Backloggery
Bought in 2012: -31
Beat in 2012: +37
Current Score: 6
Beaten:
Currently Playing:
- Halo: Reach
- Dishonored $
- Halo 4 and AC3 soon!
- Portal 2
Backlog Priorities:
- Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time $
- BIT.TRIP RUNNER
- Metal Gear $
- Metal Gear 2 $
- Metal Gear Solid $
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater $
- Super Meat Boy
- Sly 3: Honor Amont Thieves +
Impressions:
Resistance 2 (3.5/5) - It was okay, but it wasn't the first game, and just didn't grab me. I could leave it at that and given how long ago it came out I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about. The visuals don't look good, with varying levels of texture around the environment that make certain pieces look like they are out of place or not fully loaded. The guns felt the same as the first which was a plus with some additions I believe (haven't played the first one since it came out. The gunplay was just as good as the first as well and I enjoyed how the style of combat is really defined by the guns. I know this is a stupid point but I really appreciated the option of a flashlight on the weapons as it accomplished two things: First it makes going through the dark places doable so I'm not squinting or adjusting brightness settings to get through the section, and second, it gives a horror feel to the game. The enemies felt more or less the same; the big guys were frustrating but what I would want in it. The story was really what fell short. I liked the first one and found it compelling, but Resistance 2 just did nothing for me. I flat out did not care what happened, and for those who have played to the end you can tell insomniac wanted the player to care about this character you've been through the shit with and I couldn't. Perhaps others were able to engage more with this one but for me it just didn't work and I don't foresee myself ever recommending this one. Here's to 3 being better!
Little Big Planet Vita (4.5/5) - This is the exact game that the Vita was meant for. Every game I have played so far on the Vita has failed to take advantage of the system either by using its elaborate controls awkwardly or not using them at all. I'm glad in the cases were they don't throw them in there because I'd prefer it not be forced. The point here is that the usage of touch and tilt felt integrated into the game in a way resonated with the physics of the game. It felt as though what you did on the outside had a 1:1 relationship with what happened on the inside. So Vita aspect aside, onto the game. I played the first one about 3 years back and enjoyed it enough but the series really has come along way going on this one alone. Platforming was fun and unique and due to the different theme of every level it really never felt repetitive. The music was good and fit well with the gameplay. The characters were funnier than I expected; I would not go so far as to call them hilarious, but it was certainly written in a witty manner. The story was kind of interesting but was not really the driving factor for LBPV. Visuals. Wow. LBP looks great on the vita. The best part is that I haven't gotten into the community/creation stuff yet so it should get even better fairly once I mess around with that aspect. If you have a Vita this is the game you have been waiting for to make the console really stand out as an impressive piece of tech.
The Walking Dead: Episode One (3.5/5) - The Walking Dead was a different style of game than I had in mind. I don't know if this is the right way to frame it but the 3d point and click adventure style is intriguing and frustrating at the same time. Movement throughout the environment feels a little clunky and the frequent freezes don't really help. The pointer being mapped to the stick that uses the finger that also clicks the buttons to make choices doesn't feel quite right and took some getting used to. The second aspect that initially pops is the art style; I like it, and mainly because it is different. It doesn't look like any other game and along with a seemingly unique gameplay mechanic The Walking Dead really stands out. The story was definitely the driving force in this game; however, I didn't really find it great. I thought that while the storyline is well written it wasn't overly exciting. Maybe I'll have a different perspective on this once I've played the other parts of the story as episode one may just be the character development. I'm going to play episode two as a tester to see if I want to keep going as I don't know if one was enough to base that decision on.
The Walking Dead: Episode Two (4/5) - Well as I've already stated my impressions on the game in general I'll keep this one focused on the story. I really thought this one was a huge improvement over the first. Each seen felt like there was tension and action driving the decisions and it never really felt like you were just doing "stuff" for the sake of having something be part of the story. I think this was the push I needed to jump on the bandwagon and start playing this episodic series. One point that I did not touch on previously was the decisions. I really like how you are given decisions that can radically change what comes next. It is quite ambitions on tell tales part and something I hope they can pull through on. I know Giant Bomb discussed how they expected the decisions to be diamond shaped if plotted along a time axis which definitely makes me curious as to how much the story could change. Given what else is on my plate right now I don't think I'll go for a second play through on these games but I definitely feel the urge to play through the rest of the episodes.
Dyad (3.5/5) - This was a weird one for me. I liked the concept, I liked the crazy visuals/colors, I liked the smooth controls, I like well done music, but I got bored of it. If I look at it as modules I think that this game is great; when I pick it up initially it is, but then that fades. For the record I played it in small pieces, a couple of levels one day, and couple the next, a big break and then the same thing. It is exciting for a short period of time but then the novelty starts to ware off and I'm left with a game that felt boring. I really appreciated what it was trying to do and I thought some of the levels were a lot of fun but then there were ones that weren't that great and I didn't want to play them. From my understanding the creator used the "campaign" (if you want to call it that) as the tutorial and then the real fun came out of the trophy levels. Perhaps I'm not that good and that is why I felt this way but the couple that I tried were frustrating and I did not feel compelled to grind through them. I liked it as a novelty and the last level was really reallly cool, but I can't say that I want to go back to it.
Dishonored (5/5) - Unbelievably well made. What this game was able to achieve is absolutely incredible. Going in I was expecting to be a stealthy character with some cool powers and some freedom but still fairly restricted. What I got instead was a small amount of tools that allowed me to do anything I wanted. I figured the blink power (teleportation) would be confined to certain areas and have a mapped feel to it; I was however, wrong. You want to get up that building? *blink*, *blink*, *blink*, your there. Doing what you want to do in a game has never been this easy in my experience. This was exemplified by the characters jumping. You direct your character to scale a wall, he scales a wall; you direct him to jump then grab something and pull himself up, he does exactly that. These aren't scripted sequences either, you actually find yourself running at something, pressing jump and tapping the climb button right as you are approaching the ledge. The combination of jumping and blinking made the generously large open-hubs so much fun to explore. It became a game of what are the limits, and let me tell you, there are very little.
The story is an incredibly compelling one and the characters draw you in. An important point is that the individual interactions aren't all that memorable but the way they all connect is. The level of cohesiveness in this game is astounding. Everything feels like it is interlaced and while the individual interactions don't feel like a whole lot, they contribute to the bigger picture. The bigger picture is what I'm talking about when I say the story is compelling and it is what will keep you wanting more and wanting to see what happens next.
Your character, Corvo, is incredibly well equipped to take on the world with a few weapons and upgrades for them as well as some special weapons. I didn't feel the need to use half of the weapons which was inherent of my gameplay style but the fact that I had options is appreciated.
While I'd rank other features of the game over this as being a high point the art direction is a pillar that this game really stands on. The oil painting art style mixed with the steam-punk era feel works so well to convey the feeling of tragedy, amazement and beauty all throughout. Although I have only had one play through I will certainly be having more in the near future. The experience as a whole combined with the notion that my second time through could be entirely different than the first is beyond tempting. Bravo to Arkane for such a well made game that offers an amazing concept and a cohesive world.
Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception (5/5) - Naughty Dog does it again, which I suppose was to be expected after the last two. I really had no idea how much better looking uncharted could get and couldn't believe it when I first saw it. The colors really stand out in these games but never in an over saturated way, but in a way that the colors compliment each other in such a way that they just pop. I didn't get a chance to play around with the 3D which I'm regretting and will probably go back for down the road. The gameplay while pretty much the same as the second added a couple of features that gave it fresh feel (i.e. throwing grenades, fighting big guys). I was slightly bothered by the use of yellow to point out practically everything you could jump on, and like Golden Abyss I thought it detracted from the realism of it. Minor point though and the climbing and scavenging were as fun as always. The story was really strong as well and I liked how instead of the relationship with a girl being the inter-team conflict it was focused around the bond between Sully and Drake. The back story behind the two also made for an interesting plot point and getting some insight into your character of 4 games and his buddy was a nice piece of fan service. I find it interesting how fun these games are and yet they still hold a fairly serious tone. It is just an exciting adventure that fails to disappoint on delivering what it's predecessors have.
Resistance 3 (4.5/5) - After having played Resistance 2 and using the jump between 1 and 2 to gauge the quality of three, I can only say that three was highly unexpected. As always the graphics were the first thing that I was judging and I was fairly impressed by the leap over R2. Textures were better, I can't say the lighting changed a whole lot, but from design standpoint things looked rich in detail and not clunky like R2. I don't intend to bash Resistance 2 as it wasn't a terrible game, but after it being a let-down I am entirely impressed by how much I enjoyed Resistance 3. A lot of the gameplay seemed to have been revised including the health and weapons systems. Instead of regenerative health I was given health packs that made me conscientious of running out into fire and not just run, gun, hide repeat. From a weapons standpoint, having a wheel along with a selection of every gun you've gotten to this point was fantastic. I get that for some people it is brings along a loss of immersion but for me it was a matter of utility and being able to fully enjoy the game how I wanted it to play it without the restrictions of having done a level "right" to be prepared. In addition to having access to a larger load-out weapon-leveling was introduced which brought along some cool rewards for finding a couple of guns you were good at and learning how to wreck enemies with them. The story was the next big point that seemed to separate itself from R2. Where Resistance 2 was a continuation of Fall of Man and a boring one at that, Resistance 3 tied back into the story yet introduced the element of a new character and persona that you take on. Instead of a "I'm going to save the world because I'm a soldier" attitude, I got the feeling that my character had a reason to push forward and move and I didn't feel like I was pushing on just because. I can't quite describe the difference between the two in words but simply put I could have cared less about Resistances 2's plot line and I felt sucked into the Resistance 3. I recall Resistance: Fall of Man having an award winning sound track and after feeling the thrill of moving through dimly lit area in 3 and realizing it was the music that was driving that emotion I realized how much the soundtrack could contribute to a Resistance game. All of that praise aside, there were several times were the audio was off for multiple minutes were only my gun was making a delayed sound and environment noises would only kick in during those times. I'm glad I set aside my doubts after Resistance 2 because I would have missed out on a truly great title.
$ - indicates game was purchased in 2012
+ - inidicated game was a PS+ freebie or was free in some other form, no points are awarded to these titles for completion or ownership.
Notes: So I realized that *I* never actually beat Halo: Reach so I'm going back and playing through it now. With AC:3 coming out tuesday I don't know if I'll be able to finish it before Halo 4 Comes out.