Gameciety

Big Ol' Releases- 01/17/2010

2010-01-19T09:03:00.000-06:00

This week's releases are pretty light, with only a few noteable ones.

First up, from the Nintendo half, erm, third, we have NO retail Wii releases. Weird, huh? Wiiware got Muscle March ($5) and The Amazing Brain Train ($6). Wow. Have you ever seen "Human Tetris", where the people have to make the pose to fit through the wall? Muscle March is similiar to that; you are chasing a thief through a series of walls, and must make the pose with the Wiimote and Nunchuck. I would say $5 could be spent on better games, but for families, it looks like entertainment. The Virtual Console got Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi from the Sega Genesis ($8).

The DS got two retail games; Bejeweled Twist ($19.99) and Glory of Heracles ($34.99). Wow, after checking in on Glory of Heracles, I found out some neat stuff. It's a Nintendo RPG, with Kazushige Nojima as the scenario writer. Those that vaguely reconize the name will be happy to find out he worked with Square until 2003 and has been a freelance writer since. He has worked on games such as Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Subspace Emissary), and various other major RPG's. DSiWare got a bundle of games; Dark Void Zero ($5), Starship Defense ($5), Chronos Twins ($5), and Me and My Dogs: Friends Forever ($8).

The PS2 actually got a game this week! Silent Hill: Shattered Memories ($29.99). I have heard this is probably one of the best games in the series, so fans might grab this one. The PS3 got the Rocketeer, erm, Dark Void ($59.99). If you're not sure about the game, a demo is up on the PSN. I know I am interested in playing it.

The PSP also got Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, which I think I will be playing very soon.

On the Microsoft side of things, the 360 is also getting Dark Void ($59.99). XBLA is getting Death by Cube ($10) and Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgement ($15). Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgement is a tactical RPG, and a prequel to the original Playstation Vandal Hearts game, by Konami. The Avatar Marketplace is getting some new attire, noteably MX vs. ATV outfits. Your deal of the week for Gold Members is twofold this week. Hasbro Family Game Night: Battleship is now the price it should have been all along, $5 instead of $10, and you can get Mass Effect: Bring Down the Sky & Pinnacle Station Packs for $3 each. Remember, those deals end this coming Sunday, January 24th.

Your Picks of the Week:
Nintendo: Glory of Heracles (DS)
Sony: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (PS2 or PSP)
Microsoft: Dark Void (PS3)

-Sobær

Catching Up: The List of Shame

2010-01-18T15:38:00.000-06:00

Everyone has a gaming backlog. There's always a game that went unplayed that you really wanted to play the previous year. With so many big releases a year now, it's just to damn hard to keep up. Even playing and reviewing a hundred games last year, I still have a backlog. Hopefully in the coming months I can get around to completing a few of these and giving my score on the game. Obviously, most of these are old enough now that a review is irrelevent to sway your decision on the game, but regardless, it's always nice to see other people's opinion right?

Assassin's Creed 2
I was initially excited about the first Assassin's Creed game. When I saw it premiered at E3, I was stoked for it to come out. Then I heard some of the negativity about the game. So I never played it. Shame, I know, but that's not the point. I haven't heard much bad about the sequel. If, really, anything at all. At most sites it was a contender for "Game of the Year". From the sounds of it, they took all the flaws in AC1 and fixed them. This is at the top of my list to catch up on.

Dragon Age: Origins
I'm not a huge "fantasy and dragons" kind of guy, at least not in the sense of, say, Elder Scrolls. But just hearing about the character development and story telling in the game, I at least want to give it a go. While I can't see it sucking me in like it has others, I can see myself at least lightly enjoying it.

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
Not very high on my list to catch up on, this game caught my eye because it's an ultra-realistic shooter. As bad as that sounds, it seems at least intriguing. It's not very high on my list, but it's there, at least for a little while longer.

SAW
When I originally found out about this game, I thought it sounded dumb. Hell, it still sounds dumb. But what can I say, I'm a sucker for bad games I guess.

Sabotuer
The premise of the game, GTA in a dated city, with a unique art style, it the hook for me. While it doesn't sound revolutionary, it does sound like a good time.

Rogue Warrior
Again, I'm a glutton for punishment. How much, you ask? Consider this: someone said this game was not worth $5 in a bargain bin. Wow. But hey, on paper, it sounds cool!

Batman Arkham Asylum
Another contender for "Game of the Year" at a lot of sites. The demo was great, with really fluid combat. Everyone recommends this game, so I must play it, wether I think I will love it or not. And with a sequel on the way, well, I think I need to catch the first one first in this case.

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010
I played the PSP version, and while I wouldn't use the PS3 versions story creator, I do want to check out the series on PS3. I haven't played a console one since the PS2. But, it will probably go unplayedm as it's actually just in my GameFly Q for filler.

So there's my backlog. And possibly a taste of some future reviews. Hopefully I can get my Gamefly account back up to two games at a time, it's the only way I will make it through all the games I want to play. Now that you know my "list of shame", what did you want to play last year, but never got around to? Leave us a comment!

-Sobær

Rumor: Modnation Racers Slated for June

2010-01-18T08:20:00.000-06:00

While no date was ever official, Modnation Racers was slated for a Spring 2010 release, with most outlets pointing at a late Febuary release (02/28/2010, odd since it's a Sunday). Well, three sources are now looking at June 1st, 2010 as the release date.

Amazon.com, Gamestop, and Gamefly all have 06/01/2010 as the release date of the upcoming, uber-customizable kart racer, though we have no official word yet.

-Sobær

Review: Army of Two: The 40th Day [PSP]

2010-01-17T20:45:00.001-06:00

Wow, there's not going to be much of a review here. This is the sequel to the first Army of Two, but ported over to the PSP. Now that the obvious is out of the way, it's not a direct port, it's been shifted into a different catergory of shooter. A top-down shooter, to be exact. While in theory, everything sounds good, it falls apart about as quick as the game begins.

Score: C-

Pros:

The graphics are decent. There's a good array of customizable weapons, which is a definite plus in the sea of negatives. The premise of the game, a top-down shooter, is a fun style of play, despite the slow clunky nature of the game itself. The game has an auto-aim, so you don't have to be EXACTLY lined up, a nice perk.

Cons:

Taking cover to "flank" an enemy in this type of game is just kind of.. dumb. It slows down the pace of an already slow game. The AI is atrocious, some of the worst AI I have seen in a shooter in a long time. Example: I'm running along, shooting everything that pops up, and I run into a "heavy". I end up dying, and wait, where the hell did my partner go?! I sat there the whole time "bleeding out", waiting for my partner to come help me up, which I ironically did for him less than 5 minutes prior to that. The AI partner was nowhere on the screen. I pressed every button possible to see if I could coax him over, but nope. I'm willing to cut a little slack on that, because there is Ad Hoc play. That's if you can find someone who has the game. And it's not just the partner AI that is horrible, the opponent AI is just as bad.

Did I already say the game was slow? I heard "top-down shooter", thought Smash TV, and my brain screams "SWEET!". But the game's pacing is so incredibly slow. You move through a screen, a few enemies pop up, you shoot them easily, and move about two screens down. This was probably my biggest problem with the game. Not to mention the dialogue and "story" are miserable as well.

Summary:

I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I recommended this game to people. I'm sure there are people who will enjoy it, and I'm sure with a second person it is a little more bare-able. And that's it's saving grace from a "D". I had absolutely NO drive to play this game, and I played it much more than I would of if I wasn't reviewing the game. Granted I didn't complete the game, but I feel I gave it a fair shake.

-Sobær

NPDs: December 2009

2010-01-15T18:32:00.000-06:00

[Edit: Remember, not every retail outlet sends their numbers to NPD.]

I will go on record now and say I was wrong when I thought the PS3 would be the top selling console from price drop to year end. They have been selling well, and more competitive than prior months, but of course the family friendly console is going to win out the competition. That said, the PS3 DID beat the 360, but by such a small margin I don't think it matters much.

Console

-Wii: 3.81M (an increase of 2.11 million from November)

-PS3: 1.36M (an increase of 650 thousand from November)
-360: 1.31M (an increase of 490 thousand from November)

-PS2: 333K (an increase of 130 thousand from November)

And we have the handhelds. The DS is still raking in cash in the portable market. I still wish they would split up DS/DSi and PSP/PSPGo numbers, but we all know that isn't happening. The PSP is still hanging in there, and honestly, has put a fair enough fight against Nintendo in a market no-one has been able to enter successfully.

Handheld

-DS: 3.31M (an increase of 2.05 million from November)
-PSP: 655K (an increase of 361 thousand from November)

On the softer side of the wares, it's no surprise Nintendo once again cleaned house. Kids need Christmas presents, and I'll be damned if Nintendo can't deliver that. Wii Fit Plus, though, is kind of a shocker at #2 to me. But with the logic of men buying their wives and girlfriends a Wii for Christmas, the shock disappears. Assassin's Creed 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 made the cut their second month out, even if at the bottom of the list. And Mario and Luigi's new adventure brings in the #10 spot, with no Zelda: Spirit Tracks in sight.

1. New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Wii - Nintendo - 2.82M

2.   Wii Fit Plus -            Wii -    Nintendo -    2.41M
3.   Wii Sports Resort -    Wii -    Nintendo - 1.79M
4.   Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 -    Xbox 360 - Activision -    1.63M
5.   Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 -    PS3 -    Activision -    1.12M
6.   Wii Play w/remote -     Wii -    Nintendo - 1.01M
7.   Mario Kart w/ Wheel -    Wii -    Nintendo - 936.1K
8.   Assassin's Creed II -    Xbox 360 - Ubisoft -    783.1K
9.   Left 4 Dead 2 -     Xbox 360 - Valve -    728.5K
10. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - DS -    Nintendo - 656.7K

That wraps up another month. Until next month, keep buying games!

- Sobær

Source: These numbers are via http://www.joystiq.com

A Step Into the Cloud

2010-01-15T13:26:00.002-06:00

Cloud gaming is a step into a dark, unexplored area for gamers. With last year's announcement of OnLive buzzing at GDC, it took the gaming media by storm and was the talk of the community for a good month. And then everything went silent. Skepticism and intrigue both died as quick as they flared up. Sony snuck in and copyrighted the term "PSCloud" in the meantime, and now at the beginning of 2010, we still aren't hearing much about OnLive, or even PSCloud. While cloud computing is growing more popular, cloud gaming sits in the back-seat waiting for the technology to bring it forward.

First of all, this is not a bashfest on OnLive, or PSCloud, or any other service that pops up as a cloud gaming service. This is not me saying it is awesome, and there are no problems with the concept. This is just a little bit of fact, mixed with my opinion.

In a nutshell, cloud gaming is server-side gaming. You buy the game, it sits on a server, which processes the image and sends it to your TV or monitor. This is huge for computer gaming, as you no longer need to spend thousands of dollars every few years to buy a new computer to keep up with the high-demand graphical power computer games can offer. For console gaming, its perks are of lesser value. Instead of how everyone else starts an article, ie. good then bad, let's flip it around.

The first and obvious downside of cloud gaming goes hand in hand with digital distribution, no physical copy. We as humans are still taking those first steps into the digital age. Some of us have embraced it, some of us are on the fence, and others just don't want anything to do with it. No-one is wrong, it's personal preference. There's also the event that the servers crash, and you loose everything. While an increasingly-unlikely scenario as technology improves, it can never be ruled out. Internet service providers capping bandwidth could also prove to be issue. While the OnLive techs say it doesn't stream as much as one would think, it still eats up precious bandwidth. Oh, and can't pay the internet bill for a month? Better plan on not playing a video game. Or for that matter, can't afford the monthly fee? Oh yeah, there's no way around a monthly fee, someone has to pay to keep those servers going. Those are just some of the things going against cloud gaming. For the sake of not making this a novel, I didn't include everything.

As mentioned, it boasts the fact you don't need a high-end PC to play high-end PC games. That is awesome for someone like me who can't afford a $900 PC. The ability to just select your game from a menu, much like a PC game, or PSN game, is a small perk. With digital distribution, you have the possibility of games being cheaper as there is no manufacturing cost. While one would think that is obvious, we still have yet to see Sony step up and lower the price of their PSP games that are digital. The fear being a backlash from retail.

As far as I am concerned, while the concept amuses me, I am not interested in actually utilizing OnLive as it is. With the gaming industry being as expensive as it is, and the state of the economy right now, it's hard to just jump out there and put your faith in an upstart company. If OnLive wants to be competitive to consoles at least, they need to partner with, say, Microsoft. I honestly believe they wanted to be acquired by Microsoft, and that's the reason they rushed out to show off their product when they did. I mean, come on, just the name, OnLive, XBox Live, Windows Live. They either wanted to be acquired or wanted to ride their coattails.

If I were to support OnLive vs. PSCloud, I would obviously support Sony. Why? Simple. Sony is a HUGE corporation, and they have been doing games for years now. The percentage of possible server side problems would be smaller, the longevity would be longer. Say you buy OnLive (we'll est. $150), pay for a years service ($20*12 months? $240), and buy a few major games, and a few smaller games (est. $250). After that year, they aren't cutting the mustard, and you drop the service. That's a lot of money you will never be able to see or use again. Worse yet, what if they flop, and go under? Holy crap I would be pissed! What I'm saying is, while Sony makes their fair share of mistakes (*cough*PSPGo*cough*), at least they would most likely be around for 10+ years with PSCloud.

One thing I will close on. I am not saying I am for or against cloud gaming. Time will tell if it takes off and soars. Or sets sail and sinks.

-Sobær

[Edit: Those that know me know I want a PSPGo. That being said, I have always thought it was a mistake to release it at $250, and not to mention digital copies of games are the same price, which I find BS. Me wanting a PSPGo is mostly being a tech-fanboy, and wanting an analog nub with more tension.]

Review: Shatter [PSN]

2010-01-13T15:53:00.000-06:00

Intro
A LOT of hype was going around when this game came out, at least on one or two of the podcasts I normally listen to. As a fan of "brick breaking" games, I figured I would of loved this! Arkanoid is one of my Top 25 NES games, after all. After playing Magic Ball (now Magic Orb. which don't get me started on the name change), I thought maybe I love affair with this simple genre was long gone. Then I hear ALL this talk and "OMG WOOTZORZ SHATTER WTF WOWZ!" about Shatter. So I bought it, well, my son bought it for me for Christmas.

Score: B

Pros:
The genre itself is a positive thing, in my opinion. If you have 10 minutes you can easily knock out a level. The graphics are superb and very nicely done. This game really makes Magic Orb look like a kids game. They added a "suck" and "blow" feature, that does exactly what it says. You can change the path of the ball with either button one way or another. That's probably one of the coolest touches. Remember all those times ONE block was left and it took forever to hit it? You have much more control of the ball now, and that's hardly a problem.

You can also spit out multiple balls at once. The days are gone of waiting for a "multiball" powerup to randomly appear. They removed another powerup, and turned it into a real power. You collect shards that the bricks become when you hit them, and it fills a meter. This meter, when full, can be activated and a shard storm occures. Basically, it shoots tons of shards out of the paddle for a limited time.

The boss' are a very nice touch, too. They get progressively more difficult and they become trickier to defeat as you go along. But it's something pretty new to these types of games, so it's a fresh addition. The "high score chase" is obvious whenever you are playing, as your friends' scores are visible at the bottom, comparing yours to the next highest score. Very nicely done. And from level to level, the layout changes. Sometimes you are playing vertical, othertimes horizontal.

Cons:
The biggest thing people raved about was the soundtrack. I'm sorry, but I don't enjoy raves, nor do I like techno music. So I was sorely let down when the beats started thumping. Oh, AND NO CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS! I DON'T LIKE YOUR CRAPPY TECHNO MUSIC YOU ARE SO PROUD OF! PSN games used to have the best chance of custom soundtracks, now it seems the option is just dead. Congratulations Sony for fubar'ing that one up and not making it mandatory. My hopes for custom soundtracks aren't dead yet, but a game like this, no excuse.

Removing two of the most popular powerups kind of made powerups in general boring as hell. You have the one that will go through everything instead of bouncing off, which is still cool, and a "manuverbility" one, which I fail to see the point in. But that's it. They also make it so you play through the game in stages, which means when I go to get a trophy for beating the next stage, I can just turn it on and pick up on the world I left off. Granted, your score will be lower when you are done, and the big trophy is beating the game in one sitting.

Summary:
While it did move the seemingly dead genre forward, it made it's mistakes along the way. Is it fun? Sure. For about half an hour at a time. The ability to jump to any level after getting to it kinda ruins the arcade feel to me that they were going for. And the music, ugh, it's as bad as playing a sports game with rap blaring through the game to me. Buy or pass? At $9.99, if you are looking for an old school feeling game, pick it up. If there's ever a half off sale, buy it for sure. For the price, I will say it is loads better than Magic Ball.

2009 Awards

2010-01-13T09:28:00.000-06:00

This was something I was originally excited for. I had a lot of fun doing this the first year around, but we actually had some votes. I had posted on the Gamespot forums, and had some votes from there before it was removed unjustly. I had some friends fill it out. Cohosts participated. In all, I think we had 9-10 different voters. Luckily, some of which were XBox 360 people, as most of my friends are Sony and/or Nintendo players. Most of the things I play are on Playstation 3 and PSP, and I missed some of the big games last year, which is the topic for another post, Catching Up.

So what I present you with is some of MY favorite games I got to play last year, and what categories they won me over with. While I probably spent more time playing SOCOM: Confrontation than any other game last year, sadly, I can't put a vote in for that for Game of the Year. ;) Drum roll please!

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Awards:
Game of the Year
Console Game of the Year
PS3 Game of the Year
Best Action Game
Best Technical Graphics
"Storyteller" Award

That's a lot huh? Well, I believe it deserved every bit of it. Solid action, some of THE best pacing in an action game, phenomenal acting, and amazing graphics. All on one disc. It even has a solid online component that doesn't feel tacked on in the slightest. I gushed about this game on the show, and I couldn't help the times I was at a loss for words. Best game ever? No. There is no such thing. Do I care it is only 10 hours long? Not at all. I would play through the single player at LEAST one more time.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Awards:
Handheld Game of the Year
PSP Game of the Year
Best Handheld Fighting Game

Picking a Handheld GotY was pretty hard for me this year. I had four solid contenders, but I went with Dissidia. As far as depth goes, it is deeper than a lot of handheld games. The fighting mechanics were solid, and not overly complicated. If rumor is true about Dissidia coming to PS3/360's, I will shout for joy.

Red Faction: Guerrilla
Awards:
More Surprising Game of the Year

Go listen to me and Connor argue about the demo of this game, and you'll find this award a shock. I rented it thanks to Garnett Lee (ex-1UP employee, via 1UP Yours podcast), and wow, I was honestly having a blast! Literally! Blowing up buildings and watching them crumble, smashing through walls with that hammer; all of it was more fun than I thought this game could contain. I still have to buy this one.

inFAMOUS
Awards:
Best New IP
Best new character (Cole)

This was my game of the year until Uncharted 2 came out. Awesome story, great art style, and solid physics. That was probably my favorite part, just scaling buildings and jumping from rooftop to light pole to rooftop.

Fat Princess
Awards:
Best Artistic Graphics
(assuming Em's Game of the Year)
(assuming Em's Competitive Multiplayer Game of the Year)
(assuming Em's PSN Game of the Year)

I was overly hyped for this game, but even though I was let down, I still think it had some of the best "artsy" graphics. And my wife LOVES this game. She can't stop playing it.

Borderlands
Awards:
Best Co-Operative Multiplayer
Best Console Shooter

This is probably one of the better shooters I have played in awhile. Most people play with others, and say it sucks alone. I play it alone, and still gave it an A. I do play with my wife, though, and she really digs it. Awesome graphics, great "gun game" as I call it, and more loot than you can shake a stick at.

Half-Minute Hero
Awards:
Best Handheld RPG
Most Innovative Game

This was up there for best PSP game of the year, and let me tell you, it was hard to pick. That aside, it really is one of the most unique games I have played, and a very fresh spin on the RPG genre. And the choice to make it look old school made it that much better.

I think I'll wrap it up there. There are a few more, and a few negative awards, but this post is LONG. What were some of your favorite games of last year? Let us know in the comments!

-Sobær

Review: UNO [PSN]

2010-01-12T10:08:00.000-06:00

Score: C-

Intro:

UNO. One of the more popular card games of my generation (probably the one prior as well). A game based on more luck than skill. If you don't know what UNO is, I will try to summarize it for you. The deck itself is comprised of cards in four colors and numbers 1-9. There are also special cards, such as Skip (which does just as it says, skips the next person), Reverse (flips the direction of play from clockwise to counter clockwise, or vice versa), Wild (can change the color of card at play), Draw Two (next person draws two cards, can't play), and Wild Draw Four (changes color to whatever the player wants, and next player draws four cards and skips turn). A card is set down, and you can either play that color or number. I think that sums it up, time to justify the score.

Pros:

It's UNO. It makes a great party game, and is easier to take care of than a deck of cards. I only had brief experiences with the online, but it worked. That's a plus for some of these smaller games. By going through the "Tournament" mode, you unlock new colors for background and decks. And it has trophies! But seriously, the strongest aspect of this game is probably just playing it with friends.

Cons:

It's UNO. Anyone that has played more than an hour of UNO with family and/or friends, has wanted to shove the deck of cards down their throat. As with most (if not all) card games, a lot of this game is luck. And I'm sorry, but I've kind of grown up to the point that if I am playing a video game, I don't want it to come down to luck.

Most of the trophies can't be won by playing local or online multiplayer, so you HAVE to play the Tournament mode in order to get a good chunk of the trophies. There are some online trophies, however, one in particular totally turned me off. "Get in the Top 50" on the online leaderboard. Eff that! That's some hardcore boosting! It might be top 100, don't quote me on the 50, but still. Leaderboard trophies, especially in a game of luck, are dumb.

No custom soundtracks. Really? It's UNO! Who really wants to listen to that poorly constructed music that Gameloft probably spent $5 on?

CRAPPY avatar'd selection. Wow. They should of just made a ninja, viking, pirate, and cheerleader. Would of saved them time and money, and us time from "creating" an avatar. I'm sure the 360 version, you can use your avatar, which would be 100x better than the PSN version's avatar "creator".

Summary:

My wife, Em, bought this for Christmas. I had light interest in it, as a "fan" of UNO. However, I then realized UNO only translates to a good game if you play it with friends/family. As a solo game, unless you are *IN* love with UNO (in which you probably already bought it), don't bother with the game. It was between $5-$10, minus a penny. To buy it JUST for the trophies is a waste. Better games out there that you can enjoy getting the trophies in. Even for multiplayer, it is still missable. It's only saving grace from a D score is the fact that it can be fun with others.

Review: Darksiders [PS3]

2010-01-11T16:37:00.000-06:00

[Note: This is the format for future reviews. Score, Intro, Pros, Cons, Summary. If you wish to submit a review, please keep this in mind. I will post a note if this changes. DLC will be in the format of the SOCOM: Cold Front review. Also, I really wish I had the ability to take screenshots, but that will have to wait.]

Score: A-

Intro:
Have you ever played Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Nintendo 64? Have you ever played God of War on the Playstation 2? Imagine both of these games meet at a bar, and GoW ruffies Z:OoT, takes advantage of her, and gets her pregnant. This is the insane lovechild of that bar debacle. I heard someone say it's a mix of those games, and at first, I was like, "Eh, I'm only a minor fan of both those series', not a diehard fan, but I'll rent it." I pop this bad boy in, and at first, it's all GoW. But after a few hours, you start to notice the little things that are eventually building up to this beautiful marriage of styles. And then about halfway in, you stop comparing it to God of War all together. Instead, I started thinking of it as a Zelda:OoT with a more fleshed out combat system and on action-steriods.

In Darksiders, you play as War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse. As with a lot of games, you are powerful, but then stripped of your powers, and you are on a quest to destroy the Destroyer.

Pros:
NO QUICKTIME EVENTS! Anytime I hear "God of War like" I think QTE. I don't think about the mindnumbing, yet fun, brawling. I don't think of the story. I HATE QTE's. Very very much. In Darksiders, when you finally whittle that boss down to it's end, you run up and hit O. During the first few times, I kept expecting a QTE, but no, War does this bad ass kill sequence. Scene.

The God of War elements are easy to spot, you collect "souls" instead of the red orbs in GoW. The combo's are very similiar, except you have a sword. You do gain more weapons, like a Scythe for example, and can upgrade them as well. It is still very button mashy, but at the same time, it ditches the quick time events. Unlike GoW, when you go to open a stone door, you don't have to mash a button over and over. That's another thing I hate about GoW. But in the end, the theory is the same, but I dare say better executed. Granted GoW3 will blow minds with it's graphics, but I don't get off on fantastical graphics. I want solid gameplay, and if you want a solid GoW experiance, without the hassles that annoy me, this game will satisfy you.

The Zelda elements start to come into play a few hours in. The Citadel brought back so many memories from the Fire temple in OoT. This is where you get the "boomerang", a circular, bladed weapon. You hit the R3 button, and it comes in over-the-shoulder, and you can select up to five targets. It hits them in the order you target them. It's a nifty little gadget that makes puzzles feel right at home for a past OoT player. Some of the puzzles have you targeting a torch first to carry fire to an unlit bomb. While it seems miniscule to compare to Zelda, after about 5 hours, tell me you don't get that Zelda sense, even in level layout. I was reminicing so much, I started hearing Navi.

The story itself is well written, and enjoyable. I find it far more entertaining then I did GoW, and Zelda. It has a better plot, in my opinion, but I'm not saying either of those games fail at plot. And the enviroments are immense. While not open-world, it gives you the impression of Zelda, where you can go to past palces whenever you want, say, after you get the boomerang, to get to chests you couldn't get to before.

Cons:
This could completely be my controller as something has spilled in it, but when I try to jump at the edge of a cliff, he just walks right off. It doesn't happen often enough to complain about, and like I said, I don't know if it's the controller or just a problem with the game's perception of the ground and where you fall.

You can only skip some of the cut scenes. Example: One of the boss' talks smack (as usual) when you enter the area, you can skip that (thank God). The boss flies around for about 10 seconds before you can move. Granted, I am talking about 10 seconds, but if I JUST died there, and am retrying it, don't you think making me watch them fly in a half circle is enough? Why can I not hit X like I did with the last little scene and skip it? This happens more often than not, and is just plain annoying. Not to mention, some of the cut scenes can't be paused, which is horrible when the oven timer is beeping.

Voice acting is always touchy in a game for me, as I generally find it horribly done. Some games pay the big bucks, and spend more time on it, which always show. However, I think the voice acting in Darksiders was overall poorly done. In that case, I tend to read subtitles more often than not, so I was saved in that department at least.

No custom soundtracks. Yeah, that will be pointed out to every game that lacks them. GET ON THE ****ING BALL PEOPLE!!! It would be AWESOME to be rampaging it up to some Five Finger Death Punch, or A Life Once Lost. AWESOME I say!

Summary:
This game exceeded my expectations. I knew what it was, but it delivered a level above. Rent or buy? Simply put, if you are a fan of both genres, you might as well save the money and just go buy it. If you liked Zelda:OoT, and not just because it was a Zelda game, go buy it. Personally, I like it more than Zelda:OoT, as I enjoy the setting and story more. As I've said, though, I'm also not a huge Zelda fan.

In conclusion, this game has puzzles, makes you think, and has a pretty nice combat system. What could makes this game an A+? Not really sure. Probably just more originality, though I really didn't mind the Z:OoT flavor. Simply put, go buy it.

-Sobær

A Gamers New Year's Resolution(s)

2010-01-11T15:11:00.004-06:00

I don't really do new years resolutions. I haven't in ages. However, last year I started a new tradition I am going to try to keep going. I made a simple "gaming resolution". It was to beat 5 games. I think I ended up beating 12. To me, that's an acomplishment because I generally move on to other things halfway into a game. It's not that the game is bad, it's just there are to many games out there that I want to play, and not NEAR enough time to play them. And with reviews, I try to get the newest stuff as soon as possible.

With the event of me getting a PS3, I have made my 2010 New Years Resolution more challenging. There are three things I wish to accomplish this year.

1. Platinum 2 games in 2010.
This is a lot for me, as I have only platinumed one game so far.

2. Reach 1,500 trophies by the end of 2010.
I started the year with 605'ish. So that's more than double.

3. Complete 10 games
By complete, I mean finish the main storyarch of the game.

I made Em (my wife, and cohost of Gameciety), do the same ordeal, and last year, she met her quota too. However, this year, we are BOTH upping the ante. Last year, her goal was to play 20 games. This year, she has the following to do:

1. Platinum/100% 2 games
I told her 100%'s would count on her's for this.

2. Beat 3 games
As with mine, the main storyarche of the game.

3. Play 25 games
I am making it a 5 hour minimum requirment for this one. That was she doesn't try, say, MAG, for 15 minutes, and call it good.

I would also like the Gameciety blog to feature 75 reviews from games that come out in 2010. If you would like to write up a review, get ahold of me via email, sobaer@live.com.

All of that said, what is your gaming resolution for 2010? Leave us a post in the comments!

-Sobær

Anticipation – Mar./Apr. 2010

2010-01-04T15:37:00.005-06:00

This is the second part of the "Anticipation" series, and probably the last for awhile. As you can see, things finally start to thin out as Spring approaches, but I am thankful for that! Many hours of gaming are coming out in this two months, and I'm sure you'll notice a missing "GoW3". I'm not a big fan, and will only rent it if either I don't have anything else out, or much later in the year. Anyhow, enjoy this little piece and feel free to leave comments on what you are looking forward to, or drop me and email.

PS3
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (March 2, 2010)
I was pretty impressed with the beta, with only a few minor complaints. Will it topple MW2? Doubtful, but it will be a solid FPS to kick off the spring with. The new 4v4v4v4 Squad Deathmatch mode has me interested more than anything else.

Final Fantasy XIII (March 9, 2010)
Who isn't looking forward to this? While I probably won't be able to afford it, and I'm growing more distant on the 80+ hour game realm since I have more time constraints, I can't wait to see what Squaenix pulls out of their top hats for this one. The fact the lead character is a female is already an interesting quirk that has me with a curiously raised.. brow. Brow, you perverts.

Just Cause 2 (March 23, 2010)
I only put this on here because I hear some hype about it, and checked out a video a few minutes ago. Never played the original, but seeing that parachute and a grappling hook in what looks like an open world, I am interested, and will have to check it out. As long as it's not another Bionic Commando…..

Super Street Fighter IV (April 30, 2010)
Yeah, I'm looking forward to this… why? AKUMA IS UNLOCKED FROM THE BEGINNING!! I HATE unlocking characters in fighting games, especially SF games, as Akuma is always the hardest person to unlock. While I won't rush out and preorder, I will probably GameFly it.

DS
Pokemon Heart Gold / Soul Silver (March 14, 2010)
Oh, Pokemon. How I heart you. How my soul yearns for the classic Silver / Gold remake. Hopefully it doesn't fall flat as quick as Platinum did, as I am not even on a Pokemon kick anymore. But I will buy it. I will play it. I will most likely love it, with no shame.

A Year Behind Us- Games of 2009

2010-01-04T14:35:00.007-06:00

As I checked my reviews spreadsheet, I thought since I haven't done a show in awhile, I will just throw up some information looking back at 2009. Statistically speaking, I think I played WAY to many games last year. So here's some numbers to wrap your hear around.

123 = The amount of games that were reviewed on Gameciety in 2009.
104 = The number of reviews that were of games released in 2009.
97 = The amount of those reviews that were reviews by myself.

19 = Reviews by my co-host and wife, Em
9 = Reviews by my ex-co-host, Connor
6 = Reviews by honorary guest co-host, Chris
3 = Reviews by guest host Jordan

6 = The number of games that were given an "A+"
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (PS3 – Chris)
inFamous (PS3 – Sobær)
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3 – Sobær)
SOCOM: Confrontation Cold Front DLC (PS3 – Sobær)
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (Wiiware – Chris)
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS – Sobær)

34 = The amount of games that got an "A"
46 = The amount of games that got a "B"
26 = The amount of games that got a "C"
11 = The amount of games that got a "D"
6 = The amount of games that got an "F"

7 = The number of PC reviews
13 = The number of Wii reviews
16 = The number of DS reviews
46 = The number of PS3 reviews
38 = The number of PSP reviews
2 = The number of 360 reviews

Those are just some of the numbers for last year. As I update the spreadsheet to make it fit for another year, I implore you all to send in your reviews. I will post them on the blog with credit to you if I am not doing the podcast anymore. That being said, look for some reviews to pop up on the blog soon. I have a few that need to be done, and Darksiders on PS3 is on its way.

Anticipation - Jan./Feb. 2010

2009-12-30T10:29:00.000-06:00

This is the first of a few "Anticipation" posts. These are some brief highlights of what I am looking forward to going into 2010. Leave us comments on what you are looking forward to below!!

PS3

Some of these are XBox360 releases as well. I don't own a 360, but tend to keep up with it, however, I'm not making a list of 360 games.

Darksiders (01-05-10)
You play one of the four horsemen of the apocolypse. I've heard it to be a hack-and-slash Zelda'ish hybrid, both genres I'm not a huge fan of but can still enjoy. But if there is plenty of loot, a decently written story, and puzzles that aren't overly complex (I'm not a puzzle gamer), I think it sounds like a decent way to kick off the new year.

Bayonetta (01-05-10)
Over the top action, Devil May Cry-type gameplay, and a world that was invented by someone on mushrooms, I am solely looking to play this due to hype. It's made by Platinum Games, who developed Mad World, one of the other reasons I am at least going to give it a try. I was not a HUGE fan of the demo I played, but it was in Japanese. I can say I will probably not like this one, but I am willing to go into it with an open mind.

Dark Void (01-19-10)
THE ROCKETEER!!! I saw this at E3, and there was a quote, "No game has successfully done a jetpack." It went something like that, and my thought was, "Because jetpacks suck." But the more I watched them play it, the more it looked appealing. It doesn't roxxorz my soxxorz or anything, but it looks like a game to check out for sure.

MAG (01-26-10)
Oh, MAG. Or Massive Action Game. No, we will stick with MAG. "MAG: The Shadow War" would of been a much better title, but moving on. I played the beta, was going to preorder this one before playing the beta. And was still stoked a few weeks into the beta. Then I decided to not preorder and rent it instead. It has a lot on its plate, and a lot to live up to. The actual next blog post I type up will be Beta impressions, with a post date of January 26th, so I can compare the two, and see if I was right. A 256-player, online only FPS, with tactical gameplay in mind. Oh, and it's not bundled with a mic. ;)

Gran Turismo 5 (02-02-10)
Febuary is going to kill me money wise. I will be buying this game, actually preordering this game, and it will eat a lot of my time. Gran Turismo makes it's real HD debut, but sadly, it has NASCAR.

Alien vs. Predator (02-16-10)
An FPS, developed by the creators of the first AvP game, made for consoles. With three campaigns, I don't know much about the game, but am a huge fan of the AvP saga, so I am looking to check it out.

Modnation Racers (02-28-10)
In the beta for this one, and the only thing I can say is if they fix ONE little thing, which I'm sure they will, this will knock Mario Kart off the King of Karts status in my book. Great customization, an easy track creator, VOICE CHAT (yeah, you hear that Nintendo), and most importantly, solid kart physics (I'm not saying Mario Kart's physics are bad, but a lot of kart racers do have bad physics). Another game I am preodering.

Heavy Rain (02-28-10)
Holy crap. The third game I am preordering, and I can't wait to play this. At first glance, I was like, "WTF, THAT LOOX DUM!", but at E3 this year, it stole the show for me. Put aside the fact I HATE quick time events, which is a story for another blog, but the storytelling in this just blows me away. I hope it's written as well as everyone is hyping. I will play this multiple times for different endings, something I have never done before.

PSP
Wow, see this. One game. And I'm not even like, "OMG WOWZORZ" about it. A few others caught my eye, but nothing major.

SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 (01-12-10)
I'm not a big SOCOM PSP fan, but being a new-age convert to the SOCOM series, I am willing to give it a go. A former clan mate of mine always talked highly of FTB2, and how he "PWNED AZZ" on it, so I fired it up one day. Ugh, it's not that hard to get a good amount of kills in this game. Hopefully the controls feel better in this one.

Wii
Nope. Nothing in the first two months. Two games I can assure you are on some peoples radars, but not mine. No More Heroes 2 and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom 2.

DS
Again, nothing. Maybe the new Hello Kitty game. Or another "teach me to cook plz" game. Ragnarok DS would be the only one if I had a DS only.

Review: SOCOM Cold Front DLC

2009-12-29T11:54:00.000-06:00

Note: This review will be featured in an upcoming Gameciety Podcast. After it is posted, it will be referenced here at the top. The verbal review will be better.

Price: $14.99

Score: A+ (if you own the game, obviously)
Content Included:
5 new maps (3 classic maps redone, 2 all new maps)
New Russian Special Forces
3 new weapons
New Weapon Specialization System

Maps:
The new maps look phenomenal! 4 are in a snowy setting, while one is in a train station. Here's my thoughts on each map, and what it adds or detracts from the game. Keep in mind, all maps are different for different play styles. I am a very heavy, fast "rusher". I am the one that generally swoops in from the side, and gets behind the other team.
Blizzard
This is one of the classic maps redone. I personally am not a fan of this map, as everyone seems to sit back and snipe. I kid you not, I have played against teams where 6-8 out of 8 people were sniping. I have played on teams where I was the only one moving. I find this boring. And at night, holy crap, this map is horrible. VERY wide open, and the Commandos starting on a good sniping vantage point that can see damn near the whole map. My least favorite map by far.
Vigilance and Uprising
One of these is another classic, while the other is a new map. Both are fairly similar. Both are set outdoors with plenty of buildings to snipe from, but it’s not to the degree of Blizzard. One has a creek up one side, while one has a sewer ditch down the middle. I love both of these maps, as it offers good balance to all types of players. You can make the map work for you if you find the right route to take.
Night Stalker
Another classic map, this one which resembles Desert Glory in a lot of ways to me. Wide open middle, with a path and a building or two on each side. Don’t get me wrong, there is cover in the middle, it’s just pretty open. I LOVE this map, its one of my favorites actually.
Entrapment
This map is all new, and set inside a train station. It has a small hook that I’ve had the pleasure watching kill people, in that there is an active third rail. If you touch the third rail, you get electrocuted and die. It’s pretty funny actually. This map is an “arena” style map, as well, with a wide open middle, an underground passage, a second “balcony” floor, which gives everyone an opportunity to excel at the map. People first compared it to Quarantine, a map EVERYONE dislikes due to water campers, however, there is no water, so this map is another new favorite of mine.

New Special Forces:
The Russians get the new AG94 assault rifle. It feels similar to the AK-series, which is due to the fact it is a modified AK. Most people don’t really like it, but I have had good fortune with it. It features a double-shot burst instead of a typical three round burst, which makes it great for medium range sniping. Those two bullets hit the same place, not a triangle like the M16. It’s fire rate is slower than the AK-107, but it has a few bars more accuracy. I personally love the gun. The outfits the Russians get are a rolled baklava, and riot head gear. The latter is bulky looking and draws attention to you. I like the emblem they get for Rank, it’s a deep red color, with yellow slashes to indicate rank; while normal members get black background and yellow slashes. Overall, I would say if you prefer the Dutch’s 417 assault rifle, don’t switch.

New Weapons:
One of the new weapons has been talked about, as it is a Russian-specific weapon. But the AK-107 and VAL are the two new assault rifles in the DLC. The AK-107 is a Commando only weapon, while the VAL is Mercenaries only. I haven’t used the AK-107 much, but it’s pretty popular from what I have seen. It fires much quicker than the AG-94 I use, but looses some accuracy. The VAL, however, is the mercenaries answer to the 417. The VAL features a small clip, at only 20 bullets, but is deadly accurate, with a built in silencer and the second highest damage out of all Merc weapons. The included silencer allows you to add a front grip and scope, which is a pleasant feature. However, the drawback of this little beast is it is HORRIBLE at a distance. I quickly jumped back to my trusty AK-47 after awhile, but on small maps, I tend to switch back. Overall, you are getting two great, devastating weapons to use.

Weapon Specializations:
This part will be long. The DLC added a new progression system that allows you to unlock an enhanced version of a gun in that class. You have a primary spec., and a secondary spec. I will use my set up as an example.

I have Assault Rifles as my Primary and Machine Guns as my Secondary. When you get kills with a specific class of weapon, you gain CE; 2 CE for a kill, 1 CE for an assist. If I get 9 kills in a game (5 with assault rifles, 3 with machine guns, and 1 with a grenade), I will get 16 CE at the end of the match. 10 CE will go to AR’s, while the remaining 6 will go to MG’s. It may sound complex, but it’s not at all.

The benefit of gaining CE is you unlock an upgraded universal attachment at 300 CE. At 600 CE, your Primary Specialization gets an enhanced gun, then at 900 CE a Gold Star. Your Secondary only gets the attachment and a Silver Star (reached at 600 CE). The stars are only there for getting a trophy. The enhanced weapon you unlock can be used on both Commando and Mercenary sides, and the attachment you unlock is good for all weapons in that class, case in point, the custom front grip for assault rifles can be placed on an M16, which normally doesn’t get a grip.

This whole system, while I feel was rushed and could be a WHOLE lot more fleshed out, is just a trial in my opinion. Some complain it breaks the game, however, the enhanced guns are only SLIGHLY better than there normal counterparts. If anything ruins this game, it’s the slew of new snipers now that the thermal scope is available (also in the DLC). Hopefully, this dies down, but that’s another topic.

Buy or Don’t Buy:

If you own SOCOM, even if you don’t play it often, or haven’t played in awhile, BUY this DLC. It
virtually doubles the map content, adds a few solid weapon choices, and adds a progressive system (which some argue “isn’t SOCOM!!!!!”, but it’s a healthy addition). And if you think $15 is to much, slap yourself. Activision gets off on making people pay $10 for 3 maps and a new zombie map. Did you not just read what $15 gets you? The 5 maps alone are worth $15, but add everything else and wow. Bargain much?

The Sense of Progression

2009-12-21T15:42:00.001-06:00

Games have evolved so much over the years. This piece is not to discuss the good and bad things about that evolution. Instead, it's something one Justin McElroy mentioned in the last episode of the Joystiq Podcast. "The sense of progression." I feel much the same, whereas I want something to (no pun intended) progress towards. It goes both ways, in online multiplayer games, and single player games.

pro*gre*sion
[pruh-gresh-uhn]
-noun
1. The act of progressin; forward or onward movement

In a single player game, progression is generally moving forward with the story. But moving away from story driven games, you have your arcade games, such as Namco Collection. The progression there is more or less defined by a "high score chase". I still see that as a form of progression, as you are moving up the leaderboard the better you get at the game.

However, using a game I personally like and an example they used on their podcast, Pixeljunk Eden, there is no real sense of progression there. Since there is no story, you are merely unlocking new areas to play in. Again, I love that game, but without a sense of progression, I have no drive to play it anymore. I got past the halfway point, then moved on to another game. Is not beating the game enough anymore? I could go back and play the game for trophies, but there are just to many games out there that I have had no interest in playing the game again. Again, it is not a bad game. I explained it as a "chill out game". Of course, the further you get, the more stressful the game becomes, and it looses that charm. Did they really need to ramp up the difficulty that much? I realize some people wanted a challenge, but the game was shown and everyone was like, "no, you have to try this game. It is the ultimate relaxation game", but it's not really. It starts that way, but it quickly becomes a hassle.

So what it is to make a "casual" one player game? Let me quickly say, I don't mean that term how most use it. I mean, how do you make a less-story driven game addicting? The aforementioned "high score chase" is one way. But something that has started to become standard in a lot of games is customization. Unlocking new parts, clothes, colors, weapons, upgrades, etc. This works especially well if you show people what they are working towards.

Which brings me to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The game that seemingly revolutionized online gaming. Adding perks, unlockable weapons, attatchments.. this is all stuff that has become standard to most games now. Of course, every game has their own way of going about it, but the backbone is virtually the same. You kill things, you get XP, you unlock new thing. Simple, yes? It is the very basics of an RPG, the "grinding" process, but put into the context of a shooter. This simple sense of progression, or leveling up, is what keeps you playing these multiplayer games hours on end. "Oh, just one more level and I'm done for the ni- OMG, I unlock that in 2 levels? SWEET!" I can't count how many times I have said that while playing an FPS. But it's things like this that draw you in and keep you coming back. Which is what a game should do.

In closing, the opinion here is my own, as with every article I write. You may be a different type of gamer than me. You may not need the "sense of progression" to keep playing a game. You may be content with endless side quests, that is fine. I am not saying you are wrong, and that I am write. We are gamers; we all have opinions, likes, and dislikes. :)

Go play some games.

-Sobær

Life as a Trophy Junkie

2009-12-08T10:16:00.000-06:00

Trophies are something I have come to love. Boosting that count is a lot of fun, and hell, even just seeing the little picture and hearing that sound when you get one, very good feeling.

There is nothing new, or innovative about the idea of an in game goal. Games have been doing this for years. Honestly, I have never been a fan of those things, which is why I never thought I would be "into" trophies. Not to mention the fact that just a year prior to me getting a PS3, I was confused with all the fuss about "Achievement Whores". Then it started. My trophy count kept going up, I was trying things in the games I normally wouldn't have, and I was comparing my trophy count to friends. By no means am I a "bragger", someone who thinks a higher trophy count makes you a better gaming, that's just silly and dumb. But I do compare my progress in games with friends who have the same game, or just trophy count in general with people I know have one around the same range as me.

As soon as I see Gamefly has shipped a game, I check the trophy list. I look to see if they are going to be "impossible", a pain in the ass, or just time consuming. I prefer the latter. Borderlands is a good example. The "hardest" trophy in that game is probably get to level 50. Very time consuming, but that just keeps you playing. Which is yet another thing I love about trophies. They extend the game play past that initial play through. I'm not saying I would stop playing a kick ass game like Borderlands if it didn't have trophies, but it defiantly drives you to play more. "Oh look, only a few more levels till I get that trophy." Trophies like, "Get a killstreak of 15 without reloading, and only using 1 grenade, but not killing multiple enemies with the grenade", are not cool.

Do I rent games based on trophies alone? No, otherwise I would of rented Hannah Montana already. But I am more open to try more games for the sake of, "Well, I can at least get a few trophies from it, and if I don't like it, oh well."

- Sobær

Gaming Awards Voting

2009-12-07T23:26:00.000-06:00

Ok, I know this looks daunting. I really do. But it shouldn't be that bad. I wanted it to be more fleshed out than last year's. I thought about doing "pick a b c or d" type voting. If people would prefer it that way, I'm sure I can see what I can do. However, as it stands, this is it. Take a deep breath..

But first, let me explain something. If you haven't played a game, on, say the 360, but think it would probably be a good nominee, by all means, put it down, just write "partial" or "not played" next to it. I count those as partials. Sounds complicated, but it's really not. You'd have to listen to last years awards to understand, but it works, I promise. So here it, another deep breath.

Worst Game of the Year :

Most Surprisingly Good Game :

“Storyteller Award” :

“Technically Graphical Award” :

“Artistically Correct Award” (best artistic graphics):

Best New Character :

“Expansion Award” :

Best Family Game :

Best DLC :

Most Immersive Atmosphere :

Best Sound / Music (original) :

Best Cooperative Multiplayer :

Best Competitive Multiplayer :

“A Refreshing Sequel Award” :

“Rehashed, Refried Sequel” :

Most Innovative Game :

Best Original IP :

Most Disappointing Game :

Best Action Game :

Xbox360 :

Playstation 3 :

Wii :

Overall Console :

PSP :

DS :

Overall Handheld :

PC :

Best Fighting Game :

Xbox360 :

Playstation 3 :

Wii :

Overall Console :

PSP :

DS :

Overall Handheld :

PC :

Best Music/Rhythm Game :

Xbox360 :

Playstation 3 :

Wii :

Overall Console :

PSP :

DS :

Overall Handheld :

PC :

Best Platform Game

Xbox360 :

Playstation 3 :

Wii :

Overall Console :

PSP :

DS :

Overall Handheld :

PC :

Best Racing / Driving Game

Xbox360 :

Playstation 3 :

Wii :

Overall Console :

PSP :

DS :

Overall Handheld :

PC :

Best RPG

Xbox360 :

Playstation 3 :

Wii :

Overall Console :

PSP :

DS :

Overall Handheld :

PC :

Best Shooting Game

Xbox360 :

Playstation 3 :

Wii :

Overall Console :

PSP :

DS :

Overall Handheld :

PC :

Best Sports Game :

Xbox360 :

Playstation 3 :

Wii :

Overall Console :

PSP :

DS :

Overall Handheld :

PC :

Best Strategy Game

Xbox360 :

Playstation 3 :

Wii :

Overall Console :

PSP :

DS :

Overall Handheld :

PC :

Best Puzzle Game

Xbox360 :

Playstation 3 :

Wii :

Overall Console :

PSP :

DS :

Overall Handheld :

PC :

Xbox 360 Game of the Year :

Playstation 3 Game of the Year :

Wii Game of the Year :

Console Game of the Year :

DS Game of the Year :

PSP Game of the Year :

Handheld Game of the Year :

PC Game of the Year :

Best Wiiware / Virtual Console Game :

Best Playstation Network Game :

Best Xbox Live Arcade Game :

THE Game of the Year :

Life in a Beta

2009-12-07T15:36:00.002-06:00

Being in a beta (open, closed, private, or whatever) has its perks. In a way, it's an extended demo, with around ten times the content of a normal demo. I've been in three beta's now for Playstation 3. I can openly talk about one of those now, but the other two I can't. Which is my problem with being in a beta.

The problem with not being able to talk about the "game" is HUGE if you are into games. Gaming is a love of mine, obviously, as I've dabbled in many types of game-related projects. From fan-sites to news sites, blog sites to podcasts, I've done a lot of small things. So it's an absolute chore for me to keep my mouth closed about a game I am playing. I will start with my first example, Uncharted 2. I didn't think much of keeping to myself at this point, so I talked freely about the game whenever and whereever I wanted. I talked about the beta at length on Gameciety more than once. But the way I see it, that's a good thing. I was giving publicity to a game.

Let's backtrack a moment. I understand the point of a beta. Find ways to break the game, find glitches, report things, stress testing the servers, etc. etc. Honestly, in Uncharted 2, I didn't have any problems. I never got stuck in a glitch. I never felt the balancing was off. I never found any bugs. Was I going out of my way to find them? No. I was playing the game, the way I would play the game. Had a blast doing it, and convinced me to play the retail game when I otherwise would of looked over it.

Onto my second beta experiance. MAG. I still can't go into this game. But I will say, in the first and second phase (of four, I think, which I didn't play in), it was buggy as hell. But, that game was a massive (haha) undertaking, so I could understand it. And from the sounds of it, a lot of the bugs were fixed in later updates. I don't hold those bugs against a game in beta form. I reported all the bugs I experianced, because as a beta tester, that is part of the "job". One of my big problems, which I think I can say without getting in trouble, was the server times. You couldn't just play anytime. Which really bugged me. That aside, I can't talk more about the game, though I have been itching to for months now. Again, that is like you dating the hottest girl in school, and you can't tell anyone.

Currently, I am in the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Closed Beta. As before, I can't talk about it. Boooooo. At least I don't think I can. I never read the agreement, as I assumed it was the same. But I am having no problems with the game, bug wise or glitch wise. Which makes for an awesome play experiance when you are not being lagged out, or stuck in a glitch, or what not. I have personal complaints about the game, but you'll have to wait till March 2010 to hear about those. Anyways, the point of this blog was twofold. One, it was a test to see hot an opinionated article felt and looked. And two, to test my writing to the audience. If you've come this far, please drop me a comment here, or on twitter @Sobaer, with what you thought. I can take the heat, I've been in the kitchen awhile. :)

-Sobær

The One With the Return!

2009-12-07T11:02:00.000-06:00

The Gameciety blog is back up! Not sure for how long this time, but make sure to bookmark it, or follow me on Twitter @Sobaer. The purpose? I'll try to build a better community by writing "articles", or thoughts as I like to call them, on news pieces, or reviews. People can comment of course, which is something I encourage. I will try to write quick reviews, as well. Why quick? I don't know about you, but some reviews just go on and on and on. I prefer to read shorter reviews that are to the point. Why do I want to read, in detail, about how the graphics in Uncharted 2 are awesome, with a scene-by-scene recap? No, I don't need to read that. So I will keep the reviews to the point, things I like and dislike, things I think are fundamentally wrong, and of course, a score. If you listen to the podcast (http://gameciety.podomatic.com), you'll know I score games on the school letter grade. Quick breakdown: A+ = AWESOME! A = WOW! A- = MUST PLAY! B+ = GREAT GAME! B = VERY GOOD! B - = Good C+ = Above average C = Average C - = Below average D + = Meh D = Ugh, really? D - = Why was this made? F = Someone should be fired Of course, as with every review, and "article" for that matter, is my opinion. Something everyone has. :) Enjoy and stay tuned!!! - Sobær

Updated Articles

2009-02-08T13:15:00.001-06:00

Well, spent the morning updating documents for the show. The Reviews spreadsheet, notes for this weeks show, and getting the year in review ready one month at a time. Been fun, just sittin' back drinking coffee. I played some Tenchu : Stealth Assassin (Wii) last night, and so far, I have to say, it is null-impressive. Graphically it is kinda nice, but it's PURE stealth so far, and I don't like that. I KNEW it would be, but still. You're a ninja, which gets it automatic cool points. Check out last nights episode for a nice discussion between me and Connor hyping up RE5. The show overall was very good, I beleive. I haven't listened yet, but there was some energy there that really made it feel like it was going to be a good show. Hope everyone checks it out and enjoys it. :) http://gameciety.podomatic.com - Sobær

Recording Tomorrow

2009-01-28T11:37:00.000-06:00

Getting news and such around now for tomorrow's show. Spent the last few days playing a game called Gem Craft over at Kongregate Games. It's a tower defense game, and a lot of fun. Free to play, so go check it out. The site has a lot of good quality free games. Shoulder it feeling a little better, though I slipped on the ice outside yesterday and hurt my wrists and ankle. So I think I am going to go get some game time on Sluggers. Peace. - Sobær http://gameciety.podomatic.com

Ice Storm + Gamefly Games

2009-01-26T17:31:00.000-06:00

A good ole ice storm hit today. We got off work early, which meant I got to play a few more hours on Star Ocean Second Evolution (PSP). About 9 hours so far into the game. At the point to where I am level grinding, which I don't mind. We also got our Gamefly games in today. If I can steal the DS away from Em, I might get an impression of Sims 2 (DS), as I won't be able to send it back until we get out and about again. The storm is supposed to get worse, so we'll see. I was hoping to have it out so I could get Nobunga's Ambition : Iron Triangle (PS2) later this week. Well off to play Mario Super Sluggers (Wii). Peace. - Sobær http://gameciety.podomatic.com

Welcome

2009-01-25T22:24:00.000-06:00

I'll try to update this with tidbits preshow and postshows. Things like how reviews I'm working on are coming, games I'm playing, things running through my head, or thoughts on a show after I listen to it. Who knows. xD Anyways, before I trample off to bed, the review for Star Ocean : Second Departure on PSP is coming along well. I'm enjoying the game a lot, and have a hard time putting it down. Also, Gamefly sent The Sims 2 on DS for Em, however, she has no interest in playing it so I just wasted 4-6 days of game time on a game. :| Thats it for now. Hope everyone checks out the shows and enjoys them. :) http://gameciety.podomatic.com