I just read that article on GamesRadar. I won't spoil it for you, it's just fantastic and you should absolutely read it if you're a gamer.
Read it here.
dimanche 27 novembre 2011
samedi 26 novembre 2011
It's a very Mad World (Gears of War Review)
Lately, a website I love (GameTrailers.com) has made something pretty unique and basically very awesome - even with the minor controversies it created with many angry gamers : a Countdown of the best 100 Trailers of All-Time!
Funny thing is, when I first read that, there were 2 trailers that I immediately thought about : LBP2's quite long trailer with that catchy song by Passion Pit, and Gears of War "Mad World" trailer. Eventually I thought about all the other awesome trailers I've seen, most notably Bioshock Infinite's and Arkham City's this past year, but I thought it was amazing that I first thought of Gears' trailer mainly because I had never played the game.
Now I have, and to be honest I had high hopes for the game, as I did with Halo 3. Thankfully, they were not quickly shattered like Halo 3's because Gears is actually a great game. Sure, it's a bit over-violent and there may be one or two unnecessary "Kill that MOTHAF***ER baby!!", but it was still an enjoyable experience overall.
The gameplay is very solid, controls are easy and efficient. It's nothing revolutionary when you have played other cover-based TPS's, but I think that when it came out long ago, it was probably more of a novelty. Nonetheless, it's pretty good.
The campaign is quite short, I didn't actually clock it but I'd estimate it was no more than 6 or 7 hours long, and I'm pretty sure fast gamers could do it under 4 hours. Obviously I didn't expect much more from a linear shooter, especially one that made its name with online multiplayer. Pacing is good, and only once in the whole game did I get the feeling the developers "overkilled" a set piece/section of a chapter, stretching it pointlessly with endless enemies (I got that feeling at least two or three times in Uncharted 3, which is a vastly superior game overall). The story is basic enough, yet it's not bad, neither is it excellent. It fits the game well.
I kinda wished they would develop the main character's personality a little more. It has probably been done in Gears 2 and 3, but at the end I felt like I knew what kind of guys Baird and Cole were, but not Marcus or Dom. I'm looking forward to learn more about them as the series progress.
Graphically I thought the game passes the test of time. It may look a bit static compared to what developers do today, but I didn't feel like I was playing an early-seventh-generation game, and that tells you a lot. In 2006 I might have said it looks pretty damn good. It may be a bit too dark at moments, I found myself closing the curtains, all the damn lights to try and see what the heck was going on. I loved the fact the game had a lot of music (certainly very epic at times) to accompany the overall action, it really added something to the general feel of the game.
I haven't even tried the online, yet I'd give it a 8.5, it's a very, very good game.
Funny thing is, when I first read that, there were 2 trailers that I immediately thought about : LBP2's quite long trailer with that catchy song by Passion Pit, and Gears of War "Mad World" trailer. Eventually I thought about all the other awesome trailers I've seen, most notably Bioshock Infinite's and Arkham City's this past year, but I thought it was amazing that I first thought of Gears' trailer mainly because I had never played the game.
Now I have, and to be honest I had high hopes for the game, as I did with Halo 3. Thankfully, they were not quickly shattered like Halo 3's because Gears is actually a great game. Sure, it's a bit over-violent and there may be one or two unnecessary "Kill that MOTHAF***ER baby!!", but it was still an enjoyable experience overall.
The gameplay is very solid, controls are easy and efficient. It's nothing revolutionary when you have played other cover-based TPS's, but I think that when it came out long ago, it was probably more of a novelty. Nonetheless, it's pretty good.
The campaign is quite short, I didn't actually clock it but I'd estimate it was no more than 6 or 7 hours long, and I'm pretty sure fast gamers could do it under 4 hours. Obviously I didn't expect much more from a linear shooter, especially one that made its name with online multiplayer. Pacing is good, and only once in the whole game did I get the feeling the developers "overkilled" a set piece/section of a chapter, stretching it pointlessly with endless enemies (I got that feeling at least two or three times in Uncharted 3, which is a vastly superior game overall). The story is basic enough, yet it's not bad, neither is it excellent. It fits the game well.
I kinda wished they would develop the main character's personality a little more. It has probably been done in Gears 2 and 3, but at the end I felt like I knew what kind of guys Baird and Cole were, but not Marcus or Dom. I'm looking forward to learn more about them as the series progress.
Graphically I thought the game passes the test of time. It may look a bit static compared to what developers do today, but I didn't feel like I was playing an early-seventh-generation game, and that tells you a lot. In 2006 I might have said it looks pretty damn good. It may be a bit too dark at moments, I found myself closing the curtains, all the damn lights to try and see what the heck was going on. I loved the fact the game had a lot of music (certainly very epic at times) to accompany the overall action, it really added something to the general feel of the game.
I haven't even tried the online, yet I'd give it a 8.5, it's a very, very good game.
lundi 21 novembre 2011
What's with Halo 3 (Halo 3 Review) ?
Before I begin "reviewing" Halo 3, let me start by saying how much I enjoyed Halo : Combat Evolved back in the early 00's. I never actually owned a Xbox, so I didn't play as much as I would have had I owned one. But all my friends did have one, so I must have played something between 15 and 20 hours. And from what I can remember, it was a very, very entertaining game, even if I couldn't have predicted the juggernaut the series became. It my personal Best games of All-Time list, I gave it a solid 9.2, good enough for 75th place, ahead of games like Killzone 2 and God of War 2.
Judging by the vast number of positive reviews the game gathered, I thought I was in for a thrilling ride. It turns out I was very much mistaken...
First off, the gameplay is pretty average. Controls are not precise, and the whole thing just feels wrong. At first I thought it was because I was used to playing games, and especially shooters, with a PS3 controller. It played a role, but not that much, because I'm currently playing Metro 2033, and while I'm still struggling a little bit with the controller, it plays infintely better than Halo 3. And I just finished Gears of War, another old 360 game, and the gameplay was excellent, so were the controls. However I look at it, gameplay was disappointing.
(I must say though that a few of the weapons were pretty cool to handle and felt original compared to what we see in most shooters.)
Now let's talk storyline. Granted, I didn't play Halo 2 and I didn't have much of an idea what was going on early on in Halo 3, and even halfway through much of it didn't make sense. That's not a good sign. A good sequel should be balanced enough so longtime fans are happy to see how it's linked to the wider story-arc, and newcomers aren't feeling completely lost. I felt Halo 3 missed that totally. And the missions were pretty damn boring for the most part. I didn't feel the urge or the need to complete them.
I won't comment much on the graphics of the game, since it's half-a-decade old and I might be biased against my will, especially since I'm currently playing Arkham City and Forza 4 and have just finished Uncharted 3. It's perfectly normal that Halo 3 can't stand up to what we see today. I'll just say that the game looks very "childish" when compared to other FPSs like Killzone, Call of Duty, Battlefield or even Halo Reach (from what I've seen in gameplay video).
Overall then, Halo 3 was a major disappointment for me. Though I'm sure the online was good enough to notch a few extra points, I don't think I would've been tempted to even try it after the mediocre campaign.
5.6/10
EDIT : The more I think about it, I cannot comprehend why gaming websites such as GameSpot gave it a 9.5. Then again, it's hard to trust that particular website, especially when they give high scores to wildly unoriginal sequels like MW2 (it had an awful campaign and copycat multiplayer), then gives 7.5 to Skyward Sword, widely recognized as one of the best Zelda games ever, on par with OoT which is still the highest-rated game ever. Astoundingly illogical, I know.
Judging by the vast number of positive reviews the game gathered, I thought I was in for a thrilling ride. It turns out I was very much mistaken...
First off, the gameplay is pretty average. Controls are not precise, and the whole thing just feels wrong. At first I thought it was because I was used to playing games, and especially shooters, with a PS3 controller. It played a role, but not that much, because I'm currently playing Metro 2033, and while I'm still struggling a little bit with the controller, it plays infintely better than Halo 3. And I just finished Gears of War, another old 360 game, and the gameplay was excellent, so were the controls. However I look at it, gameplay was disappointing.
(I must say though that a few of the weapons were pretty cool to handle and felt original compared to what we see in most shooters.)
Now let's talk storyline. Granted, I didn't play Halo 2 and I didn't have much of an idea what was going on early on in Halo 3, and even halfway through much of it didn't make sense. That's not a good sign. A good sequel should be balanced enough so longtime fans are happy to see how it's linked to the wider story-arc, and newcomers aren't feeling completely lost. I felt Halo 3 missed that totally. And the missions were pretty damn boring for the most part. I didn't feel the urge or the need to complete them.
I won't comment much on the graphics of the game, since it's half-a-decade old and I might be biased against my will, especially since I'm currently playing Arkham City and Forza 4 and have just finished Uncharted 3. It's perfectly normal that Halo 3 can't stand up to what we see today. I'll just say that the game looks very "childish" when compared to other FPSs like Killzone, Call of Duty, Battlefield or even Halo Reach (from what I've seen in gameplay video).
Overall then, Halo 3 was a major disappointment for me. Though I'm sure the online was good enough to notch a few extra points, I don't think I would've been tempted to even try it after the mediocre campaign.
5.6/10
EDIT : The more I think about it, I cannot comprehend why gaming websites such as GameSpot gave it a 9.5. Then again, it's hard to trust that particular website, especially when they give high scores to wildly unoriginal sequels like MW2 (it had an awful campaign and copycat multiplayer), then gives 7.5 to Skyward Sword, widely recognized as one of the best Zelda games ever, on par with OoT which is still the highest-rated game ever. Astoundingly illogical, I know.
dimanche 20 novembre 2011
Welcome!
Hello World!
Welcome to the Gerudo Fortress, a brand new gaming blog made by some 24 year old gamer living up north in peaceful - and somewhat boring - Canada.
First off, even if the blog is named after a famous mountainside fortress in the N64 classic Ocarina of Time, my blog will be dedicated to all three home consoles of this current gen, and a bit of Nintendo DS, the only portable system I own. Obviously I may jump back in time a few times, since I've started gaming in the very early 90s (1991, Super Marios Bros. on NES).
I must admit first that my gaming time this gen has been lopsided, with about 80% going into my PS3, and only about 15% (Nintendo exclusives, mainly) for the Wii and 5% for the Xbox. I've owned it for 2 years, but I started playing regularly only in the past few months (Forza 4, Halo 3, Gears and Fable II, Metro 2033).
Before any fanboys raise hell in my blog, bear in mind that while it may seem like I'll be heavily biased towards Sony's console, I'm always striving for objectivity. It has always seemed pretty stupid to me to try and defend a machine or some multibillionaire international company like Sony or Microsoft. I'll stick to what the machines/games offer, no matter what name they bear or what color they are.
Next up will be a little review of two of 360's most well-known exclusive titles, Halo 3 and Gears of War, both of which were played extensively last month (Single-player campaigns only, I've yet to try them online).
Oh, and before I finish, I just want to say that english is actually my third learned language after french and arabic. So if you find any spelling/grammar/anything mistakes, please tell me via the comments, so I can correct whatever was wrong with my writing. Thanks!
Take care people!
Welcome to the Gerudo Fortress, a brand new gaming blog made by some 24 year old gamer living up north in peaceful - and somewhat boring - Canada.
First off, even if the blog is named after a famous mountainside fortress in the N64 classic Ocarina of Time, my blog will be dedicated to all three home consoles of this current gen, and a bit of Nintendo DS, the only portable system I own. Obviously I may jump back in time a few times, since I've started gaming in the very early 90s (1991, Super Marios Bros. on NES).
I must admit first that my gaming time this gen has been lopsided, with about 80% going into my PS3, and only about 15% (Nintendo exclusives, mainly) for the Wii and 5% for the Xbox. I've owned it for 2 years, but I started playing regularly only in the past few months (Forza 4, Halo 3, Gears and Fable II, Metro 2033).
Before any fanboys raise hell in my blog, bear in mind that while it may seem like I'll be heavily biased towards Sony's console, I'm always striving for objectivity. It has always seemed pretty stupid to me to try and defend a machine or some multibillionaire international company like Sony or Microsoft. I'll stick to what the machines/games offer, no matter what name they bear or what color they are.
Next up will be a little review of two of 360's most well-known exclusive titles, Halo 3 and Gears of War, both of which were played extensively last month (Single-player campaigns only, I've yet to try them online).
Oh, and before I finish, I just want to say that english is actually my third learned language after french and arabic. So if you find any spelling/grammar/anything mistakes, please tell me via the comments, so I can correct whatever was wrong with my writing. Thanks!
Take care people!
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