So, I got Uncharted yesterday, and as soon as possible, downloaded the patch and started up the game. Now, I've received three trophies from PixelJunk Eden, but there was something different about trying to get them for Uncharted. I had a game plan, did some research, even had a treasure guide so I could make sure I found all of them. And then I dove right in. After one night (that was shortened a little), I've got 9 of the 47 trophies and I'm completely hooked. My plan is to get all of them, but going back and beating the game on Crushing will be challenging so we'll have to see. But, since I've beat the game already, I figured I'd do a little of a Retro-Review of the game.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is about Nathan Drake's quest to find a lost treasure that Sir Francis Drake (who Nathan thinks is a long lost relative) hide after a supposed death. Without giving anything away, the game is the search for this treasure and the adventures that are brought along with that.
I'll be honest and up front. I loved this game. The gameplay is typical adventure with some shooting, platforming, and puzzle solving. All of these elements really fit into my interests and with a story that is both interesting and actually well written, it makes for a really fun experience. The controls are very intuitive and the camera works very well staying where it should almost all the time. Games I like to play are the ones where I feel like if I would have designed the control scheme, this is how I would have done it. Uncharted accomplishes this goal.
The story, like I said is good, but it's the actors' delivery that make it that way. The whole game is presented like a big movie, and that is really cool. One evidence of this is the missing load time screens, and when you enter a new level, the only way you know it is by the screen showing a graphic stating that it is a new level. I love that touch to the game. Make you feel more part of the action. Visually, the game is amazing. The first time I played it, I was on a 25" Sanyo from 20 years ago. The game looks so much better on my HDTV, I can't describe the difference it makes. Little touches such as a sound track that changes much like a movie would (tense music in a tense situation, etc..) add to the experience.
So, I think it's obvious, but I'll go ahead and say it. This game is great. I give it 5 out of 5. The only complaint is that maybe the game is a little too short. Not a bad complaint to have...
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Friday, August 08, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Gamefly - The Best and Not-So-Best Thing for Gamers
So, I mentioned a while ago, that I both love and hate Gamefly. I got a comment asking me to expand on that and since I have a little time today... here we go.
For those not familiar, Gamefly is essentially an online rental service for games. Kinda like Netflix. They have PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii GameCube, Xbox, and Xbox 360 games and will ship you up to three at a time depending on your membership plan. Originally, they had limited distribution centers (CA and PA), but have recently opened up a new center in Austin, TX (And I think another one in GA?). Can't remember that one.
Here's what I like about Gamefly: The selection is very good. I've been able to play many really good titles when they first came out by timing my returns appropriately. (Ratchet & Clank Future, Lego Indiana Jones, Uncharted, etc...). I'm also able (since I can have two out at a time) to rent a PSP game and a PS3 game at the same time. The price is reasonable ($25/mo for two at a time), and based on normal single rentals, it's much cheaper. The turnaround which used to be a problem is now much better as it only takes a day to get to Austin (plus Fast Return works sometimes - This is a service where the Post Office is supposed to scan it when it gets there so they can send the next one out.) The site is really easy to use and you can even buy the used games at prices that are usually better than Gamestop.
Here's what I don't like: The problem with so many choices... I have a hard time deciding. A good problem to have, but still. Plus, games like Burnout Paradise take up time I should spend with a game I've rented. I recently got Devil May Cry 4, but since the Cagney update for BP came out the next day, I'm not sure when I'll be playing that game again. So, I almost feel like I'm wasting that money. Also, Austin hasn't built up their supply of games yet, so when I get games, they are still coming from CA which takes an extra day.
Verdict: I've tried other rental services and they were no where near as good as Gamefly. I recommend this to anyone who is interested (in fact, if you are interested, please click the link to the right. I'd love to refer you for a credit for me :) ) The selection is good, the supply of games is pretty good. I haven't had to wait too long for a game (although MGS4 might be my first opportunity at this), and the prices are reasonable. Did I mention that every 3 months, they give you $5 towards a used game? and after 6 months, you get 5% off, 10% after 12 months?
For those not familiar, Gamefly is essentially an online rental service for games. Kinda like Netflix. They have PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii GameCube, Xbox, and Xbox 360 games and will ship you up to three at a time depending on your membership plan. Originally, they had limited distribution centers (CA and PA), but have recently opened up a new center in Austin, TX (And I think another one in GA?). Can't remember that one.
Here's what I like about Gamefly: The selection is very good. I've been able to play many really good titles when they first came out by timing my returns appropriately. (Ratchet & Clank Future, Lego Indiana Jones, Uncharted, etc...). I'm also able (since I can have two out at a time) to rent a PSP game and a PS3 game at the same time. The price is reasonable ($25/mo for two at a time), and based on normal single rentals, it's much cheaper. The turnaround which used to be a problem is now much better as it only takes a day to get to Austin (plus Fast Return works sometimes - This is a service where the Post Office is supposed to scan it when it gets there so they can send the next one out.) The site is really easy to use and you can even buy the used games at prices that are usually better than Gamestop.
Here's what I don't like: The problem with so many choices... I have a hard time deciding. A good problem to have, but still. Plus, games like Burnout Paradise take up time I should spend with a game I've rented. I recently got Devil May Cry 4, but since the Cagney update for BP came out the next day, I'm not sure when I'll be playing that game again. So, I almost feel like I'm wasting that money. Also, Austin hasn't built up their supply of games yet, so when I get games, they are still coming from CA which takes an extra day.
Verdict: I've tried other rental services and they were no where near as good as Gamefly. I recommend this to anyone who is interested (in fact, if you are interested, please click the link to the right. I'd love to refer you for a credit for me :) ) The selection is good, the supply of games is pretty good. I haven't had to wait too long for a game (although MGS4 might be my first opportunity at this), and the prices are reasonable. Did I mention that every 3 months, they give you $5 towards a used game? and after 6 months, you get 5% off, 10% after 12 months?
Burnout Paradise - The Best Game Ever!
So, the title above is meant to draw you in.. you know for the large readership that I have... I've had my Playstation 3 for over a year, and I've played quite a few games on it. Of those, most were rented by Gamefly, and a couple I bought. There is one that I got in February through Gamefly, and after about a week or two, I bought it. That game is Burnout Paradise.
For those of you not familiar with the Burnout series, there have been five games (made by Criterion and 2 made by a different company) with the latest being Paradise. Essentially Burnout is an arcade style racer which rewards reckless driving (drifting, airtime, crashing other cars, etc..) with boost. The game has always had a love of crashing and even has made crash mode which makes the worst part of a racing game (crashing) into something fun. I started on Burnout 3, and love it, and Revenge. They were both incredibly fun to play, and I played the heck out of them.
When Burnout Paradise was coming out, I knew I would buy it, but that was solidified when I played the demo. This was Burnout like I'd never seen it. A completely open world racing game, where I choose the route I want to take in a race (even if it's wrong), a massive amount of cars and locations, and almost limitless possibilities, and all of that in glorious HD. I was hooked and I bought the game (after renting it on Gamefly (gets me a discount on games I buy also). I started working through the numerous events. Races are just like they sound. Marked Man events have you being chased by cars trying to take you down. Road Rage lets you take others down. Burnout Routes a timed events that earn you new cars. And Stunt Runs let you put your car through barrel rolls, flat spins, and other things not recommended by the car manufacturer. Each event was a lot of fun, and immediately accessible. The loading times were gone and every event was just an intersection away. This was cause for some to complain because if you were trying to do a burning route to get a new car, and you failed (which I did a LOT), you had to drive back to the start again to try once more. But in essence, this just helped to teach me the city. Getting to know better routes and shortcuts to take. I didn't even touch on the Road Rules and Showtime (which replaces crash mode) which are both pretty cool in their own right.
All of this was fun and I enjoyed the 80 cars that I had to choose from, but for me, the real fun started when I took the game online. While some games make online very difficult, getting online in Paradise is as simple as three presses to the right on the game pad. There you can race, just drive around, or set new road rules/showtime scores for your friends to beat. Once I got online, I was immersed in the land of the online challenges. The offline mode had 60 different accomplishments which when completed, helped to earn a new status for the game. Online, there were 350 challenges (50 2-player, 50 3-player, etc.. to 8-player). After finding some friends on the Criterion Games forum, I was able to complete two sets of these and get my 81st car. I was totally hooked. I've done a few races online, but for the most part, I've been doing challenges ever since. A couple weeks ago, I completed all 350, but that didn't stop me. A trend with this community is that once you achieve something, you help others to achieve it as well. It's a really cool experience to watch people from all over the world having fun and encouraging this kind of accomplishment. I know it's just a game, but there's something to be said for that.
The coolest thing happened this week however. Criterion has not stopped supporting this game even though it shipped six months ago. Yesterday, they released an update to the game which added some new paint jobs for cars, three new online modes (Marked Man, Stunt Run, and Road Rage), custom soundtracks for PS3, and most importantly, 70 new multipart, timed challenges. I've already finished about 10 of these and they are a TON of fun. The timed element really adds to the accomplishment of completing them. I've played Online Marked Man, and won my only try so far. I got lucky and took down someone chasing me. That was a lot of fun as well. The best part of this update, it was free. And it's not the last update for the year. There are at least two more coming (one which will bring Motorcycles)
So, why is this the best game ever? The gameplay is awesome, the replayability is phenomenal, the online community is accepting and easy to play with (for the most part), and the developer continued support has made the game even deeper than it was. I recommend this game to anyone who has a PS3 or 360. Some of the events have a little learning curve, but the city is so fun to drive in, and the game is such a blast, that it was easy to call this the best game ever.
BTW, if you're ever online on PS3 playing Burnout Paradise, my PSN is FrankenCelery
For those of you not familiar with the Burnout series, there have been five games (made by Criterion and 2 made by a different company) with the latest being Paradise. Essentially Burnout is an arcade style racer which rewards reckless driving (drifting, airtime, crashing other cars, etc..) with boost. The game has always had a love of crashing and even has made crash mode which makes the worst part of a racing game (crashing) into something fun. I started on Burnout 3, and love it, and Revenge. They were both incredibly fun to play, and I played the heck out of them.
When Burnout Paradise was coming out, I knew I would buy it, but that was solidified when I played the demo. This was Burnout like I'd never seen it. A completely open world racing game, where I choose the route I want to take in a race (even if it's wrong), a massive amount of cars and locations, and almost limitless possibilities, and all of that in glorious HD. I was hooked and I bought the game (after renting it on Gamefly (gets me a discount on games I buy also). I started working through the numerous events. Races are just like they sound. Marked Man events have you being chased by cars trying to take you down. Road Rage lets you take others down. Burnout Routes a timed events that earn you new cars. And Stunt Runs let you put your car through barrel rolls, flat spins, and other things not recommended by the car manufacturer. Each event was a lot of fun, and immediately accessible. The loading times were gone and every event was just an intersection away. This was cause for some to complain because if you were trying to do a burning route to get a new car, and you failed (which I did a LOT), you had to drive back to the start again to try once more. But in essence, this just helped to teach me the city. Getting to know better routes and shortcuts to take. I didn't even touch on the Road Rules and Showtime (which replaces crash mode) which are both pretty cool in their own right.
All of this was fun and I enjoyed the 80 cars that I had to choose from, but for me, the real fun started when I took the game online. While some games make online very difficult, getting online in Paradise is as simple as three presses to the right on the game pad. There you can race, just drive around, or set new road rules/showtime scores for your friends to beat. Once I got online, I was immersed in the land of the online challenges. The offline mode had 60 different accomplishments which when completed, helped to earn a new status for the game. Online, there were 350 challenges (50 2-player, 50 3-player, etc.. to 8-player). After finding some friends on the Criterion Games forum, I was able to complete two sets of these and get my 81st car. I was totally hooked. I've done a few races online, but for the most part, I've been doing challenges ever since. A couple weeks ago, I completed all 350, but that didn't stop me. A trend with this community is that once you achieve something, you help others to achieve it as well. It's a really cool experience to watch people from all over the world having fun and encouraging this kind of accomplishment. I know it's just a game, but there's something to be said for that.
The coolest thing happened this week however. Criterion has not stopped supporting this game even though it shipped six months ago. Yesterday, they released an update to the game which added some new paint jobs for cars, three new online modes (Marked Man, Stunt Run, and Road Rage), custom soundtracks for PS3, and most importantly, 70 new multipart, timed challenges. I've already finished about 10 of these and they are a TON of fun. The timed element really adds to the accomplishment of completing them. I've played Online Marked Man, and won my only try so far. I got lucky and took down someone chasing me. That was a lot of fun as well. The best part of this update, it was free. And it's not the last update for the year. There are at least two more coming (one which will bring Motorcycles)
So, why is this the best game ever? The gameplay is awesome, the replayability is phenomenal, the online community is accepting and easy to play with (for the most part), and the developer continued support has made the game even deeper than it was. I recommend this game to anyone who has a PS3 or 360. Some of the events have a little learning curve, but the city is so fun to drive in, and the game is such a blast, that it was easy to call this the best game ever.
BTW, if you're ever online on PS3 playing Burnout Paradise, my PSN is FrankenCelery
Friday, November 09, 2007
Ratchet and Clank Future Review
So, since I rejoined Gamefly, I've been presented with something that I haven't had too much of in the past, but that I'm enjoying pretty well. I have more games to play than I have time to play them. This is a relatively new thing with the PS3 and I think it's an indication of things to come. Here is what I'm currently trying to play: Guitar Hero 3 (from Gamefly), Warhawk ( I just bought it a couple weeks ago), Lego Star Wars - the Complete Saga (I pre-ordered this a couple months ago), the new Uncharted demo (just came out yesterday and it's going to be awesome), I just finished Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, and I've got Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare being shipped to me right now. Again, great problem to have, but I really wished I had a few more hours in the day/
So, since I'm flying through these games pretty much, I thought I'd write a review for a few of them. I just finished and returned Ratchet & Clank Future so I think I'll start there. I've played two previous Ratchet and Clank games before this one. The original for PS2 (played on my PS3 - I love backward compatibility), and R&C: Size Matters on the PSP. Each game was a ton of fun for a lot of reasons and as such, I had high expectations for the "next-gen" R&C. Developed by Insomniac, this is their second game on the PS3 platform, and the polish was very evident in the graphics (even on my ghetto 20 year old 25 inch screen), the gameplay, and the game as a whole. R&C Future is a platformer, action, adventure, space, minigame game. There really is a ton of fun in here to be had and unlike some other reviewers, I found this to be a great way to enjoy it. The story, while not very deep, was good, and the voice acting was very good.
But, how was it to play? Well, I had a great time playing. Never did I get bored with destroying boxes, or solving puzzles, or really with anything the game had to offer. The controls were very intuitive, and the level of difficulty wasn't too hard. I really enjoyed this game, and may rent it again to go back and do things I didn't do before. The game has a great amount of replay that I didn't get to check out, because once I finished it, I sent it back. I would like to check out challenge mode, and some of the other areas I didn't explore before. Maybe once we get into another rut with games coming out, I'll have that chance. (Although as of this writing, I have 23 games in my Gamefly Queue).
So, all in all, I loved this game and would definitely recommend it. The only issues I saw were that sometimes, ammo would sort of morph into the surroundings and you couldn't pick it up. Other than that, just a fantasically fun game. 4.5 out of 5
So, since I'm flying through these games pretty much, I thought I'd write a review for a few of them. I just finished and returned Ratchet & Clank Future so I think I'll start there. I've played two previous Ratchet and Clank games before this one. The original for PS2 (played on my PS3 - I love backward compatibility), and R&C: Size Matters on the PSP. Each game was a ton of fun for a lot of reasons and as such, I had high expectations for the "next-gen" R&C. Developed by Insomniac, this is their second game on the PS3 platform, and the polish was very evident in the graphics (even on my ghetto 20 year old 25 inch screen), the gameplay, and the game as a whole. R&C Future is a platformer, action, adventure, space, minigame game. There really is a ton of fun in here to be had and unlike some other reviewers, I found this to be a great way to enjoy it. The story, while not very deep, was good, and the voice acting was very good.
But, how was it to play? Well, I had a great time playing. Never did I get bored with destroying boxes, or solving puzzles, or really with anything the game had to offer. The controls were very intuitive, and the level of difficulty wasn't too hard. I really enjoyed this game, and may rent it again to go back and do things I didn't do before. The game has a great amount of replay that I didn't get to check out, because once I finished it, I sent it back. I would like to check out challenge mode, and some of the other areas I didn't explore before. Maybe once we get into another rut with games coming out, I'll have that chance. (Although as of this writing, I have 23 games in my Gamefly Queue).
So, all in all, I loved this game and would definitely recommend it. The only issues I saw were that sometimes, ammo would sort of morph into the surroundings and you couldn't pick it up. Other than that, just a fantasically fun game. 4.5 out of 5
Friday, November 02, 2007
A Little Embarassing...
So, This is probably a little embarassing, but I need to admit something, and where else to admit this than the world wide web (do people ever really call it that anymore??) So here goes... I'm a much better Guitar Hero player than I am an actual guitarist. There it is. I said it. I've been playing guitar for 15 years, and although I've never had any formal instruction, I think I do pretty well as a rhythm guitarist. Ask me to play lead, and I'll tell you what a good guitarist I am. :>
Anyway, I picked up Guitar Hero II for the PS2 a couple months ago after making fun of the game for months. Not only did I like it, but I became a little addicted to it. (Even though I'm not good enough to play it on Hard or even attempt Expert) It was much cooler to actually be able to play some of the songs that I had liked to listen to. The game turned out to be much more fun that I had thought it would be and recently, I picked up Guitar Hero III. It's a lot of fun, but I don't think I'll be going the additional route by getting Rock Band ($170 is too much for me to play a game).
So, all in all, Guitar Hero II rocks. I enjoyed the track selection for the most part, although there were a lot of songs I just didn't like. No one is ever going to be 100% pleased by a track selection. Highlights include Message In a Bottle, Them Bones, Crazy on You, Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight, and of course Free Bird. I loved that Trogdor got included as a bonus song, but I didn't recognize any of the other bonus songs. I wish I had the opportunity to play with someone else as the game does let you have one person play the guitar while one plays bass. I think that would be fun (but I don't want to buy another controller). All in all I give GH2 a 4 out of 5 stars.
I'm looking forward to finishing GH3 and then getting the original and GH Rocks the 80's. Who knows, maybe I'll go get Rock Band after all.
Anyway, I picked up Guitar Hero II for the PS2 a couple months ago after making fun of the game for months. Not only did I like it, but I became a little addicted to it. (Even though I'm not good enough to play it on Hard or even attempt Expert) It was much cooler to actually be able to play some of the songs that I had liked to listen to. The game turned out to be much more fun that I had thought it would be and recently, I picked up Guitar Hero III. It's a lot of fun, but I don't think I'll be going the additional route by getting Rock Band ($170 is too much for me to play a game).
So, all in all, Guitar Hero II rocks. I enjoyed the track selection for the most part, although there were a lot of songs I just didn't like. No one is ever going to be 100% pleased by a track selection. Highlights include Message In a Bottle, Them Bones, Crazy on You, Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight, and of course Free Bird. I loved that Trogdor got included as a bonus song, but I didn't recognize any of the other bonus songs. I wish I had the opportunity to play with someone else as the game does let you have one person play the guitar while one plays bass. I think that would be fun (but I don't want to buy another controller). All in all I give GH2 a 4 out of 5 stars.
I'm looking forward to finishing GH3 and then getting the original and GH Rocks the 80's. Who knows, maybe I'll go get Rock Band after all.
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