrifice for their obs or other legit and uncontrollable circumstances (and not just because they are deadbeats), I commend you, because wow, that must be the hardest thing in the world. So there you have it. I will keep up on my blogs while I'm there, but don't expect the most insightful or lengthy posts. I have all my games picked out in advance, so that's helpful at least. And I won't be on twitter much at all, but when I am, it will be to post pictures and videos of our vacation, I'm sure. So I apologize in advance for being that guy. Also, I will have the video of us surprising them up online as well, hopefully YouTube and facebook, so be on the lookout for that, if interested. Wish me luck, friends. As long as I have a better time at the real Disneyland than I did tonight in the virtual one, it should be an amazing vacation. Ciao! Fresh off my week with the God of War series, and after a few trips down the retro games memory lane the last couple of days, I dove right back in to the new hotness in the world of video games. Today, I played a bunch of Gears of War: Judgment, and despite what I anticipated going in to it, I didn't hate it. Actually, I kind of enjoyed it. Never thought I would have said that. You see, I have Gears of War 1 and 2, but they were bought for my boys to play, because I never really had much interest in the series. I tried them out, but just didn't like them. Shooting games centered around cover fire usually don't mix well with my play style, as I'm not patient enough to sit and wait, usually just rushing in Leroy Jenkins style. And with the Gears of War games, that's something you simply can't get away with safely. I never even touched Gears of War 3, so leading up to the release of Judgment, I was pretty uninterested. Especially with it being a prequel, I saw no reason why I would need to know the back story of a story I knew nothing about in the first place. With this crazy blog project, however, I am learning to broaden my horizons and try out games that usually wouldn't interest me. And again, Redbox and Gamefly have been instrumental in aiding me in this quest, making it easier to justify spending a couple of bucks to try out a game I'm pretty confident I wouldn't want to buy but am at least interested in playing. Which leads me to GoW:J. First thing I noticed, which I may have noticed before but certainly didn't remember, was how bulky everyone looks in this universe. It's almost as if everyone is taking a daily dose of steroids. Just an observation, nothing that actually changes how I feel about the game. So I started it up, and I decided that in order to maximize how much game play I got in with the game, and to optimize the likelihood of enjoying it and decreasing the chances of frustrations that come with playing an unfamiliar style of game, I chose to play on Easy mode. This isn't something I normally do, as I do enjoy challenging myself when playing games, but hey, there are exceptions to every rule, right? Getting past the opening cut scene, which meant nothing to me, and getting into the game play, I instantly realized how clunky and heavy the game is. Remember when I talked about how Master Chief felt to me when I went back and played the old Halo games in my Week of Halo? Well, this game makes Chief feel like a gazelle prancing through the badlands. Seriously, I felt like I was accidentally activating some special slow-motion superpower that I didn't know about. Once I eventually got to some action, the pace picked up quickly. As noted before, I'm not a big fan of the cover-fire shooting experience, so while I joined in the reindeer games every now and then, I was able to run around (and I use that term very loosely) and just wreck shop efficiently without taking too much damage. I chalk that up to the easy mode for sure. Despite feeling like a slug drudging through mud covered in molasses in a pit of quicksand, I actually enjoyed the combat. I felt like I was doing serious damage, and each kill was refreshing and rewarding. Unlike games like Halo where unless you have the skull turned on to make each grunt head shot a confetti explosion, the kills are just to get rid of the wave of enemies. In this game, however, I felt like each kill was brutal, vicious and destructive, as it each one meant something special. Once I started executing wounded enemies with the chainsaw attachment on my rifle, I instantly realized why this series is popular. It just feels right. I do think that the size of the enemies played a major factor as well, as most of them are your size or bigger. The little bugs that just run around and explode just felt like distractions, but killing the equally-in-steroid-use-to-me-and-my-squad enemies was a small victory each and every time. The various types of weaponry was nice and refreshing also, as no matter how many bullets I pumped into my foes, I never felt in danger of either running out of ammo or not being near fallen weapons to pick up. Each gun felt different, yet familiar, and the targeting system was pretty much dead on accuracy wise. Even the variety of grenades and explosives to toss was well done, and the targeting system for tossing them was spot on. Better yet, the enemies didn't all jump out of the way at once when I tossed a frag grenade into a group, as alien shrapnel flew across the screen instead upon explosion. In each section of each level, there are also points called Declassified missions, which upon activating if you so choose, handicap you and your team in some way, ranging from adding in a timer to complete the mission to limiting your vision to cutting your ammo in half. Each Declassified mission is completely optional, but if you do try them out, they boost your score which is helpful when going after that 3-star ranking in each mission. The coolest part, however, was that when you activate a Declassified, it incorporates a story plot to your campaign in a subtle yet creative way. Well done, indeed. I didn't play any of the multiplayer, because well, I just don't care too. I just wanted to see if this was a game I could learn to appreciate for what it is. And while it is an Xbox 360 game, which I'm not entirely thrilled about to begin with, I really did enjoy what I played. But... I don't think I will play any more of it. It's just not something I want to sink time into, personally. However, I do completely understand why there is a strong fan base for this series, and why Microsoft continues to hang their hats on this (along with Halo) as console exclusives. It's very good for what it is, and fans of the previous God of War games should be thrilled to play this game. It is a bro shooter at its very core, and it is done well. As long as you don't mind moving at a snail's pace that's trying to drag a tortoise uphill in the middle of a blizzard while using a dial-up modem for mapquest.com. You know - SLOW. SPOILER ALERT: Curb your excitement, PC fans, for I did not play this game on PC tonight, but rather the Xbox 360, thanks to that cool little program called Xbox Live Arcade. Proceed with disappointment, PC lovers. OK, now that we are past that awkward moment as I broke the hearts of everyone eager for me to play a PC game, allow me to explain why I chose to play Portal tonight. You see, on Twitter the other day, EverydayGamers.com posted a question for their podcast wondering what games we have loved after giving them a second chance, because the first time we didn't like them. I responded with: "Portal, and there is a funny and sad story behind it as well." Well, listening to their podcast today, they read my response, and then almost challenged me to write about the funny and sad story on my blog, because I had left my initial answer at that, and well, curiosity is always the best way to rope people in. So, here we are, as I am about to share one of the darkest and most embarrassing gamer stories I have. Brace yourselves, and feel free to mock me afterwards, as I realize I probably deserve it. I bought this game on XBLA a few years ago, mainly because it was drastically marked down. I really had no ambition to play it before then, but a buddy that I worked with insisted I play it, because apparently it was the best thing ever. Since it was on sale, and knowing that I was probably the only one in the world to have no idea what this game was even about, I went on his recommendation and picked it up. "I've wasted a few bucks on worse things," was my thought as I purchased it. Remember folks, this was a smash-hit PC game before Xbox, and I wasn't exactly in the know when it came to PC gaming. When it came over to the Xbox via The Orange Box, I paid it no attention, because really, they were all just PC games ported to a console. My interest level was at an all-time minimum. So I started up the game. First thing I remember thinking, which I remembered tonight, was how messed up it was to make you start out in a human cage for several minutes with no way of escaping until it chose to let you out, all while watching a clock with no abilities other than "jump." If it's possible to feel claustrophobic in a video game, that's it. You pretty much feel dumb right off the bat because it seems like you should be able to do something to get out, but alas, you cannot. Just sit there with a disembodied robot voice talking to you. Waiting. Jump. Jump. Waiting. Waiting. Jump. Until he mysterious portal opens. SO I played through the first couple of rooms, getting a hang for the basic principles of the game that would prove to be instrumental in getting through the game. You know, like placing blocks on pressure-activated switches and such. Everything was going fine, no problems. Game was playing pretty much how I expected it to. No hiccups, but no real excitement either. Then I get my hands on the Portal Gun. And that's really when the story begins. You see, I made it through the first, oh, two rooms or so with the gun. Then I came to a test chamber that would forever haunt my gaming psyche. There was an orange portal that I just came though, and two gaps, both with stairs only on side, with the exit on the other side of one of the gaps. All I had to do was cross that gap, somehow, and advance. Well, as it turns out, I had not wrapped my head around how the Portal Gun, or the portals for that matter, worked or what physics were behind them. I kid you not, I spent well over a half of a hour in that room trying to cross the gap, and I could not get. I finally got so mad at the game and the inability to figure out what should have been an easy first part of the game, I quit it and vowed to never return. A few dollars down the drain. A few weeks had passed, and my buddy at work asked how I was liking it. I revealed to him that I hated it, never wanted to play it again. He asked why, of course, and I told him it was due to my frustrations with the unsolvable problem. I tried to explain which room I was in, since he had beaten it several times over the years, but I couldn't explain it well enough. I'm sure he thought I was much, much farther into the game than I was, based on me actually being stuck. I resulted to sketching out the entire room on a white board we had in our shop. I located the portal I came though, where I needed to get to and why I couldn't figure out where to place the blue portal to make it happen. I probably took as long explaining my problem as I spent actually trying to solve it. When it finally clicked to him what my problem was, he gave me the most dirty, disapproving look one gaming friend could ever give to another. Seriously, it was like just erased his maxed out WoW character by accident or something. It was bad. I knew what that meant, too. It meant I was stupid. So stupid he felt bad for even having to tell me how stupid I was. He drew out the solution, but I didn't get it. He drew it out again (with different color pens and all), and I still didn't get it. Now he was confused how I could still be confused. Then it clicked. I almost wish I hadn't asked him for help, because of how stupid I felt, and how much of his time I wasted because of my stupidity. I'm pretty sure I still owe him to this day for it, actually. You see, up until it all clicked and the proverbial light bulb turned on, I had thought, for some reason I will never be able to fully justify, that you could only exit through the orange portals and only enter through the blue portals. Yes, you read that right. I associated the colors of the portals with the the direction from which you came or went through them. So basically, the only thing I had to do was shoot a blue portal on the wall next to the exit and then walk back through the orange portal, and I would have been well on my way. But because I thought I could only exit through the orange, I was trying everything I could think of to place the blue portal in spots that I could fall through, coming out of the orange portal and then trying to somehow make it over the gap. I can't even truly explain what I was doing or what my mindset was at the time, because of how ridiculous it was. Once I discovered you could come and go as you please through either one of the portals, despite their color, I saw that game in a whole new light. I think I ended up beating it in one sitting the next time I played it, just so I could scream from the mountain tops that I had beaten it. I honestly don't even think the puzzles ever really stumped me from that point on, and even the boss fight went smooth. Finding out that idiotic yet crucial information about how the portals worked made me feel like Bradley Cooper's character in the movie Limitless - pretty much an unstoppable wrecking ball. So playing tonight, I wanted to kind of relive the worst and most embarrassing memory of gaming that I have. Well, the most recent one at least. When I got to that room, I just looked around and couldn't believe I ever got stuck in there. If I had just bothered to try to walk through the orange portal, all that could have been avoided. I played past that part tonight, of course, as I had pretty much forgotten everything about the game because of that one room. That one room. It's a fun game, no doubt, but Portal 2 was way better. I'm sure I will be playing that sometime this year as well. Oh, and remember, the cake is a lie. But unfortunately, my stupidity is not. Well, I promised you a comparison between MLB 13: The Show, which I wrote about last night, and MLB 2K13, the competition to said game, didn't I? Here it is, in all its glory - and a lot sooner than I anticipated, I might add. Now, I want you to know that I played MLB 2k13 on the Xbox 360, where as The Show was played on the PS3, of course, because of its exclusivity. So I can't fairly compare the two games base on graphics or system-specific things, but in the end, I don't think it would matter anyway. MLB 2k13 sucks. Alright, maybe the term "sucks" is a tad bit harsh, but not when compared to a wonderfully fun and beautiful game like MLB 13: The Show. Seriously, this game can't hold a candle to its competitor, and it's a shame that it gets the most hype and name recognition, because after playing both, it is clear that it is by far the inferior baseball video game. Where to begin. How about on the title screen, where they show an animation of Tampa Bay pitcher David Price, with the chant of "M-V-P" in the background. That's all fine and dandy, had Price actually won the MVP this year. He didn't, but guess what? Justin Verlander did, last year, when he was the cover athlete for this game. Honest mistake or flat out laziness to just copy-and-paste a game, slap on a new year to it and call it new? I would hope it was a mistake, but it's not the only thing the game does wrong, so I would have to lean towards the recycling theory. The game plays clunky. The animations drop frame rates worse than Skyrim on PS3 (BAZINGA!), and I never feel like I am playing the latest and greatest game of this franchise. To be honest, except for the updated rosters, I don't think I could tell the difference between this year's game and one that came out two or three years ago. It's that bad. Seriously. I can't make this up. One shining star in the cloudy, dark and cold space this game occupies is still the pitching mechanics. It is ridiculously fun to try and throw that perfect pitch with the precise timing and analog stick movement it requires to do so, which ramps up the difficulty as your pitcher gets rattled or fatigued. It's awesome, and if The Show could do something similar to that, I don't think the 2K series could claim to be better at anything - except sucking more. The hitting is juvenile an unsatisfying, the plays appear to be moving quickly, only to lag down to a snail's pace as the play develops for some unknown reason, and nothing feels GOOD. I really don't know how else to explain it. Even the menus are convoluted and difficult to not only navigate, but understand. The online seasons have been removed, and lacks anything mode that's even close to being fun and riveting like the Road To The Show, found in The Show. Honestly, I just couldn't wait to stop playing this game, just so I could fire up The Show again and continue work on my RTTS campaign. What a giant waste of a game, 2K Sports. Seriously. You are getting bested by a Sony exclusive, when you clearly have more market share to appeal to. Even with direct competition, you can't be bothered to ramp it up and make the best baseball game possible? That's just sad and embarrassing. Unless you are just conceding the fact that you can't make as good of a baseball game as Sony San Diego Studios can with The Show, which in that case, stop stealing people's money and quit the arms race. Maybe just stick to basketball, huh? Unless you plan on bringing Michael Jordan back into the baseball universe once again. Because that worked out well the first time. I mean for you guys, not MJ himself, of course. If you read my blog posting yesterday, you'll remember I talked about wanting to try a daily fitness routine using a Kinect game. Well, I figured, that I might as well try it out, instead of just talking about thinking about trying it. So, with that being said, I thought I would give UFC Personal Trainer for the Xbox 360, a Kinect game a chance to be that game. Now, I don't go to a gym. I've been really been a gym guy, but I have thought about it now and then. But like everyone else who doesn't go to a gym, I have plenty of excuses. The biggest one, and most logical, is my lack of time at this point. With having a full time job, and my lovely wife working two jobs, that leaves me at home with the kids all evening. Sure, I could go after 10 pm, or wake up super early and go before work, but I'm mentally and physically exhausted as it is. I know, I know ... it's just all excuses, and I should just get up and go do it. But ehhhhhh... So I've had UFC Personal Trainer sitting around for a while. My lovely, better half mentioned one time about being interested in fitness video games after seeing one on a commercial or something, so despite her not liking video games at all, I thought it was a great idea to get it for her. Well, she never used it. Not once. Hell, I don't think the disc has ever been taken out of the case until tonight. I got all ready for my first of maybe many nights training using the oh-so-wonderful Kinect. I moved the couch back, turned on all the lights, moved the coffee table out of the way and threw on some basketball shorts. Basically, I had a whole pre-training workout before the training. Thanks, Kinect! I love having to rearrange my entire game room just to use you!!! I struggled to get through all the menus, using Kinect hand and voice gestures, of course. Once I did, and got my profile selected and stats put in, it was time to do the first training test to see where I stood physically, I guess. And that's exactly when the wheels fell off this whole attempt to play this game. The camera stopped recognizing me, and I would constantly have to re-select my profile. That of course was a chore in itself, and would take me out of the game itself each time. Then I was having trouble staying the view of the camera, as it instructed me to lay down on the ground sideways, for a sit-up drill, but wanted me to wave and hold my cursor hand over the "NEXT" button. This, quite simply, is impossible to do from the ground. Once I finally got past that, and started the sit-up drill, I would constantly be too low for the camera to see, having to go to the profile selection screen each time. I tried moving farther away (which is never an issue with the Kinect), but then it couldn't pick up what I was doing at all. I was stuck in Kinect Hell, Sensor Limbo. Forty-five minutes later, I still hadn't completed the full first work-out, due to all the stupid complications. After all that, I had enough. I moved everything back and realized that I literally did do more working setting up and breaking down the room to play this stupid game than I did in the game itself. I hate the Kinect. I hate it with a passion. Again, I will reiterate the fact that had I not got it for free in a giveaway, I still would not have this horrible failure of technology. I bet you can guess my excitement over all the rumors of the Kinect 2.0 being packed in with the next Xbox... There is no question in my mind that I can firmly, unequivocally say UFC Personal Trainer will NOT be that game that I play daily for a workout. I would rather sacrifice even more sleep to go to the gym than play this again. But hey, maybe that is the point anyway? I'm back, baby. This week, I set out to not only play every Halo game out there, but to experience them all over again (or for the first time for a couple of them), in order to hopefully discover where I stand with the franchise. It started out as love at first sight, but then we became separated for quite some time, and then was roped back in, but for different reasons then the first time around. I cam to discover, over this week, that Master Chief wore thin on me, lacked depth to keep him and his story interesting, and overall, just didn't have that "it" factor. I liked the first one because it was new and fresh, like the new girl in school that you could only speculate about. But soon, that new girl turned out to be just like all the other pretty cheerleaders - boring, uninteresting and lacking any true soul. Sure, they were still pretty, but looks only get you so far. As far as ODST and Reach, those are the cute girls who the jocks probably aren't trying to score with, only because they lack the ability to hold a conversation with them. They are naturally pretty, not made up pretty, and they are a little off the radar, but once you spend a little time with them, you realize they offer so much more than a good time - like companionship, conversation and true emotion - with some good times wrapping it all up like a sushi roll. God, I hope that huge, ridiculous analogy made sense to whoever is still reading this, because I think I just confused myself. Here, let me break it down like this. I LOVED the original Halo, Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach because they were different, they had a soul. I didn't care for Halo 2 or Halo 3 as much as everyone else, because it seemed dull and repetitive. And we won't even talk about the knock-off Halo Wars game, that only cashed in due to having "Halo" on the box art. So going in to today, I was still on the fence about the franchise. It didn't leave me drooling to play dozens more Halo games in the future, using the same formulas, but there was enough of a change of pace with the latter games that I felt there was hope of being re-inspired and drawn back into the massive Halo universe. Besides, Bungie let go of the reigns for their baby, and let 343 Studios take over the franchise in an attempt to rejuvenate the series and reinvent the wheel. (Oddly enough, I play this game on the same day that Bungie revealed it's first post-Halo game, Destiny, and boy oh boy, does it look ambitious.) And boy, did they ever. The opening cinematic is one of the best I have ever seen in a video game, hands down. I was sitting there blown away by how impossibly amazing it looked. Remember, developers - THIS GAME LOOKS THIS GOOD ON A CURRENT-GEN SYSTEM! YOU HAVE NO EXCUSES TO KEEP PUTTING OUT GAMES THAT LOOK AND RUN LIKE GARBAGE. NONE. Everything in this game is so polished, from the weapons, to the environments to the faces of the enemies, and it would be very easy to just sit back and watch it all as it unfolds - except for that part where you have to actually fight back, of course. I immediately got roped in to the Cortana dying off storyline, and Master Chief showed more emotion in the first 15 minutes of the game that I actually believed to be legit than he had in his three games before it. Also, once I gained control of him for the first time, he just felt RIGHT. It's literally the first time I remember controlling Chief where I felt like, yeah, this is what this should feel like. He's quick - and not just because he can sprint! - but he doesn't feel clunky and methodical any longer, but like he should. His jumping feels right as well, and him talking and being engaged is so nice. I don't feel like I am controlling a Rock'em Sock'em robot any more. The animations of him climbing or lifting a door up is such a nice touch, as well. Overall, the game just feels quicker, more intense. Caleb and I really had a blast playing it, and while he has already flown through the campaign, we already agreed to play this one through on co-op campaign. In the second mission tonight, we had a challenge to see who could drive their Ghost farthest into the base. He ended up winning when he made it all the way to the end of the level, a surprising feet considering some of the tight corridors and intense battles going on. Hats off to him, for sure. Halo 4 has brought me back in to the franchise. I'm excited for what the future holds, as they have already stated that this is the first of a 3-game story arc. While I'm nervous that there is a chance they won't be able to keep the new games as fresh as this game feels, the fact that they are most likely coming out on the next generation of Xbox console means there is plenty of room for growth. This is has been a fun week, overall. While I'm sad to not have any more Halo games to play this year, it was cool to play them all at once and fully immerse myself in the universe that this franchise has built. I'm glad I did, to, as I realized that even a long lost love can always be rediscovered and that smoldering ember can be reignited into a flame once more, no matter how cold or dark it is. There is a little piece of me, however, that is excited to get back to my schedule (or lack thereof) of random games, especially as the tidal wave of amazing games is about to hit the coastline. Hold on, dear readers. It's about to get crazy. But you should expect nothing less at this point. Aside from Halo 3: ODST, this game we played tonight was easily the game I was most looking forward to playing this week, for many different reasons. All those reasons got pushed aside, however, when an ugly part of my gaming habits unexpectedly reared its ugly head. Tonight, I played Halo: Reach from Achievements. Going in to it was excited, because it is easily the most polished, well-developed game of the series. It is the first time we as players have ever seen the Planet Reach, and man, do they make it look awesome. Every level, every mission in the campaign is so gorgeously rendered, its almost a shame you have to run around shooting things and blowing stuff up. Speaking of running... That was another reason I was glad to finally get to this game, as every night my partner in crime Caleb has been beating a dead horse over and over, asking for and complaining about the lack of a sprint function in all of the other Halo games. Well tonight, he finally got his wish. Boy, was he happy. He also got other abilities too, but none more important to him than the ability to run really fast. Halo: Reach has such an amazing storyline, also. I know I raved about ODST, but Reach's storyline following the Nobel Team as you assume the control of the new kid on the block, Noble Six, a new Spartan recruit to the squad whom you never get to know anything about. You do, however, get to know the other five members quite well, as you start to rely on them as if they were real. Unfortunately, this is a story without a happy ending, as each one of your teammates systematically meets an untimely fate while fighting the good fight. The first death is unexpected, the second one you kind of see coming, and from then on out, the writing is on the wall for how it is all going to play out. Each death is admirably recognized in cut scenes, driving home the point that there is emotions in war, even for the elite members of the UNSC. The story of ODST focused on the human aspects of the soldiers, both as teammates and the loneliness of death. Reach takes that idea and builds a monument out of it, glorifying the art of telling a damn compelling and emotional story of friendship, teamwork and solidarity. It still baffles me that Master Chief was never able to fully convey these feelings, missing the mark several times, always feeling like more machine than soldier. I guess that didn't bother millions of gamers, however. Another thing I really wanted to go back and do tonight while playing this game was play the final chapter and see the ending of the game. I have to admit, this is top-three all time for me as far as an endgame level/ending of a game, easily. You character, Noble Six, has no team left and has a chance to leave the war-ridden planet, but chooses to stay and fight until the end, only to be slowly and methodically surrounded by the Covenant as your ammo and health slowly run out. The level starts with the objective displayed on screen: "Survive." You immediately think, oh cool, it's going to be like a Firefight type of mission, like the bonus mode they introduced in ODST. Then, reality starts to kick in as no matter where you run to, enemies start to come from angles. There is a health pack and some ammo spread around a destroyed shack, but you quickly realized you probably aren't going to find much more than that afterwards. The objective, "Survive," is just a cruel hoax, as the only outcome of this level is to parish like your team did before you. A really cool cut scene plays out afterwards, showing you throw your helmet off and try to make one last kill before you are overwhelmed and brutally killed by several energy swords. Afterwards, a eulogy-type narration plays, glorifying everything you and Noble Six did not just for Planet Reach, but the war as well, showing your broken helmet still sitting where it landed, with a healthy looking, restored planet behind it. Thankfully, I got to experience and enjoy all these aspects of the game I was looking forward to, but under different circumstances than I expected. When I started up the game and signed on, I realized I had some unfinished Achievements that I always meant to go back and get and never did, including a few for not finishing every mission (even though I did, but not in succession as I picked up at save points and it didn't track or whatever), and then a couple co-op ones. So that's how we decided what missions to play, by which ones I needed to complete for Achievements. It's not like I ever care about Achievements any more anyway, but it bugged me that I never got these. Reach was one of the first games I actually consciously tried to get Achievement points for, so it seemed like the right thing to do. I do love trophies, however, which are much, much different than dumb ole achievements. But that is a different article for a different time. Oh, and we did play the last level as well, just because. It was still as powerful as ever, and I haven't felt anything like that at the end of a game since then until I played Spec Ops: The Line. I'm kind of sad to see this week come to end tomorrow, but actually, I'm excited, because while Caleb has powered through Halo 4 since he got it for Christmas, I haven't touched the game once. I kind of always planned on this blog being the reason to jump into the game, so it's been a long time coming, and hopefully, it can live up to the hype. I almost forgot one thing, however. SPOILER ALERT! IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED OR BEATEN HALO: REACH YET, DON'T READ THIS BLOG, AS IT TALK ALL ABOUT THE STORY AND THE ENDING IN GREAT DETAIL. I'm supposed to do that when I spoil a game like that, right? Wait, I'm supposed to put it at the top of the article? Oh well. It came out in 2010. If you haven't played it by now, you probably won't ever anyway. But you should, if only just to experience the end. Or just re-read this blog. Either way works for me. I apologize in advance for what you are about to read. Seriously, take that in to consideration before you decide to continue. Still here? Ok, brave soldiers, let us press forward into the wild ride known as My Week Of Halo. We played Halo Wars tonight. And when I say, I am of course talking about my partner in crime in this escapade, my seven year old, Caleb. But when I say we, it means something slightly different than it has in previous nights through the Halo games. We didn't actually play together, in any sort of co-op mode, as that is only available by playing online or system link. I kind of understand why, as a split screen would be difficult with a game like this, but still, I wish I had known that going in to it before I got his hopes up about playing "together." Instead, we just passed the controlled back and forth as we saw fit. You see, Halo Wars isn't a true Halo game. Sure it is set in the Halo universe, and takes place before all the other Halo games (including Reach I think, but don't quote me on that one). It depicts the raging battle that is taking place well before Master Chief is called upon to kick some ass. It's not a First Person Shooter, but rather a Real Time Action Strategy game, or whatever the hell people call it these days. Think StarCraft, but with the Halo storyline. Of course, I reverted back to Command & Conquer: Red Alert, the only game ever in this genre that I ever really liked. I dug the hell out of that game as a kid, but for some reason, that genre of games didn't stick with me and still doesn't resonate with me today. I realized this sad truth tonight while trying to play Halo Wars. Sure, the game looks nice. The cut-scenes are well done and the campaign seems OK. Honestly, though, I was bored to death with this game. I tried to give it my best effort, I truly did. It just did nothing for me. I knew what kind of game this was, but I hoped for a twist or some thing to make this game different than others on the market, other than just slapping the Halo name on the box. But no, it is what I thought it was. I tried explaining to my little guy that this was a different Halo game than we have played, but he didn't believe me. He was sure it was going to be just like the others. How could Halo be anything but what he is used to? Well, Halo Wars broke down those stereotypes quickly. When it was all said and done (a lot quicker than previous nights, though), he enjoyed it for the most part, but the difficulty curve, especially for a seven year old, took a drastic climb just a few missions in. That's where it lost him. Hey, at least he lasted longer than I did with it. I can't wait for this weekend to finish out this Halo week. I want to pretend like this game ever happened, but unfortunately, my bored memories and few achievement points will haunt me forever. Thanks, Halo Wars, for ruining the awesome momentum I had going into the home stretch. I heart Halo 3: ODST. There, I said it. It is Valentine's Day, after all ... isn't that what I supposed to do today? The calendar, society and the street peddlers shoving cheap flowers and anything-but heartfelt gifts says I'm supposed to "show my love" today. My opinion on Valentine's Day may be unpopular to the mass consensus, and that's fine. Funny thing is, my opinion on Halo 3: ODST fits right in to the theme of today. I absolutely LOVE this game. This is far and beyond my favorite Halo game of the series, and I realize that I am in the far minority when it comes to that opinion. I can't recall ever talking to any Halo fan that has put ODST in the top three of their list, much less perched atop the mountain. I even checked Metacritic, and except for Halo Wars (which isn't a true Halo game, just a spin-off) and the Anniversary Edition of Halo: Combat Evolved (which I don't count because it's a remake, and the original one is the highest rated Halo game), ODST is the lowest rated true Halo game of the bunch. Numbers don't lie, folks. Aside from the first Halo game, which I stumbled upon by dumb luck, this was the first Halo game I got day one, and easily the first Halo game I was truly excited for and anticipating its release. Granted, all the other factors that kept me away from the previous Halo games could skew this outcome, but it is also a part of why I have such fondness for it. My love for the game, however, goes well beyond the sentimental ties I have with it. First, it is the first Halo game to not have Master Chief, and I think that is a bonus. Sure, being the tough badass Spartan is cool, but for the first time, there was a human aspect of your character. You didn't have amazing armor protecting you that quickly recharged before you had a chance to sweat it out. There was a sense of urgency with your health, and if you weren't careful, quick, agile and skillful, you would be dispatched quickly, especially on the harder difficulties. You never feel overpowering, but instead vulnerable. Also, you have a squad that you are fighting with, not just a bunch of soldiers following you around. There is a sense of brotherhood, and while the AI teammates don''t really effect your game play, the cut scenes depict more of a realistic story of why you are doing what you are doing. It's not the standard maverick storyline that Halo used with Master Chief. Again, that human aspect is powerful and gripping. Another thing I love is the mood and the atmosphere. Playing levels at night time, in the rain is an amazing experience, which is amplified by what I believe is the best Halo soundtrack ever. The music, and sometimes just the lack thereof, adds so much emotion to the game play. There are other times when the darkness, rain and silence, coupled with empty streets and lifeless structures engulfs you into a sense of loneliness, one of which they were never able to create before ODST with Master Chief. That in itself is ironic, as Master Chief is the epitome loneliness, who finds his only true companionship with an AI named Cortana. Talk about a loner! To piggyback off the mood of the game which I love thoroughly, they added a new feature where with the push of a button, you can turn on a night vision-esque type of view where objects are highlighted in a certain color to depict what they are, even from a distance. Objects are yellow, allies are green and enemies are of course red. With the dark, damp and dreery setting of the game, this is the perfect addition to give the player a slight advantage over the ugly world they are fighting. I personally think the campaign and storyline is much more engaging, easy to follow and believable than any other Halo storyline. Another favorite part of the game for me was the inclusion of Firefight, which adds so much more depth and replay-ability value to the game. Where Bungie went wrong, I believe, is adding the "3" in the title, as it immediately made the general population assume it was either a spin-off game or an extended DLC type of game. This is a stand alone game, and while I understand Bungie's perspective of it being a prequel to Halo 3 and wanting to make that clear, I think they did the game a disservice by making it a subtitled game. If they had just called it Halo: ODST, I think public perception would have been better from the get-go and it wouldn't be the "forgotten" title it is today. As all good companies do, however, they learned from their slight misjudgement of marketing and named their next true Halo game, Halo Reach. Needless to say, Caleb and I had so much fun playing this game tonight. I might have had more fun then he did, for the first time this week. We got back to the sprinting question, which is funny to me still. I realized the hardcore Halo player in him prevents him from liking the outline vision, as he would rather shoot randomly into dark alleys then to see his target. Also, for the first time this week, we played something other than just the campaign. We played a lengthy match of Firefight, in which I narrowly edged him out thanks in part to an awesome gravity hammer kill streak towards the end. While he ended up being Last Man Standing, he couldn't squeeze out enough points before the dust settled and it was all said and done. Oh, and one last thing - turning the skull on for confetti grunts, causing them to explode in a burst of confetti with a "YAY!" shouted out every time you terminate one with a well-placed head shot might be the single most rewarding experience in any aspect of the Halo series. So yeah, I love Halo 3: ODST. Deal with it, haters. Happy Valentine's Day to the rest. |
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February 2014
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