674 replies to this topic

[Iceskater101]

New trailer for BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS:

 

 

Batman: Arkham Origins - "Introducing Copperhead"

 

This is looking to be pretty bad ass..!

[thecasinoroyale]

Certainly looks very sinister and good fun to be Batman once more...I best get playing 'Arkham City' quick!

[seawolfnyy]

I must be one of the few that likes Arkham Asylum more than Arkham City.

[tdalton]

I must be one of the few that likes Arkham Asylum more than Arkham City.

ARKHAM CITY wasn't anything special. Very mediocre and didn't expand nearly enough on what made ARKHAM ASYLUM a great game.

[seawolfnyy]

Just finished Spec Ops: The Line, which I give a solid 8.5/10. The game has a few gameplay issues, but nothing major. It's real draw is it's excellent story and scenery. The game is set in Dubai after sandstorms had inundated the city. You play as Captain Martin Walker who is set in to look for survivors after the army received a message that John Konrad's Damned 33rd Division (who were originally sent in to help with evacuations) were still alive. The story is adapted from John Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" and provides something not many games really have done. It makes you think about what you've done. It makes the violence real. You aren't killing random, nameless enemies. It's dark and violent and you get no sense of accomplishment for the things you've done. It's a brilliantly told story and one that you don't feel the full weight of until the very end.

 

As a whole, I feel that games are really maturing as a story telling medium. In the last year we've had Spec Ops: The Line, The Walking Dead, The Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite. All of which told mature and smart stories. Not ones riddled with cliches and include cutscenes as filler between shooting bad guys. They make you feel the weight of what you've done. Executions in The Last of Us do not make you feel strong, they make you feel like a killer. Spec Ops: The Line does not glorify war, it makes you feel it. It makes you a part of the horror instead of just a mindless killing machine. These games make you think. It's something that movies and plays and books have been able to do for a very long time, but until recently has been all but missing from games. Sure we've had the occasional Metal Gear Solid, but really game stories have been fairly generic and weak. Two games that have been catamount to the change in game stories, but have been vastly underrated are 2010's Medal of Honor and it's sequel, Medal of Honor: Warfighter. Both games, while having quite a bit of gunplay, show more of the camaraderie of soldiers and (especially with Warfighter) show the toll that fighting takes on a man's life. We see these characters going through problems at home, struggling with continuing to find the will to fight and even worse fighting just to keep their families together.

Games today are far more than what they used to be. Often games require hundreds of millions of dollars to produce. These games need to be about more than just killing and racking up points. There needs to be a reason to revisit it. By turning that corner in story telling, games may finally get the respect they deserve and can start to be considered as true art.

[Iceskater101]

I must be one of the few that likes Arkham Asylum more than Arkham City.

 

You're not the only one, I know a lot of people who liked the first one better. I thought City was pretty cool expanding on what was already established but I did like Asylum a little bit more.

[x007AceOfSpades]

Reviews. When It comes to films, I rate them from a score of Zero possible stars to Five Possible stars. With Video Games, it's out of 10 possible points due to it being a different medium of entertainment with more things to it, than that of a film. So the first game review.

 

Dead Island - 5/10 - Xbox 360

 

Here's a game with a very interesting premise and great location to that premise, but is ultimately killed by it's own gameplay. Dead Island takes place on the Banoi Holiday island and follows a survivor (4 all together that are playable) that survived the initial epidemic that starts. From then on, it follows you in a style of storytelling that is similar to the games of the likes of Far Cry, Fallout, and Elder Scrolls, and by that, you go around looting things, killing undead enemies, and leveling up, all whilst doing the main quest line as well as long-running continuous quest line and side quests respectively. Now that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it can get tiring when you're pretty much going around being everyones B**** because they can't do it themselves, but then again, that's how most of these games are.

 

With repetitive gameplay, the combat system will frustrate you just as much as being everyones B****. You don't find guns until you are about half-way through with the game, and at that point all you do is swing around objects as weapons, but of course there's that lovely little stamina bar that will deplete and when it does, you get slapped into oblivion by a zombie. Sure you're stamina will recover in full by the time you get back up, but once you are back up, it's back to that same old combat fighting style. Once you find a decent weapon, it's not that decent as you will level, it will become useless, because ZOMBIES LEVEL UP. Yes, it does make it challenging, but then you are forced to upgrade that weapon and when you do, you're good, but then it becomes complete rubbish and you have to repair it. Go to a workbench and spend about $1K to fix it and you will soon realize that you don't have enough to possibly purchase a MediKit (Which is ridiculously overpriced to begin with.) The combat system becomes excruciatingly frustrating and you feel at times like just shutting down the game as a whole and never bothering since it pisses you off. It doesn't help that the zombies don't bite you or do other means that they do in movies and tv shows etc. Instead they full on practically try to box you which made me wonder if this was originally under development as "Fight Night Champion II: Zombies!".

 

Now the style and premise sounds promising and interesting, but the main storyline, filled with at times, incoherent cutscenes, isn't enough to cut it, as it is more of the same in games put out these days; "Hey, you look like somebody we can trust and ensure our lives with, be our B**** and help us get off this island)The game may be brutal with the gore and look spectacular, but ripping off elements from other games such as Resident Evil, Far Cry, Fallout, and Left 4 Dead, it will decrease with value before your very eyes.

 

FINAL VERDICT - Don't bother, it's just another zombie game that was made during the Walking Dead craze in an attempt to cash in on the zombie craze.

 

BioShock Infinite - 9.5/10

 

It's no secret I hated the first two games, but I rented this to merely check it out and I fell in love with it during the first hour of simply playing it. What made me love it? Everything! The artwork, graphics, the storyline, characters, EVERYTHING. It has elements that give it that BioShock feel, but as a whole, it feels like an entirely different game, and that's a good thing. For once, I didn't get irritated while playing a BioShock game.

 

FINAL VERDICT - Short and simple; Amazing game, and a near perfect experience before me. Better than the original two by miles ahead.

[seawolfnyy]

Dead Island (2011) - 4.5/10 Playstation 3

 

After seeing Ace's DI review, I decided I'd post my own. This game was created at the height of the zombie craze and really amounts to nothing more than a cheap cash-in. The game never delivered on it's promises that were made with that infamous announcement trailer. The story is generic zombie fair. The fictional island of Banoi in Papua New Guinea is infected with a virus turning it's scantily clad denizons into zombies. The story is weak and you spend most of the time completing repetitive fetch quests for the island's survivors who are too lame to do it themselves. The graphics are incredibly dated for a 2011 game. The game appears to be running on an ugly Call of Duty engine. You'd think for a game that spent 5 years in development, it would look better. The sound is poor and nothing more than a few boring guitar plucks and zombie grunts. The combat is very boring. All it amounts to is button mashing that gets marred by a stamina bar that runs out very fast. You can level up, but since the zombies also level up, it never makes you feel any stronger. Overall, Dead Island is a very generic and disappointing game. It is never much fun and becomes a big chore to get through. How it ever won any Game of the Year awards is beyond me. There are far better zombie games out there. Speaking of....

 

The Walking Dead: The Game (2012) - 9.0/10 Playstation 3

 

This game is The Last of Us, six months before The Last of Us was released. Set in the world of the comic books, The Walking Dead follows the story of Lee Everett, a convicted murderer, who escapes custody on the day of the outbreak. He meets up with a young girl, Clementine, and the two trek across Georgia in a desperate bid for survival. The game takes place over the course of 5 episodes and shows Lee and Clementine's interactions with others. The story is the game's strong point as it tells a poignant and touching tale. The developers chose to focus more on emotion and story and as a result the game is not really a horror game. While still only having one ending, the game relies heavily on the choices you make and the story will react accordingly. Some characters may live, others won't. Some events may not happen. It helps to make you feel as if you are driving the story, rather than just being along for the ride. The graphics are great and actually make the game look as if you are playing a comic that has come to life. Occasional frame rate issues can mar the immersion, but they aren't too bad and don't detract from the experience. The sound is incredible and the voice acting is superb. The gameplay is very reminiscent of Heavy Rain. It is an immersive point and click adventure with QTEs thrown in. For some it can be a turn off, but it works well here. Overall, The Walking Dead is one of the best uses of a media license for games in a long time. Telltale took great care to not only honor the license, but deliver one incredible game. This one should not be missed.

 

The Walking Dead: 400 Days (2013) - 8.0/10 Playstation 3

 

The story-based DLC for The Walking Dead is short and sweet. It introduces us to 5 new characters that will be appearing in The Walking Dead: Season Two. The story does enough to introduce us to these characters and make us care for them even if we barely spend 20 minutes with each one. I will admit that I thought this is one of the few good uses of DLC. 400 Days never feels like cut content (I'm looking at you Assassin's Creed II) and is just meant as a bridge between the 2 games. It isn't perfect and very much on the short side, but for $5 it is a good preclude to Season Two.

[elizabeth]

LA Noire (2011) - 9.5/10 Playstation 3

 

For me, being a big fan of the 40s and 50s, this game is perfect for me.  You have the ability to listen to oldies music on the radio, listen to news of the time period, and be a detective.  The game has an intricate plot, and just when you think none of the backstory will ever be important, it is.  Wicked sad ending, which I have to take half a point off for, but other than that, the game is perfect.

[x007AceOfSpades]

L.A. Noire is a fantastic game that is underrated in my opinion. It's so different that What Rockstar Games usually puts out. Never got bored once playing. Great game and requires every player's full undivided attention.

[elizabeth]

I agree.  It's so deserving of a sequel as well.

[seawolfnyy]

L.A. Noire is a fantastic game that is underrated in my opinion. It's so different that What Rockstar Games usually puts out. Never got bored once playing. Great game and requires every player's full undivided attention.

I think a big reason why it's so different from other Rockstar games is that Rockstar didn't actually make it. They only funded it. Team Bondi were the developers.

[PPK_19]

 

L.A. Noire is a fantastic game that is underrated in my opinion. It's so different that What Rockstar Games usually puts out. Never got bored once playing. Great game and requires every player's full undivided attention.

I think a big reason why it's so different from other Rockstar games is that Rockstar didn't actually make it. They only funded it. Team Bondi were the developers.

 

 

Loved the game. It's a shame that Team Bondi went into liquidation, bloody convicts. 

 

 

 

BioShock Infinite - 9.5/10

 

It's no secret I hated the first two games, but I rented this to merely check it out and I fell in love with it during the first hour of simply playing it. What made me love it? Everything! The artwork, graphics, the storyline, characters, EVERYTHING. It has elements that give it that BioShock feel, but as a whole, it feels like an entirely different game, and that's a good thing. For once, I didn't get irritated while playing a BioShock game.

 

FINAL VERDICT - Short and simple; Amazing game, and a near perfect experience before me. Better than the original two by miles ahead.

 

Totally in agreement.

No game's plot has ever got me so sucked into it as much as Bioshock Infinite's did. I hung on to every word in every cutscene. The skyhook was also terrific fun to use. It pisses all over Bioshock 2, which wasn't great. But quite a lot better than the first one, which was atmospheric but a rather claustrophobic experience.

 

Just waiting for GTA V and Watch Dogs to come out now! 

[x007AceOfSpades]

 

 

L.A. Noire is a fantastic game that is underrated in my opinion. It's so different that What Rockstar Games usually puts out. Never got bored once playing. Great game and requires every player's full undivided attention.

I think a big reason why it's so different from other Rockstar games is that Rockstar didn't actually make it. They only funded it. Team Bondi were the developers.

 

 

Loved the game. It's a shame that Team Bondi went into liquidation, bloody convicts. 

 

 

 

BioShock Infinite - 9.5/10

 

It's no secret I hated the first two games, but I rented this to merely check it out and I fell in love with it during the first hour of simply playing it. What made me love it? Everything! The artwork, graphics, the storyline, characters, EVERYTHING. It has elements that give it that BioShock feel, but as a whole, it feels like an entirely different game, and that's a good thing. For once, I didn't get irritated while playing a BioShock game.

 

FINAL VERDICT - Short and simple; Amazing game, and a near perfect experience before me. Better than the original two by miles ahead.

 

Totally in agreement.

No game's plot has ever got me so sucked into it as much as Bioshock Infinite's did. I hung on to every word in every cutscene. The skyhook was also terrific fun to use. It pisses all over Bioshock 2, which wasn't great. But quite a lot better than the first one, which was atmospheric but a rather claustrophobic experience.

 

Just waiting for GTA V and Watch Dogs to come out now! 

 

 

Except I could careless over the Skyhook...

[seawolfnyy]

I don't much care for the skyhook either lol.

 

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (2011) - 8.0/10 Nintendo 3DS

 

Ocarina of Time is arguably the greatest game of all-time. Released in 1998, it still blows many games that have come after it out of the water. Suffice to that OoT 3D would be a natural progression of that. Yes and no. While it is still Ocarina of Time, it's not quite the same. It's Ocarina of Time, but with better (albeit not much better) graphics, new controls and, of course, 3D. Personally, the 3D does absolutely nothing for me. I've always seen it as a gimmick and never as one that has been properly implemented. The updated graphics are a nice touch, but for a 2011 game, I'd like to think that Nintendo could've done better. Granted, the 3DS does not have the raw power of the Vita or the Wii U, but I daresay they could've at least made the game look as good as Twilight Princess. Also, the controls are much more finicky than they used to be. The Zelda games were some of the best at making use of the bizarre N64 controller. Everything felt natural and playing the Ocarina felt as easy as pie. Not so with OoT 3D. The controls are not as precise and are mapped differently. Instead of having the C-Buttons, you now must either map your items to the X/Y buttons and also to 2 buttons on the touch screen. It isn't a major problem, however, it can be jarring to have to look at the touch screen to pick what you need as it also slows down your response time. Playing the Ocarina is also much more of a chore now. Before, the notes made sense with where they were mapped too. With the 3DS, there is no rhyme or reason as to which buttons are used for which notes making it much more annoying to play any of the songs.

Despite these gripes, Ocarina of Time 3D is still the game that we know and love. The story is just as engaging as ever. The dungeons are still and fun and it is still just as enjoyable to get the Biggoron's Sword now as it was 15 years ago. Unlike the original version though, this one does have a noticeable lack of polish that Zelda games just don't have. For those that have already played OoT, there are better versions out there and there is no reason to waste money on a 3DS and game to play this one. If you haven't played Ocarina of Time yet, then you've more than likely just woken up from a long coma. But you haven't, then OoT is a great way to spend a weekend.

[Janus Assassin]

Madden and NHL 13 have been my extent as of late. Still need to play BioShock Infinite. Wasn't too impressed with Assassins Creed 3. I was hooked on the Fallout games for years until they recently froze and won't ever work on my 360.

[seawolfnyy]

Madden and NHL 13 have been my extent as of late. Still need to play BioShock Infinite. Wasn't too impressed with Assassins Creed 3. I was hooked on the Fallout games for years until they recently froze and won't ever work on my 360.

You're not the only one who wasn't impressed with Assassin's Creed III. The only part I really liked were the naval battles....and they were excellent.

[Iceskater101]

My boyfriend bought me Bioshock Infinite so now I am going to try it.

[x007AceOfSpades]

Finishing up on State Of Decay, or so I think. Working on beating Sleeping Dogs soon, and still need to play Need For Speed: Most Wanted 2012, which I got and still haven't played yet.

 

 

My boyfriend bought me Bioshock Infinite so now I am going to try it.

 

Have fun!

[Iceskater101]

I have to admit, after playing through Infinite, I am not sure that I like it that much. I just think that it isn't as engaging (story wise) as Bioshock 1 and 2. I haven't finished it, so I will put up my full review once I have completed finished the story, but as of right now.. I am not sure if I like it all that much.

[seawolfnyy]

I have to admit, after playing through Infinite, I am not sure that I like it that much. I just think that it isn't as engaging (story wise) as Bioshock 1 and 2. I haven't finished it, so I will put up my full review once I have completed finished the story, but as of right now.. I am not sure if I like it all that much.

Trust me, FINISH IT!

[x007AceOfSpades]

 

I have to admit, after playing through Infinite, I am not sure that I like it that much. I just think that it isn't as engaging (story wise) as Bioshock 1 and 2. I haven't finished it, so I will put up my full review once I have completed finished the story, but as of right now.. I am not sure if I like it all that much.

Trust me, FINISH IT!

 

 

Second this!

[elizabeth]

Madden and NHL 13 have been my extent as of late. Still need to play BioShock Infinite. Wasn't too impressed with Assassins Creed 3. I was hooked on the Fallout games for years until they recently froze and won't ever work on my 360.

Chel 13 is wicked impressive.  Heck, both are wicked impressive, as someone who grew up playing Madden and Chel on the N64.  It just makes you think how far gaming technology has come.

 

As for me, I've been playing Grand Theft Auto 4 and GTA:  Ballad of Gay Tony.  I've never played a GTA game before these (except for once, but I didn't really understand it/know how to play), and honestly, they're a lot of fun, sometimes challenging, but always fun.

[PPK_19]

 

As for me, I've been playing Grand Theft Auto 4 and GTA:  Ballad of Gay Tony.  I've never played a GTA game before these (except for once, but I didn't really understand it/know how to play), and honestly, they're a lot of fun, sometimes challenging, but always fun.

 

 

Good lord. You haven't lived!

[x007AceOfSpades]

 

 

As for me, I've been playing Grand Theft Auto 4 and GTA:  Ballad of Gay Tony.  I've never played a GTA game before these (except for once, but I didn't really understand it/know how to play), and honestly, they're a lot of fun, sometimes challenging, but always fun.

 

 

Good lord. You haven't lived!

 

 

I disagree. 4 is a decent entry.

[PPK_19]

 

 

 

As for me, I've been playing Grand Theft Auto 4 and GTA:  Ballad of Gay Tony.  I've never played a GTA game before these (except for once, but I didn't really understand it/know how to play), and honestly, they're a lot of fun, sometimes challenging, but always fun.

 

 

Good lord. You haven't lived!

 

 

I disagree. 4 is a decent entry.

 

 

What i meant was I couldn't believe elizabeth hadn't played a GTA game before. I didn't mind 4, just thought the missions were a bit bland.

[x007AceOfSpades]

 

 

 

 

As for me, I've been playing Grand Theft Auto 4 and GTA:  Ballad of Gay Tony.  I've never played a GTA game before these (except for once, but I didn't really understand it/know how to play), and honestly, they're a lot of fun, sometimes challenging, but always fun.

 

 

Good lord. You haven't lived!

 

 

I disagree. 4 is a decent entry.

 

 

What i meant was I couldn't believe elizabeth hadn't played a GTA game before. I didn't mind 4, just thought the missions were a bit bland.

 

 

It's believable. Several of my friends aren't into GTA or haven't played a single GTA game before.

[Iceskater101]

Bioshock Infinite My review!

 

My first post about this game was that I didn't like this game. It was hard for me to like this game at first because it wasn't Rapture. I loved the first and the second Bioshock games and when I found out that they weren't using Rapture, I was pretty crushed. When I first started to play this game, I couldn't connect with the characters, the world of Columbia and the story. However, the more the game went on, the more it started to pick up that by the end, I have much more respect for this game and I actually enjoyed some of it.

Columbia is not like Rapture at all. It's very beautiful and everyone seems really happy in Columbia where Rapture is a very dark disolate place. I do give a lot of respect to the game designers for creating such a rich and powerful world that has a lot to explore and keeps the gamer occupied.

 

As many of you know from already playing the game, you play as Booker DeWitt. At the start of the game, you are entering a lighthouse going to rescue a girl named Elizabeth. You are doing this to repay some old gambling debts that you acquired before the start of the game. Once you get to Columbia, which is a city that floats far up in the sky. Columbia is ruled by Father Comstock, a prophet and he is pretty respected in Columbia. He will ultimately be the villain in this game that you are trying to defeat. Now on to Elizabeth. Her whole life she has been shut in a tower by Father Comstock and your job is to rescue her. Elizabeth can pick locks for you but she can also find salts/heath/ammo when you truly need it in battle. There is another unique power that Elizabeth can do as well which I won't go into too much.

 

The first part of the game for me wasn't too exciting.. which is why I said I didn't like it. Towards the middle of the game I actually started to enjoy this game and by the end I was pleasantly surprised. Do I feel that Bioshock Infinte is better than Bioshock?

NO!!!!!!!!!!

Never never never never never never. I am pretty passionate about that. It is better than the second one but not the first. It is worth a play through though and it's a nice game for some achievement hunting as well.

 

 

Final Score: 7.5/10

[seawolfnyy]

Nice review, Iceskater. I will admit that Infinite does have it's faults. The gameplay isn't as refined as some other games, namely Bioshock 1. The vigors don't really add anything to the game and are, for the most part, useless. The endless firefights can get ridiculous too (a major problem that it seems to have learned from Uncharted). Also, it does seem to drag somewhat in the second act. But what really makes the game is the ending.

 

 

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T FINISHED BIOSHOCK INFINITE. I'M NOT GOING TO USE SPOILER TAGS, SO SKIP THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T BEATEN BIOSHOCK INFINITE.

 

 

Anyway, as I said, the ending is what makes Bioshock Infinite. While the middle does drag, it almost seems intended. We are meant to feel as confused as Booker does. But the last 15 minutes clears everything up and if you've paid attention, it's explained by the very first voxophone. Elizabeth is Anna, Booker's daughter and Booker is Comstock and we know that Booker must die before he chooses the baptism as it's the only way to stop Comstock from ever existing. It's powerful and fitting, but it runs much deeper than that. In my opinion at least, I took the revelation of Booker and Comstock's lineage to show how this potential for greatness is in all of us. It's all about choice. Our choices make us who we are. They define us. For Booker, in one world (or millions) he rejected the baptism. He thought that "a dunk in the river won't change the things he's done." However, in other worlds he accepted the baptism. He embraced his rebirth and his past. He found greatness, but it corrupted him. Booker realized this too, I think. Even though Booker rejected the baptism, the potential for him to be Comstock is still there. It's in him. It always was. It shows that, despite what we may think, there's infinite potential for how we can turn out. We aren't born inherently good or evil. We aren't born hating a group of people for their skin color or their sexual orientation, but under the right circumstances we can be taught that. It's the idea that one choice can unlock something that you never knew was there. This is the beauty in Infinite's ending. We see this happening to Booker, but it could just as easily happen to any of us.

[Iceskater101]

I thought the ending really was worth playing through the whole game to witness. I mean by the couple last chapters I was guessing at what could be happening at the end which is something that I love that a video game can bring to the table. I think the second act really is better than the first act of this game. I am also not saying that this was a badly made game.. it is a piece of art but I don't think it was my cup of tea. I am glad that I was able to play it.