Get hyped for: Dark Sector

Guyver

Watch for: Dark Sector

Normally, I go around and tell all my friends about hyped games, or games I think that just about anybody would like (if given a chance).

Then there are the games that I follow that I don’t really tell anybody about. I don’t think everyone should play them. They probably won’t be 9.0+ games. But who cares? These are games I think look interesting to me, and you may think so too.

To kick this off: Dark Sector.

This game looks damn violent and damn fun. Two words: Guyver, and “Predator-disc-weapon.”

Okay, so I cheated on that disc weapon. And it is doubtful anyone knows Guyver (either the anime, or the live action american films). I’ve seen large chunks of both. They are both awesome in a very 80’s action kind of way. Think Ninja Turtles movies, but with blades on the elbows.

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Trilogies – Engine reuse without the Guilt?

Matrix Revolution

Trilogies – Engine reuse without the Guilt?

Look. Not everything needs a sequel. Most things should not be designed with the intent of spreading out content. Yes, yes, episodic content is all the rage right now, but the development cycles aren’t there yet. Just look at Valve and their “HalfLife episodes 1-3 = HalfLife3” I bet you their next HalfLife sure as shit isn’t called HalfLife 4. Just because Lord of the Rings did it does NOT mean everyone should be able to sell the same thing 3 times. The reason LoTR did it is because it is a 12 hour movie. You offer me that much more substantial and new content in a trilogy and I’ll be pleased. The problem is: this isn’t happening. The 2nd and 3rd titles each have only a year of turn around, and are rushed to the holiday market. They lack the polish the original had, look and do no better than the original, and are only an extension. They aren’t a sequel, they are an expansion pack. See: amazing “Baldur’s Gate 2: Throne of Bhaal.”

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I finally beat: Prince of Persia Classic

PoP Achievment

I finally beat: Prince of Persia Classic

Delayed, I know, but I did beat it a couple of months ago. In short order, even. It came out. I played it and had it done in just a day or two.

Shut up. I know it is “just an hour long.”

Well, Prince of Persia Classic hit Live just a while ago. A remake of quite an old game. Does it sand up to the test of time? <See that intential typo there?>

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Bioshock – The rich man's Stubbs the Zombie

Stubbs the Zombie

Bioshock – The rich man’s Stubbs the Zombie

Something has been bugging me since I finished Bioshock a few weeks ago. I realized that, while I enjoyed the environments, I hadn’t found them quite as interesting as everyone was saying. The outside vistas were amazing (the one time you got to see them at the beginning of the game, and the occasional look outside a window), but the inside’s art deco setting just was not as jaw dropping pretty as I wanted them to be.

I have just realized: I played this game before. Outsider interloper from the past enters a Utopia built by a single man with a dream. Innate characteristic of foreigner brings change to society and pits character against enigmatic city founder. It a 1959’s retro/futuristic setting.

“But wait, Phokal. Bioshock takes place in 1960.”

“Your right, sir, but Stubbs the Zombie is placed in 1959.”

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Homeworld 2 Mod makes Jump to Lightspeed

SoaSE Warlords Mod Super Star Destroyer

Homeworld 2 Mod makes Jump to Lightspeed

This will be amazing. I’ve seen this HW2 mod in action, and having it brought into a realtime 4x environment should be something to be excited for.

http://warlords.swrebellion.com/wp/

Dubbed “Warlords” (worst descriptive name ever?), this mod turned Homeworld 2 into a star wars fleet command game. It features dozens and dozens of canon ships from the movies, books, and comics. Each were intricately detailed, scaled, and with accurate weapons fire and soundfx.

If he brings just the models over to Sins for an upgrade for fleet commands and skirmishes, it’ll be quite nice. If he gets the 4x part introduced, recreating the galactic conflict on a multi-system scale…well,… that’ll just be damn impressive.

Perhaps a even a system seller. It is hard to build deserved hype for mods. So many go on to unfulfilled promises. Others don’t go on at all, and are never released in a stable, easy to install state. But some go on to be the best games ever released (see: Team Fortress, Counter Strike, Tower Defense (Warcraft3)). I’m sure there are others I’m missing that are considered classics of gaming. This guy has already released his first mod for HW2, so he’s done it before. Here’s hoping he doesn’t have school/a kid/job/life get in the way of destroying our free time.

Good Luck, Warlords guy (EvilleJedi?).

Orange Box for the PC = Same price as TF2 alone for PC

TF Sniper and Pyro

Orange Box for the PC = Same price as TF2 alone for PC

Alright, here is amazon’s deal of the day:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000PS2XES/ref=nosim/cheapassgam08-20

It is Orange Box for the same price ($30) as Portal, TF2, or other parts are individually. If you were contemplating picking up just TF2 for the PC, now is the time to get it, and get the other games for free.

via Cheapassgamer

Can games tell stories? Why or why not?

Can games tell stories?  Why or why not?

What stops a game from telling a story? Why do some people play through the most craptastic turn based battle gameplay and horrible graphics to experience a story, while others cannot skip the briefest cinematic quick enough to get back to shooting nazis and terrorists? I think it is a safe assumption that most any gamer likes story (movies, tv, books), just not necessarily in their game.

https://www.donttellmetheending.com/2008/02/04/planescape-torment-the-book/

Halo 3: Update 1 is fixing Melee

Headshot with brute pistol

Halo 3: Update 1 is fixing Melee

You all may not know, but Halo 2 was initially very broken. As in, not even that fun. Imagine, if you will, a Halo without melee damage. Melee damage was nominal, requiring several hits to take down an opponent. A hit to the back didn’t even kill. Grenade splash area was small, and damage was low. Everyone simply used two weapons because melee and grenades were useless, which subsequently removed all two handed weapons as well from many matches as being useful.

Then bungie released Halo 2 version 1.1 (the only update released). The increased melee damage and grenade damage and overall tweaked the game to be more like Halo 1. This was great, and made Halo 2 my choice of lan game.

Now, Bungie preps Halo 3’s first update. Amongst the fixes, they are changing melee. Currently, whoever has the most health wins melee matches. There is also <1 second delay that still lets slightly delayed hits count as simultaneous. This is to help lag. It is a very simple rule that leads to people shooting and running straight at each other, and then whoever fires first / is the better shot wins because he has more shields at the time of impact, and that almost every melee battle comes to this because the delay allows both players to always throw melee attacks into one of these tie-breaker battles.

This will change.

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There is no ending to: Rock Band

Accordion Band

There is no ending to: Rock Band

Rock Band is a party game. The common complaints I have heard are that the difficulty isn’t high enough, and that the guitar controller doesn’t ‘click.’ These complaints seem to come mostly from people who like Guitar Hero. Both of these complaints are true: the difficulty is not as high as Guitar Hero 2, and the Guitar is harder to use on Expert Difficulty to hit quick notes. Both of these don’t matter as much as the fact the game is meant to be played with 4 people, each with a beer in hand. Continue reading

Planescape: Torment is the greatest game never made; *KNOW* that it was made too early

Planescape by Nick

Planescape: Torment was way ahead of its time. It is a great game, with an excellent story. The characters, individually, are amongst the best; deep backstories, interesting personality quirks. The setting is the Planescape plane of the Dungeons and Dragons universe, the hub plane for the rest (Baldur’s Gate’s Forgotten Realms, the traditional/original DnD, etc). It is unlike any setting you have seen, in any media. Continue reading