Updates

So, I’ve tentatively got a top-down survival shooter in the works (a flash game). It’s likely that I’ll see it to completion, although it’s a large project and will take a while.

I’ve also got some good games for Christmas, so you can expect some reviews soon. Assassin’s Creed 2, Brutal Legend, Left 4 Dead 2…

Great Games Under $20

The holidays are coming, so for you cheapskates out there I’m compiling a list of old and under appreciated but still good games.  Note that prices may change by the time you read this.

• Left 4 Dead (X360, Used)
• Mass Effect (X360, PC, New)
• Mirror’s Edge (X360, PS3, PC, New)
• Gears of War 2 (X360, Used)
• Halo Wars (X360, Used)
• Grand Theft Auto IV (X360, PS3, PC, New)
• World of Warcraft Battlechest (PC, New)

http://www.amazon.com/Mass-Effect-Xbox-360/dp/B000OLXX86

Halo 3: ODST Review

Halo 3: ODST

I’m actually reviewing something relatively recent for once, what gives?

Halo 3: ODST (Orbital Drop Storm Troopers or something like that, nobody really cares) is an expansion to the immensely popular game Halo 3.  It basically builds upon the plot from Halo 3, providing a very different perspective on the ongoing war between humanity and the alien theocracy, the Covenant.

The main attraction of ODST is the new campaign.  It also features a new co-operative multiplayer mode, firefight, which emulates the co-op survival modes appearing in a lot of games lately.

The game is an expansion, but it separates itself from the whole series in that you do not play as that iconic badass, Master Chief, but instead as an ODST.  ODSTs are an elite group of highly trained soldiers that drop in behind enemy lines from orbit.

Left 4 Dead 2 Demo

Just a quick post.

I just tried the Left 4 Dead 2 demo. It’s basically the first game with more content. They should have at least included the campaign from the original game with it, a la ODST. Speaking of which, I bought ODST the other day and am planning on doing a review of it, so stay tuned.

Spore Review

Today I’m trying a more open format for my review, hopefully it’ll work okay .

Spore

Spore is a game created by Will Wright, known for being the mind behind the Sims.  It is another simulation game, though of a very different kind.  In Spore, you create a species starting with a single cell and eventually evolving it up to the space age.  It does this by separating your species into five different stages: cell, creature, tribal, city, and space age.

Each of these stages is practically a separate game, with a few overarching themes.  One of them is the choice between peace and violence, which is interpreted as things like carnivore or herbivore, militaristic or economical, etc.  This is an interesting alternative to good vs. evil, as neither side is good or evil.

Another one is customization.  The major feature of the game is the ability to creature your own species of creatures, developing it from the spine up.  This is really fun, and allows for a lot of creativity.  I could spend hours just playing with this alone.

But the customization goes beyond this.  You can create cells, buildings, cars, boats, airplanes, outfits, even spaceships.  While these editors aren’t quite as strong as the creature creator, they’re still pretty fun to mess around with.  What bugs me especially, though, is that the textures never seem to look right applied to buildings or vehicles.  This tends to put a damper on finishing your creation.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Review

Batman: Arkham Asylum

I’m going to start reviewing video games I play on this blog, to get practice analyzing games, so to get started I’m going to do Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Summary: Arkham Asylum is a third-person action game in which you play as Batman, who is trying to defeat Joker after a mass breakout in the asylum on Arkham Island.  The entirety of the game takes place on Arkham Island, which is sort of open world in the zelda-ish sense of while you can go anywhere, the game is clearly pointing you in one direction.

The Good: The thing that stands out the most for me is the visual style, particularly the animation.  Batman’s hand-to-hand combat flows smoothly, and he beats up the baddies in an extremely realistic, painful-looking fashion.  Though the combat itself is somewhat button-mashing, the animation varies it up to the point where it is almost indistinguishable from a movie.

Unreal Hiatus

Okay, so a combination of the bugginess of the Unreal Editor, my lack of commitment, and just laziness in general has forced my to put this level on hiatus.  Sorry.   I’ll probably get back to it eventually, but meanwhile I’m floating through some ideas for games and trying to see what sticks.