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Before my mind gets completely sucked into the gaming onslaught of the 2009 holiday season and I forget about my recent experience the Oblivion Expansions, I wanted to share my impressions since I completed them this past weekend. I decided to go through The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition last week since it’s been sitting on my shelf and I told myself I wouldn’t play the Fallout 3 GotY edition until I got some enjoyment out of the Oblivion GotY edition, which contains the original Oblivion game with the two DLC packs: Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles.
Knights of the Nine was the first of the two major expansions released for Oblivion, and because it was released perhaps too early in the 360’s life cycle, Bethesda Softworks didn’t put any extra Achievements into this particular DLC. This expansion retails for 800 MS points ($10) online, and provides about 10 hours of extra gameplay through a major quest line that has you journeying around Oblivion’s world and assisting the knights with their quests. It’s not a bad expansion, but it pales in comparison to Shivering Isles due to the fact that it’s not only somewhat short, but it still takes place in the regular edition’s world.
Of the two expansion packs, I dove into the Shivering Isles expansion first, which may have been a slight mistake since I ultimately found Knights of the Nine to be less satisfying in comparison. Shivering Isles was the second of the two major expansions released for Oblivion, clocking in at 1600 MS Points ($20) online, with 250 extra Achievement points, and about a 20 hour major questline (along with several hours of minor subquests) in a different world as you step through what is basically a warpgate to the Shivering Isles. I enjoyed Shivering Isles a great deal because it was a living breathing world with new towns, characters, dungeons, and all sorts of landmarks. While the main questline was only 20 hours long, for completionists that are dead set on exploring everything the Shivering Isles have to offer, you’ll be clocking dozens more hours.
The two expansions come on a second disc included with the Oblivion GotY edition, so it’s actually possible to simply install the expansions onto your 360 hard drive and never need the disc again. (I believe the Fallout 3 GotY Edition second disc with the 5 expansions functions in a similar manner.) Also of note – you are able to access the expansions pretty much right away in the game. I created a new character for both the Shivering Isles expansion and the Knights of the Nine expansion.
So what can I say about these expansions? Certainly don’t buy them for $30 online today since the full game itself with the expansion retails for $30 in stores. And how can one really judge whether it’s worth spending more money for 20-30 more hours of questline content when the original game can last you dozens, or even hundreds of hours? In a way, I do like that the expansions provide you with a major questline to follow, as playing the regular Oblivion game and only following the major quest lines would have you finishing the game in about 50-60 hours. So the pricing is right. Definitely recommended, especially those of you that never got into Oblivion, but enjoyed Fallout 3. Oblivion holds up amazingly well today, and will continue to hold up as the highest rated RPG on the 360.
Many of you probably have seen this already, but if not it’s totally worth checking out. Purportedly this is the opening cinematic from Left 4 Dead 2, and it looks amazing. The first game’s cinematic actually told a lot about the gameplay in the game, something we only realized in retrospect. What does this cinematic have for us?
First, I think the setting looks great: the survivors are in the deep south near New Orleans (or in?) which is pretty awesome, and the music in this trailer does a nice job of setting the tone. In general, it seems like there is a chance that Valve might be expanding the storyline a little more – this time you could play Left 4 Dead without even knowing that the campaigns were linked, but the scene on the bridge where the government is bombing the zombies makes me hopeful there will be more of a storyline in this one.
Secondly, you get a look at some of the new special infected, such as the Jockey who can jump on the survivors and steer them around, and some freaky witch-like character. It also seems like there are going to be zombies with hazmat suits on, so I’m going to assume that molotovs aren’t going to work on them. You also get a look at some of the new melee weapons, such as the chainsaw, frying pan, and bat (there’s another video with the GameStop exclusive baseball bat out there as well).
There also seems to be the same campy humor that was present in the first game, and the survivors seem like they’re going to be as fun to play as the original cast. All in all, I’m getting pretty pumped for this game: my gaming time is going to be SERIOUSLY crunched in a few weeks. Looks like I know what I’ll be spending my $40 Amazon credit on!
So you picked up Borderlands and want to play with other people but don’t know where to start? Unlike other FPS games on the 360 with co-op, Borderlands requires you to pick a class type and sticking with it through to the end. Therefore, picking the one that best suits your playstyle is vital.
In many ways, Borderlands shares similarities to MMORPGs I’ve played in the past, and I will bring some of those tips here to those of you new to Borderlands with little experience playing MMORPGs. Look here for some tips on how to play nicely with strangers or even friends.
One caveat: I have yet to really get to the endgame for this, so many of my tips here are from my MMORPG experience as well as consolidating all of the relevant Borderlands information I found online. Some of it may apply and some may not, but this is what is going through my head as I prep for Borderlands with buddies.
I will defeat you this time…maybe.
At various times, espion4ge has chronicled various stages of his “leveling down.” Last night I made a leveling down type decision, as I decided not to go for the full 1000 points in Batman: Arkham Asylum. In addition, I decided not to pull the trigger on Borderlands, although I would have loved to play co-op with espion4ge. But I’ve decided that I’m going to devote my current playing time to trying out a new experience instead of the 15+ hours it would take me to get the last 230 GP in Arkham. Ah well…maybe in next year’s doldrums I’ll work on it. But anyway, as an attempt to be more “mature” and not waste any money on new games, I decided to revisit old titles that I never completed. Although I was tempted to try my $5 copy of Ninja Gaiden 2 and even removed it from the shrinkwrap, I ultimately settled on trying to finally finish a “classic”: Half Life 2 (on the Orange Box).
I’ve tried to play through Half Life 2 three times and never completed it. I’ve managed to get 2/3 of the way through, but I decided to start again from the beginning to get the full experience. After the first three chapters, I’m pretty impressed, especially considering the game is 5 years old. The great part about this game is it’s incredibly immersive. I never played Half Life and only know the story via Wikipedia, but even having not played the game, the opening sequence of Half Life 2 makes me feel I am thrust into a world full of oppression and pain. The voice acting is great, and even though Gordon Freeman never talks, everyone around him reacts to him which really makes me feel like I AM Gordon Freeman. Anyway, it’s all pretty neat, especially since the first two chapters start out kind of slowly and then ramp up into all sorts of craziness. Also, even though it’s a bit dated now, the physics and the use of gravity are really impressive.
As soon as I started this game (again) I can see why it’s considered a classic. Hopefully this time I can finally finish Half Life 2 (and Episodes 1 and 2). As of this writing that is my plan, but espion4ge just alerted me to a new deal at Amazon (buy over $80 worth of eligible games and get $40 credit). Curses…
In my last entry about Borderlands, I made the decision to cancel my pre-order due to the fact that the item management system in the game turned out to be terrible. However, the game did have aspects that I was interested in, and with Best Buy running a Buy 2 Get 1 free sale on all console games $59.99 or less, I bit. (For those wondering, my 3 games ended up being Borderlands, Fallout: GotY Edition, and Brutal Legend.)
Anyway, on to Borderlands. Barring the issues with the item system that made me cancel my pre-order in the first place (no trading window, a lack of unique developer designed items, no loot rules, etc.), the game is fantastic in every other aspect and definitely recommended. I came to terms with accepting that I would play this game more for the action/RPG experience, and not to be a lootwhore. After all, people have already figured out a way to easily dupe items on the 360 version, so no real sense in coveting gear because it can all be shared anyway. My new goal in the game is to reach 50 with each of the 4 classes, but with Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 on the horizon, reaching 50 with one class is probably more practical.
So what is Borderlands and why am I really digging it? The main reason I’m enjoying it is because it combines aspects of several top tier games. When I first started playing it I thought to myself, “Wow, Borderlands is like the current generation’s Phantasy Star Online.” Phantasy Star Online was an addictive online action-RPG that was released originally on the Dreamcast, but also found success on the Gamecube and Xbox due to its online play. People had to pay monthly fees to play it, but you joined up with several other players online and went through dungeons and quests together killing enemies to level up and find cool loot.
Borderlands preserves the most enjoyable aspects of Phantasy Star Online: the social aspect of the game – allowing for up to four players to play together with enemy difficulty scaling and better treasures dropping. At the same time, Borderlands implements a well-designed quest system that is not unlike soloing in World of Warcraft or practically any online MMORPG these days. I for one loved to solo in World of Warcraft, doing quest chain after quest chain since you were always rewarded with loot and experience. Borderlands implements the quest chain system superbly as well, and I can’t help but reminisce about WoW questing when I play Borderlands.
Tying the package together is the sound FPS system of the game. Surprisingly, the FPS mechanics in the game work very well. Fallout 3’s FPS mechanics were kind of hokey, but Borderlands is very intuitive because not only are there understandable statistics on weapons like accuracy and kickback on a weapon, but the control system is basically the Call of Duty 4 system. Fans of Call of Duty 4 will be right at home in playing this game and aiming for headshots. It can very much be played as a FPS game so it should appeal to action gamers as well.
For those of you that have yet to experience such addictive online RPG games such as World of Warcraft and Phantasy Star Online, surely you must have experienced the addictive nature of Call of Duty 4’s leveling up and challenges. Borderlands is like that (it has its own set of challenges that provide extra exp) but now throw in 4-player online co-op and tons of new weapons to find and share and you have a game that you can play with friends for many, many hours.
In summary, I can forgive Borderlands’ poor item system because all the other aspects of the game are just so well done and enjoyable. I even forgot to mention the amount of humor present in the game, as it doesn’t quite take itself so seriously and makes the game even more amiable. I recommend the game to anyone that was a fan of any of the action-RPG games that I’ve mentioned above, or even FPS fans that want to play a game where the emphasis is on co-op and not adversarial. Pick it up today for yourself and 2 friends, with Best Buy running the Buy 2 Get 1 free sale and let me know if you want to play co-op. I’m soloing for now, but would love to find some people to play it with – after all, I’m going to have to since people don’t really share loot in public games…
While Bayonetta was pushed back to release in 2010 for us Americans, Sega is still releasing Bayonetta in Japan next week. Consequently, a demo was released last week on the Japanese marketplace and I ended up acquiring it through the same means as I did with the Resident Evil 5 demo that was originally only released in Japan.
For those that don’t know what Bayonetta is, it’s the next big “classic” Japanese action-adventure game from the director behind Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe, and Okami. I say classic because in this day and age, games in general are really not as difficult or challenging as classic Japanese action-adventure games that we grew up on (see practically every game on the original NES). In fact, the only ones I can think of today that have the ability to be challenging yet enjoyable are the Ninja Gaiden series and the Devil May Cry series. And as a fan of both series, Bayonetta is definitely on my radar.
In a way, it helps that I’ve been replaying Devil May Cry 4 recently, because I’m seeing many similarities and influences that Devil May Cry 4 has on Bayonetta. The game engine seems to be the same, the combat style and mechanisms appear to be very similar, and the scantily clad outfit Trish was sporting in DMC4 was taken to the next level for Bayonetta’s outfit. And strangely again, Bayonetta follows the Devil May Cry series in having you play the role of something demonic and going up against evil “angelic” forces.
The 360 demo consists of a tutorial and two different levels. What’s also kind of neat is during the loading screens, you can practice the various different combos that Bayonetta has. The first demo level (exclusive in the 360 version of the demo and not present on the PS3 version) consists of Bayonetta fighting angelic enemies on a large chunk of land matter or broken building (I forgot which) as it slides very quickly down a slope and basically enters free-fall. The background moves faster and faster as you find everything around you falling while you pummel all of the enemies. It was definitely crazy and I was initially overwhelmed by how fast and relentless everything was.
The second demo level is a lot more traditional as it takes place on ground and you can move from section to section, breaking objects for money, defeating pockets of enemies, and eventually taking on bigger boss-like enemies. Here I was able to try out moves and get a better feel for what Bayonetta’s core gameplay is all about. The game seems to have something similar to Devil May Cry 4’s grading mechanics as well, since you’re graded on how you perform in each section of a level.
Famitsu, the primary Japanese video game magazine, recently gave Bayonetta on the 360 a perfect score, which surprised me a great deal. It’s still somewhat of a derivative game, as it borrows many concepts from Devil May Cry 4 so I was surprised that it could land a perfect score. The best way I can describe the demo is that it feels like the Devil May Cry games, but is much more over the top: explosions everywhere, enemies circling around you, items dropping and disappearing, Bayonetta performing all sorts of crazy moves like huge boots or fists knocking enemies out, guns shooting from her shoes, slowing down time by dodging enemy attacks, and finishing moves like a guillotine chopping enemies’ heads off, etc. I couldn’t even take it all in the first time I played through the demo because there was just too much going on. After I played through it a second time though, things clicked and now I’m just enjoying it as opposed to wondering what the heck is happening.
One new feature that I forgot to mention that also goes over the top in Bayonetta is nudity. With a large amount of her body wrapped in her own hair, when she performs a lengthy combo, the finishing move will generally require more hair. Thus, more hair leaves her skin and in a way, the player is almost “rewarded” with quick shots of skin when the player is able to perform more advanced moves. I don’t have any complaints about that, although we’ll see if my wife says anything when she sees me playing this game. The game is definitely not for kids. While it has classic game design, it’s super violent and shows a lot of skin. Sounds like my type of game!
The Joker is an awesome foe, and is used to great effect in this game
I don’t always write about games espion4ge has already reviewed, but I’m enjoying Arkham Asylum so much I had to sing its praises. A couple things up front: I do read comics in passing, though mostly Marvel stuff, but I definitely prefer Batman to anything else DC has. Secondly, I basically agree with the things espion4ge wasn’t cool on: it’s kind of annoying to run through the majority of the game in Detective Mode, the boss battles are weak sauce, and I guess the adventuring isn’t that great, though I never enjoyed games like Tomb Raider so I don’t have much to compare it to.
But yes, in a sentence, I love this game. Here are some of the reasons why:
1. You never are doing the same thing for too long. As the game moves along, you keep switching between hand to hand combat, stealth missions, “detective” missions, etc. Not only that, there are also certain sections where you have to play a certain way, whether you are sneaking around in the sewers trying not to disturb something or trying to navigate your way up a large structure without using your grappling hook. The game does a great job of mixing things up and the different gameplay styles mesh together very well.
2. Combat evolves from button mashing to surprisingly deep gameplay. Once you get used to the combat system it gets crazy, and it becomes extremely elegant and fun. As you move from enemy to enemy, stunning them, throwing your batarang, pounding them when they are on the ground, it is incredibly satisfying. I love it, and it makes use of every single face button (and one of the triggers) incredibly efficiently.
3. I also find the Riddler challenges really fun to figure out. For some reason, I’m really enjoying running around the different areas finding all the medals and solving the riddles (which I didn’t even figure out how to do until I was well into the game). I usually hate collect-a-thons, but in this game I am really enjoying it. Go figure.
4. The combat and predator challenges (outside of the main storyline) are also tons of fun. They take real skill to master (skill I don’t have yet) and are really enjoyable takes on in-game battles. I really love the predator challenges because I feel like Batman does stealth right: you aren’t invincible and you HAVE to be stealthy. In MGS4 and Splinter Cell I always felt like I could overpower my enemies, but in Batman I know I have to stay in the shadows or else I’m done.
5. Finally, what I love most about this game is that it feels so cinematic. It’s like I’m watching a Batman movie, but I’m getting to play it. I am really enjoying the story, the premise of the game is great, and everything about the presentation is top notch. Part of it is the fact that the gameplay keeps changing, each section feels fresh (I think I’m past halfway through) and has a different feel to it.
What can I say, I love the game! Pick it up if you have a chance, if you’re a fan of 3rd person games you probably will like what you find. If you’re a fan of Batman – you’ll love it.
One of my friends asked me last night if I was going to trade in Halo 3: ODST now that I had the 1000 in it. He was saying it gets something like $35, which is pretty good considering we ended up getting it for around that (or even less) when it first came out. In the past, I used to trade in practically any game I got all the Achievements I wanted in and moved onto the next game in my queue.
Over just this past year alone, I’ve started winding down on my gaming tendencies (yes, it’s hard to believe but I’m less hardcore today than I was years ago), and actually started missing games I had gotten rid of. So I started rebuying games that I knew I would want to replay again at some point, just for fun. Looking at my 360 collection today, I’ve realized that more than half of the games I currently own I’ve sold and reacquired.
Nowadays, I’ve decided that no matter how good of a deal it is to trade in/sell a game that I enjoyed, I won’t get rid of it since the amount of work it takes to reaquire the game just doesn’t make up for the nice little “deal” I got when I sold it. What majorly sucks is that several of the games I end up wanting to reacquire turn into Platinum Hits titles, and I hate that design. Therefore, I’m forced to scour used game bins or find people online to buy from that can get me non-platinum hits versions that are not all scratched like crazy. I feel like I’m in some sort of game rebuying netherworld where I’m paying for my mistakes. I owned these games in mint condition and now I’m spending time trying to track these same games down that will no way be in as good condition as when I owned them. Why couldn’t I just have been happy with my original copies and not sell them in the first place?
Currently, I’ve been spending the last few weeks trying to rebuy the following games:
Mass Effect – I actually want to replay through this before playing the sequel coming out early next year, but the tough part is of course finding a non-platinum hits version in great condition.
Assassin’s Creed – Like Mass Effect, I do want to play this game again before the sequel releases next month but have to find a non-platinum hits version in great condition.
Fable 2 – Platinum hits was announced to be released in January, so I still have time to reacquire this game and I know I will want to play through it again before Fable 3 releases.
The Orange Box – I actually have cravings from time to time to play Team Fortress 2, and while I own it on the PC, people on the PC are too hardcore (clans and whatnot) so I just want to play it casually with my 360 controller. Plus, I figure I will want to play Portal again from time to time.
Once I successfully repick up these titles, I’ll only have a few left to go. Good thing I didn’t sell Halo Wars since I do have cravings to play that game too. In any case, that’s my simple warning to you – if you feel like at some point you may want to replay a game (just because it was amazing, you’ll miss it, or a future sequel gets you to want to replay its predecessor, etc.), consider holding onto it. I want to spare you this ordeal that I’m going through today…
Firefight may seem daunting at first – especially the achievements that require you to get 200,000 points on every map. The first time I played Firefight with some friends, we ended up with only 60,000 points and 200K seemed impossible. Yet two weeks later, I realize that getting 200K on each map can be relatively straightforward, provided you go in with a gameplan and follow some basic strategies. I decided to put together a short guide, first with general strategies and then map specific tips. I’ve also included a strategy for getting the Vidmaster: Endure achievement. These tips are by no means exhaustive, but should give you a head start on conquering Firefight! Since this is a relatively long post for our blog, you can find everything after the jump.
Now that the PS3 Slim is retailing for $300, more and more promotions and deals seem to bring the PS3 closer and closer to $200. So while I passed at $300, now that it may be possible to get it in the near future for $200, would I jump in then?
Here I have friends that wouldn’t be surprised at all if I got a PS3, as many of them know how much of a gamer I am. But then there’s my wife who would probably kill me if I got a PS3 since she’s expecting me to wind down on my gaming in general as I get older. At this age in life, money isn’t the problem – it’s time. I simply don’t have time to play all the games on both the 360 and PS3 and that was the conclusion I reached when the PS3 slim debuted.
But with it dropping closer to $200, now I’m looking at it from a different angle: no longer a gaming system, but simply a media player. With practically all my media digital these days, the most attractive thing about the PS3 for me right now is that it’s a media streamer and it has wi-fi. Granted, I am using my current 360s for media streaming, but I feel that buying a 3rd 360 is a little too much (even if it could be the Modern Warfare 2 model!). Perhaps a PS3 fits the bill to give me a little more variety – especially if the cost is comparabile to a 360 Arcade. Ideally, I’d want a 360 or PS3 hooked up to every TV in the house, just for media streaming purposes off my server (yes, I’m a geek). In fact, I may not even buy a PS3 game at all once I own a PS3 and simply use it for media streaming and the occasional Blu-ray.
Considering a DVD player with Divx and USB 2.0 support already runs close to $100, for a little more than double that I can get network media streaming, wi-fi, Blu-ray, and the option to play PS3 games. At $200 it seems like it’s a no-brainer. So yes, as hardcore a 360 gamer I am, for $200, I may just buy the PS3 – but interestingly enough, not to play games. Anyone else thinking about jumping in if you can pick one up for $200?
Leveling Down 
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