From the ESRB:
This game is rated M for mature, ages 17+ for the following:
Blood and Gore
Drug Reference
Intense Violence
Sexual Themes
Strong Language
Unfortunately that's all that was there. To embellish a bit, this is an extreme game. The sound effects, coupled with the visuals deliver some high level violence. There are a lot of corpses in this game shown crucified, disemboweled, electrocuted, tortured, the list goes on. The whole premise of this game is about a community driven horribly insane from a dependence on newly invented drugs called "plasmids". Plasmids allowed people to reconstruct dna to grant themselves abilities such as controlling electricity, fire, telekinesis, etc. It demonstrates a philosophical view that when mankind is left to it's own devices without regulation and order, the worst is bound to happen. There isn't a curse word left off of the table. Prostitution is present theme in the game, none that you can partake in or view, but it is there in the form of an abandoned bar, dead bodies and it's referred in audio diaries. This is one of those games where it offers a very great story with a deep message for you to walk away with but it only has adults in mind. Bioshock should NOT be played by minors. In my own personal opinion, I'd be more afraid if my kids played this game way before fearing them getting a hold of Grand Theft Auto or Call Of Duty simply because of all the violence in the game and the amount of fear it can cause. Here's a couple video's displaying violence. Some of it can be pretty gory so I'd warn anyone a with weak stomach to prepare themselves before viewing.
Here's the opening for the game that demonstrates a bit of what the game entails:
And here's the actual game in motion:
Monday, December 28, 2009
Bioshock Review for 360, PS3
This game is amazing in practically every aspect. It's amazing that a game's story, gameplay, and graphics can hold up so much over the years. A true masterpiece. If I were you, I wouldn't read this review. The less you know about Bioshock, the better it is. Even knowing what kind of genre is hidden in this game is almost a spoiler in itself. If you never played Bioshock and you really want an immersive, unique, and lasting experience, just go buy it and play it. It's worth any price.
Story
Bioshock's tale takes place in a city under the sea called Rapture. Rapture was created by a man named Andrew Ryan who believed that a man was entitled to his own endeavors. He didn't like the laws and limits posed upon man by governments and authoritative organizations so he decided to create a utopia where all limits and laws were lifted and man was free to pursue his dreams to greater heights than was possible back on the surface. Unfortunately, Rapture fell into chaos and now there is only death and suffering.
You happen to be on a plane that crashes into the ocean leading you to Rapture. When you arrive in Rapture, you are greeted by a man named Atlas who is trying to save his family, free Rapture and help you escape from the clutches of this utopia gone wrong.
+ This game is storytelling at it's best. Not only is the story well-written, there is an extreme effort to immerse you into this crazy setting. People are insane, killing and pillaging, screaming. When they discover you, you want to disappear, you feel threatened. There is almost never a point in this game when you feel safe. Inside of every room, there is a story to tell and every story is relevant to learning of Rapture's downfall and it's denizens. The story is mainly portrayed through audio diaries and static reenactments of tragic events played out by ghosts. You end up feeling sorry for the people who came to Rapture and were exposed to so many terrible acts of crime. It really hits home whenever you're at the scene of a murder and you hear what happened before hand on an audio diary. You feel close to each and every one of the game's characters. And since you're so outnumbered and alone, you almost feel like you need to trust each and every person who reaches out to you. The story starts small in scope at first but it's just a facade. Bioshock's story is deeply philosophical and epic in proportion. It's likely that this is a story that will become a part of you and an experience you won't forget.
Gameplay
+ This is a first-person shooter that does not care to stick to the paved path of other shooters. I'd almost say that this game is a first-person survival horror. You need to act like a scavenger, looking for meds, ammo, weapons, parts, tools; it forces you to search out all of your surroundings. And after it gets you to play into that mindset, it begins messing with you. You'll be minding your own business, looking around, and then the lights just go out, nothing but black. You're now stuck in the middle of a pitch black room, objects falling and rattling around you, people laughing behind your back, completely vulnerable and pissing your pants. I've played this game twice before and most of the time I know what's going to happen, but because this game is so immersive, it doesn't stop me from screaming when something scares me. And it works EVERY TIME.
The other thing that adds to the scares in this game is that fact that all of your enemies always feel like they have an advantage over you, even when they don't. There's just something innately creepy about every creature and enemy that you wish you were alone and never ran into a single living soul. Even at the end of the game, I was stronger than everyone and could deal with anything with mild difficulty but I was still scared. I wanted them to go away and leave me alone.
+ The weapons and plasmids in this game are sweet. Most of the weapon in the game are pretty basic i.e. pistol, shotgun, machine gun, grenade launcher, wrench. The trick is that you get different ammo for every gun making your weapons more all-purpose than they start off as. Ammo is also limited if you don't really dedicate to looking around so it makes for more interesting strategies when dispatching baddies. Instead of, "I want the shotgun because that's my favorite gun in every FPS" you'll think, "I can probably hit him with my last proximity grenade, use the last of my armor piercing rounds in my pistol and hopefully that should be enough to finish with an exploding buck from my shotgun." You also get to upgrade your guns later in the game to make them do more damage, add more accuracy, use less ammo, etc. I enjoyed the simplicity of the weapons and the strategy that came with them. It made me feel super intelligent and it gave every encounter lots of meaning instead of just offing an enemy and forgetting about it after they're down.
When it comes to plasmids, think of X-Men. Plasmids are these powers you fuse yourself with to give you supernatural abilities like shooting lightning bolts, setting people on fire, freezing people into ice, etc. They don't have an extremely diverse variety available to use, just enough to have different choices when strategizing for defeating an enemy. They also have incredibly creative uses too. Instead of just using them directly on enemies, you can use it to greater effect on your environment. The enemy AI in this game is very smart (and I'll work up to talking about that). If you light them on fire, they'll search for water. Instead of just electrifying someone, and you know there's water nearby, set them on fire. They'll run for water and dive in. Then electrify the water dealing much more damage than a straight-up shock. You can shock machines giving you time to hack them without being shot at. Let's say you wanted to hit more than one target with a heat-seeking missile. Light something in your environment on fire, pick it up with telekinesis, toss it between your targets and shoot the missile off. When you hack a machine, there's a little mini-game you have to play that's timed by water. You can actually freeze the object you're trying to hack to slow down the water buying you more time to complete the mini-game. This game will reward you for thinking outside the box and it feels awesome.
The next best part about all the weapons and plasmids at your disposal is that you don't have to think about it either. If you just want to deal with everyone in a straight-forward manner, go for it. If you want, you can be more creative and make encounters easier for yourself but there's nothing forcing you to. Play it your own way.
+ Tonics modify the way your character works. You can use them to make med-packs give you more health, make you invisible to detection when you stand still, hack machines faster and easier, do more damage with certain plasmids and certain elemental damages. There's a large number of tonics in Bioshock and they do a great job of supplementing the way that you want to go through the game.
+ The enemy AI is a delight. They work around problems in their environment in an intelligible manner. They won't sit there and get shot. If you deal too much damage, they'll retreat to use a healing machine. Light them on fire, they'll run for water to put themselves out. The way that they interact with the environment gives them believable life. The setting is supposed to be about a HUGE community under the sea that went stark-raving mad, killing eachother. There's no set amount of enemies in an area. You may have taken down everyone at the moment, but soon, there'll be more scouting the area, looking at dead bodies for supplies, searching their environment for survivors. If there's music playing in the area, they'll whistle along to the tune.This world feel tangible and alive and it's thanks to the great design of the inhabitants in this game.
+ Everything else. You can study enemy behaviors to think of better ways to take them down. You can hack turrets and security cameras to work against your enemies. You can use junk and trash you find to make ammo, tonics, hacking tools, etc. This is just one of those games where, while you're not playing the game specifically for it's gameplay, it still offers more than other games in it's genre and it keeps the game from ever becoming dull as you work your way to the end of it's story. There's tons of fun to be had here.
Graphics
+ The graphics are engrossing and highly detailed. They had a specific team just work on the water in this game and it's still the best looking water to date. There's detail everywhere from run down party halls and blood covered kitchens, to flooded bathrooms and decaying apartments. There's a story to tell in every inch of Rapture. There's some very unique lighting effects that may make you wonder why no one else utilizes shadows and light to the effect that Bioshock does. The textures of the characters are very well done with disfigured faces, scars, and tattered clothing. There is detail in everything and everything tells a story. It's exactly the level of attention that every game should aspire to.
+ The water. The water in this game is gorgeous. There's never a time where you feel like the water is just a part of the background. It almost feels as real and alive as Rapture's citizens. The way it runs down walls, sprays from a leak, gathers into a pool, it's easy to become mesmerized. Kudos to the development team and artists for all of their hard work. It really paid off.
Sound
+ The noises and ambiance in this game with strike you with fear and anxiety. There were times where I would just have to take a break because I kept scaring myself and became too paranoid to make progress. Every item interacts with your body so if you walk into a piece of trash, it will make a sound and you will believe someone is behind you. When walking in water, you can hear your own sloshing to an alarming degree. Listening to audio clues is very important in this game. It's the only way to know what lies ahead and what might be behind you. Unfortunately, Bioshock knows how to make your friend your greatest enemy. Sometimes, you might get so paranoid that you just can't go on. And don't feel bad if that happens. Not only does that mean that you're getting the most out of this game and really living it, it's also happened to the best of us. You wouldn't be the only one.
+ The voice acting is superb. There is dialogue to last for days. Not so much that you won't hear the same thing twice, but it's likely that you could go through the whole game and never hear all that there is to listen to. Insanity is something that is commonly portrayed in this game via dialogue and it's always engaging and believable. There's a lady in the beginning of the game that is rocking a stroller and you can overhear the things that she says. Pretty soon, you realize that everyone is just as crazy as she is, if not more so, and you believe it. Hell, you fear it. It further adds to the immersion of actually being there and feeling that these are real, live people.
+ The sound effects are very punchy with a lot of feel. When you launch a bolt from your crossbow into a skull, you feel the bolt leave the gun and you can hear the bolt insert through the skull with a crack and a gush. The feel is satisfying to no end and you'll want to do it over and over. When you walk on floorboards, wade through water, eat some food, bump into liquor bottles, you feel as though you actually did it. Very detailed work indeed.
Should you buy it?
There's not too much replay value for this game, however, this is a very high quality product. The attention to detail in every aspect of this game is astounding. It's professionally crafted into an experience that you'll carry with you for years to come. The level of immersion is incredibly high. There's so much life in this game that you feel like you're a literal part of it and after the game's done, you'll feel like you need to return to Rapture as though it's your new home. I would never be able to let this game leave my collection, and after multiple play-throughs, it's still worth going back to and revisiting a time you became a momentary citizen of Rapture. I HIGHLY recommend this game as a must-buy. This is a reason to play videogames. It's worth almost any price of admission.
Story
Bioshock's tale takes place in a city under the sea called Rapture. Rapture was created by a man named Andrew Ryan who believed that a man was entitled to his own endeavors. He didn't like the laws and limits posed upon man by governments and authoritative organizations so he decided to create a utopia where all limits and laws were lifted and man was free to pursue his dreams to greater heights than was possible back on the surface. Unfortunately, Rapture fell into chaos and now there is only death and suffering.
You happen to be on a plane that crashes into the ocean leading you to Rapture. When you arrive in Rapture, you are greeted by a man named Atlas who is trying to save his family, free Rapture and help you escape from the clutches of this utopia gone wrong.
+ This game is storytelling at it's best. Not only is the story well-written, there is an extreme effort to immerse you into this crazy setting. People are insane, killing and pillaging, screaming. When they discover you, you want to disappear, you feel threatened. There is almost never a point in this game when you feel safe. Inside of every room, there is a story to tell and every story is relevant to learning of Rapture's downfall and it's denizens. The story is mainly portrayed through audio diaries and static reenactments of tragic events played out by ghosts. You end up feeling sorry for the people who came to Rapture and were exposed to so many terrible acts of crime. It really hits home whenever you're at the scene of a murder and you hear what happened before hand on an audio diary. You feel close to each and every one of the game's characters. And since you're so outnumbered and alone, you almost feel like you need to trust each and every person who reaches out to you. The story starts small in scope at first but it's just a facade. Bioshock's story is deeply philosophical and epic in proportion. It's likely that this is a story that will become a part of you and an experience you won't forget.
Gameplay
+ This is a first-person shooter that does not care to stick to the paved path of other shooters. I'd almost say that this game is a first-person survival horror. You need to act like a scavenger, looking for meds, ammo, weapons, parts, tools; it forces you to search out all of your surroundings. And after it gets you to play into that mindset, it begins messing with you. You'll be minding your own business, looking around, and then the lights just go out, nothing but black. You're now stuck in the middle of a pitch black room, objects falling and rattling around you, people laughing behind your back, completely vulnerable and pissing your pants. I've played this game twice before and most of the time I know what's going to happen, but because this game is so immersive, it doesn't stop me from screaming when something scares me. And it works EVERY TIME.
The other thing that adds to the scares in this game is that fact that all of your enemies always feel like they have an advantage over you, even when they don't. There's just something innately creepy about every creature and enemy that you wish you were alone and never ran into a single living soul. Even at the end of the game, I was stronger than everyone and could deal with anything with mild difficulty but I was still scared. I wanted them to go away and leave me alone.
+ The weapons and plasmids in this game are sweet. Most of the weapon in the game are pretty basic i.e. pistol, shotgun, machine gun, grenade launcher, wrench. The trick is that you get different ammo for every gun making your weapons more all-purpose than they start off as. Ammo is also limited if you don't really dedicate to looking around so it makes for more interesting strategies when dispatching baddies. Instead of, "I want the shotgun because that's my favorite gun in every FPS" you'll think, "I can probably hit him with my last proximity grenade, use the last of my armor piercing rounds in my pistol and hopefully that should be enough to finish with an exploding buck from my shotgun." You also get to upgrade your guns later in the game to make them do more damage, add more accuracy, use less ammo, etc. I enjoyed the simplicity of the weapons and the strategy that came with them. It made me feel super intelligent and it gave every encounter lots of meaning instead of just offing an enemy and forgetting about it after they're down.
When it comes to plasmids, think of X-Men. Plasmids are these powers you fuse yourself with to give you supernatural abilities like shooting lightning bolts, setting people on fire, freezing people into ice, etc. They don't have an extremely diverse variety available to use, just enough to have different choices when strategizing for defeating an enemy. They also have incredibly creative uses too. Instead of just using them directly on enemies, you can use it to greater effect on your environment. The enemy AI in this game is very smart (and I'll work up to talking about that). If you light them on fire, they'll search for water. Instead of just electrifying someone, and you know there's water nearby, set them on fire. They'll run for water and dive in. Then electrify the water dealing much more damage than a straight-up shock. You can shock machines giving you time to hack them without being shot at. Let's say you wanted to hit more than one target with a heat-seeking missile. Light something in your environment on fire, pick it up with telekinesis, toss it between your targets and shoot the missile off. When you hack a machine, there's a little mini-game you have to play that's timed by water. You can actually freeze the object you're trying to hack to slow down the water buying you more time to complete the mini-game. This game will reward you for thinking outside the box and it feels awesome.
The next best part about all the weapons and plasmids at your disposal is that you don't have to think about it either. If you just want to deal with everyone in a straight-forward manner, go for it. If you want, you can be more creative and make encounters easier for yourself but there's nothing forcing you to. Play it your own way.
+ Tonics modify the way your character works. You can use them to make med-packs give you more health, make you invisible to detection when you stand still, hack machines faster and easier, do more damage with certain plasmids and certain elemental damages. There's a large number of tonics in Bioshock and they do a great job of supplementing the way that you want to go through the game.
+ The enemy AI is a delight. They work around problems in their environment in an intelligible manner. They won't sit there and get shot. If you deal too much damage, they'll retreat to use a healing machine. Light them on fire, they'll run for water to put themselves out. The way that they interact with the environment gives them believable life. The setting is supposed to be about a HUGE community under the sea that went stark-raving mad, killing eachother. There's no set amount of enemies in an area. You may have taken down everyone at the moment, but soon, there'll be more scouting the area, looking at dead bodies for supplies, searching their environment for survivors. If there's music playing in the area, they'll whistle along to the tune.This world feel tangible and alive and it's thanks to the great design of the inhabitants in this game.
+ Everything else. You can study enemy behaviors to think of better ways to take them down. You can hack turrets and security cameras to work against your enemies. You can use junk and trash you find to make ammo, tonics, hacking tools, etc. This is just one of those games where, while you're not playing the game specifically for it's gameplay, it still offers more than other games in it's genre and it keeps the game from ever becoming dull as you work your way to the end of it's story. There's tons of fun to be had here.
Graphics
+ The graphics are engrossing and highly detailed. They had a specific team just work on the water in this game and it's still the best looking water to date. There's detail everywhere from run down party halls and blood covered kitchens, to flooded bathrooms and decaying apartments. There's a story to tell in every inch of Rapture. There's some very unique lighting effects that may make you wonder why no one else utilizes shadows and light to the effect that Bioshock does. The textures of the characters are very well done with disfigured faces, scars, and tattered clothing. There is detail in everything and everything tells a story. It's exactly the level of attention that every game should aspire to.
+ The water. The water in this game is gorgeous. There's never a time where you feel like the water is just a part of the background. It almost feels as real and alive as Rapture's citizens. The way it runs down walls, sprays from a leak, gathers into a pool, it's easy to become mesmerized. Kudos to the development team and artists for all of their hard work. It really paid off.
Sound
+ The noises and ambiance in this game with strike you with fear and anxiety. There were times where I would just have to take a break because I kept scaring myself and became too paranoid to make progress. Every item interacts with your body so if you walk into a piece of trash, it will make a sound and you will believe someone is behind you. When walking in water, you can hear your own sloshing to an alarming degree. Listening to audio clues is very important in this game. It's the only way to know what lies ahead and what might be behind you. Unfortunately, Bioshock knows how to make your friend your greatest enemy. Sometimes, you might get so paranoid that you just can't go on. And don't feel bad if that happens. Not only does that mean that you're getting the most out of this game and really living it, it's also happened to the best of us. You wouldn't be the only one.
+ The voice acting is superb. There is dialogue to last for days. Not so much that you won't hear the same thing twice, but it's likely that you could go through the whole game and never hear all that there is to listen to. Insanity is something that is commonly portrayed in this game via dialogue and it's always engaging and believable. There's a lady in the beginning of the game that is rocking a stroller and you can overhear the things that she says. Pretty soon, you realize that everyone is just as crazy as she is, if not more so, and you believe it. Hell, you fear it. It further adds to the immersion of actually being there and feeling that these are real, live people.
+ The sound effects are very punchy with a lot of feel. When you launch a bolt from your crossbow into a skull, you feel the bolt leave the gun and you can hear the bolt insert through the skull with a crack and a gush. The feel is satisfying to no end and you'll want to do it over and over. When you walk on floorboards, wade through water, eat some food, bump into liquor bottles, you feel as though you actually did it. Very detailed work indeed.
Should you buy it?
There's not too much replay value for this game, however, this is a very high quality product. The attention to detail in every aspect of this game is astounding. It's professionally crafted into an experience that you'll carry with you for years to come. The level of immersion is incredibly high. There's so much life in this game that you feel like you're a literal part of it and after the game's done, you'll feel like you need to return to Rapture as though it's your new home. I would never be able to let this game leave my collection, and after multiple play-throughs, it's still worth going back to and revisiting a time you became a momentary citizen of Rapture. I HIGHLY recommend this game as a must-buy. This is a reason to play videogames. It's worth almost any price of admission.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for Xbox 360, PS3
Everyone's pain can finally end, Modern Warfare 2 is finally here! I believe it set a new entertainment industry record for sales in it's release week. They sure do deserve it.
Gameplay
+ It's still the same as Call of Duty 4. I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it. They DID however polish it much much more this time. The guns all feel very unique and purpose-built. They added a map onto the HUD so you can see enemies as red dots when they attack you. I didn't have anywhere near as much trouble with the grenade indicator as I did in the last game. It still could be improved upon but it didn't burn me as much as before. The AI finally helps you on the harder difficulties. They fixed a whole lot in this game to just give it a better feel. I can say at least I appreciated it. A lot.
+ The level design was wonderful! It had a feeling of every level being an open environment when in reality, it was extremely linear. I never had the feeling that I was lost. The game feels a bit easier but I think that it's because the level design had more thought put into it and mission objectives had more clarity this time around.
+ Every level in the campaign felt like it's own set piece. Every scripted event felt more natural, not like it's something forced. There are tons of moments to remember for years to come. In some of the AAA games that I play today, they seem to go for the whole "the action never stops!" deal and it actually makes me tired of the rinse and repeat gameplay they use. MW2, however, knows exactly how to pace the game to make it all feel refreshing and new all the time. Way to go guys!
+ Multiplayer is back. It's the same affair that it was before. It's still just as addictive. Every weapon has it's own unlocks and attachments. There are challenges for every weapon and action in the game which helps extend it's replay value a TON. There are new killstreak rewards. Depending on how many kills you score without dying, you'll be rewarded with some helpful equipment such as radar upgrades, supply drops, AC130 kills, HINDs, tactical nukes, and plenty more where that came from. And from as much as I played, I don't think you need to worry about killstreak rewards harming the experience. I never felt like it decided the game when someone got a killstreak. It did make it much more interesting though. There are also titles and avatars to unlock to go next to your gamertag to brag about something you've done or just to give that little touch of personality to your name. Expect to spend weeks on this.
+Spec Ops is a new and VERY welcome addition. Spec Ops is a set of, well, special operations that range from races, to demolitions, eliminations, score attacks and more. All of them are quite exciting, just delivering that perfect bit of rush to make you feel like you're the hardest soldier out there. You can also play these ops with a friend for some added help. I had a lot of trouble finding people to play this with simply because all of my friends were already done with the ops, other people were too hooked on multiplayer, and some people just had no patience or communication skills to finish the missions. I finally found someone who stuck with me the whole way through and it was a blast to do. Either playing by yourself or with a friend, it's fun.
= There's no co-op campaign to go through. It's not too big of an issue for me but I know some people were really looking forward to this feature. I don't feel like it really has an impact on the overall experience that's already here though.
- The infamous No Russian level was kind of lacking for me. I found it boring and I didn't feel like it was executed as well as it could have been. I'm sure there could have been a way to make it a much more emotional experience but I just wasn't feeling it with the way it is now.
- There's no matchmaking in Spec Ops. When a mode emphasizes team work as much as Spec Ops does, it doesn't really make sense when there's no matchmaking.
Graphics
= Just like Call of Duty 4 before it, Modern Warfare 2 is also just normal looking. The textures, while vastly improved, still look blocky and pixelated up close. The special effects still look just as mediocre as they used to. The character models however have been totally revamped with lots of detail. Otherwise, the graphics, while still an improvement over it's predecessor, still don't rise above mediocrity.
Sound
+ The music score in this game is very emotional and heartfelt. The themes throughout this game can really stir something sentimental in you. They also help liven up the battles you encounter by adding pressure or anxiety to what's already a fast-paced action-fest.
+ Sound effects are still going strong in this series. The guns sound unique from one another. You'll be freaked out every time you hear a ghillie snipe you. Explosions pack a mighty punch. It's all very high quality.
- Sometimes it's really important to listen for enemies in your surroundings and that can be very hard to do when the music in the background won't stop playing. Unfortunately, you can't toggle with the sound settings to turn the music down or off so you'll have to rely on your sight instead.
Story
= I wouldn't expect too much in this dept. It only does what it needs to when it comes to supporting the action but not much beyond that. It does have some cool references to the first Modern Warfare but I wouldn't say you need to play it to enjoy this game. It still managed to make me care about what was going on. I also felt like this game really introduces the horror of warfare on our own land which I think is something this generation needs. Wars don't need to be glorified, they need to be shown for what they really are. This game happens to execute that very well. So once again, it did more than it's predecessor, but not much more than what was required of it.
Should you buy it?
YES! Stop being that person who ignores these kinds of games and play it now. It lives up to the hype that proceeds it. Not to mention, you could play this game for months and it'd still be just as addictive. The campaign is worth a couple revisits, Spec Ops is a good test of your mettle with time attacks to boot, and then you have the multiplayer which is completely solid and always fun. It's worth the full retail value. You'll be glad you bought it.
Gameplay
+ It's still the same as Call of Duty 4. I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it. They DID however polish it much much more this time. The guns all feel very unique and purpose-built. They added a map onto the HUD so you can see enemies as red dots when they attack you. I didn't have anywhere near as much trouble with the grenade indicator as I did in the last game. It still could be improved upon but it didn't burn me as much as before. The AI finally helps you on the harder difficulties. They fixed a whole lot in this game to just give it a better feel. I can say at least I appreciated it. A lot.
+ The level design was wonderful! It had a feeling of every level being an open environment when in reality, it was extremely linear. I never had the feeling that I was lost. The game feels a bit easier but I think that it's because the level design had more thought put into it and mission objectives had more clarity this time around.
+ Every level in the campaign felt like it's own set piece. Every scripted event felt more natural, not like it's something forced. There are tons of moments to remember for years to come. In some of the AAA games that I play today, they seem to go for the whole "the action never stops!" deal and it actually makes me tired of the rinse and repeat gameplay they use. MW2, however, knows exactly how to pace the game to make it all feel refreshing and new all the time. Way to go guys!
+ Multiplayer is back. It's the same affair that it was before. It's still just as addictive. Every weapon has it's own unlocks and attachments. There are challenges for every weapon and action in the game which helps extend it's replay value a TON. There are new killstreak rewards. Depending on how many kills you score without dying, you'll be rewarded with some helpful equipment such as radar upgrades, supply drops, AC130 kills, HINDs, tactical nukes, and plenty more where that came from. And from as much as I played, I don't think you need to worry about killstreak rewards harming the experience. I never felt like it decided the game when someone got a killstreak. It did make it much more interesting though. There are also titles and avatars to unlock to go next to your gamertag to brag about something you've done or just to give that little touch of personality to your name. Expect to spend weeks on this.
+Spec Ops is a new and VERY welcome addition. Spec Ops is a set of, well, special operations that range from races, to demolitions, eliminations, score attacks and more. All of them are quite exciting, just delivering that perfect bit of rush to make you feel like you're the hardest soldier out there. You can also play these ops with a friend for some added help. I had a lot of trouble finding people to play this with simply because all of my friends were already done with the ops, other people were too hooked on multiplayer, and some people just had no patience or communication skills to finish the missions. I finally found someone who stuck with me the whole way through and it was a blast to do. Either playing by yourself or with a friend, it's fun.
= There's no co-op campaign to go through. It's not too big of an issue for me but I know some people were really looking forward to this feature. I don't feel like it really has an impact on the overall experience that's already here though.
- The infamous No Russian level was kind of lacking for me. I found it boring and I didn't feel like it was executed as well as it could have been. I'm sure there could have been a way to make it a much more emotional experience but I just wasn't feeling it with the way it is now.
- There's no matchmaking in Spec Ops. When a mode emphasizes team work as much as Spec Ops does, it doesn't really make sense when there's no matchmaking.
Graphics
= Just like Call of Duty 4 before it, Modern Warfare 2 is also just normal looking. The textures, while vastly improved, still look blocky and pixelated up close. The special effects still look just as mediocre as they used to. The character models however have been totally revamped with lots of detail. Otherwise, the graphics, while still an improvement over it's predecessor, still don't rise above mediocrity.
Sound
+ The music score in this game is very emotional and heartfelt. The themes throughout this game can really stir something sentimental in you. They also help liven up the battles you encounter by adding pressure or anxiety to what's already a fast-paced action-fest.
+ Sound effects are still going strong in this series. The guns sound unique from one another. You'll be freaked out every time you hear a ghillie snipe you. Explosions pack a mighty punch. It's all very high quality.
- Sometimes it's really important to listen for enemies in your surroundings and that can be very hard to do when the music in the background won't stop playing. Unfortunately, you can't toggle with the sound settings to turn the music down or off so you'll have to rely on your sight instead.
Story
= I wouldn't expect too much in this dept. It only does what it needs to when it comes to supporting the action but not much beyond that. It does have some cool references to the first Modern Warfare but I wouldn't say you need to play it to enjoy this game. It still managed to make me care about what was going on. I also felt like this game really introduces the horror of warfare on our own land which I think is something this generation needs. Wars don't need to be glorified, they need to be shown for what they really are. This game happens to execute that very well. So once again, it did more than it's predecessor, but not much more than what was required of it.
Should you buy it?
YES! Stop being that person who ignores these kinds of games and play it now. It lives up to the hype that proceeds it. Not to mention, you could play this game for months and it'd still be just as addictive. The campaign is worth a couple revisits, Spec Ops is a good test of your mettle with time attacks to boot, and then you have the multiplayer which is completely solid and always fun. It's worth the full retail value. You'll be glad you bought it.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for Xbox 360, PS3
This game has really made it's rounds. It's been around for years and it's sold tons upon tons of copies. A new copy of the game still will run you for about $40-$50 as of the time of this review. Now, for me, I never played any of these war-time shooters. They're a bit too mainstream for me and I've always been too much of a snobby gamer to care. I've sat and watched people play Medal of Honor, past Call of Duty games, etc. I just never saw a point to the games. They seemed way too repetitive with almost no story backing them up. It seemed more like a cash-in on kids who fantasize about kickin' ass in a war only glorifying the act further in the process. However, everyone always raved about Call of Duty 4 being this beast of a game. And with Modern Warfare 2 on it's way, with myself wanting to become a reviewer, what kind of credibility would I have if I never played as many games as I could, let alone the most popular one of the last few years? So yes, I played it, beat it, beat it again on Veteran, and toyed around with the multiplayer. So was it all hype or was it just your everyday war game?
Gameplay
+ It plays the same as most shooters in it's genre so there isn't much that's new to pickup or understand. In the end, it relied on the experience it could deliver instead of introducing something new and innovative. The game had a way of really immersing you into what was going on around you that played out thanks to it's scripted events. It always made sure you were in the middle of all the action all the time. Paired with some really tight mechanics, the game was quite the adventure. There are some moments I don't think you'll ever forget.
+ The online versus mode however, that's where the game shines. It has a level system that unlocks different skills for your soldier. These skills enable you to create something that would let you play the game the way you want to. If I like running like crazy and knifing people, you can make your guy run faster, be invisible to radar, and you can give him a larger melee range. If I wanted to gun people down in close-quarters encounters, I can increase his bullet fire speed, damage, and accuracy. It makes the multiplayer affair addictive and refreshing.
- The game is pretty thin after you beat it. Unfortunately, the scripted events were one too many and some of them pretty faulty.
-The weapon variety was meager and most of the guns felt the same. Most of the differences were pretty slim and it didn't feel like it really mattered which gun you had.
-The grenade indicator was RIDICULOUS. It had caused the majority of my deaths in the game. The game will tell you where a grenade is by showing you where it is via a little picture on your hud. If it's at the top of the screen, it means the grenade is to the front. At the bottom, it means the grenade is behind you. So on, so forth. Here's what happened a number of times:
"There's a grenade over there."
"Alright, I'll just run away from it."
*runs away*
"Yeah, about that grenade, sorry. It wasn't over there. It's actually in front of you...."
"WHA-"
*BOOM*
Yeah, it was not exactly the best of times.
- On the harder difficulties, the friendly AI was basically playing the role of being your worst enemy. They would not help you at all but they would stop you from advancing by blocking doorways and cover. They also enjoyed pushing you out of cover into 100% accuracy bullet walls of death.
- Flash grenades. If I'm correct, flash grenades blind people and make a big disorienting bang. It can't necessarily affect them the same way it would if they looked at it compared to if they didn't look at it. So why was it that it would have a harder time doing it's job from the front of the enemy? How does tossing the flash behind the enemy blind them?
-The game wasn't super clear on what you needed to do all the time. I felt like I was guessing most of the time and the destination marker seemed to act up at times, telling me to go the wrong way when I was on the right path.
This game could've really used SOME polish.
Graphics
= I guess at the time the graphics were awesome but they were just mediocre to me. All of the textures were low resolution if you took time to notice it. Most of the effects, like fire and smoke, were just revolving 2D images. Most of this game just used what it needed to get the job done and no more than that. I don't see why everyone clamors over how great the graphics are when there's a LARGE number of games that put in much more effort to make beauty bloom in their game. It was by no means an ugly game. It just wasn't anything pretty either.
Sound
+ The sound effects in this game are really where it's at in this game. You play a VERY large chunk of this game without music so all it comes down to is you and the sounds of the battlefield. The explosions were punchy, the guns felt like they were tangible. Let's see you not get freaked out when bullets start whizzing past your head and you run into a claymore. It felt like a lot of attention went into this department.
Story
- I never felt like there was a story, at least not one that had any weight to it. Throughout the entire game, you play as someone else every mission like some war edition of musical chairs. Because of this, you don't really get attached to any of the characters, making all of the slightly emotional "Oh my god!" moments fall flat. They were still cool to watch and be involved in but it just felt like the game was trying to get some kind of sympathy out of you whenever something shocking happened without really giving you a reason why you should care.
- It felt more like there was a war going on just because there was one instead of really delving into the reasons of why there was one. Modern Warfare basically showed you who that bad guys were and that they should go down just because they were marked as the bad guys. I got more of a sense that the game was trying to show how awesome a war was instead of showing the real sacrifice that both sides have to make in a war. Modern Warfare's plot seemed shallow at best.
Should you buy it?
No, I don't think it's worth the purchase. The initial run through the campaign can be a cool experience at times, and the multiplayer is great fun. However, the campaign is short and you could become a bit more cynical towards the experience if you go through it multiple times. Multiplayer is also lacking currently since the release of Modern Warfare 2. It was hard to get a really good room going although I happened to be playing around MW2's release. Don't spend the $40-$50 people are asking for this game. Infinity Ward and Activision only put the minimal amount of effort required into this game. It only deserves the minimum amount of what it's worth which I would say is somewhere around the $5-$15 mark. I suggest renting it if you really want to play it to get some of the references in MW2 although, personally, I don't think it's really necessary to play this before the sequel.
Gameplay
+ It plays the same as most shooters in it's genre so there isn't much that's new to pickup or understand. In the end, it relied on the experience it could deliver instead of introducing something new and innovative. The game had a way of really immersing you into what was going on around you that played out thanks to it's scripted events. It always made sure you were in the middle of all the action all the time. Paired with some really tight mechanics, the game was quite the adventure. There are some moments I don't think you'll ever forget.
+ The online versus mode however, that's where the game shines. It has a level system that unlocks different skills for your soldier. These skills enable you to create something that would let you play the game the way you want to. If I like running like crazy and knifing people, you can make your guy run faster, be invisible to radar, and you can give him a larger melee range. If I wanted to gun people down in close-quarters encounters, I can increase his bullet fire speed, damage, and accuracy. It makes the multiplayer affair addictive and refreshing.
- The game is pretty thin after you beat it. Unfortunately, the scripted events were one too many and some of them pretty faulty.
-The weapon variety was meager and most of the guns felt the same. Most of the differences were pretty slim and it didn't feel like it really mattered which gun you had.
-The grenade indicator was RIDICULOUS. It had caused the majority of my deaths in the game. The game will tell you where a grenade is by showing you where it is via a little picture on your hud. If it's at the top of the screen, it means the grenade is to the front. At the bottom, it means the grenade is behind you. So on, so forth. Here's what happened a number of times:
"There's a grenade over there."
"Alright, I'll just run away from it."
*runs away*
"Yeah, about that grenade, sorry. It wasn't over there. It's actually in front of you...."
"WHA-"
*BOOM*
Yeah, it was not exactly the best of times.
- On the harder difficulties, the friendly AI was basically playing the role of being your worst enemy. They would not help you at all but they would stop you from advancing by blocking doorways and cover. They also enjoyed pushing you out of cover into 100% accuracy bullet walls of death.
- Flash grenades. If I'm correct, flash grenades blind people and make a big disorienting bang. It can't necessarily affect them the same way it would if they looked at it compared to if they didn't look at it. So why was it that it would have a harder time doing it's job from the front of the enemy? How does tossing the flash behind the enemy blind them?
-The game wasn't super clear on what you needed to do all the time. I felt like I was guessing most of the time and the destination marker seemed to act up at times, telling me to go the wrong way when I was on the right path.
This game could've really used SOME polish.
Graphics
= I guess at the time the graphics were awesome but they were just mediocre to me. All of the textures were low resolution if you took time to notice it. Most of the effects, like fire and smoke, were just revolving 2D images. Most of this game just used what it needed to get the job done and no more than that. I don't see why everyone clamors over how great the graphics are when there's a LARGE number of games that put in much more effort to make beauty bloom in their game. It was by no means an ugly game. It just wasn't anything pretty either.
Sound
+ The sound effects in this game are really where it's at in this game. You play a VERY large chunk of this game without music so all it comes down to is you and the sounds of the battlefield. The explosions were punchy, the guns felt like they were tangible. Let's see you not get freaked out when bullets start whizzing past your head and you run into a claymore. It felt like a lot of attention went into this department.
Story
- I never felt like there was a story, at least not one that had any weight to it. Throughout the entire game, you play as someone else every mission like some war edition of musical chairs. Because of this, you don't really get attached to any of the characters, making all of the slightly emotional "Oh my god!" moments fall flat. They were still cool to watch and be involved in but it just felt like the game was trying to get some kind of sympathy out of you whenever something shocking happened without really giving you a reason why you should care.
- It felt more like there was a war going on just because there was one instead of really delving into the reasons of why there was one. Modern Warfare basically showed you who that bad guys were and that they should go down just because they were marked as the bad guys. I got more of a sense that the game was trying to show how awesome a war was instead of showing the real sacrifice that both sides have to make in a war. Modern Warfare's plot seemed shallow at best.
Should you buy it?
No, I don't think it's worth the purchase. The initial run through the campaign can be a cool experience at times, and the multiplayer is great fun. However, the campaign is short and you could become a bit more cynical towards the experience if you go through it multiple times. Multiplayer is also lacking currently since the release of Modern Warfare 2. It was hard to get a really good room going although I happened to be playing around MW2's release. Don't spend the $40-$50 people are asking for this game. Infinity Ward and Activision only put the minimal amount of effort required into this game. It only deserves the minimum amount of what it's worth which I would say is somewhere around the $5-$15 mark. I suggest renting it if you really want to play it to get some of the references in MW2 although, personally, I don't think it's really necessary to play this before the sequel.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Assassin's Creed for Xbox 360, PS3
I remember when Assassin's Creed came out. I was really excited to play it since it was done by the same team who worked on Prince Of Persia. I pictured it to be this really slick looking game with the great gameplay Prince delivers in all of his games. I was so wrong. You held two buttons down, pushed forward and there he went, climbing, jumping, doing everything for you. Then there were the guards who would hunt you down for going faster than an old man on a dialysis machine and the fact that you could block indefinitely in battle and just counter any attacks coming your way. Not only were you essentially immortal, Altair would do everything for you. If the game just essentially plays itself, why sit through it?
I sat through it for a couple reasons. I wanted to play Assassin's Creed 2 so I figured I should know the story since this game series is supposed to play out in a trilogy and I wanted something monotonous to do while I listened to music. Life has been a bit stressful for me and nothing heals me more than a romp through a game while I blast my music as loud as I can. AC delivered on what I needed from it and then it gave back a bit more. Because I didn't truly expect something specific from it, I couldn't be disappointed by it. Take note that this is the third time I've tried to go through this experience and it's the first time I didn't hate it's guts. The first assassinations were a tad on the boring side; This is a bad guy, kill him, I killed him, now kill this guy. There wasn't too much motivation to go do these killings and it didn't help that Altair came off as such a conceited A-hole. And look, I normally like those kind of characters but this is the first time I hated one because of it. Then the game starts rolling with the plot.
Mysteries occur that are left for you to decipher, the assassinations gain greater meaning, Altair changes into a humble person and then the obligatory plot twist occurs. While the story is on the predictable side, I always wanted to get to the next assassination to progress the story and learn more about this world. Why do I feel like I'm talking about No More Heroes? Anyway, In the end, I felt rather rewarded for all the work I did and I'm anticipating the second in the series just that much more.
Is It Fun?
It depends. If you want something structured and the feeling that the game is really doing it's best to convince you that it's worth it to play it to the end, this is not that game. Assassin's Creed is one of those games where it doesn't seem to care much about you. It is what it is and it knows what it has to offer, and if you don't like it, then it doesn't care if you play. You get back what you put into it. It never tells you to toss fifteen guards off of a three story building or to assassinate every annoying little beggar that comes your way. You do it because it entertains you and you thought about how the game would be more fun for you. I could block and parry all day during a battle or I could make it interesting and actually go on the offensive just to see if I can, even when there's no incentive to.
It should also be noted that the climbing, jumping and scaling in the game was a great idea but it needed A LOT more work. I can't count the number of times where I'd reach the top of the roof or needed to scale to the next object and Altair would just sit there as if he had instantly become an invalid. It's not like he couldn't do what I wanted him to, because he certainly was capable of the task. He just wouldn't do it. And that happened through the whole game.
Do I Get My Money's Worth?
The game is a one-shot kind of experience. Once you beat it, it's likely you won't touch it again unless it's to refresh yourself with the story. Should you decide to do everything in the game (collect flags, kill templars), it could last you a bit. It took me 4-5 straight days to beat it entirely. I'd say Assassin's Creed is worth $10-$15 but I don't know if I could justify a higher price than that.
I sat through it for a couple reasons. I wanted to play Assassin's Creed 2 so I figured I should know the story since this game series is supposed to play out in a trilogy and I wanted something monotonous to do while I listened to music. Life has been a bit stressful for me and nothing heals me more than a romp through a game while I blast my music as loud as I can. AC delivered on what I needed from it and then it gave back a bit more. Because I didn't truly expect something specific from it, I couldn't be disappointed by it. Take note that this is the third time I've tried to go through this experience and it's the first time I didn't hate it's guts. The first assassinations were a tad on the boring side; This is a bad guy, kill him, I killed him, now kill this guy. There wasn't too much motivation to go do these killings and it didn't help that Altair came off as such a conceited A-hole. And look, I normally like those kind of characters but this is the first time I hated one because of it. Then the game starts rolling with the plot.
Mysteries occur that are left for you to decipher, the assassinations gain greater meaning, Altair changes into a humble person and then the obligatory plot twist occurs. While the story is on the predictable side, I always wanted to get to the next assassination to progress the story and learn more about this world. Why do I feel like I'm talking about No More Heroes? Anyway, In the end, I felt rather rewarded for all the work I did and I'm anticipating the second in the series just that much more.
Is It Fun?
It depends. If you want something structured and the feeling that the game is really doing it's best to convince you that it's worth it to play it to the end, this is not that game. Assassin's Creed is one of those games where it doesn't seem to care much about you. It is what it is and it knows what it has to offer, and if you don't like it, then it doesn't care if you play. You get back what you put into it. It never tells you to toss fifteen guards off of a three story building or to assassinate every annoying little beggar that comes your way. You do it because it entertains you and you thought about how the game would be more fun for you. I could block and parry all day during a battle or I could make it interesting and actually go on the offensive just to see if I can, even when there's no incentive to.
It should also be noted that the climbing, jumping and scaling in the game was a great idea but it needed A LOT more work. I can't count the number of times where I'd reach the top of the roof or needed to scale to the next object and Altair would just sit there as if he had instantly become an invalid. It's not like he couldn't do what I wanted him to, because he certainly was capable of the task. He just wouldn't do it. And that happened through the whole game.
Do I Get My Money's Worth?
The game is a one-shot kind of experience. Once you beat it, it's likely you won't touch it again unless it's to refresh yourself with the story. Should you decide to do everything in the game (collect flags, kill templars), it could last you a bit. It took me 4-5 straight days to beat it entirely. I'd say Assassin's Creed is worth $10-$15 but I don't know if I could justify a higher price than that.
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