It happens every weekend. A flood of e-mails proclaiming the great 'Mega Monday' sale on Zavvi. There is normally a bargain to be had but a few weeks ago I loosened the purse strings for a 2 for €30 deal.
First up was El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron. I'd heard talk of this on various podcasts and some forums praising its uniqueness. The videos look interesting, particularly the art style that changes throughout the game. I though it would be a good addition to expand the collection
The other game was Infamous 2. I'm not sure why I hadn't bought this before. Perhaps I was waiting on the price to drop. I enjoyed the first one, playing it to completion. I'm sure I will enjoy this one too. The first game left the story at an intriguing point so I want to see how it goes.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
There was a lot of anticipation for this game prior to release but I was not paying much attention. I never played the previous games in the series and attention always seemed to be focused on the story and the universe of the game. I didn't think I would be able to jump in at this late stage.
I should have known better because Human Revolution is a prequel. No need to know the story thus far. And besides at the time there was nothing else coming out and I wanted something new to play.
From the first few moments with the game I knew this was something special. The music on the title screen is beautiful. In fact most of the soundtrack is excellent. I loved the aesthetic of the world and the story had me right from the start.
I also really appreciated the fact that you could ignore the stealthy approach and go in guns blazing. I mixed it up a bit during my play through but I did favor the more direct approach. My only gripe with this game is the ending. It should have been something epic but it is rather subdued and underwhelming.
That aside I am tempted to say this was the best game of 2011.
I should have known better because Human Revolution is a prequel. No need to know the story thus far. And besides at the time there was nothing else coming out and I wanted something new to play.
From the first few moments with the game I knew this was something special. The music on the title screen is beautiful. In fact most of the soundtrack is excellent. I loved the aesthetic of the world and the story had me right from the start.
I also really appreciated the fact that you could ignore the stealthy approach and go in guns blazing. I mixed it up a bit during my play through but I did favor the more direct approach. My only gripe with this game is the ending. It should have been something epic but it is rather subdued and underwhelming.
That aside I am tempted to say this was the best game of 2011.
Dark Souls. Or how I met my match.
I never played the Demons Souls of which Dark Souls is the spiritual successor. That type of RPG never really appealed to me but I kept hearing talk about how amazing, challenging and rewarding the game was. I felt as though I was missing out on one of the great communal gaming experiences that don't come along that often.
So when I saw that the Dark Souls Special Edition could be pre-ordered on Amazon for less than the standard edition of most games I put my money down. The special edition is pretty cool considering the low cost and the game isn't bad too. In fact, I really liked the game for a short time. Right from the very beginning I found the going tough but fair. Mostly. Every time that I died I could see that next time I could do better and I would start over again and again. And again.
I managed steady progress for the first 15 hours or so. I got stuck on a couple of early bosses for quite some time but I always knew that I would beat them, I'd just have to prepare better each time. At one point I found an area where I could gain huge amounts of experience and leveled up significantly. It didn't help though. Soon after I was stuck. No matter which path I took, they all led to an enemy I could not defeat. More importantly, I did not see a way in which I could defeat them. I lost the will to continue to try. Dark Souls had beaten me.
It certainly isn't a game for everyone and I am not one of the people that the game was aimed at. I am glad though that I gave it a shot. I know what the experience was like and it was nice to have something different.
So when I saw that the Dark Souls Special Edition could be pre-ordered on Amazon for less than the standard edition of most games I put my money down. The special edition is pretty cool considering the low cost and the game isn't bad too. In fact, I really liked the game for a short time. Right from the very beginning I found the going tough but fair. Mostly. Every time that I died I could see that next time I could do better and I would start over again and again. And again.
I managed steady progress for the first 15 hours or so. I got stuck on a couple of early bosses for quite some time but I always knew that I would beat them, I'd just have to prepare better each time. At one point I found an area where I could gain huge amounts of experience and leveled up significantly. It didn't help though. Soon after I was stuck. No matter which path I took, they all led to an enemy I could not defeat. More importantly, I did not see a way in which I could defeat them. I lost the will to continue to try. Dark Souls had beaten me.
It certainly isn't a game for everyone and I am not one of the people that the game was aimed at. I am glad though that I gave it a shot. I know what the experience was like and it was nice to have something different.
Call of Duty: Black Ops
This Call of Duty has a special place in my collection that elevates it above the other titles in the series that I own. It remains to this day the only one that I have finished the single player campaign.
That is a big deal, for me anyway. Normally I will jump straight into multiplayer and stay with that until I'm bored by the game. I will normally check out the campaign but I've never made it past the second chapter before. I think what made this one different was the approach that Treyarch made to the game. The story in this one was less about war but had an element of mystery and science fiction. It also owes a debt to elements of Lost too.
I enjoyed my time with the game and I'm sure I'll pick up the sequel later this year. The multiplayer was good too but I would say I spent less time in it than I did on other titles like MW3.
That is a big deal, for me anyway. Normally I will jump straight into multiplayer and stay with that until I'm bored by the game. I will normally check out the campaign but I've never made it past the second chapter before. I think what made this one different was the approach that Treyarch made to the game. The story in this one was less about war but had an element of mystery and science fiction. It also owes a debt to elements of Lost too.
I enjoyed my time with the game and I'm sure I'll pick up the sequel later this year. The multiplayer was good too but I would say I spent less time in it than I did on other titles like MW3.
Bioshock 2
Bioshock 2 still sits on my shelf unopened after nearly two years I would guess. I have not played the first game in the series and was not really interested in Bioshock 2 either. But I remember that quite soon after it's release the price on the game plummeted.
I'm ended up picking the game up for about €3 on one of Gamestops Madness sales. I do wish they would bring back those offers.
I'm ended up picking the game up for about €3 on one of Gamestops Madness sales. I do wish they would bring back those offers.
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
A quick entry here for my Gamepedia project.
I acquired this game through my association with the ExiledGamers.com website, that sadly is no more. I was reviewing games for the site at the time and this is one of the games that I received as compensation. There was no review needed for it and I never actually did get around to playing it.
In fact, I barely consider it as part of my collection as I do not have a proper case or manual for it.
I acquired this game through my association with the ExiledGamers.com website, that sadly is no more. I was reviewing games for the site at the time and this is one of the games that I received as compensation. There was no review needed for it and I never actually did get around to playing it.
In fact, I barely consider it as part of my collection as I do not have a proper case or manual for it.
Batman: Arkham City
Unlike the first game in the series I was onboard with Arkham City from day one. I was really looking forward to this game after enjoying Arkham Asylum so much and on the whole this game didn't disappoint.
The combat is still as satisfying as ever and the characterisations are all excellent yet again. The move to a more open-world environment was a good choice too because it gives you the freedom to traverse a large play area as Batman. And being Batman, he has some cool ways to get about. The game is bursting with new characters, villains, puzzles and side quests. In fact when you first start the game the amount of content vying for your attention is a little overwhelming. Plus the sheer number of Riddler puzzles is off putting too.
I felt that the story was a little lacking and towards the end it became a bit muddled. For me the ending was a bit anti-climatic too. I feel it is still a great game but not quite as good as it's predecessor. That could mainly be because the first game was such a surprise and felt so original.
I should also mention that this game gives you the opportunity to play as Catwoman and those sequences are fun and the character plays a lot differently. Thankfully these sequences are short because playing as Batman is still the number one draw.
The combat is still as satisfying as ever and the characterisations are all excellent yet again. The move to a more open-world environment was a good choice too because it gives you the freedom to traverse a large play area as Batman. And being Batman, he has some cool ways to get about. The game is bursting with new characters, villains, puzzles and side quests. In fact when you first start the game the amount of content vying for your attention is a little overwhelming. Plus the sheer number of Riddler puzzles is off putting too.
I felt that the story was a little lacking and towards the end it became a bit muddled. For me the ending was a bit anti-climatic too. I feel it is still a great game but not quite as good as it's predecessor. That could mainly be because the first game was such a surprise and felt so original.
I should also mention that this game gives you the opportunity to play as Catwoman and those sequences are fun and the character plays a lot differently. Thankfully these sequences are short because playing as Batman is still the number one draw.
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