Well, it has been a while, hasn't it?
I still check stuff now and then...but just really didn't have much time to post. Or anything really interesting to say.
I have decided to from the last entry that I worked hard for my degree and that I do not want to give up animation. It really feels like I probably should go to where the oppurtunities are at (out West), but I can't really afford it. But I did decide that I will be giving myself a deadline. If by then I have no job, I will do my best to try to get my ass out west to find work. If things don't work out there, then they don't work out. But this isn't going to solve itself.
Of course I decided this about 2 months ago, so it is technically old news.
Since it has been two months without an update, it just feel like a waste to just have that...so I might as well discuss the last few games I picked up...which I really suggest for you guys.
F.E.A.R (X360)
Old game, I know, but it is new to me. I must say the game looks and runs real nice compared to the PC demo that warned me that I need to lower my settings to get the game running properly (please note that everything was on the lowest settings). The game looks a bit dated due to the fact we had this game out on the PC last year and also had Condemned for the 360 last year as well (which ran on the same engine and has a similar look). But that doesn't mean the game looks bad at all. It looks great. And it can run just as well as any PC can on high settings, which is highly impressive.
The game lives up to its name as well. The fire fights are intense. And thanks to the darkness and the random dead person and little creepy ghost girl you see, it will provide a nice sense of atmosphere that can make you jump every now and then. However, this game seems to the Resident Evil to Silent Hill when you compare it to Condemned. This game gives nice jumps and can creep you out, it doesn't seem to give me that atmosphere that Condemned can give you. Throw in the irony that this game relies on gun shooting like RE did over SH, and it seems like a major coinicidence to me at times.
But F.E.A.R. is a better game in both techincal aspects and in designed. It is not as easy to get lost as it was in Condemned at times. And the uses for firearms in the game is much more comfortable than Condemned's melee combat you did majority of the time.
The game is tough. You can die easily. Infact, you will die in the game. There is a nice achievement to beat the game without dying to those of you wanting to get it...good luck. If you are an achievement whore on the 360, prepare to have some fun. These are some pretty hard ones to get. And lets face it, it really doesn't help you can die quickly just from a few shots at times. Med packs are found a lot in the game, but if you mess up in a fight, you might find yourself using too many of them and come unprepared to the next one.
The game is preserved (from what I hear...remember, couldn't run the original PC version) very well, and considering this was one of the best FPS of last year, I was very interesting in getting it to see what I missed. This is easily one of the best FPS's for the 360 (maybe with Prey not so far behind), but if you have the original PC version, I can't recommend it. From what I hear, it is the same exact game. But if you missed it out (or too lazy/cheap to upgrade), pick this one up. Besides, it supports widescreen.
8.75/10
Final Fantasy XII (8 hour impressions)
Yeah I know. I hated the demo. I hated every Playstation Final Fantasy sans VII and IX...and those I thought were even overrated. And FFXI was one of the most boring MMORPGs I have ever played (which the battle system of this game was based on). So why toture myself with picking up this game? Because I am a whore.
But I will say it feels good to be a whore at times...and this is one of those moments.
I will say this off the bat. This is the best Final Fantasy I have played since VI on the SNES. That is right folks...I dig this one more than VII (again, very overrated). That could be becasue the demo left such a bad taste in my mouth, but eh, whatever worked on making this game a goods as it seems definitely worked.
First of all, the graphics. They look great...even without progessive scan (my biggest complaint about them...which is actually pretty minor to be honest). While I do find some of the clothing to be a bit silly (especially Vaan's and Fran's), I really can't complain. the design is nice. They even added 16:9 support for the HDTV users. Plus, (if you played the demo), the game doesn't use the old crappy FFXI recycled animations and monsters. Another major turn from the graphics. The opening music was very nostalgic, but the game music isn't up to snuff as the older titles. Still good, but not as good as previous games. Luckily the voice acting is very nice to make up for that aspect of the music.
The redesigned battle system is very much like FFXI...only it doesn't suck. In fact, I would probably say it feels a bit like NWN, Baldur's Gate (PC version) or KOTOR at times instead of just FFXI. The gambits (which allow your party members to heal characters when they are down some health or target specific enemies) make the AI a lot easier to deal with. But you can always issue commands to any character in the middle of the battle (so they are not always bound by the actions).
One thing I hated about the Playstation FF's was the ratio of cinemas to gameplay. Yeah, I would like a game to a have about more gameplay time than movie time. Otherwise, I would buy a movie. This game actually a much better ratio of gameplay to cinemas than previous games. Major plus for that alone.
I have been digging my time so far and take back everything I have said bad about this game thanks to that shitty demo. This game is definitely coming off as worth the money and the story is getting interesting. I would say buy it if you are an FF fan or just like traditional PC style RPGs.
Guitar Hero II
My left hand hurts...and get your mind out of the gutter. One of my favorite's from last year has a sequel. And I just played through the entire game on Medium.
The addition of progressive is a nice touch, but the best is widescreen support. The game is (or comes off as being) trickier when the 4:3 image is strecthed to a 16:9, so it is a welcome change. And the new animations and looks to the returning characters are great (though how did Pandora go from goth girl to bowie look a like?). And they have some nice new "cinemas" for the encores.
Speaking of which, that is the major change for the game. In career, you only get 4 songs per set instead of five, but when you complete the amount needed (medium requires 3 out of 4, but hard and expert use 4 out of 4), you then get a message that tells you to do an encore, which is like a boss for the set. The difficulty of these songs isn't really that bad, though they tend to be longer than the other songs. I am not spoiling which ones are encore songs of the 55, but you can find them easily if you go to Gamespy's review (if you are impatient).
The music is nice. The song selection is (as with the first one) excellent. And they got some more bigger name talent. Sadly, You Really Got Me is not the Kinks version, but the Van Halen version, and some of the covers are not that impressive, but it still works for the game. And there is no Led Zepplin or Metallica for those you wanted them so much (however, Anthrax and Megadeth are on the list for the Metallica fans...so that should be a nice substitute). As for the gameplay, it is pretty much the same except for two major differences. First of all are hammer ons and pull offs. They were tricky and required a lot practice to pull off in the first game, but not this time. They are a lot easier this time around. The other difference is the inclusion of the three button chord. Not entirely too hard, but it can throw you off (it appears in hard...not medium so you don't have to worry about it if you are new). My only really last complaint is that, while the game as a whole) is a bit harder than the first game, the last two songs in the game are not as difficult as Cowboys from Hell and Bard at the Moon seem to be. Sure they are tricky, but I can get by on them without hitting the red no problem. Of course, that could just because I probably should have jumped into hard instead of medium for the sole purpose of unlocking all the songs, but I can still struggle with Cowboys and Bark more than I did with Hanger 18 and Freebird.
All in all, I love the game. All my complaints are a bit minor and this is just a fun game to play and get others to play. Just buy it (you can buy one with or without the guitar for those you bought the first one). Easily one of the most fun games this year.
9.5/10
Gears of War (impressions)
Haven't played too much of (thank you Guitar Hero II), but I can give you what I think of the game so far.
The graphics are breathtaking at times. PS3's Resistance: Fall of Man ain't got shit on this. The RE4-esque camera view provides nice of the battle (the way it shakes when you run is a great effect). Everything from the models to the weapons to the details in the gore (especially when it occurs from the chainsaw) is very incredibly detailed. It is easy to control (though FPS users will take sometime to adjust as you have to switch to your gernades from you gun). The battles are intense and a good blend of games like Ghost Recon Advance Warfighter and your FPS game. You can't just go out balls first and expect to kill everything easily...but you need to utilize cover in this game. Like Halo 2 or Splinter Cell: Double Agent, there is no life bar, but if you stop taking hits, your character will heal. You partners can be wounded too, but you can run up to them and heal them at any times. And the story it pretty interesting so far.
Not full blown sure if it it game of year so far nor have I tried the multiplayer aspect, but I am vastly impressed with my short time. Plus, 10 points for the achievement "My Love For You Is LIke a Truck" for killing the Berzerker in Hardcore difficulty. That should entertain Clerks fans.
I still check stuff now and then...but just really didn't have much time to post. Or anything really interesting to say.
I have decided to from the last entry that I worked hard for my degree and that I do not want to give up animation. It really feels like I probably should go to where the oppurtunities are at (out West), but I can't really afford it. But I did decide that I will be giving myself a deadline. If by then I have no job, I will do my best to try to get my ass out west to find work. If things don't work out there, then they don't work out. But this isn't going to solve itself.
Of course I decided this about 2 months ago, so it is technically old news.
Since it has been two months without an update, it just feel like a waste to just have that...so I might as well discuss the last few games I picked up...which I really suggest for you guys.
F.E.A.R (X360)
Old game, I know, but it is new to me. I must say the game looks and runs real nice compared to the PC demo that warned me that I need to lower my settings to get the game running properly (please note that everything was on the lowest settings). The game looks a bit dated due to the fact we had this game out on the PC last year and also had Condemned for the 360 last year as well (which ran on the same engine and has a similar look). But that doesn't mean the game looks bad at all. It looks great. And it can run just as well as any PC can on high settings, which is highly impressive.
The game lives up to its name as well. The fire fights are intense. And thanks to the darkness and the random dead person and little creepy ghost girl you see, it will provide a nice sense of atmosphere that can make you jump every now and then. However, this game seems to the Resident Evil to Silent Hill when you compare it to Condemned. This game gives nice jumps and can creep you out, it doesn't seem to give me that atmosphere that Condemned can give you. Throw in the irony that this game relies on gun shooting like RE did over SH, and it seems like a major coinicidence to me at times.
But F.E.A.R. is a better game in both techincal aspects and in designed. It is not as easy to get lost as it was in Condemned at times. And the uses for firearms in the game is much more comfortable than Condemned's melee combat you did majority of the time.
The game is tough. You can die easily. Infact, you will die in the game. There is a nice achievement to beat the game without dying to those of you wanting to get it...good luck. If you are an achievement whore on the 360, prepare to have some fun. These are some pretty hard ones to get. And lets face it, it really doesn't help you can die quickly just from a few shots at times. Med packs are found a lot in the game, but if you mess up in a fight, you might find yourself using too many of them and come unprepared to the next one.
The game is preserved (from what I hear...remember, couldn't run the original PC version) very well, and considering this was one of the best FPS of last year, I was very interesting in getting it to see what I missed. This is easily one of the best FPS's for the 360 (maybe with Prey not so far behind), but if you have the original PC version, I can't recommend it. From what I hear, it is the same exact game. But if you missed it out (or too lazy/cheap to upgrade), pick this one up. Besides, it supports widescreen.
8.75/10
Final Fantasy XII (8 hour impressions)
Yeah I know. I hated the demo. I hated every Playstation Final Fantasy sans VII and IX...and those I thought were even overrated. And FFXI was one of the most boring MMORPGs I have ever played (which the battle system of this game was based on). So why toture myself with picking up this game? Because I am a whore.
But I will say it feels good to be a whore at times...and this is one of those moments.
I will say this off the bat. This is the best Final Fantasy I have played since VI on the SNES. That is right folks...I dig this one more than VII (again, very overrated). That could be becasue the demo left such a bad taste in my mouth, but eh, whatever worked on making this game a goods as it seems definitely worked.
First of all, the graphics. They look great...even without progessive scan (my biggest complaint about them...which is actually pretty minor to be honest). While I do find some of the clothing to be a bit silly (especially Vaan's and Fran's), I really can't complain. the design is nice. They even added 16:9 support for the HDTV users. Plus, (if you played the demo), the game doesn't use the old crappy FFXI recycled animations and monsters. Another major turn from the graphics. The opening music was very nostalgic, but the game music isn't up to snuff as the older titles. Still good, but not as good as previous games. Luckily the voice acting is very nice to make up for that aspect of the music.
The redesigned battle system is very much like FFXI...only it doesn't suck. In fact, I would probably say it feels a bit like NWN, Baldur's Gate (PC version) or KOTOR at times instead of just FFXI. The gambits (which allow your party members to heal characters when they are down some health or target specific enemies) make the AI a lot easier to deal with. But you can always issue commands to any character in the middle of the battle (so they are not always bound by the actions).
One thing I hated about the Playstation FF's was the ratio of cinemas to gameplay. Yeah, I would like a game to a have about more gameplay time than movie time. Otherwise, I would buy a movie. This game actually a much better ratio of gameplay to cinemas than previous games. Major plus for that alone.
I have been digging my time so far and take back everything I have said bad about this game thanks to that shitty demo. This game is definitely coming off as worth the money and the story is getting interesting. I would say buy it if you are an FF fan or just like traditional PC style RPGs.
Guitar Hero II
My left hand hurts...and get your mind out of the gutter. One of my favorite's from last year has a sequel. And I just played through the entire game on Medium.
The addition of progressive is a nice touch, but the best is widescreen support. The game is (or comes off as being) trickier when the 4:3 image is strecthed to a 16:9, so it is a welcome change. And the new animations and looks to the returning characters are great (though how did Pandora go from goth girl to bowie look a like?). And they have some nice new "cinemas" for the encores.
Speaking of which, that is the major change for the game. In career, you only get 4 songs per set instead of five, but when you complete the amount needed (medium requires 3 out of 4, but hard and expert use 4 out of 4), you then get a message that tells you to do an encore, which is like a boss for the set. The difficulty of these songs isn't really that bad, though they tend to be longer than the other songs. I am not spoiling which ones are encore songs of the 55, but you can find them easily if you go to Gamespy's review (if you are impatient).
The music is nice. The song selection is (as with the first one) excellent. And they got some more bigger name talent. Sadly, You Really Got Me is not the Kinks version, but the Van Halen version, and some of the covers are not that impressive, but it still works for the game. And there is no Led Zepplin or Metallica for those you wanted them so much (however, Anthrax and Megadeth are on the list for the Metallica fans...so that should be a nice substitute). As for the gameplay, it is pretty much the same except for two major differences. First of all are hammer ons and pull offs. They were tricky and required a lot practice to pull off in the first game, but not this time. They are a lot easier this time around. The other difference is the inclusion of the three button chord. Not entirely too hard, but it can throw you off (it appears in hard...not medium so you don't have to worry about it if you are new). My only really last complaint is that, while the game as a whole) is a bit harder than the first game, the last two songs in the game are not as difficult as Cowboys from Hell and Bard at the Moon seem to be. Sure they are tricky, but I can get by on them without hitting the red no problem. Of course, that could just because I probably should have jumped into hard instead of medium for the sole purpose of unlocking all the songs, but I can still struggle with Cowboys and Bark more than I did with Hanger 18 and Freebird.
All in all, I love the game. All my complaints are a bit minor and this is just a fun game to play and get others to play. Just buy it (you can buy one with or without the guitar for those you bought the first one). Easily one of the most fun games this year.
9.5/10
Gears of War (impressions)
Haven't played too much of (thank you Guitar Hero II), but I can give you what I think of the game so far.
The graphics are breathtaking at times. PS3's Resistance: Fall of Man ain't got shit on this. The RE4-esque camera view provides nice of the battle (the way it shakes when you run is a great effect). Everything from the models to the weapons to the details in the gore (especially when it occurs from the chainsaw) is very incredibly detailed. It is easy to control (though FPS users will take sometime to adjust as you have to switch to your gernades from you gun). The battles are intense and a good blend of games like Ghost Recon Advance Warfighter and your FPS game. You can't just go out balls first and expect to kill everything easily...but you need to utilize cover in this game. Like Halo 2 or Splinter Cell: Double Agent, there is no life bar, but if you stop taking hits, your character will heal. You partners can be wounded too, but you can run up to them and heal them at any times. And the story it pretty interesting so far.
Not full blown sure if it it game of year so far nor have I tried the multiplayer aspect, but I am vastly impressed with my short time. Plus, 10 points for the achievement "My Love For You Is LIke a Truck" for killing the Berzerker in Hardcore difficulty. That should entertain Clerks fans.
VIEW 6 of 6 COMMENTS
i'm moving back to the southside next month.