From the onset, Professor Layton may well trick you - with its cartoony art style, and the fact that it's on a DS - into thinking it is a child's game, made for those with simple minds and a 4-word vocabulary. But surprisingly, this game can present a challenge for the gamer not used to the brain-aching nature of Layton.
While it's mostly marketed as a simple puzzle-solving game, there's a surprising amount of story to it. While this can be engaging at times, with surprising twists for a game with such a simple theme, it can tend to be a bit text-heavy. Which, unfortunately, is the price that must be payed for plot. It's just a shame that so much has to be read and forwarded through to get to half of the puzzles.
Adventuring the town of Mystere seems to be presented similary to a simple "press the arrow to go to that separate background frame", unfortunately, and doesn't allow for much freedom in exploring the town fully. Which is a shame, because at times I've found many places that seem ripe for exploration, but have been closed off. One such example is a clock tower, presented dominantly in the game. Surely, one should be able to freely explore to see what easter eggs lie at the top? But alas, that is not the case, but instead allows for rabid random pressing for "hint coins" that help you (though, admittedly not much) solve the devilishly tricky puzzles you come across.
The puzzles themselves, however, will be the part of the game that consumes the most time. Devilishly tricky, you can't be fooled into thinking these are something that any 6 year old can solve. Most have given me trouble in solving them without the use of Hint Coins, and some will be unsolvable to all without some serious concentration. In that sense, they can be much like the XBLA game Braid, in that not being able to do them will break your soul into a thousand shards, but figuring one out correctly will make it all seem worth it.
All in all, I think that this game is surprisingly addictive in its simple gameplay, and will be a must-buy for all those that want to have a break from the dull, repetitive Brain Training games that seem to be saturating the market nowadays.
4 out of 5.
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Chrono Trigger DS Review
Now, I feel the need to preface this review with the disclaimer that I'm basing this review on 6 hours of playime. While this may not be enough for some fully expansive games, but for most, this is adequate. For this reason, I won't be going fully into the key aspects of the plot (convenient for those who don't want spoilers).
Firstly, this game sticks faithfully to its original form, which first came out on the SNES. The graphics stick to how it was (which is one of the wisest moves, I feel, as it does this very well) in its original version, with some improvements to make it a "HD Remix" of RPGs, making you fall in love with the art style from the moment you see it. The addition of a map in the bottom screen of the DS also makes adventuring around the landscape far easier for when you get stuck, and can't see some of the more subtle passageways (a rare problem, but can still prove annoying without the aid of a map).
As far as gameplay goes, this has the option for either turn-based battle (meaning you have more time to make your decisions, which is advisable for the newer RPG fans) or to have an active battle system, very reminiscent of Final Fantasy 7 in which your turn meter fills up after a certain amount of time, you do your move, and it starts over. Not just the battle system is choosable, however, as you can also choose the layout of the battle, meaning that you can either use your stylus to pick your moves, or, for the people who want to recreate that feeling of a controller, you can just use the arrow buttons to choose your moves (and, pretty much, play the entire game. No touching required! Hurrah!). Furthermore, you can combine some characters' attacks together, using both their turns, to dish out more damage. For example, let's say a robot who dances to Rick Astley (you think I'm joking) and a fire-casting character want to cause more damage than their single attacks would cause. They can combine their attacks, to exploit an enemy's weakness. Each and every attack has its own unique animation, which I've not goten bored of yet.
Personally, I always found every battle fun and easy-to-use in comparison with other games, where random encounters often become troublesome and ultimately off-putting. Being able to see the monsters you'll be going up against as you roam the world (just like Final Fantasy XII, for those that aren't familiar with the old-school references) is a big advantage for this game, as if you're skilled enough, you can dodge almost every un-required enemy for battle.
Admittedly, there is some party-memberjuggling, but with this being the standard for almost all RPGs, one can hardly complain about this.
Plot-wise, this is one of the most engaging and intricate plots I've seen in a game on the DS, or even the RPG genre. In a nutshell, you, Chrono, are happy with your life in the happy land of Guardia and you're given what has to be one of the best openings I've seen to show you it, with coloured balloons, mini-games, and fireworks. In the space of about half an hour, you'll have found yourself hopping across various eras of time (yes, time travel, people!) and the game is extremely effective in showing you the severity of the decay and hopelessness you see in the future, which not just makes the characters want to change everything, but makes you want to change what happens. If a game can do this to yours truly, the most battle-hardened of RPG players, it is an achievement unto itself. One complaint that I might have about it is that the game is counting on you to remember the important things, which only adds to its addictiveness. The game will only spell it out for you once, and let you figure out what it is that you need to do. Which, again, forces you into the mind of Chrono and his band of followers, making you want to finish the story.
All-in-all, if you like RPGs, and hell, even if you don't, you will not just like, but adore Chrono Trigger. It is, hands down, one of the single best games out there for the DS, with multiple endings and days of gameplay all laid out for pure enjoyment. One of the best combinations of plot and gameplay I've seen in years, I compel you to give this game a go. Not just this, but it's also the founding basis of most RPGs today, and it's oh, so easy to see why.
5 out of 5.
Firstly, this game sticks faithfully to its original form, which first came out on the SNES. The graphics stick to how it was (which is one of the wisest moves, I feel, as it does this very well) in its original version, with some improvements to make it a "HD Remix" of RPGs, making you fall in love with the art style from the moment you see it. The addition of a map in the bottom screen of the DS also makes adventuring around the landscape far easier for when you get stuck, and can't see some of the more subtle passageways (a rare problem, but can still prove annoying without the aid of a map).
As far as gameplay goes, this has the option for either turn-based battle (meaning you have more time to make your decisions, which is advisable for the newer RPG fans) or to have an active battle system, very reminiscent of Final Fantasy 7 in which your turn meter fills up after a certain amount of time, you do your move, and it starts over. Not just the battle system is choosable, however, as you can also choose the layout of the battle, meaning that you can either use your stylus to pick your moves, or, for the people who want to recreate that feeling of a controller, you can just use the arrow buttons to choose your moves (and, pretty much, play the entire game. No touching required! Hurrah!). Furthermore, you can combine some characters' attacks together, using both their turns, to dish out more damage. For example, let's say a robot who dances to Rick Astley (you think I'm joking) and a fire-casting character want to cause more damage than their single attacks would cause. They can combine their attacks, to exploit an enemy's weakness. Each and every attack has its own unique animation, which I've not goten bored of yet.
Personally, I always found every battle fun and easy-to-use in comparison with other games, where random encounters often become troublesome and ultimately off-putting. Being able to see the monsters you'll be going up against as you roam the world (just like Final Fantasy XII, for those that aren't familiar with the old-school references) is a big advantage for this game, as if you're skilled enough, you can dodge almost every un-required enemy for battle.
Admittedly, there is some party-memberjuggling, but with this being the standard for almost all RPGs, one can hardly complain about this.
Plot-wise, this is one of the most engaging and intricate plots I've seen in a game on the DS, or even the RPG genre. In a nutshell, you, Chrono, are happy with your life in the happy land of Guardia and you're given what has to be one of the best openings I've seen to show you it, with coloured balloons, mini-games, and fireworks. In the space of about half an hour, you'll have found yourself hopping across various eras of time (yes, time travel, people!) and the game is extremely effective in showing you the severity of the decay and hopelessness you see in the future, which not just makes the characters want to change everything, but makes you want to change what happens. If a game can do this to yours truly, the most battle-hardened of RPG players, it is an achievement unto itself. One complaint that I might have about it is that the game is counting on you to remember the important things, which only adds to its addictiveness. The game will only spell it out for you once, and let you figure out what it is that you need to do. Which, again, forces you into the mind of Chrono and his band of followers, making you want to finish the story.
All-in-all, if you like RPGs, and hell, even if you don't, you will not just like, but adore Chrono Trigger. It is, hands down, one of the single best games out there for the DS, with multiple endings and days of gameplay all laid out for pure enjoyment. One of the best combinations of plot and gameplay I've seen in years, I compel you to give this game a go. Not just this, but it's also the founding basis of most RPGs today, and it's oh, so easy to see why.
5 out of 5.
Monday, 2 March 2009
Capcom Continues Its Font Woes For SDTVs.
With the mega-hit Street Fighter IV now out on shelves, thousands - nay, millions - have eagerly bought the game, desperate to spam their Hadokens, or master their Akumas.
However, in leu of the release that spawned 2 million copies to be delivered to the US alone, it seems that the developers of this hit series has pulled a fast one on all those with their Standard Definition televisions. Again.
We all remember the Dead Rising incident, whereby most couldn't even complete the game due to the text being so unreadably small that in the mission text, they couldn't tell where to go without Google research. In some cases, this even caused minor headaches (which, from my experience in the past 2 hours, I can relate to...).
Ah, Capcom, you and your shady dealings! You had me all hopeful when I went to buy my copy of SFIV, to kick some ass, and take some names. But alas, from the title screen alone, I learnt that I was going to have trouble reading anything at all... You see, whenever I tried to read anything that wasn't fully capitalised, I had to put my eyes to the glass of the screen to even attempt deciphering the complexities of pixels that laid out before my, unlocking the power of the mystical Save File.
Looking at the combo list however... Excuse me while I do a hearty whistle to express my amazement at how tricky that was... Sure, you can barely make out what the move names are in the first place, but if you want to know how to do them, well fuck you! You're not worthy, it seems. And so, because of this, it feels like a whole portion of the game (the Challenge Mode) has been locked out for me, as I don't know how to pull off the combos I need to progress! And before anyone even thinks about mentioning Internet research and has their oesophagus torn out by my bare hand, I'd like to mention that a game that is on a console should not require computer research as a prerequisite for progression.
If I haven't already made my case clear, the text in Street Fighter IV follows the typical brand of Capcom text. Their motto as of late seems to be "HD all the way. Fuck the SD market, if they can't read the font, it's just an extra challenge!". Don't take me the wrong way, don't take this to mean I'm bashing the game. You need to be stupid to think that... No, this is more similar to watching The Dark Knight with tunnel vision. You can't actually see what's going on per se, but you still get that air of it being something truly spectacular...
PS Sorry for this late post... I've been really rather busy lately. I'll do what I can to keep y'all updated!
However, in leu of the release that spawned 2 million copies to be delivered to the US alone, it seems that the developers of this hit series has pulled a fast one on all those with their Standard Definition televisions. Again.
We all remember the Dead Rising incident, whereby most couldn't even complete the game due to the text being so unreadably small that in the mission text, they couldn't tell where to go without Google research. In some cases, this even caused minor headaches (which, from my experience in the past 2 hours, I can relate to...).
Ah, Capcom, you and your shady dealings! You had me all hopeful when I went to buy my copy of SFIV, to kick some ass, and take some names. But alas, from the title screen alone, I learnt that I was going to have trouble reading anything at all... You see, whenever I tried to read anything that wasn't fully capitalised, I had to put my eyes to the glass of the screen to even attempt deciphering the complexities of pixels that laid out before my, unlocking the power of the mystical Save File.
Looking at the combo list however... Excuse me while I do a hearty whistle to express my amazement at how tricky that was... Sure, you can barely make out what the move names are in the first place, but if you want to know how to do them, well fuck you! You're not worthy, it seems. And so, because of this, it feels like a whole portion of the game (the Challenge Mode) has been locked out for me, as I don't know how to pull off the combos I need to progress! And before anyone even thinks about mentioning Internet research and has their oesophagus torn out by my bare hand, I'd like to mention that a game that is on a console should not require computer research as a prerequisite for progression.
If I haven't already made my case clear, the text in Street Fighter IV follows the typical brand of Capcom text. Their motto as of late seems to be "HD all the way. Fuck the SD market, if they can't read the font, it's just an extra challenge!". Don't take me the wrong way, don't take this to mean I'm bashing the game. You need to be stupid to think that... No, this is more similar to watching The Dark Knight with tunnel vision. You can't actually see what's going on per se, but you still get that air of it being something truly spectacular...
PS Sorry for this late post... I've been really rather busy lately. I'll do what I can to keep y'all updated!
Monday, 2 February 2009
Why A New GTA4 Online Mode Should Come With Lost And The Damned.
Seriously? Does this really need any more explanation?
We all loved Grand Theft Auto IV. The best selling game of 2008 received critical acclaim for its compelling story, and inclusion of online play. I know I played the game online until my thumbs were numb, at the very least. Nothing beats going around Liberty City with an RPG, causing havoc with your friends, right?
Well... It gets boring, after a long time. Especially when all your friends have moved onto different games, and you're left with being forced to join random peoples' games, who (because it's a GTA game, and it sparks this kind of controversy in its very nature) are often racist griefers who take joy in treating the game like a Halo match, instead of some casual fun.
So, after looking at the new expansion DLC that is to come out for GTA this month, I thought that it wouldn't kill Rockstar to give us a couple of new multiplayer modes to keep us coming back for even more Grand Theft Auto, even after this new content. I know, we got plenty to mess around with, but truth be told, all anyone seems to play (I find, at least) is Free Mode, Deathmatch, and (if you're lucky) one of the sub-par co-op missions.
I mean, this is Grand Theft Auto! I find it almost unbelievable that they're not supporting the creativity that some people have in making their own modes using the vastness of Liberty City... Especially after taking so long to make a game that was of a good enough quality (and then some) for their consumers. And it's clear that they're not just abandoning its fanbase either. The very release of this DLC would prove that. So... It will just continue to baffle me.
Nevertheless, I'm still looking forward to The Lost And The Damned, but it just won't be able to hold my interest for too long before I realise that I'm done with it, and the game of 2008 goes back on the shelf, to gather dust...
We all loved Grand Theft Auto IV. The best selling game of 2008 received critical acclaim for its compelling story, and inclusion of online play. I know I played the game online until my thumbs were numb, at the very least. Nothing beats going around Liberty City with an RPG, causing havoc with your friends, right?
Well... It gets boring, after a long time. Especially when all your friends have moved onto different games, and you're left with being forced to join random peoples' games, who (because it's a GTA game, and it sparks this kind of controversy in its very nature) are often racist griefers who take joy in treating the game like a Halo match, instead of some casual fun.
So, after looking at the new expansion DLC that is to come out for GTA this month, I thought that it wouldn't kill Rockstar to give us a couple of new multiplayer modes to keep us coming back for even more Grand Theft Auto, even after this new content. I know, we got plenty to mess around with, but truth be told, all anyone seems to play (I find, at least) is Free Mode, Deathmatch, and (if you're lucky) one of the sub-par co-op missions.
I mean, this is Grand Theft Auto! I find it almost unbelievable that they're not supporting the creativity that some people have in making their own modes using the vastness of Liberty City... Especially after taking so long to make a game that was of a good enough quality (and then some) for their consumers. And it's clear that they're not just abandoning its fanbase either. The very release of this DLC would prove that. So... It will just continue to baffle me.
Nevertheless, I'm still looking forward to The Lost And The Damned, but it just won't be able to hold my interest for too long before I realise that I'm done with it, and the game of 2008 goes back on the shelf, to gather dust...
DJ Hero - Makes Hoodies Rejoice, And Makes Slash Cry
So, as a gamer, I like a bit of fake-instrument-playing. What's not to love? Some great songs, like Journey's Any Way You Want It (though why Don't Stop Believin' isn't on Rock Band yet, I'll never know...) will always be fun for me to pretend playing, whilst parading round my room in my boxer shorts, acting strung out on heroine.
It's with this reasoning, that Activision, "the new EA" as some are calling them, are trying to cash in on every segment of the music market by branching into the mediocre/amateur DJ-ing circuit. This is probably my personal music taste speaking, but this idea sounds so bad. Like, Power Glove bad. For one thing, who would want to do this? This sounds like it really is taking a game to the same level as actually doing it in real life. Except it's game-ified! For the kids!
In development for nearly two years, (hey wait.. Didn't Rock Band first out about 2 years ago?) gamers will apparently be able to "mash-up" tracks, to form all those remixes you've wanted to hear for so long... You know, everyone's just been itching for that "Stevie Wonder/The Human League" remix... Right?
I know, I seem rather (if by that, you mean "resolutely") skeptical about all this. But we do have to remember that Guitar Hero seemed just this crazy to us, back in 2005. Yes kiddies, it's been 4 years since the first one. I can barely believe it either.
Then again, Guitar Hero was at least moderately original at the time (even if it did remind me 100% of Amplitude on the PS2... Man, now that game was good. Tripped me out on vision alone). This game may seem like another cash-in, but I'll be holding out on crushing this game completely until after I play a demo myself.
/blog post.
Thank god that's over... See Dave, this is what happens when you let people listen to bad music! Bad music = bad games!
Fuckin' Soulja Boy...
It's with this reasoning, that Activision, "the new EA" as some are calling them, are trying to cash in on every segment of the music market by branching into the mediocre/amateur DJ-ing circuit. This is probably my personal music taste speaking, but this idea sounds so bad. Like, Power Glove bad. For one thing, who would want to do this? This sounds like it really is taking a game to the same level as actually doing it in real life. Except it's game-ified! For the kids!
In development for nearly two years, (hey wait.. Didn't Rock Band first out about 2 years ago?) gamers will apparently be able to "mash-up" tracks, to form all those remixes you've wanted to hear for so long... You know, everyone's just been itching for that "Stevie Wonder/The Human League" remix... Right?
I know, I seem rather (if by that, you mean "resolutely") skeptical about all this. But we do have to remember that Guitar Hero seemed just this crazy to us, back in 2005. Yes kiddies, it's been 4 years since the first one. I can barely believe it either.
Then again, Guitar Hero was at least moderately original at the time (even if it did remind me 100% of Amplitude on the PS2... Man, now that game was good. Tripped me out on vision alone). This game may seem like another cash-in, but I'll be holding out on crushing this game completely until after I play a demo myself.
/blog post.
Thank god that's over... See Dave, this is what happens when you let people listen to bad music! Bad music = bad games!
Fuckin' Soulja Boy...
Friday, 30 January 2009
Halo Wars - Does Anyone Really Care?
Well, now that the release of the spin-off and cash-in of the Halo franchise is coming upon us, the internet is buzzing with impatience.
... Yeah, right. It seems that Ensemble studios just doesn't seem to have the same hype-causing, adrenaline-pumping feel to it that Bungie has caused in the internet since the release of Halo 2. Don't get me wrong, Ensemble are the same guys that brought you Age Of Empires, one of the best series of Real Time Strategy games to grace the PC, but it seems that Halo Wars just doesn't seem to interest the Halo crowd.
The simple reason to this being that for the most part (as a few minutes on Halo's multiplayer will show you) the crowd still interested in Halo is the same crowd that is targeted by Barney The Dinosaur, and who were barely starting education when Beyblades came out (you all remember them... You're a liar if you say you don't!).
The Halo franchise seemed destined for this path since the release of Halo 3 (making just under £120 million pure profit for the makers in one day), and its place on the top 3 games played on the Xbox 360 for months, and even to this day (with it placing 2nd just last week, over a year after its initial release). Unfortunately, as many, many attempts seem to have proven, RTSs just don't seem to work on consoles. Just take a look at the selection of that genre on the 360, and you'll see that the selection is extremely lacking if it’s quality you want.
However, it can be seen that this lack of Real Time Strategies might mean that Halo Wars could be able to carve a niche into the market of Xbox 360 games. Personally, I hope this isn't the case, since it would inevitably mean that many other companies would try expanding into other genres with their games... Imagine a dystopian future, where Bejewelled becomes an action-adventure, where you must save your family from evil diamond-shaped terrorists. Sounds horrifying, doesn’t it?
Halo Wars, however it may seem, still manages to be able to annoy the fanboys of the Playstation 3, at any rate... A 20-second-glance at Metacritic (a comprehensive site of reviews, combining many professional opinions into an unbiased score) will show the user-reviewed score to be a mere 0.8 out of 10. I doubt this is because of the people who are getting this as a console exclusive. It seems far more likely that the people doing this are the same people that dragged Gears of War 2's score down to below half before its release. Fanboyism at its best.
Of course, Ensemble studios is putting its full backing into the making of Halo Wars, confident that it will be a huge success, and fuel the company's profits for years...
What? Oh... It seems that Ensemble studios is shutting down after making this game, making Halo Wars either the last shining jewel in its cupboard, or the final nail in its coffin...
But, with the game being 3 years in development, it can't be too big a flop. This isn't Rock Revolution*, after all... (Bah-zing!).
* See “shameless, appalling knock off of Rock Band”.
Looking at some gameplay previews on websites, I see that the campaign will involve your standard "enemy over there. Kill them" and "protect the scientist while she does some stuff to make you win" missions... Nothing really new, but that wasn't to be expected from a spin-off of the shooter that uses the most basic FPS controls ever seen.
In conclusion, I think that while Halo Wars may be picked up by the fans of the original series, but since they seem to be dwindling, Halo Wars will probably go the same way as F-Zero on the Game Boy Advance… Y’know, the game that nobody remembers, because it tried to go away from the standard in the same way that one would moonwalk to get from place to place… It’s still going the same place as everyone else, except they do it in a weird fashion, that doesn’t really work, and that nobody is used to, so it becomes shunned and rejected.
... Yeah, right. It seems that Ensemble studios just doesn't seem to have the same hype-causing, adrenaline-pumping feel to it that Bungie has caused in the internet since the release of Halo 2. Don't get me wrong, Ensemble are the same guys that brought you Age Of Empires, one of the best series of Real Time Strategy games to grace the PC, but it seems that Halo Wars just doesn't seem to interest the Halo crowd.
The simple reason to this being that for the most part (as a few minutes on Halo's multiplayer will show you) the crowd still interested in Halo is the same crowd that is targeted by Barney The Dinosaur, and who were barely starting education when Beyblades came out (you all remember them... You're a liar if you say you don't!).
The Halo franchise seemed destined for this path since the release of Halo 3 (making just under £120 million pure profit for the makers in one day), and its place on the top 3 games played on the Xbox 360 for months, and even to this day (with it placing 2nd just last week, over a year after its initial release). Unfortunately, as many, many attempts seem to have proven, RTSs just don't seem to work on consoles. Just take a look at the selection of that genre on the 360, and you'll see that the selection is extremely lacking if it’s quality you want.
However, it can be seen that this lack of Real Time Strategies might mean that Halo Wars could be able to carve a niche into the market of Xbox 360 games. Personally, I hope this isn't the case, since it would inevitably mean that many other companies would try expanding into other genres with their games... Imagine a dystopian future, where Bejewelled becomes an action-adventure, where you must save your family from evil diamond-shaped terrorists. Sounds horrifying, doesn’t it?
Halo Wars, however it may seem, still manages to be able to annoy the fanboys of the Playstation 3, at any rate... A 20-second-glance at Metacritic (a comprehensive site of reviews, combining many professional opinions into an unbiased score) will show the user-reviewed score to be a mere 0.8 out of 10. I doubt this is because of the people who are getting this as a console exclusive. It seems far more likely that the people doing this are the same people that dragged Gears of War 2's score down to below half before its release. Fanboyism at its best.
Of course, Ensemble studios is putting its full backing into the making of Halo Wars, confident that it will be a huge success, and fuel the company's profits for years...
What? Oh... It seems that Ensemble studios is shutting down after making this game, making Halo Wars either the last shining jewel in its cupboard, or the final nail in its coffin...
But, with the game being 3 years in development, it can't be too big a flop. This isn't Rock Revolution*, after all... (Bah-zing!).
* See “shameless, appalling knock off of Rock Band”.
Looking at some gameplay previews on websites, I see that the campaign will involve your standard "enemy over there. Kill them" and "protect the scientist while she does some stuff to make you win" missions... Nothing really new, but that wasn't to be expected from a spin-off of the shooter that uses the most basic FPS controls ever seen.
In conclusion, I think that while Halo Wars may be picked up by the fans of the original series, but since they seem to be dwindling, Halo Wars will probably go the same way as F-Zero on the Game Boy Advance… Y’know, the game that nobody remembers, because it tried to go away from the standard in the same way that one would moonwalk to get from place to place… It’s still going the same place as everyone else, except they do it in a weird fashion, that doesn’t really work, and that nobody is used to, so it becomes shunned and rejected.
Saturday, 10 January 2009
Treyarch, Keeping Up Their Record Of Glitchful Multiplayer
We all know that Treyarch made Call Of Duty: World At War. And we all also know that they made Call Of Duty 3. We all, also, know that they shamelessly stole everything from Infinity Ward's representation of the Call Of Duty series, and tried mixing it, in a massive pot with $$$ signs all around it, with its "successful" Call Of Duty 3 (it joining the halls of games that I remember putting the "suck" in "successful"), with some form of magical wooden spoon, that was promised to them to make the combination of ingredients incredibly tasty, but instead made the product reminiscent of a pile of rotten horseshit.
Through personal experience, I have beared witness ("to the greatest story ever told...") to many, many, many exploits of Treyarch's sloppy multiplayer map design. One such example that I have found is on a certain map "Roundhouse". Yeah. As in, "even a roundhouse kick into the centre of Patch City from Chuck Norris couldn't make this map any less appalling". If you ever see someone go near a garage door at the edge of the map, shoot his ass. Quick-style. Or he will somehow zip to underneath the floor, where he will laugh like the 4-year-old child he is, racking up the kills, while all others are powerless to stop him.
Since, y'know, Treyarch copied Modern Warfare so precisely, that they forgot any form of booting system to get rid of the cheating little fucker, and since it's Treyarch (with a track record for making suck-ass Call Of Duty games), you can be pretty damn sure that this will go on until the end of time.
Hell, I remember playing Call Of Duty 3 until it was on its dying legs, and I always remember, every time a specific map cropped up, someone hiding in a glitch, killing all who passed by. Unfortunately, it would seem that Treyarch's newest endeavour succeeded in only proving to everyone that we should stick to the even numbered Call Of Duty games, especially when it comes to multiplayer.
But then, what does Activision, the backbone behind all these games, care? As long as it's raking in the cash, so it can steal that nice shiny "I'm a corporate whore" top hat from EA, why should it? It's not like their fanbase wants good content, or anything. Hell, if they did, they probably would have stopped playing long ago...
... Yes, I do taste my own hypocrisy. Tastes like bacon. It merely astounds me as to how the "most played game on Xbox LIVE" can have such a rudimentary flaw in it... Astounding, no? Especially since this is the Counterstrike to Modern Warfare's Half Life 2.
I think I'm going to have to do a compeletely separate post on the trials and failings of the Campaign, too... Oh, sorry, that's "Single Player Un-Cooperative Oh-So-That's-How-You-Want-To-Try-It-Pretty-Boy-Well-Here's-A-Thousand-Grenades Campaign"...
Through personal experience, I have beared witness ("to the greatest story ever told...") to many, many, many exploits of Treyarch's sloppy multiplayer map design. One such example that I have found is on a certain map "Roundhouse". Yeah. As in, "even a roundhouse kick into the centre of Patch City from Chuck Norris couldn't make this map any less appalling". If you ever see someone go near a garage door at the edge of the map, shoot his ass. Quick-style. Or he will somehow zip to underneath the floor, where he will laugh like the 4-year-old child he is, racking up the kills, while all others are powerless to stop him.
Since, y'know, Treyarch copied Modern Warfare so precisely, that they forgot any form of booting system to get rid of the cheating little fucker, and since it's Treyarch (with a track record for making suck-ass Call Of Duty games), you can be pretty damn sure that this will go on until the end of time.
Hell, I remember playing Call Of Duty 3 until it was on its dying legs, and I always remember, every time a specific map cropped up, someone hiding in a glitch, killing all who passed by. Unfortunately, it would seem that Treyarch's newest endeavour succeeded in only proving to everyone that we should stick to the even numbered Call Of Duty games, especially when it comes to multiplayer.
But then, what does Activision, the backbone behind all these games, care? As long as it's raking in the cash, so it can steal that nice shiny "I'm a corporate whore" top hat from EA, why should it? It's not like their fanbase wants good content, or anything. Hell, if they did, they probably would have stopped playing long ago...
... Yes, I do taste my own hypocrisy. Tastes like bacon. It merely astounds me as to how the "most played game on Xbox LIVE" can have such a rudimentary flaw in it... Astounding, no? Especially since this is the Counterstrike to Modern Warfare's Half Life 2.
I think I'm going to have to do a compeletely separate post on the trials and failings of the Campaign, too... Oh, sorry, that's "Single Player Un-Cooperative Oh-So-That's-How-You-Want-To-Try-It-Pretty-Boy-Well-Here's-A-Thousand-Grenades Campaign"...
The Inaugural Post
Okay, so this is the first post of many, on the blog of the man known only as the Gunslinger. Have no fear, I'm not here to blow anyone's brains out.
I'm here to blow your minds, instead.
So, back to the main topic. This will be, unless I find something of extreme interest in other areas that are worthy of attention, my gaming blog. Giving opinions on the news, latest demos, games that I am playing, and the such.
I'm also pondering upon the implementation of a features aspect, that will go up weekly/monthly (depending upon how much time I have available - college doesn't do itself, y'know!) basis.
No official name yet, but "The Full Barrel Of..." seems about appropriate for the theme I have going on with this blog. As you might expect of a full barrel (at least, in a revolver... If any alcoholics come on here thinking I'm going to do a keg's worth of items, turn away now), there will be 6 items that I'll list from one bullet (where it's just not so good), to a full barrel, 6 bullets (a guaranteed winner!)
For any reviews that I do, I feel it would just be easier for my scores to remain on the standard 10-point scale. I will, of course, try to make them interesting as much as I can, but we shall merely have to see how things progress, like a train on a set of tracks that are only half-laid.
Now, concerning any new people that decide to join this (mostly barren, apart from my good self and my bestest pal, that rolling piece of tumbleweed), you are most welcome, so long as you're actually able to put across good points... (because this isn't IGN, or Gamespot, people, this is just one/two/cybernetic army of man/men on a simple blog...)
So, with hopefully daily updates, and a good firm grip on the butt of his keyboard, let the blogging commence!
Note: I will also be experimenting with what does and doesn't work, so if things change, just bear with it, everybody.
I'm here to blow your minds, instead.
So, back to the main topic. This will be, unless I find something of extreme interest in other areas that are worthy of attention, my gaming blog. Giving opinions on the news, latest demos, games that I am playing, and the such.
I'm also pondering upon the implementation of a features aspect, that will go up weekly/monthly (depending upon how much time I have available - college doesn't do itself, y'know!) basis.
No official name yet, but "The Full Barrel Of..." seems about appropriate for the theme I have going on with this blog. As you might expect of a full barrel (at least, in a revolver... If any alcoholics come on here thinking I'm going to do a keg's worth of items, turn away now), there will be 6 items that I'll list from one bullet (where it's just not so good), to a full barrel, 6 bullets (a guaranteed winner!)
For any reviews that I do, I feel it would just be easier for my scores to remain on the standard 10-point scale. I will, of course, try to make them interesting as much as I can, but we shall merely have to see how things progress, like a train on a set of tracks that are only half-laid.
Now, concerning any new people that decide to join this (mostly barren, apart from my good self and my bestest pal, that rolling piece of tumbleweed), you are most welcome, so long as you're actually able to put across good points... (because this isn't IGN, or Gamespot, people, this is just one/two/cybernetic army of man/men on a simple blog...)
So, with hopefully daily updates, and a good firm grip on the butt of his keyboard, let the blogging commence!
Note: I will also be experimenting with what does and doesn't work, so if things change, just bear with it, everybody.
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