Well training is going well at delta,The last two days I have left earlier after completing everything I had to do. Just have to keep studying for exams that I need 100 percent on to pass by the next Thursday but I will be fine.Now to the blog I will probably have a article up on Luckie Street Tribune tonight or tomorrow. I have a clue what I will be writing about but sometimes I change what I want to talk about in the last minute. For now I will list some of the albums I have listened to recently in no specific order.
1.Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
2.Nine Inch Nails- The Fragile
3.Dr. Dre-The Chronic
4.Kenna-Make Sure they see your face
5.Butch Walker- Sycamore Meadows
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Freelance
Since the direction of this blog will be a little more personal, more of the gaming and music subjects will shift towards luckiestreettribune. Since starting this blog I have felt a certain freedom in writing about stuff I truly enjoy. Its still a growing process I think my writing skills have improved since the beginning of this blog. Also having the job at delta will give me some financial stability.I am considering doing freelance journalism,particularly video game journalism as a side job since delta is only part time .This is just an idea that I have thrown around the last couple of days.I am wondering what everyone's opinion on this is, I would like to hear your insight on this matter.
I will have a post on Luckie Street Tribune within a few days.
I will have a post on Luckie Street Tribune within a few days.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Training
Well today has been a day that has been due for awhile.I will be training at delta and hoping it goes well, just a little nervous as well.Its been awhile since I have been able to find and job and I get nervous when I am doing something new, but I will be fine.Also for news for the blog myself Rafael,Chris and Kevin are working on something new for the blog to streamline some content on the site.Also the possibility of other people to contribute to the site. Now I have to get ready for today.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Street Fighter!!!
Street Fighter 4 was released this week after a long wait.It is the first new number sequel in the Street Fighter series in over an decade(Street Fighter 3 was released in 1997). Street fighter 4 is looking great and has gotten positive reviews since it has been released. When I saw the first video over a year or so ago I was excited at the prospect of playing the game that I loved when I was a child. I Liked Street Fighter 3 Series but my favorite is the Street Fighter 2 series. So hearing that Street Figther 4 is similarly based on Street fighter 2 this was one of those games I cant wait to play. Also the game looks great and is a 2D, 3D hybrid look to it and fits perfectly with the Street Fighter series art style.
I remember playing Street Fighter 2 First in the arcade in the local bowling ally with my friends when I was in California.I was 7 at the time and trying to compete against Six graders and being completely destroyed by people who really knew how to play the game. Once Street Fighter 2 was on the SNES and Sega Genesis it was the go to game for everyone. Pretty much every time I went to rent a game that was one of the games I always seemed to get. I think fighting games have lost some of its charm from the golden days fighting games with Street Fighter and the Mortal Kombat series.To this day I will think the Street Fighter series is better but that is something for another post. The fighting game genre is still popular but is manly focused on a smaller niche of gamers.Many people are hoping that Street Fighter 4 will bring back the fighting game genre back into the mainstream, time will tell if Street Fighter 4 Will be successful in this endeavor.
I remember playing Street Fighter 2 First in the arcade in the local bowling ally with my friends when I was in California.I was 7 at the time and trying to compete against Six graders and being completely destroyed by people who really knew how to play the game. Once Street Fighter 2 was on the SNES and Sega Genesis it was the go to game for everyone. Pretty much every time I went to rent a game that was one of the games I always seemed to get. I think fighting games have lost some of its charm from the golden days fighting games with Street Fighter and the Mortal Kombat series.To this day I will think the Street Fighter series is better but that is something for another post. The fighting game genre is still popular but is manly focused on a smaller niche of gamers.Many people are hoping that Street Fighter 4 will bring back the fighting game genre back into the mainstream, time will tell if Street Fighter 4 Will be successful in this endeavor.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Is Mature Really Mature?
Yesterday I saw one of the craziest weather situations I have ever been in.With hail the size of golf and baseballs battering are neighborhood and a possible tornado in the area. So, last night was chaotic for a few hours but everyone is okay.
I was listening to one of my favorite podcast this morning RebelFM and there main topic of the day revolved around maturity in games and the new video released for Grand Theft Auto 4 expansion The lost and The Damned. The video shows full frontal male nudity which might becoming a controversy but Rockstar games the developer have been in this territory before(Hot Coffee). The video can be seen on gamevideos.com,I think the original intent was to forward the story and introducing a character that is corrupt politician that has nothing to hide(literally).Yeah I was not really shocked or offended but one part of me thinks was it really necessary.
I don't have a problem with Rockstar games using nudity compared to the violence in there games nudity should no be a big deal. I just wonder if game developers will look at sex more maturely.Many game just use sex and nudity for eye candy case in point the God of War series were kratos the main character has sex with two topless women off screen in a mini game. Which, is fine for them doing it but it is pointless and seems to put sex in simplistic terms.Sex is a natural thing in life and love is something that human beings take serious.I fill that putting nudity in games should be more thought out not just to put out there to show off how edgy your game is.I have seen many games fall into the trap at times it is funny but does not serve any purpose. Only A few games such as Mass Effect made sex more serious and more thoughtful.
Maturity in games seems to be one of the things that developers have not quite found the perfect fit. Since people are playing games as they get older there seems to be a desire to have more mature games. But, think some developers see making a game mature is to make it over the top with sex or violence. I think this way of thinking is to simplistic, I think people my age and older want to have something a little more thought provoking. Don't get me wrong I still enjoy games such as Gears of War, but I really don't care for the story line and the characters are fine.Gears of War series is meant to be over the top violent and when the story tries to be serious it does not fit the universe of chainsaw guns and huge muscle soldiers.Also cursing every line in the game does not make a game truly mature it just gives you the M rating.Grand Theft Auto 4 for all of its violence still gives a mature story line that is compelling and gives the player moral choices that might affect the game. GTA4 still maintains its fun and balances itself very well and makes you fill that you are in a crime drama
Call of Duty 4 did something that I have never seen in a game when your character is trying to escape the city by helicopter when a Nuclear bomb goes off knocking your helicopter out the sky.To wake up and watch your character take his last steps before he dies is something shocking and at the shows the damage war causes. Situations like this gives a mature game more weight. Also another thing which would make a war game such as Call of Duty more weight is in urban warfare setting give the player some moral decisions rather then just a killing machine.Call of duty series has always been about immersion and things such as civilians being caught in the middle gives the player a moral choice.Use of civilians are still a touchy situation, but also gives a person a moral choice and is more realistic because not everything in the world wants to kill you.
Maybe this is looking to narrow at the current game market and I don't think all games should be like this.I think there should be a balance of more mature oriented games that have complex thought and still maintains enjoyment that everyone wants from there games.
I was listening to one of my favorite podcast this morning RebelFM and there main topic of the day revolved around maturity in games and the new video released for Grand Theft Auto 4 expansion The lost and The Damned. The video shows full frontal male nudity which might becoming a controversy but Rockstar games the developer have been in this territory before(Hot Coffee). The video can be seen on gamevideos.com,I think the original intent was to forward the story and introducing a character that is corrupt politician that has nothing to hide(literally).Yeah I was not really shocked or offended but one part of me thinks was it really necessary.
I don't have a problem with Rockstar games using nudity compared to the violence in there games nudity should no be a big deal. I just wonder if game developers will look at sex more maturely.Many game just use sex and nudity for eye candy case in point the God of War series were kratos the main character has sex with two topless women off screen in a mini game. Which, is fine for them doing it but it is pointless and seems to put sex in simplistic terms.Sex is a natural thing in life and love is something that human beings take serious.I fill that putting nudity in games should be more thought out not just to put out there to show off how edgy your game is.I have seen many games fall into the trap at times it is funny but does not serve any purpose. Only A few games such as Mass Effect made sex more serious and more thoughtful.
Maturity in games seems to be one of the things that developers have not quite found the perfect fit. Since people are playing games as they get older there seems to be a desire to have more mature games. But, think some developers see making a game mature is to make it over the top with sex or violence. I think this way of thinking is to simplistic, I think people my age and older want to have something a little more thought provoking. Don't get me wrong I still enjoy games such as Gears of War, but I really don't care for the story line and the characters are fine.Gears of War series is meant to be over the top violent and when the story tries to be serious it does not fit the universe of chainsaw guns and huge muscle soldiers.Also cursing every line in the game does not make a game truly mature it just gives you the M rating.Grand Theft Auto 4 for all of its violence still gives a mature story line that is compelling and gives the player moral choices that might affect the game. GTA4 still maintains its fun and balances itself very well and makes you fill that you are in a crime drama
Call of Duty 4 did something that I have never seen in a game when your character is trying to escape the city by helicopter when a Nuclear bomb goes off knocking your helicopter out the sky.To wake up and watch your character take his last steps before he dies is something shocking and at the shows the damage war causes. Situations like this gives a mature game more weight. Also another thing which would make a war game such as Call of Duty more weight is in urban warfare setting give the player some moral decisions rather then just a killing machine.Call of duty series has always been about immersion and things such as civilians being caught in the middle gives the player a moral choice.Use of civilians are still a touchy situation, but also gives a person a moral choice and is more realistic because not everything in the world wants to kill you.
Maybe this is looking to narrow at the current game market and I don't think all games should be like this.I think there should be a balance of more mature oriented games that have complex thought and still maintains enjoyment that everyone wants from there games.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Frontline: Inside the Meltdown
Yesterday PBS Frontline discussed the the recent banking meltdown that hit wall street and what caused it.Here is the link to watch the whole episode of Frontline. It was very interesting to watch at the same time very frustrating to see the level of greed people had that helped cause the situation that we are in now. But just like the movie wall street people on wall street believed that "Greed is good". I know this subject might be slightly off topic compared to everything else on this blog. It is important for everyone to be informed on what happened so we wont repeat what happened in the past. Also, all the problems that are happening in wall street is affecting the whole economy.So fill free to checkout the video.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Headache
Well I am starting to play madden 2009 now that I have a xbox360 .I have been a very big football fan for years and madden series has worked hand in hand with the NFL itself. The release of a new Madden is the unofficial kickoff for the NFL season. I use to play other madden games constantly my favorite at the time being madden 2005, but since coming into this generation of consoles The Madden series has been a mix bad. I still enjoy playing madden 2009 but I fill that it has gotten a little to complicated. The learning curve seems to take a little while long to learn all the quirks of the game.It's still fun but I think they need to find a balance keep the simulation elements but not to realistic.
The Madden series over the past 10 years has become more simulation then arcade and overall I think it is good. I fill that Madden 2005 is the best in the Madden series in recent memory . My opinion might change the more I play Madden 2009, but right now I am leaning towards 2005. First in the game play department it seemed to balance itself perfectly ,older madden slight improvements offense and defense but by the 2004 edition the offense was overpowered. Madden 2005 balanced the game play so both sides of the ball felt powerful. Another feature that I miss is the use of newspaper and EA sports radio were they had radio host Tony Bruno interview players,also league news and big games of the week.It was not always perfect but I felt when playing the game in franchise mode gave the game a sense of immersion. It also gave me more motivation to do better in the game to reach a milestone and to get your team on national newspapers. Yes it might seem nerdy ,but for me it was cool.
Still have to play this version of Madden longer to see if it sticks or just an okay Madden. Its still fun and I always love playing with other people but I was getting frustrated with some of the outcomes, but such as life its not perfect. I was getting a headache dealing with some of the gameplay quirks or it was dealing with the game freezing, which seems to happen often with the madden series(or I just have bad luck).Well I am hoping this headache goes away soon, not sure I will play the game tonight.
One last thing this blog has gone through some slight changes.I have to thank my sister helping me clean it up(Janine'site) and Rafael for the image.
The Madden series over the past 10 years has become more simulation then arcade and overall I think it is good. I fill that Madden 2005 is the best in the Madden series in recent memory . My opinion might change the more I play Madden 2009, but right now I am leaning towards 2005. First in the game play department it seemed to balance itself perfectly ,older madden slight improvements offense and defense but by the 2004 edition the offense was overpowered. Madden 2005 balanced the game play so both sides of the ball felt powerful. Another feature that I miss is the use of newspaper and EA sports radio were they had radio host Tony Bruno interview players,also league news and big games of the week.It was not always perfect but I felt when playing the game in franchise mode gave the game a sense of immersion. It also gave me more motivation to do better in the game to reach a milestone and to get your team on national newspapers. Yes it might seem nerdy ,but for me it was cool.
Still have to play this version of Madden longer to see if it sticks or just an okay Madden. Its still fun and I always love playing with other people but I was getting frustrated with some of the outcomes, but such as life its not perfect. I was getting a headache dealing with some of the gameplay quirks or it was dealing with the game freezing, which seems to happen often with the madden series(or I just have bad luck).Well I am hoping this headache goes away soon, not sure I will play the game tonight.
One last thing this blog has gone through some slight changes.I have to thank my sister helping me clean it up(Janine'site) and Rafael for the image.
Monday, February 16, 2009
The Good The Bad and The Drizzle
This train keeps on going, having a good time doing this.Well today was an interesting day first with the good I have a job now,its part-time but its something. I don't fill that I am in as much of a bind compared to the last few months.I will still update this blog and having a job now will help improve the blog and possibly expand plans I have in the future for this site. Now to the bad news, bad may have been a overstatement but the situation Rafael and I were is was interesting to say the least.
Car problems seem to plague all of us from time to time. I for one has had my fare share of bad luck with cars with breakdowns.This was a rough weekend for Rafael and his car if you want to hear some of the story check out Rafael's blog(updated soon).
Now back to plan for this blog. I am now in possession of an Xbox360 thanks to kevin.Which means that I can do more timely reviews of games that I have played. The first game I will be playing is Madden NFL 2009(again thanks kevin),But I will also try to compare Madden 2009 to other games in the Madden Series most likely the 2002 and 2005 editions. I should have that up in a few days, I also just reinstalled No One lives Forever 2 so I am looking forward to that as well.I will also try to have more music oriented posts for example what albums are being released each week.
Car problems seem to plague all of us from time to time. I for one has had my fare share of bad luck with cars with breakdowns.This was a rough weekend for Rafael and his car if you want to hear some of the story check out Rafael's blog(updated soon).
Now back to plan for this blog. I am now in possession of an Xbox360 thanks to kevin.Which means that I can do more timely reviews of games that I have played. The first game I will be playing is Madden NFL 2009(again thanks kevin),But I will also try to compare Madden 2009 to other games in the Madden Series most likely the 2002 and 2005 editions. I should have that up in a few days, I also just reinstalled No One lives Forever 2 so I am looking forward to that as well.I will also try to have more music oriented posts for example what albums are being released each week.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday and Pinto?
First,yesterday went well and thanks again for all the birthday messages just a simple thing goes along way for me so thank you.
I am huge music fan like many of you reading this right now, but I think everyone has a different taste in music and keeps a variety of old and new music. Right now I have been listening to older albums but still put new music in rotation. The other day apparently the family cat pinto likes gangsta rap particularly Dr. Dre's The Chronic while writing another post he just sat there and listened.Usually Pinto is pretty annoying constantly asking for something when he comes into the room he is getting older so he is grouchy. So seeing him just sit there was pretty funny.
I Don't blame him The Chronic is one of the best hip-hop albums and defined a new sound for hip-hop. Gangsta funk(G-funk) for short defined the west coast sound that dominated the 90's and still present today.If it was not for Dr. Dre The Chronic many albums today may of not existed. Hip-Hop and rap albums in my opinion falls into a trap, lack of consistency were individual tracks are strong but the album as a whole is weaker. The Chronic is much more consistent in sound and presentation on the lines of, Nas Illmatic, Rakim and Eric B Paid in Full , Kanye west The College dropout and many more.
The G-funk style was different at the time because before the music was centered around the beat box,scratching and the rapper had a quicker flow. The G-funk was different because it was more laid back slower is pace and used more samples and layering. Since Dr. Dre was a perfectionist while producing it he wanted to have a old school fill to from the funk on the 60's and 70's, which l enjoyed a lot.Tracks like Nothing but a "G" thang and let me ride define the sound that Dr. Dre wanted to achieve. The Album is still one of the best sounding hip-hop albums minus some skit tracks(The $20 Sack Pyramid,The Doctor's Office). Still The Chronic is still not for the faint of heart its still vulgar and many other things but its gangsta rap it goes with the territory. Plus Pinto approves so it is okay.
I am huge music fan like many of you reading this right now, but I think everyone has a different taste in music and keeps a variety of old and new music. Right now I have been listening to older albums but still put new music in rotation. The other day apparently the family cat pinto likes gangsta rap particularly Dr. Dre's The Chronic while writing another post he just sat there and listened.Usually Pinto is pretty annoying constantly asking for something when he comes into the room he is getting older so he is grouchy. So seeing him just sit there was pretty funny.
I Don't blame him The Chronic is one of the best hip-hop albums and defined a new sound for hip-hop. Gangsta funk(G-funk) for short defined the west coast sound that dominated the 90's and still present today.If it was not for Dr. Dre The Chronic many albums today may of not existed. Hip-Hop and rap albums in my opinion falls into a trap, lack of consistency were individual tracks are strong but the album as a whole is weaker. The Chronic is much more consistent in sound and presentation on the lines of, Nas Illmatic, Rakim and Eric B Paid in Full , Kanye west The College dropout and many more.
The G-funk style was different at the time because before the music was centered around the beat box,scratching and the rapper had a quicker flow. The G-funk was different because it was more laid back slower is pace and used more samples and layering. Since Dr. Dre was a perfectionist while producing it he wanted to have a old school fill to from the funk on the 60's and 70's, which l enjoyed a lot.Tracks like Nothing but a "G" thang and let me ride define the sound that Dr. Dre wanted to achieve. The Album is still one of the best sounding hip-hop albums minus some skit tracks(The $20 Sack Pyramid,The Doctor's Office). Still The Chronic is still not for the faint of heart its still vulgar and many other things but its gangsta rap it goes with the territory. Plus Pinto approves so it is okay.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
23 and Dusting Your Shoulders Off
Turned 23 today kind of weird but at the same time I am dealing with it fine.Its just a number I am the same person I was yesterday just a day older. My personality has changed and think I have gotten wiser over the years.Over the span of a year between 22 and 23 I have seen and done a lot ,I graduated college(drove back and forth to Columbus for 3 weeks), met great people, got closer to Family and friends. Everyone and myself was apart of one of the craziest years I can recall.Saw Barack Obama become President! Also dealt with not having a job,not in school,no car, family health issues, depression and yes some hopelessness. But, If you get knocked down you get up and dust yourself off.
This has been said several times and it is very true not everything is perfect and life does not go by a blueprint. This story comes to mind, one of my favorite magazines Electronic Gaming Monthly(EGM for short)recently closed down also the majority of there online staff at 1up.com were fired as well. After a day of dealing with there termination from the former employer. They got back up and created there own gaming sites and podcasts. Also, With the help from thousands of people they are able to work on something they all love. Which to me is a encouraging story.
I know times are rough and things will get better. I am happy that I started this blog and have great friends joining me(Rafael,Kevin,Chris).Also I am looking towards the future with a possible job opportunity and going into grad school.Everything is not perfect but I have to work with what I have and cease opportunities that come up.
Thanks to everyone for the Birthday messages.
This has been said several times and it is very true not everything is perfect and life does not go by a blueprint. This story comes to mind, one of my favorite magazines Electronic Gaming Monthly(EGM for short)recently closed down also the majority of there online staff at 1up.com were fired as well. After a day of dealing with there termination from the former employer. They got back up and created there own gaming sites and podcasts. Also, With the help from thousands of people they are able to work on something they all love. Which to me is a encouraging story.
I know times are rough and things will get better. I am happy that I started this blog and have great friends joining me(Rafael,Kevin,Chris).Also I am looking towards the future with a possible job opportunity and going into grad school.Everything is not perfect but I have to work with what I have and cease opportunities that come up.
Thanks to everyone for the Birthday messages.
Friday, February 13, 2009
One Nine Nine Four
I am a sucker for music documentaries if its on TV I will watch it. From the basic creating a music video or a album to the generation of music history documentaries. Okay not every documentary have to take a step back on that statement I will not watch documentaries on the Jonas brother,Miley Cyrus or anything from Hinder. Majority of documentaries even the hard to watch Some Kind of Monster the metallica documentary.Its not terrible, it was just hard to watch one of the biggest bands in the world hitting there lowest point on film and making quite possibly there worst album(Death Magnet redeemed metallica for now)but,it was still interesting to watch.
I enjoy watching this type of documentaries because you get the back story of how albums are created.The technology that was used and some of the ups and downs of the process.Which leads me to one of the documentaries on my to see list. Lets go back to 1994 when Will Smith had a TV show, Ace of Base were actually popular and I was only 8 years old yep crazy. I can remember being in elementary school and kids at the beginning of the year were wearing flannel clothes coping the grunge look.But by summer the look began to change kids were wearing beat up clothes and started dying there hair.
Yep that Summer Green Days album Dookie was released the album that brought back punk to the forefront in music. At the time I listened to them but did not get it, all I knew is that they were from California and everyone loved them. Once I got older I see what the significances of Green Day's Dookie was, it brought a full scene of music back that laid dormant since the mid 80's.The Offspring, NOFX ,Rancid and later on blink 182 all came up around the same time. Which, lead people to listen to old punk bands Bad Religion,Black Flag,The Ramones, Sex Pistols and The Clash(some extent Elvis Costello).So 1994 is a very important year in history for rock music and music in general.
Which Leads me to the new documentary One Nine Nine Four. Which revolves around the 1994 punk rock explosion from the slow 80's and early 90's and what happened once punk rock returned. I remember seeing the preview clip on there website and was excited to see the stories around that scene at that time and when I saw the director on late night TV talking about the movie it got me more interested. Because, I think music is very important for me and society as a whole. Also to see how the music landscape has changed since the release of Dookie and the re-birth of punk rock.I don't think music has gotten worse, I think the good and Innovative music is underneath the surface you just need to find it. For the case of punk rock right now its at a shallow point but, I see it as genre of music that will always be around and will not go to obscurity like other genres.
Little more info on One Nine Nine Four.The release of the movie should be around this summer but is still looking for a distributor.If you want to see more checkout the website where it has a six minute preview of the documentary.
I enjoy watching this type of documentaries because you get the back story of how albums are created.The technology that was used and some of the ups and downs of the process.Which leads me to one of the documentaries on my to see list. Lets go back to 1994 when Will Smith had a TV show, Ace of Base were actually popular and I was only 8 years old yep crazy. I can remember being in elementary school and kids at the beginning of the year were wearing flannel clothes coping the grunge look.But by summer the look began to change kids were wearing beat up clothes and started dying there hair.
Yep that Summer Green Days album Dookie was released the album that brought back punk to the forefront in music. At the time I listened to them but did not get it, all I knew is that they were from California and everyone loved them. Once I got older I see what the significances of Green Day's Dookie was, it brought a full scene of music back that laid dormant since the mid 80's.The Offspring, NOFX ,Rancid and later on blink 182 all came up around the same time. Which, lead people to listen to old punk bands Bad Religion,Black Flag,The Ramones, Sex Pistols and The Clash(some extent Elvis Costello).So 1994 is a very important year in history for rock music and music in general.
Which Leads me to the new documentary One Nine Nine Four. Which revolves around the 1994 punk rock explosion from the slow 80's and early 90's and what happened once punk rock returned. I remember seeing the preview clip on there website and was excited to see the stories around that scene at that time and when I saw the director on late night TV talking about the movie it got me more interested. Because, I think music is very important for me and society as a whole. Also to see how the music landscape has changed since the release of Dookie and the re-birth of punk rock.I don't think music has gotten worse, I think the good and Innovative music is underneath the surface you just need to find it. For the case of punk rock right now its at a shallow point but, I see it as genre of music that will always be around and will not go to obscurity like other genres.
Little more info on One Nine Nine Four.The release of the movie should be around this summer but is still looking for a distributor.If you want to see more checkout the website where it has a six minute preview of the documentary.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Direction
If you have noticed that I have written a lot more over the last few days.I actually set up this page back in September but could not get myself to write. So it was just there until I decided to actually show effort(and courage) in writing and I think I finally found my stride.It does help that I have friends joining in this endeavor. The goal is still unknown but I think its more of a growing experience for me.If you have noticed the majority of this page has been focused on the subject of gaming. I know that not everyone is the particularly interested in this but I promise to mix things up. Also the group for now Rafael ,Kevin and Chris(soon to be updated)maybe two more are all taking some subject matter that we enjoy and post things that we are interested in. At times subjects from different blogs will mix together be it music,politics,sports or anything else. I just wanted to give you a clue were this blog might be going.
F.E.A.R 2 and No One Lives Forever
Fear 2:Project Origin was released today,it is a First Person Shooter made by Monolith Studios which revolves around paranormal and action elements if you want to know more information checkout the single player review by Garnett Lee of 1up.com. I played the original fear over a year ago on the xbox360 overall it was fun but at times repetitive and the A.I was very challenging but not so hard that you wanted to throw the controller(by the way I have not thrown a control in awhile). I would love to play this game and see how it is, but knowing that my Computer will explode due to the system requirements it will not happen anytime soon.
But overall from what I have seen and heard from various podcasts(RebelFm,ListenUp!)that it is a very well done game. Monolith the developer of Fear 2 created one of my favorite games of all time No one lives Forever 2. Which also was a First Person Shooter but had a balance between shooter and stealth which is very rare in today's gaming market.No one Lives forever was also different because of the setting during the cold war sixties and the female protagonist Cate Archer.Cate Archer was a strong female character that did not fall into the Lara Croft trap of just sex appeal,Cate Archer seemed to be more of a complex character also playing her in a first person view and only seeing her in cut scenes helps.The game had a great since of humor and was set up to be an over the top ode to movies of the sixties.Also had a interesting weapons, my personal favorite the robot Kittie proximity mine which would chase the enemy before detonating.
No One Lives Forever 2 was released in 2002 and was left with several plot holes opened, but I am not sure Monolith will return to this game due to its modest sales.It would be a shame to leave the game that way because I see the potential of the game working well around the current game engine Monolith uses for fear(More color then Black, Grey and Red). But put more elements of stealth and the adaptive A.I would make a pretty interesting game-play experience.Also there should be at least one lighthearted shooter on the market that does not take it's self to serious. To be honest I am starting to get fatigued with dark and dreary shooters that flood the market right now. I know it is highly unlikely Monolith will make a sequel to No One Lives Forever series but I hope Monolith changes there minds someday.
But overall from what I have seen and heard from various podcasts(RebelFm,ListenUp!)that it is a very well done game. Monolith the developer of Fear 2 created one of my favorite games of all time No one lives Forever 2. Which also was a First Person Shooter but had a balance between shooter and stealth which is very rare in today's gaming market.No one Lives forever was also different because of the setting during the cold war sixties and the female protagonist Cate Archer.Cate Archer was a strong female character that did not fall into the Lara Croft trap of just sex appeal,Cate Archer seemed to be more of a complex character also playing her in a first person view and only seeing her in cut scenes helps.The game had a great since of humor and was set up to be an over the top ode to movies of the sixties.Also had a interesting weapons, my personal favorite the robot Kittie proximity mine which would chase the enemy before detonating.
No One Lives Forever 2 was released in 2002 and was left with several plot holes opened, but I am not sure Monolith will return to this game due to its modest sales.It would be a shame to leave the game that way because I see the potential of the game working well around the current game engine Monolith uses for fear(More color then Black, Grey and Red). But put more elements of stealth and the adaptive A.I would make a pretty interesting game-play experience.Also there should be at least one lighthearted shooter on the market that does not take it's self to serious. To be honest I am starting to get fatigued with dark and dreary shooters that flood the market right now. I know it is highly unlikely Monolith will make a sequel to No One Lives Forever series but I hope Monolith changes there minds someday.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Going back
Given the climate of the current economy there seems to be a trend to end are ways of spending to tighten the belt.Which is a good thing but also a double edged sword, we need to consume but also stay fiscally secure. This goes for gaming as well, the video game industry was once scene as "recession proof" but in the recent months that has not been true .
I don't have the remedy for Electronic Arts and several other companies that just laid off workers. I think Electronic Arts was doing the right thing looking at the long term and creating new franchises (Dead space,Mirror's Edge), rather then Activisions approach of flooding the market with sequels every year(Guitar hero I am looking at your direction). Don't get me wrong Electronic Arts does do sequels every year look at all there ea sports franchises(Madden, FIFA,Tiger Woods), but at least they are trying to have a balance of old and new.
Now to people like you and me, we can't take as many risks now instead, we focus on games that we are comfortable with and have long shelf life(fallout 3, WOW, GTA4). But, I think we need to know that there is alternatives to those games either try something new or heck even go back to old games.I would say many people still have their old video game consoles.If you have an old SNES,Genesis or Playstation1 or N64 blow the dust off of it and play your old games or even find a copy of a game you always wanted to play.
Places like Play-n-Trade and Ebgames have sections dedicated to old used games, give those a try. Case in point one of the most enjoyable games I have played with someone else over the past three years was my old copy of Looney Tunes B-Ball.Heck since you have to be smart with your money you might as well play some games at home with friends and family (I know that whole human interaction thing).
Its times like this that we have to be smart and still take risks.Playing old games can be beneficial for you in the short term. Saving up money to buy newer games and help game companies in the long term as well.Electronic Arts and other companies short term problems will be solved in the long term.
Note- This post was going to be a nostalgia trip about Looney Tunes B-ball.But this came to mind instead.
I don't have the remedy for Electronic Arts and several other companies that just laid off workers. I think Electronic Arts was doing the right thing looking at the long term and creating new franchises (Dead space,Mirror's Edge), rather then Activisions approach of flooding the market with sequels every year(Guitar hero I am looking at your direction). Don't get me wrong Electronic Arts does do sequels every year look at all there ea sports franchises(Madden, FIFA,Tiger Woods), but at least they are trying to have a balance of old and new.
Now to people like you and me, we can't take as many risks now instead, we focus on games that we are comfortable with and have long shelf life(fallout 3, WOW, GTA4). But, I think we need to know that there is alternatives to those games either try something new or heck even go back to old games.I would say many people still have their old video game consoles.If you have an old SNES,Genesis or Playstation1 or N64 blow the dust off of it and play your old games or even find a copy of a game you always wanted to play.
Places like Play-n-Trade and Ebgames have sections dedicated to old used games, give those a try. Case in point one of the most enjoyable games I have played with someone else over the past three years was my old copy of Looney Tunes B-Ball.Heck since you have to be smart with your money you might as well play some games at home with friends and family (I know that whole human interaction thing).
Its times like this that we have to be smart and still take risks.Playing old games can be beneficial for you in the short term. Saving up money to buy newer games and help game companies in the long term as well.Electronic Arts and other companies short term problems will be solved in the long term.
Note- This post was going to be a nostalgia trip about Looney Tunes B-ball.But this came to mind instead.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
To Co-op or not to co-op
Cooperative games have been apart of the video game industry for years. But it seems to be a heated discussion throughout the industry if Cooperative gameplay(co-op for short) is an evolution or a pacing fade. In March Resident Evil 5 will be released with the whole game revolving around cooperative gameplay which in my opinion is a good thing. I felt Resident Evil 4 was a good game but I still felt like I was controlling a human tank(similar to all the resident evil games), Capcom still has not remedied that problem in my opinion but co-op could help the overall game. Since you are fighting people running with pitchforks and chainsaws its good to have a friend to have your back. The keyword here is "Friend" in games like Resident Evil or Gears of War I have zero interest playing with the A.I character or a complete stranger(there are some good and decent people on Xbox live but the dick to good person ration is 50,000 to 1). I might be a little judgmental before Resident Evil 5 is released but I have this weird feeling that the A.I character might go brain dead from time to time.
Don't Get me wrong I love playing games just single player but I feel that the best way to play a game like gears of war or even halo is to play cooperatively. Because you are working like a team or playing around causing chaos throughout the game.Both Gears of Wars seem to be built perfectly with two players. Rafael and I were able to use strategies, usually Rafael would use long range guns (sniper) I would go for close combat(lancer). One would cover the other and overall it was an enjoyable experience. Also, there are a lot of hole sh*t moments were something happens in the game that we both saw and had to talk about and laugh at what happened .I doubt I would have as much fun playing this game and many other games that are built around cooperative play solo. Until a game that has A.I characters that are just as good as a human, I think I will stick with playing games with a friend.
P.S Might have a Gears of War 2 review soon.
Don't Get me wrong I love playing games just single player but I feel that the best way to play a game like gears of war or even halo is to play cooperatively. Because you are working like a team or playing around causing chaos throughout the game.Both Gears of Wars seem to be built perfectly with two players. Rafael and I were able to use strategies, usually Rafael would use long range guns (sniper) I would go for close combat(lancer). One would cover the other and overall it was an enjoyable experience. Also, there are a lot of hole sh*t moments were something happens in the game that we both saw and had to talk about and laugh at what happened .I doubt I would have as much fun playing this game and many other games that are built around cooperative play solo. Until a game that has A.I characters that are just as good as a human, I think I will stick with playing games with a friend.
P.S Might have a Gears of War 2 review soon.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Sly Cooper !
Long over due, I give you my review of Sly Cooper and the Thieves Raccoonus. Sly Cooper and the Thieves Raccoonus was developed by Sucker Punch and was released in 2002. Sly Cooper revolves around a Raccoon by the name Sly Cooper and his two allies, Bentley a Turtle that is a technology wiz and bumbling idiot with a heart of gold named
It’s been little over six years since I originally played this game yet it has aged very well. The graphics in this game uses cell shading which was one of the hot things at the time, but this style has died down in recent years. Sucker Punch was one of the developers to use cell shading graphics to their success. The game is colorful and makes you fell that you are in a cartoon, yet still has that cool look to it. Each chapter of Sly Cooper is presented with still animation intro sequences were Sly explains were they are going and what villain Sly must face. The presentation is great and Sucker Punch really wanted to give the player the felling that they are a part of a cartoon. I really thought Sly Cooper was going to show its age when compared to the games of today, but holds its own and the cell shading design choice is perfect. The animation works well and fills smooth and moves very well.
In the sound department, the voice acting is good and does its job. Sly Cooper is a brash, sarcastic character and the voice actor achieves it very well; especially dialogue between Sly and Carmelita throughout the game. The Music is okay but not mind blowing; it has good ambient sounds but does not rock the boat to much. The real winner in the sound department is Sucker Punch, as they made every sound fit the Sly Cooper universe. From Sly’s sneaking footsteps to the sounds of water and fire it was able to suck me in to the game even more then I had expected. The first time I heard the sneaking noises that Sly makes when he is behind an enemy made me laugh because it felt like an old Looney Tunes episode. It’s hard to explain, but little touches in a game can go a long way in my book.
Before this game came out I was not really into platforms since Super Mario World back on the SNES. Sly Cooper was able to get me back into this genre of games. The controls are simple which helps make the game accessible and fun. Overall, it’s a simple game to operate. Sly has a one button melee attack, a special move button, a contact specific button and since this is a platformer, a jump button. The game works similar to old school games were one hit equals death for most enemies for Sly, but the use of the special horseshoe allows Sly to be able take damage once or twice before death. When I was playing, I thought it would be a breeze to go through the game but I found myself dying a lot mainly eventually due to human error on my part. I would try to rush and make careless mistakes but was eventually able to get through it. Similar to other 3D platformers, the camera can be cumbersome which led to a few deaths, but overall it works well and can be easily adjusted. Throughout the game, you can collect clues scattered throughout the level which allows the character to upgrade special abilities. This is important because it give Sly Cooper more shelf life. Since the game can be beaten in less then ten hours, I found my self wanting to stay in the level and find clues. It was very rewarding to find all the special items in the level and crack the code to new abilities, but it was also frustrating to find 29 out of 30 clues throughout the level and search for that last clue that cannot be found. The level design in Sly Cooper and gameplay is spot on. There are five overarching levels and mini-levels inside each location. These mini-levels will run the gamut from straight platforming to mini-games; my favorite being the arena battles and boss battles that all have their distinct differences and are fun and challenging. The pacing of the game is perfect, especially towards the end were the game mixes all the different gameplay mechanics into the final stage.
Overall Sly Cooper and The Thieves Raccoonus is a must play for anyone that still has a Playstation 2.I would also like to mention to give the two sequels a try as well. Sucker Punch should be commended for their efforts in bringing back the nostalgia of old platformers and introducing modern gameplay mechanics into the fold. Also Sly Cooper still looks good even after six years. Let’s hope that Sucker Punch can do as good of a job on their new game Infamous.
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