On Digital Distribution

After E3 2009 I took some time and thought about the future of video gaming. Not so much about the games, because right now I’d just like to watch from a distance this casual market that is slowly polluting the current video game market. I focused more on the consoles themselves and the medium on which games will be delivered in the supposed future. I remain tormented about my indecisive nature about the given matter. Yet, allow me to elaborate on it.

The supposed future is digital distribution, and only digital distribution as a form of media. Future consoles such as OnLive are silent horsemen of the apocalypse that announce such a major shift, but Apple has been doing it pretty well in the past with iTunes and similar applications and services from other companies that deal with digital media. To be honest, even for a young fellow like myself, such a rapid development in technology has been spectacular and slightly frustrating to watch. It was as if yesterday I spent 4 hours searching through our families collection of VHS tapes or manically using up six or seven floppy discs in order to copy a simple DOS program. I remain somewhat old fashioned by still calling DVD discs as CDs, simply because of the same shape, yet I haven’t purchased an empty CD to burn stuff on in over two years. And now there are small hints of getting physical forms of media completely out of the way, relying solely on a digitalized form of storage and delivery.

Once I started noticing that they could really start using this form of distribution through known console networks, such as XBL and PSN, I immediately started disliking the entire idea. My reasons are rather subjective on the matter, but that matters, because I firmly know that I’m not the only one with such a point of view. One of the most obvious reason is the simple gesture of receiving your purchased game and adding it to your collection of video games. I found myself as an avid collector of video games, and I’m not really that into it, that I’m going to buy the entire Playstation 2’s library or strive on buying only collectors editions of games, but I like the feel of actually physically touching a game case and placing it into my existing library. It is a somewhat primitive gesture of displaying little trophies that are the games that you’ve collected, proudly displaying them and watching your library grow. The fact that it’s physically viewable adds to the magic. Looking at a list of downloaded list of PSN games however does not give you that feeling. It’s just a list, and lists don’t necessary impress, ‘ya know.

Another reason, which may be completely subjective is the means of getting this future digital distribution. I myself am not fortunate enough to be located in a highly developed and known European country, or wait, screw that. I myself am not fortunate enough to be located in the bloody United States, where this digital distribution is being developed and handed out. More specifically, I am referring to the means of purchasing this magical future form of distribution. Credit cards and similar don’t really like the fact that there is an ocean between our continents and having two PSN accounts doesn’t help as well. Even the one I use for gaming doesn’t list my correct native country, simply because my country doesn’t have the Playstation Store support. Crazy, huh? Not all is magically handed out to you, and simple frustrations like this occur on a daily basis. But that’s not the point, the point is that therecould potentially be a large barrier of actually buying products from the web and not, because of cultural financial differences.

Yet I find myself selfish on the given matter. I discovered this when I noticed that I preferred buying certain PSP games from the Playstation Store, rather than looking them up on eBay or in our local electronics shop. Adding the fact that the price of the glorious US dollar is incredibly cheap to our euro, I liked the idea of having all of my games on my PSP’s memory card and avoiding disc swapping. Once I discovered my obvious hypocrisy influenced by simple practicality, I found myself baffled with what I really desire. If you look at it from a purely logical and objective viewpoint, digital distribution is one of the most ingenious things ever thought up and it really is the future. Yet companies like Sony obviously understand the situation as well and when the PSP Go! was announced, they decided to keep the 3000 series in production along side with the newer model, that solely supports digital distribution. A financial move that may cost them and bite them in the ass alter on, but at least they’re trying to shift the video game industry in this direction as well.

In the end, it’s more or less obvious that in the future we will have a console with over 600 GB of storage, and have all our games installed on it, and every other form of media, such as music and movies. And that this also poses a question for the publishers, which could potentially break down the market, so it’s actually slightly scary to think about it. A key question that appears is how fast the transition will be made and how painful will it be. Will Microsoft or Sony completely ditch disc based distribution in one move or will they gradually allow dual support and similar. I mean, you have to accept the fact that we’ve been using physical media since stone tablets were introduced or in the modern world, something simple as VHS tapes were used, yet they’ve been completely destroyed by digital media. I’m not really thinking about Nintendo in this situation, because they’re rather traditional in this sense, which I respect. Still using cartridges for the N64 was a bold move, but that doesn’t mean that Nintendo doesn’t know how to nudge the future (motion control).

Time and experiences will tell and this is a cautious tale to be observed in the distant or near future. When they’ll announce implementation of digital media into our brains, that’s when the digital crap will really hit the fan. Other than that, I’ve got some other topics to dwell upon and since it’s the slow season in video gaming right now, I’ll most likely use up the time for writing more and playing some older titles. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go on some Persona 3/JRPG rehab, like playing manly man games and listening to manly songs and walking around the house with my shirt off. Basically anything to shift my attention from the spectacle that was my forever dearest Persona 3.

Persona!

Surf’s Up! Seriously

Criterion recently released Big Surf Island, an amazing piece of downloadable content, that really shows how DLC should be handled. And when I speak of how DLC should not be handled, I’m talking about DLC being announced before the actual game is released, which has happened with a few titles, but I won’t go into detail. All I have to say is, that Criterion knows how to please their Burnout community. The game is still very active online and numerous amazing smaller chunks of DLC was rolled before as well.

Basically, Big Surf Island is an entirely new chunk of land that is positioned as an island, right from the main area of Paradise City. The bridge on which you crossover already slightly hints of the madness you’ll experience there. You’ll find more billboards, more gates to smash and new versions of Super Jumps, called Mega Jumps. And that’s a pretty accurate description. You’ll find yourself jumping through a lighthouse or across an entire bridge. There are added cars as well, two buggies and a handful of other cars, like certain toy versions of already released Legendary Cars. But that’s not what makes Big Surf Island so fun. By connecting all of these small features into a whole, you find yourself in a fast-paced, almost out of control mad cruise all around the island, which would seem to last forever.

You eventually find yourself in a flow, where you drive continuously through all around the island, and only a crash brakes that flow. But now worries, the usual crashes are caused by misplaced jumps and similar whilst driving on dirt terrain and steep hill roads. Because the overall island is structured differently and more wildly than Paradise City, the gameplay is more exciting. There are around 15 added events, two of which are completely new and actually very exciting and useful. Island Tour, and as the name suggests, the game takes you on a tour around the island, with a given time limit. It’s actually very useful, because you already see an even bigger glimpse of the content and secrets you can search for. The overall time you spend unlocking and reaching full 100% of your new Island license is about 5 – 6 hours. Because of the smaller scale of the island, you’ll also have a better sense in control of finding out the various routes on how to smash billboards and etc., which also gives you motivation on actually completing everything.

Overall, the added experience is fantastic. How Criterion deals with DLC for a game that has been released well over a year ago is really marvelous and I’m glad to see that there is more interest with Criterion in DLC for Burnout Paradise, rather than working on a sequel. Because the game itself offers an amazing and lengthful experience that everyone with a small need for a digital adrenalin fix should check out. I originally wanted to talk about the future of digital distribution, but this should serve enough as an intro. The paradox is, that I don’t really have a positive opinion in overall digital distribution.

Barbarians & Electricity

I’ve been playing a lot of inFamous. So much, that I didn’t have the time to write about it on sogeek. If you’ve read the reviews or even know someone that owns a PS3, then you know it’s an excellent and well polished game. The only weird negative comment I have on the game is the fact that you can’t walk. And by walking, I mean literally walk. You can either run or sprint. In most open world games I enjoy walking, since it’s a personal thing of immersion. Also, it’s cool to just slowly walk on top of rooftops and observe your super heroic environment.

A game like Prototype (PC) on the other hand, does contain walking. But it’s a completely different game from inFamous. I honestly didn’t know about the game’s existence, until a few weeks ago, when I started noticing random forum topics, where morons decided to duke out, whether Prototype or inFamous was a better game. What I saw from the videos and numerous trailers was interesting, so I decided to pick it up. I was query whether me playing inFamous before would have any impact on playing Prototype and it sure hell did. In simple terms, the overall gameplay and feel of inFamous is very polished and gentleman-like, where Prototype’s is mad and barbaric.

Which is a good thing, if you’re in that kind of a blood shedding mood. For me it was extremely difficult to switch to a blood lust superhuman, since in inFamous I had adapted to playing an anti-hero, one who is troubled yet ready to help out with his amazing and focused superpowers. You really have to abandon any kind of good emotions while playing Prototype. The game is violent, fast paced and keen to destroying a New York City taxi, by just touching it. I also had slight issues fulling capturing and controlling the immense power that Alex wields, but I got the hang of it. The mayhem that you can cause in the city reminds me of the early days when we first played titles like GTA 3 and GTA: San Andreas. How the game will actually turn out after I beat it, is a story to its own.

I’ve always been fascinated why characters like Alex and Wolverine were pissed off after discovering they had superpowers. And the rage that was followed afterwards. If I woke up in a morgue and discovered I could leap over buildings and morph into anyone I’d like to, I’d make a master plan on getting something I wanted really bad and played it out cool. It’ll be interesting to see what exactly happened to Alex, although I have to admit, that the story presentation is rather awkward, but it’s sufficient. This is also a minor reason why I haven’t really gotten into doing story missions yet and ignoring them by causing mayhem in NYC.

Both games are have it’s own thing. Whilst I wouldn’t really call Prototype a superhero game, it really is awesome to see that designers are finally getting the hang of making superb superhero themed games. Summer is kicking off in a real nice fashion. Also, you can clearly see from my added screen shots, that in Prototype I have a passion for abducting people, hanging them over roofs and later on absorbing their identity. It somehow makes me feel like the T-1000 from T2: Judgement Day.

How Valve Is Going To Ruin L4D

Please, take the title of my post as a joke, since this is the third post in a row, where I’m going to speculate on Valve’s game design moves. I still place them as highly skilled game developers, but I can’t resist on commenting on some of their moves that seem highly… un-Valve-ish. At E3 they shockingly announced Left 4 Dead 2, which makes the title of this post obsolete, because I’m going to talk about L4D2.

Let me remind you, that it hasn’t even been a full year since Valve released the first L4D game and it usually takes approximately 20 – 30 years for Valve to make a really good game. So it was most likely shocking for everyone that owns L4D to find out that a sequel would be released this fall, neglecting the promised downloadable content for the original game. After watching an interview with one of the developers, their statement why this isn’t just DLC, like it should be is, that they had all new crazy ideas pouring in and they couldn’t just make it DLC.

Apparently they made so many changes and added so many additions to the formula on the drawing board, they realized that this should rather be a sequel. Now, I believe them, because I firmly believe that with Valve money is not something to motivate them that much. Considering all their services with Steam, the DLC for Team Fortress 2 and all the care they take when they make games, they really aren’t making this a sequel just to get some more green. Which makes me wonder, how much are they going to price L4D2? A full 60$/60€ price tag? Maybe L4D2 actually is DLC and there will be a chance for L4D owners to get it for free or for a lower cost? Most likely… not. But it would be cool if it was just one huge 1GB DLC pack.

To be fair, the future content they described was not all that special. More weapons, melee weapons, 5 scenarios – proudly presented as already being functional in Versus mode, something that L4D should have already had, and a new game mode, which they haven’t announced yet. To be fair, I really hope that the game is going to be superbly awesome even more than L4D was. Although, this places the passionate owners of L4D in a tricky position, since L4D itself is already an amazing game. And the fact that some sort of an invisible ticker appeared, that slowly counts towards the release of L4D2, does make it very uncomfortable for the owners. I know, I feel some sort of pressure to play the hell out of L4D myself.

What irritates me is the fact that I most likely haven’t played the half-hell out of that game just yet. I still have some achievements to unlock and I have to spend some more good quality time with it. Sadly, my summer vacation is in the way and TF2 as well. Which is why this post is filled with some Engineer screenshots of madness, which I captured last night while playing on 2Fort. It was rather spontaneous, but suddenly we noticed that we had 3 sentries in front of our spawn. One thing led to another and there were 8 – 10 Engineers. After a nasty Demoman destroyed our initial love nest, we moved down to the Intel room and set up our base there. In the end, we all got into a circle and danced a ritual dedicated to our sentries, like some savages. It was magnificent.

In the end… All your base are belong to us.

How Valve Fixed TF2

After a week of playing Team Fortress 2, diligently and patiently waiting for a random message appearing that would notify me of gaining a new weapon, which I never really deserved, because it’s all done random, I never got anything. As I gained most of the new achievements for the Spy and Sniper, I came to the point where I wasn’t able to get any more, because I didn’t have the necessary weapons at my disposal. My discomfort vanished today, as numerous messages appeared in one specific moment, as I joined a random server.

I was filled with joy and rejoiced Valve once again. Pumped with adrenaline and anticipation of testing out my new weapons right away, I chose the Spy class and his new addition, the Cloak and Dagger. The thing is extremely useful and offers a deeper level of tactical espionage action. It introduces a more stalk-like gameplay, something which I will surely explore further on. Standing still and just observing your prey is something you’ll enjoy very much if you’re already fond of the Spy class. I haven’t tested out the other watch yet, but I think I’ll give it a go, since there’s an achievement connected to it.

And finally I had the chance to play with the Huntsman. The weapon is rather interesting. It indeed does place you in a more offensive role, making you try to pin down enemies on the front-lines with your deadly arrows that can even be ignited by the Pyros flamethrower. I’ve always been more of an aggressive sniper, always in front picking off oblivious players and those that posed a major threat to the entire team. I still have to really examine the Huntsman and the way it fires etc. so I think it’s a marvelous toy I can play as that can refresh my sniping experience. Of course there are some achievements connected to it and I’ll surely capitalize on that.

All I can say is that Valve has done its job again. Sure, everybody can screw up sometimes, but I think that Valve sort of patched its evil deeds. After quitting the game, I went and checked the update log, to see exactly how the new system was changed. I found this: “Added Sniper/Spy milestone achievements as an additional way players can get the new unlockables”. So the random weapon gaining system is there and I’m completely fine with that, as long as there’s the old fashioned system with the achievements. Now I just wonder if there was an enough of a cry from the community that made Valve modify the unlock system or did they notice it themselves.

Even though there was a major discomfort with the new unlock system, the funny thing is that Valve made me play TF2 for over 25 hours this week. I give credit to Valve for that.

How Valve Ruined TF2

I am currently a furious man. Furious at my anger towards Valve, a game developer that I hold in a high position in my heart, alongside Ubisoft and a few more. Why I am I angry, I ask myself, well it’s pretty clear, is it not. It’s Team Fortress 2 we’re talking about, and the last major event that occurred was the release of the Sniper and Spy class updates, that included numerous new weapons, maps and achievements. Now, whilst I’m still be dazzled by the fact that Valve gives us these stuff for free, I cannot help myself at not being mad for the new unlock system they have developed.

Supposedly you get your weapons by chance. Completely random.  In the previous updates you gained new weapons by achieving Achievement Milestones, a pre-set number of achievements that you had to get in order to unlock a milestone. That is now gone. Although the official post on the TF2 Blog suggested that there is an actual system that calculates your skill behind the scenes, that tracks our progress in-game, I say that is a lie. Why? Well, for starters, I want the new Sniper weapons and based of my overall time playing as a Sniper (around 15 hours) I have only received the Razorback and the Jarate jar of piss. No Huntsman in sight. Fine, perhaps I’ll get it eventually. But wait, what’s this? I received a weapon for the Spy class, that clocks around 10 hours of my playtime. I got the damn thing while playing as a Sniper.

Alright, maybe I should spend some time playing as a Spy, since I’m pretty good at it and it’s always fun sneaking around. After two-three hours I receive a new weapon. I get the Scout’s new gun, which was featured in the previous update, which I didn’t care for, since I don’t like playing as a Scout. Valve, why did I receive the Scout’s new gun, when my overall Scout time is only a little over 1 hour? And why do I keep getting weapons for the Heavy class, when I already got all of them? I heard that there would be a trading system, but that’s complete idiocy. So instead of making a player work hard to get all the achievements, and with it, all the weapons, supposedly you’ll be able to get them right off the bat by trading with other players? Marvelous Valve!

The funny fact now is, that instead of the old servers that were designed for getting the achievements fast, we have now servers that you can connect to and stay idle the entire time, in order to get up your overall play time. To be honest, I have to congratulate the players for such ingenious ways of beating the system, but they also do damage. I myself will still play normally and get the last 10 achievements I have to get for the Sniper and Spy, but what good is the fact that I don’t have the necessary weapons to get the achievements. It’s all a mess to be honest, but I still love TF2 and Valve. Let’s hope for a better future with all of this.

On Godfather II

Godfather II The Video Games has been an interesting spectacle. I’m not implying that I finished the damn game, just that the game has been in amusing terms with me. I do hate it without a doubt, but there’s this sense that there could be so much more to this game if the developers followed my detailed instructions. Which would be delivered through a major 2GB large patch later on. It would save everybody from certain painstaking sequences numerously found throughout the entire game.

I’ve beaten roughly 1/3 of the game, but I don’t need much more gameplay to determine that the rest of the game is going to be identical to the first 1/3 with some actual Godfather II The Movie elements sprinkled on. Before I start dissecting the game, allow me to mention what I do like about the game. I like the expanded Don’s View, which is pretty cool. And the violence. This game makes the GTA series look like Fisher Price’s toy. Now, what would make this game better?

Right off the bat, it would make this game better, if it was never actually released. It would save my time from writing this and save any other gamers from the pain the game presents them. I mean really, the first Godfather game was somewhat solid, but still had a lot of repetitive elements. In the second game they expand that repetitiveness into three major cities. That’s wrong.

What would also be a magnificent change in the actual game play is any kind of mission diversity. The sandbox concept is expanded a little bit too much. Basically, your job is to take over businesses and in the end take over the main enemy family’s mansion. Sure, it’s fun to blow stuff up and shoot people, but I don’t really have the urge to do that for 10 hours. Even the main story missions have the same gimmick. Now, I understand that it’s a Godfather video game, and that’s what people in the mob do, trying to eradicate other families, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be so strictly placed out. The best example for this is Mafia. What would I give for a basic escort mission where some character development would be featured.

More lively environments. Even though you’re placed in three different locations, the places and joints you’re taking over seem bland and identical. With a pinch of no inspiration. Beside that, there are numerous glitches all over the locations, like cars getting  jammed under roads (I speak the truth). Maybe the developers should focus on a smaller scale locations and add more life to them. Taking over a business would take some serious preparation and examination of its weaknesses and similar. Sniping off the guards, learning about the owner. Not just barging in, shooting all the guards, beating up the owner and shazam, you own a brothel.

Control schemes, and everything about the clunky gameplay. If the developers condemn me on doing something over and over again, at least I want to do it smoothly. But now, we’re faced with strange camera angles, cheap dialogue cut-scenes, choppy controls and an odd responding AI. Controlling your main character should be more fluid, as well as the shooting. Why does it take over 20 bullets to mow down a guard? That’s not right. And even though the Don’s View is a cool feature, it’s too primitive. When I send one of my marked men to defend one of my businesses, I want a clear option for him to return to be back, and not spending my entire game time to find him in one of my safe houses or family headquarters, which can vary in different cities. If I can send him back to New York with a press of a button, then goddamn it, I want him to return to me with a press of a button. And upgrading my made men should be a little more explained and not so detailed. Cars should handle better as well.

Overall, Godfather II The Video Game is a very broken, awkward game, with some nice moments of violence and similar. The violence is obviously amusing enough for me to come back for more of it, but I think that it will eventually fade away and then I’ll uninstall the game. If you really want to play the game though, then play it in small chunks, with a 1 day period between them. Or even better, save up the money for Mafia II.

Touch It

About a year ago, I developed a desire for a hand-held gaming console. After a month of intense research and calculations, I decided to buy the miniature media powerhouse, the Sony Playstation Portable. I was filled with glee and I spent most of the remaining year gaining games for the system. It wasn’t until this January, when I noticed that my library of PSP games was rather slim. After doing some research of games on various game websites, I came across a list of popular Nintendo DS games. And man, did I find some games that I wanted.

I don’t really understand what went through my head a year ago, when I was deciding which hand-held to buy. My criteria now is much much more defined, but I believe that even now, I’d still buy the PSP. In the end, it’s all about the games, a department where the PSP is slightly shy at. That’s most likely one of the reasons that made me want a DS right off the bat. I believe there are over 600 titles or so for the DS. Anyway, when I saw the list of highly reviewed DS games, I decided to make a list. A list on which I wrote down the titles of DS games that I would like to purchase. If that number surpassed the number of PSP games I owned, I’d get a DS. It didn’t really surpass that current number, but when I reevaluated the games, I discovered that most of the games were really high classed ones with a lot of gameplay value and game time. Which somehow made them equal or even more worth than the number of PSP games I had. Adding the fact, that there was still a burning desire for games like Pokemon and Mario titles. Fine, I said. Let’s check out other factors. The pricing, which was adequate, since I was going for the DS Lite, because I don’t really see any point in adding 30€, just to get two cameras, when I have a high quality camera. The models was decided and then I had to check the actual supplies of games over my usual distributor, Ebay. I was not psyched, when I saw that most of the games weren’t shipped in original cases, you’d just get the cartridge. That problem was solved, by placing an illusion in front of myself, that as with my Gameboy Color games, no actual box was needed to keep them around. So these are the pros of the game system, what are the cons for me?

Maintenance. In my own personal way. I see maintenance in buying games for the damn thing. And this kind of maintenance costs money. Which as an 18 year old student, I do not have. I barely get through the usual purchase procedures of buying games for my PS3 and PSP, yet alone adding another gaming system. That’s one of the most crucial factors that I take into consideration. Next off is the touch screen gimmick. I really hate that thing. Sure, it introduces a new way of input, but I hate the fact, that I’d be forced to use that input with new versions of classic games. It’s the same with the Wii’s controller air-wanking. Also, I have bad experiences with a pocket-PC I once owned, so using that touch screen feels rather unpleasant for me. Today, when I was upstate trying out some DS games in person, toying around with the stylus just didn’t feel right. This is a very personal objection towards the system, but I take any discomfort into consideration. And while I was upstate, I checked out their local game store’s collection of DS games. When faced with literally a wall of DS games, my strong hunch was confirmed. Except for actual first-party developed games by Nintendo, the remaining 90% of the DS’ library contains games with pink covers and pony games. Not a bad thing, if you’re into that kind of stuff as a gamer, but it just doesn’t serve my personal taste. However, the 10% of those first-party games somehow even out everything, strangely. Other than that, I didn’t really find any bad issues about the DS, except the fact that they’re bloody everywhere.

If I had the money to support three  this-gen gaming consoles, I’d buy the DS. But, since I’m a rather average young adult in a wordl filled with brutal, hardcore capitalism, I chose not buy it. I didn’t end there though, I checked a calendar of upcoming games for both the PSP and DS, just to toy around a little bit more. Of course the DS had about 5000 more games scheduled, what caught my eyes were some upcoming PSP games. Games like Rockband Unplugged, Patapon 2,Resistance Retribution (the calendar was checked a while ago) and some not entirely official games, like Assassin’s Creed,  Little Big Planet and similar. So the actual line-up was in favor for the PSP, which I enjoyed a lot. Overall, I decided with myself that I really did a better purchase in 2008, for myself. I own a really impressive portable media machine, which I still think is underrated by most today, partially due to Nindend0’s outbreak of casual games for your everyday Joe. Why buy a PSP, when you can flick on the DS’s touch screen, like you most likely waggle with the Wii remote, right? But us hardcore Sony gamers know what we want. We want a portable console. And that’s what the PSP offers, with added bonuses. Well, if you’re a hardcore gamer and rich, you’ll most likely own a DS for Mario games and similar. I believe I reached a point, where I can really be completely happy and satisfied with the PSP. I’m thinking about buying an 8 GB memory stick and start saving up some money for future PSP titles. But overall, the burning desire for a Nintendo DS won’t really ever fade away. It’s like loving a married woman. Sort of.

My onslaught of PS2 games and ignoring PS3 games still continues, with Persona 3 FES still actively spinning in my PS2’s disc drive. As mentioned before, I was upstate in Austria today, but to my disappointment, I didn’t buy anything really tech-like. Only Silent Hill: Origins for the PSP. And now, I believe I’m going to go and clean up my PSP’s screen. Yes, so I shall.

Showing Some Love

I got the week off, which means my days will be split in half. In the first half I’ll be working with some side projects and preparing for some finishing sequences in May and June at work, and in the second half I’ll be gaming. Since I barely get the time to play anything during work week, you’d think that I would be rational about which games to play out in this tight schedule of vacation. Well, that’s right, I’m not being rational at all. Out of my PS3, PS2 and PSP, the Playstation 2 is the one that is getting the most love out of me.

Well, I could be playing and finishing Saints Row 2, Midnight Club: LA and DMC 4, but I choose not to. I devote my spare time to two games on the older console, Persona 3 and MGS3. And interesting combination, might I add. Persona 3 is already making itself a contender for my personal choice of game of the year for the PS2, even though it was released a few years ago. Since I’m mostly being retroactive with the PS2, I don’t really mind. What’s more surprising is the fact, that I really really despise RPG games, more accurately turn-based fighting ones. Persona 3 is not like that exactly, well at least not in my head. It’s more like playing a game that could be themed: Pokemon’s For Adults, not that adults can’t play Pokemon games, I know I yearn for a Nintendo DS in order to play some pocket monsters. How I exactly got in contact with Persona 3 is credited entirely by Giant Bomb, more specifically the feature that’s called Endurance Run, where there are daily episodes of two dudes playing Persona 4 and commenting on it. The entire presentation of that game, meaning the combination of a dating-sim with later on RPG elements in combat, make the game really enjoyable for me. Adding the fact that the Personas, the beings used in battles, resemble a Pokemon-like appearance and behavior. Sure, you don’t throw pokeballs, you just… shoot yourself in the head, in Persona 3, in order to summon them. I could really just go on and on how I enjoy the game and how it’s become an addiction of some sort. I already logged 15 hours on it, so I’m slightly feeling worried. And MGS3 is fine, just clunky with controls. The fact that I beat MGS4 is evident, when I long for MGS4’s sleek control scheme in MGs3.

Surprisingly for myself, as being a PC gamer as well, I had an actual urge to show some love to my PC. Since I bought a new pair of headphones that vibrate, about two days ago, I was inseparable from playing FPS games on the PC. Call of Duty 4, Left 4 Dead, hell, I even played some Godfather II in order to get the sound juices of awesomeness. Speaking of which, Godfather II is a very choppy and broken game. That’s at least how I perceive it. It feels exactly the same as the original Godfather game, only with the added Don’s View. Missions and the overall feel of the game’s repetitiveness can be sensed in the initial tutorial missions. Besides that, there are things that just don’t make the game feel right. The dialogue, the driving, the cheap cutscenes when you extort people, it’s just so average and like straight up junk. The only good thing about the game is the sense of power you have and the violence. There are a lot of cool violent moments in Godfather II, but not enough in order to save the game from being unistalled from my hard drive. It’s a shame though, because I sort of enjoyed the first Godfather game, even though it was repetitive. And I usually don’t mind games that have a certain degree of repetitiveness, like Assassin’s Creed, a game which I bestow high praise upon. Perhaps Godfather II is some sort of a disgusting appetizer before Mafia II arrives. That would make a lot of sense.

I’m going to Austria on this Wednesday. Items that will be on the menu of interest will be accessories and such, perhaps something for the PSP and some games. I most likely will not buy a Nintendo DS, a burning desire that I buried deep deep down in the darkest corners of my heart. I’ll speak about that place in the following days, I’m rather drowsy from playing Persona 3 the entire day. Also, I’m thinking about doing some changes to my blog, making it rather more professional and appealing.

Will see, must sleep.

The Fifth Evil

Resident Evil 5 arrived on the 26th of March. On the 12th of April I have beaten it. I feel complete. So complete. After hearing many negative nitpicks, I stand untouched by them. Sheva is a good mule and the inventory system was… passable.

After last year’s magnificent burst with Resident Evil 4 on my PS2 which featured one of my longest play sessions ever, approximately 10 months (I don’t know why the hell I was playing that game in such chunks), I was left with a high anticipation for Resident Evil 5. March 2009 came along and so did RE5. And after two weeks, the game is beaten. I’m not implying that I find RE5 a better game, since I’ve beaten it in a faster time, there have just been some matters in the past that prolonged the eventual finishing of RE4. Which I personally find more enjoyable as a whole. If I have to go to the straight facts, the main thing that I didn’t like in RE5 is Sheva. And I’m not talking about her AI mental capabilities, those didn’t bother me at all most of the time, I was bothered that someone was with me. In RE4 the main build up for its epic gameplay was the fact that you were alone in this Spanish village surrounded by unfamiliar and lethal hazards. When Chris Redfield arrives in Africa, it’s a sunny day and Sheva tags along right away. Sure, there are freaky African residents infected with a mutagenic virus that turns them into psychos, but I had Sheva covering my back all the way. That is the main quirk why I fancy RE4 before RE5. Ideally RE5 would win over RE4 if, it you were completely alone the entire time, the story would unfold at night and there would be more fucked up and unexplainable paranormal activities. Like Chris stumbling across a tribal ceremony (with sacrifices!) and trying to escape from them. Now that would make RE5 more horrific and better. But what I most like about the game is the fact that you really get the feel that this is an adventure that occurs in one day, through various set pieces, which unfold a truly magnificent adventure, that you ponder upon numerous times after you beat the game.

Other than that, the so to speak “main” issues of RE5, like Sheva, the inventory system and the constant action did not harm my experience in a significant way. I solved Sheva by constantly upgrading her pistol and never giving her any other piece of weapon. She has a very good aim and I used that by giving her a high rate of damage by her pistol and a large slot of ammunition. We’re talking about her secondary function, killing zombies. Her primary function was being my mule that carried ammunition, grenades and medical equipment. She indeed is a good mule. Once I gave her a machine gun and set her on Attack mode. She used up all her ammunition in less than one minute and I believe there were only two zombies to kill somewhere. Speaking of the inventory system, it sucks. I tried to solve its moronic design by keeping it organized, but I just loathed when I had to change weapons or combine herbs in-game instead of in a menu screen, completely safe, like in RE4. The enemies in the game gave me more of a laugh than a scare, since most of them were copied directly from RE4. I’m talking about the chainsaw guy, the guys with the machine guns and a few more. But overall, I think that RE5 is a very solid package. I’ve just fully discovered this Mercenaries mode and I’m enjoying the challenge very  much. In RE4 I toyed around with it a bit, but nothing serious. However in RE5 it’s completely different, most likely because the game is still very fresh to me. It’s a game that certainly winks at me and suggests me playing it multiple times, which is something I’ll explore during this summer, along with MGS4 and Uncharted. I believe that kind of a fact says a lot about the game.

I’m still fighting my way through Fight Night Round 3 and I’m trying to accept Devil May Cry 4 into my heart. It’s a painful process, to be honest, but I’m comforted by the fact that it’s from Capcom. Also, the Nintendo DS has been placed on my agenda of interest. I’m moving back and forward on whether I should buy it or not. That’s something that I’ll explore further on in the following two weeks, since the actual purchase should take in the third week.