Weapons Online, Sensors Online, All Systems Nominal

As a Mechwarrior FAN, this caused certain function of my brain to malfunction and go haywire. More Info

Living Legends should get a move on!!

[Francois]

Gaming Market Trends

As most people know and do these days when u find something good on the market you go ahead and flog it for all its worth

In the gaming market the latest trend to be flogged or rather the latest trend that is in the process of being flogged is strategy games genre. In the past strategy games were reserved solely for the PC market and rightly so as well.

The….uhh….left arm of the law.

Having played games from the late 1980’s through to the current day and age, I’ve come to love a lot of games and game genres for that matter. A certain genre that’s always had a place close to my heart, is the 2D side-scroller (aka platform games). At the mere mention of the name “side-scroller”, images of Commander Keen and the Vortigons come to mind. Along with Dangerous Dave, Crystal Caves, the original Ghosts n Goblins, Duke Nukem 1 and 2….the list goes on and on.

The genre kept evolving with new games being released adding more elements and twists to the play. One such release that really stood out, was Abe’s Oddysee in 1997. A fresh take on platform adventures with beautiful environments to travel through, an interesting world and story and a control system that worked. The year after saw the release of the second game in the planned five game series, Abe’s Exoddus. Continuing the success and innovation of Abe’s Oddysee and allowing gamers more time with the unlikely hero, Abe.

But all of that is irrelevant, really. It just serves as a means of showing that I’m a big fan and follower of the genre. And one of the favorites being the original arcade Bionic Commando and the NES version.

When the announcement came that they were making a 3D Bionic Commando, I was actually not that thrilled. Bionic Commando is like a fragile piece of equipment in a shop. It’s the mentality of “You can look, but don’t touch! You’re probably going ot break it”. Even more so when they announced there will also be a re-make of the original game. But as time went by and the trailers and screenshots started floating about the internet, I started to relax a bit more. It looked like they were doing a pretty good job. And what else would I have expected from the creators of the original game.

Thrilled was I, when I purchased the game over the weekend for PC and started the download. Words like “agony” come to mind when I think of how I watched the progress meter fill up. But all of that is in the memory box now. The one that I keep under the bed in the darkest corner. In it’s place, are warm, fuzzy feelings. Feelings of nostalgia reborn. Feelings of “happy as can be”.

Bionic Commando Rearmed (BCR) lives up to it’s promise. The promise of being a re-make of the original game. When playing the game, it feels like you’re playing the old one…..but not really. It’s a strange feeling indeed. Everything seems familiar, yet new at the same time. The arm is there, the jump isn’t there and the frustration is there, yet it’s all coated in a beautiful layer of coloured pixels. The graphics are eye-wateringly beautiful. And I don’t mean the colours are so bright they make your eyes water. I mean tears spring to one’s eyes when looking at BCR and seeing how Private Spencer is all grown up now…..*sniff*.

Bionic Commando Rearmed in action

The gameplay is a ton of fun, yet just like the original, completely unforgiving. For some of the later levels, you really need to have mastered the bionic arm, dodging, blocking bullets, shooting and swinging all at the same time. The game can get pretty intense (specially if you bump up the difficulty) so hardcore gamers will be pleased with the difficulty. Specially the Challenge Rooms scattered through the game (which you can access from the main menu once you’ve unlocked them). They truly are challenge rooms. They’re simply a scenario you’re presented with and your objective is to get through it as quickly as possible. Based on your time, you get a rating between 1 and 5 stars. And if you can beat the time of the creator of the level, you get a nice badge to show that you’re the king.

The game also supports a multiplayer mode which I’m keen to try out. Swinging around like a bunch of monkeys trying to shoot each other with powerups dropping all over the show sounds like the formula for fun, if you ask me. And doing it all in a gorgeous looking environment like the one BCR presents to you, it can only be a pleasure to play.

The overall feel of the game can be summed up into one word, “Complete”. It doesn’t feel as if there’s
anything wanting from the title. You’re never left feeling “I wish they did that”, or “It would have been nice if they added feature <insert feature here> to the game”. This game is well-rounded, well-executed and well-everythingelse.

The only negative thing about the game, is not about the game itself. It’s about the state of current gaming affairs. Most gamers are used to being spoonfed when it comes to gaming and difficulty settings that rarely challenge. In this regard, BCR is every bit as difficult as the original was. It’s not an impossible game at all, but the try-try-again nature of it is going to frustrate more than a few gamers. And proof of this is already spreading across the internet with people moaning about how difficult it is.

But in my books, that just seals the deal. Capcom wasn’t scared to stay true to the original game. They stuck to their guns (and experimental arms), and produced a proper re-make of a classic, loved game. If you’re feeling a) up for a challenge, b) nostalgic, c) in the mood for something fun or d) a really good game, give Bionic Commando Rearmed a try. I’d recommend it on any platform it’s available on. Even though the PC version is $5 more expensive than the console versions, I’d still say it’s a steal for the amount of game you get for your money. It more than outweighs the price.

So get swinging, rolling, shooting and jumpi running and get your copy of Bionic Commando Rearmed. It’s charms will grow on anybody and will have you coming back for more punishment =)

I need lives. I need lives for the master!

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned an “upcoming title” called Dracula: Origin. A point-and-click (P&C) adventure game that was to be released in August. So lo and behold, August has arrived and with it, the sinister Count.

I was in two minds when I considered buying the game. The hardcore adventurer in me screamed out to immediately purchase it, lock myself in my room and play and play and play. But the sensible part of me (the part that actually learns from prior experiences) was shrugging away from it thinking “ugh, not another one of those adventure ‘attempts’”. The recent adventure games I’ve played consisted of some good ones and then some that’s left a bad taste in my mouth (probably a result of eating the game cover out of frustration). So I was skeptical as to what this game could offer. But my adventure side won me over. Even if it’s just purely to be complete and give the developers the chance they deserve.

But I have to say, I am pleasantly surprised!! Firing up the game presented me with an interesting, yet simple main menu. Something that served as an initial annoyance, was the fact that the game does not support widescreen format. I have two thick, black bars running down the sides of the screen. But almost immediately, I thought “Hmmm, how retro. How……old-school“. And just from that, I already had a positive feel for the game. This tiny fact showed me that the developers do not care about fancy thingies. They’re not influenced by what people think. They’re here to make a game.

Starting a new game, I watch the intro video with joy. It’s got the typical adventure-game feel to it that’s been lost for so long. And for the first time in quite a while, the voice-acting wasn’t a burden to listen to.

The interface for everything in the game, is simple yet effective. It’s never a chore to do anything and you’re never left feeling “but that’s dumb”. Playing the game for a few short minutes, the interface starts to feel completely natural and you’re left to enjoy the game as the story unfolds. On then to my second greatest fear. The puzzles.

And long has it been since I felt what I feel when completing a puzzle in Dracula: Origin. Completing a puzzle leaves you looking around and thinking “damn…..I wish there was somebody here who could have seen me figure that out!”. None of the puzzles are unfair, unoriginal or any number of words starting with “un”. Nor are any of the puzzles illogical or weird as is the case with most new generation of P&C games. The subtle hints the player receives gradually introduces them to every scenario and it starts to snowball until the player understands exactly what is expected of them and they’re left to figure it out. Never do you feel burdened by the puzzles or lost when you accidentally find a solution by attempting to combine all items in your inventory with every other item. All the puzzles play out in such an elegant manner that most of the time you feel like you’re progressing much too fast.

Although I haven’t quite finished the game yet, I’m already happy with the length so far. There’s enough new locations to keep one interested and enough brain-racking to make you come back for more.

Dracula: Origin then, is the adventure game I’ve been waiting for. A new generation game with all the ingredients of the past. It’s really a joy to play if you’re an avid P&C gamer, and a nice pastime for the gamer who just wants something to play. I’m not sure how true to Bram Stoker’s novel the game story keeps, but from the bits and pieces I’ve read and know of, it seems it’s quite close. So a game for any Dracula fans then as well.

Dracula: Origin really is a must-have for adventure game enthusiasts. I don’t think anybody will be disappointed with this buy.

Here’s hoping Frogwares delves deep into their pool of talent and starts producing more adventure games for us to slurp up. I for one, am definitely going to look into their Sherlock Holmes series of games. For now I’m just happy that a developer has arrived to give me my fix ;P

Theme of the month

So I thought after searching through the many themes available on Xbox live that it is such a huge task to find a decent looking free theme. So why not provide the community with a little help by providing a Best Free theme of the month. If you dont agree with me please post a comment or send me a mail as I always welcome suggestions.

Games Galore

In a turn of events that totally surprised me i bought a total of 11 games in the past week. This is split into the following categories , 4 XBLA Games and 7 normal games. While i never buy this many games at one time , this time i had to make a exception because i was really falling behind with Xbox gaming recently.Also the 7 normal Xbox games I bought were not for me but for my brother who I have been trying to get a bit more involved in gaming.

Ok so time for a quick run through the XBLA games that I have played so far and what I have enjoyed or not enjoyed. As soon as i get a chance to play the normal xbox games I will hit the blog with another post.

XBLA Games

Braid

This game really caught me off guard ,what MS usually does is when a new or heavy hitting game comes out its basically advertised all over the dashboard. While this is a nice way to advertise it usually annoys me because the games are usually not that good. When I saw that ad for braid I definitely did not want to download it.

After googling a bit more info for the game I decided to at least get the demo and see how it looks. This is where the game surprised me for the second time at +-140mb for a demo I was a hoping that the game might at least be above average. After finally downloading the game and playing the demo all I can say is wow.

Each level is beautifully painted and every puzzle is unique , while this is a bold claim after the purchasing the game i can definitely say that this is true. On top of that if you enjoy a platform puzzler then you will really enjoy these puzzles as they require a bit of thought on the players side. A very innovative thing i saw in the game was the use of paintings, these paintings are created by the player after picking up pieces of the painting through the stage. Once completed or even partially completed the player can actually use the paintings canvas and painting it self as part of the environment.

The picture above is an exapmle of how the story is told , in between each level the player find these books which explains abit more of the story as you progress. Sharp eyed players will notice that this is not the only way the story is told , the other means is through the paintings that the player collects and build.

It also pretty obvious that the roots of this game stem from the original mario games. While the creators have tried to not make it too obvious the little mario ‘gems’ found around the world complement the game to make it perfect and add a little humor to the game as well.

The image below taken from the official site describes perfectly some of the mechanics used in the game.

Also if by now you still have not bought the game , make sure that you go and get it , its worth every MS point .

Geometory Wars 2

This is the second game that i bought and without a doubt one of the better games available on the XBLA.

Based on the original Geometry Wars with a whole lot of extra oomph added to give it that extra kick needed to make it survive in this competitive market.

The number of features and improvements added to the game are tremendous and it really show. For starters the game is now fully HD compliant , so when playing it at higher resolutions the graphics are not distorted at all. Quite a few new enemy ships have been added and the original enemy ship designs have been redone to complete the new look to the game.

By far the biggest change to the game is the addition of the new game modes. With 5 new modes + co-op play (versuses or co-op) there is a ton of fun to be had with this game.

Modes Include :

• Deadline : Get as much score as possible before the timer runs out.
• King : Stay in the circle to shoot the enemies and gain points.
• Pacifism : No weapons kill enemies using the new bonus bars.
  
• Waves : Waves of increasing number of ships attack survive as long as possible.
• Sequences : Enemies spawn in the same sequence’s , see how many sequences you can survive.

If you are looking for a great co-op game this is definitely it , just keep in mind this is a game for the persistent and challengers. If you give up easily you will really not enjoy this game as the difficulty at times can be quite steep. But if i could convince my siblings who hated the first geometry wars with a passion to play this version then i don’t think many people will have a problem getting hooked to this game.

If ever you are online and want to hit a game of GW2 send me a message and we can get some gaming on.

~stalkerh

Vast and empty expanses

No, the topic isn’t about what’s going on in my head (although that description is close), it’s about space. The final frontier. The uncharted territory. The rest of the universe for the human race, a mere speck of life in the milky way.

There are quite a lot of games that play off in space or has something to do with space and alien worlds. I guess a reason for that would be because of the unknowiness (that’s a word for the 2009 dictionary right there) of space. It allows developers free reign on the story they want to weave. And for the most part, it works well. But some games should have been kept from escaping out of the earthly atmosphere, for the story just doesn’t gel well enough.

Surprised I was then (and a bit apprehensive), when I heard the next hack-n-slash game from Gas-Powered Games that will run under the “_____-Siege” banner, was going to space. I was (and am) a huge fan of the Dungeon Siege series. I spent hours upon hours playing the game attempting to finish it man-alone with no party and no pack-mule. It was a fun and engaging game. So what could space offer this series ?

I followed the development of the game closely and salvaged any information on it that I could. And the news was pleasant, to say the least. Space Siege promised to be a new innovation on the old hack-n-slash mechanics. So I promptly downloaded the demo when it was released a few days ago and I set out to see first-hand if the game would match the news.

And the short answer would be, yes it does. The first thing I noticed while playing, was how “clean” the game looks. It could have been the settings I was running it on, but I didn’t have so much as a hint of any jaggy edges, texture artifacts or graphical glitches. The game looks and feels solid. Which makes it a joy to play. Also, the control system is not overly complicated and access to everything is laid out in a neat manner which is easy to learn.

Combat is handled in a straight-forward manner (hold down fire button while pointing at enemy) and the player’s special abilities are useful in tight quarters. Some of the abilities result in an interaction between player and enemy models a la cinema flair style, which is rarely seen in hack-n-slash games. It’s a neat little touch that gives the game it’s own personality. It remains to be seen how the special abilities scale up when the character advances levels. So too will the core of the game play. Where the player needs to decide if he / she wishes to upgrade their character with cybernetic enhancements at the cost of humanity.

Playing through the demo, it’s not clear if there are any consequences in which path the player decides to take. So it will be interesting to see how this mechanic is brought into play.

The story I cannot comment on much for the demo is quite short, but so far it seems to be a promising plot. Enough to make me want the game now =)

The game is set for release on the 22nd of August. A date you should mark on your calendar if this type of game is up your alley. It looks to bring some new ideas to the table and offer a fresh breath of life to the Siege series of games. It’s a game I’m definitely looking forward to playing.

Inter competition

The debate rages on daily if not hourly somewhere in this world and I’m pretty sure at this very second you will start the very same debate. What is the best gaming platform ?

While the short answer is that it comes down to personal choice, Microsoft has stepped up to the challenge and provided the means to put this to an end. They recently announced that Games For Windows Live would be free to all PC users and that they would be able to challenge gamers on the 360. While this is not a new feature, the cost that was attached to owning a Games for windows Live Gold account has been dropped.

Coupled with this, they have now announced that gamers on the XBOX360 with silver accounts (the ones that can’t play multiplayer but can do everything else) can play certain games that have been released on the games for windows live platform. This means that there’s no reason for all XBOX and PC gamers to not step up to the challenge and beat the living daylights out of each other.

While it must be stressed that this was announced as a time limited offer (so make the most of it), I am very sure that we will be seeing this kind of service from Microsoft in the next few months leading up to the release of their new dashboard for the 360.

As always Iam up for the challenge. If you have a games for windows live account or a live account, my gamer tag is humanstalker. Send me an invite and we can game some time.

‘Nuff said

CAD-comic

Just plug it into the back of my head

I love tactical shooter games, the more real, the better.

In the online PC version of COD4, on a full-ish SGS server your life expectancy is insane, some people stop playing online because most of the time, you don’t survive the duration of a single clip. Ja, that would happen in real life as well if you’d run in the in the middle of the street, spraying-&-praying. A lota players are playing a semi-realistic game, arcade style…

I’ve dreamt of a FPS where it’s as close to real life as possible. Things like taking a chest shot and dropping, loosing ability to walk, realistic firing accuracy, getting tired, using your body as a human shield, forcing players to go from cover to cover, covering team mates, etc.

Would it really be fun? A lot of people will probably get annoyed, but i think all the milsim fans out there will just love it. Some game developers have sorta tried it, take for example Flashpoint, they pulled off some realism, while still keeping it fun. Flashpoint 2 and the Source realism mods I’d say is your best bet for the ‘most’ realistic gaming, but nobody has gone all the way, guns blazing…

I’d love to see someone try and cut away all possible arcade from a FPS war title and attempt maximum realism, is that so hard to ask?

[Francois]