In exactly 5 days*, Gearbox Software's Borderlands 2 will be released, and masses of gamers will flock game shops and websites to get their hands on a copy. In a way, I'll be one of them, since I've pre-ordered it back in June, when Canadian electronic store Future Shop had a E3 sale (4 E3-showcased games for the price of 3). However, as much hype as I have for Borderlands 2 - and I have a lot, since I love Borderlands so much it has a spot deeper in my gamer heart than any game this generation, even better ones - I couldn't help but think about the other over-hyped sequels of the past few years and get worried a bit.
Why? Because developers know sequels usually have a lot to live up to, and often try very hard (too hard?) to live up to their expectations and, even worse, gamers' expectations. And even when the critics applaud the sequel, giving it the same grade - or better - than the prequel, I usually find the original better.
The usual route for a sequel is "Bigger is better" where more explosions/guns/missions/treachery/quests/bigger boss fights/maps/powers/monsters/characters/fights/etc. means the game will likely be better. It is clearly not that simple.
Take, for example, inFamous, the 2009 PS3-exclusive open-world title where you play Cole McGrath, riddled with electric superpowers and has to choose whether he'll be good or evil towards citizens of Empire City while completing his missions. When inFamous 2 hit in 2011, with huge bosses, more powers, allies with other types of power (Ice & Fire), more varied enemies and less repetitive missions, most people thought it was a LOT better than the original. I didn't. Of course it had objectively more to offer, but more isn't necessarily better. I felt somewhat connected to the dark, unenthusiastic Cole of the first game, clearly not happy with the situation he was stuck in. The enemy, Kesler, was also a lot more interesting than "The Beast".
The same thing could be said of a lot of sequels. Only this generation, I thought Modern Warfare was vastly superior to both its sequels and Assassin's Creed II a lot better than Brotherhood (haven't tried Revelations). I also liked Arkham Asylum more than Arkham City (although City is objectively a superior game that I loved), enjoyed LittleBigPlanet more than LBP2 (still excellent though), Bioshock more than Bioshock 2 (superb as well), etc. And in some cases the sequel impossibly proved equal to the original, as we have seen with Portal 2 or Super Mario Galaxy 2. But in most cases, the original retains the new-IP "naïve" and "true" feeling of the game.
Why? I think it's because the first game usually has a LOT less expectations, and developers work almost without pressure (from the publisher, from the fans, from the critics and journalists, etc.) and put together a product closer to what they actually wanted to make. It will sound clichéd, but the original game seemingly comes from the heart and not the brain. Whereas there's too much "brain" in the sequels, and the final product often looks like an uneven mix of players' expectations and media pressure.
And I'm pretty sure that, in some cases, the sequel wasn't planned when the first game hit the shelves. And it shows. A lot more than what the developers were probably hoping. It seems like many of them decided to make a second game just because the first one worked, and not because the story or universe was meant to be continued or otherwise exploited.
*NOTE : This was actually written - almost all of it - 5 days before BL2 came out. It has been out for a week, I've played it for a few hours and really enjoyed it. More on that soon!
lundi 24 septembre 2012
mercredi 15 août 2012
The most Annoying Things in video games - Part I
I enjoy video games. And if you stumbled upon this blog, you probably do as well. However, as with basically everything in life, there are aspects of gaming that are simply bad or, in this case, "annoying". Why just "annoying"? Because it all comes down to perspective. Something I find deeply frustrating or unfair might very well please another gamer who likes that sort of things. It goes both ways as well. For example, I know many gamers don't like fetch quests found in many RPGs, but I usually don't mind them, especially since most of them are side quests anyways. You get the point. Today we'll talk about difficulty spikes.
Unless you've lived under a rock for the past five years, you've surely heard many gamers complain about the lack of difficulty in today's games. Sure, many games have either 56 checkpoints per chapter, or auto-aim, or in-game guides, or no-death gameplay, or slow-motion shootouts, or lazy A.I., etc. Anything to help the gamer get through the game without any hassle, just entertainment. And, to be honest, it suits many people quite well. I've got some friends who only want to play on easy because they don't wanna be bothered with restarting the same objective all over again, they just wanna be entertained and kill people and think as little as possible. Games are fun, period.
For other, this kind of laziness is basically the fall of mankind. They like it old-school, when games were tough and you had 3 lifes to get through the whole thing, period. They will enjoy Ninja Gaiden and Dark Souls, and will play each and every game on the toughest difficulty setting. They like to be challenged.
Me, I don't mind a challenge from time to time, but I like to play games to have fun and, more importantly, the way they were supposed to be played. In most cases, I will select "Normal" on the difficulty settings the first time I play a game. Sometimes, often for fun because I liked the game the first time around, or for a trophy hunt, I'll select a higher difficulty setting. In other words, I usually don't mind a bit of a challenge.
But there's something that REALLY gets on my nerves when I play a game : difficulty spikes. Obviously no game has even difficulty throughout, that would be boring. But some games go about their business for an hour or two, a few quests including a few fights, maybe a death or two while figuring out an enemy's weakness, but nothing out of the ordinary. Then BAM! you get to fight an enemy, sometimes a boss, who is absurdly stronger than anything you've ever seen. You might die 23 times before you are able to hit him. He has one-hit-kill attacks. You can barely get within 12 feet of his position. You might throw your controller so hard you break your neigbor's car window. And you stop playing the game, eject the disc and return to the shop to yell at the bewildered clerk. I might have exaggerated a wee bit, but you understand what I'm talking about.
Sometimes the enemy (or set piece, puzzle, adversary, race, etc.) makes sense, because you don't have the tools/weapons/skills yet and you've tried to defeat it too soon. Or you just didn't figure out what damages him (that happens a lot). But sometimes it's just too hard, way harder than it ever should be at this stage of the game. Even if it's an game ending boss. Like Crysis' final boss, the gigantic alien mech thingy on the battleship. I played the whole game on the hardest difficulty setting without suffering any major setbacks. A few tough set pieces, sure, but nothing appallingly hard. Then I get to the boss, and I do what I'm supposed to do at the beginning of the fight to make it weaker (those who played the game know). Then I shower him with thousands or bullets/rockets/whatever I have on me. No point, it doesn't affect it one tiny bit. But he can kill me with one attack, even if I'm BEHIND cover. I tried probably 15 times with a few different tactics, even went on www.gamefaqs.com (shame on me, I know, but it's a GREAT website for gaming help). Nothing doing. I still haven't finished the game to this day. And it's a great game.
I know some of you may find that boss easy, or not that hard, but it was the first example that came to mind. I could talk about a boss in Dragon Age II for which I lowered the difficulty TWICE, but still wasn't able to get through half of him and his army. Or that impossible set piece in Uncharted : Drake's Fortune (granted, it was on Crushing difficulty, so I can't complain) that I must have tried 30 times at least. I'm probably forgetting some... You probably all have an anecdote about a game you rage-quitted because of a difficulty spike, and please feel free to share in the comments.
Anyway, that's one of the most annoying things in video games, difficulty spikes.
Unless you've lived under a rock for the past five years, you've surely heard many gamers complain about the lack of difficulty in today's games. Sure, many games have either 56 checkpoints per chapter, or auto-aim, or in-game guides, or no-death gameplay, or slow-motion shootouts, or lazy A.I., etc. Anything to help the gamer get through the game without any hassle, just entertainment. And, to be honest, it suits many people quite well. I've got some friends who only want to play on easy because they don't wanna be bothered with restarting the same objective all over again, they just wanna be entertained and kill people and think as little as possible. Games are fun, period.
For other, this kind of laziness is basically the fall of mankind. They like it old-school, when games were tough and you had 3 lifes to get through the whole thing, period. They will enjoy Ninja Gaiden and Dark Souls, and will play each and every game on the toughest difficulty setting. They like to be challenged.
Me, I don't mind a challenge from time to time, but I like to play games to have fun and, more importantly, the way they were supposed to be played. In most cases, I will select "Normal" on the difficulty settings the first time I play a game. Sometimes, often for fun because I liked the game the first time around, or for a trophy hunt, I'll select a higher difficulty setting. In other words, I usually don't mind a bit of a challenge.
But there's something that REALLY gets on my nerves when I play a game : difficulty spikes. Obviously no game has even difficulty throughout, that would be boring. But some games go about their business for an hour or two, a few quests including a few fights, maybe a death or two while figuring out an enemy's weakness, but nothing out of the ordinary. Then BAM! you get to fight an enemy, sometimes a boss, who is absurdly stronger than anything you've ever seen. You might die 23 times before you are able to hit him. He has one-hit-kill attacks. You can barely get within 12 feet of his position. You might throw your controller so hard you break your neigbor's car window. And you stop playing the game, eject the disc and return to the shop to yell at the bewildered clerk. I might have exaggerated a wee bit, but you understand what I'm talking about.
Sometimes the enemy (or set piece, puzzle, adversary, race, etc.) makes sense, because you don't have the tools/weapons/skills yet and you've tried to defeat it too soon. Or you just didn't figure out what damages him (that happens a lot). But sometimes it's just too hard, way harder than it ever should be at this stage of the game. Even if it's an game ending boss. Like Crysis' final boss, the gigantic alien mech thingy on the battleship. I played the whole game on the hardest difficulty setting without suffering any major setbacks. A few tough set pieces, sure, but nothing appallingly hard. Then I get to the boss, and I do what I'm supposed to do at the beginning of the fight to make it weaker (those who played the game know). Then I shower him with thousands or bullets/rockets/whatever I have on me. No point, it doesn't affect it one tiny bit. But he can kill me with one attack, even if I'm BEHIND cover. I tried probably 15 times with a few different tactics, even went on www.gamefaqs.com (shame on me, I know, but it's a GREAT website for gaming help). Nothing doing. I still haven't finished the game to this day. And it's a great game.
I know some of you may find that boss easy, or not that hard, but it was the first example that came to mind. I could talk about a boss in Dragon Age II for which I lowered the difficulty TWICE, but still wasn't able to get through half of him and his army. Or that impossible set piece in Uncharted : Drake's Fortune (granted, it was on Crushing difficulty, so I can't complain) that I must have tried 30 times at least. I'm probably forgetting some... You probably all have an anecdote about a game you rage-quitted because of a difficulty spike, and please feel free to share in the comments.
Anyway, that's one of the most annoying things in video games, difficulty spikes.
mercredi 18 juillet 2012
The joy of having no expectation
I'm the type of gamer - and the type of person in general - who
really likes to know what's what. In other words, I'm not a big fan of
unexpected moments in my life. When my wife and I are going to rent a
movie or go to the theater, I usually go on Rotten Tomatoes and/or
Wikipedia to look at various things like critics, movie length,
synopsis, etc. When I go to the mall I like to know what stores I'll
have to go to, how much time I'll stay there, etc. And, obviously, when I
buy a game (I very rarely rent one), I'll watch/read reviews, sometimes
forums, consult the trophy/achievement list, ask what the length might
be, if there's any bonus if it's bought new, who's the developer, etc. I
just like to be safe. What happens then when you throw safety out of
the window?
I recently went to the local game store where I bought, for 15 dollars, two relatively old PS3 games I knew very little about. In fact I had never read a review nor watched a gameplay video for either game. And I don't think I've ever done that this gen, except perhaps for PSN titles, which were very cheap or even free. Anyways, those games were X-Men Origins : Wolverine and Wolfenstein. In fact I knew so little about the games it so happened that both were made by Raven Software and published by Activision. Not unlike, ironically, one of my favorite "non-mainstream" games this gen : Singularity.
Let's start with Wolfenstein, which I finished, in approximately 7 hours, earlier this week. For the first half I really enjoyed it, thought it was great... but the pleasure didn't last and I somewhat had to convince myself I should finish it. The story was uninteresting because of the way it was presented, the characters were bland and had horrible voice acting (Why would Germans speak english to each other with a German accent? Why not simply speak German with subtitles?), but at least the gameplay was sharp. The powers your character could use weren't balanced at all, but they made some sense and at least one of them was pretty fun to use. The boss fights were OK for the most part, except for one near the end which was completely pointless and boring. Overall the gameplay and original guns saved the game, and I daresay it was a good game. Especially since I didn't except anything from this game, nothing at all.
Now, as for X-Men, it's another thing completely. I have to say I haven't finished it yet, but so far I would say it's probably the best "Beat'em up" or "GoW-clone" I've played since... well probably the first God of War. The fact that I've always liked X-Men and especially the character of Wolverine (not original, I know) helped somewhat, but the game itself is VERY entertaining. Sure it's a bloodbath, but somehow that negative side got drowned (no pun intended) by the pure joy brought by the awesome gameplay. The "Lunge" game mechanic by itself is worth the 5$ I've paid for the game. And now I feel sad I didn't pay more for the game, or even bought it new, to encourage Raven for making such a great game. It's not over yet, but so far it's a LOT more than I ever expected.
On that note, my PS+ subscription gave me the opportunity to get Gotham City Impostors for free. That's another game I feel ashamed not paying for. Since it's easily worth the 15$ it's asking for. Or it would, if the matchmaking wasn't so broken. But when it works, it's FPS-multiplayer fun very few games could match.
I'm glad I tried those three games without thinking about what they were or how they were rated by anyone. I might do that more often now. I WILL do that more often, even if I sometimes am disappointed by the result.
I recently went to the local game store where I bought, for 15 dollars, two relatively old PS3 games I knew very little about. In fact I had never read a review nor watched a gameplay video for either game. And I don't think I've ever done that this gen, except perhaps for PSN titles, which were very cheap or even free. Anyways, those games were X-Men Origins : Wolverine and Wolfenstein. In fact I knew so little about the games it so happened that both were made by Raven Software and published by Activision. Not unlike, ironically, one of my favorite "non-mainstream" games this gen : Singularity.
Let's start with Wolfenstein, which I finished, in approximately 7 hours, earlier this week. For the first half I really enjoyed it, thought it was great... but the pleasure didn't last and I somewhat had to convince myself I should finish it. The story was uninteresting because of the way it was presented, the characters were bland and had horrible voice acting (Why would Germans speak english to each other with a German accent? Why not simply speak German with subtitles?), but at least the gameplay was sharp. The powers your character could use weren't balanced at all, but they made some sense and at least one of them was pretty fun to use. The boss fights were OK for the most part, except for one near the end which was completely pointless and boring. Overall the gameplay and original guns saved the game, and I daresay it was a good game. Especially since I didn't except anything from this game, nothing at all.
Now, as for X-Men, it's another thing completely. I have to say I haven't finished it yet, but so far I would say it's probably the best "Beat'em up" or "GoW-clone" I've played since... well probably the first God of War. The fact that I've always liked X-Men and especially the character of Wolverine (not original, I know) helped somewhat, but the game itself is VERY entertaining. Sure it's a bloodbath, but somehow that negative side got drowned (no pun intended) by the pure joy brought by the awesome gameplay. The "Lunge" game mechanic by itself is worth the 5$ I've paid for the game. And now I feel sad I didn't pay more for the game, or even bought it new, to encourage Raven for making such a great game. It's not over yet, but so far it's a LOT more than I ever expected.
On that note, my PS+ subscription gave me the opportunity to get Gotham City Impostors for free. That's another game I feel ashamed not paying for. Since it's easily worth the 15$ it's asking for. Or it would, if the matchmaking wasn't so broken. But when it works, it's FPS-multiplayer fun very few games could match.
I'm glad I tried those three games without thinking about what they were or how they were rated by anyone. I might do that more often now. I WILL do that more often, even if I sometimes am disappointed by the result.
mercredi 6 juin 2012
Thoughts on a Journey
A quick glance around Internet or, if you’re
kicking it old school like I am sometimes and head out to the store to grab a
gaming magazine, you will have noticed that game reviews, by
« journalists » or by « normal » gamers, are wildly
different from one another. Sure, this last sentence could be a statement made
by good old Captain Obvious, but let me explain myself.
Not every gamer is looking for the same thing
when he/she plays a game. Of course, most of us are just looking to have fun
and/or kill some time. After all, video games are an entertainment medium like
TV shows or movies at the theater. However, when you play enough games, you
start to look beyond the whole « entertainment » value of a game,
which never entirely disappears, but seems to take a back seat to something
else.
That’s when you might start looking for a game
that will test some skills in a very specific way, like Real-Time Strategy if
you’re the armchair general type, online shooters if you’re the competitive
soldier with an all-world K/D ratio, deep Role-Playing games if you’re a mad completionist, Puzzle games if you
want to work your brains out, Racing games if you think you’re the second
coming of Ayrton Senna, Fighting games for the combo-loving, leaderboard-topping
digital master etc.
Or you might be looking for a specific trait
in a game. An intense atmosphere like in Bioshock or most Resident Evil
games ? Non-stop action à la Call of
Duty ? Emotional attachment as in Ico or Enslaved ? Infinite replayability
as in LittleBigPlanet ? Nostalgia in Sonic Generations ? The feeling
of freedom of GTA IV ? Hollywood script and action like in Uncharted
2 ? Exquisite graphics like in The Witcher II : Assassins of Kings ?
The list goes on.
When I bought, then played, PSN-exclusive
Journey, one word came to mind. Experience. Journey is unique, like nothing
I’ve ever played before or will ever play again. I don’t think we’ll see a
Journey-clone like we see gazillions or GTA-clones and CoD-clones. You play through
the whole game, likely in a single sitting since it’s pretty short, without
hearing or reading a single word. The objective, seen through a gamer’s eye, is
to reach the summit of a omnipresent mountain, although it’s hard to pinpoint
the exact motivation to do so. You encounter allies and enemies, but not in the
usual « video game » sense. And the artistic design is unreal, the
places you get to visit - be it desert, cave, snowy moutain - are all a sight
to behold. You get the feeling you’re living a unique experience, and that’s
what makes the game superb, borderline legendary.
It’s a game I can’t rate properly because most
of the usual criterias I use to rate a game (gameplay, storyline, presentation,
etc.) don’t really matter. It can’t be compared with « mainstream »
games that I usually play and rate, like Portal 2, Skyrim, DiRT 3, Battlefield
3, etc. It certainly wouldn’t get lower than a 9, and probably much higher if I
looked at which games got a 9 this generation.
Anyway, it is a great game that you just have
to experience, not play.
mercredi 28 mars 2012
What Am I Playing NOW - Part II
So these past few weeks I've gone over more than a few games, traded-in about 8, bought 4 and started/finished some games on PSN I had bought a few weeks/months ago without playing them.
What's new?
The 4 games I bought : SSX, Ace Combat : Assault Horizon, Sonic Generations and DiRT 3.
SSX : Very, very good but somewhat infuriating at times for weird difficulty spikes. It takes quite some time getting used to the controls, especially in some "Survive" events where the track is usually narrower. You move your joystick a millimeter and your character goes flying a 100mph in a unexpected death hole on your left. It gets better when you get the feel for the different events and characters' abilities. But overall, it's a extremely fun game, and it's pretty rewarding as well when you win some races or "Trick it" events (I'm only a third into the career mode and have only done 20/160 events in Explore). When you get the grip of it : how to land tricks and stick together a combo, which characters to use when, how to use the different equipment, it becomes an exhilarating experience.
Ace Combat : Assault Horizon : Haven't started it yet, got it today...
Sonic Generations : I only did a few levels, but so far it's pretty fun, even if in side-scrolling mode it almost gave me a headache for unknown reasons (never happened to me before, pretty weird). I can't really pronounce myself on the game so far but it looks (a lot?) better than Sonic 4, which I feel was off with its controls and level design.
DiRT 3 : I first got DiRT 2, did about 25 career events then lost all my data when my PS3 died. So I went and got DiRT 3 Complete Edition instead of starting it all over again. (It doesn't make much sense, I know). Opus #3 feels more modern and polished, less "extreme" than the previous one, which captured better what rallying is about in its presentation. It's not a bad thing, just a style change. But the important part, the racing, feels as awesome as ever. It's a bit hard on slippery and uneven terrain (I never played a rally game before this one), but it is SO amazing to play.
PSN : Basically, I "finished" Crysis in a few days, finished Sly Cooper 1 HD in 3-4 days, started Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare.
Crysis : I was REALLY looking forward to this game, having heard reviewers and hordes of PC gamers sing its praises for years. I like the fact it gives you a lot more freedom than Crysis 2, you could always decide how to attack a base or complete an objective. The graphics are still amazing 4-5 years later (seriously, how the f*** did they do that?) and the gameplay is solid. Now I haven't finished the game yet, because I cannot figure out how the hell you beat that final alien/mech thing on the boat. I get killed in one-shot even if I'm hiding behind cover, my attacks don't do nothing to him/it. So I'm stuck there, if you can believe it. And it was easy all the way through (even on Hard/Delta). I don't understand... But apart from that, it's a great, great game.
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus : I got this game for free (PS+ is worth it if you like to try many, many games, I'm telling you) and I really enjoyed it. I didn't have the chance to own a PS2 so that's one of the many gaming classics I've never tried. It's very easy, sure, but it's very enjoyable nonetheless. The story served the game well and was interesting enough, the locations were diverse and fun to play through, the characters endearing (well I did get mad at Murray in those levels you have to protect him, but that's only twice and it lasts about 2 minutes or so) and it simply looks great, HD or not.
Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare : Got this one at a surprising discount, the whole game was a mere 25$ (Red Dead AND Undead Nightmare) on PSN (PS+, again). The downside? Both games take about 18 gigs of HDD space together... good thing I've got a 500gb disk then... On to the game then. I liked Red Dead Redemption quite a lot, and was eager to see whether this expansion pack was really as great as reviewers made it out to be. Well so far it's pretty damn good! They did a good job keeping the same locations with those cool and crazy NPCs while going in another direction completely. And hey, who doesn't like to shoot some zombies in the head? No one! It's great fun to explore that world once again. I've only just started though, with only 3 or 4 main quests done and 2 side quests completed.
Side note to developers everywhere : THAT's how you make DLC/expansions worth their price.
What else?
Well I've lost my game save in Skyrim (that REALLY sucks...) so I'll start over again soon enough.... And there's something deeply wrong with NBA 2k12 in-game rating system... Oh, and I'm nearing on lvl 45 in Battlefield 3 multiplayer, I'm currently sitting at lvl 44, with a K/D ratio of about 2.1... You can add The Witcher 2 (360) on my 2012's most-wanted list. I really want to try this game...
What's new?
The 4 games I bought : SSX, Ace Combat : Assault Horizon, Sonic Generations and DiRT 3.
SSX : Very, very good but somewhat infuriating at times for weird difficulty spikes. It takes quite some time getting used to the controls, especially in some "Survive" events where the track is usually narrower. You move your joystick a millimeter and your character goes flying a 100mph in a unexpected death hole on your left. It gets better when you get the feel for the different events and characters' abilities. But overall, it's a extremely fun game, and it's pretty rewarding as well when you win some races or "Trick it" events (I'm only a third into the career mode and have only done 20/160 events in Explore). When you get the grip of it : how to land tricks and stick together a combo, which characters to use when, how to use the different equipment, it becomes an exhilarating experience.
Ace Combat : Assault Horizon : Haven't started it yet, got it today...
Sonic Generations : I only did a few levels, but so far it's pretty fun, even if in side-scrolling mode it almost gave me a headache for unknown reasons (never happened to me before, pretty weird). I can't really pronounce myself on the game so far but it looks (a lot?) better than Sonic 4, which I feel was off with its controls and level design.
DiRT 3 : I first got DiRT 2, did about 25 career events then lost all my data when my PS3 died. So I went and got DiRT 3 Complete Edition instead of starting it all over again. (It doesn't make much sense, I know). Opus #3 feels more modern and polished, less "extreme" than the previous one, which captured better what rallying is about in its presentation. It's not a bad thing, just a style change. But the important part, the racing, feels as awesome as ever. It's a bit hard on slippery and uneven terrain (I never played a rally game before this one), but it is SO amazing to play.
PSN : Basically, I "finished" Crysis in a few days, finished Sly Cooper 1 HD in 3-4 days, started Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare.
Crysis : I was REALLY looking forward to this game, having heard reviewers and hordes of PC gamers sing its praises for years. I like the fact it gives you a lot more freedom than Crysis 2, you could always decide how to attack a base or complete an objective. The graphics are still amazing 4-5 years later (seriously, how the f*** did they do that?) and the gameplay is solid. Now I haven't finished the game yet, because I cannot figure out how the hell you beat that final alien/mech thing on the boat. I get killed in one-shot even if I'm hiding behind cover, my attacks don't do nothing to him/it. So I'm stuck there, if you can believe it. And it was easy all the way through (even on Hard/Delta). I don't understand... But apart from that, it's a great, great game.
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus : I got this game for free (PS+ is worth it if you like to try many, many games, I'm telling you) and I really enjoyed it. I didn't have the chance to own a PS2 so that's one of the many gaming classics I've never tried. It's very easy, sure, but it's very enjoyable nonetheless. The story served the game well and was interesting enough, the locations were diverse and fun to play through, the characters endearing (well I did get mad at Murray in those levels you have to protect him, but that's only twice and it lasts about 2 minutes or so) and it simply looks great, HD or not.
Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare : Got this one at a surprising discount, the whole game was a mere 25$ (Red Dead AND Undead Nightmare) on PSN (PS+, again). The downside? Both games take about 18 gigs of HDD space together... good thing I've got a 500gb disk then... On to the game then. I liked Red Dead Redemption quite a lot, and was eager to see whether this expansion pack was really as great as reviewers made it out to be. Well so far it's pretty damn good! They did a good job keeping the same locations with those cool and crazy NPCs while going in another direction completely. And hey, who doesn't like to shoot some zombies in the head? No one! It's great fun to explore that world once again. I've only just started though, with only 3 or 4 main quests done and 2 side quests completed.
Side note to developers everywhere : THAT's how you make DLC/expansions worth their price.
What else?
Well I've lost my game save in Skyrim (that REALLY sucks...) so I'll start over again soon enough.... And there's something deeply wrong with NBA 2k12 in-game rating system... Oh, and I'm nearing on lvl 45 in Battlefield 3 multiplayer, I'm currently sitting at lvl 44, with a K/D ratio of about 2.1... You can add The Witcher 2 (360) on my 2012's most-wanted list. I really want to try this game...
lundi 26 mars 2012
Bara_Chat's 2011 Games of the Year Awards!
Here are the Awards for a fantastic 2011 in gaming!
Most impressive graphics
Being a car nut, I have to admit I may have been biased when choosing who would win this award. But anyone who played the game has to admit it looks absolutely fantastic, especially the Autovista mode, which is rather enjoyable on top of being very pretty.
And do keep in mind that I have only played console games this year. Maybe having a über-PC would have changed things, as user Youtube videos of Battlefield 3 and The Witcher 2 have thoroughly impressed me.
Best Action/Adventure Game
A pretty loaded category this year (as it is every year) with Zelda taking the honors. It's everything you expect from a Zelda game. Interesting characters, huge world, sheer diversity in places to explore and gameplay to exploit. A true Zelda game.
Best Sports Game
Another potentially biased award, since I'm a basketball nut, so it would be logical for me to select NBA 2K12 as the winner of this category. In fact, the fact that I know basketball so well makes me extremely severe when judging a basketball game, especially one who is widely considered "realistic". 2K12 is not bad by any means, but there are too many flaws for such a "great" (according to reviews) game. NHL 12 on the other hand, is a fantastic game, as it has been since its '09 iteration. It might be a bit too hard to score on some occasions, but gaming sports experience doesn't get better.
Best FPS campaign
A few surprises this year in this category, most notably the presence of MW3, whose predecessor's campaign was a big pile of poop. But MW3's campaign was a lot better. I also thought, at the start of 2011, that Battlefield 3's campaign would be epic. It was not. At all. And finally Resistance 3, with its finely paced campaign with interesting characters and set pieces, stole the show. It was probably the most pleasant surprise of the year, and it deserves this award.
Best RPG
I'm usually not a huge RPG fan, but there's something about Bethesda's work that just ticks with me. I absolutely loved Fallout 3, which was probably the game I played the most this generation (about 200 hours). New Vegas was in some ways better than #3, but overall a bit less satisfying. Oblivion is widely considered a masterpiece, and even if I haven't finished it yet, I find it pretty good as well. But Skyrim is something else. The way it plays, the variety of characters and quests, the sheer size of it, everything is amazing. It might even challenge Fallout 3 as the best RPG (in my opinion) of this generation.
Best Competitive Multiplayer
In this year of high quality no. 3s (honetly shooter fans were blessed in 2011 and I haven't even tried Gears 3 yet...), one stood above the rest with its multiplayer. Battlefield 3, with its gigantic maps, tons of guns, aircrafts, tanks, jeeps, IFVs, to name a few features, absolutely ruled the year. And after seeing a few PC gameplay videos, I'm positive that the complete BF3 experience is even bigger and better that I ever thought.
Best Story
Most immersive game
A bit like Fallout 3, Skyrim captures the feeling of the world it's depicting. Fallout 3's Capital Wasteland really felt like a cruel, dangerous and desolate place with a plethora of intriguing places, interesting characters and many, many quests to keep you connected to the world. Skyrim goes the same way, with a world so alive and breathing, you feel like a part of something special.
Best voice acting
That's a very, very tough one. All of these games had extremely convincing voice acting that helped propel the story to another level. If I had to choose a complete cast, I'd go with Uncharted 3 or Batman, but one character simply dominated the scene in 2011, and that's Wheatley from Portal 2. Of course GlaDos and Cave Johnson were fantastic, as well as the "personality spheres" in the final battle, but man, that metal ball certainly made me laugh and wonder throughout the whole game. A remarkable job by Valve and its voice actors.
Best sound design
I've never realized how much sound design can affect the realism of game until I've played Battlefield : Bad Company 2 in early 2010. Of course I've known about the impact of well composed music and jingles in some games, especially in the long run (All of us know the opening-a-treasure-chest jingle in Zelda games or the 1-up in Mario games), but this was something else. The sound made by dropping bullets indoors vs outdoors, the whizzing sound of a distant sniper missing you by inches, the explosion of a rocket on a nearby tank. And Battlefield 3 took that formula and expanded it even further. It's just amazing to hear.
Best music
Video game music is nearly on par with the best Hollywood has to offer. Just play a bit of Uncharted and Gears of War and you'll feel like you're watching a $200M blockbuster. However, Skyrim's music was simply mind-blowing, starting with an absolutely superb trailer that sent shivers through your body. That's the definition of Epic.
Game of The Year 2011
Celebrating its 25th birthday in 2011, The Legend of Zelda clearly isn't showing signs of slowing down. It's simply amazing how a video game series can last that long with so many iterations without ever feeling old or déjà-vu. New items/weapons stand next to the traditional ones without feeling out of place, dungeons are as creative as ever, the music is fantastic, the gameplay - while taking some time to get used to - manages to keep you involved like never before, even without HD technology, it's a beautiful game, etc. It really has it all. Nintendo has mastered the art (as we've seen with Super Mario Galaxy and #2) of sticking true to its roots while always improving and innovating.
Most impressive graphics
- Crysis 2
- Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception
- Forza Motorsports 4
- Rage
- L.A. Noire
Being a car nut, I have to admit I may have been biased when choosing who would win this award. But anyone who played the game has to admit it looks absolutely fantastic, especially the Autovista mode, which is rather enjoyable on top of being very pretty.
And do keep in mind that I have only played console games this year. Maybe having a über-PC would have changed things, as user Youtube videos of Battlefield 3 and The Witcher 2 have thoroughly impressed me.
Best Action/Adventure Game
- The Legend of Zelda : Skyward Sword
- InFamous 2
- L.A. Noire
- Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception
- Batman : Arkham Asylum
A pretty loaded category this year (as it is every year) with Zelda taking the honors. It's everything you expect from a Zelda game. Interesting characters, huge world, sheer diversity in places to explore and gameplay to exploit. A true Zelda game.
Best Sports Game
- NBA 2K12
- NHL 12
- Top Spin 4
Another potentially biased award, since I'm a basketball nut, so it would be logical for me to select NBA 2K12 as the winner of this category. In fact, the fact that I know basketball so well makes me extremely severe when judging a basketball game, especially one who is widely considered "realistic". 2K12 is not bad by any means, but there are too many flaws for such a "great" (according to reviews) game. NHL 12 on the other hand, is a fantastic game, as it has been since its '09 iteration. It might be a bit too hard to score on some occasions, but gaming sports experience doesn't get better.
Best FPS campaign
- Modern Warfare 3
- Resistance 3
- Crysis 2
- Rage
A few surprises this year in this category, most notably the presence of MW3, whose predecessor's campaign was a big pile of poop. But MW3's campaign was a lot better. I also thought, at the start of 2011, that Battlefield 3's campaign would be epic. It was not. At all. And finally Resistance 3, with its finely paced campaign with interesting characters and set pieces, stole the show. It was probably the most pleasant surprise of the year, and it deserves this award.
Best RPG
- The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim
- Deus Ex : Human Revolution
- The Lord of the Rings : War in the North
- Two Worlds II
I'm usually not a huge RPG fan, but there's something about Bethesda's work that just ticks with me. I absolutely loved Fallout 3, which was probably the game I played the most this generation (about 200 hours). New Vegas was in some ways better than #3, but overall a bit less satisfying. Oblivion is widely considered a masterpiece, and even if I haven't finished it yet, I find it pretty good as well. But Skyrim is something else. The way it plays, the variety of characters and quests, the sheer size of it, everything is amazing. It might even challenge Fallout 3 as the best RPG (in my opinion) of this generation.
Best Competitive Multiplayer
- Battlefield 3
- Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception
- Modern Warfare 3
- Killzone 3
- Resistance 3
In this year of high quality no. 3s (honetly shooter fans were blessed in 2011 and I haven't even tried Gears 3 yet...), one stood above the rest with its multiplayer. Battlefield 3, with its gigantic maps, tons of guns, aircrafts, tanks, jeeps, IFVs, to name a few features, absolutely ruled the year. And after seeing a few PC gameplay videos, I'm positive that the complete BF3 experience is even bigger and better that I ever thought.
Best Story
- Batman : Arkham City
- Portal 2
- Deus Ex : Human Revolution
- The Legend of Zelda : Skyward Sword
- The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim
Most immersive game
- Rage
- Batman : Arkham City
- The Legend of Zelda : Skyward Sword
- The Lord of the Rings : War in the North
- The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim
A bit like Fallout 3, Skyrim captures the feeling of the world it's depicting. Fallout 3's Capital Wasteland really felt like a cruel, dangerous and desolate place with a plethora of intriguing places, interesting characters and many, many quests to keep you connected to the world. Skyrim goes the same way, with a world so alive and breathing, you feel like a part of something special.
Best voice acting
- Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception
- Portal 2
- Batman : Arkham City
- Deus Ex : Human Revolution
- L.A. Noire
That's a very, very tough one. All of these games had extremely convincing voice acting that helped propel the story to another level. If I had to choose a complete cast, I'd go with Uncharted 3 or Batman, but one character simply dominated the scene in 2011, and that's Wheatley from Portal 2. Of course GlaDos and Cave Johnson were fantastic, as well as the "personality spheres" in the final battle, but man, that metal ball certainly made me laugh and wonder throughout the whole game. A remarkable job by Valve and its voice actors.
Best sound design
- Battlefield 3
- Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception
- Portal 2
- Crysis 2
I've never realized how much sound design can affect the realism of game until I've played Battlefield : Bad Company 2 in early 2010. Of course I've known about the impact of well composed music and jingles in some games, especially in the long run (All of us know the opening-a-treasure-chest jingle in Zelda games or the 1-up in Mario games), but this was something else. The sound made by dropping bullets indoors vs outdoors, the whizzing sound of a distant sniper missing you by inches, the explosion of a rocket on a nearby tank. And Battlefield 3 took that formula and expanded it even further. It's just amazing to hear.
Best music
- The Legend of Zelda : Skyward Sword
- The Lord of the Rings : War in the North
- The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim
- Batman : Arkham City
- Gears of War 3
Video game music is nearly on par with the best Hollywood has to offer. Just play a bit of Uncharted and Gears of War and you'll feel like you're watching a $200M blockbuster. However, Skyrim's music was simply mind-blowing, starting with an absolutely superb trailer that sent shivers through your body. That's the definition of Epic.
Game of The Year 2011
- The Legend of Zelda : Skyward Sword
- Portal 2
- Batman : Arkham City
- Deus Ex : Human Revolution
- Forza Motorsports 4
- Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception
- The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim
- Rayman Origins
- Gears of War 3
Celebrating its 25th birthday in 2011, The Legend of Zelda clearly isn't showing signs of slowing down. It's simply amazing how a video game series can last that long with so many iterations without ever feeling old or déjà-vu. New items/weapons stand next to the traditional ones without feeling out of place, dungeons are as creative as ever, the music is fantastic, the gameplay - while taking some time to get used to - manages to keep you involved like never before, even without HD technology, it's a beautiful game, etc. It really has it all. Nintendo has mastered the art (as we've seen with Super Mario Galaxy and #2) of sticking true to its roots while always improving and innovating.
vendredi 9 mars 2012
Kudos to Sony's Customer Service
So last week I wrote a small post about my PS3 breaking up. I sent it this monday via Purolator and, amazingly enough, I already got it back from Sony. To be honest, I was not expecting it for at least another week, and I was being optimistic, because I've read on forums that it would take like 6 weeks... Just that makes me happy.
Anyway, great news I got today.
Well since I didn't have my main console for the week, I had the opportunity to finish Gears 3 to round up a great trilogy (more on that in a later post), play a bit of Naruto (good game, not awesome) and Left 4 Dead (Very good at times, but falls short on other occasions). I also bought Halo Anniversary with the power of nostalgia, thinking about all those times I played with friends a decade ago... And I'm very close to finishing Skyward Sword.
All in all, a pretty good week, videogame-wise.
Anyway, great news I got today.
Well since I didn't have my main console for the week, I had the opportunity to finish Gears 3 to round up a great trilogy (more on that in a later post), play a bit of Naruto (good game, not awesome) and Left 4 Dead (Very good at times, but falls short on other occasions). I also bought Halo Anniversary with the power of nostalgia, thinking about all those times I played with friends a decade ago... And I'm very close to finishing Skyward Sword.
All in all, a pretty good week, videogame-wise.
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