Crackdown, for a lot of people, was a game about making your own fun. With no story worth paying attention to, no major set-pieces and nothing really driving the player forward, it really had to nail the gameplay. For the most part -- though much more so in co-op -- the gameplay was a huge success, but it definitely was not without its flaws. So as a huge fan of the original, it's a major disappointment to see that most of those flaws are still there. Not only that, but there aren't any major, noticeable improvements either which is even more disappointing. "More of the same" is a perfect example of how to describe Crackdown2, but unfortunately for this game, that's more of a bad thing than a good thing.
After podcasting as a trio for two episodes, the party's reunited for a fantastic foursome. It's another Podcast Contast, so whoever submitted the discussion topic walks home with a copy of Naughty Bear on Xbox 360. I wonder who it is??
Many in the videogame industry often speak as if it's starved for creativity, so it was quite a shock when director Shinji Mikami said that he was given too much freedom when developing God Hand for the Playstation 2. Even more concerning was hearing this comment as he revealed a new title involving what seemed like dime-a-dozen space marines, blaring guns, and cover-based gameplay. For fans of Mikami's quirkier projects, one look at Vanquish may have been enough to make them cry. Was this another sign of a developer losing some freedom?
Atlus has released another trailer for Etrian Odyssey III.
Etrian Odyssey III has 10 new classes and sub-classes as well as a wireless mode that allows up to five players to team up for special combat challenges.
The game's release is scheduled for September 21, 2010 for the Nintendo DS.
Combining puzzle games with gemstones is a winning team in my book, so when I received Puzzle Quest 2 in the mail from D3 Publishing, I did a happy little dance. I had played and enjoyed the original, so I got out my trusty DSiXL, popped in the game, and bam! Instant success. Deciding what gender to make my character was easy enough; I don't think I've ever played as a male if I can help it, although I do know several men in my life who have no issues with picking opposite gender characters to play as when given the option. But for me, I like when the hero can be a heroine. That's about as far as I can stomach getting into feminism in games. We'll leave that thought for an entirely separate article.
When I opened the box to Transformers: War for Cybertron, I found myself muttering under my breath, almost like a silent prayer to the gods of gaming, please just let this game be better than the movies. I grew up with Transformers, toys and show alike, and while Michael Bay's first attempt at bringing them to life was admirable, his follow up was disastrous. The Transformers have become a punchline these days, and so, as I fired up the game I continued my prayer. Within the first five minutes of gameplay, I thought my whispers might have been heard. An hour later I was sure of it.
How do you write about a movie that would be difficult to explain to someone who has actually seen it? This is the question I pondered on the drive back from seeing Inception. 30 minutes into the film I knew that I'd more than gotten what I'd paid for -- and that this was a movie that would have film geeks and seasoned critics alike talking for years to come. To say that this is the next great movie may seem premature, but, and with my deepest sympathy to the die hard lovers of the Dark Knight, I can truthfully name Inception as Christopher Nolan's best work yet.
Jagex, the creators of RuneScape, have announced their new browser-based MMO Stellar Dawn, as well as the opportunity to sign up for a closed beta. Taking place in a sci-fi universe, players will be able to explore a huge world with plenty of single player and co-operative content. Much like RuneScape, a large portion of the game will available for free, but you will have the choice to pay for premium content, whatever that may be.
