It's been a while.

So, almost a year and a half has gone by since my first post. Seven months since my last post. Where have I been. Well, I've been gaming a ton. And, I can say that I have stayed on top of every new game I have picked up so far this year, of which there have been many.

It was a productive weekend and I actually finished both Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes and Resident Evil The Umbrella Chronicles.

Now back to being lazy and infrequently updating this blog. After I pick up Uncharted 3 and Assassin's Creed Revelations I should be able to get back into some older stuff.

Here is my updated list, soon to include Batman Arkham City.

X-Box 360
Castle Crashers

Wii
Madworld
The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess

PS2
Fatal Frame 2
Fatal Frame 3
Half Life
Haunting Ground
Obscure
Psychonauts
Resident Evil 4
Rise of Kasai

X-Box
Darkwatch

Game Cube
Killer 7

PS1
Dino Crisis
Dino Crisis 2
Parasite Eve 2

Busy Beaver

I knocked quite a few games out recently. Four! Though I may have cheated a little since 3 out 4 where very short PSN games.

First up was:

Game Title:  Casltevania, Lords of Shadow
Published by: Konami

I remember playing Castlevania at the arcade in the late 80s.  I sucked at it.  Then I played Castlevania 2 on the NES.  I sucked at it.  I hadn't played a Castlevania game since.  So, why did I finally decide to pick up this game?  Because Kojima Productions was involved and since Hideo Kojima is a genius, and I love his Metal Gear games, I figured why not.  Plus, I got it for free back when Toys R Us had a "Buy 2, Get 1" free sale last October.

I finally got around to playing this about mid-February.  Needless to say, I could have waited a bit longer.  Not that this was a bad game at all, just very unoriginal.  Though I did come to enjoy myself by the end, I couldn't help but see influences from a bunch of other games:  God of War, Devil May Cry, Prince of Persia, Darksiders, Shadow of the Colossus, etc).  It took a little bit of the enjoyment out of the game.

The story was a little generic and I wondered how Patrick Stewart felt while reading the schlocky narrative.

A fun, albeit, unoriginal game that I am happy I didn't pay any money for.  Plus, the ending is kinda cool.

Up next:

Game Title: Costume Quest
Developed By:  DOUBLE FIIIIINE!!!

This was a refreshing change of pace.

From the crazy minds behind Psychonauts and Brutal Legend comes Costume Quest.  It's a very cute, short, RPG.  The story is you and your sister go out on Halloween, she is kidnapped by Grubbins, and you and your friends have to save her.  When going into battle with the Grubbins, you become your costume and kick all kinds of ass.  You can be a robot, a knight, the Statue of Liberty, a cat, a vampire, a unicorn, and a bunch of other creatures. It's all good fun.

The game play is simple and yet there is still some strategy involved in beating some enemies.  The game is short, but not so short you feel like you don't get enough of it.  I finished in about 6 hours with all trophies.  There is also DLC, which I will definitely be getting.

If you're looking for something fun, give Costume Quest a download.

Third Game:

Game Title:  Blade Kitten (episode 1)
Developed By: Krome Studios

Blade Kitten was a ton of fun as well.  Very anime inspired. You play a cat girl who is a bounty hunter.  The voice acting was great, better than I expected and the game play was also fun.

This game reminded me of 16 bit era platforms on the Genesis, where the levels didn't seem to have a reason to how they were laid out, but you still wound up finishing each one.

This was another game I finished in about 6 hours and look forward to episode two.

Last, but not least:

Game Title: Shank
Developed By: Klei Entertainment

Shank is a nod to beat 'em ups of old, like Double Dragon.  You are Shank,a  tough hombe who was left for dead and his girlfriend killed by his old gang.  It's very similar to the plot of Kill Bill Vol 1. Guy is part of bad ass gang, guy gets betrayed and left for dead by said gang, guy returns years later for revenge.

Shank is full of over the top violence and action.  You can kill guys will a chainsaw. You can feed guys grenades.  You and pounce on guys from across the screen and slice & dice them with your knife.

The boss battles are fun, and a few of them rather difficult.  The graphics, while simple looking, are really greaty looking.  The characters are pretty cliched for the genre but it serves it's purpose.

And, the game is short.  I spent three and a half hours on it and finished the game on normal.  There is a harder difficulty but I am afraid of that one.

Next Level:  Borderlands, Game of the Year edition

Viva le Saboteur!

Game Title:  The Saboteur

Developed by: Pandemic Studios (R.I.P.)

I will start off in the spirit of Saboteur main character, Sean Devlin, and say that this game was feckin' awesome. Take two parts Grand Theft Auto, 1 part Just Cause, and a dash of Assassin's Creed, shake vigorously, and viola:  The Saboteur!

You play as Sean Devlin, a down on his luck Irish racecar driver who is bumming around 1940s Paris, which is under heavy, heavy Nazi occupancy.  Sean's best friend was killed by Kurt Dierker, an Aryan poster boy who robbed Sean on placing first in a race.  Sean and his buddy went to exact some revenge, crashed Dierker's car, and we captured. Dierker thought they were really spies for the Brits, (I'm fuckin' Irish Sean tells the sour Kraut). Sean's world literally turns to shades of gray at the death of his best friend, which makes for some striking visuals when the game begins and with the jazzy soundtrack, really sets the tone for the rest of the game.

Sean gets roped in to helping the French resistance and what happens over the next 50+ hours of gameplay is pretty awesome indeed.

Sean makes his way around Paris, blowing up Nazi installations, assassinating Nazi generals, hijacking cars, and riddling 27,963 Nazis with about five times as many bullets.  All while scaling the buildings in Paris, sliding down electric wire to other buildings, and breaking Nazi necks so he can then sneak into a facility and plant remote control C4.

As Sean cleans up the Nazi garbage, areas of Paris regain their color.  Sean's dismal life becomes more meaningful as he continues to assist the Resistance and continues to blow up a ton of Nazi bastads.

The game was a great time.  I actually played enough to get the Platinum trophy, which could have been tedious with over 1,300 free play "missions" to do.  These ranged from blowing up Nazi snipernests to finding postcards near famous Parisian landmarks.  Boredom sets in and you can remedy that by stealing a car, running down some Nazi's, then heading to your secret backroom hidehout at "The Belle" a nice burlesque club where Sean is on a first name basis with the girls.  Tops are clothing optional so if you like e-boobies, enter the free DLC code that comes with the game and leave the nudity turned "on."

My only problem with the game is that is ends suddenly.  You come face to face with Dierker, who has caused all the grief in your life, atop the observation deck at the Eiffel Tower.  Looks like a pretty epic battle should be next.  Not really.  You're instructed to "Kill Dierker" in which you fire a few shots at him and then a cut scene of his death is triggered.  Very anti-climatic after all the man hours spent blowing up Nazis.

All-in-all, if you're looking for a fun, inexpensive game ($20 or under will nab a copy of this for you) then give The Saboteur a try.

Next Level:  Castlevania, Lords of Shadow

I'm back! And, three games down!

I'm back. Boston was amazing. Throwdown life changing. I met a boat load of wonderful people. I'm going back for more in December.

I also got some gaming in. Three games finished since the last post.
Let's start with:

Game Title: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.
Published by: Ubisoft

Assassin's Creed is a series I've enjoyed since the first game was released in 2007.  The series has great visuals, a compelling story, and my favorite living voice actor, Nolan North!

Brotherhood picks up immediately after the events of Assassin's Creed 2.  If you haven't played AC2, please do yourself a favor and put down the $20 it runs now and play through it before started AC:B.  You'll be glad you did.

You're back in Ezio Auditore de Firenze's cape and hood and his life is in shambles.  His Villa has been destroyed by those pesky Borgia, his Uncle Mario killed during the assault, and the Templars are now in possession of the Apple of Eden, the most powerful weapon in the world.

It's up the Ezio to take over Rome, lead the Assassin's Guild to a better future, avenge his uncle, and retrieve the Apple of Eden back from the Borgia.

AC:B Brotherhood can be looked at as AC 2.5.  The game play hasn't changed, the control are the same.  A few new weapons have been added (i.e. now you can shoot poison darts, which is awesome).  The biggest changes to the franchise are the ability to recruit assassin's to your cause and multiplayer.

Recruiting assassin's is a lot of fun.  You start by saving a civilian from Borgia guards. They then dedicate themselves to your cause.  Then you can send them off for off-screen missions, gaining experience.  Once you've recruited two assassin's, you can call them to your aid during fights with guards.  Six assassin's brings you an "Arrow Storm" attack where when utilized, a rain of arrows comes pouring down off screen, killing all Borgia guards in the area.  This came in very handy when a mission told me if I wanted 100% synch, I had to kill 8 heavily armoured guards in 15 seconds or less...

Multiplayer is a whole different beast. While I normally shy away from MP, I decided to give it a try.  You select your character and blend in with the crowd. You are hunting a target and other assassin's are hunting you.  I couldn't figure it out very well, but I nailed two trophies.  I unfortunately won't be Platting AC: trophywise because there are too many trophies related to MP feats and I have other games to play.

AC:B was one of the best games I played in 2010 and I eagerly await the next installment, when ever that is released.

Game number two.

Game Title:  Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Published By:  Activision

Now here's an oldie from the PS3 first year in 2006, Marvel Ultimate Alliance.  A game from before Trophy Support.  It's a good, brainless beat 'em up game, very similar to the X-Men Legends games from the previous generation of counsels. 

MUA features a top down camera.  The game play is pretty simple, with you in control of one hero and three AI controlled heroes on your team.  Certain hero combos provide bonuses (i.e. play as the Fantastic Four, get a team bonus, X-men characters, a different team bonus, all girls, etc.).

The game is about 16 - 17 hours long and it's nothing more than a simple beat up every bad guy on the screen.  Sure, you unlock new powers, you can perform combo powers with other heroes, and use powers to solve some puzzles, but, the game remains a pure brainless buttonmasher.  Not that that's a bad thing at all.

If you like the Marvel character, this game is some good fun.  If you're looking for a great story, look some where else.  The story brings in a bunch of villains who normally don't have anything to do with each other but throws them together as the Masters of Evil, which reminds me of the old Acts of Vengeance cross-over Marvel did in the late 80s.  The Big Bad is Dr. Doom, who by game's end is wielding the Power Cosmic and has remade Earth into his own Planet Doom.

I think this game would be even more fun with three friends playing it with you.

Things do get tedious and the level designs are completely out of balance, with the first three Acts of the game being extremely long, which with a game where you're just beating everything up, gets old very quickly. The last two Acts go by so quickly you wonder if the designers themselves grew bored.

There are some cool visuals.  The battle with against Galactus on the Skrull homeworld is pretty nifty.

One word of advice, if you're playing this game on the PS3.  Turn of the "tilt" in the options.  The Six Axis response to this is horrendous and almost makes the game unplayable when you get to spots that require a Quicktime Event.

Last but not least, game number three.

Game Title:  Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
Published By:  Activision

Yep, that's right. As soon as I finished Marvel Ultimate Alliance and popped in the sequel, released in 2009.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 took all the things that were a little wonky about 1 and made them better. Graphically the game is a lot more polished, controls handle better, character selection is great, mostly because they included Gambit and I pretty much played him the entire time.

The biggest improvement was the storyline.  This one made since, and followed the big cross-over from a few years ago "Civil War."  Here heroes have turned against each other after the U.S. makes a law that super heroes have to register their secret identities with them and undergo training to help better protect innocents.

The game is bigger and better than the first one, yet still incredibly tedious.  The formula isn't a bad one, the constant beat up, beat up, beat up.  The other three heroes in your party handle better and Fusion combos are easy to perform.

The game isn't as long as the first one and the length in levels is pretty easily balanced.  Unlike MUA1, I didn't find myself begging for a level to finally be over.

You are also given two options in the game, to be Pro or Anti Super Hero Registration Act.  I chose Anti for my first play through.  I may go back and play on the Pro setting but that's a ways in the future. I am on a schedule here.

Finally, to wrap things up, I already broke my resolution of now new games until I have a few more PS3 games under my belt.  Target had Guitar Hero Van Halen on clearance for $13.  I had to grab it.  It's all David Lee Roth era Van Halen, which I love and much like Rock Band, it will never be on the Shelf of Shame, so perhaps it doesn't count as breaking my resolution.  The biggest challenge is when Dead Space 2 is out next week. I just need to get a few more games knocked off the PS3 list and then I will be okay to pick something else up.

Next Level:  The Saboteur

Merry Christmas!

Or whatever you just happen to celebrate.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is coming along nicely. Too bad I won't have it finished before Christmas. First some time with the family and then I will be in Boston for a few days, alone, making new friends.

What's going on in Boston, you ask?

THROWDOWN!!!

Have a great holiday everybody!

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception!!!

OMG OMG OMG

http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/12/09/uncharted-3-first-look/

Can't... type... too... much... excitement!

POWERSLIDE!!!!

Title: Vanquish

Developer: Platinum Games

Being a huge Resident Evil fan, I was pretty excited when I heard Shinji Mikami was putting out a new game, developed by the mad genius' behind the insanely amazing Bayonetta. I wound up being slightly disappionted but entertained nonetheless.

The game in reference is Vanquish. And, like Bayonetta, it's kinda nuts.

You are Sam Gideon, a DARPA scientist who helps work out the kinks in a battle suit. The battle suit is pretty rad, in boost you across the floor, in a Tenacious D style Power Slide, slows down time to kill enemies, and I think feeds small children too (maybe not on that last one).

The game play is great, is a cover-based third person shooter, but with a shit-load of speed and frenzy.

However, the story is your typical crazy Japanese hodge podge or Space Marines, Russian satellites, and conspiracies. You wade through wave after wave of the same robots. It made me think a bit of CAPCOM's Dark Void in that department.

I don't have much more to say about the game. I finished it almost two weeks ago and am now finally writing about it. I enjoyed it well enough, it was a nice distraction and I give major kudos to anybody who can finish it on Hell Mode.

Next Level: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood