Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Gaming

Ah, the period leading up to Christmas is an enjoyable one for gamer's to say the least, and this year has been phenomenal. Infact, it's been SUCH a good period this year, that's it's actually become the WORST time to be a gamer, since it's next to impossible to afford all of what's out ><. Anyway, thankfully, due to my brother working at a rental store, I've had the privilege of playing all the new releases so far (for the 360) plus the few that I've purchased. Here's a few that have really struck a chord with me ^^.

Mirror's Edge



This is truly a new experience in gaming and deserves every award going for innovation and design. The feeling you get jumping between buildings and being chased by the police is exhilarating from start to finish. The music plays a big part in what makes the game so special, and I'm fallen completely in love with Still Alive by Lisa Miskovsky. Truly an excellent song that belongs with this game. The graphics are some of the best I've seen on any console in recent memory, though a lot of their appreciation is down to whether or not you like the style of the game's design. Personally i find the combination of the white buildings/rooftops and the red "runner vision" items a really striking sight.

However, all is not perfect in Mirror's Edge, though i wish it was. Sadly the game clocks in at a measly 5-6 hours play time on the story, and that was on normal mode (i normally play casual/easy on rentals so i can see as much of the game as possible) which is the highest difficulty straight out of the box. I also believe the length of the game hampered the story. Though it built up well from the start and was quite intriguing throughout, it was completely let down with the ending. I was hoping for something spectacular, but alas i was left with the same disappointment that plagued the end of Bioshock. It was an abrupt ending and one that didn't do the rest of the game justice. My only other complaint is that missing some of the jumps can get irritating after the 4th or 5th attempt, but the game is just so enjoyable that i didn't struggle at all to find the motivation to try again.



Aside from the story mode, there's speed runs and time trials available to play. I haven't spent much time on these yet as generally stuff like that doesn't interest me, but I'm planning to try them out tomorrow for the sole reason that the gameplay is so amazing.


Gears of War 2



Now this was worth waiting for, Gears 2 is most certainly "bigger, better and more bad ass" than the first. Returning to the role of Marcus Fenix was always going to be fun, but Epic outdid themselves imo. Gears 2 has built on the story from the first game, and as such the whole thing seems to have progressed naturally. It doesn't have the problem that some sequels suffer from where they struggle to continue the original story, resulting in over the top additions that just don't work properly in the game's context. You really get the feeling that in the time between Gears 1 and 2 , the fighting hasn't stopped, the COG soldiers are still in constant battle, and when you start up the game, you're pretty much right back in the saddle.

The character's and voice actors of Delta Squad really make this game something else, they raise it above your average shooter or action game. There's a Gears movie in the works, but i honestly don't think it's required. The story, voice acting and action of the game are easily on par with anything Hollywood could produce, and this really does result in you caring for the characters. There's a really feeling of brotherhood between Marcus, Dom, Baird and Cole, they don't always take thing's completely seriously, but when thing's kick off, you couldn't ask for a better group of guys covering your back.



A lot is said about the gore content of the Gears series, and although i am of the belief that some games really don't need the gore they put in (Fallout 3 - over the top and silly, but not exactly necessary) but with Gears i really feel it's integral. This is meant to be war against one of the most vicious adversaries ever created in games/movies/literature, this isn't the sci-fi fare of Halo where there's one super soldier and laser beams going off all over the place. You get up close and personal with a locust... you're going to want that chainsaw bayonet. War isn't meant to be a pretty sight, though with graphics like these it's occasionally hard to NOT "ooh" and "aah" at your surroundings.

As with Mirror's Edge, there's a problem with the length of the story mode though, clocking in at 8-12 hours depending on difficulty/skill etc... but the multiplayer will keep you coming back for more... especially Horde!


The Last Remnant



I can't exactly review this as I have yet to play it lol. I put in a preorder for this game this morning and should be receiving it sometime mid-late next week. This was one of the game's highest up my list for the year. It's SquareEnix so i was sold on it straight away, but when SE announces that it could be the future of RPG's, you have to pay attention. Sure they could be wrong, but these guys know their stuff. The story reportedly takes around 60 hours to complete... so i can't see me complaining about length any time soon :D Here's hoping it's as good as i expect it to be!


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