Finally!
Yes, somehow managed to get to the end of Resident Evil 5, and generally-speaking it was rather good, apart from the final encounter. I won't spoil it, suffice to say compared to the rest of the game it was awful. In the end my good friend Michelle agreed to join me in co-op to finish it off. Even that took several attempts as we battled not so much against the final enemy, more the baffling design that meant serious trial and error was called for. Not good.
It was blessed relief when the credits rolled. Going back to replay chapters in order to make money and upgrade my weapons, it just feels more relaxed, like I can stop stressing and just enjoy myself again.
I'm yet to try out Mercenary mode - basically an arcade-style game where you run through the various levels shooting baddies for a high score - but am told it bears a strong resembelnce to The Club, a game I did enjoy, at least until my 360 died with it in the drive.
So there you have it: two games completed in 2009! What will be next, I wonder?
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Chris!
It has been a while since I last posted. No good excuse for this, to be honest.
Anyway, spent most of last week and today playing Resident Evil 5, and pretty good it is too! I did play some RE4 on the PS2 but after leaving it too long between sessions I loaded my save and didn't know wha the hell I was doing. At the very least I knew what sort of gameplay to expect from the 'new' RE.
As I write I've just completed chapter 6-1, amazing really considering, as some may already know, I never complete games. Hopefully the last couple of chapters won't be too offputting, then I can add that to Gears Of War 2 for my list of completed games in 2009 - that's twice what I managed last year.
Generally the game has been very entertaining with a good variety of locations and enemies. Plenty of bosses to tackle, some better than others. Playing on Normal difficulty hasn't proved too tricky - yet. Hopefully it won't end up like Half-Life 2 Episode 2 where it was great until the final fight.
Other than that just more Team Fortress 2 - had my best round ever, scored 11 points as a Heavy, even came top of the board! Sadly this didn't last the whole session but it was a rush, to say the least - so easily pleased.
Anyway, spent most of last week and today playing Resident Evil 5, and pretty good it is too! I did play some RE4 on the PS2 but after leaving it too long between sessions I loaded my save and didn't know wha the hell I was doing. At the very least I knew what sort of gameplay to expect from the 'new' RE.
As I write I've just completed chapter 6-1, amazing really considering, as some may already know, I never complete games. Hopefully the last couple of chapters won't be too offputting, then I can add that to Gears Of War 2 for my list of completed games in 2009 - that's twice what I managed last year.
Generally the game has been very entertaining with a good variety of locations and enemies. Plenty of bosses to tackle, some better than others. Playing on Normal difficulty hasn't proved too tricky - yet. Hopefully it won't end up like Half-Life 2 Episode 2 where it was great until the final fight.
Other than that just more Team Fortress 2 - had my best round ever, scored 11 points as a Heavy, even came top of the board! Sadly this didn't last the whole session but it was a rush, to say the least - so easily pleased.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Rant Alert
I wanted to do a seperate entry about why I'm going through all these online shooters as it's been on my mind alot recently.
Since playing Doom 2 on my mate Richard's work PC in 1994 I've loved the first-person shooter. Down the years I've played stacks, though never online until I got a broadband connection in 2002 and played some Quake III with people on an IRC channel I frequented at the time.
Here are a few of the online games I've tried:
Okay so why am I putting myself through all this pain? Basically I've found that, despite periods of total humiliation at the hands of online players I find that after a drink and with some decent tunes backed up on the MP3 player online shooters are really absorbing, when they're going well. Settling down for a couple of hours of TF2 is really satisfying.
I mentioned in my last entry that the Unreal Tournament 3 reviews I'd read were next to useless as they weren't written with new players in mind. It's something of a bugbear of mine that new players really aren't catered for. It's almost like developers have forgotten there are people out there who have been playing online FPSs for over a decade day in, day out. You'd think they'd be doing more to encourage new players, help them ease into the flow of the game rather than drop them in the deep end.
I'm not saying as a noob I need my hand held, but it would certainly be more encouraging if, when I go on a server, I know I won't get the shit kicked out of me the moment I hit 'ready'. Yes, I know it's a dilema that has faced various developers, some have tackled it better than others. Gears Of War 2 on the 360 has training rooms to help you prepare for online, Halo 3 has the beginner areas.
And the reviewers, whilst I don't need an online FPS explained to me it would be nice for them to acknowledge some people are coming to a game fresh, and not just pandering to the hardcore. Okay, I'm having a whine but again it's the attitude that discourages more people from playing.
You could come back to me and say well all these experts started somewhere, you didn't hear them moan about being a noob, true but as I said we've had a generation of rabid online players who could wipe the floor with new players with both arms tied behind their backs.
Right, rant over, make of it what you will. Maybe I should stop writing and start playing.
Since playing Doom 2 on my mate Richard's work PC in 1994 I've loved the first-person shooter. Down the years I've played stacks, though never online until I got a broadband connection in 2002 and played some Quake III with people on an IRC channel I frequented at the time.
Here are a few of the online games I've tried:
- Counterstrike - first tried to play this on dial-up in 2001 but a thunderstorm cut the power. Never really bothered again until the release of Half-Life 2 in November 2004 when I thought it would be a good time to get into CS:Source. Played several unsatisfying games with randoms on public servers. With one-or-two-shot kills I spent more time waiting for the next round than actually playing. Great game, great concept, just not for my slack skills.
- Quake III Arena - mainly played with people I knew online, with the occasional random person joining in. I'd always end up at the bottom of the table although being fragged by friends is somehow less galling than being shot by strangers. Tried to carry on but it simply wasn't as enjoyable with strangers, something I've found to be the case with most games online.
- Quake Live - I managed to get an invite to the closed beta. It is essentially Quake III via a web browser, fast, simple fun, well that's the theory. I was totally slaughtered the moment I stepped on there, and what was worse - as I'm sure most people who've played online will atest - was being remind how crap I was by other players. Perseverence saw me get somewhere eventually - don't go near me when I have a shotgun - but I have a long way to go before I can comfortably say I'm okay at it.
- Battlefield 2 - see my last entry.
- Team Fortress 2 - now this is a little different. Was intrigued by this when it was first announced, but going by my previous experience thought I'd never get into it - I was wrong. Maybe it's the pace, or the wide variety of classes, or the comic violence, but it just somehow clicked with me. As has been mentioned here before I play on 360 with online friends and on the PC with randoms late Saturday nights (when I've had a few).
Okay so why am I putting myself through all this pain? Basically I've found that, despite periods of total humiliation at the hands of online players I find that after a drink and with some decent tunes backed up on the MP3 player online shooters are really absorbing, when they're going well. Settling down for a couple of hours of TF2 is really satisfying.
I mentioned in my last entry that the Unreal Tournament 3 reviews I'd read were next to useless as they weren't written with new players in mind. It's something of a bugbear of mine that new players really aren't catered for. It's almost like developers have forgotten there are people out there who have been playing online FPSs for over a decade day in, day out. You'd think they'd be doing more to encourage new players, help them ease into the flow of the game rather than drop them in the deep end.
I'm not saying as a noob I need my hand held, but it would certainly be more encouraging if, when I go on a server, I know I won't get the shit kicked out of me the moment I hit 'ready'. Yes, I know it's a dilema that has faced various developers, some have tackled it better than others. Gears Of War 2 on the 360 has training rooms to help you prepare for online, Halo 3 has the beginner areas.
And the reviewers, whilst I don't need an online FPS explained to me it would be nice for them to acknowledge some people are coming to a game fresh, and not just pandering to the hardcore. Okay, I'm having a whine but again it's the attitude that discourages more people from playing.
You could come back to me and say well all these experts started somewhere, you didn't hear them moan about being a noob, true but as I said we've had a generation of rabid online players who could wipe the floor with new players with both arms tied behind their backs.
Right, rant over, make of it what you will. Maybe I should stop writing and start playing.
Bye-Bye BF2
Right, I've had it with Battlefield 2. Goodness knows I've tried to get into it, but it really isn't happening.
Just now I thought I'd settle down and do as my good friend Michelle suggested: play a bit of single-player BF2 on Easy just to get to know the maps and the flow of play. However, it soon became apparent that even on Easy I wasn't having any luck. For all the reasons stated in my first post, plus that sinking feeling that this really wasn't my thing.
A real shame. I've only heard good things about this and really wanted to give it a real go, was prepared to take the blows as a learning experience, then earn my stripes with continued play - it wasn't to be.
I'll keep it installed on my PC for a while, see how I feel later, but it really didn't take long for me to realise perhaps I wasn't cut out for this sort of game, rather like me and Counterstrike.
So it probably isn't the best time to say that, thanks to a deal on Steam, and having some spare money on Paypal, I picked up Unreal Tournament 3 at the weekend for about £8. 8gb download! Having to get a bit every day - is this our bright digitally-distributed future?
Looking at reviews - most of which are uttely useless because they're written by people who have played every iteration of the game to death and give no insight into how the game would be for someone coming at it anew - it looks like a cross between BF2 and Quake, twitch warfare with vehicles. It remains to be seen if I'll be similarly useless at that too, but I'll give it a go.
Just now I thought I'd settle down and do as my good friend Michelle suggested: play a bit of single-player BF2 on Easy just to get to know the maps and the flow of play. However, it soon became apparent that even on Easy I wasn't having any luck. For all the reasons stated in my first post, plus that sinking feeling that this really wasn't my thing.
A real shame. I've only heard good things about this and really wanted to give it a real go, was prepared to take the blows as a learning experience, then earn my stripes with continued play - it wasn't to be.
I'll keep it installed on my PC for a while, see how I feel later, but it really didn't take long for me to realise perhaps I wasn't cut out for this sort of game, rather like me and Counterstrike.
So it probably isn't the best time to say that, thanks to a deal on Steam, and having some spare money on Paypal, I picked up Unreal Tournament 3 at the weekend for about £8. 8gb download! Having to get a bit every day - is this our bright digitally-distributed future?
Looking at reviews - most of which are uttely useless because they're written by people who have played every iteration of the game to death and give no insight into how the game would be for someone coming at it anew - it looks like a cross between BF2 and Quake, twitch warfare with vehicles. It remains to be seen if I'll be similarly useless at that too, but I'll give it a go.
Monday, 9 March 2009
Another Weekend
Another weekend, more games played.
The highlight of the weekend was World Of Goo, a puzzle game of sorts on the PC (also available on Wii, I believe). It was 75% off on offer for £4.74 on Steam so snapped that up. It is superb! You create structures that look like 2D molecule diagrams from balls of goo, the aim to get them near the pipe at the end of the level where a certain number of blobs have to be sucked up.
It's one of those games that leaves you with a big smile on your face as each new element is introduced. The presentation is top-notch, the puzzles thusfar have been the sort where you don't see the obvious solution but when you do you get a real 'eureka' moment, very satisfying.
Is it a casual game? Maybe a lightweight like myself should be playing more of this sort of thing, but I get the feeling later chapters will have puzzles fit to make your brain fizz.
Apart from that I played more Team Fortress 2, and also a spot of Forza Motorsport 2 - crikey, it was like driving on ice. I was sliding all over the shop, smashing into cars, braking too hard. I really need to get out of the arcade driving habit in order to get any further in this.
The highlight of the weekend was World Of Goo, a puzzle game of sorts on the PC (also available on Wii, I believe). It was 75% off on offer for £4.74 on Steam so snapped that up. It is superb! You create structures that look like 2D molecule diagrams from balls of goo, the aim to get them near the pipe at the end of the level where a certain number of blobs have to be sucked up.
It's one of those games that leaves you with a big smile on your face as each new element is introduced. The presentation is top-notch, the puzzles thusfar have been the sort where you don't see the obvious solution but when you do you get a real 'eureka' moment, very satisfying.
Is it a casual game? Maybe a lightweight like myself should be playing more of this sort of thing, but I get the feeling later chapters will have puzzles fit to make your brain fizz.
Apart from that I played more Team Fortress 2, and also a spot of Forza Motorsport 2 - crikey, it was like driving on ice. I was sliding all over the shop, smashing into cars, braking too hard. I really need to get out of the arcade driving habit in order to get any further in this.
Saturday, 7 March 2009
Being Distracted
It feels like an eternity but I've had no internet since Wednesday last. Your net-addicted writer spent a couple of hours wondering how the hell to fill his time before settling down to actually playing games.
Without the constant desire to check email and engage in IM chat my mind was free to concentrate on a game for once. The game in question was 2005 FPS Black on the old Xbox, a game notorious for its stingy save points. You have to go a fair while before you reach a checkpoint and even then it doesn't save your position, it merely allows you to go back there if you die.
So I knuckled down and tackled the second mission. The (unskippable) cutscene before it made absolutely no sense and was ultimately pointless. You just move forward, shoot and try not to die. There are also lots of tankers, fuel dumps and the like that you can blow up, gives you a buzz.
Without the constant pull of the internet I managed to get through the lengthy second mission which, on the third try, I managed to complete on Normal. If the net had been there I'd have not stuck at it, if I'm being honest. That isn't something I'm proud to say, and it actually does worry me - how much else could I achieve if I wasn't sat on the internet all evening?
I'm not saying I want to lose my net connection, it's great to have, but it just goes to show how much it has affected how I play games.
Without the constant desire to check email and engage in IM chat my mind was free to concentrate on a game for once. The game in question was 2005 FPS Black on the old Xbox, a game notorious for its stingy save points. You have to go a fair while before you reach a checkpoint and even then it doesn't save your position, it merely allows you to go back there if you die.
So I knuckled down and tackled the second mission. The (unskippable) cutscene before it made absolutely no sense and was ultimately pointless. You just move forward, shoot and try not to die. There are also lots of tankers, fuel dumps and the like that you can blow up, gives you a buzz.
Without the constant pull of the internet I managed to get through the lengthy second mission which, on the third try, I managed to complete on Normal. If the net had been there I'd have not stuck at it, if I'm being honest. That isn't something I'm proud to say, and it actually does worry me - how much else could I achieve if I wasn't sat on the internet all evening?
I'm not saying I want to lose my net connection, it's great to have, but it just goes to show how much it has affected how I play games.
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Headshot!
Another Saturday evening in. The combination of wine and games stop me me getting totally bored. Typically I play more arcade-style games at this time as I just want to relax.
So whilst I enjoyed a packet of Sainsbury's Salt & Vinegar Twists I decided to fire up Urban Chaos: Riot Response, an arcade-style first-person shooter that came out towards the end of the original Xbox' life.
Basically you go around and bring the pain to a city full of masked rioters. It's simple fun, not a classic, but it's very replayable as you try and get medals for completing various goals in each section. And never has the headshot been more satisfying in a game than it is here.
As I said, it's no Halo or Half-Life 2, but for me it was very playable, even if it is pretty cheesy.
Bear in mind I am playing on Rookie difficulty. Not sure how the settings differ but even a dullard like me is finding Rookie a tad easy. It says something about my resolve that I haven't got to the point where everything has to be really easy for me to enjoy it - I still like a challenge.
Consolevania's review sums it up well.
So whilst I enjoyed a packet of Sainsbury's Salt & Vinegar Twists I decided to fire up Urban Chaos: Riot Response, an arcade-style first-person shooter that came out towards the end of the original Xbox' life.
Basically you go around and bring the pain to a city full of masked rioters. It's simple fun, not a classic, but it's very replayable as you try and get medals for completing various goals in each section. And never has the headshot been more satisfying in a game than it is here.
As I said, it's no Halo or Half-Life 2, but for me it was very playable, even if it is pretty cheesy.
Bear in mind I am playing on Rookie difficulty. Not sure how the settings differ but even a dullard like me is finding Rookie a tad easy. It says something about my resolve that I haven't got to the point where everything has to be really easy for me to enjoy it - I still like a challenge.
Consolevania's review sums it up well.
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