If any of you have been on Xbox Live recently and seen me online, you’ve probably been seeing me play Far Cry 2 almost non stop for the past week or so. Well, as I noted in my last blog post, this is the next title on my to-review list. I just finished spending some last minute reviewing time with it a few minutes ago and I think I’m finally ready to finish the review.
But first, some impressions…
Yes, I’ve finally seen the proverbial light I mentioned in my recent MGS 4 related blog post. I’ve finally played Metal Gear Solid 4 and…let’s just say I am very, very pleased.
It all began last Sunday when I was at work and a customer walked to my register with a copy of the game in question in his hand to trade in. Once I completed his transaction, I promptly informed my co-workers that I’d be checking the game out when my shift ended and set the game aside. That night I took it home and…didn’t play it. That day at work had worn me down so I was in no mood to play any games. Of course, the very next day, I finally popped the game into my Playstation 3 and started to play.
Let’s get the wild praise out of the way first before getting into the meat of these impressions. The game is freaking great. It reached out and grabbed me from the first minute like no other Metal Gear Solid game has. The story is keeping me compelled to see it through to the end to the point where I had to force myself to stop playing the other day after having played for nearly 4 hours.
Now that the unmitigated praise is out of the way, I can start being a critic. Now, one of the reasons why the Metal Gear Solid series has never reached out and grabbed me before now is in part due to the clunky shooting and combat controls. I’ve never gotten the hang of the whole, press lightly on the button to raise the gun and hard to shoot thing that has been utilized in previous entries. While I realize that this is a stealth game and thus, shooting and hand to hand combat shouldn’t be your main priority but almost inevitably, the game would find a way to make you do so, which puts a bit of a damper on the experience if you’re a stealth purist.
In MGS 4, this isn’t a problem. The shooting controls have been completely revamped and vastly improved. The camera instantly jumps into an over-the-shoulder view, similar to Resident Evil 4 or Gears of War, once your weapon is drawn. From there, it plays sort of like a third person shooter, a very good third person shooter at that. It’s because of this new perspective on combat that it becomes significantly easier. The emphasis on stealth is unfortunately diminished and the consequences for alerts take a nosedive early on. It’s far too easy to take out the squad of soldiers closest to you and then duck into an out of the way corner for a little while until things calm down.
But despite the ease of combat, stealth is a very viable option, especially with Snake’s new Octocamo. This invaluable addition to Solid Snake’s equipment is one of your greatest allies in the field and perhaps the greatest sneaking tool ever utilized in any stealth game. What it does is automatically change its texture and appearance to blend in with whatever surface you’re pressed up against, be it a brick wall or grass covered dirt. Oftentimes, AI soldiers and NPC’s will walk right past you without noticing, should you p
Everything isn’t all rosy and wonderful though. One of Metal Gear Solid 4’s biggest strengths is also its biggest flaws. I’m referring to this series’ particular brand of storytelling in which impossibly long cutscenes tell its far-reaching, rich and sometimes utterly convoluted story. It doesn’t help that the ratio of cutscenes to actual playing time is damn near 1:1.These cutscenes are entertaining to sit through sure enough, but occasionally, I can’t help but wish the game would shut up and let me play.
In the end, the game is everything I expected it to be and more. I expected it to be great but the sheer magnitude of its quality and ability to make me hopelessly addicted (I’ve actually taken time off from playing it because I didn’t want to finish it too quickly). This truly is the best Metal Gear Solid game and one of the best reasons to own a Playstation 3. Looking back on my previous blog post once again, I see that my lack of excitement was unfounded and that playing truly is believing.
Against my better judgment, yesterday, I purchased a copy of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. Ever since I saw the limited amount of content to be included in this “game” for such a steep price ($40 USD), I couldn’t shake the feeling that Polyphony Digital was merely delivering a glorified demo to milk hardcore Gran Turismo fans out of a quick buck before the real thing comes out, which some speculate won’t be until some time after 2009. Well, having played it for a few days prior, I’ve changed my tune…for the most part.
I guess before I truly begin to discuss my impressions of the game, I should explain how I define a “lack of content”. First off, Gran Turismo 5: Prologue features around 70 cars, from over a dozen manufacturers, including series newcomer, Ferrari. What’s surprising about this is the fact that GT5: Prologue includes more cars out of the box than many full games, including the likes of the recently released Need for Speed: Pro Street. Clearly, the number of cars couldn’t be the issue, could it? No. While 70 cars is only one tenth of the 700 featured in Gran Turismo 4 and an even smaller fraction of the rumored 900 cars set to be included in the full release of Gran Turismo 5, there’s still a nice variety of cars to choose from.
So, what could be the thing that troubles me most? Well that’s simple. While there is an abundance of cars available to the player, the track selection is meager at best, limited to six tracks and twelve layouts. No, not twelve layouts per track, just twelve layouts in total. This is where GT5: Prologue stumbles and falls to the ground. Before long, the track selection can grow stale and repetitive, seeing the same environments over and over again as you race around the same track for the umpteenth time during the career mode. This is where the sting comes in and your wallet begins to curse you for making this purchase.
But…(There’s always a “but”)
For the most part, what GT5: Prologue lacks in content, it makes up for in presentation and gameplay. Polyphony Digital knows how to draw the player in with an attractive set of front end menus and, most importantly, how to make cars look sexy. As you navigate the elegantly presented menu screen, the car you’re currently “in” sits behind it, amidst one of several eye-catching and gorgeous backdrops relevant to the location you most recently drove in. The camera slowly pans around the car, allowing you to see the entirety of is svelte figure and wonderfully proportioned lines.
To merely say this game looks good would be the understatement of the year. Gran Turismo 5 truly puts other racers to shame with its incredibly detailed and well lit car models (it’s amazing what good lighting can do to make a car look stunning), and detailed environments. While I’ve been a staunch supporter of the impressive graphics delivered in Project Gotham Racing 4, I can’t say it looks better than GT5: Prologue in any way other than the convincing weather effects. The in car view is also mighty impressive and my current favorite way to view the race, despite the loss of visual real estate.
All the great looking cars and environments wouldn’t save the game if the gameplay was lacking and I can happily say GT5: Prologue isn’t lacking in that respect. The numerous cars in the game have their own sort of “feel” to them in their handling and overall performance and all drive with an impressive realism about them, which feels great. A new feature, borrowed from the Forza series is the dynamic racing line, which changes color from blue to red to indicate you’re going too fast. Of course, for a most realistic and suitably challenging experience, this, as well as the other driving aids (variable traction/stability control) can be turned off prior to a race.
Overall, GT5: Prologue isn’t a bad game. I’m almost willing to say I overreacted a tiny bit. Almost. Once I came to grips with the fact that my only real issue was with what I perceived to be a high price tag (if the game was $20, I’d have no problem at all buying it), I was mostly fine with the lack of content because the gameplay made up for it. For me, a new fan of Gran Turismo 4 as of late, this is a pretty fun stopgap between the two full games that should, alongside its PS2 brother and my reigning favorite racing game, Forza 2, keep my simulation racing needs satisfied until Gran Turismo 5 finally decides to come out.
That or Forza 3, of course.
It goes without saying that diehard fans of the Gran Turismo series are going to add this to their ever growing collection regardless of what I say about it. For the rest of you who happen to be on the fence, take these words with a grain of salt. If you can, like I have, get over the initial shock over the lack of content, there’s a good game to be had here.
For a long while, many North American Playstation 3 owners have gone without a simple novelty that some gamers take for granted or rarely seem to notice. This feature, introduced to the console gaming world by way of an external peripheral for the Nintendo 64 is vibration. Having lost a lawsuit with Immersion, the patent owners on the rumble technology used in past editions of DualShock controllers, Sony was forced to package the Sixaxis controller, sans rumble, with the Playstation 3.
Well, Sony has since kissed and made up with Immersion and has since released the DualShock 3 with both rumble functionality and motion sensors intact (contrary to earlier claims) to North American audiences. Fairly recently, I picked up my DualShock 3 from my local game retailer and gave it a whirl.
This, however, wasn’t my first encounter with the DualShock 3. Having used my friend’s controller, which was imported from Japan around the time the DualShock 3 was released there, I had a general idea of what to expect. Upon taking the controller out of the box and holding it for the first time, I recalled my initial joy in feeling the added weight, undoubtedly because of the new rumble motors prior to even using it. By comparison, the Sixaxis feels rather cheap due to its incredibly light frame. Aesthetically, it feels better clenched in my hands, which makes for a more comfortable gaming experience.
The main reason I purchased the new controller, like many others, was because of the newfound vibration functions and the DualShock 3 delivers in that respect. It sort of feels like the plastic surrounding the controller’s innards is a bit thinner than that of the DualShock 2 (without sacrificing quality), which actually makes for a better, more vibrant feeling rumble. The rumble feature feels great in the many Playstation 3 titles I’ve tested. So far, I’ve taken Resistance: Fall of Man, the Devil May Cry 4 Demo and the Japanese Gran Turismo 5: Prologue demo through the paces and so far, each of these titles uses the rumble functions to great effect. Of the aforementioned titles, the Gran Turismo 5: Prologue demo was the most impressive.
Overall, the DualShock 3 was impressive. There isn’t much to say about it aside from the new vibration functionality because, in terms of design, it’s practically identical to the Sixaxis. Is it worth the five dollar premium over the cost over the price of the Sixaxis? Yes. I must say I’m disappointed Sony couldn’t work out their differences with Immersion sooner and package this controller with the Playstation 3 in the first place and being was forced to pay extra for a feature I’ve already had with both the Xbox 360 and Wii does sting a bit. Despite that, I feel the DualShock 3 is a worthwhile investment for upcoming titles such as Metal Gear Solid 4, which should make great use of the controller’s functions, considering the franchise’s history.
If you’re in the market for a new controller or just can’t do without a little rumble in your games, the DualShock 3 ultimately makes for a worthy buy.
Mere days ago, Rockstar released the final Grand Theft Auto IV Teaser trailer entitled “Good Lord, What Are You Doing?” (a.k.a. Everyone’s a Rat) for fans to chew on, a mere appetizer for the potentially delicious main course that is GTA IV. Being one of those fans, steadily marking off days on my calendar as GTA IV’s release approaches, I tend to devour any scraps of information about the game that are thrown to me. Needless to say, when I got home from work to find a new trailer awaiting me, I didn’t hesitate to watch it.
This trailer shows more of what you’ve likely come to expect, meaning very little actual gameplay footage and short snippets of GTA IV’s storyline, which if Rockstar’s tradition holds, should be excellent. Niko Belic and the few characters we’ve seen so far seem rather compelling. It’s worth noting that the voice acting is pretty good as well as I’ve come to appreciate about the GTA series as of late, especially considering the excellent performances delivered in GTA: Vice City and San Andreas.
The game’s many vehicles appear to be the star of this show, much more so than in the previous trailers. Aside from the helicopter seen flying over Liberty City at the very beginning, a number of interesting cars made their appearance, as always, looking very much like their real life counterparts. In this short trailer, there appeared to be a few Dodge Charger clones, a Chrysler 300 clone and, most intriguing of all, a car that looked very much like a Lamborghini Murcielago, which Niko performed a stylish reverse 180 and sped away from the pursuing police.
Many of the game’s sure to be extensive selection of firearms made an appearance here, as you should expect. Numerous shotguns, handguns and assault rifles were brandished by both sides of the law. Yes, even the police were seen taking a few shots. One particularly interesting moment occurred when Niko blew some poor sap away with a pump-action shotgun, sending him tumbling down a series of steps. The animation for this was quite fluid and impressive, and something I hope to see during gameplay as well.
To be frank, I’m a bit underwhelmed. This isn’t because the trailer wasn’t good, because it was, I just feel as though the third trailer, “Move up Ladies” was better. It’s sort of like eating Filet Mignon from an upscale establishment and then eating a cheeseburger from a less upscale place a few seconds later. Sure, the cheeseburger is still good, but your palette has evolved since then and naturally, you expect more. Despite these minor complaints, this trailer did much to whet my appetite for GTA IV and leave me salivating for more. Well, the full game will be here in less than a month. it’s all a matter of enduring the wait.
Super Smash Brothers Brawl is the third in the long running Super Smash Brothers series which began on the Nintendo 64 and saw a second installment on the GameCube in the form of Super Smash Brothers Melee. When the announcement trailer for Super Smash Brothers Brawl debuted at E3 2006, Nintendo fans everywhere rejoiced, gazing at what would surely be one of the Wii’s best titles. Unfortunately, those same fans had to wait a bit longer than originally thought, as Brawl has certainly seen its share of delays, delays which finally ended upon the game’s release Sunday, March 9th.
After a long day of work on that very Sunday, I was finally able to sit down, Wavebird controller in hand and take the game through its paces. I started, as many likely have, by hopping into the Classic mode to unlock a few characters (including my Melee favorite, Captain Falcon) before venturing into the online arena. Alas, as soon as I started my first match (with Samus), something felt…off. The controls for some reason felt strange, almost slippery, in comparison to Melee. The control scheme, while identical to Melee, took some time to acclimate to but before I knew it, I was up and brawling with the best of them.
As I played through the Classic mode for the first time, there was something I was just itching to try out, something that piqued my curiosity from the very sight of it in the announcement trailer. I’m talking about the Final Smash, each character’s coup de grâce finishing move, which almost always results in a KO, should it hit home. As soon as a Smash Ball floated into the arena (alongside an accompanying gasp from the “crowd”) I rushed to break it open and, upon doing so, unleashed Samus’s Hyper Beam upon my hapless opponent, who was sent flying off the stage in an electric blue blaze of glory. Using each character’s Final Smash is an immensely satisfying and effective feat and one which was implemented incredibly well.
One of the faults that has plagued the Super Smash Bros series since the beginning is the lack of a worthwhile single player mode. In Super Smash Bros, the classic mode is fun but it’s essentially the same thing over and over again with different characters, which can grow tiring. Melee’s Adventure mode was a step in the right direction, but ultimately suffered from the same problem, it was hardly any different (if there was a difference at all) when using different characters. Thankfully many of these problems are addressed in Super Smash Bros Brawl in the form of the Subspace Emissary mode.
Subspace Emissary is an attempt to take the classic Smash Brothers formula, turn it into a side scrolling action/platforming title for up to two players co-operatively and wrap a story around it. This attempt works out remarkably well, creating an addictive and entertaining experience with no shortage of stylish and attractive cutscenes, interesting level design, and, most importantly, fast-paced action. Along the way, you’ll run into just about every character in the game, unlocking several of the secret characters as you go.
As with every Super Smash Brothers game, the emphasis is on the multiplayer action and Brawl once again delivers in spades. There is a great deal of four player fun awaiting you in this title, even more so now than ever before. Super Smash Bros Brawl does something never before seen in the series, and takes the multiplayer experience online. That’s right, in addition to the classic four player action centered around the same console; you can now join three of your friends take on random opponents from around the world. While the online experience isn’t quite as smooth as I’d hoped due to connection problems when trying to play with random opponents and scattered latency issues, I can’t say I’m not enjoying it, and the many online matches I’ve played with my friends have been some of the most fun I’ve had with the franchise in general.
Another thing that impressed me about the game was the sheer amount of content on the disc. Throughout the game’s development, Smash Bros Dojo kept us current on new content with a slew of updates on a consistent basis. I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to Halo 3, another title which was practically bursting at the seams with content. From secret characters to new music and extra arenas to a custom stage builder, there’s no shortage of things to see, do, and play around with in this title and the unlockable trophies and stickers (the latter of which can be applied to characters in the Subspace Emissary mode for enhanced abilities) will keep you busy for quite some time.
Super Smash Bros Brawl has certainly impressed in my short time with it and I don’t see things slowing up any time soon. I can see this is one Wii title that I’ll be playing for quite some time. I can’t get enough of the online throwdowns and there’s even more content just waiting to be unlocked. To put it simply, if you own a Wii, this game should be in your collection. While this is far from an official review, my opinion of the game thus far is very favorable.
Super Smash Bros Brawl has been a long time coming, but I highly doubt the vast majority of Wii owners and Smash Bros fans alike will be disappointed with the results.
Over one year later, Resistance: Fall of Man, the most highly acclaimed game of the Playstation 3’s launch, is still regarded as one of the best games available on the system and still one of its best sellers. Resistance: Fall of Man was developed by Insomniac, a developer known best for their work on the popular Ratchet and Clank series. Resistance strikes a sharp contrast to that series, creating a dark and gritty atmosphere, as opposed to the more light-hearted, humorous and colorful universe in which Ratchet and Clank takes place.
Resistance casts you as Sergeant Nathan Hale, a soldier in the American Army Rangers, sent to aid Britain in the fight against the Chimera, an alien race of unknown origin. The year is 1951 in an alternate reality in which the Nazi’s never rose to power in Germany and World War II never happened. The Chimera have spread across the isolationist Russia, destroying everything in their path and have moved in on England, wiping out much of its population. Of course, in the face of this terrible plight, it’s up to you to stop them.
The single player campaign begins here, thrusting you right into the conflict against the Chimera with nothing but an M5A2 Carbine and your wits. Resistance’s dark and gritty atmosphere is well established through narrated scenes and cutscenes scattered liberally between firefights. Resistance gains points for choosing something other than World War II to focus on, having chosen a historical setting. It’s also impressive that Resistance seemingly blends two separate time periods by thrusting futuristic weaponry and alien technology into your hands throughout the game. I’m not too far into the game yet, but things have been good so far and hopefully things will continue in a similar fashion.
Of course, the aforementioned firefights are most important in establishing the setting as well as keeping the player engaged and this is done quite admirably. Most importantly, these battles are also fun. Despite my personal qualms over the analog stick layout and convex triggers of the Sixaxis controller, I don’t feel hampered by them to any reasonable degree. The controller sensitivity feels right, the numerous weapons are fun to wield and the general mechanics work well. I am disappointed by the tacked on motion controls, which are used to shake off enemies that grab on to you and a couple other functions in multiplayer.
I’m less enthused about the multiplayer component, which allows you to wage war with up to 39 fellow gamers across a dozen or so maps, not counting the few released as downloadable content. The pace feels a great deal faster than what you experience in the campaign, which can be quite jarring to players heading online for the first time and will have many wishing they could use an input device more precise than a controller. Nevertheless, despite these niggling issues, it isn’t bad at all. It takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of things, it’s quite fun. Latency issues are slim to nil due to the dedicated servers the game utilizes for its multiplayer frag-fests. The most players I’ve seen in any one match were 24 out of a maximum of 32, which was one heck of a match. I would like to play more matches of this size, but it seems players have moved on to other games such as Call of Duty 4 and as a result, there don’t seem to be many people playing the game.
Overall, I am impressed by Resistance, which holds up remarkably well for a launch title (certainly better than Perfect Dark Zero). The single player campaign is interesting, full of exciting shootouts and an interesting storyline and setting. While I had a few more complaints about the multiplayer component, they aren’t enough to put a significant damper on my enjoyment. The game is certainly not perfect but it’s something I can easily recommend to PS3 owners who are fans of the genre or those who just have a passing interest.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, the human race isn’t going to save itself…
You are currently browsing the archives for the Impressions category.
My name is Justin McBride and I’m a guy who enjoys writing, playing games and writing about playing games. Sound lame enough yet? Well, I have other interests as well such as hanging out with friends, watching TV, going to the movies from time to time, surfing the internet, listen to good music, drive at speeds I shouldn’t be driving at and so on. The problem is, that’s all stuff everyone likes to do, so why write about it?
Oh wait, seems I just did. Oops.
My Suite 101 Articles
Mass Effect
