• 11Mar 10

  Gaming Update #2

  Alrighty, guys, it's time for another gaming update.

  First off, I rented Secret Service (360). It was an okay game, it did a good job keeping me focused on what my objectives were and why I was there overall. The controls worked, the guns handled nicely and some of the music was surprisingly good. Add that with a decent advancing plot and you've got a pretty good time. The graphics aren't the greatest and some sections tended to drag on a bit long, but I would still overall reccomend giving the game a shot if you're into FPSs.

  For those of you conerned about achievements, there are no online achievements as there is no online of any kind. They are pretty varied, ranging from beating the game on the hardest difficulty without dying once to shooting every bust on one level. I didn't get them all (I didn't want to beat the game two or three times and then without dying? The only way to do that is to quit back to the dashboard. That would have taken a long time and I wanted to get it sent back for another game.) Aside from the achievement I just mentioned, the others are definitely obtainable with just a little patience.

  Next, I bought Advance Wars Days of Ruin for $8 brand new. So far I am enjoying it as it's more Advance Wars goodness. I like the new style, the story is mostly interesting and I'm just getting the hang of some of the new unit types. I'm not very far into the story, but thus far the action hasn't stopped and it's been a fairly easy journey for someone who is not very skilled at Advance Wars.

  The second rental I got was Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare. Wow, I was blown away. I wasn't expecting it to live up to the hype, but it did. The story was engaging, the plot twists got me excited for upcoming levels, graphics were great, sound and music were spot on and really put me into the action...the game was a blast. Mostly for achievements, I started the game on Veteran. I originally started on the second easiest, but partway through the first level I realized I wouldn't play through again on Veteran after beating it on this difficulty, as I'd know what happened and wouldn't justify my suffering then.

  For those concerned about achievements, they are not that bad. Aside from beating every level on Veteran, the other achievements are very easy. I ended up with 1k/1k in about 12 hours. There are no online achievements.

  I also bought a few more games since the last time I've blogged.

  Ski-doo Snowmobile Challenge (360)

  I had a lot of fun with this one. Extremely easy 1k/1k, fun game with lots of track variety and a decent split screen mode. Nobody was online, which is a shame, but I expected it.

  Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open (PS2)

  Another fun game. I really enjoy a good off road game and this did not disappoint. The vehicles were fun to drive, locations were creative and over the top and the upgraded versions of the vehicles looked awesome. The career was short, but dang it was fun.

  Deus Ex: The Conspiracy (PS2)

  So far the game has ben mostly amusing, I've only played it twice and it's starting to get boring. I haven't played it in a while though...perhaps I'll give it a chance in the future.

  Perfect Dark Zero (360)

  I don't think it was a good idea to play this so soon after Modern Warfare. Everything seems subpar, aside from weapon selection and music. Cutscenes are terrible, movement is slow and somewhat clunky and I am having a very boring time trudging through the campaign. I have stopped for now, but I'll most likely give it another chance in the future.

  Anyone else excited about Conviction?! Gamespot's recent previews about the co-op mode and Last Stand mode only make me more excited. Also, the fact that the multiplayer modes have split screen is something I was hoping very much for. I've got two people in my house who would gladly do those modes with me and I cannot wait.

  Hope you all are doing well and enjoying your own games!

  EDIT:

  I currently have three Blur beta keys if someone is interested. 360 only guys and you need to have Xbox LIVE Gold. I will PM you the code and the URL to the site to redeem it...from there you are given a code to download the beta.

  The beta is a ton of fun and I'd recommend giving it a chance. From what I hear it closes April 4th. Keys will be given out on a first come first serve basis.

  • Posted Mar 11, 2010 1:09 pm GMT
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• 5Feb 10

  Gaming Update #1

  Yep, so I've decided against another blog title stating some boring facts and decided to go with a simple update thing. Why? I'm not sure, but hopefully I'll remember sometime.

  First off, I Rented:

  

  NPPL Championship Paintball 2009

  I decided to Gamefly this, as I had no idea what to expect. When first started playing it, the controls really put me off. The controls were quite sluggish (Such as hold down B to go prone, takes a LEAST a full second...lots of times this made or broke a game), also, the jump, dive and slide commands were mapped to one button! This means you can't jump, slide or dive whenever you want, you need to be in predetermined areas for the command to allow you to do the action. Even worse, the aiming was very precise...but not in a good way. I'm all for a challenge, but there is a tiny dot in the middle of your crosshairs that is the true aiming pointer. If it's not literally spot on, you're next best bet is luck to hit the competitors. However, the game was still fun to play...at least after the first 20 rounds or so. You see, it's not so easy to run around, dive, pop out of cover and fire a few shots and then pop back, run, ect. Instead, it is much easier to simply camp behind a well covered spot and aim at your flag. If your teammates (Who rock by the way) take them out, good, if they all get taken out, the other team will try to get your flag and will run right into your shots every time.

  The AI is usually dead-on with accuracy too (on Pro difficulty anyway), the flipside is that your teammates are equally matched if not better and they will usually get the jump on the opposing AI and win the match fairly easy. Each match only takes about 30 seconds to complete because of how quickly everyone is out. I don't know what I was hoping from this game, but I grew tired of the repetition very quickly. I did not beat the campaign mode before deciding it was time to send this one back. It wasn't a bad game overall, just very boring.

  Next up, I Acquired:

  

  Hotel Dusk Room 215

  I know a lot of you guys have already played this one. I have put off getting this for a good long while for no apparent reason. Tonight however (A few hours ago) my bro brought it home for me. He had bought it brand new for $5 at Target! I am very excited to give it a try, but so far I have only opened it. Maybe after this blog I'll give it a shot. Any early tips I might want to know that you guys might be kind enough to share?

  Lately I've been Playing:

  

  Burnout Paradise

  I started out slow in Paradise City and was easily overwhelmed with the freedom and everything to find and all the events to do. I gave the game a break while I played Left 4 Dead and beat Assassin's Creed (As well as a few Gamefly rentals). I instealled the game to my HDD recently because it was next in my 'to play' queue. Now I am officially immersed in the city. Collecting the cars, finding the billboards, crash areas, superjumps, not to mention the event themselves and the smooth online modes. Paradise is not disappointing. Minor note, I love the wide variety of music in the game! That is influenced by my favorite Burnout 2 Point of Impact song (Pass Me By) being included in the playlist. Also, the cIassical music additions sure make for a unique action-to-music experience!

  So that's about sums it up for Gaming Update #1. Can't wait to do Hotel Dusk and my next Gamefly rental is undetermined...I think I'll try and rent something for a sibling this time. Paradise and Hotel Dusk are going to have my attention for a while and I'd hate to leave a rental just sitting around.

  *insert some cliche goodbye here*

  EDIT: How could I forget?! I beat Assassin's Creed! Guess I'll need to remember to add games I've beaten to my next gaming update.

  • Posted Feb 5, 2010 2:01 am GMT
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• 28Jan 10

  Long overdue update! What I got for Christmas, currently sick, Gamefly rentals..

  Hey everyone! How are you all doing? It's been ages since my last blog, how could I let it happen? Don't answer that. Anyway, first things first. Here is what I got for Christmas!

  Burnout Paradise (360)

  Left 4 Dead (360)

  Assassin's Creed (360)

  Guitar Hero 5 (360)

  4000 Microsoft Points Card

  Bioshock 2 Big Daddy Action Figure

  Assorted gum/food items.

  Overall I have had a ton of fun with everything so far. I've spent a lot of time on Left 4 Dead, I'm alsmot done with Assassin's Creed, I bought Trials HD, Sonic and Knuckles, Sonic 3 and the extra Crash Course Left 4 Dead campaign with my points card and the Bioshock figure is pretty sweet.

  From Gamefly, I have rented:

  Rogue Warrior :: Not as bad as a lot of people say it is, took me about six hours to beat it on the hardest difficulty on my first playthrough. No it wasn't spectacular, no I'm not going to buy it, and no it isn't worth $60 (in my opinion) if you are looking to buy it. However, it was actually quite a bit of fun. Any questions about the game? Ask away.

  Sonic Unleashed :: Thanks a lot Gamefly, when I received the game, it was cracked and scratched in one area. My 360 couldn't even read the game. Sent it back for:

  Velvet Assassin :: I had high hopes for this game. For the most part, it lived up to my expectations, but a few problems kept rearing their ugly faces throughout the campaign. I'm not talking like once or twice either, it was like at least once or twice per level. These problems really ruined the flow of the game and if they were not there, it would have been a superb game! Music was great, levels and story were interesting, I had a lot of fun even with those dang problems. First playthrough, hardest difficulty, took me about 14 hours to beat, if anyone is interested.

  So as I type this, I am not feeling very well. Yesterday I felt like throwing up everytime I moved. It was terrible. No games, no computer, even if I moved in my sleep it would wake me up and I'd need to be leaning over my puke bucket. Today I don't feel great, but so far I've been able to keep a piece of pie down and no sick stomache since about 1:15PM.

  Well, that's enough for this update. I'm sure I'll blog again sometime soon, maybe with my impressions of my next Gamefly rental. (Some 360 Paintball game...might even be in the mailbox now!). Thanks for reading!

  • Posted Jan 28, 2010 5:18 pm GMT
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