http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/bayonetta-2-review/1900-6415911/
Bayonetta scores the first 10 of this generation on GameSpot, and of course, the first thing people like to debate is, "IT'S NOT A 10 BECAUSE IT ISN'T PERFECT!" True, Bayonetta 2 isn't a perfect game, because there are a couple negatives mentioned in the review, such as minor frame rate issues and a nonsensical story. With that said, a 10 doesn't mean a perfect score.
The number 10 would be unobtainable if we were to go by that definition of a perfect score, because no game is perfect. This isn't like a history test where one answers every question right and achieves the perfect score. These are video games, a subjective form of entertainment, and even professional video game reviewers are incapable of giving their "professional" opinions without some level of subjectivity. Even casual gamers who have no idea how to review on a professional level will give a 10 to a game they really love. To them, it's a "perfect" game in the sense that they really couldn't have played any game more fun to them at the time.
Currently, the game sits on a 91 at Metacritic with at least eight other publications giving the game the highest score possible. Maybe that's how we should view the 10, not as a "perfect" score, but the highest score possible. This would mean that if the scale were to go any higher, the game might achieve that score because of doing so many things well.
Of course, what I love about the comment wall in GS's review of the game are the non-Wii U owners crying about how unfair it is that this game's a Wii U exclusive. They say the system is deserving of this game, that it should have come out on the PS4 and the Xbox One, yet out of all the companies Platinum Games pitched to, only Nintendo took the risk, and only Nintendo should reap the rewards.
Yet, some people do not want to buy the Wii U, even though they really want to play this game as they loved the first Bayonetta. So, to them I say, it's now time to buy a Wii U. Yes yes, the Wii U doesn't have as many "mature" games as other platforms, but that's a problem that you'll have to deal with. If you can just stop thinking you only need to play games filled with adult content, you'll find yourself enjoying the Wii U a lot. Plus, it's my own personal recommendation that you pick up ZombiU, a frightening title that you can find for dirt cheap.
What I worry about with Bayonetta 2, however, is how well it will sell. The first title didn't do that well selling roughly two million copies between the PS3 and Xbox 360, and I'm afraid that Bayonetta 2 won't reach anywhere near that number. It's been proven time and again that third party developer games don't perform well on Nintendo platforms, because people primarily buy Nintendo systems for Nintendo games.
The game is currently out in Japan and not performing that well. With roughly 40,000 units sold, it's not sounding like a system seller, and Bayonetta is one of those over-the-top Japanese-styled games that gamers in Japan should have loved. Will Bayonetta 2 fair better in the states? I don't necessarily think it will. It certainly won't be a system seller, unless Xbox and PS fans can throw away their bias and find it in themselves to pick up a Wii U. We'll just have to see.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Monday, September 22, 2014
Hard Games: When Frustration Takes Over Fun
I have a history with temper tantrums when it comes to video games. Sometimes I throw controllers, and I've thrown and broken a DS and a Vita before. It's been over a year since I've thrown something. The last being the Vita. Today, Dark Souls caused me to break my PS3 controller. It's not funny. It really isn't.
It's not that the game's hard that's the problem. It's the way Dark Souls is designed. They don't put shortcuts directly to the boss room, and they don't let you retry things. You have to start over wherever your last checkpoint was. This is something that From Software is known for, making ridiculously hard games. But, it doesn't need to always be that way.
I was fighting The Four Kings, the boss of New Londo Ruins, and the path to get to them even after you've opened a "shortcut", Attempting to kill everything up to the boss room is not only a waste of time, but a risk as well. I have to run past five dragons and about 10 Darkwraiths (mean nasty knights), and a ghost that can go through the fog gate leading to the boss room, which they aren't supposed to do. I run past everything because I don't want to fight everything. Yet, even trying to run past everything, I can still get hit and killed. An enemy decides to do a different attack and I somehow roll into it, or a dragon's wing pushes me in front of the other's lightning breath.
I JUST want to keep trying the boss over and over again. I'm the type of person who learns through repetition, but it's really distracting to me when I have to keep running through crap to get back to the boss fight. Some times nothing posses a threat at all. When I was struggling with the boss of Anor Londo, I had at least a two minute run of nothing until I got to enemies to start dodging before the fog gate.
Now, I understand people like this kind of difficulty, and that's fine. I don't want From Software to start making the base difficulty easier but what I want is an option for an easy mode, or at least a save anywhere option, or a boss retry, something to take the tediousness of having to return to the boss room over and over and over again. "Well, you should get better!" That's not the point! The point is, I shouldn't have to waste so much time to come back to a boss when I have to attempt it over and over again.
It's silly when you think about it. Video games are the only entertainment medium that cannot be enjoyed due to lack of skill. You pay a lot of money for these things, and if for whatever reason you can't pass it, then you've just wasted money. I know I can beat this boss; I know I can beat the game. I just didn't want to keep running through the same damn enemies over and over again. I lost it. Rest in peace, PS3 controller.
It's not that the game's hard that's the problem. It's the way Dark Souls is designed. They don't put shortcuts directly to the boss room, and they don't let you retry things. You have to start over wherever your last checkpoint was. This is something that From Software is known for, making ridiculously hard games. But, it doesn't need to always be that way.
I was fighting The Four Kings, the boss of New Londo Ruins, and the path to get to them even after you've opened a "shortcut", Attempting to kill everything up to the boss room is not only a waste of time, but a risk as well. I have to run past five dragons and about 10 Darkwraiths (mean nasty knights), and a ghost that can go through the fog gate leading to the boss room, which they aren't supposed to do. I run past everything because I don't want to fight everything. Yet, even trying to run past everything, I can still get hit and killed. An enemy decides to do a different attack and I somehow roll into it, or a dragon's wing pushes me in front of the other's lightning breath.
I JUST want to keep trying the boss over and over again. I'm the type of person who learns through repetition, but it's really distracting to me when I have to keep running through crap to get back to the boss fight. Some times nothing posses a threat at all. When I was struggling with the boss of Anor Londo, I had at least a two minute run of nothing until I got to enemies to start dodging before the fog gate.
Now, I understand people like this kind of difficulty, and that's fine. I don't want From Software to start making the base difficulty easier but what I want is an option for an easy mode, or at least a save anywhere option, or a boss retry, something to take the tediousness of having to return to the boss room over and over and over again. "Well, you should get better!" That's not the point! The point is, I shouldn't have to waste so much time to come back to a boss when I have to attempt it over and over again.
It's silly when you think about it. Video games are the only entertainment medium that cannot be enjoyed due to lack of skill. You pay a lot of money for these things, and if for whatever reason you can't pass it, then you've just wasted money. I know I can beat this boss; I know I can beat the game. I just didn't want to keep running through the same damn enemies over and over again. I lost it. Rest in peace, PS3 controller.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
New 3DS games!
So, as I said in my previous blog, I was planning on getting this game:
So, I did. I went to Best Buy today to pick up a couple of Blu-Rays and went to their video game section to look for it, but didn't find it. My local Best Buy is notorious for not putting out new product on shelves in a timely manner, so I had to ask for it. Anyway, while I was browsing for it, I also found this!
Sorry for the small pic. Had a really hard time finding a picture of the box art for some reason. Anyway, this proves to me how far out of the loop I've been in Video Game World when I had NO IDEA this game was already out! This has been one of my most anticipated games in a long time. Ever since I first heard they were making this in Japan, I begged and pleaded and prayed for a release stateside. I got really excited when I heard they making the translation for it in English, but then... too much FFXIV. It completely slipped under my radar. Well... screw that! This isn't happening again. I'm paying attention to the games I'm interested in getting from this point forward!
Only question now is... which one do I start first? Hmm...
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Quit FFXIV ... again
So it appears that I've quit Final Fantasy XIV again. What caused me to start it up again? I made the mistake of trying it out on the PS4. Before I knew it, I was sucked in, investing far more of my time on average than I was when I first started last year. To whom do I own the thanks of quitting a second time? Why, Square-Enix themselves.
Thank you, Square-Enix, for poorly designing the new crafting content to take hours upon hours upon hours to finish. So much work is needed to just to get one tool, so much time needed to gather the shards and materials to make the trade-in items for spectacles to break down... and get absolutely nothing for my effort. Thank you, Square-Enix, for making wasting my time waiting for stupid FATEs that NO ONE enjoys waiting for. Thank you for never bothering to address this outspoken problem, and thank you for thinking that you have to keep dragging out every bit of new content by requiring ridiculous amounts of time to do... ANYTHING.
See, I quit FFXI because it was a major time sink, although I started it up six more times and it took me quitting six more times before I was finally done with the game for good. When I first started FFXIV, the game's pacing was fantastic. I could do most content by myself, and I got my first job to 50 (level cap) in about a couple of months. I figured this was the way it should be, but things chanced when I entered the world of end-game. Grind for this currency to buy that gear. Grind for that currency to buy this gear. Grind. Grind. Grind. It caused me to quit FFXIV back in January, and it caused me to quit again now.
I haven't deleted my character, though. Not like last time. Last time, I deleted it and when I tried out the PS4 beta in April, I made the decision to see if I could recover my character. I could, so I did, and started it up again. I really wish I couldn't recover my character, though, because there would have been no way I was going to go through all that work again. Little did I know I just set myself up for a whole new set of work.
I kept my character for two reasons. One, when the next expansion is introduced, the job Ninja will be introduced, and I really would like to try that out. Yet, it would be extremely foolish to start it up again, as I might get addicted a third time. I really should just flatout delete the character, but, I did some research in selling accounts, and accounts comparable to mine can net close to a thousand bucks. If I could sell my character for that much, it would help ease the sting out of me having wasted so much of my gaming life. I should have done that the first time, though.
I want to keep my plate open for new games. My next purchase will be this:
Thank you, Square-Enix, for poorly designing the new crafting content to take hours upon hours upon hours to finish. So much work is needed to just to get one tool, so much time needed to gather the shards and materials to make the trade-in items for spectacles to break down... and get absolutely nothing for my effort. Thank you, Square-Enix, for making wasting my time waiting for stupid FATEs that NO ONE enjoys waiting for. Thank you for never bothering to address this outspoken problem, and thank you for thinking that you have to keep dragging out every bit of new content by requiring ridiculous amounts of time to do... ANYTHING.
See, I quit FFXI because it was a major time sink, although I started it up six more times and it took me quitting six more times before I was finally done with the game for good. When I first started FFXIV, the game's pacing was fantastic. I could do most content by myself, and I got my first job to 50 (level cap) in about a couple of months. I figured this was the way it should be, but things chanced when I entered the world of end-game. Grind for this currency to buy that gear. Grind for that currency to buy this gear. Grind. Grind. Grind. It caused me to quit FFXIV back in January, and it caused me to quit again now.
I haven't deleted my character, though. Not like last time. Last time, I deleted it and when I tried out the PS4 beta in April, I made the decision to see if I could recover my character. I could, so I did, and started it up again. I really wish I couldn't recover my character, though, because there would have been no way I was going to go through all that work again. Little did I know I just set myself up for a whole new set of work.
I kept my character for two reasons. One, when the next expansion is introduced, the job Ninja will be introduced, and I really would like to try that out. Yet, it would be extremely foolish to start it up again, as I might get addicted a third time. I really should just flatout delete the character, but, I did some research in selling accounts, and accounts comparable to mine can net close to a thousand bucks. If I could sell my character for that much, it would help ease the sting out of me having wasted so much of my gaming life. I should have done that the first time, though.
I want to keep my plate open for new games. My next purchase will be this:
Yes, it's another Final Fantasy game, but it's not an MMORPG. I won't be tied to some subscription that forces me to play it every day. I can play it every day out of just wanting to genuinely play it because it's fun. Plus, I loved the first Theatrhythm. It's a great rhythm based game, and if you love these kinds of games, and have a 3DS, I recommend getting it.
So, here's to being free of FFXIV... again!
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Let the Madness Begin!
Dark Souls. A game most gamers beat back in 2011. A game some gamers never were able to finish. Well, three years later, I'm finally starting the spiritual successor to one of the hardest games I've played in years, Demon's Souls. I've spent about five hours so far, and I haven't gotten far in at all.
I actually just beat a very tough enemy, which is why I'm taking a break to write this blog. If you never played Dark Souls, it feels very much like Demon's Souls, and if you never played Demon's Souls, imagine going to the bank with your money in a bag, someone comes along and kills you, but your bag of money stays there in the spot you died. You're resurrected and given ONE shot to traverse an area full of killers to claim your money, but you die on the way there, you lose it all. This is Dark Souls, and it's un-fucking-forgiving.
The enemy I just beat is an enemy I've spent three nights working on, and it's quite silly that I'm even fighting him. He's far, far stronger than I am, so strong in fact that he can kill me in one swift blow. He's a knight, with a menacing set of bulky armor and a massive shield that could plow through five foot snow drifts. And a really nasty looking curved club. He attacks far quicker than that club should allow, and I've died to him over and over and over again. Yet, I just keep coming back. To die again, and again and again. Why am I doing this to myself? Because of the challenge.
The challenge is addictive. Sometimes you're presented with something that seems impossible, but after trying again, you get a moment's glint of hope that there's a way. I was extremely off put by Demon's Souls when I first started, but once I got a feel for the game, I was hooked. Even after I'd amassed 30-40 thousand souls and lose them all, I'd do it all over again. After finally vanquishing that stupid knight in Dark Souls, I'm once again eager to venture forth and see what other horrendous challenges the game has for me.
Did I mention that you can be invaded by other people in the game? Yep. Let me explain a bit. Your character has two forms. Living, and dead, which is called Hallowed. When you're living, you're stronger. You have more HP, resistance, etc. You'll pretty much always want to stay human if you can, because it makes fighting easier. However, in this phase, you're also prone to be invaded by other players, and sometimes they're geared to the teeth which means you'll be missing yours soon enough. For the most part, I just stay in Hallowed, because I have enough trouble not getting myself killed to have someone else try to kill me.
It does feel nice to finally get to this game after three years have passed, but it's also intimidating at the same time. The way the game forces you to take it slow, study and react to enemy attacks; I need to bring out my old-school gaming skills that have been hibernating. I wonder how many controllers I'm going to go through, though...
Monday, June 16, 2014
A Lack of Women in Video Games and a Swearing Woman Presenting Video Games
This is a two-parter blog. I shouldn't really have to explain what that is, but I'll explain it anyway. I want to talk about two things and instead of making two separate blogs, I'm going to talk about those two things in a the same blog. Understood? Goodie. On we go.
First Part:
Let me present you with the newest Jimquisition. In it, he talks about the lack of female playable characters in the newest installment of the Assassin's Creed franchise Unity. Ubisoft states that creating female characters would have "doubled the amount of work". I honestly can't think of any better way to address that ridiculous statement than how Jim Sterling did in his latest piece. But, if you don't want to watch his video, I'll share my thoughts.
Doubling the amount of work? Lack of resources? You are UBISOFT! You have MILLIONS of dollars to R&D; to develop amazing CGI cutscenes; to develop new engines; to produce massive marketing campaigns. You HAVE the resources to do it. YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE IT! You can't possibly call a game "Unity" and then KNOWINGLY leave out female assassins. You PRAISED yourself by increasing diversity when you created Assassin's Creed: Liberation's lead Aveline de Grandpre, an assassin who wasn't just a woman, but also half black. YOUR PRIME DIRECTIVE WITH UNITY SHOULD HAVE BEEN TO INCLUDE ANOTHER WOMAN ASSASSIN! You can't just give the community one woman and then say, "There's your woman. Happy now?"
Jim also addresses this point. Let's just say it really was a matter of over distention with the budget and they really couldn't afford to build and animate female characters, not to mention voice act them. This is a problem with AAA game developing, having to spend so much money on bang and flash and to market it so aggressively that even elderly people in hospices are exposed to your commercials. But the biggest offending factor to Unity is that it HAS to come out exactly a year after the previous Assassin's Creed. STOP THIS! Give your games more time! We can wait! Because we're buying other games because yours isn't out yet doesn't mean you're losing money. We'll still buy it when you release it. If it means Unity doesn't come out in March or whenever next year, so be it. YOU NEED GOOD PRESS UBISOFT!
And well, like a friend of mine said, Rockstar at least flat out said they were going to have three male protagonists in GTA V. They didn't come out with any bullshit excuses of, "But we ran out of moneiz!" like Ubisoft said...
End Part 1
Begin Part 2
Loud mouths. Gotta love them. I present to you Aisha Tyler.
This foul mouthed comedian (of which I have no problems with personally) has hosted the Ubisoft E3 Press Conference for at least the third time straight. But, it's her attitude this year that's making the news.
She will tell you straight to your face "Fuck you!" if you tell her she doesn't play games. Apparently, she does and if you disagree, "FUCK YOU!" I haven't watched the conference this year, but I did watch the little compilation posted in the article. Now.. *takes a deep breath* before I continue, let's just say that I swear up a storm. Anyone I hang out with can attest to that. I have a sailor's mouth, and it gets really, really bad when I play games (especially Mario Kart). I also love a lot of movies that are full of swearing. "Yippie-kae-yay motherfucker!" is in fact one of my favorite lines. I'm not adverse to swearing; I just believe that are certain times and places you just don't do.
It's about being professional. She can swear however much she wants in her stand ups, and that is fine. I saw one of her stand ups and it was fucking hilarious. But, during an E3 Press Conference, she's representing Ubisoft. This wasn't being professional. And yes, I'm aware that the games Ubisoft makes contain swearing, as well as blood and sex and other things. Again, it's about presenting yourself professionally. Let's say you're working in a restaurant. You can tell your coworker, "I need a fucking cheeseburger!", but when you serve that cheeseburger, do you tell your customer, "Here's your fucking cheeseburger!" No... it's not professional, and even if you told me you do stand up as your night job, I wouldn't care. You don't impress me with your ability to swear while doing your job working in someone else's establishment.
Which is highly ironic that I love the Jimquisition, because that man cusses up a storm. Again, however, there's a difference. The Jimquisition is Jim Sterling's show, and those who don't like swearing don't have to watch it. They know what to expect, and they steer clear of it. But people who wanted to watch the Ubisoft E3 conference can't steer clear of Aisha Tyler unless they simply don't want to see the conference. My issue with Tyler is that all this swearing and being quoted "FUCK YOU!" is drawing a LOT of attention to herself, so much so that more people are talking about HER than the games. THAT'S unprofessional. Who gives a fuck if we cuss in our blogs or while we play games, right? When you represent a COMPANY, however, then it comes time to watch your mouth.
And get a better joke writer.... I swear, I don't want to watch them most of the time because the jokes are just so bad... Yeah, she's better than Joel McHale, but at least Joel never coined the term "girl wood." *shivers*
First Part:
Let me present you with the newest Jimquisition. In it, he talks about the lack of female playable characters in the newest installment of the Assassin's Creed franchise Unity. Ubisoft states that creating female characters would have "doubled the amount of work". I honestly can't think of any better way to address that ridiculous statement than how Jim Sterling did in his latest piece. But, if you don't want to watch his video, I'll share my thoughts.
Doubling the amount of work? Lack of resources? You are UBISOFT! You have MILLIONS of dollars to R&D; to develop amazing CGI cutscenes; to develop new engines; to produce massive marketing campaigns. You HAVE the resources to do it. YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE IT! You can't possibly call a game "Unity" and then KNOWINGLY leave out female assassins. You PRAISED yourself by increasing diversity when you created Assassin's Creed: Liberation's lead Aveline de Grandpre, an assassin who wasn't just a woman, but also half black. YOUR PRIME DIRECTIVE WITH UNITY SHOULD HAVE BEEN TO INCLUDE ANOTHER WOMAN ASSASSIN! You can't just give the community one woman and then say, "There's your woman. Happy now?"
Jim also addresses this point. Let's just say it really was a matter of over distention with the budget and they really couldn't afford to build and animate female characters, not to mention voice act them. This is a problem with AAA game developing, having to spend so much money on bang and flash and to market it so aggressively that even elderly people in hospices are exposed to your commercials. But the biggest offending factor to Unity is that it HAS to come out exactly a year after the previous Assassin's Creed. STOP THIS! Give your games more time! We can wait! Because we're buying other games because yours isn't out yet doesn't mean you're losing money. We'll still buy it when you release it. If it means Unity doesn't come out in March or whenever next year, so be it. YOU NEED GOOD PRESS UBISOFT!
And well, like a friend of mine said, Rockstar at least flat out said they were going to have three male protagonists in GTA V. They didn't come out with any bullshit excuses of, "But we ran out of moneiz!" like Ubisoft said...
End Part 1
Begin Part 2
Loud mouths. Gotta love them. I present to you Aisha Tyler.
She will tell you straight to your face "Fuck you!" if you tell her she doesn't play games. Apparently, she does and if you disagree, "FUCK YOU!" I haven't watched the conference this year, but I did watch the little compilation posted in the article. Now.. *takes a deep breath* before I continue, let's just say that I swear up a storm. Anyone I hang out with can attest to that. I have a sailor's mouth, and it gets really, really bad when I play games (especially Mario Kart). I also love a lot of movies that are full of swearing. "Yippie-kae-yay motherfucker!" is in fact one of my favorite lines. I'm not adverse to swearing; I just believe that are certain times and places you just don't do.
It's about being professional. She can swear however much she wants in her stand ups, and that is fine. I saw one of her stand ups and it was fucking hilarious. But, during an E3 Press Conference, she's representing Ubisoft. This wasn't being professional. And yes, I'm aware that the games Ubisoft makes contain swearing, as well as blood and sex and other things. Again, it's about presenting yourself professionally. Let's say you're working in a restaurant. You can tell your coworker, "I need a fucking cheeseburger!", but when you serve that cheeseburger, do you tell your customer, "Here's your fucking cheeseburger!" No... it's not professional, and even if you told me you do stand up as your night job, I wouldn't care. You don't impress me with your ability to swear while doing your job working in someone else's establishment.
Which is highly ironic that I love the Jimquisition, because that man cusses up a storm. Again, however, there's a difference. The Jimquisition is Jim Sterling's show, and those who don't like swearing don't have to watch it. They know what to expect, and they steer clear of it. But people who wanted to watch the Ubisoft E3 conference can't steer clear of Aisha Tyler unless they simply don't want to see the conference. My issue with Tyler is that all this swearing and being quoted "FUCK YOU!" is drawing a LOT of attention to herself, so much so that more people are talking about HER than the games. THAT'S unprofessional. Who gives a fuck if we cuss in our blogs or while we play games, right? When you represent a COMPANY, however, then it comes time to watch your mouth.
And get a better joke writer.... I swear, I don't want to watch them most of the time because the jokes are just so bad... Yeah, she's better than Joel McHale, but at least Joel never coined the term "girl wood." *shivers*
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Arkham Origins finished
As I'm writing this, the credits for Batman: Arkham Origins on the PS3 have been rolling for more than 15 minutes. I was thinking about writing a blog about my thoughts of the game, and since the credits are still rolling I figured I might as well do so now.
If you haven't followed the series, let me just briefly bring you up to speed. Origins is the third installment of the Batman Arkham trilogy and as the subtitle alludes, it's an origin story. Made by a different developer than Rocksteady, who did the first two games, Origins suffers from some very rough edges not found in the previous two games. Glitches abound (and luckily I've yet to experience any of the damaging game breaking bugs that were reported), and the city you glide your way through is a recycled Gotham from Arkham City, and a less interesting city at that.
The core gameplay is effectively the same as City. You run around from point to point seeking out criminal masterminds and beating their henchmen senseless. The Freeflow Combat is still a lot of fun, but now you have to put in some work in order to get the most out of it. Like in the previous two games, you can use your gadgets in combat, laying down explosive gel, stunning people with Batarangs and concussion grenades, yanking them forward with your Batclaw, etc. But, you can't really do everything until you finish a set of challenges from the Most Wanted section of the menu.
Origins has a slew of villains to fight. The story starts off with Black Mask holding an invitational to kill Batman with 50 million dollars being the reward. Eight of the deadliest assassins alive are after Batman's head. These include Killer Croc, Shiva, Copperhead, Death Stroke, Dead Shot, Firefly, Electrocutioner and of course, Bane. The majority of these encounters have been pretty fun, but a couple were real letdowns, being too simplistic for memorable fights. There's also villains featured in the Most Wanted section, such as Anarchy and Penguin that have you running around the city doing things. Some off these fights were nothing more than beat-everyone-up-in-the-room brawls. The only side villain that really impressed me was the Mad Hatter, because it took me into a twisted version of Alice and Wonderland. It made me think of Scarecrow's stage from the first Batman game.
So the game's major strength is the number of villains it features and the story that weaves their relations to Batman. But, this IS a Batman origin story and you cannot tell it without the Joker. Without a doubt, this is my favorite Joker of the trilogy. They did such a great a job with him and how he reacts to Batman. I also really enjoyed the story in general, how Batman first meets Gordon and Gordon's relentless pursuit to bring Batman in for vigilantism; the way numerous villains hold the hypocrisy above Batman's head; the self-doubt that Bruce Wayne himself has in whether or not he's doing the right thing stalking the night as Batman.
It's just a major shame that Warner Bros. needed to pump this game out so quickly after Arkham City. The rest of Origins just doesn't hold up well with the story. It feels too similar to City, as I already mentioned, and the Riddler challenges aren't even worth doing. Of course, I didn't bother with them in City as there simply was too many, but that also brings up something I dislike with sandbox games. There sometime are too many fetch-its in sandbox games that you spending all this time going around the city. I honestly believe if Warner Bros. gave Origins another year, WB Montreal could have fine-tuned the game and made everything in it much better, something that could have been on par with Rocksteady's work.
If you never got around to playing Batman Origins, I can actually recommend you to do, despite the game's faults. If you love Batman, you'll be entertained regardless. Again, this is my favorite Joker. You just have to see some of these cutscenes with him and Bats. And well, if you played the first two games, it's only natural that you play this one as well, as it ties up everything rather well to lead into Arkham Asylum. With Rocksteady back at the helm for the next Batman game Arkham Knight, I know it will be one incredible game. I must say, though, it's going to be hard to top Origins in the story department.
If you haven't followed the series, let me just briefly bring you up to speed. Origins is the third installment of the Batman Arkham trilogy and as the subtitle alludes, it's an origin story. Made by a different developer than Rocksteady, who did the first two games, Origins suffers from some very rough edges not found in the previous two games. Glitches abound (and luckily I've yet to experience any of the damaging game breaking bugs that were reported), and the city you glide your way through is a recycled Gotham from Arkham City, and a less interesting city at that.
The core gameplay is effectively the same as City. You run around from point to point seeking out criminal masterminds and beating their henchmen senseless. The Freeflow Combat is still a lot of fun, but now you have to put in some work in order to get the most out of it. Like in the previous two games, you can use your gadgets in combat, laying down explosive gel, stunning people with Batarangs and concussion grenades, yanking them forward with your Batclaw, etc. But, you can't really do everything until you finish a set of challenges from the Most Wanted section of the menu.
Origins has a slew of villains to fight. The story starts off with Black Mask holding an invitational to kill Batman with 50 million dollars being the reward. Eight of the deadliest assassins alive are after Batman's head. These include Killer Croc, Shiva, Copperhead, Death Stroke, Dead Shot, Firefly, Electrocutioner and of course, Bane. The majority of these encounters have been pretty fun, but a couple were real letdowns, being too simplistic for memorable fights. There's also villains featured in the Most Wanted section, such as Anarchy and Penguin that have you running around the city doing things. Some off these fights were nothing more than beat-everyone-up-in-the-room brawls. The only side villain that really impressed me was the Mad Hatter, because it took me into a twisted version of Alice and Wonderland. It made me think of Scarecrow's stage from the first Batman game.
So the game's major strength is the number of villains it features and the story that weaves their relations to Batman. But, this IS a Batman origin story and you cannot tell it without the Joker. Without a doubt, this is my favorite Joker of the trilogy. They did such a great a job with him and how he reacts to Batman. I also really enjoyed the story in general, how Batman first meets Gordon and Gordon's relentless pursuit to bring Batman in for vigilantism; the way numerous villains hold the hypocrisy above Batman's head; the self-doubt that Bruce Wayne himself has in whether or not he's doing the right thing stalking the night as Batman.
It's just a major shame that Warner Bros. needed to pump this game out so quickly after Arkham City. The rest of Origins just doesn't hold up well with the story. It feels too similar to City, as I already mentioned, and the Riddler challenges aren't even worth doing. Of course, I didn't bother with them in City as there simply was too many, but that also brings up something I dislike with sandbox games. There sometime are too many fetch-its in sandbox games that you spending all this time going around the city. I honestly believe if Warner Bros. gave Origins another year, WB Montreal could have fine-tuned the game and made everything in it much better, something that could have been on par with Rocksteady's work.
If you never got around to playing Batman Origins, I can actually recommend you to do, despite the game's faults. If you love Batman, you'll be entertained regardless. Again, this is my favorite Joker. You just have to see some of these cutscenes with him and Bats. And well, if you played the first two games, it's only natural that you play this one as well, as it ties up everything rather well to lead into Arkham Asylum. With Rocksteady back at the helm for the next Batman game Arkham Knight, I know it will be one incredible game. I must say, though, it's going to be hard to top Origins in the story department.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Arkham Delay
Highly anticipated Batman: Arkham Knight for PC, Xbox One, PS4 slips to 2015.
This... is a good thing. No, it really is. There shouldn't be a single reason why you should be upset at a potentially great game being delayed. ... Unless waiting for this game is all you have going in your life. Seriously, read a book or something. You aren't on life support, and Batman is not at your bedside making sure your vitals are beeping on the screen as they should be. YOU'LL BE OK!
No, you shouldn't even be disappointed. Want to be disappointed? Let WB release Arkham Knight in October as previous scheduled, and then watch what could have been the best Batman game ever become an unfinished glitch-riddled mess. THEN you'll be disappointed! Because you know what? This already happened. It was called Batman: Arkham Origins.
Ok, ok... to be fair and for those that don't know, Batman: Arkham Origins was designed by a totally different team WB Montreal, the same team that ported over Batman: Arkham City to the Wii U. They weren't what I'd called Rocksteady, who made the first two Batman Arkham games, but they did a decent enough job for the time they had. "the time they had"
"THE TIME THEY HAD"
Going to give you a second to let that sink in..
The holiday schedule is great for business. October is the month that gets the ball rolling for the busiest season of gaming for the year. So it's a no-brainer that publishers want product to line store shelves to make the big bucks before Christmas comes and goes. But, the holiday schedule also can be bad for the product they're selling. Most gamers don't care, as they're just happy to have the game. They deal with glitches, missing content, recycled designs, uninspired sequels. They just want their fix. Unfortunately, you just can't do anything to combat this kind of cyclic effect.
Unless you can afford delays. Unless you have that one game that's so anticipated, people will buy it regardless of what time of year you put it out. Arkham Knight is just one of those games. Rocksteady can now proceed to make their game without the added pressure of that dreaded holiday deadline, and this is something that should happen more often. "and this is something that should happen more often"
"AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAPPEN MORE OFTEN"
Sink it. Yes, sink that shit like the Titanic.
We only do this to ourselves. Our constant clamoring for the next great video game. Our insatiable hunger, our unquenchable thirst for more games. Our chubby little Cheeto powdered digits stretched out across the counter to grab whatever pre-ordered games we've been sitting on our asses waiting for, making belly-aching YouTube videos where we make death threats to video game companies if they delay our only reason to live yet again! We are pathetic.
So, rejoice in the fact that Arkham Knight is delayed. Do not hang you head low. Nay, raise it high and know that time is on your side! Time will make your Batman game all the more better and you will be all the more thankful for it! And if you're still pissed off about this delay, then I can only say five words to you: find something to fucking do. "find something to fucking do"
"FIND SOMETHING TO FUCKING DO"
Your ass better be sunk to the bottom of the ocean right about now.
This... is a good thing. No, it really is. There shouldn't be a single reason why you should be upset at a potentially great game being delayed. ... Unless waiting for this game is all you have going in your life. Seriously, read a book or something. You aren't on life support, and Batman is not at your bedside making sure your vitals are beeping on the screen as they should be. YOU'LL BE OK!
No, you shouldn't even be disappointed. Want to be disappointed? Let WB release Arkham Knight in October as previous scheduled, and then watch what could have been the best Batman game ever become an unfinished glitch-riddled mess. THEN you'll be disappointed! Because you know what? This already happened. It was called Batman: Arkham Origins.
Ok, ok... to be fair and for those that don't know, Batman: Arkham Origins was designed by a totally different team WB Montreal, the same team that ported over Batman: Arkham City to the Wii U. They weren't what I'd called Rocksteady, who made the first two Batman Arkham games, but they did a decent enough job for the time they had. "the time they had"
"THE TIME THEY HAD"
Going to give you a second to let that sink in..
The holiday schedule is great for business. October is the month that gets the ball rolling for the busiest season of gaming for the year. So it's a no-brainer that publishers want product to line store shelves to make the big bucks before Christmas comes and goes. But, the holiday schedule also can be bad for the product they're selling. Most gamers don't care, as they're just happy to have the game. They deal with glitches, missing content, recycled designs, uninspired sequels. They just want their fix. Unfortunately, you just can't do anything to combat this kind of cyclic effect.
Unless you can afford delays. Unless you have that one game that's so anticipated, people will buy it regardless of what time of year you put it out. Arkham Knight is just one of those games. Rocksteady can now proceed to make their game without the added pressure of that dreaded holiday deadline, and this is something that should happen more often. "and this is something that should happen more often"
"AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAPPEN MORE OFTEN"
Sink it. Yes, sink that shit like the Titanic.
We only do this to ourselves. Our constant clamoring for the next great video game. Our insatiable hunger, our unquenchable thirst for more games. Our chubby little Cheeto powdered digits stretched out across the counter to grab whatever pre-ordered games we've been sitting on our asses waiting for, making belly-aching YouTube videos where we make death threats to video game companies if they delay our only reason to live yet again! We are pathetic.
So, rejoice in the fact that Arkham Knight is delayed. Do not hang you head low. Nay, raise it high and know that time is on your side! Time will make your Batman game all the more better and you will be all the more thankful for it! And if you're still pissed off about this delay, then I can only say five words to you: find something to fucking do. "find something to fucking do"
"FIND SOMETHING TO FUCKING DO"
Your ass better be sunk to the bottom of the ocean right about now.
Friday, May 30, 2014
8 Things Mario Kart 8 got wrong.
So while everyone who doesn't have Wii Us are busy playing the just-another-sandbox-game Watch Dogs, us Wii U owners are playing Mario Kart 8. I've only had enough time for two cups so far, but it is a lot of fun! Rather than write a positive piece on how much fun it is, I'd rather leave that to the 1,000,000 blogs doing the same thing right about now. What I'd like to talk about are eight little annoyances I have with the game. It needs to be noted that these are nitpicks and are not meant to be taken seriously, or in a way that this is causing me to like the game any less. I'll always love the Mario Kart games. With that said, let's get start.
#1 No Times in Gran Prix
This struck me as rather odd when I first heard about it in GameSpot's Mario Kart 8 review. I've always enjoyed seeing how close 2nd place was from me and how badly I smashed last place. It was also a great indicator of just how aggressive the AI was being with you during Gran Prix. I've yet to come up with a single positive reason for why the times were removed from this mode.
#2 No Replay, Just Highlight Reel
... What? I only get to see a 10 second highlight real of predetermined actions instead of being able to watch an entire replay? Oh wow... I get to edit it and share it too... Big freaking whoop. No replacement for an actual replay.
#3 The Coin Power-Up
As many of you know, the coins are back in Mario Kart. The more you get, the faster you go. The coins are all over the track. Yet, there's a power up you can collect that gives you ... another coin! Thanks, Nintendo! That's what I've always wanted! I don't need a banana peel to put behind me to ward off the incoming red shell, or a red shell to throw at someone who just passed me! I got my coin! I'm good!
#4 No On-Screen Map
Most people might not care about this, and hey, you get the map on your tablet screen, but I've NEVER liked the idea of taking something that you can easily display on the TV off the TV and putting it on the tablet, requiring you to divert your eyes from the TV to the tablet and back again. Why can't I just have a transparent map that shows the positions of all the other racers? Would make it much easier.
#5 Not Being Able to Pick Up Another Weapon While Holding On to a Shell or Peel
I can see the logic behind this, but I don't like it. When you're having shells constantly flung at you, it's nice to have a peel covering your back while you're picking up another weapon to hopefully get another peel or shell. You can't do it in MK8. You'll have to let it go before you can pick up another one. Hasn't been a big deal yet, but I can see it becoming a problem later on.
#6 Fall Time Recovery
So I fell off trying to access a shortcut earlier today, and I was quit surprised how quickly Lakitu swooped down, caught you and put you back on track. It was literally a second. I didn't even get to see myself fall off screen before I was already put back on the course. I find this an odd thing to do considering Nintendo is trying to promote this game as more skill-based. Falling off the course should be a major penalty, something that encourages skillful driving, not treated as a Mulligan.
#7 Roster
This is obviously subjective, but I do feel Nintendo could have done a lot more work in this area. Sure, there are loads of characters to choose from now thanks to the addition of the Koopa Kids, but that's SEVEN Koopa Kids. If you don't care about them that much, that's a huge portion of the roster you won't ever touch. Also, more babies and pallet swaps. You would think with the HUGE amount of characters in the Mario Universe they could have pulled from, the roster would be a little more varied.
#8 Recycled Courses
I'll catch flack for this one, I know, as again it's entirely subjective. The argument can even be made that it's tradition, but I'm sick of it. I'm tired of recycled courses. I don't care if they've been reworked with the new game's engine and mechanics. I'm sick of seeing 16 track slots taken up with something I've already played years ago. What I would LOVE to see is a fresh Mario Kart with 32 ALL NEW tracks. THEN, they can do 32 retro tracks. This happens every time I play a new Mario Kart. I get so impressed with the track design (and OMG the track design so far has been PHENOMENAL) that I can only help but wonder what NEW tracks I could have been racing on in the second set of cups. Tired of it, Nintendo. TRY HARDER!
Thanks all for reading.
#1 No Times in Gran Prix
This struck me as rather odd when I first heard about it in GameSpot's Mario Kart 8 review. I've always enjoyed seeing how close 2nd place was from me and how badly I smashed last place. It was also a great indicator of just how aggressive the AI was being with you during Gran Prix. I've yet to come up with a single positive reason for why the times were removed from this mode.
#2 No Replay, Just Highlight Reel
... What? I only get to see a 10 second highlight real of predetermined actions instead of being able to watch an entire replay? Oh wow... I get to edit it and share it too... Big freaking whoop. No replacement for an actual replay.
#3 The Coin Power-Up
As many of you know, the coins are back in Mario Kart. The more you get, the faster you go. The coins are all over the track. Yet, there's a power up you can collect that gives you ... another coin! Thanks, Nintendo! That's what I've always wanted! I don't need a banana peel to put behind me to ward off the incoming red shell, or a red shell to throw at someone who just passed me! I got my coin! I'm good!
#4 No On-Screen Map
Most people might not care about this, and hey, you get the map on your tablet screen, but I've NEVER liked the idea of taking something that you can easily display on the TV off the TV and putting it on the tablet, requiring you to divert your eyes from the TV to the tablet and back again. Why can't I just have a transparent map that shows the positions of all the other racers? Would make it much easier.
#5 Not Being Able to Pick Up Another Weapon While Holding On to a Shell or Peel
I can see the logic behind this, but I don't like it. When you're having shells constantly flung at you, it's nice to have a peel covering your back while you're picking up another weapon to hopefully get another peel or shell. You can't do it in MK8. You'll have to let it go before you can pick up another one. Hasn't been a big deal yet, but I can see it becoming a problem later on.
#6 Fall Time Recovery
So I fell off trying to access a shortcut earlier today, and I was quit surprised how quickly Lakitu swooped down, caught you and put you back on track. It was literally a second. I didn't even get to see myself fall off screen before I was already put back on the course. I find this an odd thing to do considering Nintendo is trying to promote this game as more skill-based. Falling off the course should be a major penalty, something that encourages skillful driving, not treated as a Mulligan.
#7 Roster
This is obviously subjective, but I do feel Nintendo could have done a lot more work in this area. Sure, there are loads of characters to choose from now thanks to the addition of the Koopa Kids, but that's SEVEN Koopa Kids. If you don't care about them that much, that's a huge portion of the roster you won't ever touch. Also, more babies and pallet swaps. You would think with the HUGE amount of characters in the Mario Universe they could have pulled from, the roster would be a little more varied.
#8 Recycled Courses
I'll catch flack for this one, I know, as again it's entirely subjective. The argument can even be made that it's tradition, but I'm sick of it. I'm tired of recycled courses. I don't care if they've been reworked with the new game's engine and mechanics. I'm sick of seeing 16 track slots taken up with something I've already played years ago. What I would LOVE to see is a fresh Mario Kart with 32 ALL NEW tracks. THEN, they can do 32 retro tracks. This happens every time I play a new Mario Kart. I get so impressed with the track design (and OMG the track design so far has been PHENOMENAL) that I can only help but wonder what NEW tracks I could have been racing on in the second set of cups. Tired of it, Nintendo. TRY HARDER!
Thanks all for reading.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Guess who's playing Watch Dogs?
Not me, says I. If you guessed wrong, NO COOKIE FOR YOU! Wow, I got a lot of cookies here, because I'm guessing every single one of you thought this would be a blog about me playing Watch Dogs. Well, I wish it was. I really, really wish it was.
So, today is the launch of one of the most anticipated games - and new IPs for that matter - in a long time. Ever since the unveiling of Watch Dogs at E3 2012, it's been a game on everyone's radar including mine. Ubisoft is one of the many companies known for continually recycling existing franchise *cough* Assassin's Creed *cough*, so to see a new franchise spark so much interest was quite refreshing. The game not only looked beautiful, it also looked intriguing. It seemed like the video game equivalent of Person of Interest, that TV show with the Jim Caveizeal....litus or something. That guy who played the guy that was nailed to a cross in that movie all those years ago which was made by an anti semite. Anyway....
I was eager to have this game, but then... something happened. It started closely after the onslaught of media outlets printing stories of the graphics not being what they were promised. "This isn't what we were shown at E3 2012! This is worse!" So, controversy was created and everyone was flinging insults at each other because "#PCMasterRace" and "consoles are bringing down PC graphics". It became annoying. This, atop of nonstop UbiSoft marketing saturation of "This is going to be the best selling new IP of all time" and "Watch Dogs has the makings for a long lasting franchise", and who could forget the 1080p 900p 30 FPS 59 FPS debacle? Half the time, UbiSoft didn't even know WHAT they were doing with the game! Oh, and let's not forget the nine different editions of the game across all regions. It just got to be too much...
About a week or two ago, I started getting a bad vibe about the game. Of course, I knew it wasn't going to be a bad game, but I started getting the feeling that it was going to be the proverbial next best thing to sliced bread that UbiSoft was promising. I decided to play the wait and see approach. I've browsed GameRankings a bit, and so far, the game's doing decent. Not "OMG GOTY ALREADY!" status, but a good game all around. I decided that as of right now, Watch Dogs no longer holds my attention enough for me to buy the game right away. This will make a good 30 dollar game.
Now, not many gamers can exercise this level of self control. When you generate enough hype for a game, it's almost impossible for you to pull yourself out of its massive wake. I have succumbed to many hyped games, and there were several that I could have EASILY waited for and saved a good 30-40 bucks. I have too many games across the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Vita and 3DS to keep me occupied. In fact, the only game I know of this year for certain that I simply must have is Mario Kart 8.
I kinda wish the hyping up of AAA games would die down a bit. It is in fact bad for the industry. Great for business, but bad for the industry. I know it's contradictory, but think about it. How many Call of Dutys have we had to see being churned out every year? How many Assassin's Creeds? How many potentially promising titles have we seen miss the mark because they just HAVE to make that October/November release? Games need to take their time to be truly great. Hell, Watch Dogs has been in development for at least three years, and it didn't even manage to net one single perfect score yet. I'm sure gamers would have waited one more year if it meant that UbiSoft could iron out all the kinks. Gamers need to realize that we have a PLETHORA of different games that we can select from. We don't need to play only the big budget titles.
And going off on a tangent, it seems like the only reason I don't want Watch Dogs now is because of a lot of people are playing it now. Does that make me some kind of hipster? I don't know. Maybe it does. Maybe I get tired of hearing people talk about nothing but the same game. This happened to me with Red Dead Redemption. I actually chose not to buy it (there were three other games that I wanted that game out that day) because I was tired of my XBL friends doing nothing but talking up that game. I also haven't got around to getting GTA V, but that's an entirely different matter. I didn't get GTA V not because everyone was talking about. On the contrary, I put myself on blackout. I didn't want to hear anything spoiled and I decided at that time, I wasn't ready for such a massive game. I'm trying to play ketchup and I'm not doing a very good job of it.
Anyway... I've wanted to do one of these blogspot blogs for some time. Funny, I was going to do a blog at GameSpot.com, but it's apparently down. That's it. I'm no longer blogging there. I'll be here from now on, so if you want to follow me, please do! Thanks for reading!
EDIT: By the way, when I get some time, I'll spiff this place up and make it more appealing to your optic nerves. Until then, enjoy the awesomeness that is white!
So, today is the launch of one of the most anticipated games - and new IPs for that matter - in a long time. Ever since the unveiling of Watch Dogs at E3 2012, it's been a game on everyone's radar including mine. Ubisoft is one of the many companies known for continually recycling existing franchise *cough* Assassin's Creed *cough*, so to see a new franchise spark so much interest was quite refreshing. The game not only looked beautiful, it also looked intriguing. It seemed like the video game equivalent of Person of Interest, that TV show with the Jim Caveizeal....litus or something. That guy who played the guy that was nailed to a cross in that movie all those years ago which was made by an anti semite. Anyway....
I was eager to have this game, but then... something happened. It started closely after the onslaught of media outlets printing stories of the graphics not being what they were promised. "This isn't what we were shown at E3 2012! This is worse!" So, controversy was created and everyone was flinging insults at each other because "#PCMasterRace" and "consoles are bringing down PC graphics". It became annoying. This, atop of nonstop UbiSoft marketing saturation of "This is going to be the best selling new IP of all time" and "Watch Dogs has the makings for a long lasting franchise", and who could forget the 1080p 900p 30 FPS 59 FPS debacle? Half the time, UbiSoft didn't even know WHAT they were doing with the game! Oh, and let's not forget the nine different editions of the game across all regions. It just got to be too much...
About a week or two ago, I started getting a bad vibe about the game. Of course, I knew it wasn't going to be a bad game, but I started getting the feeling that it was going to be the proverbial next best thing to sliced bread that UbiSoft was promising. I decided to play the wait and see approach. I've browsed GameRankings a bit, and so far, the game's doing decent. Not "OMG GOTY ALREADY!" status, but a good game all around. I decided that as of right now, Watch Dogs no longer holds my attention enough for me to buy the game right away. This will make a good 30 dollar game.
Now, not many gamers can exercise this level of self control. When you generate enough hype for a game, it's almost impossible for you to pull yourself out of its massive wake. I have succumbed to many hyped games, and there were several that I could have EASILY waited for and saved a good 30-40 bucks. I have too many games across the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Vita and 3DS to keep me occupied. In fact, the only game I know of this year for certain that I simply must have is Mario Kart 8.
I kinda wish the hyping up of AAA games would die down a bit. It is in fact bad for the industry. Great for business, but bad for the industry. I know it's contradictory, but think about it. How many Call of Dutys have we had to see being churned out every year? How many Assassin's Creeds? How many potentially promising titles have we seen miss the mark because they just HAVE to make that October/November release? Games need to take their time to be truly great. Hell, Watch Dogs has been in development for at least three years, and it didn't even manage to net one single perfect score yet. I'm sure gamers would have waited one more year if it meant that UbiSoft could iron out all the kinks. Gamers need to realize that we have a PLETHORA of different games that we can select from. We don't need to play only the big budget titles.
And going off on a tangent, it seems like the only reason I don't want Watch Dogs now is because of a lot of people are playing it now. Does that make me some kind of hipster? I don't know. Maybe it does. Maybe I get tired of hearing people talk about nothing but the same game. This happened to me with Red Dead Redemption. I actually chose not to buy it (there were three other games that I wanted that game out that day) because I was tired of my XBL friends doing nothing but talking up that game. I also haven't got around to getting GTA V, but that's an entirely different matter. I didn't get GTA V not because everyone was talking about. On the contrary, I put myself on blackout. I didn't want to hear anything spoiled and I decided at that time, I wasn't ready for such a massive game. I'm trying to play ketchup and I'm not doing a very good job of it.
Anyway... I've wanted to do one of these blogspot blogs for some time. Funny, I was going to do a blog at GameSpot.com, but it's apparently down. That's it. I'm no longer blogging there. I'll be here from now on, so if you want to follow me, please do! Thanks for reading!
EDIT: By the way, when I get some time, I'll spiff this place up and make it more appealing to your optic nerves. Until then, enjoy the awesomeness that is white!
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