Plant-Eating Zombies and Augmentations

Bring iiiiiiit!

Although I was skeptical at first, I must say that PSN+ have been making me a happy gamer the past few months. The discounts have steadily been getting better and this month, not only are + subscribers getting 50% off the Resident Evil HD remakes, we get Plants Vs. Zombies for FREE. I've never been big on tower defense games, but the downloadable title had a great word of mouth and you really can't go wrong with a free game, so I checked it out. Verdict: Addicting as hell. Plus for the win.

Given a multitude of different plants with their own unique attributes, Plants Vs. Zombies makes you fight off waves of a multitude of zombies as they try to invade your house and eat all your leftovers and brains. By harnessing sunlight from flowers you grow, you can come up with a line of defense and sweat it out as the odds continue to build against you. It's a lot of fun, but so far a little too easy. During the adventure mode, I found myself always with an ultimate plan and the perfect combination of plants to use but, by the time I saved up enough sunlight to grow them all, the round was over. None the less, it's still been a blast to play and, from what I've heard, the challenge modes are definitely harder, so I might as well ride high on my laurels while I can. And your neighbor, crazy Dave, is hilarious.

Now that's a hat

On the disc side, I finally have gotten around to playing Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I never played the original titles in the series but was impressed by what I saw in trailers. I'm a little more than halfway through it and, I gotta say, it's a really really engrossing title. Portal 2 still gets my nod for Game of the Year thus far, but Deus Ex is definitely making a strong case.

In a cyberpunk future swirling in controversy regarding the ethical nature of humans assimilating with machines,  you play as Adam Jensen, ex-SWAT officer now turned head of security for Serif Industries. After a terrorist attack that leaves your ex-girlfriend dead and you badly injured, Serif rebuilds you like the 6 million dollar man and has you get to the bottom of things. The world is meticulously built and I keep coming across these little touches here and there, like user name log-ons, newspaper headlines, that really make the setting come to life. The developers really took their time to make this world believable and it really makes the playing experience that much better.

So much to see, so little time

 Jensen, while appearing as a cardboard cut protagonist (and the gruff voice work certainly doesn't help) really hints at some depth and I feel attached to his plight. Getting augmented wasn't his decision and, from hints here and there, you really get the sense that he's struggling with his identity and what's happened. It's not Oscar worthy writing, but again, it's attention to detail that makes the story feel like it was a focus more than an after thought, really adding to what is turning into a truly memorable story.

In terms of gameplay, Deus Ex plays a lot like Metal Gear Solid, except it's first person when moving around and chock full of RPG elements. Although you can technically tackle each mission in a number of ways, the smartest and most lucrative (in terms of XP) is to be stealthy, using persuasion and hacking when you can. You can run and gun, but ammo isn't super abundant and the controls lend themselves more to hiding. Shooting just doesn't feel as natural as it would in a Battlefield or a Call of Duty and such. But that's fine, not being Rambo earns you more XP to earn praxis points, which give you the ability improve augmentations like run faster, jump higher, see through walls, and a bunch of other cool abilities.You can tailor Jensen to excel in the ways you play the game. It feels both exciting and extremely rewarding when you buy an augmentation and then use it get past the next area.

Outside of the main story missions, there are side quests, ebooks to find, and other things of that nature that add to the experience. The different cities, although they're not super big, are large and varied enough to keep you exploring, searching for more ways to squeeze every XP you can find to gain praxis points. Hacking proves to be a fail safe option, as there are tons of locked doors and entry ways that contain valuable items that you can get XP just to get to. Hacking works like a little mini game where you have to get to a node, point by point, risking getting found with each one. If you're detected, you'll have precious seconds to get to the desired node before times runs out, using hacking software and fortifying nodes to buy you some precious time. Unless your through and trying to capture every node, hacking only takes a few seconds and it isn't mandatory enough to make it feel repetitive or a chore. Plus it gets you freebee XP and items, so suck it up.

I just returned to Detroit in the story and am really looking forward to how things are going to wrap up. I don't want to milk it too much though because I would like to play some more Plants vs. Zombies and get a crack at the deluge of HD remakes arriving (God of War: Origins, Team ICO collection, RE). Ahhhh there's just too much goodness. And the big guns have yet to arrive...

Prepare for PWNAG3!!

My HD Wishlist

Man, do we look pretty hot with this improved graphics

The coming months have their pants full of some real quality HD remakes. From Resident Evil 4 and Code Veronica, Shadow of the Colossus, Silent Hill, God of War, and the newly announced Final Fantasy X (yesssssssssssss!) the list just goes on and on and then on some more. I can see how some people are a little bothered by the idea since the movement for re-releases not only shows a lack of new ideas, but reeks of cash-ins, asking gamers to pay for games they probably don't own. But, honestly, I'm not bothered by it. These HD remakes are great excuses to go back and play the classics for yesteryear and only feed the imagination of what the next game will be to get a makeover and rerelease. Below are my personal top 5 games I'm dying to to see a HD remake of.

Take that, biatch!

5. Road Rash
From: 1994

Like the Dos Equis guy, I don't play racers often. But when I do, I choose one where I can mess someone up. Road Rash was just one of those titles that was a great mix of racing and bashing a dude with your fist going 120 MPH. The graphics were top notch for the day and the soundtrack really helped add to the experience. I would love to sink my teeth into a similar experience, and even remember that a reboot of the series WAS in the works. There are some screenshots and videos still out there on the interwebz, so that's a decent sign that the franchise hasn't been totally forgotten. We'll keep strong.

Crap, is that what obscurity looks like?

4. Legend of the Dragoon
From: 2000

In the wake of all the success RPGs were having in the lat 90s, Sony jumped into the fray and released their own big budget role playing game. Following Dart as he tries to find the monster that killed his parents and save his childhood friend, Legend of the Dragoon was, like the tagline from Scott Pilgrim, an epic of epic epicness. Spanning 4 discs, I sucked this game up with a spoon over 4 discs and loved every second of it. The graphics were great, the story was thrilling an engaging, and the timed hit combat system was a nice change up. When Lavitz died...don't get me started. It wasn't an Aeris moment, but it was close. On the flip side, there wasn't a lot of side quests and changing into dragoon mode in combat was basically as useful as putting pants on backwards and having to take a leak (ahhh, that's my second pants reference. What is the universe trying to tell me?!) but all that's small potatoes in the long run. The game also got a lot of flack for being "generic," but it still holds a whopping 9.4 from fans on Metacritic, so I know I wasn't the only one to really enjoy it. I would definitely be down to take a trip across Endiness once again. Oh, and Meru was hot.

 

Shhhh, he's coming

3. Metal Gear Solid
From: 1998

Snaaaaaaaaaaake! Because it's apparently extremely difficult to port and make changes to PS1 games, Metal Gear Solid missed the boat on the upcoming HD collection of the series and will probably never get improved again unless it's made from scratch, which is highly unlikely. But why not! I haven't played Peace Walker yet(which everyone says is the shiz) but Solid remains my pick for the best in the series, and definitely in my personal top 5 of all time. The story was extremely engaging and, despite its complexities, I think I actually understood 95% of it (which is pretty damn good for a Metal Gear game,I'd say). It was one of the first stealth games I ever played and my heart was racing every time one of those damn neo whatever soldiers came poking their head around the corner. It was stylish, unique (when Psycho Mantis read my memory card, I crapped I brick) and certainly among the greatest of that generation, if not holding the crown. I probably would do some terrible things to unwilling people for a chance to fight Sniper Wolf in HD snow.

Jumping to lightspeed ain't like dusting crops, noob

2. X Wing Alliance
From: 1999

From the sea of Star Wars games released, X Wing and TIE Fighter were among the ones that...you know, didn't suck. The series though always lacked any real sense of continuity until X Wing Alliance showed up as the big finale. Putting you in the role of one of the most original named characters ever, "Ace," you watch as your family's business is taken down by the Empire and then join the fight, the narrative slowly becoming interwoven with the trilogy, culminating with the attack on the Death Star near Endor. The mission types were pretty varied and you got to jump behind the wheel of tons of different ships, as well as this cool looking Millennium Falcon looking thing that your family owned called the Ortana. Since it's on the PC, the mod community still releases things every now and then, but a new version from scratch with today's graphics capabilities would be sweet. 

You knew I was going to show up eventually, right?

1. Final Fantasy VII
From: 1997

Was there really any doubt? I know people love to call the game overrated, and I'll concede it probably is. The Awesome Series had a nice jab at it that made me chuckle. But any claim that Final Fantasy VII isn't up there in terms of greatest of all time, then I just say "you crazy!" Playing through this game as a young and impressionable teenager was one of the most memorable gaming experiences of my life and I would kill to go back and relive the epic once again. It brought the Final Fantasy series to the masses and really cemented it as a recognizable name. It's just the complete package. Great story, great characters, solid combat, tons of side quests, it's all there. This is the game that everyone wants remade. Just freaking do it, Square!

Watercolors and Big Boners

FYI: The Big Boner is on the left...it's the gun.

So right now I'm going back and forth between a plat run of Shadows of the Damned and my first playthrough of El Shaddai ASCENSION OF THE METATRON (I use caps because that's how my PS3 shows it - who am I to argue. BTW no idea what a metatron is or how/why it ascends). I heard grumblings about El Shaddai for awhile, but never really gave it any serious thought until I saw it. Looking like a mix between a watercolor painting and a crazy LSD trip, you control Enoch as he tries to take down a bunch of angels who have fled to Earth to start their own little parties. "No, no!" says God. "Not on my watch!" I'm only a few chapters in, so things can definitely change, but I'm having some mixed feelings on it so far.

Enoch is a pretty aerobatic protagonist, pulling off some sick weapon steals (more on that later) and tons of nifty moves, but I'm not really digging him for the most part. For one, he is completely devoid of any hint of personality, just mutely following orders from Lucifel (me wonders if he will become Lucifer) who just saves your game and burns through his minutes on his cell talking to da Lord. I wonder what kind of phone God uses? Probably an iPhone. I wish Enoch would voice an opinion here or there because I don't see him as an everyman kind of character, which is the real way to pull off a silent protagonist in my book. Other than that, I'm put off by the wardrobe choice. He's got some nice looking armor which doubles as your health bar, which is a pretty cool design choice, but under that...jeans and sandals? Really? I'm having a hard enough time trying to place the events in a time period, and the Levi's aren't helping. I just think if I was going to be fighting a lot of spirits and needing to do tons of flips, sweatpants and sneakers are the obvious choice. Duh.

Like the pants? They're boot cut.

 The combat is pegged as one of those easy to learn, hard to master types that manifests itself for me in some serious button mashing 90% of the time. There are various moves available, but so far, I've only been able to pull off 4 or so different attacks on a regular basis with the game's 3 (4 if you count bare fistacuffs) weapons, which basically fall into the categories of quick, heavy, and ranged. You can steal your opponents' weapons, which is pretty fun thanks to a cool animation that occurs when you do, and there are guard breaks and stuff like that, but overall, I'm not having the best time with it yet. I won't knock it for this point though since, as I said earlier, I've only clocked in a few hours and I'm sure I'll get a better handle of it in time.

The most striking thing and the reason I picked it up is the art style, which is really unlike anything I've ever played before. Using ever color of the spectrum, El Shaddai depicts some trippy settings that make you feel like you're inside a dream, in a good way. The music does a really good job at adding to the experience, but after the few hours I've played, I'm starting to get a little worn out on how super abstract the landscapes are. It's cool seeing a mountain flow like water, but I just feel like the environments lack physical substance at this point. Like I'm standing on paint rather than a solid floor. It's making it a little harder to follow and take the super hardcore narrative seriously since it seems like its all happening in some alternate reality rather than Earth.

Overall, really not blown away with it like I thought I would be. Making a plat run is definitely in question since it will take 3+ playthroughs and Deus Ex is waiting in the wings. I dunno, we'll see how the rest of the campaign plays out.

On the other side of the spectrum, I've done 2 playthroughs of the super silly Shadows of the Damned and am gearing up for the 3rd and last on easy to finish up the trophies. If you are one of the select few who read this blog on a regular basis (snicker) you'll know this game was on my "want to play but don't have the time" wishlist. Obviously, I caved. I can see how a lot of people were disappointed with its showing since, for being made by some big names in the biz, the game is average in a lot of ways. But, thanks to my curbed expectations going into it, I can honestly say I enjoyed the experience and look forward to snatching up that plat after one more run through.

The narrative follows Garcia Hotspur, a demon hunter who thinks wearing a purple leather jacket is cool (which is a fact that even the game makes fun of), as he takes a plunge into the underworld to find his girlfriend who he found in a dumpster. She's pretty hot though, aside from the different colored eyes, periods of going crazy and trying to kill you (all women do that, to be fair) and being killed over and over and over again (all women do not to that).

I'm so crazy!!!

It plays identical to Resident Evil 4, which is a good thing, but I don't remember Leon's romp in Spain to be this damn easy. The enemies in Shadows of the Damned are damned stupid (see what I did there), and all it takes is some rolling and constant moving about to stay unscratched 95% of the time. After learning the mechanics on normal, I literally must have gotten hit only a handful of times outside of boss battles on my hard run, which takes a lot of the tension out of the experience. The darkness sequences mix things up a bit, but they tend to be more annoying that difficult.

Unlike El Shaddai, Shadows of the Damned is very tongue in cheek and I'll be the first to admit it has a few laugh out loud moments (although I will also be the first to admit that I'm very immature). There are lots of dick jokes which lessen as the game goes on, a few clever quips thrown out there by Johnson, your floating skull/torch/gun sidekick, and you even get to be entertained by listening to Garcia attempt to read. Harharhar. I can see some people being turned off by the humor and feel it's trying too hard, but there's a simple way you can figure out how you'll feel about it.

Fart.

Did you laugh?

If yes, you'll find Shadows of the Damned funny. If not, I can't help ya.

I'll be proud to show off it's platnium when I get it, but I can take an objective step back and say it's a disappointing game when looking at its developers and comparing their resumes to this product. Once again though, with curbed expectations, it's fun while it lasts.

Actual line in game: "Taste my Big Boner!' = Awesome

Swimming In Rapture

Where the hell can I find some parking?!

If I sat down and seriously tried compiling my personal top 10 list for games (and I wouldn't because that would be brutally difficult), I can say Bioshock would definitely be somewhere in the mix. The shooting was solid and the plasmids and tonics added a nice RPGish element to the mix. But the real quality that knocked it out of the park was definitely the atmosphere. Rapture stands as, undeniably, one of the most atmospheric and well done settings in video games EVER that had me engrossed with the story and on the edge of my seat every second I played. While Bioshock 2 didn't have the uniqueness factor (being a sequel) it refined the combat and really cemented my love for the universe Ken Levine and his team at Irrational Games had created.

And like every big video game franchise, it's natural to want to keep developing that universe with other mediums, so ventures of course being more successful than others. It boggles my mind why it's so hard to make a decent video game movie adaptation, but time and time again, directors keep mucking it up (except with Silent Hill, which had an awesome movie!) Books are the other outlet video games have ventured into quite often but, although I'm an avid reader, I've never really had the desire to check any out. Sure God of War is awesome, but reading about Kratos ripping a guy's face off just doesn't have the same effect in text. But when Levine worked with John Shirley on a prequel to Bioshock, titled Bioshock:Rapture, I knew it was time to give reading a video game novel a stab. If there was a story that could translate to a novel, it was this one, and with about 50 pages left, I can say that I am extremely impressed with what they've done and am rethinking my decision to shun similarly game inspired works.

Bioshock:Rapture sets the foundation for the world Jack stumbles upon (or so you think dun-dun-dun) when his plane crashes in the first game. Following a few of the main characters in the series, as well as some random ones, Shirley shows how Rapture became a reality, from its birth conceptually, to its building, and finally to its downfall. Almost all of the characters and events that occur in both games are introduced and developed and I find myself Wikipedia-ing things I forgotten to make sure I have and can savor the whole picture, which is such an interesting and entertaining one.

We're gonna need a bigger gun...

One of the things I love about the story of Rapture (besides clunking dudes in diving suits) is how applicable its messages and themes are today. In our American political climate, where it feels politicians are stuck in  this ideological war where the main goal is screw the other guy rather than do what's best, Bioshock:Rapture discusses the dangers of extremisms of any kind and what can happen when man is robbed of balance. While Rapture is scary and exciting and a great setting, it's a symbol of what we must make sure we don't turn our world into. And the fact that a connection can be made today, or any kind, it a testament to the quality of the work.

It also has made me realize the power  video games have over other mediums in terms of making connections personally. As I read about Dr. Steinmen's twisted experiments and Tenembaum and Suchong's plasmids research and Fontaine's identity thefts, I kept recalling my experiences playing the game and it just made me feel more engrossed with the world. Unlike watching a movie and then reading further about the story, I feel more connected to it because I used the products that created the slicers, setting traps for them when I needed to protect one of the little sisters. I ran around Fort Frolic and saw Sander Cohen's twisted experiments. I unloaded shell after shell into Fontaine after he went plasmid crazy and tried to tear me limb from limb.

In the end, I'm a gamer because the experience interacting with a story rather than just viewing it really makes a difference with how it's internalized and processed. Games have the power to really leave an indelible mark on the player because of their active role in the narrative. Bioshock:Rapture really brought that to light and, going forward, I really don't think I'm going to hesitate reading a novel inspired by a series I love.  There''s just too much to potentially gain in turning a series I appreciate to a series I will never forget.

And holy shiz, Bioshock:Infinite is coming out next year....

So close

Men's Inability to Commit...Now a Video Game!

Do I look amused by your indecisiveness?

I remember when I first heard about Catherine when it came out in Japan, as it grabbed attention for being "not your everyday" game. Being described as a relationship sim with block puzzles definitely sounded like nothing I played before and, when it got around to coming out in the states, I figured different is always good. Mostly. After having a run through the story and gotten a good grasp of what Catherine offers, I think it definitely deserves some attention for what does and tries to do, despite some teethgrindly, frustratingly, bash- your-head-against-the-wall moments.

The story is presented as something like an afternoon special, complete with a narrator with a huge afro welcoming you the story of Catherine, a creepy tale of a young man struggling with his relationship. Vincent, 32, has been dating his girlfriend, Katherine, for several years and is thrown for a loop when she starts pushing him to settle down and marry her. She's a bit pushy and somewhat nagging, not to mention possibly pregnant, and Vincent begins to freak out at the realization that his life is gaining more responsibility. Then, during a night of drinking, he meets Catherine, a young blond with revealing clothes and a nice rack who's the polar opposite of Catherine. As if he accidentally falls into her, Vincent ends up sleeping with Catherine, again and again, and doesn't know what do to as he gets hammered with his friends at night and complains about it. As all this is going on, a curse has be set upon the men of...wherever this is happening, Japan I assume, and the cheaters and adulterers and other dudes who might not be awesome are condemned to climb blocks in their dreams, lest they fall and die for reals.

Aside from the fantastical twist and sheep and block metaphors, relationships are at the core of the game and it's refreshing to see something like this take center stage. Vincent's worries feel real and I found myself, on more than one occasion, sympathized with the fluffy-haired protagonist. The tale isn't perfect though. For the most part, Catherine seems to make the assumption that all men are really just beasts struggling to be tamed by females, which is a gross exaggeration at its best and it confused me how nervous Vincent felt about everything. He's been dating Katherine for years, he still is that unsure about her?

Overall, Vincent is an idiot, but in that my idiot kind of way. I felt bad for him, but he really could have made the situation a lot easier by just being honest with some. Anyone! Instead, he ends up lying to both girls (to a certain extend which you an control) and sweating for a week when I figured, in reality, someone in his situation, would man up and make a freaking decision. Things feel a bit drawn out towards day 4 and 5, but a few twists pop up afterwards which gives the story much needed legs, thankfully, so its not that bad.

Wait...so...boy, it's hot in here.

 You get to control Vincent in the bar as he gets hammered with his friends, talk to random people about their issues, and text your girls in hopes of getting a scandalous shot back, but Catherine is at it's core about blocks, blocks, and more blocks. When Vincent leaves the bar, his nightmares are consumed with block puzzles that has you try to get to the top of a wall segment as the blocks underneath you slowly fall away. The further along you get, the trickier things become as more and more elements begin to be introduced, such as blocks that explode, stab, make you slide, etc. There are also boss battles where a creature of horrific appearance or proportion will chase you and try to mess you up by throwing even more obstacles at you.

Is that...I think...IT IS!

 

 

There's a method to the madness of climbing, as you learn techniques as you go that help getting to next ledge make a bit more sense. You are told earlier on that randomly pulling blocks will get you no where, and that's definitely the truth. Countless times I found myself just pulling blocks in a panic (who can blame me when an ass is trying to crush you) only to get stuck in an impossible situation. But when you learn to chill the f out, things get a bit more easier to handle. A stress a bit. The best way to take each part it to observe what's ahead of you and think. It's easy to put yourself into work yourself into a corner, which is where the "redo" function comes into play, rewinding you back a move. But besides all of this, in the end, climbing is hard.

Balls hard.

The traps and dangers are plenty and all it takes is one move to kill you. And the fact that the controls are a bit wonky doesn't help. One particular problem I hit time and time again is with the spike blocks, which shoot up these blades when you step on them. If you run over the block you're fine, but space is a luxury and alot of times you'll want to set off the block and then use it. I felt like atleast 100 times, without exaggeration, I tried running on it and then quickly off, but would get killed regardless of how quickly I taped the button. And you never get used to the sight of Vincent exploding in a burst of blood. It's always frustration. By instinct, I relied on the d-pad but found myself often having to double tap to move, where with the stick Vincent will just go. This isn't always a good thing though because going past your target block slows you down, and time is definitely a factor. Tie that in with a not so great checkpoint system and Catherine is a perfect recipe to make you want to throw your controller across the floor.

Oddly enough though, Catherine has that quality about it that, right after dying, you want to immediately try again. Not sure exactly why to be honest. There were tons of times where I was cursing like a stuid death ahd me cursing like a sailor, but I just got back on it without thinking twice. Even, during the last stages(which you always think you are at only to find another 5 more are waiting) I was ready to tear my eyes out but never thought about giving up. I think it's the fact that maybe winning never feels impossible, just hard to obtain. If you can just get to that next ledge.

In terms of replay, there's definitely a lot to do once the curtain falls. There are 8 different possible endings based on your moral rating and your decisions in the last stage and, from the ones I've seen thus, they differ pretty substantially for the most part. Getting them all isn't that bad either since if you get a gold prize on a nightmare stage, you can skip it on another playthrough of the same difficulty. With that and not caring about the other characters or texts or drinks, you can basically skip everything and get to the ending after 30 minutes or so, and even shorter if you make a separate save file on the way. Getting the golds are kind of a bitch though (like everything in this game) because basically you need to get to the top of each puzzle in one shot quickly enough to keep your point chain going and not dying, since that will reset it. Say adios to the checkpoints.

Besides that, there is hard mode which differs from normal in terms of the nightmare stages, Rapunzel, which is an arcade game at the bar that has 128 levels of basic block puzzles, and Babel, a frantic climb to the top of a randomly generated wall, complete with leaderboards that compares your time to the top to others. It's a lot to sink your teeth into, but honestly, I think I'm getting a little burned out with the puzzles. Originally I was planning for a platnium run, but after getting golds on all the normal boards, the thought of doing it all again on hard has me fearing for my blood pressure. I might see if I can overcome Babel first and then make a decision.

Don't mind me, I'm just hanging in there.

Overall, Catherine isn't going to go down as one of my favorite games this generation, but it certainly will be among the most memorable, in a good way. There just really isn't anything out there like it and, from that alone, deserves a few days of any gamers time. From the first few weeks, Catherine also appears to be a commercial hit, for Atlas's standards anyways. Hopefully that will prove to publishers that it's ok to make a game that doesn't have you shooting heads off. Although, there were times climbing that shooting someone's head would have felt good. Real good.

It's Not You, It's Me...and You Too

Why can't we just make it work?!?!?!?

 If there is one thing that's clear, it's that my wallet is going to take a pounding over the next few months. From Uncharted 3, to Skyrim, to Dark Souls, the list goes on and on with must buy games coming on the horizon. While it's going to be a project affording them all, it's a good problem to have. There's nothing wrong with too many good games to play. However, the dark side of this issue is that the titles on my "maybe" list will take a massive step back in my gaming queue and it might be a full year, if ever, that I finally find the time to check them out. While each has it's own different story why I haven't pulled the trigger yet, these 5 titles have been on my radar for awhile but never made it to the buy list, standing in the shadows of better games.

Shit is going to hitz the fan

Dante's Inferno

Ah, the 'ol God of War clone. This is by far the oldest entry on my list, but I've still never gotten around to checking it out, which is becoming even harder to justify since it's available on PSN for $30 or something like that. I've never been afraid to try out a clone, especially one that copies such a successful formula, so I'm sure the gameplay will be solid. I've also actually read Dante's Inferno, so I am somewhat curious to see how they turned that political and social commentary into a hack and slash gorefest complete with naked babies coming out of boobs. Tie in a very manageable platnium, and Dante's Inferno has been looking very enticing for a long time.

But I've yet to pick it up and there's a rationale to it. Like I said, being a clone isn't that big of a deal, but it certainly takes away the surprise element to the game. I know what I'll be getting into with Dante's Inferno, and while I may like it, I know I probably won't love it. The moral system seems pretty dumb and the gore, while not bothering me, has been said to be so over the top that it makes things kinda stupid rather than epic. Meh, atleast I could probably just skip the cut scenes then if I finally check it out...ever.

Dude, I'm so confused right now

 Resonance of Fate

Since my early days of gaming, no genre pulls at my heart strings like an RPG, especially ones with a strategy element. But this generation, outside of Valkyria Chronicles (definitely in my top 5 of this gen), there really hasn't been that many. The last one I tried getting into was FF XIII and that was a disaster. Resonance of Fate has been touted as a hardcore RPG for the hardcore RPG fan, so I've been interested in it for quite awhile. Using this grid system thinger, the battle system seems very strategic and deep, which is a huge plus. Also, I think the setting is certainly interesting, taking place over several chapters while introduces different protagonists in a floating city. Pretty cool.

The one thing that scares me off is the learning curve, which has been written to be more like a learning wall you need to bash your head through to get the hang of things. I've never backed down from a challenge, but I don't take frustration well. I can see myself getting fed up with it after hours of unsuccessful battling and leaving it to gather dust, especially since the game is bound to be time consuming and there are SO MANY games coming in the next year.

Yeah, I just crapped on your heart. How'd that feel?

Duke Nuke 'Em Forever

Oh, Duke. Such a shame. I guess the joke's on you though if you think a game in development for 10+ years stood a chance of being good. I usually don't take a game's metacritic score as fact, but a 51 is a red flag no matter which way you slice it. It takes ALOT for a FPS to stand out nowadays, especially with the two titans, Battlefield and Call of Duty, getting ready to start swinging in early November. From all indication, it seems Duke doesn't have it. The controls are archaic, the jokes fall flat for the most part, and the King has seemingly fallen out of the lime light as the years progressed.

Nonetheless, Duke has some hope finding his way into my PS3 at some point for sheer nostalgia. I grew up playing Duke on the PC with the sound turned down low because because I didn't want my parents to know I was playing a game where the main character poops down a demon's neck. Love it. Plus, it's definitely not platnium worthy, so I can be satisfied with a single run through of the campaign and then let it be with a clear conscience. In the end, I know it's going to be a hot mess, but unless I fall through the mud firsthand, I think I'll always wonder. It should atleast be worth a weekend rental, right? Maybe? Sometime down the road when I find it for $5 bucks in the bargain bin?

You a crazy ho, Alice!

 Alice: The Maddness Returns

I have and will always be a sucker for games with interesting art styles, which is why Alice found it's way onto my radar. I have no prior experience with the series at all and wasn't a huge fan of the source material, but this "Alice is a crazy girl killing demons with sharp objects" reimaginating looks appealing. I can't remember the last game I've played that actually creeped me out, and Alice definitely has a shot at doing that from the trailers I've seen. Plus, the platnium looks pretty straightforward.

The biggest knock against the game that has kept me away for the most part, from what I've read, is that the gameplay is basically a one trick pony. Things get shaken up a bit in the beginning, but once you get a sense of what is being asked of you in each section, the platforming becomes redundant and the experience as a whole feels repetitive. I can see how that turned off most gamers but like I've said earlier, I have a higher threshold for repetitiveness than most. I'm enroute to platniuming Dynasty Warriors for crying out loud. From what I've read in the user score sections, alot of gamers are much more outspoken for the quality of this game, which makes me think that there is alot under the surface that I'll appreciate once I get over the redundancy. Now if I just had the time...

Fear my penis..er, gun!

 Shadows of the Damned

The odd birthchild of some of the greats in the business, Shadows of the Damned appeared lackluster from trailers before its release and I really didn't pay it much attention until it came out. Labeled as being "immature" by alot of sites, the game seems to miss the mark with its humor, showcasing the cultural divide between the East and West. Taking the Resident Evil 4 control scheme, the game also doesn't really add anything to the formula and comes off feeling ordinary. In fact, from the reviews I've read, if it wasn't for all the boners and boobs in the game, nothing would really stand out.

On the other hand, like I said earlier, being a clone isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially when it's a RE4 clone. I'm sure the humor won't be side splittingly hilarious, but I still find farts funny, so I'm sure when Carlos unleashes his big boner, it'll be enough to get a grin out of me. I think the real deal with this game is, given it's pedigree, everyone was expecting and amazing game and they got just a solid one. Not living up to the hype tends tends to diminish the end product. But knowing what to expect, I think this title can certainly fill two weeks in my schedule if I'm left with nothing to play. If only that time will come...

Hopefully one day, I'll get to try out these titles, but that certainly isn't now. Once I'm through with Catherine (which I'll write about next week), I'll probably just read water until Deus Ex. And so the great flood of games beings :)

The Long Days of Summer

Time to dust off the ol' pile...

Summer is an enigma in the gaming world. With the abundance of free time, oppressive heat that makes you want to stay inside until the evening, and eagerness to not be bored to tears, you would think it would be the perfect time to release a big named AAA title for gamers to sink their teeth. Right? Maybe? But it doesn't happen. Ever. Very few must buy games come out in the summer and, for the life of me, I have no idea why. It boggles analysts too for that matter, Michael Pachter discussing the question in an episode of Pac-Attack on Gametrailers a few weeks ago. I'm guessing developers know that the end of the year sees the most success with releases being closer to the holidays, but it leaves us in a figurative desert in the summer in terms of things to play.

But hey, cheer up! No need to dwell on it. What better time to attack the ol' backlog of games that you wanted to play but never had the time? That's the attitude I've adopted over the past month and will need to continue to adopt in the coming one. Thankfully, it's been somewhat successful thus far. Things started off well with Infamous 2, which definitely live up to my expectations. After that, I decided to dive into some PSN titles which are often not the best for trophies, but what can you do. First up was Super Stardust HD.

So pretty

This was one of those titles that is considered a staple of PSN for years and I finally got around to checking it out thanks to the Welcome Back program. Very much an arcade game to the core, Super Stardust HD basically has you flying around a planet busting up asteroids with 3 different weapons, each with their own characteristics and strengths. I've never been into the whole "high score" thing, but trophies the are decent and it entertained me for a good 5 hours before I was done with the campaign. The hardest trophy, which dares you to try to get a 10x multiplayer, means you have to basically get through about 75% of the arcade without dying, which was a tremendous bitch to do. But, after some cursing and hair pulling, I pulled it off. Overall, it's a really solid title and I could see myself playing it again. It's perfect for those times you just want to pick something up and play.

The next two after that were Beyond Good & Evil HD and Limbo, which I wrote about in my last two blog posts. They were ok overall, but I was definitely a little disappointed in them overall. And in terms of time wise, they didn't hold me over for very long - took maybe 2 weeks to get through them both and get all the trophies my stomach could stand (No way I'm doing that die only 5 times in Limbo BS - I'll just save my sanity now).

Square button x 100000000000000000000000

 On the disc side, I've been fooling around with Dynasty Warriros 7 with my cousin, Dave. It's a long running series that definitely hasn't innovated much, but for both of us, it holds a nostalgic soft spot in our hearts. When 2 and 3 came out on PS2, we demolished that shit. It was just fun as hell running through an army and mowing them down like the lawn. We grew connected to the characters and I even bought Dave this ballin' Guan Yu statue one Christmas. Who couldn't love that? Unfortunately, the series has essentially stayed the same for over a decade now, besides adding some new characters and restructuring the way the story mode goes. And that ain't enough to make it worth the $60 bucks.

I went through the story modes of the 4 kingdoms (Wei, Shu, Wu, and Jin) and appreciated that each was tied to an improved narrative and switched you from character to character for each mission rather than you just picking a dude (or lady) and playing everything with them. Mixed things up a bit. But even with that, it's the same freaking thing over and over essentially. Run, kill general, grab stat upgrade, repeat. There's different weapons you can equip with different characteristics, but it really doesn't matter. Just hit square. I have a high threshold for repetitiveness (clearly) so it doesn't bug me that much, but I can see how others are turned off by it.

Currently, we're playing the online component, Conquest Mode, once or twice a week together and probably will be playing it until probably the end of time because it's huge. Broken into 100 or so individual battles, we just jump in with a warrior we chose and, once again, kill everything in sight. Not the most exciting, but it's nice to casually chat and play together, both of us feeling like we're with a group of friends from our childhood. And of course, the looming platnium doesn't hurt either.

Stack that shit!

Currently, I'm playing Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes, which is a DS port on PSN. It's been on my radar for awhile after IGN gave it a 9.My fiancee isn't digging it because she thinks its boring to watch, but as the one playing it, I like it a lot despite the fact that it's not great for trophies. The gameplay basically boils down to a version of Bejewled with an action/rpg twist. You get a certain amount of moves per round to move units, each with their own characteristics. Stack 3 on top of each other to attack. Line up 3 side by side to make a shield. You can remove units, link 'em, fuse 'em, etc. Needless to say, there's a lot of strategy that goes into each battle. The campaign's story is solid with some surprising humor and really teaches you the nuances of the game to deliver a really fulfilling strategy experience. I'm just about done with the single player campaign, which clocked in around 30 hours for me. With that, along with an extensive multiplayer mode, it's definitely a value for $15 bucks.

On the horizon, I'm going to delve into the Catherine business that I keep hearing about. It piqued my interest when it first came out in Japan as a game that was different and most of the scores it has gotten on Metacritic have been in the 80s, so it's got to be different in a good way. I'll probably ride that out for most of August and go for the platnium, hopefully keep me entertained until August 28th when the first must by game of the season hits shelves. Should be a stacked second of the year :)

We're gonna need a cleanup on aisle 5...