Victory!

Chances are you already know this, but it's a good day to say anyway! The Supreme Court has issued that California's Law for it to be illegal to sell Violent Video Games to anybody under the age of 18 is unconstitutional!

Victory is ours fellow gamers!

Suck it California!

My thoughts on E3: Part 1

All videos and photos are not mine

E3....the Electronic Entertainment Expo. 

Said to be one of the most important moments every year for gamers and gaming companies and I believe so. This is when new games, new consoles, new technology, and more are revealed to us by the masters of the industry such as Nintendo, EA, Namco, THQ, and more. 

For three days people get to experience the pure awesomeness of what our industry has to offer and although I wasn't there (Something I will try to correct next year if luck be with me) that doesn't mean I can't comment on what's been revealed. Sure It's gone now, but many are still talking about it. As such this is going to be a four part talk about my thoughts on what's been shown at E3. I won't comment on everything, just what catches my eye.

The first three parts will be about the game while the final part will be about the top new hardware that Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have revealed to us. 

For now, lets look at some games!

1. Bioshock Infinity (2K Games)

What makes this Bioshock games stand out just alone is the fact that it's not underwater this time, it's up in the sky. You play as a special government agent who's been sent to find a secret sky city known as Colombia and find a girl named Elizabeth. It turns out that the city is, like Rapture, turned to civil war due to a disagreement on politics and everything is fallen apart. With new weapons, new powers, a wicked way of traveling on rail system, and constant danger around from a giant mechanical bird Bioshock Infinity looks like it's going to be high in the skies of sales and value.

2. Mass Effect 3 (EA)

When I saw this, my mouth drooled. In case I didn't remind you in the last 3 minutes, I love Bioware and I love Mass Effect more then any game out there. This is the final chapter and final battle as the Reapers final arrive on Earth to start their process of ending all galactic life. Not only are you going to have to unite the galaxy to stop them, your going to have to kill these Giant Space Mechanical Cthulhu's while fighting Cerberus who is out to get you. Not only do we have a new added combat system and new abilities, but also expect to see old friends as well as the choices you made in previous games come back and either help you or hinder your mission. The fate of the galaxy is in your hands....don't screw up.

3. X-Men Destiny (Activision) 

I've always been a comic geek-Marvel being my favorite-and I've played a few good comic games as well. The game follows a "choose your own path" like game where you play as one of three original mutants, each with their own special powers, and you have to decided are you with the X-men or with the Brotherhood. Classic X-Men characters like Wolverine, Magneto, Jean Grey, Gambit, Juggernaut, Northstar and others will appear as allies or enemies depending on your choices. I don't know if I feel positive or negative about this game, but I'll keep an eye out for it and see.

4. Star Wars: Old Republic (EA)

An online KOTOR? Sign me up. In all seriousness this game could be something that makes even WOW users shit their pants or it will be the most disastrous online game since Knight Online. It offers so much from a cinematic storyline and cast of characters that give that KOTOR feeling, to space battles, PvP combat, multiple words, interesting combat system, and a moral system of either being a Jedi or Sith. There is so much that this game could bring, but will it be enough to actually get players to play it? I don't play MMORPG's that much, but SWOP could be the one that finally draw me in and makes me spend 60 dollars a month for it. 

5. Hitman Absolution (Square Enix)

Agent 47 is back in his newest game, Absolution. Not much is know about this game other then 47 is out for revenge and the game will feature old Hitman game style mechanics while incorporating a few new ones. Hitman has never disappointed me and I look forward to see how this game turns out. Plus the trailer is absolutely awesome....okay bad pun....

6. Halo 4 (Microsoft)

I guess it's no surprise that there is a Halo 4. Master Chief and Cortana are back and this time they are saving the galaxy from a threat other then the Flood...from what it looks like it's a giant Death Star Eye thingy. Now I'm not a big Halo fan. In fact I only rented the games so I can play the main story line, Online in my opinion isn't as good as everyone says it is. But I only have questions for the game. Who is the main villain? Will we see familiar races again? How many new weapons? Will just have to find out.

7. Asura's Wrath (Capcom)

I don't know what to think of this one. On one hand it doesn't look anything different from your usual fighting adventure games, but one the other hand it's got me curious on how it will take the Asian Mythology of Asura and use it. It kind of feels like this is going to be a Asian God of War type game, but only time will tell if it's going to somewhat rip it off or completely rip it off.

8. Catherine (Atlus) 

When I heard that Atlus was making an "erotic horror adventure game" I was....well I scared. Atlus knows how to mess with your head and the fact that his game takes place in a dream world with scary psychological and dream stuff is going to be haunting me for awhile. It's definitely different and yet similar to it's Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series so only time will tell how this will be taken.

That's what I got so far. Check by later for some more stuff this week.

We are Gamers and we are Legion.

Later

 

Review: Brink

(Pictures are not mine)

Sorry for being late.

Anyway, I didn't know anything about Brink until April and when I first saw it I had only one thought in my head...this game isn't going to do good. And behold I was right! Brink got a lot of hype when people started calling it "The next Team Fortress 2" as well as the large amounts of customization you would be able to do.

But honestly? For some strange reason I had a feeling that the game was offering a bit too much then it could provide and in such a short time and it would end up as feeling an incomplete game, which it did. There are tons of glitches, errors, and problems with the game that it feels like it only just game out of the Alpha stage of the production and skipped Gold Master.

When I played the game, my skepticism was no disappointment as I found many frustration moments with the games controls, mechanics, and even it's damn sound.

But let's see what they did with everything first before I give out my final verdict.

1. Graphics

-I don't care what some people say, I hate the graphics. I don't like the look of the game and often times it looks blurry from a distance. None of the maps are really that interesting and because there are so few of them you'll get sick of looking at them over and over again. The art of the battleground only tell you briefly what the two sides lifestyles are like, but there's not enough details to really give you an overall sense of the society of the ark other then one is the slums and one is richville. But the worst of it is the characters. They looks so muggy and chopped up that I just want to try and slam one in the face to see if I can clear it up.

The worst insult however is that they tried to make the characters look as close to the TF2 style without totally ripping it off. No seriously, take a look at some of the faces they give you as an option for your character and then look at the faces of the TF2's and you'll see a lot of similarities. It's like they took the TF2 faces and mugged them up so they weren't recognizable. Plus the body shapes of these characters just looks off, is that even what a body is suppose to look like? Ugh.

Graphics really went low key which is a shame because the game uses the id Tech 4 graphics engine which has worked for great games like Doom 3 and Quake 4. But when you look at those games and then look at Brink you have to ask what went wrong?




2. Controls

-Controls are just as messed up as the graphics. It feel so clunky when your aiming that it's like trying to hold a giant RPG for a pistol. I had to set the control system up differently multiple times before I finally got it to a setting I liked. Most people say that the controls on the PC's are alright, but I played this on XBOX so it's kind of differnet for me to say. Once I had the controls all fixed up, I had a better time playing. Still, the parkore style they were going for with the free running on walls and jumping that was praised so much, makes Mario jumping look like Altier's dives off the church of Jerusalem.

Parkore is awesome to watch, but unlike Mirror's Edge which got it right, Brink fails to deliver the same excitement or actual movement of what Parkore really is. Also, the shoulder button which activates the ability to do the parkcore needs to activate at really percice moments or else you going to mess up a lot. Trial and error in FPS's is something that you don't want to experience over and over again for any gamer because it's just frustrating. They should have tested the controls more and made sure that the sensitivity down right.

3. Gameplay
-There are only eight maps......the hell? Only eight maps I can play this game on? That's it? I really hate games that don't have at least ten to twelve maps when they first come up because I feel a sense of repetition on these maps that don't really fit well. And it's not like any of them are challenging, I mean I memorized each map easily as well as the other players and it felt like there was no real sense of planning or strategy when dealing with these maps.

Now let's talk about the game modes. First player is just sad. All you do is just destroy stuff, escort people, and hack computers over and over again. There is no real mission experience and it just seems like pointless tasks on a small map that you have to do later on another map. Plus the AI is so easy to outwit in those mission while my teams AI was just plain dumb. I had to do every task on my own while they kept going after command posts over and over again and not focus on the main objectives. I might as well been a one man resistance/security army.

Class are the same as you would expect, medic, demo, engineer, solidger like guy. Simple stuff and nothing to special.

And Multiplayer? Lag lag lag. That's all I got most of the time so good luck on that.

But there is some good.

The customization is one of the best I have seen. Weapon customization is a joy to mess around with, but I think they focused too much on this and instead missed out on their main gameplay mechanics which are one of the first if not most important things you must work on first.

4. Story
-The story sounds the same you hear everyday. World is in disaster, great utopia city made, however there is  side that has to live poor and now both sides are fighting each other for various reasons. For the Security your job is to defend the Ark at all means while the Resistance is trying to escape the Ark to find a new home. Yet there isn't much left to other then that. We don't get much of idea on how life looks on both sides and there are no characters to really focus on. It's a shame because something like this could have been an interesting story from two view points.

5. Characters

-Character customization is really cool and you'll have fun messing with it just like you do with weapons. But your character doesn't appear in cut scenes and the ones that do are more forgettable then remembering every element in the periodic table (Unless your a science lover). No focus on any characters so that means no character development,

6. Sound
-Boring, uninteresting, and the voices really sound way to stereotypical.

OVERALL: 1.5 out of 5

The game is incomplete, has glitches, no story structure, poor multiplayer lag that prevents you from playing, and not enough content to keep your attention.

This game didn't even come close to being the "next TF2" Brink falls of the edge of the knife and into the darkness.

We are Gamers and we are Legion.

Later

Still on hold

Sorry, it's been a  busy week and it will be a busy weekend. Monday I promise we will have Brink and later in the week the EA Thing. I hate my current job....but it pays the college bills.

Later

Review on hold

I know I promised a Brink Review, but I've got to much to do today. I'll give it out sometime during the week along with my opinions about what's been shown at E3

Sorry.

Later

Review: LA Noire (Pictures are not mine)

Now I like old detective movies and novels. When I was a kid I use to get the latest in the old crime thriller stuff and see how the detective solved the case. LA Noire gives me the same feeling except now I have to actually think like a detective to move forward instead of turning the page of a book. The latest Rockstar game, LA Noire puts you in the 1940's where you play as a detective in the city of angels, Los Angelses. Unlike Rockstar's previous games, you don't play a character who's go issues with the law. You are the law.

Your job is to protect the citizens of the city by solving cases, stopping killers, and keeping the area safe from harm. And unlike other Rockstar titles, you won't be spending your time shooting and driving. Instead you'll be spending your time looking for clues, interrogation suspects, and trying to piece together evidence to solve each murder case.

1. Graphics

Just like in GTA, the game takes place in a city. But unlike previous GTA cities that were based off of real cities, this one takes place in LA after the second world war. As such, the entire area of the game as been designed and crafted to look and feel like 1940's LA. You got old school movie theaters, classic cars, building that were demolished long ago in out time, and city landmarks that to this day still exit. And what's great is that the entire city is yours to go look at for sightseeing. You'll see a lot of details that will surprise, but occasionally you might see a few repetitive houses and streets, but that's okay

What really is the main focus on the graphics isn't the city however, it's the characters. Normally, I would save talking about the characters for later, but in a case like this I have to talk about it now. LA Noire has actual accurate facial expressions and looks for each of their characters. This is thanks to a new brand of technology called MotionScan created by Depth Analysis. MotionScan records and scans an actors face from 32 different cameras and then digitally renders it into a near perfect replica of the characters face. The only thing however not as accurate is the likeness of the characters body. Most of the bodies are similarly the same one way or another, but you won't be focusing so much on those rather then the faces in this game.

These graphics are really good and give a lot of games a good run for their money, especially with the MotionScan.

2. Controls

Controls for this game are a bit...dodgy at best. There isn't much complication to understand what you have to make your character do, it's just that sometimes it doesn't seem like the connection between the user input and the interface are working. For example, I kept trying to enter another cover zone in a firefight by using the control stick and press the cover button for a quick cover dash. Yet, every time I did it I manged to only stand up and get shot in the process. Another example is during the fist fights. I feel that the when I press the block button I always block to late. The timing is off and it gets me hurt which sucks because the fistfights are one of the easiest things in this game and I feel ridiculousness.

Since this is also a Rockstar game, you have to have some form of fast transportation right? Now I'm not the best driver in the world, but I feel that the diving controls don't really feel right. I go faster then I want to and I break slower then I want. Maybe I just suck at virtual diving, but after a few problems I decided to just like my partner drive and I would sit back going over the evidence.

So controls are not too bad, at least to a frustration point, but they could use a bit more tweaking.

3. Gameplay

I was expecting LA Noire to be another shooter like game, but it's not. Most people compare it to the classic   point and click adventure games. While I will not go that far by saying it's like that, I will agree that this game is definitely not like any game Rockstar is known to have done in the past. Now the game's main focus is solving cases. First you arrive at a murder scene and search the area for clues. The controls rumble when you are near a clue and you press the action button to investigate it. Sometimes you have to move the objects around in your hand or open them up to get the real details of the clue. Once you've found it, it's then recorded in your notepad that contains a list of evidence you have found.

You also get to example the murder victims too and I will say that the murders are done quiet well and each case is unique in it's own way so don't worry about repetition. After find all the clues you can, you visit suspects and interview them. This is where LA Noire shines at it's brightest. You ask a series of questions and the suspect gives a response. You then have to figure out if they're telling the truth, doubt their statement, or say that they are upfront lying while providing evidence to prove it.

These are not easy to guess and this is all thanks to the work of the MotionScan. Other then paying attention to the statements of the suspects as well as the evidence, the accurate facial features of the characters is key to figuring out if the suspect is tying or not. Saying a right statement will help shed more light into the case while getting it wrong will cause you to get a lower score. You have to think in this game more then you do with others and the game will trying to fool you a lot. Yet there's a way to get some help. The Intuition mechanic is there to help you out if your in a jam at any point in the game. By getting some answers right on your own as well as doing some side investigation you will earn points that you can use for Intuition.

With Intuition you can find all the clues at the crime scenes, eliminate one wrong response to a suspects statement, or even ask the entire gaming community what answer they picked and found to be the right one. I didn't have to use Intuition to many times because I wanted to test out my detective skills, but you will use it at least five times in your first run of the game.

So the mystery solving is pretty solid, but what about the action?

Well there is some, but it's nothing special. You get into fistfights, shoot outs with enemies that die too easy, car chase scenes that are annoying, and sometimes you have to solve a few interesting puzzles. To me the action seems a bit let down compared to the mystery solving cases and you won't really remember much of those fights, even the flamethrowing one in the end.

So besides solving cases what else can you do in LA Noire?


Well you can answer dispatch calls that feature such tasks as stopping shooters, chasing after bad guys, and go in car chases...but that's it.

Really? I'm in 1940's LA and I can't do anything else? No seeing movies, buying guns, upgrading my car, go to a bar or anything else?

That's the one issue with this game that I have. The fact that I feel that in a giant city like this there is not enough content to keep the player from continue playing. In other Rockstar games there were a lot of things you could do like date, do deliveries, play at a casino, watch dancers, and more. I just feel that there was a lot that could have been done more for player content. It really hurts the replay ability of the game and after you finish all the cases and even do all the dispatch missions there is nothing else for you to do.

4. Story

LA Noire story plays pretty well with the dark and corrupting themes the city of LA has and most of the time you feel that your in an old noire film (there is even an option to play the game in black and white). You play as Cole Phelps, a former war hero who wants to make the streets of LA safe. You start as a police officer before moving to various detectives branches like Homicide and Vice. You take each case while witnessing flashbacks of Cole's war past and the side story of a strange case of arson murders being performed by a war veteran.

As you go through the ranks you see the obvious corruption the LAPD has and Cole tries to end the corruption while dealing with personal issues.

The story is done really well as a whole, especially during the homicide cases featuring the black dahlia killer.

All in all, it's really good...but I didn't like the ending. It really was a bit of a let down.

5. Characters.

Every character is played by an actor or actress who really does their work well. You got Brian Krause, Greg Grunberg, Michael Cole, Jon Cryer and more. Each does their part well and the characters themselves are people you can relate to or can see in an old crime film movie. There's not much else to say, but each one in unique and plays their part well.

Except the main character. He's a robot.

The guy has only two emotions, bravery and anger. The acting done on this guy is way over dramatic and I just couldn't really get into him. He's got a nice back story and the various issues he deals with over the story should make him a well developed character. But that doesn't happen or at least in any way I've seen. It's all too shallow for a guy who is the main character who the story focuses on. After all, the main character is suppose to be the main focus in the plot, but if he's not interesting then you don't care about him at all.

Hopefully, a better protagonist will be in the (hopefully) sequel.

6. The sound is perfect. Each song you hear on the radio have classic old music from that era and the game music fits the atmosphere well, especially during the intense scenes.

OVERALL: 3.75/5

I think LA Noire is a good game, but I still feel there was a lot more that could have been done. More things to do in the city, even explore some buildings would have been good. The voice acting and MotionScan really provide a realistic approach to the characters and the looks of the city are spectacular.

But combined with the very little replay value, lack of additional gameplay, and control problem I feel that the game didn't fully live up to it's potential. I would rent it first and then see if it'a buy or not, but I feel that the next Noire game we get will feature the improvements I listed and be better.

We are Gamers and we are Legion

Later

News

Hey guys. Sorry I haven't updated soon enough. I got this job that takes up a lot of time these days.

Now my plans for the weekend are this. On Sat I will give my review on LA Noire while Sunday is my review on Brink

Next week however, I'm going to give you guys my thoughts on what's been unleashed at EA.

No I am not there, but I've been watching the news and stuff so I know what's been going on. I do plan on hoping to go next year and maybe even send a few videos of it.

Later.