S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl + Call of Pripyat, Metro 2033: I’d like to go home, I’ve mined the graveyard of unpublished poems

здравствуйте! As an American watching too many Hollywood films for one lifetime and being surrounded by events such as outsourcing, everyday judgments about foreign lands lean to the side of mostly harsh and are much easier to find than free chocolate for a hungry woman.  So when a company comes around from a land that would take a very long plane ride to reach, it’s easier to dismiss and distrust than even give the game and company half a chance.  Now compound that with a former foreign political party that forced the popular duck and cover movie that our parents or grandparents enjoyed thinking while trying to sleep produces even more happily earned motivation to buy anything coming from the CCCP.   

As an American with a specialized background, I’ve been forced to sit through training dealing with one of the worst industrial accidents in the last century: Chernobyl.  Within the stacks of paperwork there are plenty of videos such as this one and this one, etc, all bringing the events of the disaster to a very eerie realization.  The nearby town Pripyat for example, was created to give workers of Chernobyl a place to call home but has remained abandoned since it was evacuated a day after the accident.        

With all that smile friendly news enters the company GSC Game World from Kiev, Ukraine.  After running some searches of games developed in Ukraine the overall list seemed smaller than Mega Millions winners from the Midwest.  And it wasn’t too long ago that a Russian speaking company pushed my typical easy going nature to the edge of “bad touch” boundaries.  But the strength of persuasion can come from many avenues even those that are less expected.  Irrational Games’ podcast was the first place to drop not only GSC’s name but a very specific game that influenced Bioshock. 

That game Irrational mentions on multiple occasions is S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl for the PC.  At first glace, minus for those coming out of their Y2K bunkers in time to resupply for 2012, one can easily see that S:SC was released back in 2007.  But before brushing off what looks like a dated game compared to today’s standards there is hope.  An additional free download (considered a mod but is more like a total overhaul) is available from a large group of freelance developers here.  After updating this three year old game to visually mimic today’s games, S:SC begins to play a sly game of unravel the mystery.  But do not go into S:SC thinking it’s a typical “your a good guy, here’s some bad guys, go kill and we’ll fill you in on why later.”  S:SC in fact has lot of depth, girth, berth and whatever other awkward synonyms for wideness you can muster up when it comes to its central theme.

There are some core elements from a few different places that become interlaced within S:SC.  The first chunk comes from a 1979 (prior to Chernobyl) Russian movie called Stalker.  Skipping over the need to watch the entire movie, Stalker was about three characters intent on trying to reach a place called “the room” within a quarantined wilderness because of its rumored ability to grant any wish to those who enter it.  A very interesting side note (according to wikipedia) is after filming this movie, some of the cast and crew died from various types of respiratory disorders which they had believed to have come from a scene filmed near a discharge river used by a nearby chemical plant as it was said to have been snowing in summer.   

The second piece of S:SC’s storyline comes already aforementioned accident of Chernobyl and that part may be a bit obvious just from reading the title of the game.  So yes, S:SC is set in the “area” of today’s Chernobyl where the military will stop any random civilians from gaining access to the highly irradiated and dangerous area.  With Chernobyl comes all the abandoned buildings and power plant itself to be explored along with the frequent need to watch the old Geiger counter. 

And the third puzzle piece of the central theme is the sc-fi book Roadside Picnic.  Going straight to the cliff notes, Roadside Picnic is about the concept of a messy family going on a picnic in the woods.  They arrive and animals scatter and hide to and fro while the family stays for a while, eats, and then blazes off leaving all sorts of trash behind.  The animals then slowly come out to inspect what was left behind, objects foreign to them, each having different dangers or benefits.  For example a half eaten sandwich is consumed like any other food, but a mostly empty can of motor oil when sniffed and licked makes the animal very sick.  Roadside Picnic is that same concept only with aliens and people.  A group of visitors come to Earth at various locations, stay just long enough to be noticed and then quickly take off.  People then begin to explore the areas to find strange artifacts left behind.  Some are very dangerous while others have very odd benefits.  Once this is realized, the areas become exclusion zones guarded by respective militaries.  A group of known as stalkers, once again, are the only ones who venture purposely into the zones in hopes to find artifacts to bring back to sell.

These three concepts make up the backdrop for S:SC.  The game takes place in Chernobyl, a true exclusion zone, and you play a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. who is found by a merchant on the edge of the zone.  Awaking with a bit of amnesia you find a message on your PDA saying to kill a fellow S.T.A.L.K.E.R.  The merchant gives you a slight introduction into the zone telling you to be on the lookout for artifacts that hold powers to be sold for high prices.  From there the game is a sandbox FPSer where quests are given with specific times by which they must be completed and it is the players choice to solve the mysteries of S:SC or run around randomly in the name of democracy to put a bullet in anything sounding Russian. 

And everything in this game does sound as Russian as this folk song.  Even when choosing to play this in English, many of the NPCs are not translated in the random small sayings as they wander by or some of the dialog text.  As you stand by allies within a camp, one will on occasion pull out a guitar to sing a song to make you feel like Kansas is oh so far away. 

This makes for an interesting environment as it gives a foreign land feel but some smaller parts of the game stay lost in translation.  The initial learning curve of the game is high since much of what is going on starts and stays mysterious but at the same time adds to the ongoing element of horror with its little explanation.  One such problem with translations and storyline I encountered was that I was never able to find the main person to kill and yet was able to end the game a different way.  This disconnect was slightly frustrating but with the aid of our old pal The Internet, the second time through made more sense. 

The horror element is what Irrational Games pointed out as a key piece to what makes a this a memorable game.  True to their word S:SC is one of the scariest games I have ever played.  When it’s 3am with all lights shut off and a few too many cold ones the scary portions of any game will be enhanced because of the surrounding environment the game is played in.  S:SC does not need any enhancement.  Other games such as Resident Evil, FEAR or even Eternal Darkness use very standardized, flashy Hollywoodish, or unique out-of-game scare tactics.  S:SC uses an indirect method with heavy attention to the lack of sounds or focus towards a person’s ability to recognize the cause of a sound.  This is compounded by the fact that S:SC is a survivor oriented game constantly leaving the player with limited ammunition, hunger, bandages, weapon durability, overall health, and a small carry limit.  Additional mods can be applied to S:SC bringing the survivor portion to a more post-apocalyptical standard possibly forcing the player to kill a fellow ally for his food in order to suppress life threatening hunger.  The horror portion is also shadowed by the background of Chernobyl.  GSC Game World took a lot of extra time in researching and even visiting the exclusion zone to ensure the player is given a real and dangerous place that many know about but develops into an even scarier place they more intimately familiar they become with it. 

The general aspects of S:SC (as long as the complete mod is installed) are run-of-the-mill for today’s standards.  The graphics with weather effects and time of day changes are visually stunning.  The sounds and music are very unique to S:SC due to its origin but are nonetheless high quality.  The controls are customizable and aiming is strong due to the mouse/keyboard combination of PC games.  The combat realism is quite astounding as bullet trajectories matched with proper caliber and gun choice as well as only having iron sights or limited scopes are again an effect of S:SC being a survivor based game.  The multiplayer is more muted due to its age but this is an unnecessary addition as the emotional ties are focused within the single player direction.  The AI is well done  being accurate and tactful.  Overall difficulty is quite high and only gets higher with additional mods but this added challenge is a welcomed one from the simple quick fix FPS games of today.  The storyline is also unique and is directly derived from the previously mentioned core elements but is not coupled with many cutscenes compared to most games of today.     

Rarely does a game three years old peak such a late interest now that Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are well enough established with this generation’s consoles.  And sadly this summer was a busy one for me and therefore this review comes at a conflicting time with the upcoming heavy hitting holiday releases instead of during the summer when nothing outstanding was released.  But if anything, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl should stay in the back of your mind like an amazing commercial that sticks in the craw the next time there is a lull in your gaming life.  It is a one of a kind creation that deserves the title of classic and is worth not just one but a few plays through. (Available on Steam)    

Rating: 9.5 {on a scale of –10 to 10}

Three years later (skipping Clear Sky due to known bug issues) a direct sequel called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat was released by GSC Game World.  Much of the gameplay, horror and survival aspects are the same as S:SC but of course some improvements have been made.  This time you are a military agent posing as a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. to investigate the disappearance of lost helicopters that were flying over the town of Pripyat.  The town and surrounding rural areas are again realistically imported as the play environment including one of the most famous Ferris Wheels in the world.  Not long ago Modern Warfare 1 included Pripyat as part of its story allowing you to make your way through some of the abandoned buildings but its graphical engine made the town gleam instead of the grimy reality that S:CP paints. 

The graphics of S:CP are a step up over the original (unmodded) as well as the continuity of the story and translations with NPCs.  Gun and armor modification as well as an RPG interface with stats are good improvements but overall the game doesn’t connect on the same level as S:SC.  A majority of the game is spent outside of Pripyat and once the player arrives, exploration of all the visual landmarks comes mostly from player’s curiosity instead of being driven there by the main story. 

The disconnect may come from the simple fact that GSC made it rain in S:SC by letting you waltz all the way into Chernobyl and then expects you to be overjoyed by making it rain with scratch tickets in the abandoned neighboring town.  The mighty dollar rains and reigns better so if you decide to play S:CP, you’re rolling the dice on finding the same amount of pleasure that you can get out of S:SC. (Available on Steam)

Rating: 4.0 {on a scale of –10 to 10}

The latest and vastly different game released by THQ and 4AGames (founded by former developers of GSC) after S:CP was called Metro 2033.  This release was more of an accessible horror/survival game in order to reach a broader audience than the previously mentioned games being released on consoles as well as PC.  The play environment is again Russian based taking place very near Moscow yet most of the player’s time is spent underground as its title hints at.  In Metro 2033 you play the child of a survivor after a terrible apocalypse ravaged the world’s surface. The survivors of Russia have hid themselves within the nearby metro tunnels of Moscow scraping by with their trusty thirsts being quenched by whatever little vodka they can find.

Changing from a sandbox game to a very linear one, Metro 2033 still focuses much of its gameplay within the horror genre.  A very dark game graphically forces the player into the same realm of Doom 3, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, etc, where most of the scares are caused by visual panic from enemies having the same working distance as a dance partner.  A unique feature in Metro 2033 is a flashlight with what seems like the shortest battery ever but can be recharged by hand.  This creates situations where in the midst of battle, time management of the player’s visual aid must be taken into account.  Another unique feature is managing a needed gas mask’s chemical cartridges in order to stay on the surface or within oxygen deprived tunnels.  The player’s breathing becomes the ambient noise when the mask is on and adds a new source of tension as changing situations shift the rate.

The story is a bit interesting but has a very odd ending not causing any type of beckoning to replay Metro 2033.  A single play through is all that’s really necessary and can be done in about 10-12 hours based on difficulty chosen.  Most of the game is very close combat forcing gun preference toward shotguns over assault rifles or long range sniper weapons purely for spread fire room clearing.  In all the FPS games over the years, Metro 2033 takes the cake as far as keeping the buckshot flying.  I used so many shells that for the next few games that I played I swore off the sound of an empty shell hitting the ground.  The controls are simplified and sometimes slightly awkward on the console as everything is jammed onto a controller.  The AI is good at flank techniques yet not impossibly difficult when they outnumber.  

The overall game is fun but an unnecessary one to play through unless one is a large fan of the genre.  Rent it if slightly interested, but skip it over S:SC if time and cash is limited.  What Metro 2033 does do indirectly is point out that GSC Game World and 4AGames should be around for years to come making quality games from across the back pond.  Even if they are bloody reds they do know how to make a good horror/survival game.  (Available on Steam)       

Rating: 4.5 {on a scale of –10 to 10}

Menomena – Dirty Cartoons

Album Version

Bioshock 2: You can feel it in your mind, oh you can do it all the time, plug it in and change the world

From the depths of a gloriously visual rich landscape known as Rapture, Bioshock 2 from 2kgames (2k Marin and Irrational Games) is a first person horror/shooter plain and simple.  Yet plain and simple is quite the opposite for this and its predecessor.  With a strong focus on art and creativity, Bioshock 2 is not only a solid game but a full experience placing the player in a big set of metal boots to fill.  Baring that the player doesn’t already have a fear of water, Bioshock 2 will gently send shivers down the spine, the kind of shivers that come with a healthy amount of urination. 

Set eight years after the first you are thrown back into the imaginary underwater city known as Rapture.  Bioshock 2 jams the player in the boots of an older model of the Mega Men of the sea, the Big Daddy.  Not the weak Adam Sandler’s Scuba Steve type of diver that first comes to mind, the Delta model in B2 is about on par with say Jacques Cousteau.  It’s a decent middle ground versus the fear inducing deep divers from the first just like their Yu-Gi-Oh card says.  As you awake in your Big Daddy suit you begin to unravel a mystery surrounding the Little Sisters and the first generation of Little Sisters from the first game who have now become the Big Sisters.  Many of the characters from the first are mentioned and the story in this sequel is good even if it does peter out after a bit of time, picking up fast to end full swing.

The controls are pretty simple to master as is typical of most FPSers, and the difficulty scales well.  The true difficulty is the play style that is pushed onto the player by balancing a slower pace (minimizing the “kick the door down, run and gun with almost limitless ammo”) and starving the player of resources by having small ammo and item caps.  Doing so yields a stylistic game that plays farther on the horror side since survival becomes harder.  And by style I’m not referring to the deep emotional connection anyone gets by watching America’s Next Top Model but instead an artistic style that compliments the gameplay.  This was in the original and is still very prevalent in the second making quite the statement if and when Irrational Games or 2Kgames has been involved with games of the past or will be involved with future games.

Fueling this style is the art direction.  With vibrant visuals as well as rich ambient sounds and music, the player becomes one with the game.  Even the backdrop of the undersea world of Rapture becomes a vital part of the game much like the Nakatomi Plaza was a character in Die Hard.  And now that you know what a TV dinner feels like you can focus on some visual differences from the first to the second game such as a more colorful world with sound and lights, sharper images and a bigger depth of detail.  The Big Sisters alone give a new feel for apprehension during pursuits by giving them a screech resembling a rabbit being caught by a snake(link may be disturbing).  The world of Rapture looks more polished with added aqua flora and fauna such as coral, sea slugs, and the typical leafy plants found in nine out of ten fish tanks.  

The length of time to complete the game is about ten hours if you scrounge around for everything which felt slightly less than the first.  A few different endings are available based on a couple choices during the game.  Overall the game was a solid followup and an amazing addition to the FPS genre by having what felt like a load of amazing talent bases in its creation and a style that isn’t found very often in the genre.  The ride is worth it at least once but replayability and multiplayer is nothing like the first time so I’d wait for the greatest hits or a rental.  A nice bonus to go along with Bioshock is a few podcasts available from Irrational Games either on iTunes or their website as they discuss many aspects of their games as well as decisions made while creating their games. 

Rating: 8.0 {out of a –10 to 10 scale}

MGMT – Electric Feel

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 + Alien vs. Predator Multiplayer Demos: Opinions were like kittens; I was giving them away.

After a quick couple of downloads and plenty of the internets to research the pieces, Alien versus Predator and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 are just on the horizon for upcoming possible purchases.  So without further delay here’s a quick review of the multiplay demos for AvP and BBC2 (not to be confused with your friends over the pond).

There’s some expectations when making a sequel and BBC2 took time to listen to fans of the first making changes while including more of what worked in the first.  Comparisons to MW2 make for easier understanding so brace yourself.  From EA and DICE, BBC2 isn’t a carbon copy of FPSers.  There are some things that set it apart and each aspect holds some weight much like Michael Moore. 

Past Battlefield games were known for their multiplayer experience and I can easily see how this release will be another.  First, the map sizes are exceptionally big and designed a little bit differently than most other FPSers.  The graphics don’t skimp but are not the best out there.  They do however work well with the map sizes and large player caps even if it’s no where near MAG’s 256 number.  The designs are meant for the game types they are played on, namely conquer the territories.  Since the battles are aimed to be progressive, the maps therefore feel like a battlefield and not a random scattering of people running across the same ground in all directions. 

Vehicles are abound and a vital portion to what works well with the Battlefield series.  Controlling them is also easier than BC1 and makes for less issues of poor drivers or bugginess unlike Orkin commercials.  A copycat MW system for self progression is used allowing you to choose from 4 main classes and customizing each as experience points are gained.  I guess this is the new standard for all FPS multiplayer games now to keep people coming back for more; just be sure that if you are coming back for more you put in some more time on that treadmill too. 

The biggest piece of this digital pie is the destruction system used.  What that means is buildings, the environment, vehicles, and just about everything else are destructible by the side effects of warfare.  It is beautifully done and makes for an enjoyable ride while romping through the countrysides.  It is unlike any other FPSer around so take soak it in while it’s around.  The destruction system and vehicles separate BC2 from MW2 because the pacing and feel of each appeal to different playstyles which can exist simultaneously in a person but it may take that special kind of person to find a big place in that person’s heart for both MW2 and BC2.  That special someone with a big wallet. 

I am going to guess that the single player is quite similar to the first installment which was pretty much the Blue Collar Comedy tour meets Ernest joins the military: fart jokes galore.  This leads to a story that a bit difficult to stomach more than once and is probably completed quite quickly, but these are just guesses using past experiences with EA.  Does it all add up to a game worth purchasing now?  If you are very into multiplay, then I could imagine an easy purchase.  If you are going to bank on a worthy single player game too I’d save my cash for something a little darker?…

   

Working the opposite darker corner of the street of BBC is the retro release with an updated look: Aliens vs Predator.  Straight back an entire decade since AvP first knocked on your door, wet from the rain in 1999, you had an opportunity to accept AvP into your house to warm itself by the fire.   Requiring a PC at the time and two decades after the release of its original movie, AvP was quite unique in its single player game allowing you to choose a marine, alien or our blessed roommate predator.  Besides a minor flaw of a missing save feature in the single player game, AvP was a great release putting you in the shoes of a scared marine with the one and only motion sensor noise noise that can still stir up a nightmare or two when you hear it.     

Even after a decade has passed, I can still remember the original AvP and how difficult it was to transition easily between the 3 characters and their controls.  And this is the first difficulty in the latest release of AvP.  Porting to consoles as well as PC, jamming all the possible controls onto a controller is a bit difficult as well as being the person trying to remember them all.  More importantly is that the multiplayer portion has no pizzaz or more specifically any reason at all to want to play the multiplayer portion.  After sitting through a difficult system of joining a multiplayer game, most of the action requires a person to run around madly until an opposing player is found in which you attempt to close the distance or increase it depending on what character you have chosen.  The running gives the feel of the ice skating smoothness instead of actual running, but this is a difficulty with many multiplayer games.  Beyond that attacking seems a bit awkward and team play is just a random consequence of choosing the same race as others. 

What is hopeful is that the single player, updated and revamped, should still make for an enjoyable game.  The concept is pretty simple, emulate the movies as much as possible and let the fear ensue.  Where previous fear based games such as Doom, Resident Evil, or F.E.A.R. need you to get entranced with the game itself before the fear can result, AvP only requires you to have watched the movies alone at 3 am with the spooky sounds of a furnace to watch them with you.  The fear then comes naturally rushing back and welcomes you with bead projects, puppy dog eyes, and internet sites devoted to itself.  I can not reason with a full price tag to go along with a re-release game as well as a lacking multiplayer portion so bide some time and wait for Steam to chop the $$$$$$’s down but keep this release in your back pocket for a rainy day later this year.

 

Modest Mouse – Out of Gas

2009 year end wrap up: With the beating of a tiny heart, hang on to the things you're supposed to say

In like a lamb and out like a lion, 2009 was a big year breaking records in the entertainment industry when others suffered under a brittle economy.  So jumping right into it, here were some of the supernovas and black holes of this year:

360

Having another harrowing year choosing which mulitplatform format to run with, 360 almost trumped all.  Regretting only that programs such as Steam and Xboxlive don't overlap servers, the 360 was quite a workhorse for me this year.

Modern Warfare 2 -  {Rating: 10}  Record-breaking release, living up to the hype, best game of the year, etc, etc.  Really what can I say that hasn’t already been said?  Multiplayer that is more addicting than the first one being free, single player that hits all the major highlights of what a story should be (including the first time ever "If you are offended easily you are allowed to skip one mission"), and the best collector's edition extra to be included with a game.  This game is the first online FPSer since Counterstrike that will keep you occupied for months and months to come.  Stop spending time reading about it and start playing it.  

 

 

Borderlands - {Rating: 8.5}  I knew you were in the mood to go buy some books today and what better place to do it than your local Borders....land's end catalog....  Wait this is nothing like the book store at all.  Instead it's a true MMO take on a FPSer.  Ok maybe just stealing all the great ideas from diablo:  Visible damage numbers, an odd but workable art style, co-op play much like the good old days of diablo (scaling difficulty with additional players), and a bajazillion guns, Borderlands made quite a sleeper hit.  Additional expansion packs are already available and if you're not playing with a buddy, then you're not getting the full run for the border experience. 

 

 

Dragon Age: Origins - {Rating: 7} Stepping back to the direction of Knights of the Old Republic focusing on the RPG portions of its games, Bioware hits it high with Dragon Age.  Slow to start and enough spoken dialogue to rival many books on tape, Dragon Age is the first game where a dialogue decision making system has found the right way to write in a very ambiguous fashion giving a heavy responsibility to what choices are the ones you really want to make.  The combat system is a bit rough at times and the length of the game increases exponentially with scaling the difficulty higher but is rewarding in replayability with the first choice of class/race.  This is another game with additional downloadable content and will probably lead to a few sequels to come.      

 

Wet - {Rating: 3.5} Ewww. That's just icky.  Oh you meant wet work.  But what happened to the work?  And what happened to the amount of fun Max Payne brought me?  You probably won't find a lot of it with Wet.  There are some highlights such as the southwest atmosphere, B-movie presentation, and camera work.  But most of it is lost in the repetition and short story.  [Previous Review]

 

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising - {Rating: 4.5} Semper sac' a really ack.  This game was overshadowed by MW2 and the size of that shadow is ginormous.  As far as military simulations goes, OF games are the way to go but in knowing that OF games are a simulation and not your typical FPSer paced game, most will not find pleasure in this game.  Great graphics, and easy control system, and mission openness rivaling a Bethesda game, OF is for the few,the proud, the simulated marines.  [Previous Review]

 

Resident Evil 5 - {Rating: 9.0}  The rest of the world was pretty upset by this game claiming it was not as good as the 4th installment and was terrible when played solo.  Well why the heck would you want to play it solo anyway?  The biggest plus for this game was that it was the only serious release from the beginning of the year until August.  So it's easy to Monday morning quarterback this game now, but this game will always have a special place in my heart, especially since they've improved their voice acting. [Previous Review]

 

 

Rogue Warrior - {Rating: –3}  With only a single highlight for this release (being able to rival Bob Seger for knife moves) this sad excuse for a game was made even worse by the exceptional looking trailer released earlier this year touting direct inspiration from real life Seal Team 6 creator Dick Marcinko.  After creating the hype, the final release waned into oblivion with atrocious AI, voice acting that needed a swear jar of ridiculousness (Yes my opinion was quite the opposite of that reviewer), and a presentation built on a nine year old’s dream. This game isn’t based on a movie so it had no excuse for its lack of quality and was even delivered by Bethesda which twice in one year makes me leery to purchase any more games not created by them directly.

 

 

 

Wheelman - {Rating: –5} Does everyone love the steak necked Vin Diesel for his tour de force acting roles such as Shane Wolf in the Pacifier like I do?  Well Wheelman is another in a fine line of versatile voice acting performances that Shakespeare himself would envy.  And even Vinny can’t be the salvaging saving grace for this disaster.  Midway has been decent with their releases for a few years but an occasional hiccup is bound to occur.  This GTA wannabe is that nagging case of the hiccups that a good scare can’t save you from.  Trying to mesh a GTA style game with Burnout driving sounds like potential is there but after trying it once, repetition and lack of creativeness are what you find.  A storyline that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, an idiotic Tarzan carjacking ability that makes you king of the concrete jungle alright, and a sandbox environment that a cat just got done using, Wheelman is for no one no matter what your IQ or how much of a Diesel fangirl you are.  Maybe the subtitle of this game was actually supposed to be Pacifier 2. 

 

 

Call of Juarez - {Rating 3.5}  Wild Bill sure loves his pistolas.  This spaghetti western game was an improvement from it's predecessor but for most players finding enjoyment would be a challenge.  No Co-op main story, so-so multiplay, and little to nothing to separate this from any other FPSer other than it’s a western setting made Call of Juarez rentable during the summer of no releases but now it’s definitely a skipper.  Hopefully sometime in the future a quality western FPSer will be made.  [Previous Review]

 

Star Ocean: The Last Hope - {Rating 7.5} Many gamers looking to branch to new areas of gameplay could find salvation in Star Ocean as prequels did not need to be played to grasp the storyline.  Few advertisements made availability of this game very minimal and at first glace the game looked difficult to handle but this was not exactly the case.  Good cinematics, plot and gameplay made this RPG one of the first quality RPG released on the 360. [Previous Review]

 

 

Forza 3 - {Rating 8} Vroom Vroom Vroom I want you in my room.  Since the advent of Gran Turismo many great racing games have come and gone and Forza 3 is not only a good racing simulation game but a great one.  Hundreds of tracks, cars, and mods make Forza the first to meet Gran Turismo head on and give it a run for its money.  Visually stunning graphics at very high frames per second make this game not only a fun one to play but also one to watch.  This is also the first racing simulation game where you can breeze through the simulation portions (quick customization, etc) or dive deep into modifying each one of your lovely racing tools appealing to avid car fans as well as your average Sunday driver.  I’m still waiting for the day when racing simulation games make it to driver’s ed classes.   

 

 

 

Wii

 

This year was a bit light on the Wii.  Not many quality releases throughout the entire year were made and the few that would of made some huge highlights are not due out until 2010.  Oh what patience Wii owners must wield. 

 

Wii Resort - {Rating: 7} You and your friends sick of Wii Sports yet?  Want to swordfight with your buddy with all your clothes on and still come up a winner?  Or how about reenact your favorite scene from Robin Hood?  You can do all of this and more in Wii Resort. A nice array of solo or multiplay games with a few different game modes, Wii Resort is a great game to embarrass or humiliate your friends and family as they attempt to become Larry Bird in the 3-point contest.  You also get the opportunity to force man’s best friend to fetch your wild frisbee tosses and slap a newspaper against his head when he doesn’t win it for you.  Ok no slapping is allowed but I’ll bet there’s a real dog laying around somewhere you can take you all your aggression out on.  With all the games to choose from coupled with the original Wii Sports, Wii Resort is a great addition to the entertaining guests library.  Just be patient sitting through the tutorial at the beginning of the game, since Nintendo is showing the world that they feel some sort of responsibility for broken TVs.

 

Tiger Woods 2010 - {Rating: 6.5}  Just like creating a sex tape to boost popularity, Tiger Woods knows the right way to boost his game sales.  With all the controversy and gossip to take up eons of time at work having to listen to Debbie’s (from accounting) opinion on Tiger’s home life and how she’s ‘got it all figured out’, you can go home and take out all your anger driving little white balls 300+ yards into a tiny little hole with the first game to utilize Wii Motion Plus. The putting will begin to help rise your hulk rage, but after a ton of practice, you can actually feel rewarded with a job well done.  [Previous Review]

 

Deblob - {Rating: 4} Music, paint, and oddity surround Deblob.  The game is quite the mystery as to how it came into being but now that it is around us all, slamming paint against your neighborhood walls seems to be an enjoyable hobby to have.  Some usual platforming frustration with camera angles and controls are not missing but tend to be made up by the amazing sounds and music that occur while painting the town red.  Not for everyone, Deblob will probably appeal more to those that care about creativity than destruction so avoid this title if you believe you can sniff the paint through the TV.  (These two I’ll bet spent plenty of days doing just that.) [Previous Review] 

 

 

PC

Picking up the pace from previous years of only notable mentions, the PC titles are starting to become a stronger choice from previous years especially with the small arcade style games.  2010 should also be a strong year with the big upcoming release of Starcraft 2, if it ever really does happen. 

 

Left for Dead 2 - {Rating: 8}  As I said with the release of the first LFD, if you can find 3 buddies that all have this game, and can find a time when all 4 of you can play it, this is a great title and will give you a craving to watch every zombie movie known to man.  But after purchasing this title, I realized the game is still a quality game with only 1 friend to co-op with.  Solo play has some good intentions but will frustrate as AI does not compare to your neighbor that was ate by zombies.  Controls and gameplay are straightforward FPS in nature but what separates this title is the Half-life style of presentation, level design, and overwhelming zombie hordes that feel a better match than the types from Serious Sam.   So grab a chainsaw and start taking down trunks.

 

 

Aion - {Rating: 3.5}  There are a few absolute truths in this world and when you play Aion, the obvious underlying truth is Koreans hate free time.  This beast of a release will attempt to steal every waking hour of your life and give you little reward for your efforts.  The visuals are a step above for MMOs, but the quest line organization and communication windows are lacking.  The quests, which show a level limit, do not show a group necessity but almost are impossible without them and leveling shows suicidal tendencies when calculated to level per hour.  The ability to fly is a great addition but becomes quite a novelty quickly.   Beyond not being WoW, Aion did not strike me to be anything groundbreaking or capable of swooning millions.  Those that already played and enjoyed other NCSoft games may find a new home but for most others, good luck.

 

 

X3: Terran Conflict - {Rating: 2}  The rare space simulation game that’s not actually that new of a release, X3:TC is a game that isn’t self-aware enough to realize just how big of a game it is.  Not focused on solo ship combat, and instead believing in trade routes and mining operations, X3 takes away from what most other space games profit from and makes for a hard game to sell and describe.  A small story, vast amounts of controls to master, and a very high difficulty, X3 is neither for the meek or merry.  The graphics and idea are good but not having a good combat system keeps the appeal to those that really enjoy the Civilization series.  Either that or those who majored in international trade back in college. [Previous Review]

 

Peggle - {Rating: 4.5} The chances of getting a seat on the Price is Right are small and actually becoming a contestant even smaller, so for those that don’t make it to the showcase showdown please enjoy Peggle.  The bleeps, bings and dings are abound when you plop your way through Peggle’s lovely simple physics of bouncing.  It’s a simple game to figure out and can appeal to those of young and old, large and small, illiterate and colorblind.  The only thing that doesn’t work well is the title as it rhymes with words that often accompany clowns and your creepy uncle that always does magic tricks to impress the ladies.  Becoming a master of Peggle would also put you in this category so be careful.  [Previous Review]

 

 

 

Plants vs Zombies – {Rating: 6}  By far the best penny arcade game of the year, Plants vs. Zombies is an easy game to figure out and creates hours of fun by balancing RTS ideas with speed and zombies.  As you protect yourself from a home invasion of brain eaters, your vegetable garden becomes the ultimate defense weapon and is done with simple but great animations and designs.  This game was also the first game to predict the death of Michael Jackson by including his Thriller zombie right into the mix so kudos for hitting the deadpool predictions PopCap.  If you like the constant struggle of the living versus the living dead, fun puzzle/strategy games, or if you are just looking to find another game that anyone and everyone can play, Plants Vs Zombies is a sound choice.  So get planting.  [Previous Review]

 

 

Machinarium - {Rating: 5.5}  If Tim Burton made the movie Wall-E, Machinarium would be the outcome in game form.  A mixture of quirky flash animation puzzles, Machinarium will keep that noodle of yours stirring until it finds just the right shape.  The only issue with Mach was once you play through the game once, there’s no need to play it again.  Some puzzles are a bit on the tough side even for experts at riddles and jumbles so youngin’s might be a bit frustrated but an added feature of a minigame hint book allows for some help from time to time.  The backgrounds and animations were among some of the most creative and brilliant designs for a game on the simpler side of things so if you enjoy not so easy puzzles and the movies of Timmy B, try Machinarium. 

 

 

Empire Total War - {Rating: 8}  The RTS behemoth of 2009, Empire Total War is a reminder what it would take to actually win a game of Risk.  Taking a lot of time to complete an entire campaign, ETW is quite an interesting game as its AI attempts to stay within true historical guidelines as long as you allow it to.  Controls are on par with any RTS and difficulties scale well with world domination, ETW is for those that love RTS games and also for those that want a little more out of their board game night.  Ground battles feel repetitive after a short while but naval battles are something to behold as the graphics, controls and strategies are unlike anything before it. And who can argue with having to battle actual pirates of the world?  Take that Jack Sparrow.  [Previous Review]

 

Hired Guns: Jagged Edge - {Rating: 1.5}  Haunted with former versions of itself, HGJE made me die a little inside.  Loving the genre so much and with the technology of today, I assumed such a great game could of been created but this was not the case.  Extremely hard three dimensional control, bugs, and terrible characters, HGJE will be an eternal reminder that no matter how good a series was, when rights are transferred to a new company great things may not happen.  [Previous Review]

 

2009 memoranda

1. Total new games purchased: 20 (22 in 2008)
2. Best 1st person shooter: Modern Warfare 2
3. Best RPG: Borderlands
4. Best Strategy: Empire Total War
5. Best Multiplayer game with friends in the same room: Wii Resort
6. Best Multiplayer game with friends across the world: Aion
7. Best Penny Arcade type game: Plants vs Zombies
8. Biggest surprise of the year: Borderlands
9. # of new games beat: 13 (8 in 2008)
10. # of unfinished single player games: 4 (7 in 2008)
11. # of controllers broken: 1 mouse
12. System played the most: 360 (not counting time on computers)
13. # of times playing games pissed off the wife: 156 (Modern Warfare 2 is her favorite)
14. Biggest hopeful for 2010: Starcraft 2
15. Other hopefuls: FFXIII, Splinter Cell Conviction, Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2

 

Beach House - Norway

     

Favorite video of 2009 –> Ramona Falls - I Say Fever 

    

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising: Fire all your guns at once and explode into space

The word simulation becomes a tag along word from time to time. Microsoft's Flight Simulator is probably the first to come to mind and when slapping the word at the end of a game title, a certain preexisting judgement comes along with it; the idea that since it is a close replica to the real thing, the amount of fun is limited. The 3 game series, Operation Flashpoint, while missing that word 'simulation' in all senses should have the word attached to its titles.

Available for PC, PS3, and Xbox360, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising from Codemasters is a long awaited sequel with much to live up to.  The first in the series, Cold War Crisis, was an amazing rendition of the  pace, feel, difficulties, and distances of modern warfare firefights.  Much of war is not fought at typical fpser's favorite distances of less than a hundred meters where the face of your opponent is clearly visible.  OF games keep most battles at the realistic large distances where the sounds of ricochets and shrapnel scare, confuse, and pump adrenaline much like a forgotten pan of jiffy pop left on the stove.  Scouting ahead with binoculars and popping smoke isn't just for voyeuristic wizards as OF allows for many different strategies, some of which work, and some of which force you into a grave or jail cell you dirty wizard you. 

This sequel takes place on an actual island off the west coast of Alaska with its named changed to Skira.  In an imagined or sadly possible future where oil becomes ever more rare, China claims original ownership of Skira after oil is found deep within and  Russia defends their stance of ownership since gaining control of Skira during WW2.  As things escalate, the proud eagle riding, stars and stripes waving U.S. steps in to aid their Communist hating, poor big brother Russia. And not only does the U.S. step in to help out their buddy and attempt to inflict pain on the country stealing the U.S.'s manufacturing jobs, but the favor of saving Russia doesn't seem to be returned during the entire campaign of Dragon Rising.

In Dragon Rising you take the role of a USMC sergeant in charge of three other troops taking a full campaign to fruition.  This sounds as if it could last as long as a few previously known historical conflicts but this campaign ends up to be less than a week so no need to pack more than a few pairs of underwear.  The main campaign includes much of what I imagine a true military campaign to entail, such as a special ops behind enemy lines precursor followed by the initial beachhead assault.  Missions vary in difficulty and objectives range from simple 'destroy it all' to sneak and demo without being caught.   Many missions gave me little to no trouble while some had to be retried over 10-20 times.  

Much of the gameplay mimics the previous games and the controls translate well to the console controller setup.  Most troop commands are simple to accomplish quickly and your troops react to changing conditions.  A.I. of enemies and allies, however, is at times frustrating or idiotic or at least buggy.  Beyond A.I. bug issues, I ran into clipping problems where objects and models could be walked through after respawns and A.I. could see and shoot through them as well (Xbox360) killing me from who knows where.  

The amount of weaponry available is near the 70 range and all are of modern design.  Vehicles are included as with all OF games but very little of the campaign missions involve the use of any beyond humvees or APCs.  In Cold War Crisis multiple missions forced the player to become a tank commander, bomber pilot, and helicopter gunner where Dragon Rising's main campaign ignores these options and keeps you in your running boots.  It did leave me with extra time to brush up on some old dance moves but left me craving for more and gave me a feeling I was missing the sense of a full war simulation experience.  I also noticed the removal of character equipping prior to missions and couldn't find a valid reason for this missing component.  In turn you are allowed to look at your starting equipment and that of your entire company but can do nothing to drop unneeded extra weight.

I did not take any time to attempt the co-op, mission editor, or multiplayer modes which all have the potential to make the game better than what I experienced.  With the implementation of a co-op mode for the entire campaign the storyline development of your character becomes lacking.  This would only be noticed if you had played the original; specifically the rising of your character's rank and subsequently responsibility for additional squad members during missions.  Instead your rank stays stagnant and you stick with your four man crew.

I did still enjoy the overall game although I have a hard time seeing how this could compete against monster games with hype and advertising such as Modern Warfare.  The visuals were done exceptionally well.  Bombings leave large amounts of fire and smoke but still can't compete with true pitmasters.  Gunfire and long battles give the movie-like response of thankfulness to still be alive.  And the biggest bonus in picking an OF game is the openness of environment and objective completion much like Bethesda's games (ie, Morrowind, Fallout 3).  

Want to run right at your waypoint guns blazing?  Want to sneak through the woods and not fire a shot completing an entire mission without killing a single enemy (yeah sounds real fun but it is an option which I did accomplish on accident)?  Want to steal a helicopter, kamikaze dive it into the ocean, bailing out at the last second and put in hours of swimming to reach the island again only to be shot and killed by an AA emplacement you somehow didn't see shooting you on your way out to the ocean making you want to commit seppuku for your shamefulness of time wasted because you thought grand theft helo is the only place GTA games can go next?  

Well Dragon Rising will let you fulfill those fragile dreams.  Its release did suffer from bad timing as its release was very close to MW2 and if your cash flow limits the amount of choices you can make, choosing the latter will guarantee a better choice.  If you somehow happen to find some extra time to see how our red, white, and blue boys get things done in almost real-time, give OF:DR the good ol' rental.  It will not compare to MW2 but it's differing experience that separates simulation from the rest.

Rating : 4.5 {on a scale of -10 to 10}

Steppenwolf - Born to be Wild

Summer Catchup: I can be the source you crave, I can spell what you can't say

To go along with the first "scheduled" summer vacation for me in over six years, I felt the need to catch up on reviews on things I've put off.  So here are some quick reviews of games and technology that are overdue.  

PogoPlug - No it's not a recharging station for your gyroscopically enhanced pogo-segway.  This small 

little piece of electronic plastic goodness is essentially remote desktop-ing made easy. Made by a company called Cloudengines, this device bridges the gap between your external hard drive and your router.  It then allows you to stream your hard drive onto whatever lovely computerish device, aka iPhoneS(nob), you happen to be using to annoy the hell out people eating their dinner at that fancy restaurant Olive Garden.  What used to be a limitation on OS matching between a computer and remote device has now been removed and replaced with a large 

backorder and a price tag of $99.  

Nokia E71x Smartphone -  And speaking of the vile world of confusing popularity contests 

with annoyances in public, one of the newest AT&T installment standards is the Nokia E71x Smartphone. Nokia really does know how to make quality phones and AT&T knows how to take them a step back.  

The design is slick, battery long lived, camera is so-so, standard software artful in its self destruction, but web browsing, WLAN, and GPS portions are above the rest as long as you stay under the 3G umbrella during reception rain.  Navigation of menus and number typing is a bit on the "special side" but once understood the phone does shine for those using it in the business sense.  As long as that business isn't human trafficking then you'll be happy if an E71x comes your way.

Tiger Woods 10 (Wii, EA) - It's in the game alright.  No, not shoving Tileset golf balls into any opening you can find around your TV.  The Wii Motion Plus will take care of that sort of thing for you if you haven't done it already.  

TW10 is a large showoff of what sports games should feel like when you are handed 

a controller.  Even if you aren't a fan of rolling out of bed onto your couch Sunday mornings for day long sessions to watch golf, playing this game will help you begin to enjoy the difficulty of getting a small white ball into a barely big enough hole about 300 yards away.  And then it will help you begin to whip Wii controllers into fragile objects around your room.  And then help you turn into a similar demonic hellion known as Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore.  

The game (with Wii Motion Plus) is so sensitive to very slight motions as you swing your controller that it will bring you to the point of wanting to keep your wrist in a splint to avoid draw shots.  The added features from previous years are a big bonus such as disc golf, real time weather, and precision putting.  And yes you can still deck yourself out in actual Caddyshack fashions as you progress through the Masters Tournament.  

Rating:  6.5 {on a scale of -10 to 10}

X3: Terran Conflict (PC, Egosoft) - X3: TC is the latest in the series.  It was released in September of 2008 and done so with barely a glimmer of advertising along side of it.  

Some games take their genre so far above and beyond, that expectations of what the game actually is or could be vanish, and you are left with something a bit odd and hard to describe.  It is much like comparing Microsoft's Flight Simulator versus Ace Combat.  They both have planes and they both involve flying but crashing and burning in one takes a little more work than the other.

X3: TC is a simulation game in the biggest sense of simulation.  Combat is there but is not a large highlight unlike Wing Commander, Descent: Freespace, X-Wing vs Tie Fighter, Freelancer, etc.  The storyline is there but is overshadowed by the rest of the game.  

So what exactly are you left with?  A gigantic universe to explore and trade within.  A place to commandeer for your galactic space stations and armada of ships.  It's much like Pogs or Magic: The Gathering.  At first it's really interesting to look at and play but after a short time passes only a select few people of the world will still be able to find enjoyment out of it.

Extremely high learning curve, not so easy controls, and a hard difficulty make X3: TC an even harder selection to pick.  Open source coding for modification, beautiful graphics, and a reason to dust off the old joystick make X3: TC a good alternative for those looking to branch way way off.

Rating:  2 {on a scale of -10 to 10}

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (360, Ubisoft)-  A sequel to the 2006 release, this first person shooter is one of the very few western FPS games available.  A run of the mill FPS with a very different setting for those that are used to killing Nazis or Aliens, CoJ: BiB will probably only appeal to those that really enjoy the setting the western setting. 

The game and it's appeal can be compared to something similar to the movie Jacques Cousteau and Life Aquatic.  Unless you were a large fan to the original works, the semi-recent film will seem more like an awkward broadway play that stays a mystery. 

So unless your parents made you sit and watch every Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, and Henry Fonda western of the 60s and 70s, you probably won't even have the slightest bit of interest in CoJ: BiB since most gamers are too young to know where the term spaghetti western even came from in the first place.  And if you did happen to watch them, there's still a decent chance you'll probably just bide your time and skip over this game waiting for HALO: ODST.  

CoJ: BiB is a pretty average FPS and doesn't have enough meat behind it to make a good meal.  Boss fights are done in the old western showdown at noon style, the action is fast paced, multiplayer competitive but not as good as CoD4, and the storyline and voiceovers are great but short overall.  The gameplay is a copycat to the Call of Duty series with waypoints, respawning, and storyline progression.

But again, the fast paced action and multiplayer are the only things linking FPS gamers of today to the western setting of yesterday.  If you're into a good appetizer and salad while you wait for dinner this fall, CoJ: BiB could be for you otherwise just order a bigger meal later.  

Rating:  3.5 {on a scale of -10 to 10}

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (360, Infinity Ward/Activision) - 

One game that I had initially put off buying was CoD4. The Call of Duty predecessors were always very short with the single player game and could typically be completed in 15 hours or less.  The single player was always extremely fun to play but brought no multiplayer strength with it limiting reasons to pay $50+.  

Another annoyance was the other CoD games were all set in the WWII realm and after playing so many WWII games now, I can almost rattle off every gun and caliber of bullet used during that era without ever actually firing any of them.  An overdone period of time in the history of the world when it comes to FPS and strategy games, I set aside the CoD series altogether until very recently.  

Modern Warfare was well worth the revisit to the CoD series.  Reviews of the game all over the internet have told the story many times over and all say the same thing.  The game is great from start to finish in all aspects that make up an FPS game.  Graphics, sound, storyline, gameplay including both single and multiplay, etc, are all top notch.  

One part that really sets this game apart is the way the character modeling design is done along with the background and camera.  The model design from what I've read is separate from the way previous CoD games did them.  In modeling speak they have faked certain aspects to give it a three dimensional look and at the same time gives a ton of extra detail while keeping the game running at 60 frames per second.  

The look of the characters and background is amazing and is shown off even more when a gun is pulled up to the shoulder and the camera puts only what's directly down the sights into focus fuzzing out the surrounding area.  It's an exaggeration of what the eye really does but it's the good kind like the size of Babe the Blue Ox or the hope you feel for the Cubs to make the playoffs.  

The best part about the game is how the multiplayer is done.  The multiplay is on the same level that Halo 1 was when it was first released with different play modes and maps.  As you play you begin to work your way through levels of experience gaining the use of new weapons and abilities.  Unlocking new items becomes as addicting as playing the slots after a few too many mojitos.  This idea has now become a standard for multiplayer games and will be copied for years to come.  

Overall the game is well worth the small price that comes with a game of the year release so be sure to pick it up and grab an xboxlive gold package too.  Just be sure to get ready to mute those arrogant mic users again.

Rating:  9 {on a scale of -10 to 10}

New Young Pony Club - Ice Cream