Is there ever too much of a good thing? If you enjoy something very much, wouldn’t you like to have more of that something, thereby increasing your enjoyment? Why would anyone ever turn down something that they know they’ll enjoy? Why would anyone say they hate something because it is the same as something that they love? These are some, but not all, of the questions I hope to answer or at least ponder in my Dante’s Inferno review.
Earlier today, Director of Programming for Xbox Live, Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb asked his sizable twitter audience the following:
Months ago, Microsoft was first to take a step into the social networking space, adding apps for Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm to Xbox Live, the pay-to-play online network of the Xbox 360 gaming console. The Twitter app was essentially a simplified client to view and send tweets, with support for twitter search and trending topics as well. Though it worked just fine, there was hardly any value to tweet on the Xbox, for without a keyboard, the process of posting and responding to tweets proved to be quite laborious.
The Facebook app took the integration further, allowing users to post status updates along with the ability to edit their profile, and view photo albums. Arguably the most useful feature though was the ability to find facebook friends that also have Xbox Live. This Facebook app was a refreshing step in the right direction of integrating social media with gaming platforms in a truly useful way,
While I gave each app a fair shake, there wasn’t much substance to them, and little incentive to use them again (with the one exception noted above). I had all but forgotten about the whole affair until I saw Major Nelson’s tweet this afternoon, and that got me thinking. Read the full story
Assassin’s Creed was one of the most polarizing games of 2007. Many, if not most, praised the game for its innovative style and gameplay. Others, like me, saw it as little more than a proof of concept. While I loved the climb-anywhere, stab-anyone mentality of Assassin’s Creed, I felt the story was a little contrived, the environment drab, the combat repetitive and side missions uninspired.
While playing it, I did find myself curious how the inevitable sequel would improve upon the first. Though when Assassin’s Creed 2 was announced and early videos of the game surfaced, I worried it would fall victim to some of the same pitfalls of the first game. Given the crowded fall schedule in which it was scheduled to release, I planned to play the game, but not right away.
All this changed when I read the review by Joystiq’s Justin McElroy. One of the final statements in his review really struck a chord with me:
“If you were burned by the first Assassin’s Creed and are worried about getting bored by the sequel, I understand your skepticism, but trust me: it’s misplaced. It would be a lot more fruitful to worry about how you’re going to find time for any other games this holiday season when Ezio’s Italy constantly dangles the next trinket in front of you, just a few rooftops away.”
He convinced me, like he usually does, to lose any preconceived notions and give it a try. I am so glad I listened to him, because AC2 has defied almost everything I expected of it. Read the full story
I have to be honest with you, oh loyal readers. I LOVE zombie stories. I love ‘em! Even if the story is dumb or cliche or anything, if it has zombies, I’m sure to find some enjoyment in it. So it was with great anticipation that I plugged Left 4 Dead 2 into my 360 and started up the first of the game’s five campaigns.
It’s been almost 5 years since the last iteration of Gran Turismo, considered by many to be the definitive racing simulator. In that time span, all three of the games in the Forza franchise have been released, the latest being Forza Motorsport 3. One of the timeless debates of video games is the battle between these two racing simulators. Racing games do not appeal to everyone, and simulators to an even smaller group, but I happen to be that category of gamer.
So naturally I picked up Forza 3, partially because I enjoyed its predecessor, and partially to pass the time until GT5 releases in March 2010. I ended up discovering, however, that Forza 3 needn’t ride the coattails of Gran Turismo, it is a stellar experience all on its own. Read the full story
I had never heard of Borderlands until the day I purchased it from Target. A great friend of mine called me up and said, “Zack, if you don’t go buy Borderlands right this minute, I will not be your friend anymore.” So I went out and bought it. Of course, the friend told me loads more about the game before he swayed me away from my money-consciousness. The conversation was indeed quite lengthy, but I will not bore you with all the gory details. I’ll merely try to sum up everything that my friend told me that made me interested in the game, and everything that I have experienced as I have played through the game.
I realized this past Tuesday that I would have a couple extra hours to kill going from the mid-week into the weekend. I stopped into my local Blockbuster store to check out if there were any new games I would be interested in renting. I saw Brutal Legend on the shelf, and I thought to myself, “Hmm….Jack Black is sometimes funny. And I enjoy classic rock music. And Tim Schafer’s last game was brilliant. Shouldn’t any combination of these be extraordinary?” Of course I assumed the positive, and paid the 9 dollars (Sidenote: NINE DOLLARS TO RENT A VIDEOGAME IS PRETTY RIDICULOUS.) to check out Brutal Legend for a few days.
Years ago I remember sitting around with friends discussing which band, song or album would work perfectly in a rhythm game. The legends of classic rock, were the source of much discussion, and Van Halen, along with Eric Clapton, ACDC, the Beatles, Queen and others seemed like a logical fit in Guitar Hero.
Though some great bands over the years have certainly been featured in rhythm games of some sort, few have been given a full game treatment. Unfortunately, the approach Activision has taken to these band-devoted games has been a little disappointing. Typically half of the songs in them are from the featured band, while the rest are a ragtag mix of artists who inspired or were inspired by the band. This half-and-half strategy just comes off as cheap on the developer’s part, as if loudly announcing that either they couldn’t get the rights to the rest of the songs, or the band they chose simply doesn’t have enough hits to begin with.
So you can imagine my skepticism going into Guitar Hero: Van Halen. I received an advance copy of the game with the Guitar Hero 5 promotion, months ahead of its official release this December. The Van Halen aspect of GH:VH is spot on: all the songs you’d expect are in the game, and all are generally a blast to play (Sorry Sammy Hagar fans, there is no love for you in GH:VH). Yet it’s the strength of GH:VH that make its weaknesses so much more pronounced. Read the full story
Halo 3: ODST, to me, is this year’s Orange Box. Don’t get me wrong, I think that The Orange Box is Valve’s magnum opus (and quite possibly one of the greatest achievements in recent gaming history), but ODST is probably the second best game compilation I’ve ever played. The gameplay experience on this two-disc set is so diverse; everyone can find something to love.
My thoughts on Batman: Arkham Asylum can all be summed up in one 2-syllable, 8-letter word. Peerless.
Loading ...