Home |
Cheats |
Collection |
Cover Art |
FAQs |
Friends |
Profile |
Ratings |
Reviews |
Scores |
Screenshots |
Videos |
Milestones |
Exit
Below you'll find blog posts on the site that were made by people you have added as friends. To conserve site resources, this page only displays posts from the last 300 posts on the site overall. If none of your friends have posted in a long while, the page could be rather barren. Otherwise, up to 30 posts will display.
WAAAAAAAAAH
THAT'S NOT THE FREE CONSOLE WE WANTED
WAAAAAAAAAH
FINAL FANTASY IS A SONY FRANCHISE EXCEPT NO IT'S NOT BECAUSE ACTUALLY IT WAS ON NINTENDO CONSOLES FIRST
WAAAAAAAAAH
[reply][view replies (26)]
User: SuskieTitle: Muse @ Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA (3/2/10)
Posted: March 03, 2010 (12:12 PM)
Uprising
Resistance
New Born
Map of the Problematique
Supermassive Black Hole
Guiding Light
Interlude
Hysteria
Nishe
United States of Eurasia
Feeling Good
Helsinki Jam
Undisclosed Desires
Starlight
Plug In Baby
Time Is Running Out
Unnatural Selection
=====
Exogenesis: Symphony, Part 1 (Overture)
Stockholm Syndrome
Man w/ Harmonica
Knights of Cydonia
I'm not going to bring out the scorecard I wrote up a few months ago since they probably failed big time, but while the setlist wasn't nearly what I would've wanted it to be, this was my first time seeing Muse and it was easily the best show I've ever been to. Part of that was due to our general admission tickets; the entire floor of Wachovia Center was made into a standing section, and we got there early enough to secure a spot, maybe, twenty feet from the stage (about five rows back). Muse fans are known for being fanatical and the crowd at this show didn't disappoint. We started moshing during the very first song and the rest of the night was spent fist pumping, headbanging, jumping up and down and screaming the lyrics to every song as loud as we could. It was tight and sweaty as hell but completely worth it, and really improved the atmosphere of a show that would have been amazing anyway.
I was careful not to look up any of the setlists preceding this one (and I'm glad I did, because Fairfax's was identical, apparently) but I had a general idea of what to expect: All of the popular singles, one or two songs we might not have anticipated, and a slew of tracks from their new album, The Resistance. There were a few lesser known songs I would've wanted to hear (Citizen Erased, Bliss, Butterflies & Hurricanes, etc.), but they pretty much hit all of the big crowd-pleasers, which probably made it a more energetic show in the long run.
Surprisingly, they didn't play a single song from Showbiz, but I'm honestly okay with that. It's got some good songs, but very few (if any) actual showstoppers and nothing I was dying to hear. I only noticed long after the show that none of the Showbiz tracks made it, so I guess it didn't matter to me.
The real measure of a Muse song in a live setting is how much it gets the audience going, and in that regard, Plug In Baby and (to my surprise) Supermassive Black Hole were the clear winners there, with Time Is Running Out and Stockholm Syndrome getting honorable mention. I'd have expected Knights of Cydonia to level the place, and it almost did, but by then we were getting a little worn out. It seems better as an opener than a closer, a song to get people moving right out of the gate rather than to force one last massive rave just before Muse left the show for good. This was just the standing section, though; I'm guessing the people with seats could have gone on for ten more songs. Still, in retrospect, epic ending to the show.
I'd anticipated quite a few tracks from The Resistance, and I don't blame them for at least letting these songs run their course, but the crowd easily responded the least to these. It's difficult to say whether this is because they're still new songs or they're just not as good as Muse's older stuff, but I'm guessing the latter. Taking the stage with Uprising fit the edgy, almost sci-fi theme of the set, but it's not a knockout opener, and going straight into the cheesily-penned Resistance felt like a mistake. (They did Supermassive Black Hole second in many of their previous shows, which made more sense, since it was the first song to really get the crowd going.) Undisclosed Desires was the biggest crowd-sterilizer of the show, to my delight (because that song sucks and I want them to get the message); United States of Eurasia was definitely better in a live setting but still not good enough to be worth keeping for future tours; and I definitely wasn't expecting to hear Guiding Light, but the surprise doesn't make it a particularly great song or anything.
On the other hand, Unnatural Selection (one of the better, more old-school songs from The Resistance) was a smart choice to close the main act, and taking the stage again with Exogenesis was fucking awesome, especially since I'm glad they didn't waste their time playing all three parts. I should mention that the set was absolutely out of this world: Each band member had his own massive tower with giant LCD screens on each side, and each platform would rise and fall depending on the song. Namely, Matt and company would be raised for the more laid-back songs, while the heavier, more riff-heavy stuff had Matt rocking out on our level. They're known for their ridiculously over-elaborate live shows and they did not disappoint in any way here. The Flaming Lips are the only band I've seen that give them any competition in this regard, and even then, the Lips could never match this sort of scale.
The only sore spot on the set was Feeling Good. This isn't a new song, nor was it really a crowd-pleaser, so I don't know why they played it. I like the song, mind you, but I'd rather they'd spent that time playing something else. On the other hand, I'm very glad I got to hear Map of the Problematique. It's one of my favorite songs from Black Holes and Revelations and I can picture it fading from their setlists in the coming years, so I'm glad I caught it.
The show was worth it to hear the big hits in such an incredibly lively setting, and being able to hear New Born, Hysteria, Starlight and the like alongside thousands of people just as eager to hear them is pretty much what I've been living for over the past few years. The only downside to this show is that every live concert I go to from this point forward will seem like a tremendous step down. This show completely lived up to my expectations, and I can't wait for them to come around again.
I'd post some pictures, except MY FUCKING DIGITAL CAMERA GOT STOLEN. I did get a few with my phone, though, so I might post those after I upload them, if I ever do. In the meantime, do check out this video of them playing Stockholm last night. I'll add that I was closer to the stage than whoever made this video.
Oh yes: Silversun Pickups opened the show, and they were pretty good. I'm familiar with both of their albums and I recognized most of the songs. Kinda forgot about them after the main set began, but whatever.
Resistance
New Born
Map of the Problematique
Supermassive Black Hole
Guiding Light
Interlude
Hysteria
Nishe
United States of Eurasia
Feeling Good
Helsinki Jam
Undisclosed Desires
Starlight
Plug In Baby
Time Is Running Out
Unnatural Selection
=====
Exogenesis: Symphony, Part 1 (Overture)
Stockholm Syndrome
Man w/ Harmonica
Knights of Cydonia
I'm not going to bring out the scorecard I wrote up a few months ago since they probably failed big time, but while the setlist wasn't nearly what I would've wanted it to be, this was my first time seeing Muse and it was easily the best show I've ever been to. Part of that was due to our general admission tickets; the entire floor of Wachovia Center was made into a standing section, and we got there early enough to secure a spot, maybe, twenty feet from the stage (about five rows back). Muse fans are known for being fanatical and the crowd at this show didn't disappoint. We started moshing during the very first song and the rest of the night was spent fist pumping, headbanging, jumping up and down and screaming the lyrics to every song as loud as we could. It was tight and sweaty as hell but completely worth it, and really improved the atmosphere of a show that would have been amazing anyway.
I was careful not to look up any of the setlists preceding this one (and I'm glad I did, because Fairfax's was identical, apparently) but I had a general idea of what to expect: All of the popular singles, one or two songs we might not have anticipated, and a slew of tracks from their new album, The Resistance. There were a few lesser known songs I would've wanted to hear (Citizen Erased, Bliss, Butterflies & Hurricanes, etc.), but they pretty much hit all of the big crowd-pleasers, which probably made it a more energetic show in the long run.
Surprisingly, they didn't play a single song from Showbiz, but I'm honestly okay with that. It's got some good songs, but very few (if any) actual showstoppers and nothing I was dying to hear. I only noticed long after the show that none of the Showbiz tracks made it, so I guess it didn't matter to me.
The real measure of a Muse song in a live setting is how much it gets the audience going, and in that regard, Plug In Baby and (to my surprise) Supermassive Black Hole were the clear winners there, with Time Is Running Out and Stockholm Syndrome getting honorable mention. I'd have expected Knights of Cydonia to level the place, and it almost did, but by then we were getting a little worn out. It seems better as an opener than a closer, a song to get people moving right out of the gate rather than to force one last massive rave just before Muse left the show for good. This was just the standing section, though; I'm guessing the people with seats could have gone on for ten more songs. Still, in retrospect, epic ending to the show.
I'd anticipated quite a few tracks from The Resistance, and I don't blame them for at least letting these songs run their course, but the crowd easily responded the least to these. It's difficult to say whether this is because they're still new songs or they're just not as good as Muse's older stuff, but I'm guessing the latter. Taking the stage with Uprising fit the edgy, almost sci-fi theme of the set, but it's not a knockout opener, and going straight into the cheesily-penned Resistance felt like a mistake. (They did Supermassive Black Hole second in many of their previous shows, which made more sense, since it was the first song to really get the crowd going.) Undisclosed Desires was the biggest crowd-sterilizer of the show, to my delight (because that song sucks and I want them to get the message); United States of Eurasia was definitely better in a live setting but still not good enough to be worth keeping for future tours; and I definitely wasn't expecting to hear Guiding Light, but the surprise doesn't make it a particularly great song or anything.
On the other hand, Unnatural Selection (one of the better, more old-school songs from The Resistance) was a smart choice to close the main act, and taking the stage again with Exogenesis was fucking awesome, especially since I'm glad they didn't waste their time playing all three parts. I should mention that the set was absolutely out of this world: Each band member had his own massive tower with giant LCD screens on each side, and each platform would rise and fall depending on the song. Namely, Matt and company would be raised for the more laid-back songs, while the heavier, more riff-heavy stuff had Matt rocking out on our level. They're known for their ridiculously over-elaborate live shows and they did not disappoint in any way here. The Flaming Lips are the only band I've seen that give them any competition in this regard, and even then, the Lips could never match this sort of scale.
The only sore spot on the set was Feeling Good. This isn't a new song, nor was it really a crowd-pleaser, so I don't know why they played it. I like the song, mind you, but I'd rather they'd spent that time playing something else. On the other hand, I'm very glad I got to hear Map of the Problematique. It's one of my favorite songs from Black Holes and Revelations and I can picture it fading from their setlists in the coming years, so I'm glad I caught it.
The show was worth it to hear the big hits in such an incredibly lively setting, and being able to hear New Born, Hysteria, Starlight and the like alongside thousands of people just as eager to hear them is pretty much what I've been living for over the past few years. The only downside to this show is that every live concert I go to from this point forward will seem like a tremendous step down. This show completely lived up to my expectations, and I can't wait for them to come around again.
I'd post some pictures, except MY FUCKING DIGITAL CAMERA GOT STOLEN. I did get a few with my phone, though, so I might post those after I upload them, if I ever do. In the meantime, do check out this video of them playing Stockholm last night. I'll add that I was closer to the stage than whoever made this video.
Oh yes: Silversun Pickups opened the show, and they were pretty good. I'm familiar with both of their albums and I recognized most of the songs. Kinda forgot about them after the main set began, but whatever.
[reply][view replies (3)]
[reply][view replies (1)]
How do you make the DRM situation even more ass-backwards than it already is? By doing this.
If you don't want to read the article, Ubisoft is now requiring players to be signed on to their servers at all times for games to function. If they lose their connection, the game stops working, and any progress made since the last time the player saved is lost.
What an abominably stupid idea. Never mind the numerous ways in which this potentially screws over legitimate buyers of any future Ubisoft games. The absurd truth of the matter boils down to the same thing that this sort of thing always comes to: A publisher's desperate attempts to prevent piracy only work to encourage illegal distribution. Because the pirates will find a way around this system, as they always do. That much is certain. Meanwhile, those who actually shell out the money for a physical copy of the game get beaten over the head with this nonsense. Unbelievable. I understand the PC market is a tricky one, but punishing the people who are actually buying your games isn't the solution.
And here I thought SecuROM was already doing that. Ubisoft seem determined to take it to the next level.
(via Penny Arcade)
If you don't want to read the article, Ubisoft is now requiring players to be signed on to their servers at all times for games to function. If they lose their connection, the game stops working, and any progress made since the last time the player saved is lost.
What an abominably stupid idea. Never mind the numerous ways in which this potentially screws over legitimate buyers of any future Ubisoft games. The absurd truth of the matter boils down to the same thing that this sort of thing always comes to: A publisher's desperate attempts to prevent piracy only work to encourage illegal distribution. Because the pirates will find a way around this system, as they always do. That much is certain. Meanwhile, those who actually shell out the money for a physical copy of the game get beaten over the head with this nonsense. Unbelievable. I understand the PC market is a tricky one, but punishing the people who are actually buying your games isn't the solution.
And here I thought SecuROM was already doing that. Ubisoft seem determined to take it to the next level.
(via Penny Arcade)
[reply][view replies (7)]
I realize this puts me squarely in the minority, but so far I'm liking this a lot better than the first one. The fact that you can finally turn off those stupid fucking vita chambers that made the first game insultingly easy is enough of a step in the right direction, and can dual wield weapons and plasmids (rather than juggle between the two) which has made the combat a lot more intuitive.
I'm only a couple of hours in, and it's still not great (it still moves at that plodding pace), but it's holding my attention more than the first one did. I shall continue playing.
Also: I really wanted to hate Dante's Inferno, but the combat's actually pretty fun. Awful story and some instances of incredibly tedious level design, but as a straight-up action game it's actually not bad.
Update: Okay, it's still better, but this game's pacing really sucks. How many times is this fucking train going to stop for some stupid, arbitrary reason?
I'm only a couple of hours in, and it's still not great (it still moves at that plodding pace), but it's holding my attention more than the first one did. I shall continue playing.
Also: I really wanted to hate Dante's Inferno, but the combat's actually pretty fun. Awful story and some instances of incredibly tedious level design, but as a straight-up action game it's actually not bad.
Update: Okay, it's still better, but this game's pacing really sucks. How many times is this fucking train going to stop for some stupid, arbitrary reason?
[reply][view replies (1)]
I rented Ninja Gaiden II with strong hopes that they'd fixed the camera issues.
Whoops.
Whoops.
[reply][view replies (6)]
...is surprisingly shitty.
[reply][view replies (6)]
User: SuskieTitle: I'm only on the eleventh chapter of Dead Space, but I think I figured out the secret message already.
Posted: February 12, 2010 (08:44 PM)
Nicole is DEAF! Obviously! That would explain why she has a husband who never speaks!
[reply][view replies (3)]
User: SuskieTitle: So I just finished the new Bionic Commando.
Posted: February 06, 2010 (01:06 PM)
Wow that was a stupid twist at the end. Wow. I mean, holy shit.
I mean, fun game, but Christ.
I mean, fun game, but Christ.
[reply][view replies (5)]
User: SuskieTitle: Oh yeah: Reaction to the ending of Demon's Souls.
Posted: January 29, 2010 (12:23 PM)
Wait. THAT was the final boss? Is there some sort of super secret extra special ending I'm not aware of? I guess I can't complain about finally being given a break, but Christ that was an easy battle.
[reply][view replies (2)]
ReachBeyond will not be happy with my review.
[reply][view replies (3)]
User: SuskieTitle: You knew this was coming: Mass Effect 2 first impressions.
Posted: January 26, 2010 (07:37 PM)
I think I'm actually beyond first impressions because I just played it for around ten straight hours.
I always defended the combat in the original Mass Effect and couldn't really understand why so many people didn't like it, though having now seen how much better it can be, I'm starting to sympathize. The duck-and-cover gunplay in the sequel so closely resembles Gears of War that I find myself constantly hitting the right bumper to start up the little reload slider mini-game every time I'm low on ammo. (The right bumper is used for skills in Mass Effect 2, so I keep using them when I don't mean to. Heh.)
The game definitely feels more like a flat-out shooter this time, since they've added an ammunition system and downplayed the RPG elements. I was initially skeptical about the inclusion of ammunition, but it actually forces me to contemplate my options rather than simply blast through everything with the sniper rifle (which is what I eventually did in Mass Effect). Battles unfold at a faster pace but the game is still unquestionably an RPG.
As far as I can tell, the Mako has been removed completely. I've only done two missions on unexplored planets, and they both involved scanning for an anomaly and then dropping down to a designated area. So no more explanation, but it's a tighter, leaner experience.
Liking the story so far, but I hope it really picks up and reaches the level the original did in terms of scope and scale. I'm nowhere near finished with the game so I'll give it some time.
Anyway, that's all I've got. Gonna go get some food because I'm hungry as shit.
I always defended the combat in the original Mass Effect and couldn't really understand why so many people didn't like it, though having now seen how much better it can be, I'm starting to sympathize. The duck-and-cover gunplay in the sequel so closely resembles Gears of War that I find myself constantly hitting the right bumper to start up the little reload slider mini-game every time I'm low on ammo. (The right bumper is used for skills in Mass Effect 2, so I keep using them when I don't mean to. Heh.)
The game definitely feels more like a flat-out shooter this time, since they've added an ammunition system and downplayed the RPG elements. I was initially skeptical about the inclusion of ammunition, but it actually forces me to contemplate my options rather than simply blast through everything with the sniper rifle (which is what I eventually did in Mass Effect). Battles unfold at a faster pace but the game is still unquestionably an RPG.
As far as I can tell, the Mako has been removed completely. I've only done two missions on unexplored planets, and they both involved scanning for an anomaly and then dropping down to a designated area. So no more explanation, but it's a tighter, leaner experience.
Liking the story so far, but I hope it really picks up and reaches the level the original did in terms of scope and scale. I'm nowhere near finished with the game so I'll give it some time.
Anyway, that's all I've got. Gonna go get some food because I'm hungry as shit.
[reply][view replies (5)]
User: SuskieTitle: I know I refuse to shut up about this game, but...
Posted: January 22, 2010 (07:00 PM)
...best game trailer I've ever seen. Seriously.
I promise I'll stop talking about this game when it actually comes out. Actually no I don't.
I promise I'll stop talking about this game when it actually comes out. Actually no I don't.
[reply][view replies (10)]
Okay, so there's this one boss who's giving me no end of trouble. He's an armored knight with an absolutely enormous mace, and he has this one attack where he parries your strike and nails you for a one-hit kill. As far as I can tell, the only way to avoid it is to (a) stay away from him or (b) try to avoid attacking when he's attacking, I guess? The trouble is, he's got an absolutely beastly health meter that takes ages to drain, and for a while, any time I got close to killing him, he'd pull the cheap ass counter attack and end the whole thing.
So, I went in with the attitude that I absolutely WAS NOT going to let him kill me with that stupid fucking attack. I employed a sort of hit-and-run strategy, waiting for him to attack, then narrowly avoiding it and getting a few slashes of my own in before I hurried away. I spent fifteen minutes pathetically chipping away at his outrageously long health bar, and then, just when I'm about to kill him, he uses a fucking healing item. And bam -- health is full again.
Yeah, fuck this game. This whole "challenge" thing was cute for a while, but now I'm starting to see just how much this game is wasting my time. If I spend fifteen minutes in close combat with a guy who can kill me in one blow, I deserve to fucking win. Having him pull out a healing item at the last second and forcing me to start over is, as far as I'm concerned, this game's way of spitting in my face.
I'm not taking it up the ass anymore. You're not worthy of my time, Demon's Souls. Now I'm going to go play something fun.
So, I went in with the attitude that I absolutely WAS NOT going to let him kill me with that stupid fucking attack. I employed a sort of hit-and-run strategy, waiting for him to attack, then narrowly avoiding it and getting a few slashes of my own in before I hurried away. I spent fifteen minutes pathetically chipping away at his outrageously long health bar, and then, just when I'm about to kill him, he uses a fucking healing item. And bam -- health is full again.
Yeah, fuck this game. This whole "challenge" thing was cute for a while, but now I'm starting to see just how much this game is wasting my time. If I spend fifteen minutes in close combat with a guy who can kill me in one blow, I deserve to fucking win. Having him pull out a healing item at the last second and forcing me to start over is, as far as I'm concerned, this game's way of spitting in my face.
I'm not taking it up the ass anymore. You're not worthy of my time, Demon's Souls. Now I'm going to go play something fun.
[reply][view replies (11)]
This game is growing on me. I still sort of loathe the fact that there's no checkpoint system, because I think the game pulls just a little too much cheap one-hit-kill bullshit to justify that decision (I'm sick of being flattened by boulders rolling down stairs), but once you fall into a rhythm and get a feel for how the game works, it becomes ridiculously hard to put down.
I think the difficulty of the individual fights is actually perfectly fair. It teaches you to be extremely cautious, and you're usually fine so long as you're blocking a lot and aren't consistently charging into battle without getting a hold of your surroundings first. There have been a couple of times when I would rush an enemy and then get immediately sliced from behind by another enemy I didn't see. Or when I'd time an attack poorly, thus lowering my guard and taking a massive blow as a result. Combat's really fun, though, and the boosted challenge really makes it more satisfying when you overpower an enemy without actually taking much damage. Also, the bosses so far have been pretty rockin'.
Checkpoint system really does suck, though. I'd be okay with it if we weren't forced to put up with so many insta-kill scenarios that threaten to send us all the way back to the beginning of the level. Like when you're walking across an innocent-looking bridge and then a fucking dragon comes out of nowhere and torches you. Sometimes I get the feeling the game isn't so much testing my skill as it's testing how closely I'm paying attention. This kind of bullshit has no place in a game where the penalty for death is so high.
Still, I'm sticking with it, at least for the next five days until that one game I'm slightly excited about gets released. I definitely considered giving up at one point, and I'm glad I didn't.
I think the difficulty of the individual fights is actually perfectly fair. It teaches you to be extremely cautious, and you're usually fine so long as you're blocking a lot and aren't consistently charging into battle without getting a hold of your surroundings first. There have been a couple of times when I would rush an enemy and then get immediately sliced from behind by another enemy I didn't see. Or when I'd time an attack poorly, thus lowering my guard and taking a massive blow as a result. Combat's really fun, though, and the boosted challenge really makes it more satisfying when you overpower an enemy without actually taking much damage. Also, the bosses so far have been pretty rockin'.
Checkpoint system really does suck, though. I'd be okay with it if we weren't forced to put up with so many insta-kill scenarios that threaten to send us all the way back to the beginning of the level. Like when you're walking across an innocent-looking bridge and then a fucking dragon comes out of nowhere and torches you. Sometimes I get the feeling the game isn't so much testing my skill as it's testing how closely I'm paying attention. This kind of bullshit has no place in a game where the penalty for death is so high.
Still, I'm sticking with it, at least for the next five days until that one game I'm slightly excited about gets released. I definitely considered giving up at one point, and I'm glad I didn't.
[reply][view replies (3)]
If I see Beyond Good & Evil or Psychonauts on your "best of the decade" list, I'm ignoring everything else.
[reply][view replies (4)]
User: SuskieTitle: Elaboration on why Infamous's moral choice system sucks.
Posted: January 04, 2010 (02:03 PM)
First of all, yesterday I wrote and posted reviews for Infamous and Halo 3: ODST, both of which have since been swiftly brushed from the front page, which I guess is what I get for posting them on the night of a contest deadline. So, I'm forced to advertise my work here instead. Do give them a read, if you get the chance.
Now then, I'd like to talk a little bit about why I hate Infamous's moral choice system so much. I didn't want to go into great detail in my actual review, because as I said, Infamous is a great game and I'd rather spend my time gushing over what the game does well. Good thing I've got a blog where I can write stuff like this.
My issue with moral choice systems in games isn't that they're overdone, but that they're so often implemented out of obligation, i.e. to satisfy the developer's desire to be "with it." Developers these days seem to think they're something wrong with a good, old-fashioned linear game. Thing is, if you neglect the whole "moral" aspect of moral choices and refuse to give each such dilemma an actual, contextual weight, all you're doing in creating a linear game that players are forced to complete twice if they want to see everything. (Yeah, I realize Yahtzee said exactly the same thing, but hey, I agree with him.)
[I'm going to pull a specific example from Infamous, and it concerns the fate of a certain character. So while I won't ruin anything major, if you don't want any part of the plot spoiled, stop reading now.]
The main character of Infamous, Cole McGrath, has a girlfriend named Trish. Towards the end of the game, Kessler, the main villain, kidnaps her and offers Cole a choice. Trish is dangling from one very tall building; six doctors hang from another. Cole only has time to save one, and must choose between Trish or the doctors. I was playing as Infamous Cole (which means I'm evil), so I went with the selfish choice and chose Trish.
Then the twist comes: The girl I saved was just some random girl, disguised as Trish, who was actually one of the six doctors dangling from the other building. Kessler's plan was to punish me for my evil deeds should I choose to save Trish, and as such, she died, and the total body count was higher anyway.
Okay, I thought. Fair enough. That's karma.
Now, I've only beaten the game once, but I played it alongside two of my roommates, both of whom were playing as Good Cole (or whatever he's called). So, I saw this event unfold again, under the opposite alignment. And as I found out, when players opt to save the doctors instead, Trish isn't among them. The girl hanging from the opposite building really is Trish. So she still dies.
Let's go over that again: The game literally manipulates the event so that Trish is on the opposite building, no matter whom you wind up saving.
Now, it's generally okay for games with moral choices to be headed in the same direction no matter what. Mass Effect did that with its good cop/bad cop attitude, where Shepard was always the good guy, but players could approach situations with varying levels of aggression. What I don't tolerate is for opposing moral choices to both yield the same consequences, as in this case, when the player is identically punished no matter what. Because what's the point, then? It's not role-playing if our choices don't mean anything.
Anyway. I plan to review Prototype in the near future, at which point I'll have completed the Triforce of superpowered sandbox games (between that, Infamous and Crackdown). And I want to stress one more time: Infamous is sweet. Pick it up if you haven't already.
Now then, I'd like to talk a little bit about why I hate Infamous's moral choice system so much. I didn't want to go into great detail in my actual review, because as I said, Infamous is a great game and I'd rather spend my time gushing over what the game does well. Good thing I've got a blog where I can write stuff like this.
My issue with moral choice systems in games isn't that they're overdone, but that they're so often implemented out of obligation, i.e. to satisfy the developer's desire to be "with it." Developers these days seem to think they're something wrong with a good, old-fashioned linear game. Thing is, if you neglect the whole "moral" aspect of moral choices and refuse to give each such dilemma an actual, contextual weight, all you're doing in creating a linear game that players are forced to complete twice if they want to see everything. (Yeah, I realize Yahtzee said exactly the same thing, but hey, I agree with him.)
[I'm going to pull a specific example from Infamous, and it concerns the fate of a certain character. So while I won't ruin anything major, if you don't want any part of the plot spoiled, stop reading now.]
The main character of Infamous, Cole McGrath, has a girlfriend named Trish. Towards the end of the game, Kessler, the main villain, kidnaps her and offers Cole a choice. Trish is dangling from one very tall building; six doctors hang from another. Cole only has time to save one, and must choose between Trish or the doctors. I was playing as Infamous Cole (which means I'm evil), so I went with the selfish choice and chose Trish.
Then the twist comes: The girl I saved was just some random girl, disguised as Trish, who was actually one of the six doctors dangling from the other building. Kessler's plan was to punish me for my evil deeds should I choose to save Trish, and as such, she died, and the total body count was higher anyway.
Okay, I thought. Fair enough. That's karma.
Now, I've only beaten the game once, but I played it alongside two of my roommates, both of whom were playing as Good Cole (or whatever he's called). So, I saw this event unfold again, under the opposite alignment. And as I found out, when players opt to save the doctors instead, Trish isn't among them. The girl hanging from the opposite building really is Trish. So she still dies.
Let's go over that again: The game literally manipulates the event so that Trish is on the opposite building, no matter whom you wind up saving.
Now, it's generally okay for games with moral choices to be headed in the same direction no matter what. Mass Effect did that with its good cop/bad cop attitude, where Shepard was always the good guy, but players could approach situations with varying levels of aggression. What I don't tolerate is for opposing moral choices to both yield the same consequences, as in this case, when the player is identically punished no matter what. Because what's the point, then? It's not role-playing if our choices don't mean anything.
Anyway. I plan to review Prototype in the near future, at which point I'll have completed the Triforce of superpowered sandbox games (between that, Infamous and Crackdown). And I want to stress one more time: Infamous is sweet. Pick it up if you haven't already.
[reply][view replies (0)]
[reply][view replies (0)]
If I go higher than twenty then I'll start running through movies I liked but don't really consider worthy of a "best of" list. This is based on my personal reaction to the movies, so this list might look inconsistent were I to rate them individually.
20. Watchmen
19. Sin Nombre
18. Ponyo
17. Avatar
16. Drag Me to Hell
15. Zombieland
14. Observe and Report
13. The Road
12. Thirst
11. Coraline
10. Up in the Air
9. Moon
8. The Hurt Locker
7. Up
6. (500) Days of Summer
5. Star Trek
4. World's Greatest Dad
3. District 9
2. Fantastic Mr. Fox <--- HEY YOU! GO SEE THIS SHIT!
1. Inglourious Basterds
"Good" movies I missed:
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
The Brothers Bloom
Cold Souls
An Education
In the Loop
I saw it, I just thought it sucked:
A Serious Man
I can't decide if it's good or not:
Precious
Not scary:
Paranormal Activity
20. Watchmen
19. Sin Nombre
18. Ponyo
17. Avatar
16. Drag Me to Hell
15. Zombieland
14. Observe and Report
13. The Road
12. Thirst
11. Coraline
10. Up in the Air
9. Moon
8. The Hurt Locker
7. Up
6. (500) Days of Summer
5. Star Trek
4. World's Greatest Dad
3. District 9
2. Fantastic Mr. Fox <--- HEY YOU! GO SEE THIS SHIT!
1. Inglourious Basterds
"Good" movies I missed:
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
The Brothers Bloom
Cold Souls
An Education
In the Loop
I saw it, I just thought it sucked:
A Serious Man
I can't decide if it's good or not:
Precious
Not scary:
Paranormal Activity
[reply][view replies (0)]
Halo 3: ODST.
What? I already have everything else I want.
What? I already have everything else I want.
[reply][view replies (2)]
[reply][view replies (8)]
User: SuskieTitle: If you haven't seen the Iron Man 2 trailer yet...
Posted: December 16, 2009 (06:36 PM)
[reply][view replies (8)]
User: SuskieTitle: I created a scorecard for the Muse show I'm going to.
Posted: December 15, 2009 (04:24 PM)
+12 – for Citizen Erased
+10 – for You Fucking Motherfucker
+8 – for any b-side (excluding Nishe, since that’s just an instrumental)
+8 – if your setlist exceeds 23 songs (excluding transitional stuff)
+7 – if you end the show with Take a Bow
+6 – for Bliss
+5 – for Butterflies & Hurricanes
+5 – if your setlist exceeds 18 songs (excluding transitional stuff)
+4 – if I hear the Maggie’s Farm riff
+4 – for any song from Showbiz
+3 – if a laser display is in any way involved
+3 – for Apocalypse Please
+3 – for any Origin of Symmetry song that isn’t mentioned elsewhere
+2 – for any Absolution song that isn’t mentioned elsewhere
+1 – each for Hysteria, Time Is Running Out and Stockholm Syndrome
+1 – each for New Born and Plug In Baby
-1 – if you open the show with a song from The Resistance
-2 – for each song from The Resistance exceeding four
-2 – each for Soldier’s Poem and Hoodoo
-2 – if my ears aren’t ringing by the end of the show
-3 – if you end the show with Knights of Cydonia
-3 – for each half hour after Silversun Pickups close before you take stage
-3 – for United States of Eurasia
-4 – if you play Supermassive Black Hole IN ADDITION TO Undisclosed Desires
-4 – for any cover
-5 – if there’s no encore
-5 – if you just stamp out the Citizen Erased riff without actually playing the song
-6 – if your set isn’t more extravagant than Coldplay’s
-7 – if more than two-thirds of the songs are singles
-9 – for Undisclosed Desires
-10 – if you actually waste your time playing all three parts of Exogenesis
+10 – for You Fucking Motherfucker
+8 – for any b-side (excluding Nishe, since that’s just an instrumental)
+8 – if your setlist exceeds 23 songs (excluding transitional stuff)
+7 – if you end the show with Take a Bow
+6 – for Bliss
+5 – for Butterflies & Hurricanes
+5 – if your setlist exceeds 18 songs (excluding transitional stuff)
+4 – if I hear the Maggie’s Farm riff
+4 – for any song from Showbiz
+3 – if a laser display is in any way involved
+3 – for Apocalypse Please
+3 – for any Origin of Symmetry song that isn’t mentioned elsewhere
+2 – for any Absolution song that isn’t mentioned elsewhere
+1 – each for Hysteria, Time Is Running Out and Stockholm Syndrome
+1 – each for New Born and Plug In Baby
-1 – if you open the show with a song from The Resistance
-2 – for each song from The Resistance exceeding four
-2 – each for Soldier’s Poem and Hoodoo
-2 – if my ears aren’t ringing by the end of the show
-3 – if you end the show with Knights of Cydonia
-3 – for each half hour after Silversun Pickups close before you take stage
-3 – for United States of Eurasia
-4 – if you play Supermassive Black Hole IN ADDITION TO Undisclosed Desires
-4 – for any cover
-5 – if there’s no encore
-5 – if you just stamp out the Citizen Erased riff without actually playing the song
-6 – if your set isn’t more extravagant than Coldplay’s
-7 – if more than two-thirds of the songs are singles
-9 – for Undisclosed Desires
-10 – if you actually waste your time playing all three parts of Exogenesis
[reply][view replies (4)]
The only game that came out this year that I really want to play and haven't gotten around to yet is Demon's Souls, which I probably won't be playing anytime soon, unless my roommate gets it over the holidays and brings it with him next semester. Having said that, here are my picks for the ten best games that came out in 2009. At best, this will serve as a preview for my eventual write-ups on those games I haven't reviewed yet.
10. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
To be fair, I haven't quite finished this one yet, but I've been burning a lot of free time playing it over the past week and it's another solid entry in a series grounded in solidity. For the most part, it's an improvement over Phantom Hourglass (which in retrospect I'd score lower than the 9/10 I originally gave it). This new game's overuse of the microphone, however, is both annoying and embarrassing. Hey Nintendo? The touch screen stuff has been working out well. Microphone, not so much. Give it a rest already. On an unrelated note, the Tower of Spirits is fantastic.
9. Infamous
If I wrote a book on how not to do moral choices, this game would be my most frequent citation. That's really more of a pet peeve than anything, though, and aside from that, I really have no beef with this game. It contains not a single new idea (sandbox exploration with parkour platforming and cover-based shooter combat, spiced with RPG elements), but it's so consistently entertaining and well-rounded that I can't imagine any serious gamer not liking it. Think of it as a Crackdown clone that's much, much better than Crackdown, i.e. it's got a story, characters, structure, variety, and an ending. Anyone who says this is a system seller is kidding themselves, but it's a great little perk if you happen to own a PS3.
8. Borderlands
Some have quite astutely called this game the FPS equivalent to Diablo. That's essentially what it is: a mostly plot-less grind fest that's far better enjoyed with friends than alone. The only difference is that it's a shooter set in a wasteland that bears more than a passing resemblance to the one in Fallout 3. It's more colorful, though, so that's nice. Addictive and brimming with character.
7. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
I loved the original but for some reason was never interested enough to pick up the sequel. It couldn't possibly compare to the new one, which takes all of the things I loved about Mario RPGs (namely the fully interactive turn-based combat and wonderful sense of humor) and applies... well... you'll see.
6. Batman: Arkham Asylum
Yeah, the boss battles are lame. It's a shame the last one in particular was such a letdown, but I'll hardly let that spoil the 95% of Arkham that totally kicked ass. Hand-to-hand combat provides sufficient buffer between the fantastic stealth segments, which have you stalking your prey from several stories up, swooping down for the strike and vanishing again in the blink of an eye. The first Batman game to truly make me feel like Batman.
5. Dragon Age: Origins
It's a BioWare game. It's got dialog trees and great writing and long load times and complicated menus and all that. You've been here before. The only thing separating this from any of their other games is that it's set in a generic Tolkien-esque fantasy world... so it's basically Baldur's Gate 3D. Other developers couldn't afford to be so predictable, but BioWare are responsible for some of my favorite games and Dragon Age is another deep, lengthy, expansive entry into their RPG collection. Keep up the (consistent) work.
4. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
This game is basically a long string of water cooler moments -- you'll want to make sure a friend of yours is playing it at the same time so you can talk about it with them. The train level is amazing, but many of the less publicized moments are just as stellar and visually spectacular. It's just a little disappointing that the game loses so much steam in its last couple hours. It's as if the developers ran out of cool ideas but wanted to keep the game rolling for as long as they could. Though I guess as far as complaints are concerned, "this one part wasn't as awesome as the rest" isn't very damning.
3. Modern Warfare 2
Uncharted 2 could learn a thing or two from this game about stopping while you're ahead. Modern Warfare 2 is also a string of visually spectacular water cooler moments, but trimmed of all possible fat and delivered as one fantastic six-hour package. The story tries way too hard, but as an excuse to run snowmobiles over cliffs and fend off invading Russians in suburban Virginia, I'll buy it. Multiplayer stuff is excellent, too.
2. MadWorld
Probably the purest fun I've had all year, it caters to many of our most basic gamer urges without ever being parody-worthy (it is, indeed, its own parody). The Wii controls are applied gracefully enough that I can't imagine the game functioning any better with traditional controls, and the stylized graphics make it hard to imagine the game looking any better on more capable consoles. It's loud, manly and awesome, and self-conscious enough that you never once feel ashamed for loving it.
1. Assassin's Creed II
I've talked about this one enough, but just to briefly reiterate, it keeps everything I loved about Assassin's Creed and fixes everything I hated about it. Which is what a sequel is supposed to do, solve the problems without undermining the series. You could probably nitpick this game to death, but the level to which Ubisoft responded to criticisms for the first game is a dedication more developers should exercise. They've earned this one.
10. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
To be fair, I haven't quite finished this one yet, but I've been burning a lot of free time playing it over the past week and it's another solid entry in a series grounded in solidity. For the most part, it's an improvement over Phantom Hourglass (which in retrospect I'd score lower than the 9/10 I originally gave it). This new game's overuse of the microphone, however, is both annoying and embarrassing. Hey Nintendo? The touch screen stuff has been working out well. Microphone, not so much. Give it a rest already. On an unrelated note, the Tower of Spirits is fantastic.
9. Infamous
If I wrote a book on how not to do moral choices, this game would be my most frequent citation. That's really more of a pet peeve than anything, though, and aside from that, I really have no beef with this game. It contains not a single new idea (sandbox exploration with parkour platforming and cover-based shooter combat, spiced with RPG elements), but it's so consistently entertaining and well-rounded that I can't imagine any serious gamer not liking it. Think of it as a Crackdown clone that's much, much better than Crackdown, i.e. it's got a story, characters, structure, variety, and an ending. Anyone who says this is a system seller is kidding themselves, but it's a great little perk if you happen to own a PS3.
8. Borderlands
Some have quite astutely called this game the FPS equivalent to Diablo. That's essentially what it is: a mostly plot-less grind fest that's far better enjoyed with friends than alone. The only difference is that it's a shooter set in a wasteland that bears more than a passing resemblance to the one in Fallout 3. It's more colorful, though, so that's nice. Addictive and brimming with character.
7. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
I loved the original but for some reason was never interested enough to pick up the sequel. It couldn't possibly compare to the new one, which takes all of the things I loved about Mario RPGs (namely the fully interactive turn-based combat and wonderful sense of humor) and applies... well... you'll see.
6. Batman: Arkham Asylum
Yeah, the boss battles are lame. It's a shame the last one in particular was such a letdown, but I'll hardly let that spoil the 95% of Arkham that totally kicked ass. Hand-to-hand combat provides sufficient buffer between the fantastic stealth segments, which have you stalking your prey from several stories up, swooping down for the strike and vanishing again in the blink of an eye. The first Batman game to truly make me feel like Batman.
5. Dragon Age: Origins
It's a BioWare game. It's got dialog trees and great writing and long load times and complicated menus and all that. You've been here before. The only thing separating this from any of their other games is that it's set in a generic Tolkien-esque fantasy world... so it's basically Baldur's Gate 3D. Other developers couldn't afford to be so predictable, but BioWare are responsible for some of my favorite games and Dragon Age is another deep, lengthy, expansive entry into their RPG collection. Keep up the (consistent) work.
4. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
This game is basically a long string of water cooler moments -- you'll want to make sure a friend of yours is playing it at the same time so you can talk about it with them. The train level is amazing, but many of the less publicized moments are just as stellar and visually spectacular. It's just a little disappointing that the game loses so much steam in its last couple hours. It's as if the developers ran out of cool ideas but wanted to keep the game rolling for as long as they could. Though I guess as far as complaints are concerned, "this one part wasn't as awesome as the rest" isn't very damning.
3. Modern Warfare 2
Uncharted 2 could learn a thing or two from this game about stopping while you're ahead. Modern Warfare 2 is also a string of visually spectacular water cooler moments, but trimmed of all possible fat and delivered as one fantastic six-hour package. The story tries way too hard, but as an excuse to run snowmobiles over cliffs and fend off invading Russians in suburban Virginia, I'll buy it. Multiplayer stuff is excellent, too.
2. MadWorld
Probably the purest fun I've had all year, it caters to many of our most basic gamer urges without ever being parody-worthy (it is, indeed, its own parody). The Wii controls are applied gracefully enough that I can't imagine the game functioning any better with traditional controls, and the stylized graphics make it hard to imagine the game looking any better on more capable consoles. It's loud, manly and awesome, and self-conscious enough that you never once feel ashamed for loving it.
1. Assassin's Creed II
I've talked about this one enough, but just to briefly reiterate, it keeps everything I loved about Assassin's Creed and fixes everything I hated about it. Which is what a sequel is supposed to do, solve the problems without undermining the series. You could probably nitpick this game to death, but the level to which Ubisoft responded to criticisms for the first game is a dedication more developers should exercise. They've earned this one.
[reply][view replies (4)]
I really, really hate my Mass Effect review. Not only do I consider it poorly written, but I don't feel I do justice to a game that would, at this point, easily land in my top five favorite games of all time. Unfortunately, I subbed the review during that short period of time I was on staff, and therefore I am unable to edit it.
So, my question is: Would I be able to do a Mass Effect rewrite? I can't do it right away (school runs until the end of the week and I still have a few other reviews to write at the moment, particularly Dragon Age), but I'd really like the opportunity come up with a better review for the game, especially considering it's my second-highest viewed and it's linked on GameRankings.
Thanks. Good day to you all.
So, my question is: Would I be able to do a Mass Effect rewrite? I can't do it right away (school runs until the end of the week and I still have a few other reviews to write at the moment, particularly Dragon Age), but I'd really like the opportunity come up with a better review for the game, especially considering it's my second-highest viewed and it's linked on GameRankings.
Thanks. Good day to you all.
[reply][view replies (2)]
[reply][view replies (0)]
I find Mass Effect's completely fictionalized take on religion far more plausible than any legitimate religion out there.
[reply][view replies (2)]
Poker Face has been nominated for the Song of the Year Grammy?
Really?
Really?
[reply][view replies (9)]
I mean, this doesn't make me any less excited for the game, but... damn. There's so much more to this series than this kind of generic cover art implies.
[reply][view replies (6)]
It's actually excellent.
I'm only a few hours into the game and the game hasn't fully opened up yet (i.e., it's still in the "introductory" phase and I'm being led primarily along strict story missions) but so far it's an unbelievable improvement over the last game. It's weird, because the game plays almost identically to the last one and from a glance nothing's changed, but it's just so much more well-rounded and complete than the first game was.
Taking all of the repetitive missions and turning them into side quests actually solves two problems: It makes the actual campaign more varied and less redundant, and it actually gives the sandbox world a sense of purpose. I was underwhelmed by the first game but saw potential in it, and this is exactly where I was hoping they'd take it. Plus, it's got a legitimate story that's actually really good.
Like I said, I'm not too far so this is subject to change, but as of now, I'm very pleased with what I'm seeing.
I'm only a few hours into the game and the game hasn't fully opened up yet (i.e., it's still in the "introductory" phase and I'm being led primarily along strict story missions) but so far it's an unbelievable improvement over the last game. It's weird, because the game plays almost identically to the last one and from a glance nothing's changed, but it's just so much more well-rounded and complete than the first game was.
Taking all of the repetitive missions and turning them into side quests actually solves two problems: It makes the actual campaign more varied and less redundant, and it actually gives the sandbox world a sense of purpose. I was underwhelmed by the first game but saw potential in it, and this is exactly where I was hoping they'd take it. Plus, it's got a legitimate story that's actually really good.
Like I said, I'm not too far so this is subject to change, but as of now, I'm very pleased with what I'm seeing.
[reply][view replies (0)]
| External Links... |
| Friends... |
What next gen games have I missed out on?Posted: March 14, 2010 (08:08 PM)
User: genj |
|
Now that FF13 is out it's nearly time for the next great JRPG Posted: March 14, 2010 (12:35 PM)
User: genj |
|
Console Fanboyism Is Stupid, Vol. 18,735 Posted: March 12, 2010 (10:28 PM)
User: Suskie |
|
Initial impressions of FF13 Posted: March 09, 2010 (12:02 PM)
User: genj |
A video that simply must be seen, a writing updatePosted: March 08, 2010 (11:58 PM)
User: honestgamer |
| My Forum Activity... |
|
Recent Game Ratings... |
|
I currently have no game ratings available. |
|
2005-2010 HonestGamers |
|
