Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Battle on the 29th-Ghost Recon 2:Summit Strike (xbox)

To kick off the new year, I'm hosting a largish lan battle-Ghost Recon 2:Summit Strike. I'm trying to get 6-8 people in my exercise room/garage area and 6-8 in my living room. There will be 4 xboxes (including my 360 which networks nicely with the older machines_ON THIS GAME)

Mini-review of Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike

Now I know what I said about franchise whoring etc, but this game has value. For less than 20 bucks, you get most of the multiplayer maps of the first Ghost Recon 2, a bunch of new weapons, skins, and some forgettable but mildly entertaining SP missions--All of this is a lan party must have.

I remember trying to get a Halo 2 game going at a large lan (15-16 players), and for some reason, the machines wouldn't jive with each other, So I popped in Ghost Recon 2 for the lan in spite of a sea of complaints. As soon as the first no-respawn Last Man Standing round ended (about 30 seconds after it started), there was a hushed silence in the group, and then suddenly a frenzied uproar. A few hadn't played this type of game before, and it is as opposite the halo experience as one can have on an FPS. "You mean I can't just run in with my trigger pulled and my shield absorbing everything coming my way, with the only consequence of dying being I magically resurrect myself at the other end of the map?" That evening we didn't even touch halo 2.

I was a big fan of the first Ghost Recon for the xbox. XBL games with my brother, who lived on the opposite end of the continent are unforgettable. One map I remember in particular is Embassy, a beautifully designed urban warfare map with rooftop sniping points, tight alleyways, choke points, and building entries. The map was large, and provided many different combat scenarios. The experience only seemed to get better as we learned the map. My brother and I would exchange emails during work about how we could better dominate this map, hardly being able to wait to get home and try out the new strats.

So, my primary complaint about Ghost Recon 2 is that there is nothing like Embassy. There are no openable doors, very few (if any) rooftops, limited urban warfare in general. The doors though, the doors. Put 'em back in, Mr. Clancy. It's nice to be able to use the interior as well as the exterior of the buildings. The map design is consequently a lot simpler. The environments are more lush and detailed. Unfortunately, a lot of it seems impassable more so than in the first GR, and maybe even simplified for the sake of eye candy. What you actually have less of is making use of your more beauteous cammo to remain hidden in the more beauteous foliage to ambush or snipe, completely defeating the original purpose of the game. It's unfortunate that Ghost Recon sequels will be ultimately lost in a battalion of military shooters because of the marginalizing of all that made it unique. It's simply not the open-ended thinking man's shooter that it used to be.

Secondary complaint: Over the Shoulder (OTS). Big debates over this. Sure, you get better SA, but if your guy can't see around a tree in first person, that's because he's behind the freaking tree! A big negative on the immersion factor. The fix? Host games with 1st person only views. Again, this is an effort to sell more copies, and while adding options like this might seem like "flexibility" for the gamer, it is a fairly clear statement by the developer that this is no longer to be a hardcore sim experience.

Ok Tertiary:Gunners are imbalanced here. They are scaled up in power, big time from GR to GR2. That's as it should be. Once you get the thing set up, there should be mass carnage, period. The problem is that people can move and aim the machine guns nearly as quickly as they can the assault rifles. There should be some sort of penalty for wielding these heavy killing machines. Think run and gun. Without ammo being a consideration, why would you ever select the assault rifle? The lone wolf weapons (built-in semi-auto grenade launchers, camera etc) are even strangely ineffective. No complaints about that. Again in lan parties, you can limit these uber weapons to your liking, to the point of pistols only.

With the above complaints, in mind, are you seeing a pattern here?

And the single player is definitely more difficult, lacks the squad tactics from the first, and the deep unlocking system has been reduced to pictures of crap that you can purchase with points.

Now:
The graphics are better on GR2 without a doubt. I won't even boot the first one for fear of flattening my rosy memories of it.
The sounds are better on GR 2. If you have a subwoofer, crank it up and maybe bring out the sks sniper rifle.
In both sound and graphics, this title is not the xbox showcase piece, with all of the other fps titles out there, but this is still the only way to go if you want multiplayer modern military realism.

I hope we haven't lost the franchise to more of an Unreal Tourney experience for the sake of selling the game to the less than patient folks out there. In Advanced Warfighter, if I turn the knob, it better open. Only then will I buy a copy.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

half-life and ass 2

So I got hopelessly hooked on Half-Life 2 this holiday season. What was not to love about it? The physics themselves were enough to entertain for hours. I had a grav gun that could pick up a table and blast it seemingly hundreds of miles per hour at my AI comrades. I could control a crane, and swing a shipping container with such velocity, that it crushed the TH1138ish coppers with a satisfying flatline sound. I could sick pet bugs on the countless puppet patrolmen. I could drive a dune buggy across miles of enemy infested badlands ala Mad Max, seeking ways of getting around various barriers on foot before returning to my rusted gas guzzling beast. The game sets you up as a beloved hero and icon early on, and you never get the feeling that you are alone, though you do defeat a multitudinous variety of creatures single-handedly. The outdoor environments used modern day, then-to-be ruins, sprinkled with alien creatures and technology with clear skies and generally optimal weather. This creates more of an cheerful setting and atmosphere than I have seen with most D.I.Y. shooters. That in itself breaks away from the typical FPS. There are some very clever puzzles involved which make full use of the incredible physics of the source engine, and even though they are fairly simple, you get an immense sense of satisfaction after solving problems and returning to your vehicles to continue the journey.

The graphics are passable, given it is ported to the older xbox. With the lack of graphical definition, and fairly frequent loads, you could tell the xbox is getting a workout.

Did I mention I was playing on Half-Life 2 on my 360? Whoops!!! About 3/4 of the way through, very odd things began to happen. Objects began to float and spin in mid-air, disappearing in the floor, the ceiling, the walls. The lack of collision detection prevented some tactics that would otherwise be very helpful in getting through some very dangerous situations. BUT, I loved the experience so much, I thought that the bugs would stop, or improve. That was not the case. Then, 90% of the way through, the gamebreaker arrived. Some glitch was preventing me from shutting off some very crucial generators in the combine headquarters. Right at the finish line folks, he falls on his face. Now, 11 hours into the game, I can't transfer the save to my old xbox, and I can't finish the game...Lesson learned. If there is a really good game on the xbox, play it on the xbox. Don't believe any backwards compatibility crap if you don't have to. They likely didn't test it beyond startup.

xbox 360 worthy launch titles

So what initially strikes you as launch title worthy for the 360, for the sake of being next generation, creative, ground breaking (are these all the same thing more or less?)?

I own:

Kameo
Condemned; Criminal Origins
PGR 3
Call of Duty 2
Perfect Dark:Zero
Gun
Dead or Alive 4 (not really a launch title, but close enough. I reserve judgement for later)

For the xbox 360, these launch titles represent:
Call of Duty 2 (sure the genre is old shoe, but this game is so well-crafted)
Condemned; Criminal Origins
Kameo (sort of, at least in terms of graphics and originality)

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Perfect Dark:Zero (xbox 360)

Is it just me, or is the launch lineup for the 360 just a little disappointing? Look. I know it's hard to swallow after spending so much money, and (let's face it) some amount of effort, to be a part of the launch "party" on this new and incredibly powerful system, but I was expecting more. How can I decry something so new and something that we need to see succeed after having invested so much? What I didn't want for this system was a continuation of various franchises and sequels, with very few well-executed exceptions. This machine allows for creativity beyond the established formula set by the PS2 and XBOX. At least it should, right? Innovation is an absolute necessity, or gaming could very well go the way of the movie industry, and perhaps already has.

Oh yeah. Perfect Dark:Zero. I got the impression that this was going to be the flagship release title for the 360. Something that might approach the quality and finish of Halo, in the absence of halo 3? If it were as innovative as halo, it would have been nothing like halo, which might have made it special. If it had the quality of halo, the single player experience alone would have held me past the 8th mission. For the sake of first impressions, Halo was worthy of being a launch title. Perfect Dark is not. I'm not comparing PD:Z to Halo, other than for comparison of quality, innovation, and general ambition and creativity. On that level, PD:Z could have been so much better with the hardware available. For the sake of discussion, this doesn't fill some void caused by the lack of halo 3. Halo 2 does that.

Graphics:
Pretty good I guess. Overall, they seem bland and forgettable.

Sound:
Some ear-piercing noises in the beginning. Nice gun sounds. Gee. I really don't remember.

The main character:
Miss Dark has taken a break from professional DDR dancing to shoot criminals. I hope this American Idol runner-up wasn't intended to be a creative alternative to the typically male soldier associated with the FPS.

Story:
There is really nothing here, I'm sorry to say. Or perhaps there was, and I just forgot.

Gameplay:
I've experienced better combat mechanics in Timesplitters 2 (which is sort of comparable in terms of pacing and weapon physics). There is a cover option that would be nice if it were a little more consistent. Shooting enemies involves either a couple of headshots, or blasting chunks of armor until flesh is exposed and getting a kill. While this graphic effect is interesting at first, after a few multiplayer battles, it becomes a little gimmicky. The levels are fairly open with a lot of impassable areas. The hovercraft is a mediocre attempt at adding vehicles. The roll is a nice alternative to jump. However, I like jumping. It would be better to have rolling as an addition as opposed to an alternative. To take away jumping literally removes a dimension from combat and exploration. It seems like laziness on the part of the programmers more than anything. The major problem with this game is that I'm acutely aware that I'm playing a game. The immersion is completely absent.

Pros:
Frenzied 32 player multiplayer (fantastic. I'll round them up after I finish this halo 2 match!).
Quite a few weapons at your disposal
A semi-effective cover system

Cons:
A nothing story
Many games will give you a better experience for less expense

Overall:
I really don't remember this game much at all. It seems like a combo of other FPSs with some differences that are sort of sketchy and ultimately annoying. It just doesn't handle well, for a lack of better words. If this is the first game of this type that you have ever played and you already plunked down the change, I'm sure you will love it.

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Condemned: Criminal Origins (xbox 360)

Condemned: Criminal Origins is not part of a franchise, or drippings from the chapped teat of a cash cow. It's an honest effort, and a risk that deserves your money. From the slew of 360 release titles that I've played so far, this would be in my top 3, if for no other reason than its freshness and gameplay.

You begin the game as a top level FBI agent investigating a grisly murder scene. As the game progresses, you will be using your investigative skills to solve something far more sinister.

I never ever felt at ease playing this game. The atmosphere, the sound, the brutality of the enemy, and the grit and mood of the setting never allowed me to get comfortable. I wouldn't for example, say the same thing with Doom 3, where I would rush into nearly any situation with my chainsaw revved and a grin on my face. Condemned, in contrast, keeps you vulnerable. There are no chainsaws, ammo lockers, and bfg's. There are large pipes, small pipes, 2x4s with nails, and 2x4s with bolts (to name only a few). There are precious few moments with any legitimate weapon, say, a firearm, but you'll soon have to resort to using the butt end of it when your meager ammo is dumped without consequence into some of the tougher enemies. At that point, you might prefer the ever-present locker door, to add the yellow clank of death. Or you may be a wooden beam man/woman. The environment provides an assortment of ready made bludgeons for your enjoyment and exploration. You are allowed one such weapon at a time. Using the butt of a firearm was never as effective as grabbing the nearest conduit, and the firearms would eventually break. That never seemed to matter when I played.

That's not all, however. You also get a CSI style toolkit with which to collect evidence. The tools are so incredibly slick, I would have liked to see them more effectively implemented into the story through its completion. There is a bit of handholding with the tools, and a freeform approach might have been better, albeit difficult to implement I'm sure.

Graphics:
Animations are superb, and they are probably what graphically make this game. The bizarre maneuverings of the various grotesque semi-human abominations pay considerable homage to works of John Carpenter.

The textures do much to support the dilapidated environments. I found myself wanting a little intermission from the terribly weathered, beaten ruins I was exploring. There was no such mercy from this game. No well-lit garden respites. No disco halls or mini-games. Pure gloom.

The framerate is simply high all of the time. No noticeable slowdowns.

Sound:
From the ambient sounds to the heavy breathing and horrific growls preceding an attack, sounds are perfect. Fantastic original score (mostly brief passages of mood music). Sounds of my own stumbling around were causing me on several occasions to check my shorts. Play this with surround sound if at all possible. Combat sounds are convincing as well, from the scissor slash sound of the paper cutter blade (yeah... you read right) to the bonk of the nailed 2x4 as it connects with some afflicted crackhead, the sounds are there, wicked and sickening as they should be.

Story:
It begins as a deep, gradual, and satisfying investigation, and ends sort of oddly and abruptly. Play this game, and I would be glad to discuss with you the exact moment the game had to be pushed to gold for an early release date. I would say that the story is ok, but the collecting of evidence (which was brilliant) didn't really mesh with the final moments of the game, which seemed sort of typical. I get a little skeptical when an extended movie sort of ties up all of the loose ends. Well, at least they were tied.


Gameplay:
It's an unusual and challenging melee style fps combat system with little use of a HUD and reticules. The controls are responsive and easy to pick up. The environments are heavily interactive. The timing and physics of the combat is incredibly convincing, and with the grunts, and speed of various attacks, I became immediately aware of the weight of my attacks and those of my opponents. I had zero camera or perspective issues. If I lost a fight, it was my own damned fault.

Pros:
the sum of all the parts creates one scary whole
ever-present rage and violent psychosis
Unusual bludgeoning-always a plus
combat that is without flaw with some interesting unpredictable tactics from the AI
beautiful evidence collection and tool use (some downright sublime moments)
the sounds alone made me consider wearing something more absorbent.
EA had nothing to do with its development.


Cons:
An oddball ending (it's debatable I suppose)
Not for kids (only really a con if they are watching/playing)
could use a wee bit more variety in the environments. I'm surprised that any living being would visit such places before getting whacked by what lurks there. Seems like a well-placed case of large scale arson would cleanse the neighborhood quicker than my traipsing through it with my wooden plank held high.

Conclusion:
The game is unapologetically brutal, and I recommend it for folks who would like a good scare. Consistent gestalt and finish of graphics, sound, and action. The visage of evil was nailed. Literally. I have no desire to play through levels to unlock additional concept art (even though it is worth a look). It's a one time through thing—all too short for a great experience. Buy it. Play it. Sell it.

America's Army:Rise of a Soldier (xbox)

Ad- Our game developers don't rely on imagination.

well, imagine this:

The soldiers move fluidly and when they speak, their mouths open at approximately the same time, or at all . Ok. Imagine that they open for starters.

The game doesn't lock up in the midst of the exhaustive training scenarios. Imagine that you don't need a specific version of xbox hardware for this title to function properly.

Imagine that the colors are more than murky, and objects are wrapped in convincing textures.

The developer indeed did not rely on their imagination for any of these things. Instead they rely on ours. I imagined that searge, while busting my balls for lack of M-16 hits was also a master ventriloquist. The man facing me, from whom there flowed some obvious southern drawled vocalizations, was some sort of wooden mannequin, defective from the neck up. After concluding that he was simply a targeting dummy and popping him with my full-metal jacket, I had to replay the whole tedious god-damned scenario. Private, what is your major malfunction? Sorry Searge. Permission to speak? I have no desire to finish the game. This private has already experienced more realism in Ghost Recon 1 for the xbox, and more recently, the exquisite Call of Duty 2 (360), and we're sad to report has gone awol soon after the helo touched down in terrorville.

The weapons physics are nice. Hmm anything else? Yeah, download the free one from the internet instead of paying 50 bones for this dead soldier. I'm hoping that AA:ROAS was not also meant as a recruiting tool. To me, it suggests "rushed, under-funded, and a waste of taxed dollars". Insert inappropriate osprey jokes here. Inexcusable crap compared to everything else that's out there. I rely on imagination to come up with Americas Army:Call of Doodie.

Welcome All

As much as I would like to see a consumer revolution, my wordy intro above will not typically apply to my reviews. I'll review anything and everything that inspires me or enrages me. I'm an avid video gamer, graphic designer, movie watcher, and I also like to pretend that I can write. Sometimes, I may even review a book. There will not be any rhyme or reason to my reviews. I may stick a coffee pot that fails to pour properly in with the latest zombie flick. Structure may come later, but first for the content. I will not necessarily review Oprah's latest recommendation, instead addressing another book that may have affected me one way or another. In my limited years on this planet as a graphic designer, I do have a lot of experience with the doldrums of marketing, and consequently, you may find me a little skeptical.