Monday, November 25, 2013
8:55 AM
Geometry Wars 2 is one of Xbox Live's best offerings.
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| Geometry Wars Evolved 2 is action packed and crazy. |
So what's it about?
Geometry Wars Evolved 2 is the sequel to the game that really jump-started the Xbox Live Arcade when it first launched. There is no story. Like many classic games, Geometry Wars is all about topping high scores and reaching the top of the leaderboards.
How's it play?
Geometry Wars Evolved 2 is a twin-stick shooter. One stick moves you, the other stick fires projectiles in different directions. While you're moving and firing, you must attempt to avoid enemies that are floating around the "arena" and enemies that are chasing you. The action ramps up quickly and often gets incredibly hectic. At times, there's so much going on on-screen that it is hard to tell where you are, but that adds to the feeling of chaos. Check out how crazy the game gets in the video below:
Geometry Wars Evolved 2 throws in new game modes that keep it from getting stale. Pacifism, for example, takes away your ability to shoot, forcing you to avoid enemies until your certain destruction. Waves, demonstrated in the video above, throws lines of enemies at you and escalates quickly.
Why should I play it?
Geometry Wars Evolved 2 is a game that you can just pick up and play any time. If you have a compulsion to continually top yourself, this game will push you to do so.
How much is it?
Grab Geometry Wars Evolved 2 for $9.99 on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
7:05 AM
PC gamers should definitely download and install Valve's Steam service. Steam offers all of the big games, plus many that aren't found on consoles. And of course, constant deals means that you can grab a lot of great games for cheap. Red Dead Redemption (Game of the Year edition) just went on sale for $15 dollars, and it isn't uncommon to see markdowns of up to 75% off!
6:47 AM
The game that revitalized the Resident Evil series.
So what's it about?
Resident Evil 4 detaches itself from the established story arc of the first three games in the series and finds Leon S. Kennedy attempting to locate the president's daughter in Spain. Leon arrives at a rural village, but things soon turn sour, and he finds himself dealing with a religious cult and the monsters it has created.
How's it play?
Resident Evil 4 ditches the mechanics of the past games in the series and opts for a semi-controllable over-the-shoulder camera. This provides a more intimate shooting experience, and has been mimicked by games like Gears of War. Enemies have multiple hit-points, so shots need to be planned out and taken effectively. Is someone holding a stick of dynamite? Shoot their arm and make them drop it. Is someone running at you? Shoot them in the leg and make them drop to the ground. It all adds up to a more dynamic and realistic feeling game.
You will be paired with Ashley, the president's daughter, for much of the game. Luckily, she isn't completely idiotic like most AI controlled partners and is smart enough to stay out of the way while you fight. In one sequence, during a cabin siege, the game tosses her in a dresser during the battle. The cabin siege, by the way, is one of the best parts of the game. See the video below for a walk-through of it, complete with cheesy dialog the series is known for.
During the lengthy campaign, you will take part in a number of memorable encounters, be scared more than once, and just have a great time.
Why should I play it?
Resident Evil 4 is, hands down, one of my favorite games. It throws you right into the action, and you are immediately fighting for your life in an unfamiliar territory. The boss battles are interesting and fun because they constantly bring new ideas into play. The mechanics feel good, and the game is plenty scary too. On one occasion I shut the game off and just walked away for a little bit. Check out this enemy called the regenerator. I hate them and their stupid breathing, especially when you're in a dark room and you can't see them.
How much is it?
You can catch Resident Evil 4 on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network for $20.
Labels: Grab that Game
Thursday, November 21, 2013
10:31 AM
So the PlayStation 4 just launched and the Xbox One is mere hours away from release. You may be able to grab some of the current (and soon to be past) generation games for cheap.
For those of you fortunate enough to be playing the PS4, check out RESOGUN, a downloadable game for the PlayStation Network. From what I hear, it is one of the better launch titles, and is only $14.99 to boot. For more information on this game, check out the Giant Bomb review here: http://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/resogun-review/1900-604/
Thursday, September 26, 2013
2:05 PM
King Boo all the way.
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| Is now a good time to express my disdain for Toad? |
So what's it about?
Mario Kart Wii picks up where its many predecessors left off and offers powered-up car racing for up to four people. You can choose from a number characters from the Mario universe, but don't talk to me if you pick anyone other than King Boo or Yoshi. Also don't talk to me if you don't like Rainbow Road. That's just sacrilege.
How's it play?
Mario Kart Wii is a Mario Kart game.
I almost ended my description there, but I'll add a little more. The game pulls in tracks from previous installments of the series. Some are welcome (DK's Jungle Parkway), but Bowser Castle 3 can go to hell.
There are new power-ups, a slew of unlockable tracks and drivers, and even online play.
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| If you're having a rough race, pray that you get the bullet...it's a loser's best friend. |
Why should I play it?
Mario Kart Wii is plain, simple fun. It's even more fun when played with a friend (or three). Honestly, the series is still just as competitive as it was the first time you played it, and thanks to the power-ups, every race is down to the wire.
How much is it?
Mario Kart Wii can be purchased on eBay for as low as $22.
Labels: Grab that Game
1:33 PM
Sometimes you've just got to live a little. In honor of those occasions when you live by the mentality that "money is no issue," I've decided to start a new section on the blog: Take my Money. It will be a rare thing, but sometimes you just have to get the latest and greatest game, regardless of price.
The first game to bless this new section? None other than Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox 360). Like you didn't see that one coming...
From what I've played of GTA V, I can say that it is the most technically sound Grand Theft Auto to date. The world is huge, the shooting and driving feels good, and the missions are diverse and fun to play. As expected, the series maintains its incredible presentation and story.
I can't think of a better game to blow a bunch of cash on right now. GTA V will offer you hours and hours of nonsense and fun.
Labels: Take my Money
1:02 PM
Bioshock thrusts you into a dystopia that you will want to revisit again and again.
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| Bioshock's atmosphere is eerie and oppressive, but it's the most realized game world you'll ever step in to. |
So what's it about?
1960. Your plan crashes over the mid-Atlantic. Spotting a lighthouse, you swim to safety. Inside is a bathysphere, waiting for another journey down to the ocean. You step in, not knowing where it's going to take you. As you descend into the depths, you are greeted by Rapture, a sprawling, man-made underwater city. As you step out onto the bathysphere platform, you quickly see that everything is disheveled, and the only ones there to greet you are those who want to use and kill you.
If you are at all interested in this game, you should watch this. Hell, even if you've played the game, watch this. This opening is gripping and sets the tone for the game perfectly.
How's it play?
The first thing to that needs to be addressed is the city of Rapture itself. This is a living world, even if it tells the story of death and decay. Rapture is actively rotting away, a result of neglect and the pressure of operating many fathoms under the sea. The 1950s/1960s tone is captured with what was clearly great care, all the way down to the music that is played throughout the world.
The thing about Rapture is that it's creepy. Creepy as hell. The enemies are frightening and can sneak up on you when you least expect it. And there's just something about the world that is horribly oppressive. You can see that Rapture was once a happy, even elegant place that is now devoid of any joy or potential.
The story is, I do believe, one of the best of any game out there. Essentially, an entrepreneur built an underwater city where "the artist would not fear the censor, where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality, where the great would not be constrained by the small." Clearly, this didn't work out. I won't speak of the twists and turns that make up the narrative, but I was left with my mouth agape and head spinning quite often. Fleshing out the story even more is the tape recordings that are scattered throughout Rapture that document the life of the city.
Bioshock is a first-person shooter that focuses on dual-wield combat. In one hand, you have a traditional weapon (handgun, shotgun, crossbow), but in the other, you wield plasmids. You can think of these as enhancements to a person's DNA that allows them to shoot electricity or fire out of their hand. Combining these two types of weapons keeps the combat interesting and varied.
You'll often find yourself up against splicers- the junkies of Rapture. Occasionally, you'll find yourself going toe-to-toe with a Big Daddy- a towering, hulking behemoth who will squash you if you aren't ready to fight. Big Daddies will keep to themselves, but if you attack one or the "Little Sisters" it protects (little children that have been genetically mutated), it will become belligerent.
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| An angry Big Daddy and his Little Sister. |
Simply, the combat feels good, and combining it with exploration elements make Bioshock incredibly fun.
Why should I play it?
Bioshock may very well be the best game I can recommend to someone. Having played through it a number of times, I can speak to its quality. The story is incredible; hell, I remember using a quote from one of the game's character's to answer an exam question in high school. The world is crafted in such a way that you'll want to keep coming back. And the combat is unique and interesting throughout. What more is there to say?
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| One of the philosophies that Rapture was built on. |
How much is it?
Pick Bioshock up for $14.99 at your local GameStop. Don't miss out on this gem.
Labels: Grab that Game
Monday, September 23, 2013
8:42 PM
Cookie Clicker is perhaps the most absurd and addictive game ever.
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| Just accept this game for what it is. |
So what's it about?
Cookie Clicker makes no sense what so ever. The entire premise revolves around baking the most cookies possible.
Millions, billions, trillions of cookies...
And then somewhere along the line the universe turns to cookies and the grandmas you've employed to bake your cookies become mutants and revolt against you. I don't know.
How's it play?
Cookie Clicker is almost stupidly simple. Naturally, you start off with no cookies. You must click the giant floating cookie to make cookies. Eventually you click the cookie enough times to buy upgrades that click for you, have grandmas bake cookies, and more, culminating in time machines that bring you cookies from the future.
That's the entire game. You wait for the number of cookies you have to reach an amount that allows you to buy a new upgrade, which increases the rate at which you produce cookies, enabling you to buy more upgrades.
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| Rolling in the dough. As your cookies per second number increases, so does your ability to buy new upgrades. |
Cookie Clicker does a couple of smart things. It scales the cost of upgrades as your cookie per second count increases, making it so that you can't just buy a billion upgrades at once, which would no doubt shorten the life of the game. It also has a small story to it, told through fictional headlines that change as you get more cookies. At first, everyone loves your cookies. But as you produce more and more cookies, things start to get hectic. Those grandmas get angry...
Why should I play it?
Cookie Clicker is meant to be a simple time waster. Once you start playing, you can just leave it open in a tab and check it from time to time. Be warned, though; you will get caught up in the desire for new upgrades just to inflate your imaginary cookie wealth. This is an addiction that can last from three to four days.
You could argue that cookie clicker is an overly ridiculous meta-commentary on the faults of capitalism. Yeah, you could argue that. After all, you exploit your workers for your own gain, and eventually they revolt.
In reality though, it's just fun. Dumb and fun.
How much is it?
Labels: Grab that Game
10:11 AM
Halloween is slowly approaching, so it's time to break out the horror games.
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That guy scared the hell out of me when I was 7.
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So what's it about?
In this survival horror game, the player takes control of both Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, two individuals whose paths intersect in the middle of a virus outbreak that leaves a city in disarray and a population shambling about as undead shells of their former selves. You'll fight everything from zombies to dogs to biological experiments gone wrong as you attempt to escape the city before the government firebombs it.
How's it play?
As one of the games that helped to carve out the modern survival horror genre, Resident Evil 2 plays exactly as you'd imagine: it's slowly paced, the atmosphere is overbearing, and it's scary as hell. Ammo is scarce and enemies are plentiful, and you quickly learn that conserving your bullets is of the utmost importance.
Often, you'll simply be forced to just run away from whatever threat stands in your path. Running renders the player powerless, and these tend to be some of the most horrifying moments in the game. The creators recognized this, explicitly adding a section where you play as a small girl without any weapons; the only thing you can do is run and hide. The feeling of such intense vulnerability creates terribly tense situations.
Resident Evil 2 employs a unique, if inhibiting, fixed-frame camera, creating situations where you can hear an enemy, but not see them. Don't they say it's the things you can't see that are the scariest?
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The unique fixed-camera means that enemies are often out of site when they begin to come after you.
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The main game-play element is puzzle solving. Between firing off shots to control a crowd of zombies and running from rabid dogs, you'll be tasked with finding crank shafts to open valves, keys to unlock doors, and...gems that make statues spit out artifacts like first aid spray. Yes, this game has its quirky moments, but that's what makes it so enjoyable. Whether it was intentional or not, Resident Evil's campy dialogue and often silly puzzles help to alleviate all of that tension that is built up as the player progresses.
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It's often the unintentional disconnect between the onscreen mayhem and the exploratory dialogue that eases the tensions built into the game.
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Why should I play it?
If you like anything and everything horror, you will adore this game.
Playing Resident Evil 2 brings me back to a time when I could stay up with my older brothers, aunt, and uncle, shrieking and laughing. It's a bonding experience, reminiscent of simple summer nights and too many cans of Coke, that transcends being "just a game."
You might not have such an intimate experience with it, but you'll surely enjoy yourself. Fifteen years old, and this is still the perfect game to get you into the Halloween spirit.
How much is it?
You can land a copy of Resident Evil 2 for PlayStation 1 for as low as $2.50 on eBay. Really, is there any excuse not to get it?
Labels: Grab that Game
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