Clever titles are just not my thing. Well, I DID IT. I beat MGS4... and... well you'll just have to wait for my review, which might actually disappoint (It's been started and... well... it's really not a traditional review). Anyways I'm off to bed... oh you want some new tidbits... a real update. Well, I have come to the conclusion that Metal Gear Solid 4 is my favorite game of all time, no joke
... how's that for an update?
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
This monkey's gone to heaven....
Today is a day for celebration, or rather next week. I am currently salivating over my approaching purchase of a 360 elite, my decision for the 360 before the ps3 because ATLUS has declared it's support for Microsoft's child. Behold there is a god, and we shall all soon be making fools of ourselves trying to channel some Frank Black screams into the microphone. Guitar Hero and Rock Band were just casual novelties to me until Muse appeared in GH3, and now they have Muse DLC. Now it has become Serious Business >_< and I must elevate and learn to play the games so that I can fake rock out to one of my favorite bands. The fact a whole Pixies album is now on board is fantastic...oh deary me must get hands on it.
Wagon Wheel Anachronism
This might not be your type of music, I mean, it's not quite mine. I've started to like it, I mean, just watch the damn video and see if you pick up what I did.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
FUCK YOU PENNY ARCADE!
AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
They think they're so cool because the can give fanboys the finger and everyone has to watch.
I wish they were less involved in the industry. Their game is fucking fun though.
Strongest Man Alive
When Shadow of the Colossus came out in the fall of 2005 I had started my freshman year of college and knew little to nothing about it much less heard of it's predecessor Ico. My friend described SotC as a game "where you go around and kill these giant statues, and when they die it happens dramatically with sad music. I think you're supposed to sympathize with them.", while that is a rough paraphrase the "die to sad music" part was definitely the words used to describe it. Around this time was the beginning of my foray into games that were claimed to be "missed by the crowd". In the following months I would pick up Beyond Good and Evil, Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, Panzer Dragoon Orta, as well as Ico and SotC among others. As fate would have it, since my friend purchased SotC immediately I opted to try out the previous title Ico so that we could exchange impressions of both and possibly swap in the future. This write up is about Shadow so I will reserve my thoughts on Ico, but needless to say I was awestruck and hooked. There was no way I could wait till winter break to possibly borrow SotC, I purchased it immediately after.
warning, there be spoils abound
The Setup
A haunting melody plays during the intro scene as Wander carries his incapacitated/dead lady friend into the forbidden land, this perfectly prefaces the journey you are about to partake in telling you that it will be a solemn and isolated affair. The forbidden land is inhabited by very little wildlife, the only creatures encountered are lizards and birds in the vast expanse of the peninsula. Anyways, this piece isn't so much a review of the game as it is my personal testament to how much I love the story and the character of Wander. This man, desperate to revive a woman that he obviously cares about having broken his people's laws and stolen a sacred sword and trespassed onto forbidden grounds, convenes with a powerful being (Dormin) and regardless of the possible consequences makes a pact with an imprisoned spirit whose intentions are completely ambiguous. In his blind devotion and determination to aid his lady he agrees to fell 16 colossi that can be found throughout the land in exchange of "bringing Mono (the girl) back to life". At no point does Wander question the ordeal that lies before him or what may become of him, neither does he specify exactly what "bringing her back to life" entails. Even while you begin to go about your task in the forbidden land your elders are pursuing you to reclaim the sword and hopefully stop you from doing anything you may regret.
The Trials
Wander seeks out sixteen behemoths in the lands, each located in their own habitat/area of the peninsula. Your arrival being the only provocation for a break in their eternal slumber. Most of the colossi don't even want to bother with you until you provoke them with arrows or run at them with sword drawn, Only then do they try to protect what lies sealed within them. The sudden end to each of these confrontations as the life animating the stone, earth, and grass is perfectly portrayed. Each of these seals broken, Wander unknowingly releasing each part of Dormin in order to uphold his end of the bargain for the future of this girl. Every fallen colossus releases a part of Dormin, and every time that dark spirit forces it's way into Wander's body. Each adversary is met with the same determination and ultimate victory no matter the cost. Wander is one determined guy, and with almost no support he endures. Defying his people and his society by being in the sacred land he experiences what can only be the most trying of trials in hopes that this girl can be given another chance at life.
The Friend
While practically a solo act, Wander does have one companion. Agro the horse is quite possibly one of the best supporting characters I have seen in a game ever. The development is so subtle and it can only go so far as it is just his horse, but it is so much more. Not only is this journey only possible because of Agro being there, but in this desolate land Agro is the only thing Wander has keeping him company besides his determination. This horse follows you without fear wherever you may go, rides on without complaint and carries it's master to the next destination. He isn't even taken back to the temple like Wander is whenever a colossus is felled, he runs back on his own out of devotion. When Wander is scaling a colossus Agro trots about neighing as if a worried friend is pacing out of anxiety for a loved one. Helping you in the conflicts that he can he is there for Wander at every point in the game when possible, and his ultimate sacrifice (which we find out is not as grave as it seems at the time, but still just as shocking the first time you see it) before the final colossus left me utterly silent in shock. Best horse, nay a friend, ever!
The Sacrifice
As the game progresses and he defeats more colossi the ritual begins to take it's toll. It physically manifests itself in his skin becoming paler, his hair loses it's red hue favoring black, his eyes losing their color, and ultimately having horns protrude from his forehead. That's right, the fine print of the pact Wander did not know involved his body being used as a vessel for Dormin as the seals are broken. Ever so slowly his soul is being eroded away from his body as Dormin's spirit overtakes it. While it is open to interpretation, I think Dormin takes advantage of Wander in even another way. The initial confrontation with Dormin reveals his voice has a dual nature to it, voiced by a male and female, and as the game progresses (the girl is closer to being "revived") the female voice has less of a presence. The way I see it, he was not only taking over Wander's body but is actually placing the female part of his spirit in Mono's body as his soul is re-assembled from the various parts sealed in the colossi. The final sequence of events is gut-wrenching as Lord Emon, the priest from your village that pursued you, points out just what you have done as the physical changes on Wander's body are finally more evident. In a desperate gambit for both sides Lord Emon orders his men to slay Wander, once this proves impossible they begin to flee the temple. At this point Dormin's true shape, a grotesque shade, surges from Wander's body and attempts to slay his would-be killers. As Lord Emon is the last member out of the temple he casts one final seal before leaving. Casting away the sacred sword which Wander had stolen the seal imprisons all the shadows within the temple, the user is given control of Wander's now disembodied shade as he desperately tries to reach Mono's side. It is absolutely devastating to witness his futile attempts to reach her side and is finally consumed into the vacuum, left at the epicenter of the spell is the first child that bears the curse of this sin, a horned child. Now after all the chaos Mono awakes to find Agro limping into the temple and they find the child and proceed to the garden on the roof of the temple (you can reach the garden shown during the end credits by climbing a great deal up the side of the temple, I've done it and it takes a decent amount of time of just scaling walls). This ending sets up, how I interpret the game, the premise of the previous game Ico. So in my eyes SotC is the prequel to Ico, it is the start of the affair and the reason why there is a cursed child at all.
This game is fantastic, I can not speak enough about my love of it. Wander is one of the best characters I have ever had the delight of playing in a game before. The visuals are jawdropping, the music is BEYOND perfect (I bought the soundtrack and it's fantastic), the controls are tight and intuitive. I'm not sure where I heard that people had issues with controls but honestly I don't understand why you would. The mapping of buttons and rather simple mechanics are very logical, the difficulty comes from how disorienting it would be to be tossed about while climbing a large object. All I can say is Wander is a hell of a man, and simplified this game goes to show how utterly ridiculous one's willingness to do things for a woman can be. Damn those women!
*If there was an actual room with just a set of stairs and "Rave On" playing like in Killer 7, I would totally want to pass through it multiple times every day.*
warning, there be spoils abound
The Setup
A haunting melody plays during the intro scene as Wander carries his incapacitated/dead lady friend into the forbidden land, this perfectly prefaces the journey you are about to partake in telling you that it will be a solemn and isolated affair. The forbidden land is inhabited by very little wildlife, the only creatures encountered are lizards and birds in the vast expanse of the peninsula. Anyways, this piece isn't so much a review of the game as it is my personal testament to how much I love the story and the character of Wander. This man, desperate to revive a woman that he obviously cares about having broken his people's laws and stolen a sacred sword and trespassed onto forbidden grounds, convenes with a powerful being (Dormin) and regardless of the possible consequences makes a pact with an imprisoned spirit whose intentions are completely ambiguous. In his blind devotion and determination to aid his lady he agrees to fell 16 colossi that can be found throughout the land in exchange of "bringing Mono (the girl) back to life". At no point does Wander question the ordeal that lies before him or what may become of him, neither does he specify exactly what "bringing her back to life" entails. Even while you begin to go about your task in the forbidden land your elders are pursuing you to reclaim the sword and hopefully stop you from doing anything you may regret.
The Trials
Wander seeks out sixteen behemoths in the lands, each located in their own habitat/area of the peninsula. Your arrival being the only provocation for a break in their eternal slumber. Most of the colossi don't even want to bother with you until you provoke them with arrows or run at them with sword drawn, Only then do they try to protect what lies sealed within them. The sudden end to each of these confrontations as the life animating the stone, earth, and grass is perfectly portrayed. Each of these seals broken, Wander unknowingly releasing each part of Dormin in order to uphold his end of the bargain for the future of this girl. Every fallen colossus releases a part of Dormin, and every time that dark spirit forces it's way into Wander's body. Each adversary is met with the same determination and ultimate victory no matter the cost. Wander is one determined guy, and with almost no support he endures. Defying his people and his society by being in the sacred land he experiences what can only be the most trying of trials in hopes that this girl can be given another chance at life.
The Friend
While practically a solo act, Wander does have one companion. Agro the horse is quite possibly one of the best supporting characters I have seen in a game ever. The development is so subtle and it can only go so far as it is just his horse, but it is so much more. Not only is this journey only possible because of Agro being there, but in this desolate land Agro is the only thing Wander has keeping him company besides his determination. This horse follows you without fear wherever you may go, rides on without complaint and carries it's master to the next destination. He isn't even taken back to the temple like Wander is whenever a colossus is felled, he runs back on his own out of devotion. When Wander is scaling a colossus Agro trots about neighing as if a worried friend is pacing out of anxiety for a loved one. Helping you in the conflicts that he can he is there for Wander at every point in the game when possible, and his ultimate sacrifice (which we find out is not as grave as it seems at the time, but still just as shocking the first time you see it) before the final colossus left me utterly silent in shock. Best horse, nay a friend, ever!
The Sacrifice
As the game progresses and he defeats more colossi the ritual begins to take it's toll. It physically manifests itself in his skin becoming paler, his hair loses it's red hue favoring black, his eyes losing their color, and ultimately having horns protrude from his forehead. That's right, the fine print of the pact Wander did not know involved his body being used as a vessel for Dormin as the seals are broken. Ever so slowly his soul is being eroded away from his body as Dormin's spirit overtakes it. While it is open to interpretation, I think Dormin takes advantage of Wander in even another way. The initial confrontation with Dormin reveals his voice has a dual nature to it, voiced by a male and female, and as the game progresses (the girl is closer to being "revived") the female voice has less of a presence. The way I see it, he was not only taking over Wander's body but is actually placing the female part of his spirit in Mono's body as his soul is re-assembled from the various parts sealed in the colossi. The final sequence of events is gut-wrenching as Lord Emon, the priest from your village that pursued you, points out just what you have done as the physical changes on Wander's body are finally more evident. In a desperate gambit for both sides Lord Emon orders his men to slay Wander, once this proves impossible they begin to flee the temple. At this point Dormin's true shape, a grotesque shade, surges from Wander's body and attempts to slay his would-be killers. As Lord Emon is the last member out of the temple he casts one final seal before leaving. Casting away the sacred sword which Wander had stolen the seal imprisons all the shadows within the temple, the user is given control of Wander's now disembodied shade as he desperately tries to reach Mono's side. It is absolutely devastating to witness his futile attempts to reach her side and is finally consumed into the vacuum, left at the epicenter of the spell is the first child that bears the curse of this sin, a horned child. Now after all the chaos Mono awakes to find Agro limping into the temple and they find the child and proceed to the garden on the roof of the temple (you can reach the garden shown during the end credits by climbing a great deal up the side of the temple, I've done it and it takes a decent amount of time of just scaling walls). This ending sets up, how I interpret the game, the premise of the previous game Ico. So in my eyes SotC is the prequel to Ico, it is the start of the affair and the reason why there is a cursed child at all.
This game is fantastic, I can not speak enough about my love of it. Wander is one of the best characters I have ever had the delight of playing in a game before. The visuals are jawdropping, the music is BEYOND perfect (I bought the soundtrack and it's fantastic), the controls are tight and intuitive. I'm not sure where I heard that people had issues with controls but honestly I don't understand why you would. The mapping of buttons and rather simple mechanics are very logical, the difficulty comes from how disorienting it would be to be tossed about while climbing a large object. All I can say is Wander is a hell of a man, and simplified this game goes to show how utterly ridiculous one's willingness to do things for a woman can be. Damn those women!
*If there was an actual room with just a set of stairs and "Rave On" playing like in Killer 7, I would totally want to pass through it multiple times every day.*
ZOMG UPDATES: Burning the midnight oil
So I've been playing up until now. I'm exhausted and all out of caffeine... I really need to take notes if I want to make a halfway descent review but right now I'll have to go off memory. And don't worry, I won't spoil anything. So far, this is what I've noticed:
-The game is absolutely gorgeous and the attention to detail is astonishing. For instance vamp has the scar on his forehead from when you shot him in 2 and the soldiers dog tags he stole from the same game
-All the cut scenes I have witnessed so far have been in trailers (for the most part)
-The game is broken up into acts and I finished act 1 which took me five hours... i was going slow and died a few times (when I was being retarded)
-There was one "oh shit" moment that I don't want to ruin because it's too cool. It might now amount to anything but it involves... I won't give it away
-The dualschock 3 has some heft to it... more so than the ps2 controller. although it's so nice to have rumble back... actually its fucking great
-there is a mandatory install at what appears to be before each act. its a little weird that there is more than one, but the second one wasn't long at all and they feature snake smoking cigarettes in the background with little tidbits of advice. the best was when it said it was past 4 am and I should take a break.
-Otacon's computer backgrounds were zone of the enders and policenauts
-the rolling on the ground mechanic is one of the most fun things to do and fun ways to travel
-the new camo system far surpasses the other one and is really fucking cool... having a lot of fun with it.
-Snake is aging rapidly and they don't know why (not a spoiler) they do a very good job of making you care. small things like Meryl commenting on it add to the effect. snake is facing his own mortality and you can tell he's having difficulty... and that really goes back to how good the graphics are... I've not seen any other game convey emotion better by using facial expressions.
-There is one thing I can't figure out... when I crouch and don't have anything equiped and hit r1, snake will halfway rise and spread his arms out a little then go back to crouch... i have no fucking clue what this is for
-the square button is only used for auto-aim which i have turned off because i'm not a bitch... so its basically a useless button. also select is no longer used for codec (these are so fucking minor though)
-snake with breasts looks very bizarre (yes... you see snake with breasts)
-the game plays well... theres no way around it... it just feels good. cqc is a little akward right now but thats because it's slightly different (r1 does most of it) and i have yet to practice because i tend to just get in gunfights.
-at one point i started feeling bad i was killing so many PMCs that I switched to my tranquilizer just to ease my conscious.
-i know I said this, but the camo is cool as hell
-they really do a good job of illustrating past relationships between all the characters and brining them into this story... cool to see where it goes
-im pretty sure that guy johnny in all the trailers who is a part of Meryl's squad is raiden in disguise... this is just me pulling it out of my ass but i just have a feeling. again this isn't a spoiler and i wont follow up on this so you wont find out either way
-my collectors edition box is already falling apart which is pretty lame... but i still love it
I'm sure there was more I wanted to say but I'm just drawing blanks now and making so many typos because I Can barely see straight (ok so maybe i am a pussy but im still not putting auto aim on). Last two things that just popped into my head: load times are minimal and saving takes half a second. So far its been fucking spectacular even if there had been very little in the way of plot development.
-The game is absolutely gorgeous and the attention to detail is astonishing. For instance vamp has the scar on his forehead from when you shot him in 2 and the soldiers dog tags he stole from the same game
-All the cut scenes I have witnessed so far have been in trailers (for the most part)
-The game is broken up into acts and I finished act 1 which took me five hours... i was going slow and died a few times (when I was being retarded)
-There was one "oh shit" moment that I don't want to ruin because it's too cool. It might now amount to anything but it involves... I won't give it away
-The dualschock 3 has some heft to it... more so than the ps2 controller. although it's so nice to have rumble back... actually its fucking great
-there is a mandatory install at what appears to be before each act. its a little weird that there is more than one, but the second one wasn't long at all and they feature snake smoking cigarettes in the background with little tidbits of advice. the best was when it said it was past 4 am and I should take a break.
-Otacon's computer backgrounds were zone of the enders and policenauts
-the rolling on the ground mechanic is one of the most fun things to do and fun ways to travel
-the new camo system far surpasses the other one and is really fucking cool... having a lot of fun with it.
-Snake is aging rapidly and they don't know why (not a spoiler) they do a very good job of making you care. small things like Meryl commenting on it add to the effect. snake is facing his own mortality and you can tell he's having difficulty... and that really goes back to how good the graphics are... I've not seen any other game convey emotion better by using facial expressions.
-There is one thing I can't figure out... when I crouch and don't have anything equiped and hit r1, snake will halfway rise and spread his arms out a little then go back to crouch... i have no fucking clue what this is for
-the square button is only used for auto-aim which i have turned off because i'm not a bitch... so its basically a useless button. also select is no longer used for codec (these are so fucking minor though)
-snake with breasts looks very bizarre (yes... you see snake with breasts)
-the game plays well... theres no way around it... it just feels good. cqc is a little akward right now but thats because it's slightly different (r1 does most of it) and i have yet to practice because i tend to just get in gunfights.
-at one point i started feeling bad i was killing so many PMCs that I switched to my tranquilizer just to ease my conscious.
-i know I said this, but the camo is cool as hell
-they really do a good job of illustrating past relationships between all the characters and brining them into this story... cool to see where it goes
-im pretty sure that guy johnny in all the trailers who is a part of Meryl's squad is raiden in disguise... this is just me pulling it out of my ass but i just have a feeling. again this isn't a spoiler and i wont follow up on this so you wont find out either way
-my collectors edition box is already falling apart which is pretty lame... but i still love it
I'm sure there was more I wanted to say but I'm just drawing blanks now and making so many typos because I Can barely see straight (ok so maybe i am a pussy but im still not putting auto aim on). Last two things that just popped into my head: load times are minimal and saving takes half a second. So far its been fucking spectacular even if there had been very little in the way of plot development.
ZOMG UPDATES
It is in my possession. The only reason I am taking a break is I had to take an online quiz and I died twice (not so much because of difficulty but because I'm retarded). So far it's incredible... there are some slight nit picky things that are so small... i mean so fucking small (such as the x button being used to select instead of the classic o button)... that you can gloss right over them. Just downed another redbull and finished the quiz... back to the game. expect updates, write ups, experiences at the midnight release etc.
... You can also make snake puke again and Drebin is really cool but I have a feeling he might betray me... DAAAAAAAAAA DAAAAAAAAA DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
... You can also make snake puke again and Drebin is really cool but I have a feeling he might betray me... DAAAAAAAAAA DAAAAAAAAA DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
FUKENNEDY update NAOW
So the recent HAWP videos on destructoid are quite hilarious, I very much enjoy them. Random tangent, here is to crossing my fingers that my blog entry for the Etrian Odyssey contest wins the goods. I guess something more substantial will come in the morning, it's rather late and work is tommorow...
JFUK I demand immediate update!
Also, Wanderer from SotC is the strongest man in the world...more to come on this later.
JFUK I demand immediate update!
Also, Wanderer from SotC is the strongest man in the world...more to come on this later.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Setting up traps is sweet and totally rewarding!
You know how in some games they have a random story-oriented mini game that is based on using traps? Ever wonder what a whole game based around the concept of setting up traps would be like? Look no further! Trapt is precisely that, a game in which you (an exiled interestingly clad princess) set up various traps to dispense of pursuers. Released in 2005 on the PS2 this title is actually another entry in a series of booby trap based games that I was surprised to find out were all released on the previous Playstation.
Criticisms this game received was that the voice acting was bad, the stability was questionable, and the story is a little silly... but who cares! Honestly at the low price you can find this game for it is totally worth the sadistic pleasure that the game provides. Being allowed to set up elaborate traps to lure mindless soldiers into is awesome. Yes the AI is not great, yes they walk into rather obvious traps, and YES it still feels good when they do and you get to sit back and watch your dope-ass contraption at work as it mutilates, eviscerates, and obliterates a given soldier. Traps are divided up into 3 types: wall, ceiling, floor traps. You may only have 3 of each type with you per level, and it's been a while since I last played it but possibly only one of each type may be deployed at a time. That's ok though, those constraints just let you get creative. On top of that each level has various other well placed hazard objects based on the type of room, one of my favorite rooms to be in was the torture room =D.
This game even has it's share of secrets to be found and unlockables. Based on which ending you get (there are 3 main endings, and one "ending" that doesn't unlock anything but you need to do in order to get 100%) you may unlock one of the 3 secret traps. On top of that there are various special traps that are level specific. One of the first rooms you are in there is a MAN EATING MUSIC BOX. Yes, some poor soul gets pulled through a clockwork music box and it spits him back out after traversing various turning blades, interlocking gears, etc.
Really that is the gist of it all. Trapt is not that long of a game, but you will end up replaying it if you wanna unlock everything. No I would have recommended it for the initial retail price of $40, but yes the game presents an awesome outlet if you are so inclined to that sadistic glee of seeing AI with poor judgement become trapped in gruesome combos (yes there IS a combo system). The fact that I got this game for cheap made it totally worth it, Trapt provided a great deal of fun and to play it with friends is even better. You'll find yourselves high-fiving each other for constantly one-upping the last diabolical contraption that dispatched your would-be-killers.
Dropping a vase on someone's head? Check!
Deployment of banana peels? Check!
Magnet Wall? Check!
Pendulum? Check!
A spring loaded floor to launch someone? Check!
YUSSS this game rocks
\.../ Megalomaniac - KMFDM \.../
Criticisms this game received was that the voice acting was bad, the stability was questionable, and the story is a little silly... but who cares! Honestly at the low price you can find this game for it is totally worth the sadistic pleasure that the game provides. Being allowed to set up elaborate traps to lure mindless soldiers into is awesome. Yes the AI is not great, yes they walk into rather obvious traps, and YES it still feels good when they do and you get to sit back and watch your dope-ass contraption at work as it mutilates, eviscerates, and obliterates a given soldier. Traps are divided up into 3 types: wall, ceiling, floor traps. You may only have 3 of each type with you per level, and it's been a while since I last played it but possibly only one of each type may be deployed at a time. That's ok though, those constraints just let you get creative. On top of that each level has various other well placed hazard objects based on the type of room, one of my favorite rooms to be in was the torture room =D.
This game even has it's share of secrets to be found and unlockables. Based on which ending you get (there are 3 main endings, and one "ending" that doesn't unlock anything but you need to do in order to get 100%) you may unlock one of the 3 secret traps. On top of that there are various special traps that are level specific. One of the first rooms you are in there is a MAN EATING MUSIC BOX. Yes, some poor soul gets pulled through a clockwork music box and it spits him back out after traversing various turning blades, interlocking gears, etc.
Really that is the gist of it all. Trapt is not that long of a game, but you will end up replaying it if you wanna unlock everything. No I would have recommended it for the initial retail price of $40, but yes the game presents an awesome outlet if you are so inclined to that sadistic glee of seeing AI with poor judgement become trapped in gruesome combos (yes there IS a combo system). The fact that I got this game for cheap made it totally worth it, Trapt provided a great deal of fun and to play it with friends is even better. You'll find yourselves high-fiving each other for constantly one-upping the last diabolical contraption that dispatched your would-be-killers.
Dropping a vase on someone's head? Check!
Deployment of banana peels? Check!
Magnet Wall? Check!
Pendulum? Check!
A spring loaded floor to launch someone? Check!
YUSSS this game rocks
\.../ Megalomaniac - KMFDM \.../
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