Malik
(3/6/06)
A
new update
for XBox Live is out. I haven't tested it out yet, since there's
not a game to play on the 360 (until tomorrow). It's supposed to
make a first step towards some future Dashboard/Live things. I don't
know what that's supposed to mean, but I hope it also has tackled
some of the issues about games being deleted when a person starts
their 360. It'd also be nice if there was a new feature to disable
auto-load of any inserted game/movie, but I'm a little doubtful of
that. Meanwhile,
the Nintendo DS Lite is doing something I never really thought an
existing Nintendo system could do; it's more than selling out...it's
creating launch system hype and frenzy that should not be happening
on a system that has, in essence, been out for more than a year. I'm
talking about being so wanted that it's going for hundreds more
than the system is worth. If
I get this right, the DS Lite is basically a smaller change in
performance than the SP was to the original GBA. The Lite is
basically the same size (it's only a tiny bit smaller), it offers
more levels of illumination (but, seriously, the DS offered a great
level to begin with), it has GBA cartridges sticking out some from
the system, it looks more fragile, and it has all the same basic
functionality. The SP, on the other hand, gave us illumination from
nothing, a stronger design, the clamshell approach, and better
battery issues (with the built in rechargeable batteries). There is
nothing new with the DS Lite, yet it is going for far more of an
increase in price than the SP ever brought about. This
makes as much sense as if the slim PS2 would have been beyond reach
except for hundreds of dollars extra. There is no new features, no
new abilities, and so small of a loss of size that in reality, if
you own a DS and are trying to obtain a Lite for even it's regular
MSRP, you are an idiot. The only smart thing that could be said
about this whole insanity is this; at least it shows that Nintendo
is kicking the PSP's sorry (and useless) ass all over the place.
Hell, the overpriced PSP is now cheaper than the overpriced and over hyped
DS Lite. I guess I should give Nintendo some props on showing that
they are still in this thing. Since
there isn't much else to say today (afterall, tomorrow is going to
end this slumbering winter feeling with some good new titles), just
check out the previews
of Stranglehold. This game should be nothing short of awesome,
assuming it doesn't suffer from some sort of development issues. I
mean, it's Chow Yun Fat in a sequel to one of the best movies ever
(Hard Boiled), with John Woo along for the ride. What more could you
ask for? Besides maybe a game of this...? Malik
|
Malik
(3/7/06)
I love the show.
Besides how there is so little to watch on TV, Family Guy still
would stand out, even with good line-ups around it, as a gem of the
TV world. It brings a great style of humor that you just can't find
anywhere else. So few shows are willing to cross so many lines, and
do so in such a well planned and non-crappy method. Hell, no other
show would willingly point out the obsessive and inane abilities of
the FCC like Family Guy has done...and that alone is worth bonus
points.
However, if
there's any lesson that South Park, Futurama, and the Simpsons has
taught us, it's that animated comedy shows don't belong in the
gaming world. Yet, for some sick and money-hungry reasons, 2K is
going to be publishing some Family
Guy games. While there is almost no solid info on these games,
besides the publisher and developer (High Voltage), I think I can
give a nice and obvious preview right now. The games will all suck
and serve as a black mark on the legacy of this show. They will be
pointless, involve random fetching, and they will use some bad sense
of urgency and action to try to convince us that this wonderful show
deserves to be in more places than just on our TV and in our DVD
collections.
"One-of-a-kind
action/adventure style game" you say? Well, I just have to ask
a simple question. What action/adventure elements are there in a TV
show that focuses on social commentaries and nostalgia about,
mainly, the 1980's? Well? None. This is not a show that should be
turned into a bad made from a TV show game. In fact, the only type
of game that tends to be worse than the made from a movie video
games are the made from the TV show games. There is nothing to work
with, no genre that would serve it right, and nothing to gain from
this, except for some money going into 2K's wallets from fans so
hungry for anything Family Guy that they would degrade themselves
for this game. Sigh...
On other news of
bad games, there's a demo
for The Outfit on the XBox Live Marketplace. I have not spent
the time to download it, but I've read enough about it to know what
it's looking like. The comments seem to say that this demo is a lot
like a really bad version of Mercenaries set in an earlier time
point. Yippee...? I personally found Mercenaries to be a
self-serving pile of crap. The game only served to show that if you
want an open-ended GTA style game, it's best left to the experts at
Rockstar North. Seriously, the thought of blowing up a shit ton of
buildings and vehicles is a cool thought, but not when that's all
the entire game is based on. If you half-ass it and put it in an
earlier, non-fictional war, it still doesn't solve the basic issues
of the game simply being a pile of crap.
I was hoping to
complete Grandia 3 before today. I wanted to have my game line-up
empty for when I get Shadow Hearts 3 and Burnout Revenge (360).
Sadly, I failed. Actually, I think it's best to pin this one on Game
Arts and their unusual sense of difficulty.
One second you'll
be flying through a long and simple dungeon. You'll be blasting away
countless enemies without a care in the world. If an enemy is
preparing a massive spell or ability, you simply need to go a little
out of your way and cancel their attack with a well timed special ability.
Then you simply clean up the remains and move on. It'll be the real
bosses who you'll need to formulate better strategies for.
However, you'll
then come across a rare instance, like the next to final room of the
game, in which the normal enemies are nothing short of broken. There
you will face battles with a group of foes who are immune to
everything short of magic, and then one of them will use a special
spell immunity ability. Care to guess what that means? It should be
obvious. However, it gets worse when the Excise Omega (rhymes with
"teh broken") joins in. This enemy will be able to
automatically cancel any of your attacks whenever it chooses with an
ability that's even named so you know how broken he is...the
"auto-cancel".
So, after you
battle through this fight with him, and his insane speed (he can
attack up to four times in the span that it takes your party to act
once) and his massive damaging abilities, you will not have long to
feel a sense of satisfaction before he strikes again. All the while,
you are given no place to heal yourself, and the last healing point
was about an hour behind you. You do have a non-healing save point,
but that's only useful if you are healthy enough to keep fighting.
In other words, it's like Game Arts just wanted to show that, no
matter how nice they may seem when they develop a great game, they
are perfectly fine in being asses to the people who pay for their
games. It's like them saying "don't get on our bad
side".
Also, since I do
know I'm about 2 rooms from the final boss, I would like to say that
those who complained about the plot going to crap once you get to
the second disk are full of crap. It's not the best story in the
world, by any means, but this game is definitely a step above the
overly-loved Kingdom Hearts and FFX plots. In fact, I'm happy to say
that this game is almost 100% emo-free, has great character
development, great interpersonal interactions, and is a lot of fun
to play. The only downside of this entire game, so far (and I am
about 99% done) is the sick and unusual difficulty twists that occur
whenever Excise Omega or Excise Psi (Omega's cousin from earlier in
the second disk) enter the picture and hand your ass to you like
they were bosses...instead of being overly-used and improperly
placed normal enemies.
Anyway, I should
be finishing Grandia 3 tonight, and assuming Burnout Revenge or
Shadow Hearts 3 have street dates (as opposed to ship dates) of
today, then I'll have some impressions of them tomorrow.
Malik
|
Malik
(3/8/06)
Both of the new
Naruto games should be in stores about now. I'm talking about the
GCN and GBA games. On one hand, the GCN game is a double-edged
sword. It's the worst of the GCN Naruto games, with the smallest
cast of playable characters (around 10 total) and has support for
two players. Meanwhile, the later GCN games have far more
characters, and can also be played in four player battles that are
reminiscent of some weird offspring of Smash Bros. and Tekken. It's
definitely a great party type game. However, as for the game that is
now in American stores...well...it's not that good.
Sadly, the double
edge of this blade is that if it doesn't sell well, then it means
that the better GCN Naruto games are far less likely to see our
shores. So, if you want to look at it this way, if you want to see
Naruto 3 (awesome game) in a year or two, you may have to take one
for the team. However, considering $50 is a tall sacrifice, this is
a tricky proposition.
As for the GBA
Naruto title...it's not exactly a great game. In fact, it's about as
typical of a side-scrolling action title as one could hope (or not
hope) to find. It's average in almost all regards. Considering how
lame it is, it makes one wonder why the Naruto RPGs were ported for
American GBAs. They are actually a good deal of fun. At least what I
played with no understanding of the text made them look really fun.
Plus, since they follow the plot of the series almost exactly, they
are a good game, English or not.
I didn't get
either Shadow Hearts 3 or Burnout Revenge last night. I hate how
street dates used to be on Tuesdays, but with how so many retailers
break street dates if they get an early shipment, we now have this
weird limbo of dates. The 7th of March is the release date of both
games, but it's also now the ship date for many stores so that
gamers don't get the game early. Sigh...I miss the good old days.
Back when games were so underground and geeky that a broken street
date meant almost nothing to anyone, except a few gamers who played
a game a few hours earlier.
At least, with the
delay in getting these games, I did have the time I needed to
complete Grandia 3. While many opinions have been shared on this
game, I'll throw out a few observations before I get an actual
review posted.
As for the plot
going to crap in the second disk (about half way through the game);
this is complete BS. It's amazing how this plot is called crap, yet
it simply does a lot of things that FF games have done, but with a
far less emo of environments. So, if I get it right, this average
plot (most RPG plots float around the average range in today's
games) is bad, but the same general plot concepts are great if emo
Tidus cries for his daddy a few times. Well, if that's the case, and
if you are sick of FF games being dubbed the best of the best, then
I have good news for a lot of my fellow geeks; this plot is perfect
for you. Almost emo-free! No goth characters (Vincent from FFVII,
Lulu from FFX), no emo sensations (Tidus and Yuna from FFX, Amarant
from FFIX), no guys who look and act like girls (Tidus, Sephiroth),
and no constant reminders that (read this part in a emo-friendly
voice) "the world is full of pain and suffering...darkness
encases my hollow soul". None of that shit, and the same
general feelings of adventure and a need to save the world from
certain doom with great character interactions along the way.
Sweet.
As for the game's
length...who the f#@% keeps saying this game is short. I call any
RPG over 30 hours to be a good size. Once 30 hours are hit, then
it's up to the games plot to make a game feel short or long. Well,
this game ran me around for about 40-45 hours, and I enjoyed every
f@#%ing minute of it. If this is too short for you, then I have a friendly
suggestion; Go f@^& yourself. Also, a reminder, that FF6 (SNES)
cost about $65-$70 and ran around this same time span and was never
called short. Phantasy Star 4 was $99 and ran for this same time
span, and like with FF6, it was considered epic. I don't mean to
pull a "back in my day..." deal here, but anyone who calls
about 40 hours too short is in definite need of an ass kicking by
reality. Plus, when we had FF6 clocking in at being this
"short", we only had one or two great RPGs in a 6 month
span of time...which meant we went longer, with less, and were
happy. I would say I'm being too nostalgic, but rather I'm really
saying why I see no reason to complain.
As for the
complaints about the difficulty being skewed...these are fair. I
pwned the final boss! I kicked his ass each and every way possible
and hardly wasted an item in the process. It only required a little
strategy. However, the last room of normal battles in the game
consisted of me dying (I never had my full party die any before or
after this point in the game) a few times. Strategy was worthless.
The only thing that could save me were the massive single-shot
damaging items I obtained earlier from enemies in the same dungeon.
The enemies in this game can either be really easy (too much so), or
just about as frustrating as humanly possible. This game doesn't do
things any other way.
Anyway, it's nice
to put Grandia 3 behind me in time for SH3. I will probably have
some opinions and thoughts posted on SH3 tomorrow.
Malik
|
Malik
(3/9/06)
Battlefield 2:
Euro Pack is finally getting
released...again. They originally seemed to delay this pack for
a good main reason. Battlefield 2 1.2 was about the buggiest excuse
for an update that could ever pass for being official. Well, it's
coming back, but since I haven't played for a while, I'm probably
out of things with BF2. However, I haven't heard a thing about 1.2
being fixed. I just hope EA did that first important step before
they re-launched the Euro Pack.
Also, I won't even
get into my thoughts on the new maps (from the screen shots I've
seen). I won't say how they look like the same exact buildings and
textures, just in new locations. I won't say how $10 is pretty steep
for something that modders would give us for free. I won't say that
this looks like just a great tactic from EA to raise a little more
money from an aging title without actually giving a full expansion
(like the ultra-sweet Special Forces). I won't say anything about
this...
I did finally get
Shadow Hearts 3 and Burnout Revenge (360) last night. First off,
about SH3...this is not a game that's meant to be played right after
Grandia 3. Compared to SH2, this is looking, so far, like a good new
game in the franchise. While the voice acting can get annoying
(someone obviously didn't take the coat hangers out of the voice
actors clothes...at least that's how it sounds from their stiff and inflexible
performances so far), it's the game play that really feels
lackluster. You move so slowly, so stiffly, and so unyieldingly.
It's like trying to move a character in the old 8-bit FF games. This
is not the finely toned game play we should be seeing from
SH3.
Beyond that, the
game is mostly as it should be. It's definitely a new game in the SH
world. The setting is nicely dark, yet grounded in reality (which is
part of the charm of the SH/Koudelka games). The ideas of blending
occult and real world settings is always amazing (and is still so,
even without Yuri being the protagonist). In other words, if you're
a fan of either/both of the past SH games, this is a must buy. It's
as grounded in the franchises trademarked game play as a Dragon
Quest sequel will be.
However, since I
only was able to get in about an hour of SH3, I'll keep most of my
thoughts on this game limited until I actual experience more. In
fact, I still haven't really started the real game (I'm on what
feels like an introductory quest filled with tutorials). I should
have some better opinions and thoughts tomorrow.
Just like how SH3
seems to have some good and bad of the old games, Burnout Revenge is
the same. On one hand, the visuals are freakin' awesome. That is
assuming you play on an HD display. Otherwise, this is not a good
update in terms of visuals compared to Burnout Revenge for the XBox
(but then again, wasn't Revenge one of the best looking XBox
titles?). However, in HD you get that wonderful widescreen to see
more of the potential shortcuts, and you get a little extra lift to
the smile that crosses your face when you cause an extra brutal
accident.
However, the load
times, which were my single worst complaint of the XBox version are
still here. In fact, with how the new generation of consoles are supposed
to look better, sound better, be faster, stronger, and more capable,
why are the load times actually twice as long as on the XBox
version. The XBox version carried an approximate 11 second (I timed
this many times) load when you selected to restart a race. First
off, it should not take as long to restart a race as it would take
to load a whole new race (it should still be in the system's memory,
right?). Secondly, 11 seconds was ridiculous. Or it seemed to be
until I saw the 360 version clocking around 20-25 second load
times.
Look at it this
way, if you have a Burning Lap event (one lap, a goal of around
1:15-1:45 seconds depending on the event, one hella fast car that's
prone to accidents, and the only way to get a perfect score is to
not crash once), and you end up crashing early on (say after 20
seconds in the event), then you will have to restart if you want to
go for the gold. Well, after you restart the race for the first
time, you will have wasted a total of around 40-50 seconds loading
while you've only raced for 20 seconds. If you crash again (and
these Burning Laps can be brutally hard), and then again, you may
have wasted around 1:20 loading for a race that takes a whole 1:15
to complete. That's not right. The only bright side is that the HD
visuals will give you better clarity as to what you racing into, so
you will have a slightly better chance of seeing danger coming and
thus you can avoid a crash or two just off of the enhanced
visibility.
At least the game
does offer a few things to counteract the lameness of loading.
Supposedly the Crash events are better (I haven't done any...yet).
There are ten new Crash Junctions, and the lame start meter (the Hot
Shots Golf swing inspired starting meter) is supposedly gone. Also,
I've read that reloading a Crash event will not require a complete
reload of the event (why couldn't they apply this to all events?).
Considering a Crash event can literally last for only 10 seconds,
that definitely good news. It's just too bad that these improvements
couldn't be applied to more events.
However, the
ultimate saving grace of this version of BR is online. Holy shit,
online is f@#%ing amazing! I normally hate playing games online.
There are too many dicks, too many bad match-ups (like every game
seems to have one pro who makes the game unbalanced and un-fun for
the normal players), and too many technical issues (like how RR6
will have severe lag is Media Connect is running on your 360 and
PC). Well, while I'm not sure if more race types exist than Road
Rage, I can tell you that a game of Road Rage online is fan-f@#$ing-tastic!
The game play,
online, is so smooth. I didn't see an instance of lag. The players I
met were awesome (although they got pissed at me...more on that...).
The events were hella fun. Basically, it comes down to one team
trying to run away to the finish line (10-20 miles away) through
heavy traffic and normal game rules, while another team (with
infinite boost) is trying to takedown (cause a crash with an
opponent) the runners. It's simple. If a running car is taken down
by any means other than the other team (friendly fire, crashed into
a wall, hit an oncoming NPC car, etc), then they will respawn and
continue their escape. However, if the other team takes them down,
then they are a ghost of sorts who can only interact with the other
player cars and walls (computer controlled NPC cars are intangible).
The race ends either when one runner escapes, or when all of the
runners have been taken down (there's also a time, but it will never
run out in these games).
Best of all, the
game will help you remember, for all time (in other words, after you
log off and then log in again), who you have been taken down by. You
will have rivalries. You will also have people who hate you and want
revenge. It is the ultimate step in incorporating online game play
with that same vibe you get when you're friend sitting next to you
in the same room f#$@s with you. You will know who to go
after.
Speaking of which,
I am proud to say that I'm not going after anyone (in other words,
the only guy who took me down in any of the three four-round games I
played was targeted and my revenge was swift and brutal...hehehe).
However, I have some people pissed off at me. A lot of people. On
one hand, I was the points leader every game I played. On the other
hand, I hurt people...a lot. One race, I felt so good when I took
down all three of the people on the other team in one swift motion.
I don't say this to brag (although I think it's awesome that I was
the dominator in an online game), but rather to say how cool it is
that there are around 8 people out there in Live-land who, if I ever
see online in Burnout again, will remember me. The game will remind
them. The game, in fact, tells you prior to each round of a race who
is after you for revenge, and who you need to get revenge on. It's
like having a grudge on an MMO for a dude who PKed you, but it's on
a racing game and everyone can have a microphone to taunt each
other.
While the normal
game of Burnout Revenge feels a bit lacking, so far, considering the
massive delay between it's release on the XBox and PS2 versus the
360 release, the online more than makes up for it. This is the
single best game I've ever seen for online competition. If you are
the type who has a competitive streak, and if you like racing, this
online experience may own you soul better than any WoW addict can
get hooked on raids. I don't really like online competitions,
especially on racing games, and I cannot stop thinking that people
out there want some revenge on me...and I want to rub it in their
faces that I took them down (at least) once, and I'd more than
willing to do it again...hehehe!!!
Malik
|
Malik
(3/10/06)
At a time when
funding for scientific research is at an all time low (I know this
personally from my day job, which is funded entirely through
government scientific research grants) and it's becoming a major
hurdle for well established labs to contend with in order to not
shut their doors, do
we need this? Do we need Hillary Clinton, Dick Durbin, and Joe
Lieberman to waste precious health related money and time into
studying the harmful effects of media (that's read "violent
games") on the average American (read
"children")?
For one thing,
this is the first step. The first step towards finding a reason to
ban/restrict games. This is the first step towards censorship. This
is the first step towards Clinton and Lieberman attaining their goal
of no one in America being able to enjoy a little downtime.
Yippee!
Also, do we
actually need this type of study when there are a couple of
longstanding truths. First off, no solid research has shown a
negative link between game playing and children's behavior issues.
There have been some studies that have shown it, but these studies
have been flawed, with too little of a sampling size and with too
many external factors ("when we watch 100 children who love
games, but just happens that most come from violent homes, they tend
to be more violent"). However, there have been some great
studies into the effects of video games, which have been not fully
conclusive, but built around a better scientific method;
Did you know that
it's been observed that med students and young doctors who were
raised on games and play more video games on average tend to be
better surgeons? It's true. The reason is actually rather simple and
intuitive; many modern operating techniques (endoscopy, non-invasive
procedures, and brain surgery in particular) are focused more about
manipulations of robotics, and the use of a joystick or two is
required. Of course, the doctors who have played more games are
better at the finger dexterity needed to properly use these
devices.
It's also been
observed that video games can serve educational purposes WHEN used
in conjunction with proper/established educational techniques. In
other words, an educational game can help improve a student's
abilities when it's used on top of standard class work.
Also, the use of
computers, which most children are more likely to get through
playing games than any other source, is an important thing for one
as an adult. Considering how most current jobs required some
computer use/knowledge, it only makes sense that exposing children
to computers (in moderation) will help them becomes more familiar
with them for their future.
I just wish some
new technology would come along. A new thing that is highly
entertaining and is more controversial than games, and that way the
leaders of the American government can get a different bug up their
asses. I'm sick of, after 20 years, seeing my favorite pastime
(games) still being the main target for their aggressions. Better
yet, why don't they look into the more important factors of violent
children. "Yes, little Billy did play a lot of GTA before
shooting up that mall...however, he also had no supervision from his
parents and he suffered from severe psychosis."
Speaking of
insanity, I've played some more Shadow Hearts 3. The game is becoming
more entertaining as I get used to the controls and learn to accept
that you main character will not walk in a logical path, so just let
him go where he wants to go. It's another one of those old style of
3D RPGs in which pressing up on the analogue stick actually leads
your character in more of a diagonal direction to give the false
illusion of 3D movement. In other words, think of how you move in
FFVII versus how you move in a more modern game like Grandia
3.
However, the rest
of the game is showing it's value. Of course, having the same combat
engine as the previous SH games is a definite bonus (since I loved
both of them). The combat system, the menu system, the quirky sense
of humor, the fun to use fusions (like summons on FFX, but cooler),
the two gay dress makers (they return from SH2, but this time they
haven't mentioned male erotica or doll dresses...yet...), the great
world map system...it's all here again.
The only real
downside, so far, is the lack of an interesting villain. When SH1
began, we were treated to Roger Bacon (I'll keep things spoiler
free...for those who still NEED to play SH1...), one of the most
frightening villains in an RPG (if you haven't played SH1, but
you've seen Cowboy Bebop, think of a more fleshed out and f#@$ed up
Pierrot Le Fou), terrorizing a young woman on a train when a demon
enters the room to do battle with this madman. In SH2, you are
treated to Nicolai's struggle for world destroying power and the
destruction of a rustic European village. Meanwhile, in SH3, you
start as a detective who is looking for a guy who jumped bail. Then,
you are introduced to a portal that can make random monsters. You
eventually will learn the guy who hired you to track down the bail
jumper is...a guy with a past. Seriously, there is nothing in there
that stands out from the start as "OMG! That's an evil bad
guy!!!111!!!". In fact, after you lose track of the guy with a
past, you literally have three or so weeks to kill, so your party
goes to the Grand Canyon. There is no sense of urgency, so sense of
of a dilemma to solve, so sense of action, and no sense of this
being anything more than that this game is not going to make you
feel rushed. When you're dealing with a slower paced game, like an
RPG, a little pseudo-action can go a long way.
Anyway, despite
having, so far, a weak plot and a lack of motivation to get any task
done in the game, SH3 is definitely a gem among RPGs. It's just too
bad that it's release falls between Grandia 3 (which get's more
fanfare just by being Square Enix published) and Oblivion (do I need
to say anything?), so it's bound to be more of a sleeper
title.
Malik
|
|
For Those Who Don't
Have Flash Plug-Ins...
Rested
XP News
Reviews
Videos Features
Forums
Archives Search
This Site Links
Contact Us Disclaimer
|
|
|