Posted by Kyle Heon
Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:15:00 GMT
So, I rushed home tonight, sped through dinner with the family, and planted my rear on the sofa, prepared to beat General RAAM. I was expecting a tough fight and although I managed to beat him in only three tries (on top of the two from last night), I must say that I lucked out on the last attempt. He stayed away from me the entire time, allowing me to beat on him from a distance.
The ending was pretty cool, but at the same time I felt let down. The good news is they didn’t end the story arc, they certainly left a lot unanswered. This is awesome, simply because this game was so much fun to play that I want more.
In conclusion to these nightly recaps, I’ll point out that of all things that I could complain about, the one that I will is length. All told, I’d say there is about 10 hours of game play. After having waited for more then a year, 10 hours seems mighty short. The final act was by far the shortest but at the same time, possibly one of the coolest, really giving you a run for your money in addition to having some very creative twists to the action.
It would be really cool if Epic released some additional single-player levels, even as premium content (as in, you get to pay for them) because I could really use some more Gears of War action.
This game really gets everything right. I’ve seen all the complaints that Gears of War doesn’t introduce anything new to the genre. That is probably a fair complaint, but what Gears does do is pull inspiration from everything (games, movies, music, etc) brought to us over the past decade and showcases them in one damn fine, incredibly polished package. At the end of the day, Gears of War is just plain fun.
I’m not one to get on the multi-player bandwagon but maybe I will give Gears of War’s online functionality a test drive. If I do, I’ll post about it here.
Posted in Games | Tags gears of war, xbox 360 | no comments | no trackbacks
Posted by Kyle Heon
Mon, 13 Nov 2006 00:08:00 GMT
Sorry for not updating on my progress since Thursday evening. I didn’t get to play all that much on Friday but did progress through most of the third act on Friday and then finished it up on Saturday. Worked through better part of the fourth act on Saturday, again, finishing it up on Sunday. Tonight I wrapped up the evening by working through the fifth act, ending my evening after dying against the final boss. The final boss is named General RAAM. He is one tough badass.
Having made it nearly all the way through the game, fully expecting to be able to wrap up tomorrow evening (would do it tonight but don’t really want to), I’d have to say that my biggest disappointment is the length. The game is so much fun to play that you really crave more. The good news is that the world Epic has created certainly could stand to have a few more games based in it. Of course, I don’t know how the game ends, just yet, I’m hoping they don’t go making it impossible to have sequels.
I haven’t yet tried any of the multiplayer features but have a few co-workers that I should be able to hookup with so we fully intend on taking the fun online. I expect that the online co-op will be pretty fun. I’m not so sure how the other online game types will be though, co-op seems to be the most appealing, for me anyways.
Posted in Games | Tags gears of war, xbox 360 | no comments | no trackbacks
Posted by Kyle Heon
Fri, 10 Nov 2006 03:19:00 GMT
Tonight I was able to put in another couple hours with the game. The more I play, the more I enjoy the game. Last night I left off having just reached the Beserker. I really expected to struggle through this part but oddly, I was able to get by only having been killed a couple times (2, maybe 3) before succeeding. I’m still far from a “run” master but that’s fine.
Tonight I participated in some large-scale battles. Tonight I spent much of the evening with just one comrade, the other two were holding down the fort elsewhere.
Worked through the first vehicle driving scenario and met a host of new enemies. Some real badasses (believe they are called Boomers) that could withstand many sniper shots to the head, not to mention the multiple grenades lobbed at them.
Day turned into night, which brought with it the Krill. They are much like a swarm of bats that attack you almost instantly once you enter the darkness. You have to find ways to light your path in order to survive in the dark. Fun stuff.
I ended the evening meeting up with some irradiated wretches, enemies of an explosive kind (literally).
Based on what I’ve seen in this guide, I’m about half-way through the game. What a shame actually. At this rate I’ll beat it before the weekend is over.
Posted in Games | Tags gears of war, xbox 360 | no comments | no trackbacks
Posted by Kyle Heon
Thu, 09 Nov 2006 02:07:00 GMT
OH MY GOD!
That really sums it all up. I only have about two hours into the game but it’s absolutely stunning, in just about all facets. At first the controls seem a little klunky but that is probably due to the fact that I expected them to behave like Halo’s. Gears of War is a different animal entirely. While the two games share a sci-fi theme, that’s really where the simularities end.
Visually I don’t believe I’ve seen anything as beautiful. The post-apocolyptic world just teems with atmosphere. Most of the world is destructable, for instance if you hide behind a sofa or breakable item (a car maybe), it will begin to fall apart and no longer provide you protection. This is a game that makes you love your HDTV.
The sound packs quite the punch. My subwoofer is constantly rocking the house as I play. Explosions from near an far add realism to the war you are in. Bullets whiz by, structures crumble and topple over, and your squad bark orders (flank right) and point out ambushes. At times it’s over-whelming, but having your squad mates point out what you don’t see helps save you, many times.
My only real complaint is that at times, in the fray, it’s very difficult to tell who is friend and who is foe. When you are zoomed in for a shot, the reticle does turn red, but if you aren’t zoomed in, you don’t even have a reticle. I’m honestly not sure if friendly fire even hits, but your squad definetly doesn’t care for it.
I’ve almost made it through Act I, calling it a night after getting to the Beserker. I suspect that tomorrow night I’m going to struggle to get past this boss as I learn how to effeciently use the “run” command.
If you own a 360, this is a must buy game. It is best experienced hooked up to an HDTV and a 5.1 theater setup.
Posted in Games | Tags gears of war, xbox 360 | no comments | no trackbacks
Posted by Kyle Heon
Sun, 29 Oct 2006 00:25:00 GMT
So it’s been awhile since I last updated this space. Figured I should give an update on how things are going. The last few months have been pretty busy all around but also pretty good. In addition to the new HDTV we bought in early September, we also picked up an Xbox 360. I pre-ordered Gears of War last weekend at Best Buy (and got the free t-shirt). In addition, those that pre-order at select retailers can pick it up earlier then the 11.12 release date. They are saying it’s due in the store for 11.08. After watching the incredibly short, but amazing trailer release this past week, I can’t wait.
Then last night we received a bunch of Best Buy Reward Zone gift certificates (for the television purchase) so I went out and picked up Marvel Ultimate Alliance (I played the original X-Men Legends which was really good). Plus this allows for up to four player co-op so my kids can join in.
Posted in Games | Tags gears of war, xbox 360 | no comments | no trackbacks
Posted by Kyle Heon
Tue, 03 Oct 2006 19:47:00 GMT
Be afraid, be very afraid. This is a time waster (yeah, just what you needed, another excuse to be less productive at work). I came across a link to this Flash based game called Red and it by far is the best [Flash based] game I’ve played.
Kind of reminds me of Missle Command, my all time favorite game. I wish someone would remake that game, giving it justice.
Posted in Games | Tags flash, red | no comments | no trackbacks
Posted by Kyle Heon
Wed, 19 Jul 2006 21:03:00 GMT
Having recently purchased a kick ass laptop I’ve been able to enjoy all sorts of games that I wasn’t able to before. Last weekend I received an email from GameSpot offering Far Cry for a measely $9.99. I read the reviews and decided to take the plunge, heck for that price I couldn’t lose.
So I ordered it online and downloaded the 2.5gb game which took about 3 hours. I ran into some issues trying to install the game but contacted the company that sold the game and within a day received the help I needed to get the game to install.
Now I have it and I don’t have the time to sit down and play it but I did spend a brief stint with it. I immediately went into the video options and cranked them way up. Set the resolution to 1900×1200x32 with 8x anti-aliasing, high-res textures, the whole nine yards. My laptop wasn’t even breaking a sweat, cool stuff.
Posted in Games | no comments | no trackbacks
Posted by kheon
Tue, 05 Apr 2005 19:09:00 GMT
Hot damn! DOOM 3 for the Xbox was released yesterday and I was in line to pick up the collectors edition after work. Opted to go with the collectors edition simply because it includes playable versions of Ultimate DOOM and DOOM II. It’s almost pitiful to sit and play through them now but it is quite the eye-opener to see how things have changed (and for the better) in the world of video games.
I currently have about 3 hours under my belt playing DOOM 3. I love it. It is by far the freakiest game I’ve ever played. The tension is so high that I found myself clenched with anticipation of what might be lurking in the shadows around the next bend. I wasn’t thrilled when I heard that to carry the flashlight you had to put your gun down and although now, after playing it I sort of understand why they opted to do that (it certainly adds to the tension and realism) there are times when it’s just so damn dark that you can’t see anything and take unnecessary damage.
DOOM 3 is not without it’s faults though. There are some slow load times between levels and should you hit Start to go into the options (or to save) the lag there is unnecessary. Quick Save though is a nice addition (hit the Back button) as it saves you a lot of time and gives you the ability to save very frequently without really slowing you down. Once I realized that I could do that I found myself saving after nearly every twist and turn.
Visuals and audio are top notch, some of the best in any game I’ve played. This is a game that I play in my dark living room surrounded by full 5.1 channel audio, it doesn’t get much better then this.
Biggest downside for me is that because this is such a scary game I have to wait until the kids are in bed to play. Thankfully bedtime is right around the corner.
Posted in Games | Tags xbox | no comments | no trackbacks
Posted by kheon
Tue, 15 Mar 2005 21:15:52 GMT
This morning I was combing through my various blogs on Bloglines and came across this post which immediately saddened me.
I should probably back up to explain why. Back in the mid to late 90’s I used to run a gaming website by the name of Gamers Crypt with a good buddy of mine. One of our frequent contacts was Billy over at Voodoo Extreme. He was one of the best in the business, reporting news for what seemed like 24 hours a day.
Quite the shock to read that he has passed away, and at the young age of only 33. Very sad news indeed. I didn’t know him personally but regardless it was certainly unexpected and saddening to read.
Our wishes go out to the Wilson family, he’ll be missed.
Some more links:
Posted in Games | no comments | no trackbacks
Posted by kheon
Mon, 28 Feb 2005 22:02:00 GMT
Rented the Xbox version of NBA Street V3 on Friday and my son and I played this one pretty much all weekend. My seven year old is pretty damn good, besting me as much as I do him. At times it frustrating—he sure has my number when it comes to stealing and blocking slam dunks.
This series isn’t one that I’ve ever gotten into but decided to give it a try because it received some great reviews recently. I am sure glad that I did, think that I might even buy it next payday.
Read some reviews here and here if you are interested in finding out more.
Everything about this game is a ton of fun. If you are in for a genuine good time you owe it to yourself to check this one out. I’ve barely played enough of this game to review it but at this point I’d be giving it a 4.5 to 4.75 rating.
Posted in Games | Tags xbox | no comments | no trackbacks