Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
|
|
5:12 am - Serious Sam HD SUPERMERCIAL
|
|
|
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
|
|
3:48 am - Quick L4D2 thoughts
|
Andrew pre-order the game for me as a birthday present since we've played a lot of the original. We've only gone through the first three campaigns (Dead Centre, Dark Carnival and Swamp Fever) but here are my first impressions:
It's better than L4D1. While I loved, and still do love, L4D it's clear that with it's long and awkward development history what we were given in the original was a fantastic idea that had been pared down until it worked and was fun. It had the excellent Valve-polish that made the art fantastic, the level design was great and the atmosphere worked so it didn't feel like it was "missing" anything as such.
Still, the key word to describe L4D2's improvements is 'variety' because, without replacing things, Valve have added a lot more depth to the same basic elements. There are now many new weapons that add different attack choices, levels are now much more ambitiously designed and spend more time open and less time in corridors, adrenaline and defibrillators offer more choice to how to heal and prolong your lives and the uncommon-common infected add a little extra panic to each level. There are now many more ways to approach the levels and their encounters, and many more viable strategies.
The levels also deserve a special mention right now. The game having an "arc" of locations which have a cohesive tone is a massive improvement, it feels more like a real world now than it did in the original. Thanks to this singular setting the art design and atmosphere are vastly improved as there is a strong vision for the artists and designers to follow. The levels themselves are much more varied, rather than obstacles always being a position-defence there are now gauntlets to run, items to scavenge and miniature obstacles like the fire in hotel on the first level of Dead Centre. The levels are more interactive, more alive and more immersive than they could be in the original game.
The only thing that is, at the moment, not quite up to L4D1s quality is the character roster. Don't get me wrong, I think they're good but I've not had any time to get attached to them. This is partly because the cast of the original were painted as quite broad archetypes, they were familiar kinds of character which fit the 'Movie' presentation and made them easy to love quickly. The new cast have elements of basic characters stereotypes but they're much more muted and subtle. The two that are the easiest to enjoy are Ellis and Coach who are the more obvious people, Nick's personality is growing on me but at the moment I've no major desire to play him and finally Rochelle has basically just stayed quiet and not made much of an impression. This is something that'll take time to evaluate correctly.
So far, a fantastic game. I'm happy to give the new characters a chance but I would LOVE for Valve to make DLC that put the old cast into the new settings and gave them all dialogue for it, I would even pay to have it. I'd love to hear what new things Francis would hate and see Bill go through the swamps. Hell if Valve wanted to really go for it they could have slightly "remixed" versions of the levels that suggest that they're coming after the new gang have been through. It's not often I'd consider being a cosmetic piece of DLC, but this would be amazing.
edit: These are my quick thoughts? Fucking hell Uni is turning me into a vastly more interesting version of Nick.
|
|
(6 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Friday, November 20th, 2009
|
|
3:31 pm
|
DJ Hero has the best soundtrack to any music game ever. Seriously. DDR, Beatmania, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Amplitude, none of them are even half as good.
I don't have the game, but I do have the music.
|
|
(35 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
|
|
10:00 pm - Machinarium
|
Was goddamn fantastic from start to finish, really amazing game. Brilliant artwork, great puzzles, amazing soundtrack and a great atmosphere. Thanks Jammy!
Along with Ben There, Dan That! and Time Gentlemen Please this year is great for adventures.
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
|
|
4:17 pm
|
hmm... I am again considering selling my Wii. Now that No More Heroes is moving off to greener pastures there are only three games that are making me keep it:
1)Super Mario Galaxy
2)Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition
3)Epic Mickey (and the quality here is unproven)
Think I might just sell the thing and grab one in a few years when I want to replay these (and the HD Wii is out and the standard def model becomes cheap as chips).
EDIT: Other issue is that the TV I have has only one side's speaker working and it makes horrible buzzing noises at random anyway.
|
|
(14 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
|
|
11:35 pm - Why Godfrey Ho is important to the world of cinema
|
|
|
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
|
|
6:14 pm
|
The Mac vs PC argument is so brutally idiotic that it hurts me that people still blather on with it.
Macs do one thing, PCs do another OH BOY! Each system has essentially the same amount of dumb crap to piss you off, just in different areas.
|
|
(13 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
|
|
1:44 am
|
|
Prediction: Reviews for Modern Warfare 2 will prove that games reviews are near-universally shit.
|
|
(5 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
|
|
11:25 pm - Dragon Age Review worth reading:
|
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/dragon-age-origins-review
I've linked this in the Dragon Age thread on FO but if my past experience is anything to by many people will just skip it because it's not IGN or Gamespot.
This review is exactly what I expect people to say once 'new game' excitement has worn off. It's considered and metered, it feels like the review let the game sink in before writing. I think it's likely the most honest portrayal of the game that we'll see.
|
|
(4 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
|
|
1:15 am - My Last-Minute Cheap Costume Idea
|
|
|
Monday, October 26th, 2009
|
|
10:16 pm - QUICK UK PEOPLE, SWITCH TO SKY3
|
It's a film called "Mask of the Ninja" and it stars Casper Van Dien as a cop fighting against mysterious ninjas who want to get a biological weapon!
EDIT: NINJAS IN PAINTBALL MASKS
EDIT: Buzzard you would LOVE this shit.
|
|
(3 comments | comment on this)
|
|
|
8:12 pm - Another reason to love spongebob
|
|
I've just watched the episode "Ugh" in which there is an amazing 2001: A Space Odyssey parody that kids would laugh at, but not understand, and works for adults amazingly. It even parodies the bizarre score elements.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
Sunday, October 25th, 2009
|
|
4:20 pm
|
Couldn't give less of a shit about CoD:MW2. I'm much more of a single-player or local-multiplayer gamer, I do enjoy TF2 and L4D but I never play with random people, I can't be arsed with all the stupidity and bullshit that surrounds a good 95% of multiplayer games. Since every single preview of MW2 has basically said "blah blah Single player but WE know you're only interested in multiplayer! Here's a load of shit on that." it's not drawing me in.
I miss the old days of deathmatch at times. Having no reliance on a team of people you don't know, just blasting the shit out of people for fun and, in the days before voice chat, not having to listen to people say "GOD DO THINGS MY WAY, I'M AN AMAZING PLAYER." This is why I like Quake Live.
My favourite multiplayer experiences have all been local games in the end:
1)Bomberman (especially Bomberman Generation on the GC because of dodge battle mode)
2)Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure
3)Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
4)Streets of Rage 2
5)Toy Commander
6)Chu Chu Rocket
7)Amplitude
8)NBA Jam
9)Far Cry Instincts (yes, it's a crap game, but the insane map editor meant we had a great time)
10)Timesplitters 2
11)RAMPART
That's just a selection, but it seems I always enjoy that more than having to deal with dickheads online.
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Saturday, October 24th, 2009
|
|
9:49 pm - Safety Last!
|
|
Even though no-one came to film I loved it anyway. It was the 1923 Harold Lloyd silent comedy and it is still as funny and awesome today as it ever was.
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
|
|
3:08 pm
|
|
|
|
2:17 am - Watchmen
|
|
|
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
|
|
12:07 am - Danse Macabre
|
|
Saint-Saens Danse Macabre is definitely one of the best pieces of music ever written. The switch in tone just after the 3-minute mark is absolutely astounding ever time I hear it.
|
|
(7 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Friday, October 16th, 2009
|
|
2:03 pm - CHARITY GAMING
|
|
|
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
|
|
11:17 pm - oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!
|
|
|
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
|
|
2:08 pm - Keeping my Wii to play Epic Mickey
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
powerstreak's journal