Crazy Gamers Podcast

Yup, here’s another! Ubisoft has confirmed that the multiplayer focused Assassin’s Creed off-shoot “Brotherhood” will be in stores on November 16th. Who here wants to do some multiplayer assassinating ?

Tom

Bethesda has confirmed that the Obsidian developed Fallout off-shoot, New Vegas, will be in stores shelves in North America on October 19th. Be sure to check out the latest E3 trailer via Gametrailers for what I feel is very promising footage of what will surely be an exciting title.

Tom

Here begins the first wave of E3 2010 coverage!

Microsoft’s initial press event last night unveiled what we have been referring to as Project Natal for the past year as “Kinect,” the controller-free, camera enhanced motion peripheral due on store shelves this Fall (presumably October). The official date, pricing and SKU details have yet to be confirmed, but we do have a slew of games to count on for Kinect…all of which are not surprising and honestly, don’t interest me as a gamer. The Star Wars lightsaber thing does seem kind of cool, but other than that I fail to see how this provides anything not on the Wii…only with prettier graphics and lack of controller.

Also, rumors continue to mount regarding the slim version of the 360. An Italian gaming website promoted the product as having a 250 gig hard drive and finally built in WiFi! As of this writing I don’t believe the company has confirmed this, but the photo leaks of the motherboard and said ads seem to have made it more plausible than not. The speculation also claims that the motherboard has been completely altered to cut production costs, as well as consolidating the CPU and GPU capability into one chip. Finally, rumors hint that the hard drive itself will be strictly internal, which would be a new venture for Microsoft.

Stay tuned as further info and coverage continues to unfold!

Tom

The multiplayer demo is up on Xbox LIVE now. This only for Gold members. Eh, you kind of need to be a gold member to play online anyway, right? Right?

Set your queue up here so that that Autobot goodness will start downloading as soon as you turn your 360 on.

DAK

I have located another Mortal Kombat related trailer on the interwebs this AM. After watching it, there is no doubt on whether or not this is for a game or a movie. Also, looks like Warner Brothers (Yes, that’s correct, the WB) are taking a similar approach to the MK franchise to what Capcom has done with Street fighter 4. Stick with old stuff and make it pretty. Check out the trailer at Kotaku. This maybe the MK we all have been waiting for!!

DAK

DAK

May 31st, 2010 — crazygamers
This week, we talk about what’s hot in the news as well as what’s new in regards to our gaming habits and lives in general. We also discuss the top 5 console games you should play from this generation, assuming you just woke up from a coma. Enjoy, and leave feedback.
-Zoltan

       


    

May 30th, 2010 — crazygamers Alan Wake
Xbox 360
Microsoft Game Studios
Remedy Entertainment
Release Date: May 18, 2010
Presentation—> 5/5
After its initial reveal way back in 2005, Alan Wake progressively devolved into “that game,” so to speak. The one that may or may not exist, that had many people talking, and had generated lots of excitement for a bulk of most gamers. Eventually, gamers began to lose hope and time continued to pass with no Alan Wake in sight. Just recently, the game finally released after much delay, and after devoting roughly 15 hours of my time to see what it had to offer, I’m confident Remedy’s long awaited masterpiece was well worth the wait.
Remedy did a marvelous job of marketing this title in recent months, with video close-ups which described the style of gameplay and the experience, if you will, that gamers could anticipate. It was promoted as a highly psychological, cinematic, and action-packed game, and everything we saw seemed to impress. The 6 “prequel-esque” webisodes uploaded to Xbox Live in the weeks leading up to release also gave gamers a chilling, seemingly ambiguous peek at what was to come. All we knew going in was that it was inspired by the likes of the old TV series Twin Peaks, with a little bit of Stephen King thrown in the mix. As a passionate English major, the story-driven approach certainly intrigued me, and I can say with no reservation that even if you’re not into the whole writing/novel aspect the game portrays, there’s something beneficial you can take from playing this breathtaking exclusive.
Everything about Alan Wake’s story from a presentation perspective is artistically compelling and brilliantly designed and executed. The game opens with one of the most chilling and intense levels I’ve played in recent memory, as it places the player in control of Wake as he experiences a particularly disturbing nightmare. Guided by a nebulous beacon of light, Wake is incessantly pursued by shape-shifting antagonists cloaked in shadows, armed with daggers, hatchets and scythes with the worst of intentions. The pace is frantic and the atmosphere is positively striking; my introduction to the world of Bright Falls, WA as a setting for this game made me reminisce with a grin as I recalled the first timed I played the original Bioshock.
Throughout the course of the impeccably paced narrative, Wake has traveled to the aforementioned town accompanied by his wife, Alice, who urges him to find a place where he can find peace of mind and overcome his ailing case of writer’s block. Wake is a successful writer who has stumbled upon troubled times, as he lives with demons that are either revealed over the course of the game or, simply put, never explained outright period. He must stay on the run and fight the evil and mysterious Dark Presence in Bright Falls, as the secret power it possesses takes control over the inhabitants of the town and turn them against him as he races against the clock to save Alice, who early on is conveniently consumed by the Darkness. It’s a classic damsel in distress scenario, however the player learns as time goes by that they may want to reconsider exactly who it is that requires saving.
This title offers perhaps the absolute best lighting I’ve seen in a game. Not only is light used as a weapon, which is an original mechanic on its own merit, but the lighting itself is so perfectly blended visually into the environment. The majority of the game occurs at night, but unlike many other games, such as F.E.A.R., (which almost made it too dark for the player to navigate) Alan Wake allows the player to enjoy the creepiness of a dark atmosphere while still incorporating this tricky twilight effect so the player can still always be fully conscious of their objectives and grant them time to enjoy the visuals of the engine Remedy designed. The in-game engine looks marvelous, and level design is magnificent at best and overall appropriately scary at worst.
The developers selected many licensed tracks directly for the soundtrack, and each level ends just like the old episodic TV dramas whom the game wishes to pay its homage (they’re even labeled as Episodes on-screen and in the menus if you wish to replay them) with a song to listen to which always sets the perfect tone and mood. I was particularly impressed with the inclusion of the track “War” by Poets of the Fall, as well as “Space Oddity” by David Bowie. Each subsequent episode begins with a brief recap of the most important set piece events from the prior episode, and I’m glad to see someone seems to have a firm grasp on doing episodic content properly. It really is very refreshing and new for a video game, and I’d dare anyone to argue they’ve seen something exactly like it previously.
Voice acting is aptly handled by all members of the VO team, and Wake himself (who naturally carries most of the workload as the main protagonist) was so convincing that I really struggled to put the game down due to how the pathos of his lines kept me connected to his character and that much more anxious to absorb the game’s next big twist…and boy, there are many.
Fun—> 5/5
Although I would categorize Alan Wake as survival horror for the most part, it certainly doesn’t hide from being a third person shooter when it all boils down. The light mechanic works like magic, as the player uses the left trigger to aim in the direction of the enemy with their light of choice (flashlights, high powered flashlights, lanterns, etc.) and the beams auto-target to a degree so one doesn’t have to strain too hard to eradicate the shield-like shadows the enemies bring to battle. The right trigger characteristically handles the shooting, which functions similarly with auto-aim but never gets convoluted due to the variety of weaponry and general level of effectiveness they pack (pistols, shotguns, pump shotguns, hunting rifles). Wake also can equip himself with flash bangs (a godsend), flares and flare guns to disrupt the efforts of the Taken, and the game almost always leaves you barely escaping by the skin of your teeth, just when you thought you surely would have perished. That, in my opinion, is flawless survival horror game design, and while it may be something Resident Evil or Silent Hill have done suitably in the past, Alan Wake definitely gives both a run for their money while also making the experience wholly unique in its own right.
As stated earlier, pacing is phenomenal. The game never put me into a state of boredom, and the intense, jump out of your seat set-piece moments were very consistent in ensuring that I stayed attentive and hanging around to witness what Remedy wanted to show me next. The game in general is rather linear, however I for one was surprised at the level of branching off the beaten path the player was granted to pursue. The game has a bevy of collectible items: coffee thermoses, secret chests, manuscript pages, signs, etc. The player must go off the main path, and unless you’re a God at video games you’ll most likely require a second playthrough or replay of a level to acquire them all. However, it’s a genuine rush to face the high risk decision of seeking the shadows for these items, without knowing exactly what evil you’re likely to find. All in all, this game is a blast and if you appreciate the well crafted mythos of Stephen King inspired, horrific events of the unknown, you’ll come into the experience with even more of an incentive.
Replay—> 4.5/5
Thankfully, Alan Wake doesn’t include the recently common, tacked-on multiplayer or co-op modes, but this is ultimately to its advantage. This is such an isolated, singular experience that such a proposition would surely besmirch the effect it has on the player, by crowding other online goons into the cinematic roller-coaster of a game they’re controlling. That being said, two playthroughs at most will most likely satisfy the average gamer, so it’s by no means a 40-50 hour RPG like experience, nor does it have the lasting “squeeze a few matches in” appeal of a Modern Warfare or Halo, if you will. However, the game lasts roughly 10-12 hours as it is, and beating it on Nightmare mode (which I am proud to say I achieved) is no cakewalk and can potentially extend the playtime even further. Add in the desire to OCD collect the various items, and you’re looking at a solid spin of the disc for many a day inside your 360. Also, to reiterate, individual “chapters” within episodes can be replayed at any time, with the only caveat being that any prior progress is lost. Assuming one has already beaten the game before doing so, this should rarely present problems. A number of the narrative driven in-game manuscripts one collects are also given exclusivity rights within the Nightmare mode, so if you really want to ingest all of the Alan Wake lore that you possibly can, you’ll need to play it at least twice to ascertain every juicy morsel.
Production Value—>4.5/5
Admittedly, no game is absolutely perfect per se, and Alan Wake comes as close as it can but has a few flaws that the player could take issue with. For one, the character models in the rendered scenes and to an extent the game engine itself do appear dated, perhaps due to the game being under development for a total of 5+ years. This was noticeable, although never distracting, nor did it ever take me out of the experience. In the same manner, controlling Alan Wake can seem a little janky at times, with the “A” button given its usual dedication to jumping. Alan Wake tends to leap as opposed to jump with a single press of the button, and some of the gaps Wake must cross tend to lead to tedious deaths, due solely to the shaky nature of the jump mechanic. These are minor and infrequent, however, so I’d be hard pressed to put up too much of a fight complaining about it. Moreover, I did notice a couple questionable design choices that became briefly irritating, such as contextually interactive objects popping into view just prior to an unavoidable cut-scene, which later disappeared due to my character moving on to a different location. I had to go back in my second playthrough to hear the little quip Wake would utter when he interacted with that object. Furthermore, some loading sequences occur at inopportune times, most notably during an intense and busy violent affair with an out of control bulldozer. The game chose to load while I was fighting said vehicle, in addition to facing a tumultuous wave of Taken, which temporarily put a soft freeze on my game. Other segments of the game with just as much, if not more, on screen action played without a single stutter, to be fair. Finally, some characters’ dialogue tended to clash with Wake’s inner monologue, and even with subtitles on I failed to simultaneously digest what both Wake and the NPC had to say. This happened a few times during Episode 4 with Dr. Hartman, but otherwise didn’t rear its ugly head too often.
Aside from the descriptions above, Alan Wake is an impressively polished game, with solid shooting mechanics, an easily adaptable means of sprinting and walking, graphics that shine with beautiful textures devoid of pop-in, and a consistent frame rate even during sequences when objects such as school buses, ships and portions of trains come falling from the sky or rocketing with voracious force towards the player. NPC’s are tough and challenging, and despite them being possessed by a supernatural presence, I sometimes felt like I was legitimately being flanked and strategized upon, so no fault of the AI exists based on my experience. Everything from beginning to end is almost as smooth as can be, and even the flaws that do inevitably show up from time to time never took me out of the fun that kept me busy moment-to-moment otherwise.
Creative Innovation—5/5
Alan Wake is a survival horror game that doesn’t rely on blood and guts like many other games in the genre, or spanning other genres in general. The game was granted a “T” rating by the ESRB, and it is one of the most unsettling and genuinely scary games I have played without being branded with that big menacing “M” on the box cover.  It has the classic jumpy moments and unexpected attacks from shadowy enemies, but even more so it is psychologically disturbing and terrifying. It relies on the theme of the unknown, or lack of explanation, that we as humans can attribute to our fears, our ghosts, and our demons. Much like Stephen King did with the Shining, and more recently The Blair Witch Project, the idea that we cannot see or explain what the true horror is, in itself is the most terrifying aspect.
In the same way, this is also a game that because of how there is no right or wrong way to make sense of what happened, a nod to a narrative literary technique known as unreliable narrator, it’s the video game equivalent of The Sixth Sense. It’s that memorable feeling of standing by the watercooler the next day and playing chatty Cathy with your co-worker about how mind-blowing the film was, and how it has left such an impression on you that you’re still piecing it together hours, days, even weeks after seeing it. Alan Wake is the first game, personally, to have such an effect on me, but unlike movies like the Sixth Sense there is no resolution that you can just make sense of afterwards. Remedy completely removes any definitive resolution entirely, and leaves the speculation and theorizing strictly up to the player. This is a brilliant concept not only from a video game perspective, but structurally it co-exists with equal brilliance with its intentionally mind-bending dichotomy of relation to other mediums, whether it be film, TV, or print novelization. Find me another video game that utilizes any or all of these things, while also doing it so damn well that it literally gives you chills as you watch the final scene play out (the best climatic finale in a video game I have seen, even if it can’t be fully explained.) The entire cinematic presentation is pure bliss, and the inclusion of the spine-tingling, goosebump inducing dodge mechanic in the game only adds to the total package; I thoroughly enjoyed dodging enemy advances just at the right second as the game slows down time on a whim, fully controlled by the player and giving them the sense that they’re Neo from the Matrix. For further elaboration, Google “Max Payne.”
This game has already received an announcement for post-launch DLC, and kudos to Microsoft and Remedy for making the first batch free to those who purchased the game new. I, for one, cannot wait to dive headfirst back into Bright Falls and continue to observe further illuminations of what Remedy has compiled into Mr. Wake’s story. Alan Wake most likely will be my game of the year, if not most certainly still in my top five, and with subjective English major bias consciously left by the wayside, I can still objectively tell any hardcore gamer the following with utmost honesty, devoid of any and all fabrication: Alan Wake is one of the best video games, if not THE best video game, I have ever played.
Consensus:  5/5
-Tom, a.k.a. BEATZ/GTBEATDOWN

May 24th, 2010 — crazygamers 
 
This week we spend one whole episode on the biggest releases of last week. Join us for in-depth discussion of Alan Wake and Red Dead Redemption. Enjoy!
-Zoltan

       


    

May 17th, 2010 — crazygamers This week we talk about the games we’ve been playing, as well as what we are excited for in the weeks to come. Also, watch out EA… Mindpress is coming to beat you.
-Zoltan

May 11th, 2010 — crazygamers 
 
Hello kiddies!! Episode 26 is locked and loaded. This week we welcome back a couple of old friends: Halo, Street Fighter, and Tom!! After the formalities are out of the way, we jump right into Halo:Reach and Super Street Fighter 4. Then we dish on the latest news. More God of War anyone? Also, we debate on low budget games and their place in gaming. Ch-ch-check it out!!!
-DAK
       

   

April 27th, 2010 — crazygamers 
 
We’re back. Again, we apologize for not having a podcast last week. Audio difficulties are the bane of our existence these days, but we are back and we sound a helluva lot better. Hang out with us while we talk about Madden, Respawn Entertainment, Gears, and a bit of Splinter Cell. So sit back and plug in your headphones. Enjoy!!
       


    

April 14th, 2010 — crazygamers 
       

   
   
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This week we talk about the iPad and other tablets, and the lack of news in the gaming industry. We also discuss what we have been playing and Satan being sleepy. Stay tuned for next week’s episode which will be out on time with the new releases of this week.
-Zoltan

March 31st, 2010 — crazygamers

March 24th, 2010 — crazygamers Metro 2033 THQ 4A Games Xbox 360, PC
Investment/Worth playing?—> 4/5
To make a long story short, Metro 2033 draws inspiration from a Russian novel of the same name penned by Dmitry Glukhovsky. The story at first feels derivative and kind of rehashes things you’ve probably previously experienced. It takes place in the near future, in Russia, which has fallen victim to post-apocalyptic catastrophe. The surviving members of humanity have managed to get by within the metro tunnels of the country, and some of the dwellers have actually spent their entire lives there, never having seen things such as the sky or sunlight due to the understandable risk and utter impractical nature involved in pursuing the heavily irradiated surface. Clearly this is going to be a dark game, so I’d imagine going based off of those details the developers have obviously looked up the word “tone” in the dictionary prior to making games.
That being said, there’s the obligatory “holy shit ,what the fuck!? did you just see…” kind of moments by the all too common mutated enemy monstrosities. To be fair, at least in games like Fallout 3 for example, most of the effects that lead to the creation of your enemies are explained to an extent. In Metro 2033, I’m not sure during the time of my roughly 8 hours of gameplay if I ever became privy to exactly what spawned these rat/bat/slimy green/etc. types of antagonists. Were they previously human, and this was just one messed up nuke? Or were they animals from the get go, and just modified by the effects of radiation to the point of horror and dismay? I’m not sure, and perhaps that’s intentional. Regardless, it’s this type of ambiguity that I can appreciate from narrative in general, but specifically when dealing with the occult or macabre. Don’t be mistaken, although there are hints of survival horror in this promoted first person shooter, this is not a scary/cover your eyes kind of game. However, there are fears and themes underlying the experience that do deal with those things, and while it may not always express itself directly via the game mechanics, that sense of mystery and lack of understanding brings about a compelling effect that induces tension and paranoia. Doing so within the confines of a narrow, dark subway system is representatively brilliant and it’s something that I’m almost at a loss to describe. For the sake of having never read the novel and for the sake of those who just aren’t the types of players to get into these borderline niche titles, I put the score above. I’d hate to have an impression of a game then come to find out that I actually just misunderstood it and then it would completely change my opinion. If I were to read the English version of the novel, maybe it would shed some light, but for the sake of this being a game, I have to be fair and admit the story in the long run really never explains to me what I have witnessed. But it strikes me that despite this not being a full 5 out of 5 category, my favorable comments certainly outweigh my criticism, no? I think it’s worth taking note.
Fun Factor—> 4.5/5
Once you’ve been introduced to your main protagonist, Artyom, who is seeking escape from the claustrophobic subway system to meet a friend in need, it boils down to a linear first person shooter, with elements of stealth and survival horror. I found the world to be especially immersive, and part of this is due to the fidelity of the graphics. The team at 4A is obviously more familiar with the PC environment, having worked on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R series, but I felt that for what it is, it’s a damn impressive looking game. Textures and shading are done impeccably well, and add to the atmospheric and ambient qualities to the menacing and lonely characteristics of the setting. Character models are not the best we’ve seen, but they meet the standards for the genre and the platform. You basically go from point A to point B, and encounter some briefly intermittent scripted events, but other than that you’re running and gunning. You’ll eventually head to the surface to do battle, and subsequently return underground for other chapters, and pretty much alternate back and forth as the game progresses. In between, you’ll encounter the vicious and difficult to anticipate creature enemies, along with multitudes of Nazi and Communist soldiers who can’t seem to get along (hmmm) and fight not only each other but try to kill you just for passing through. All you’re trying to do is get to your aforementioned ally and alert him of some crucial information, but instead you’re met with a firefight and angry soldiers and demons around every corner.
The pace is frantic, and it sprints through the levels with a tenacity and sense of urgency that lead me to playing through the game over a span of 2-3 days. Once the world sucks you in, you’re in for the long haul. I’ve heard others claim they got sucked into the world, only to fade later on due to technical issues I will address shortly, and I would tell them they never actually got sucked into the world. The game can be brutally challenging, very frustrating, and sometimes downright illogical at times, but how many other games have we seen that do these types of things? I was compelled because of how engaging, alluring and affecting the world was, and I did it in 3 days. This almost lent a seemingly unintentional puzzle aspect to the game, and considering I enjoy all of the genres of games mentioned in this section, I ended up enjoying Metro 2033 a great deal. Word to the wise however, it’s hard as balls so I couldn’t give it the full 5 here…I had to take a break a few times because the game was flat out whooping my ass.
Replay–> 4/5
Not much to say here really. The game allows you to replay on different difficulties which kind of goes without saying, and individual chapters can be replayed if you do so desire. Interestingly, they do have a few alternate endings depending on certain decisions made earlier in the game, so now we can add a light RPG element to our repertoire of genre sensibilities in Metro 2033. I can’t say I’d really go through the entire game again just to notice these differences, but at least the game didn’t tack on a multiplayer feature like many have complained about recently. This is truly a game to shut the door, turn off the lights and just get lost in by yourself. I’m confident it’s effective in what it sets out to do, just take heed that it probably won’t stay in heavy rotation after one initial playthrough. It’s a very isolated, singular experience, but one that is well worth the admission fee.
Polish–> 4/5
First of all, the actual difficulties of the game are admittedly off balance. In a nutshell, Normal mode is Hard, and Easy mode is Normal. This game doesn’t really have an Easy mode. If you’ve never played a FPS, don’t bother. Hopefully if you’re reading this then you certainly have, but don’t be surprised if you’re getting schooled until you’ve gathered your bearings. Secondly, there are some minor hit detection issues, specifically in the latter portion of the game when amoebas are introduced. This won’t spoil, but you’ll know what I’m referring to if you play that far. Let’s just say that certain things were refusing to explode when I was aiming directly at them at such close range that accuracy of weaponry was clearly not the concern. Enemy AI overall is decent, actually pretty damn tough and relentless at times, and very organized. You will see an occasional bug like I did, for instance, when an enemy took cover on the wrong side of an object and kept his back to me. I walked right up behind him, with him still oblivious to my presence, and shot him point blank in the back of his skull without using a bit of stealth. This happened on one occasion and it’s disappointing to see, but it was the only time I saw something this conspicuously off balance. I also got screwed out of an attempted achievement via a random glitch, as I had to prevent enemies from breaking through vents in a room, with only a pistol at my disposal. I died on my first attempt, and the game reloaded the checkpoint and my gun was gone. Just nowhere to be found. That sucked. Other than this, it’s a competent shooter. I didn’t say perfect, but…
The shooting is intentionally janky, from where I sit. You’re thrown into a chaotic and combative situation with no prior military training, and most of your enemies move in such a rapidly chaotic pattern that your guns aren’t the problem, this is just a hard game with unique enemies. The game explains to you very early on that there is a limited supply of military grade ammunition that pre-dated the apocalypse. All ammunition crafted after the disaster is substantially less damaging and useful, as it was hand crafted using various powders and is also the most plentiful. The game uses the military ammo as its form of currency, and this is for a reason: it makes the player decide which is more important? Having money to buy supplies and more weapons, or using your most powerful ammo to defeat your enemies. The person who made those shells may not have even known the first thing about making ammo. This adds to the experience in my opinion, because if you’ve never used a gun, and you’re using bullets that were made with low quality materials, in a real life setting you’re not going to be killing everything just because you intend to. Your gun won’t just kill things because your mind wants it to. You have to adapt, and you have to fight to survive. Keeping the suspension of disbelief factor in mind, it presents a formidable challenge no matter how one may approach it. I played the game and immediately started seeing much better guns and shooting after the first few hours. It takes time, and I hope more people dedicate it to see what Metro 2033 has to offer.
Innovation/Creativity–> 5/5
Here’s a solid 5, finally right? You hold the triggers on the controller to flick a lighter and illuminate a clipboard containing your objectives. The game has no HUD. You wear a gas mask when in irradiated areas, and it must be re-filtered or else you’ll asphyxiate and die, to the sight of a black screen and the sound of a loud pop. You must repeatedly pull out a power surge device to ensure that your flashlight and NVG’s stay charged enough to function adequately. If your gas mask does run out of filter, or you know it’s time to change it, your breathing will get heavier and heavier as your time runs out. Certain pneumatic weapons must be charged in order to shoot effectively, although one must be careful not to charge too much or else it will do the opposite. Holding the left bumper will allow you to look at your watch to see how long until your gas mask will need to be refilled. Your character’s heart rate also coincides with the on-screen action, and you can tell when he is feeling the panic of a particularly deadly form of opposition. Is it not fair to say that I’ve listed more than enough interesting components to the game to pique your interest? It’s all brilliant, immersive, and extremely well done. Everyone should give this game a fair chance, and at least give it a rental.
Overall–> 4/5
BEATZ

March 21st, 2010 — crazygamers God of War III (PS3) Santa Monica Studios
Investment/Worth Playing?–> 5/5
I am going to start this off with one simple statement. If you own a PS3 you should be playing this game. I would almost say that this is worth going out and buying a PS3 just to play this game. It doesn’t have that long of a campaign, roughly about 9-9 1/2 hours of game play. This one doesn’t have too many troubling areas, a little more towards the end of the game (2 levels before the last). Generally speaking, the story is amazing and you are seriously missing out if you do not play this game.
Fun Factor–> 5/5
The game is extremely fun. There is no part of this game where I got frustrated enough to want to punch my TV. The game is extremely visceral and almost makes you feel a little bad for all of Kratos’ victims. That is also the best selling point in the game. There is nothing more satisfying then ripping Helios’ head off like you do in the demo. If you can deal with the sex, death and destruction (which most of you who listen to this podcast can) this is a must buy.
Replay–>4 /5
As for replay God of War has always been a game that once you beat it you question whether or not you want to punish yourself again for another 9 or 10 hours with everything being as hard as or harder than it was before. I think that it is worth it to get through the game for a second play through, but as with all God of War games you have to worry about how bad the puzzles are. In God of War III, I haven’t seen anything in this game that is worse than the first, but that may be just me. There are some puzzles that if you don’t think clearly could mess you up bad and may hurt your opinion of a replay. Just be aware of what you will put yourself through at a harder difficulty.
Polish—>5 /5
If anything, this game has some of the best polish I have seen anywhere. I would be willing to bet this game destroys the graphics of any game to date on the 360 or the PS3. I would include the Wii in there but that would just be unfair. Kratos looks amazing no matter where they put him or on what gigantic moving set piece that you are on. Also a major improvement for this entry into the series is the way they work the camera angles. This adds a new way to look at the game and honestly will throw you for a loop the first time that you see some of them.
Innovation/Creativity–> 4/5
As for innovation, there hasn’t been too much. I have to wonder though. If they tried would it break the game? They have a formula that works and why would you fuck with that. The game runs incredibly well. I haven’t seen too many hiccups for what they are throwing at you on the screen. The camera angles that I mentioned earlier are probably the most creative thing in this game. Taking you from a wide array of your enemies view point to making Kratos the size of a pixel where you will need a magnifying glass to see him. (That is a bit of an overstatement. Just use the triangle attack to find out where you are). They did introduce some new weapons and an item gauge (uses this gauge when you use a bow instead of magic like in God of War II) in this game. As for all the weapons, they pretty much function the same as your chained blades. Even though they may look different they still have similar attacks. I kind of don’t mind this though because it makes them a little more versatile and I think the blades were everyone’s favorite in the previous games.
I think all in all, this game did innovate on a more technical level and graphical, you just aren’t going to see a lot of that in the base game play. It is going to look a lot like the others in what you are doing, just prettier and throwing a lot more gore at you.
Overall: 4.5/ 5
Zoltan

February 22nd, 2010 — crazygamers Bioshock 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) 2K Games 2K Marin, 2K Australia, 2K China, Digital Extremes
Investment/Worth Playing?–> 5/5
The sequel to 2K Boston’s 2007 masterpiece has certainly generated a substantial amount of controversy. Developed instead by 2K Marin, Bioshock 2 takes place 10 years after the events of the original game, and allows the player to revisit the familiar surroundings contained in the underwater utopia of Rapture. Compared to the first title, the player protagonist is now a Big Daddy (one of the first game’s iconic antagonists) only under the pretense that you are the original, or prototype, version of this character. Little else is known in regards to your identity, and it’s a little difficult to elaborate on that without trespassing into spoiler territory, but the basis of the game’s expanded mythos is that you are in search of your Little Sister, (the zombie-esque little girls who wander the world in search of ADAM, a powerful substance derived from stem cell research) to whom you share a bond and who also ensures your survival. New to the game is the story’s central opposition, and this role is fulfilled by the altruistic Sophia Lamb. She is a direct foil to the character of Andrew Ryan, the founder responsible for Rapture’s creation, who has since perished after the events of Bioshock 1. In the ten years that have passed, Lamb has revitalized Rapture to meet her own nefarious needs, and she has populated the setting once again with more Little Sisters, while also utilizing Big Sisters at her disposal. These characters function similarly to the Big Daddies, only in female form as they are actually grown up Little Sisters who have enhanced and refined powers due to their exposure to ADAM. As the prototype Big Daddy, or Subject Delta as they have nicknamed you, your quest involves you reuniting with “your” Little Sister, who conveniently happens to be Eleanor Lamb, a.k.a Sophia’s daughter. This obviously throws a wrench into the situation (no pun intended for those of you who played the first game) and builds the central conflict as you fight a war for survival.
The story here is solid. Much like the first game, you will collect audio diaries that have been strewn about the environment, which help to provide back story and you could actually argue that they serve as the primary means of advancing the plot. Some of these are related to newer characters in the world, but some notable characters from the first game make return appearances (Ryan, Fontaine, Tenenbaum, etc.) The same voice actors provide further work for this sequel, and deliver likewise stellar performances as the acting is utterly impressive and lends impeccably well to the stylistic aspects of the game as well as the overall sense of tone.
A game such as this, with its deep historical cannon and unique fictional structure, is difficult to evaluate and explain via review without blatantly revealing its secrets, so I’ll refrain from that. What I will say is this: if you played the first Bioshock and enjoyed it, this game is still certainly worth your time. You’re not going to get as amazing of an experience as the first, but that’s simply because that game was so superb that I doubt anyone could really top it. With what you are given, you are given a respectable alternate storyline that meshes well for the most part with what was offered before. Those of you who fall under my personal category of “Bioshock fanboy,” then you probably already have the game and know what I’m talking about. But if for some crazy reason you don’t, what are you waiting for? You’ll still find the first game superior, but this is by no means a phone-in and is more juicy Rapture fiction for you to devour and digest.
Fun Factor–> 5/5
Much like it’s predecessor, Bioshock 2 is an aesthetically alluring and immersive experience from beginning to conclusion. Even if you don’t completely agree with the utter existence of the game or some of it’s design choices as far as approach, you still have the ability to have a very enjoyable experience during your return to Rapture. You’ll initially feel like a lot of the game’s mechanics were simply copied and pasted (i.e. the nature of plasmids, some of the weapons, enemies, interface) but all of these things receive substantial additions and upgrades as the game progresses, allowing it to separate itself from the first encounter strikingly well. Dual wielding has now been incorported, so you won’t have to bother swapping indecisively between your plasmids and weapons; you can now shoot them simultaneously on the fly using the left and right triggers and cook up some subsequently wicked combinations. The upgrades themselves, accessed via the 12 Power to the People stations in the game, now have 3 tiers as opposed to 2 for each weapon, and some of these give your avatar some seriously epic abilities. Incinerate level 3 turns your literal hand into a makeshift flamethrower, which you can use to spray enemies with a steady stream of flames while also pumping their vicious hides full of armor piercing rounds via your gatling machine gun. Level 3 Telekinesis also has very comical and entertaining possibilites, but I’ll let that be something you can look forward to.
The sense of pathos and mystique are maintained remarkably well, considering this is a different team’s baby. Bioshock has received almost universal praise, and the one aspect which most people tend to agree on is the sense of character the environment exudes. The art-deco style of 60’s era scenery and architecture breathes life into the game regardless of what point in the story the player has reached, and both Bioshock games are unique in how their ambient and atmospheric qualities manage to thrive as constants. The heavily modified Unreal Engine returns and, assuming you’re experiencing it on up-to-date equipment with a 16:9 aspect ratio, both Bioshock games are some of the most visually pleasing video games I have had the privilege of laying eyes on. Say what you want about the rest of the game, but even if it were complete shit I don’t see how anyone could deny they are some of the most original and superior graphics when compared to any other game. The attention to detail specifically with any appearance of water, especially moving water, is as close to photorealism as I can recall seeing this generation, and besides maybe Bethesda or Infinity Ward’s proprietary engines I’d say Bioshock has very little competition.
Replay–> 4/5
Getting back to the controversial nature of the game, Bioshock 2 received mixed responses to it’s inclusion of online competitive multiplayer. Some were excited, some groaned, some didn’t quite know what to think. Here’s the thing: if you’re one of those “all I play is ___” gamers, i.e. Halo, Modern Warfare, Madden, etc, then you’re probably not someone who’s going to play Bioshock. Even if you do, you’re certainly not going to fully absorb everything hidden in the world (and trust me, it’s a lot) compared to those of us “die-hards.” That being said, it’s not likely you’d even touch this game mode, not because it’s not worth your time, but rather because you have your niche/comfort zone for multiplayer that you prefer, and why fix what’s not broken?
Bioshock 2’s multiplayer appeals more to those who are in search of something new, something fresh that doesn’t really exist in any other infrastructure realm. It borrows heavily from a game such as Modern Warfare 2, absolutely, but to be frank it’s one of the smartest ideas developer Digital Extremes could have pursued. Part of the issue with Bioshock is that it isn’t proven as a multiplayer game, some may argue it “doesn’t belong.” Regardless, if you’re copying arguably the most widespread and popular multiplayer around, you’re preventing your stress level at least by 50%. You unlock plasmids, tonics, weapons and audio diaries as you play, and this persistent nature of the game keeps players coming back for more, seemingly giving them the slightest nibble of a delicious delicacy, only to raise the proverbial carrot a little higher each time until you progressively make strides to acquire just a little more. It’s actually a little shocking to me that an almost no-name developer would have the guts to say “we’re just going to blatantly steal from the big guns” instead of just coming up with something half assed that better suits their personal design and/or commitment level. What they have achieved here is a multiplayer that is most certainly fun, and which mirrors MW in a very, very familiar manner. You’ve got your standard death match (Survival of the Fittest), CTF (Capture the Sister), team death match (Civil War), and even an homage to Halo’s Oddball (ADAM grab). Hacking and researching mechanics are incorporated and heavily prevalent to advance the objective based games, just enough to ensure it maintains that Bioshock feel and identity.
All in all, it’s highly addictive, and no matter what your preference is, you can have some degree of fun with it. I have to limit it to the score above at least until some unfortunate freezing and matchmaking issues are concerned, and because it tends to appeal strictly to that hardcore, Bioshock fanboy audience. Now, assuming they patch these bugs, hopefully which will come with the newly announced post-launch DLC, I could easily find myself raising said score, but that’s just me. Most importantly, any problems it may have do not do a disservice to the single player campaign. I do not feel that the experience of the single player suffered, or was victimized, in any way by the multiplayer component. Ultimately, it depends on your enthusiasm for the series in general, but even for the most casual of gamers who just want to play it through to say they did, I’m confident they would give it slightly higher than a passing grade either way.
Polish—> 4/5
I already touched on the multiplayer portion, and I have an obligation to evaluate the product as it exists. At the time of writing this review, there are some annoying bugs in the multiplayer, but hopefully DE will get that worked out so the experience will be back to normal. Getting rid of those concerns would easily bump this score to a 4.5. I’m hopeful, and also cognizant that this team is not renowned for their multiplayer, so having a big triple A title with a lot of people playing it may not have been something they were completely prepared for. It’s a new, unproven endeavor for a game like Bioshock, and no matter what multiplayer you play, it is not immune to bugs/glitches/douchebags/mods. The game absolutely shipped with much more going for it than even I was expecting, so I was thrilled to see that.
The single player game was slightly more polished, and I personally did not detect any of the texture pop in that is typical for UE games. The gameplay is smooth, crisp, and controls splendidly from start to finish, with none of the weighty, clunky movements and disoriented sense of heaviness similar to playing as a Big Daddy in Bioshock 1. The only noticeable flaw I could detect in my 12 hour play through was a minor drop in framerate during some of the later portions of the game when the enemies on screen reach a climax, and the events of the game have reached pure and utter chaos. It happened more than once and made me a little dizzy, but it was by no means incessant and did very little to actually detract from my enjoyment.
Innovation/Creativity–> 5/5
Without revealing the plot, I can say that Bioshock 2 opens with a bang. Not to say that the first game wasn’t gripping or intense, but you were playing as a character that you knew little about until you had progressed far enough into the story. In other words, did you really care about him, outside of knowing you had to keep him alive to keep playing? Here, the emotional investment is cranked up a notch and gave me an eerie, downright sad feeling, mixed with a hint of redemption and vengeance. It simply gave me more of an incentive to play to unravel the events, because it was more personal this time. Another particular gameplay sequence later in the game is a first for Bioshock, something that I won’t spoil but will say you won’t see it coming. It completely changed the state of Rapture and Bioshock as I had come to know and define it, and as a standalone experience it’s one of the most unique and artistically compelling novelties I’ve seen in recent time. I wouldn’t say it’s a twist per se, but it’s something that hits you out of the blue and alters the game with its abrupt switch in perspective.
All across the board, gameplay has been improved for the better. The research camera now functions as a real-time camcorder, allowing you to start filming before you go about creatively destroying your opposition, compared to having to swap pictures and interrupting the action. Ken Levine, the creator and genius behind Irrational games, is a big supporter of emergent gameplay, and this is the best example of emergent gameplay I’ve seen. Those of you who aren’t privy to the concept should definitely research it, then go back and play the game some more and you’ll appreciate what they’re conveying. Likewise, the pipe dream-esque hacking mini game has now been upgraded to a more simplistic “get the needle to land in the appropriate color panel” mini-game, which is most comparable to the blacksmith mini-games in Fable II. You can do this while still being aware of your surroundings and mind you can still be attacked, so it succeeds in doing less to break the suspension of disbelief. It’s also a lot easier, especially once you acquire auto-hacking tools making the mini-game unnecessary altogether. In addition, the new objective of Gathering events is a nice concept, which asks the player to protect his Little Sisters (they ride on your shoulder once you initially save them) while they harvest ADAM from the dead. In the meantime, you must utilize traps and tools and strategically approach tactical options of fighting off the waves of inevitable splicers. These sections eventually wore thin by the later portions of the game, but if you find them too repetitive they are entirely optional; these parts only get you more ADAM if you do pursue them, but are not mandatory.
The shooting is fantastic, and by God the drill is just a force to be reckoned with. Some industry well-knowns in the enthusiast press may have an attachment to the original wrench, but if you play the game through and fully upgrade things, and explore all of the ways to use them, you’re drinking crazy juice if you think the drill doesn’t completely own. I also thoroughly enjoyed the transitions the game makes between levels, as it takes advantage of your diving suit and allows you to traverse the ocean floor in some visually striking underwater excursions. These are brief, and you don’t encounter enemies, but it’s a chance to truly gaze at Rapture and remember those original feelings of wonder the first game portrayed so well. The lack of the enemies is the focal point though, since the previous game didn’t really offer many chances like this once the action got going. The action is fully present here though as well, and Big Sisters will truly test your mettle and skill and give you some of the most frantic encounters you’ve seen in some time. My first toe-to-toe experience with a Big Sister literally gave me chills, as she lunged at me with malice intended and I stormed her head-on with my power drill.
Bioshock 2 is a game that one must realize was largely brought about from a corporate influence. When a publisher sees one of its IP’s attain success, it seeks to support it and drive it to make profit, thus spawning a franchise. The original Bioshock did this upon releasing, so the sequel shouldn’t come as much surprise. The people responsible for making it, however, aren’t on the corporate side of things necessarily; they didn’t really have a choice, as the original developer was off branching into other projects. What 2K Marin did was the best that they could with respect for the series in mind, and ultimately a sequel in the boots of a Big Daddy was a smart decision, in my opinion. It by no means trumps the original, which will forever remain as a classic in my mind, but if you think Bioshock 2 is garbage in comparison and not worth your time, then I would suggest you take a closer look at why you play video games, and the criteria for which you base your standards…would you kindly?
Overall: 4.5 / 5
BEATZ