Hey guys,
I'm currently sitting at a laptop in a random house in Reunion, a small French-owned island near Mauritius, off the coast of Madagascar. The keyboard I'm using looks like this, so it's taking awhile to type this out. Anyway, as a result of my current geographical location, I won't be involved in anything possibly until February comes around, apart from this; my top 5 games of 2009. Enjoy (or don't).
5- Plants vs Zombies
Popcap was introduced to me through this game. I now own, in one form or another, every Popcap game, but only Peggle is as good as this. I spent countless hours on Plants vs Zombies, growing my Tree of Wisdom higher than I would like to say. I have no idea why this game is as fun as it is, or as addictive, but there you go.
4- Dragon Age: Origins
Mark and Michael love the shit out of this game. And despite what may seem, so do I. I've always enjoyed RPG's, and Dragon Age is a fine example of a traditional video game refined and turned into something extremely enjoyable. A nicely original story and a brillantly realised world combine with challenging and enjoyable combat, and the best party interaction I have ever seen, to create what may well be the most replayable RPG of all time.
3- Flower
Many of you may not know what Flower is. A downloadable title put out on PSN by thatgamecompany earlier this year, Flower was on release heralded as a brilliant example of how the Sixaxis could be used well as a control device. It is also, however, a brilliant game. I recommend you go and watch a video because it will explain it far better than I do. Flower really wins the award for best experience with a game I've had this year, and also the award for most beautiful.
2- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Nathan Drake is fucking awesome. The first chapter of the Uncharted franchise was, in my humble opinion, an excellent game, but it really doesn't compare to Among Thieves. I enjoyed every minute of Uncharted 2; one could say it's a rollercoaster ride in digital form. Uncharted 2 also sets the bar for story telling in video games, and it raises it pretty high. Finally, it looks quite pretty.
1- Assassin's Creed 2
Somebody always calls each and every year the ''Year of the Sequel'', but I would bestow upon 2009 a different title; the ''Year of the Sequel that is really fucking good''. Assassin's Creed 2, in my mind, is the perfect example of just what I sequel should be. In every way improved over the first game, AC2 wins my game of the year because it not only does a lot, it also does everything right. I don't really feel like I need to say anymore; Assassin's Creed 3 will have to be really good to keep up.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Valve News, Medal of Honor and Halo Reach
Some exciting news that has emerged this week regarding Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Medal of Honor and Halo: Reach.
Valve’s marketing director Doug Lombardi has announced plans for the first batch of Left 4 Dead 2 DLC which will collide with the 360 and PC on (American) Spring 2010. Said to contain a new campaign dubbed ‘The Passing’ it features Left 4 Dead 1’s original survivors meeting up with the cast from Left 4 Dead 2 in one big zombie slaughter game set in a small rural town of Georgia. Full co-op, scavenge, survival and versus compatibility will be included along with a brand new melee weapon, firearm and uncommon common infected. The exact pricing details for the DLC is to be decided but it is assumed to be free for the PC as an update and available as a download from the Xbox Live Marketplace... For a price. Aside from the DLC, for all those modders out there who have been living under a rock; the Left 4 Dead 2 Authoring tools has been seen undergoing a private beta test by several users in the steam community so expect seeing the full release sometime near the abridged future.
The ‘War’ Update is finally here for Team Fortress 2 that gives the Demoman and Soldier more gear and you the ability to craft weapons and hats from blueprints with all those spare items that have been littering your inventory. The new gear includes new shoes for the Soldier, a more defensive sticky bomb launcher, new achievements and even a SWORD AND SHIELD for the Demoman. Pay the TF2 Blog a visit for full details and be sure to check out the comics they have posted. Now the only class that’s left without an update is the engineer.
TF2 Blog War Update: http://www.teamfortress.com/war/part1/index.htm
Medal of Honor has a new game and trailer! It is now following in the footsteps of its Call of Duty predecessor by shifting from the war torn country sides of Europe to the conflict in the middle east. Looking like a Hollywood blockbuster movie; it is worth checking out the trailer via YouTube and might be of interest to all those folks who unnaturally get bored with Modern Warfare 2. Let’s just hope you don’t have to play as an undercover CIA agent.
Watch the Medal of Honor trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsOUMavabM4
In case you have missed it, Halo: Reach has a world premiere trailer that looks so ever sweet and showcases Spartan team Noble; the supposed main characters. It is a must-see for Halo fans and is one of the best trailers I’ve seen this year.
Watch the Halo: Reach Trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9ez7iNjoVg
Sorry for the late news.
Internet Censorship FTL?
The Federal Minister for Communications, Stephen Conroy recently announced that the government would go ahead with its controversial introduction of a mandatory internet filter for Australia.
I for one, believe that the internet speed in this country is pathetic at best, and we don't need to have a political point scoring filter being introduced to slow it down any further.
This filter is said to block 1 in 10 legitimate websites. The only other countries that censor the internet in the world are: China, Iran, Burma, Cuba, North Korea, Syria, Egypt, Vietnam, Tunisia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. That is not a list Australia should be added to. Furthermore I'm a little irritated that the government needs to tell us what we should and shouldn't be able to see, when we're all capable of putting a filter in place if we want one. On top of that, cyber crime devisions of the AFP would no doubt benefit much more from the money that would be spent on this filter.
If you're as pissed off/biased/internet loving as I am, head to this website; the GetUp Campaign is letting us e-mail Senator Conroy, so he can experience the power of people complaining over the internet (it's a beautiful thing, isn't it?).
I for one, believe that the internet speed in this country is pathetic at best, and we don't need to have a political point scoring filter being introduced to slow it down any further.
This filter is said to block 1 in 10 legitimate websites. The only other countries that censor the internet in the world are: China, Iran, Burma, Cuba, North Korea, Syria, Egypt, Vietnam, Tunisia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. That is not a list Australia should be added to. Furthermore I'm a little irritated that the government needs to tell us what we should and shouldn't be able to see, when we're all capable of putting a filter in place if we want one. On top of that, cyber crime devisions of the AFP would no doubt benefit much more from the money that would be spent on this filter.
If you're as pissed off/biased/internet loving as I am, head to this website; the GetUp Campaign is letting us e-mail Senator Conroy, so he can experience the power of people complaining over the internet (it's a beautiful thing, isn't it?).
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Mass Effect 2: A Minor Preview
I suppose I could be called a Bioware fanboy. I wouldn't have thought so before the release of Dragon Age: Origins. Another game being released by Bioware is Mass Effect 2, which is surprisingly the sequel to Mass Effect. ZOMG RLY?
Everyone here at Neon Turtles has played Mass Effect. I don't think Dennis has finished it but has still been enjoying it. Mark and I enjoyed it but agree there were flaws. Flaws we hope to see fixed in Mass Effect 2. Bioware has slowly been releasing snippets of what is to come in Mass Effect 2. They have revealed new characters such as Subject Zero and Thane- to name a few -and teased the possibility of returning characters such as Garrus and Tali. These videos (except Subject Zero's) probably have made most Mass Effect fans squeal like a little girl.
Additionally to the clips of characters, Bioware has done a few developer walk-through videos with big game sites showing off new game-play mechanics such as the new reloading system that replaces the overheating weapons system. Most recently they have done interviews and videos around the revamped classes such as Biotics and Engineers. Which brings me to a criticism of Bioware. While I understand by boosting abilities and powers they are too increasing the fun of the game. But as seen with the Subject Zero trailer I am starting to see a trend by Bioware of selling their games through boobs and violence to appeal to a wider audience than RPG fans (they did this with Dragon Age too). While I don't mind them doing this, or changing the game-play to further become like an action game, I just pray this doesn't have a negative effect on the RPG side of things.
Besides all the mumbo-jumbo in relation to the game itself, Mass Effect 2 on Xbox 360 will feature two discs.
“Even though there is a disc swap, it occurs at a carefully planned place in the game (that does not interfere with gameplay) and is done once,” Priestly wrote on the Mass Effect 2 forums. “You do not swap back and forth. 1 swap and then done.” - Bioware
So it doens't sound like a problem, and having two discs gives me the impression that it is going to be a long game which in my opinion is a good thing, and won't have an effect on the PC version which I plan to get. To rap this up Bioware have also changed the Boxart for the standard edition to this. I feel that this new cover is trying to appeal to action gamers opposed to the Mass Effect boxart which had a similar feel to a blockbuster movie cover.
Having just talked about everything Bioware has revealed, I feel there is so much more to be found out too. Such as are Liara and Ashely going to make returns? Will the explorable planets/systems have more depth? Will there be elevators? Australians will know the answer when Mass Effect 2 is released here January 28th next year.
Everyone here at Neon Turtles has played Mass Effect. I don't think Dennis has finished it but has still been enjoying it. Mark and I enjoyed it but agree there were flaws. Flaws we hope to see fixed in Mass Effect 2. Bioware has slowly been releasing snippets of what is to come in Mass Effect 2. They have revealed new characters such as Subject Zero and Thane- to name a few -and teased the possibility of returning characters such as Garrus and Tali. These videos (except Subject Zero's) probably have made most Mass Effect fans squeal like a little girl.
Additionally to the clips of characters, Bioware has done a few developer walk-through videos with big game sites showing off new game-play mechanics such as the new reloading system that replaces the overheating weapons system. Most recently they have done interviews and videos around the revamped classes such as Biotics and Engineers. Which brings me to a criticism of Bioware. While I understand by boosting abilities and powers they are too increasing the fun of the game. But as seen with the Subject Zero trailer I am starting to see a trend by Bioware of selling their games through boobs and violence to appeal to a wider audience than RPG fans (they did this with Dragon Age too). While I don't mind them doing this, or changing the game-play to further become like an action game, I just pray this doesn't have a negative effect on the RPG side of things.
Besides all the mumbo-jumbo in relation to the game itself, Mass Effect 2 on Xbox 360 will feature two discs.
“Even though there is a disc swap, it occurs at a carefully planned place in the game (that does not interfere with gameplay) and is done once,” Priestly wrote on the Mass Effect 2 forums. “You do not swap back and forth. 1 swap and then done.” - Bioware
So it doens't sound like a problem, and having two discs gives me the impression that it is going to be a long game which in my opinion is a good thing, and won't have an effect on the PC version which I plan to get. To rap this up Bioware have also changed the Boxart for the standard edition to this. I feel that this new cover is trying to appeal to action gamers opposed to the Mass Effect boxart which had a similar feel to a blockbuster movie cover.
Having just talked about everything Bioware has revealed, I feel there is so much more to be found out too. Such as are Liara and Ashely going to make returns? Will the explorable planets/systems have more depth? Will there be elevators? Australians will know the answer when Mass Effect 2 is released here January 28th next year.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Dragon Age: Origins Review
To be honest, I finished Dragon Age a few weeks ago, but I am one of those gamers who: A)Likes to sit and think about a game they have just finished for a little while, before touching it again. B) Doesn't typically play games a second time.
Now I think I am ready to tell the imaginary readers of our blog what they need to know about Dragon Age: Origins. For a start, Dragon Age is a game I will be playing again. It is an excellent video game that I would definitely recommend for christmas if you're a fan of RPGs. The lore and history of the world is in depth, the writing is mature and complex and the combat most tactical and enjoyable I've seen in an RPG to date.
Let's start with the combat. It is not a particularly new idea to have 4 party members working together to take down waves of enemies, but Dragon Age is certainly the most engaging tactical experience I can remember from an RPG point of view. It is not at all uncommon to fight 10 enemies at once, with this spiralling up to 20 now and then, not counting massive battles. For this reason you will need to use the four members of your party (who can be a warrior, rogue or mage) in tandem with one another to defeat a wide variety of reasonably intelligent enemies. Because you will be pausing a lot, I would recommend getting the game on PC, as the console versions don't really allow for the tactical top-down view that can be useful in massive fights. There are a wide range of spells and abilities as well as class customizations which means there's lots of room for replayability (I'd like to know if that's really a word).
Speaking of replayability, let's have a look at the replayability value of this game. You can choose from 6 different origin stories which define your character's position in the world. Each origin gets a 2 hour starting story before branching off into the main quest and does not only affect the opening hours of the game. I for one am aware of several quests I missed because of my origin choice, and one very cool ending to the game which requires you to have a specific origin story. Long story short, this is quite possibly the best game in terms of value for money I have seen for a long, long time (it's only $60 dollars or so on steam). I racked up 60 hours on this game before finishing it and I didn't even get the achievement for finishing 75% of the side quests.
The music in Dragon Age also deserves a mention, it contains an excellent score by the world reknowned composer Inon Zur, who has done the soundtrack for many Triple A titles. The music is used well by the game to create some very cinematic moments that you'd struggle to find in most modern day films. The graphics also deserve a mention, they're not top notch, but you should be able to run them on high settings if you have a modern PC, and you will probably only see lag during some of the extremely large battles.
Let's move on to my favourite part of this game, the story and the writing. BioWare is well known for its writing and Dragon Age is no different. The story is engaging and interesting from the beginning of the tale and the choices you make in this game are so interesting you'll want to replay it just to see what happens when you do one thing instead of the other. On top of that, the characters in this game are very well done. The party members at the beginning of the story all give interesting impressions, but once you go beyond the surface you'll find that none of them are exactly as you thought they were. They all are complex people with very complex opinions and feelings. The plot feels the same way, in that not all of the choices are black and white, and there really aren't good or bad choices in the game, as opposed to what you think is the best option.
Summing up, there aren't enough games out there like Dragon Age: Origins. Great storyline with interesting party members and dialogue, coupled with an interesting new world and fun combat is not something you see everyday. There's only so much about it I can repeat before you need to see the game for yourself. If you like RPGs, especially BioWare RPGs, this game is a must. Christmas isn't that far away, so if you don't have a copy already and then go grab one or guilt trip a relative into it!
Now I think I am ready to tell the imaginary readers of our blog what they need to know about Dragon Age: Origins. For a start, Dragon Age is a game I will be playing again. It is an excellent video game that I would definitely recommend for christmas if you're a fan of RPGs. The lore and history of the world is in depth, the writing is mature and complex and the combat most tactical and enjoyable I've seen in an RPG to date.
Let's start with the combat. It is not a particularly new idea to have 4 party members working together to take down waves of enemies, but Dragon Age is certainly the most engaging tactical experience I can remember from an RPG point of view. It is not at all uncommon to fight 10 enemies at once, with this spiralling up to 20 now and then, not counting massive battles. For this reason you will need to use the four members of your party (who can be a warrior, rogue or mage) in tandem with one another to defeat a wide variety of reasonably intelligent enemies. Because you will be pausing a lot, I would recommend getting the game on PC, as the console versions don't really allow for the tactical top-down view that can be useful in massive fights. There are a wide range of spells and abilities as well as class customizations which means there's lots of room for replayability (I'd like to know if that's really a word).
Speaking of replayability, let's have a look at the replayability value of this game. You can choose from 6 different origin stories which define your character's position in the world. Each origin gets a 2 hour starting story before branching off into the main quest and does not only affect the opening hours of the game. I for one am aware of several quests I missed because of my origin choice, and one very cool ending to the game which requires you to have a specific origin story. Long story short, this is quite possibly the best game in terms of value for money I have seen for a long, long time (it's only $60 dollars or so on steam). I racked up 60 hours on this game before finishing it and I didn't even get the achievement for finishing 75% of the side quests.
The music in Dragon Age also deserves a mention, it contains an excellent score by the world reknowned composer Inon Zur, who has done the soundtrack for many Triple A titles. The music is used well by the game to create some very cinematic moments that you'd struggle to find in most modern day films. The graphics also deserve a mention, they're not top notch, but you should be able to run them on high settings if you have a modern PC, and you will probably only see lag during some of the extremely large battles.
Let's move on to my favourite part of this game, the story and the writing. BioWare is well known for its writing and Dragon Age is no different. The story is engaging and interesting from the beginning of the tale and the choices you make in this game are so interesting you'll want to replay it just to see what happens when you do one thing instead of the other. On top of that, the characters in this game are very well done. The party members at the beginning of the story all give interesting impressions, but once you go beyond the surface you'll find that none of them are exactly as you thought they were. They all are complex people with very complex opinions and feelings. The plot feels the same way, in that not all of the choices are black and white, and there really aren't good or bad choices in the game, as opposed to what you think is the best option.
Summing up, there aren't enough games out there like Dragon Age: Origins. Great storyline with interesting party members and dialogue, coupled with an interesting new world and fun combat is not something you see everyday. There's only so much about it I can repeat before you need to see the game for yourself. If you like RPGs, especially BioWare RPGs, this game is a must. Christmas isn't that far away, so if you don't have a copy already and then go grab one or guilt trip a relative into it!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Sup Y'all
Sorry to all that I haven't been watering the blog much recently, and that no podcast went up this week; I've been working, Mark is staying at Michael's house, and life is generally getting in the way of our sorry excuse for a gaming blog. Anyways, the reason I actually started this post was to talk a little about Assassin's Creed 2, which I beat this afternoon.
To start with, a big comment on just how good this game has already been mentioned; I beat it quickly, in fact before I had beaten both Dragon Age and Borderlands (getting there guys). This second installment really does propel you through it, with much tighter pacing than the first, and a much more interesting story. I do have to say that playing the Assassin's Creed 1 will really help you understand "what.the.fuck." is going on (there's a reason I put that in quotes, you'll see).
All in all, AC2 always gives you something to do, and feels shorter than the 25 hours or so that it is(which is a good thing, to clarify).
I've already talked a bit about the mechanics that underpin the action in this here video game, and my thoughts earlier on were more or less correct; everything has been made just a little bit better, though the climbing is still occasionally unwieldy. Of the new armaments in the game, namely poison, a gun and TWO WRIST BLADES, only the one in caps is really important.
There are a stack of other improvements, but I don't need to list them; suffice to say, Assassin's Creed 2 is fantastic. On one final note, the game has one of the more cliffhanger endings you'll see in a video game, much like the first, but guess what? Assassin's Creed 2 has by far the best end game credits ever. Nothing even comes close.
This is Dennis, saying go buy that game.
To start with, a big comment on just how good this game has already been mentioned; I beat it quickly, in fact before I had beaten both Dragon Age and Borderlands (getting there guys). This second installment really does propel you through it, with much tighter pacing than the first, and a much more interesting story. I do have to say that playing the Assassin's Creed 1 will really help you understand "what.the.fuck." is going on (there's a reason I put that in quotes, you'll see).
All in all, AC2 always gives you something to do, and feels shorter than the 25 hours or so that it is(which is a good thing, to clarify).
I've already talked a bit about the mechanics that underpin the action in this here video game, and my thoughts earlier on were more or less correct; everything has been made just a little bit better, though the climbing is still occasionally unwieldy. Of the new armaments in the game, namely poison, a gun and TWO WRIST BLADES, only the one in caps is really important.
There are a stack of other improvements, but I don't need to list them; suffice to say, Assassin's Creed 2 is fantastic. On one final note, the game has one of the more cliffhanger endings you'll see in a video game, much like the first, but guess what? Assassin's Creed 2 has by far the best end game credits ever. Nothing even comes close.
This is Dennis, saying go buy that game.
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