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Posts tagged video games
The iPhone as a Gaming Device
Aug 1st
When I got my iPhone back in 2006 I thought it was the most marvelous device ever. There really were no ‘app stores’ for phones back then. I remember my previous phone, you could purchase these over-priced Java-based games which were terrible, but other then that you simply got the programs which came with the phone and that was it. That said, it made me a bit puzzled as to why people were up in arms about the fact that there were and at that point would be no 3rd party applications on the iPhone. I mean I did understand it, but I wasn’t that upset over it.
However as time went on, I definitely started to see the potential of the iPhone and more and more wanted for there to be 3rd party applications. For one, I really wanted to see my favorite To-Do application, Things to have an iPhone application. I even started to see potential for the phone to be a gaming device. Finally Apple released their SDK and the games and other applications started pouring in.
I think one of the first games I had for my iPhone was Pangea’s Cro-Mag Rally which coincidentally was the first game (or maybe it was Bugdom) that I really enjoyed playing on a Mac. The game took advantage of the iPhone’s accelerometers which I thought was really awesome and really showed the iPhone’s potentials. After that I picked up Pocket God, Plants vs. Zombies, Minigore, Words with Friends, Angry Birds, Doodle Jump, Critter Crunch, Peggle, Tap Tap (and it’s multiple versions), Driver, Oregon Trail and more. At some point I saw a a reference which pitted the iPhone against the devices which were solely meant for portable gaming; the Nintendo DS as well as Sony’s PSP. While I am not sure I would personally put the Apple iPhone in the same category as those devices it surely can be considered a portable gaming device, however I think there’s something that separates the iPhone from those. When I game on the iPhone it’s usually a quick round of Plants vs. Zombies, or I’m playing a few quick rounds of Tap Tap. I find the Apple iPhone to be better suited for my life style in that I always have it with me, whereas my Nintendo DS or Sony PSP are extra devices I need to pack to bring around with me. The games for those devices (or at least the ones I take interest in) require me to set aside time to play them (which can be quite difficult with my busy life). With my iPhone I can just whip it out and play a few rounds of Angry Birds or I can play a quick game of Doodle Jump without needing to set aside 30 minutes or a couple hours.
Of course, most of the games for iPhone don’t have much of a story-line or go into as much depth as the games for consoles and other popular portable gaming devices have. I doubt I’ll be seeing the next Final Fantasy XIII, DiRT2 or Modern Warfare for iPhone. But for general, quick, good, fun pick-up games, iPhone is certainly my device of choice. I am really impressed with the library of games available on the iPhone and am excited to see what developers have in-store for us over the next few years.
What’s your favorite iPhone game? I think mine’s a toss up between Plants vs. Zombies and Minigore. Both very well put together games which have provided me countless hours of fun!
Crackdown 2 Demo
Jun 30th
The Crackdown 2 demo is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for users to download. I grabbed my copy last night. I really enjoyed Crackdown which came out back in 2007 so I’ve been quite excited to see the next version of the game. The one thing I really enjoyed about Crackdown was it was very similar to the Grand Theft Auto series, but to me, it was even better. There are co-ops modes as well as the you can increase the strengths and abilities of your characters throughout the game.
The demo is time-limited which I did not like. Crackdown is something you cannot put a limit on. It’s far to large and expansive. However, even in the 30 minutes I did manage to get a lot done. I was able to complete a bunch of the objectives and explore a fair amount of the city. Basically you’re dropped into a hot zone which you need to take back from the Cell operatives. Other missions include activating power sources and reclaiming other sections of the city. The game plays very similarly to the first, however I did notice the HUD seems to have received an update. I am not sure I quite understood how the agents abilities are displayed/calculated in the new HUD, but it may be I just need to spend some more time reviewing it.
Before being dropped into the game I was able to customize my agent (looks and such) which was cool. The agents also seem to dawn different attire from the first game. They seem to have a look that has a bit of a mech-ish feel, or maybe even something from Gears of War. The game includes various weapons you can pick up and use against the Cell. The game also introduces the “Freaks” which are mutant zombies that appear in the game during the night. The game includes agility orbs as well as the orbs attained from defeating enemies. One thing I found to be a bit frustrating (which could actually be my controller) is the trouble I get when switching to a different gun. Your agent seems to be able to carry 2 weapons at a time (someone correct me if I’m wrong), and when I hit the ‘X’ button (for xBox360) it doesn’t always seem to switch guns.
Overall, I am impressed with the demo and cannot wait to get my hands on the final version. The release date is only about a week away, so I should be able to complete a couple of these demo achievements before the actual game comes out!
Resources:
Crackdown 2 on Wikipedia.
Crackdown 2 at IGN.
Ohai!
Jun 22nd
Hey everyone! Sorry I’ve been away for so long. This past winter my boyfriend and parents gave me the most wonderful Christmas present ever! They sent me out to California to a riding academy in which I learned so much and really had a great time. I spent about 6 months there. I am finally back home now and have a lot of plans for this summer.
I would like this summer, to really work on Confessh.us (considering it’s been about a year since I really worked on the code), as well as work on the design and back-end code of our movie rental application. I’ve already started porting the code into the new design (sucks we don’t really have a templating system). I’m also going to take a look at some of the PHP code to see if I can slim it down or optimize it in any way. The same goes for Confessh.us.
This summer I’ve also got a lot planned with the horses and with horse shows. We’re definitely trying to recognized!
I’m also going to try to whittle away at my video game list. I’ve got so many in there. I picked up Final Fantasy XIII the other day, but I do not see myself playing that game for many months. Heck I still haven’t completed FFX-2 haha. I really love it though. I’ve also got to get crackin’ on some Modern Warfare 2 stuff, if anyone is on LIVE, hit my up, ‘vtequine’ is my gamertag!
Anyways, I hope everyone is well. Keep checkin’ for new stuff!
Modern Warfare 2 – Morgan’s Game of the Year
Nov 8th
I’m calling it right now. Modern Warfare 2 is the game of the year. Hands down, it’s the most fun I’ve had since Resident Evil 5 which was released this previous spring. I understand I said I didn’t even want to bother with this game and that it was going to suck. I was of course basing this all off a video and a few screenshots I had seen of the game. The feeling that I got was that this game wasn’t going to be military based at all, and was going to be more like an “Army of Two/renegade/mercenary” type game. Nope, not at all. I think there’s one level where it sort of felt like that, but with the voicing in the level you remember that you’re there as a squad. The game plays pretty much how I was wishing they would have done it, except they did do it! I want to take back every bad thing I ever said about this game. The trailer I saw did not do this game enough justice, however, after seeing the multiplayer video they posted a month ago or so, I at least knew the multiplayer was going to be awesome. After getting my hands on the game and playing through the entire single player campaign I know a lot of people are really going to enjoy this game, single and multiplayer!
When you first get into the game, you’re run through a few tests, similar to when you first start Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I suppose this is for people who’ve never played the previous game, just get them acquainted with the controls and such. Right off the bat, I was qualified to play the game on Hardcore mode, er rather Hardened mode. I opted for Regular since I just wanted to jump right in, and actually I’m quite happy I did pick Regular mode since I had a few good trouble spots which took at least 10 tries to get right. Right after the training course, you’re dropped right into the action and they’ve got you pumping off rounds on your M203! After that you’re put in a Humvee with a mounted .50cal. Needless to say, it only get better!
Modern Warfare 2 has far exceeded my expectations, although maybe that’s what I get for having relatively low expectations in the first place. The controls are pretty much the same as the previous game, and since my life basically revolved around it, I had no issues with this game at all. There were a couple moments when they wanted you to do a few things with the triggers which I managed to mess up, but after a few tries I got it down. At one point, during the end of the game, I wasn’t sure what they were asking me to do with the ‘x’ button, but I guess whatever I was doing was right because I managed to knife someone in the face.
The level design in the game is fantastic. One of my favorite levels was the White House. It was actually a bit difficult to get into and take command of the first floor but with a couple flash bangs and grenades, it was mine! One of my least favorite levels was the one in Brazil where you basically had to find your way through a maze of crappy houses to make it to the top of the hill they were all on. I found myself getting my ass kicked by snipers and shooters on the roof tops or they would hide in these houses. Each level in the game was unique and something fresh and new each time, whether it be caves, a log cabin house in the mountains, a freezing cold air base or atop an oil rig, this game keeps it new and fun with each level. You can definitely tell a lot of time was put into each level with tons of interactive items, enemies in spots that make it a good challenge to overtake an area and graphics that definitely keep you wondering if this is real or not.
I thought the graphics in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare were amazing. Well they’ve just stepped up their game and they’re even better in Modern Warfare 2. I managed to find myself just staring at guns to see how detailed the were. They’ve got it down real good, even to the serial numbers on some guns. It’s ridiculous. Each and every item in the game is carefully given some amount of detail to make it look as real as possible. Shooting boxes of paper sends sheets flying all over the place, and in one scene, you can see the blood vessels in a foes eye just before you stab him in the neck. Infinity Ward definitely went all out on this game, and it shows. While there are a few points where you can tell more work could have been done, I really am impressed with the graphics.
The biggest thing that I enjoy about this game? The new variety of guns. Weapons from the previous game are included, but they’ve included tons of new weapons and “addons”. The Desert Eagle and .50cal make appearances throughout the game, but one of my favorites, the SCAR is now part of the lineup! The guns also come with a few new attachments, one, a thermal sensor which really helps with seeing enemies through smoke screens and another a heartbeat sensor which alerts you to people within the nearby vicinity via an LCD monitor attached to your weapon. I also noticed there’s a fully automatic pistol included which will definitely be considered in my load outs along with the Desert Eagle and M1911!
Something new about Modern Warfare 2 is the ability to control vehicles in a few levels. In one level you get to man a boat, rather more like a raft with a motor, but you get to drive it down a crazy winding river while trying to avoid other enemy boats and helicopters. In another level you need to make an escape on a snowmobile and at one point you jump over what must be at least a 200ft gap. I have honestly no idea how that was even possible, but it happens! One thing I did miss was taking control f one of those .150mm canons on the planes, however, you do get to take control of a Predator to bomb areas.
At this point in time I have not tried the multiplayer or SPEC OPs potion of Modern Warfare 2. I plan to play some SPEC OPs either tonight or tomorrow, I’ll create a new article for that. Multiplayer modes are going to have to wait for a couple days, but I am definitely psyched about getting some time in. I guess my days of playing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare are over. I certainly had a good 2 years with the game, but now that the Modern Warfare 2 is out, it’s time to put that game to rest (at least for a couple months). I am unsure as to how many levels or prestige levels are included in this new game, but I certainly can’t wait to start killing some friends, completing challenges and learning some new multiplayer levels layouts. I am also excited to see how well the CTF mode plays.
All in all, I can give this game no less then a 11/10 rating — which I just realized is the release date of the game, so it’s certainly fitting! It went well above what I thought the game was going to be, and even after beating the single player campaign, I want more of it. I know I knocked the game and said how crappy it was going to be. I hope Infinity Ward can forgive me! I promise you, if you loved Modern Warfare 1, you will, without a doubt love this game too. In a few days, when the game is released to the masses, I will join you all in a game of CTF or some Team Deathmatch! Make sure you add me on Xbox LIVE (vtequine)!
Left 4 Dead 2 – Demo
Nov 5th
Finally the Left 4 Dead 2 demo was made available to all (okay maybe just gold and pre-order people) Xbox LIVE gamers the other day. I hastily downloaded it and I have to say, I like it! I’d been hearing a lot of complaints on Twitter and Facebook, about how crappy it was (no reasons given), but after watching the intro video and playing the 2 stages I came away wanting some more! The game plays very similar to the first so I suppose that’s a good thing, however it can be bad, especially when you’re dropping $60 into something that could have been an addon. However if you really enjoyed the original game and really got a lot of re-play value out of it, I can certainly see you picking up the second one. The demo download clocks in around 1.7GBs which seems to be the going size of new demos these days. Heck, I downloaded a trailer to a video the other day and it was 350MBs! That said, grab your controller and get ready to blast away hordes of zombies!
The demo drops you in a small town with a couple new types of zombies. One of them requires you to shoot them in the back since they’re armored. However, I found it to be easy to take out your machete or knock them around with your gun/melee and then shoot them down. The Witch, normal zombies, Smokers, and Boomers all make re-appearances and will do anything to stop you. As for weapons, my all time favorite M16 assault rifle returns along with the AK47! There’s also 2 shotguns (combat and tactical), an automatic machine gun, pistols, pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails! There’s also a wide variety of melee weapons like frying pans which certainly makes for some fun killing.
The two levels included in the demos are pretty similar to what you’d find in the first game, and there’s really nothing new about the game play except for at one point you need to deactivate an alarm system (wooohoo?!). Basically the levels consist of making your way through them while terminating any zombies and foes that get in your way. This is certainly a lot of fun, however need it really cost $60? I personally think these could have been included as addons to the original game, or heck sell me the 5-6 stages for $30 and if I want multiplayer I could purchase that for an additional $30. I just don’t feel like this game is worth what they’re selling it for, it really doesn’t feel like an entirely new game, more like a few new stages. Don’t get me wrong, the new graphics and everything look awesome, but still…I also have one gripe, the control scheme for this game is not that great, it never has been. I guess after a couple stages you start to get used to it, but I keep finding myself pulling on the left trigger to get a “zoomed” in view with my gun…however this is not the case and I end up flailing around with melee moves.
That said, I think the final product will provide me with a good 5-6 hours of entertainment. I’m not so much into the multiplayer modes (nor do I really have time for them — COD4/MW2 will end all free time as I know it), I just like going around the towns killing zombies and being done with it. As much as I love zombie killing I can only last that long. I am really interested to see how it’s going to sell, seeing as how it comes out a few days after Modern Warfare 2.
Xbox – Banning Unauthorized Storage Devices
Oct 24th
Just recently Major Nelson took to his blog and Twitter to warn Xbox 360 users that Microsoft is going to start banning un-authorized storage devices. Now, as many of you may know I along with a couple friends spent a weekend getting our own 120GB drives installed on our Xboxes, rather then paying the ridiculous fee for an “OFFICIAL” Microsoft drive…which is actually just a normal Western Digital drive. After trying to figure out if this is what Major Nelson was referring too, I couldn’t find a definitive answer. Most of the comments on his blog seemed to point to the Datel Memory cards which had me a little calmer.
After a few days of looking around on the web, it does appear the devices being blocked aren’t the home made 120GB drives, but rather those Datel cards. So what do I think about that? Well, to be honest, I don’t like it regardless of me not even having one of those cards. I do not see what logic, what reasoning, Microsoft has to ban these devices, beyond the fact that instead of allowing 3rd parties to develop and sell these may cut into their profits on similar devices. I believe right now Microsoft is selling their official AUTHORIZED memory cards for $30. That’s right, $30 for 512MBs of space. Ridiculous, of course. The Datel card sells for $39 and is 2GBs. Still a steep price, but you get a lot more bang for your buck! Plus you can use your own MiniSD card and get up to 16GBs of storage, sure blows that over-priced Microsoft card out of the water.
What I fail to see is WHY Microsoft is banning such devices. I guess if someone could provide sound reasoning I may not dislike Microsoft for doing this so much. An online petition has been formed and it currently has a whopping 71 signatures, so if you’re a Datel Memory card owner, I certainly recommend adding your signature to the bunch.
That said, I’m glad they’re not (or hopefully not) going to mess with the hard drives (home made and otherwise). My good friend Raf (WithinRafael.com) outright asked Major Nelson if our home made drives would be affect but to this date, I don’t think he’s received a response. If he does get one I shall update this post with that information.
So what do you guys think about this banning of un-authorized devices? Is it a smart move on Microsoft part, or just another instance of them being stupid?
No M4 Carbine For Me!
Oct 8th
When I leveled up to prestige 4 in Call of Duty 4 my friend and I sort of made a bet or rather he challenged me that I could not use the M4 Carbine (pretty much the full auto version of the M16) for the entire 55 levels. I took this challenge and completed it. Not only did I not equip the M4 as a class but even when dropped by enemies I didn’t bother picking them up to use. I think what allowed me to do this was the fact that I still had access to another one of my favorite guns, the MP5. Small and quick! Anyways, here’s a couple pics to prove my awesomeness!
I still need to go through 6 more prestige levels and within the next month, seeing as how Modern Warfare 2 comes out then!
Playstation 3 Home: Login Issues
Oct 4th
The other day I went to login to Playstation Home, but all it did was sit at the log in screen saying ‘Initializing’ and did nothing else. I couldn’t even exit out form there and just had to flip the power switch on the back of my PS3. Today, I went to log in again (thinking maybe the servers were just overloaded the previous day. Again, it just sat at the initializing message and I was forced to power the unit down again. I ran a couple Google searches and almost all results said to delete Home and re-install it. That’s exactly what I did, and upon login, I successfully passed that initialization screen and the MOTD was all about login issues. Of course, it’d have been nice to see that MOTD before the initial login haha.
The MOTD told users to look on the forums for fixes to this issue. I found the thread here.
Wolfenstein: Vaporize!
Sep 12th
I got this game when it came out but I just barely got to playing it this past week. To be honest, this is one of the first Wolfenstein games I’ve actually played all the way through. I do remember playing through Wolfenstein 3D but I’m not sure if I ever made it all the way through the game.
The game brings back BJ Blazkowicz in his fight against the Nazi army. I really like games that keep starring the same characters (and maybe a few new ones). It makes you feel like you’re really watching the character and their life story since you’ve gone through multiple games with him or her. In any event, the Nazi’s have found a force called the Black Sun which not only makes their weapons stronger but they’ve even used it to create super soldiers!
The game is pretty much full of non-stop action. You collect missions from various people around the fictional town of Isenstadt. Your main goal is to basically destroy Nazi access to the Black Sun powers and defeat multiple Nazi leaders. With 8 different weapons at your disposal you should have no trouble!
The various weapons in Wolfenstein really keep everything fresh and fun. Whether you’re sniping people or vaporizing them, it’s all quite a lot of fun. Through the levels you can collect Intel items which enable you to add upgrades to your weapons. You’ll also be able to collect crystal shards, gold, and tomes (all of which I’ll explain in a minute). Weapon upgrades usually consist of making them faster, stronger, scopes and the ability to hold more ammo. Each upgrade costs a various amount of money and you are able to sell them back if you need some extra cash. Be aware that selling them back will only net half the original price of the upgrade! My favorite weapon was the M43! I also really like the Particle Cannon too. Of course…frying some baddies with the flamethrower was simply pleasurable too and the strongest weapon in the game, the Leichenfaust 44 sure was fun!
Besides being able to collect Intel and gold (which is used to purchase gun upgrades) throughout the levels you can also collect Black Sun crystals. These crystals add new powers to your already badass weapon lineup. Powers consist of Veil, Mire, Shield, and Empower. The Veil power allows you to see hidden doorways and provides little hints as to what to do. For example, when fighting a Particle Cannon soldier, enable the Veil power and you can see his weak spots. The Mire power slows down time and helps you kill quicker enemies. Empower gives your weapons extra strength and allows you to shoot through barriers. You definitely will want to take advantage of these powers throughout the game as they will aid you greatly! You can even purchase upgrades for them (so long as you collect the tomes).
The level design is wonderful and full of detail. One of my favorite levels in the entire game is the Hospital level. It’s really creepy and introduces a new enemy that has the ability to vanish into thin air! Of course, using your Veil ability you can easily spot him! Another thing that really made me enjoy this level is the voice acting/dialog from some of the people throughout the level. When you make it to this level, you’ll know what I’m talking about :)
Boss battles in this game are far and few between. I believe there are about 4 boss battles in the entire game. This is not something I’d complain about though. Each boss is unique and fun to destroy! *evil grin* I really enjoyed the fight between BJ and General Zetta, but the Queen Geist fight was definitely really cool too! Besides boss fights, there’s a great variety of monsters and enemies you’ll encounter throughout the game. Everything from normal Nazi solders to giant mutated scientists to demon Nazis who can throw barrier shields in-front of their fellow Nazi soldiers to protect them all whilst throwing balls of dangerous energy at you.
All in all I’m really impressed with Wolfenstein. There were a few times when I got frustrated with the controls and there were a couple points where I saw enemies get stuck on a door and be unable to go around it or come through it. While funny, the AI in that respect could have been improved a little bit. They sure have come a long way since I played Wolfenstein 3D and after playing hours upon hours of Call of Duty 4 it’s nice to be able to just aim, fire and vaporize someone :)
Lost Planet 2 – Xbox 360 Demo
Aug 21st
Along with yesterday release of the DiRT 2 demo, we also got our hands on the Lost Planet 2 demo! It was pretty much like Christmas in August. Quite a wonderful day for gamers!
This demo clocked in at around 350MBs, much smaller then DiRT 2. After playing through the demo, it’s quite apparent as to why though. The demo includes single and multiplayer modes and of course I opted for the multiplayer mode. Playing with friends is a lot better!
The multiplayer version drops you and up to 3 other friends (for a total of four players) into a single level where you battle what appears to be a boss. That’s all the demo consists of. Battling this massive creature until it falls. While I’d love to have seen a bit more then that, getting dropped right into action definitely is a lot of fun.
While gathering people for your party I thought it would be possible to change your character or your characters outfit, unfortunately it doesn’t look like it’s possible, at least not in the demo version of the game. You can also set slots to private so that random people cannot join your game and only people you invite will be allowed in.
The gameplay itself is very similar if not the exact same as Lost Planet 1. The weapons are the same as well. I won’t complain because they’re actually quite fun and range from a simple assault rifle to a minigun to being able to pilot a mech. During the entire fight I mainly used the rocket launcher as my primary weapon while my friend told control of a mech.
This battle was unique in that one could actually enter the huge beasts body and destroy it from the inside out! I thought that was really cool and it gives you a good idea as to how large this monster was. Also during the battle you can activate data points just as in the previous game, this allows the player to gain more thermal energy which seems to be the life force in this game.
The graphics in the game look just as beautiful if not better then the previous game. The controls are the same, and they’re easy to learn. Of course since I’ve been playing Call of Duty 4, for the past year, it’s a bit hard for me to learn any new control scheme :).
The demo lasts about 15-20 minutes depending on how hard you’re battling with the beast, but it’s definitely an action packed fun 15 minutes. Overall this is one demo you don’t want to miss out on and after playing it I can definitely say that I am looking forward to the final version of Lost Planet 2!
