As shameful as it is for me to say, I had not, until just recently, ever read The Hobbit or The Fellowship of the Ring (or, for that matter, the other two volumes of The Lord of the Rings). I'm not sure why I never read them. Perhaps it's because I heard from some people that the books were hard to read. Well, I'm finally getting around to reading them, and I must say that I've enjoyed them thoroughly. Here are some thoughts:
The Hobbit
Though technically not a part of the The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit is clearly where it all starts. As such, I read this book first, and I'm glad I did. Reading this story first provides a great deal of context for things learned in Fellowship. I particularly loved the way the book was written: it always seemed to me like an old man was telling me the story as we sat around a camp fire. Often the narrator would go off on a tangent, then later realize that he had gotten onto a tangent, and would finally have to apologize to you, the reader. Very enjoyable. The one thing I didn't like about this story was the abrupt ending. After the climax is a single chapter, wrapping up a number of threads in a short period of time. Such a jarring transition seems detrimental to the whole story on some level. Overall, however, a terrific story.
The Fellowship of the Ring
This is by far one of the best books I've read in a long time. Tolkien's command of the English language is outstanding, as is his inventiveness. Every character feels alive and their interactions are wonderful to experience. My absolute favorite scene is at the parting of the Company with Galadriel and Celeborn from Lothlórien. Galadriel gives each member of the Fellowship a gift, and she asks Gimli, the dwarf, what he would like. At first he says he wants nothing, but she presses him, so he answers that a single hair from her head would be his heart's desire. He then continues to assert that he doesn't want this; he's only saying so because she commanded him to speak. Here is her reply:
The Elves stirred and murmured with astonishment, and Celeborn gazed at the Dwarf in wonder, but the Lady smiled. "It is said that the skill of the Dwarves is in their hands rather than in their tongues," she said; "yet that is not true of Gimli. For none have ever made to me a request so bold and yet so courteous."
She then asks Gimli what he would do with such a gift, and he replies that he would simply treasure it, in memory of her words to him at their first meeting. This pleases her, so she gives him not one hair, but three. Gimli takes them and vows to have them set in an imperishable crystal to be an heirloom in his house, and a token of goodwill between the Dwarves and the Elves until the end of time.
Scenes like this one are peppered throughout the text, and are truly wonderful to take part in. I'm greatly looking forward to the next two books, even though I know how the story plays out.
Having played through it a few times now, I thought I'd post a few thoughts on Torchlight, the action role-playing game I've talked about a time or two here on the site. For those who don't already know, the game is essentially a Diablo 2 clone (with, what I would argue, are terrific updates). Read on for my take on this title.
The Good
Diablo 2 Clone
Few would dispute that Diablo 2 is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) action RPG's ever created. Often times, clones of stellar titles like that are weak. Thankfully, with Torchlight, that's not the case. Many of the developers who created Torchlight worked on Diablo 2, so they know how to make a triple-A title. All of that know-how has been put to good use here. At some level, Torchlight feels like a re-imagining of Diablo 2. It's as if the developers simply brought the look and feel into the 21st century, and that's a terrific thing.
Loot, Loot, and More Loot
By far one of the best attributes of this game is all of the loot that enemies drop. Magical items are great fun to find, and they drop with just enough frequency to hook you into looking for that rare, unique item. Set items are equally fun to find. This feature alone makes this game a collector's dream.
Great Performance
The game runs like a dream on my system, and works well on nearly all systems (so I've read). A netbook mode is even included to boost performance for older or underpowered systems. Being able to run the game on older hardware is a terrific design decision, especially in this age of ultra-realistic looking titles.
Great Looks
Despite it's ability to run on older hardware, Torchlight looks great. The cartoony atmosphere is fun to look at, and nearly all magic spells and character abilities result in terrific visual delights. Things can sometimes get confusing (especially when battling large groups of monsters), but in the end, the chaos adds to the fun.
Pets
I've already written about this terrific addition to the game, so I won't rehash it again. In short, this feature had better be in every action RPG from here on out!
Randomized Levels
With only a few exceptions (boss levels, mostly), all of the games levels are randomized. As a result, no two characters will ever see the same level layout twice. I've run across several traps and sights on my second and third times through that I didn't see before. There's no telling what I have yet to see, which I think is great.
It's Cheap
At only $20, how can you possibly say no to this game?
The Bad
Difficulty Scaling
Difficulty in this game is, on the whole, quite easy. But it scales in a strangely uneven way. On my initial play through, I played on the "Hard" difficulty level, and I was able to defeat all but one of the bosses with ease. The final boss is so much harder than all the previous bosses that the change is quite jarring. Likewise, all of the general enemies are very easy to up to the final boss level. All of the subsequent levels (in the never-ending (?) Shadow Vault) are substantially more difficult. This unevenness is hard to justify.
Weak (and Short) Story
The story is fairly weak, and relatively short (only about 30 levels worth of the game), but were we really playing this for the story? No, we probably weren't.
Only Three Classes
There are only three player classes you can experience: Vanquisher, Alchemist, and Destroyer. A few extra classes would have been welcome.
Skill Point Redistributions
If you do a bad job of distributing your skill points in the game, the final boss can become essentially impossible (as I found out on my first play through). There's a semi-official mod available that adds a "respec" potion to the game, allowing you to redistribute your points at will. At some level, having this ability from the get-go would have been welcome (though, it admittedly would make the game even easier).
The Verdict
This game is pure fun, no doubt about it. The price couldn't be better for what you get. I've played through the game with 2 of the 3 classes so far (I'm currently working my through with the last of the 3, the Alchemist), and I'm looking forward to going through again, trying different character builds in the process.
A month or so ago, I looked on the Car Talk website (official web home of the popular radio show) for a recommended mechanic in my area. One of the highest rated shops happened to be just up the road from my workplace, at the corner of NC Hwy 55 and NC Hwy 54: Wasp Automotive. I've been to them twice now, once for my 120K tuneup and once today for a check-engine light problem (which turned out to be a problem with my car's emissions system).
I can't say enough positive things about this shop. At my 120K tuneup, the mechanic pointed out that my brakes had about 8 or 10 thousand more miles on them, so he recommended holding off on changing them. He gave me the same advice for my timing belt, which had about 15,000 more miles on it. It's the rare place, especially in today's economy, that would advise you to not give them your money.
Today, while waiting on my complimentary ride to work (a nice perk), I fired up my laptop and discovered that they have a wireless access point! I quickly started my company VPN connection, and hopped online to check my email. Incredible!
The folks at Wasp automotive are friendly, the service is extremely fast, and the prices are very reasonable. If you're in the Triangle area of North Carolina and you want a great mechanic, check them out. You won't be disappointed.
Way back in January, I bit the bullet and signed up for an account at Mint.com, a free, web-based personal finance tool. Moving into a new house had brought with it a substantial amount of financial responsibility, and I wanted an easy way to track where my money was going. Now that I've been using it for 7 months or so, I thought I'd post a few thoughts on the service.
Security
Before I get too far into my description of the service, let me talk about security (which was my number one concern when I joined). When you sign up for an account at Mint.com, you give them your personal login credentials for things like your bank account, credit card, mortgage, etc. I'll give you a moment to recover from your heart attack. Now that you're back, let's go over how Mint keeps that information safe. First of all, Mint collects no personally identifying information. When you sign up, all they ask for is:
An email address (your user ID)
A password
A zip code
That's it. No name, no social security number, no address; none of that. Second, and most importantly in my opinion, is the fact that Mint is a read-only service. You cannot pay bills via Mint, you cannot transfer money via Mint, and you cannot withdraw money via Mint. The service is intended to be used as an organization and analyzing tool.
Third, Mint stores your usernames and passwords separately from your financial data. In other words, your credentials are stored on separate physical servers. All of this is handled with the same security used by banks for electronic transactions (in fact, the software being used behind the scenes is, in many cases, the exact same software being used by banks on a daily basis). Even though you're providing login information, I like the fact that, at any time, I can change my login info to essentially lock out the Mint service. If Mint ever gets hacked, it's just a matter of changing my passwords at my various financial institutions to keep any "bad guys" out.
The security page at Mint.com has lots more information, along with a video from the CEO describing how their security works in more detail. I recommend checking it out.
Budgeting and Cash Flow
For most folks, the meat and potatoes of Mint.com comes in its budgeting and cash flow tools. Mint allows you to set a budget for various categories each month, and it will even modify your budget over time as it analyzes your spending habits (which I think is a great feature). I only casually use budgets, so I'm going to gloss over that part of the site for now.
One of my favorite parts of Mint is the cash flow analysis graph. Unfortunately, this graph is limited to six months at a time (I wish I could specify a larger duration, such as a year). I'm hoping that Mint will improve this functionality, but for now I can live with it. Here's a snapshot of my cash flow graph as of last night (the values have been censored to protect the innocent):
With this handy graph, I can see whether or not I'm making money each month. As you can see, March was a great month for me income-wise, thanks to a first-time home buyer's loan, and a sizable return on my taxes. The following month was a net loss since I made an extra mortgage payment (again, thanks to that sizable income in March). And each month since that time, I've been saving more than I spend (August is in the red, but I haven't been paid yet). When I log into my Mint account, this is the first graph I look at and the one I find most interesting.
Transactions
The other most useful view to me is the Transactions view. It lists all of the transactions in all of your accounts: withdrawals from ATMs, purchases you've made on your credit cards, interest earned in your bank accounts, etc. In this view you can categorize various purchases and filter the data a number of ways. Rules can be created to automatically rename and categorize recurring transactions. Think of it as a ledger specifying each and every transaction that happens. I personally use this view to keep track of whether or not I've made certain payments, and to keep track of how much interest I'm earning each month in my bank accounts.
Alerts
Mint makes it easy to set up alerts for various things. I have several alerts set up to watch for unusual spending. For example, whenever a very large transaction comes through (> $1000, for example), I can get an email or text message. This capability is very useful for keeping an eye on your accounts, allowing you to quickly respond to transactions that you may not have made. I consider this an extra safety net in watching for stolen credit card information, a hacked bank account, etc. You can also elect to get weekly summary emails, making it easy to keep tabs on your funds without even having to log in.
Spending Trends
Spending trends is a great way to see how your money is divided up each month. Here's a snapshot of my spending trends for this month (it's admittedly not as exciting as a full month's worth of data would be):
I pay the vast majority of my bills at the beginning of the month, which accounts for the large chunk of money being sent to that category so far. Usually, my mortgage payment (filed under the 'Home' category) is the largest chunk, but I have yet to make that payment this month. As I said, the more data you have for a month, and the more categories are represented, the more interesting this pie chart becomes. It's cool to see where the bulk of your expenses goes each month.
It's also worth pointing out that the graph is interactive. Click a slice of the pie, and the chart will zoom into that slice, and break down how that slice is, itself, broken up. Very slick.
One other spending view that Mint offers is the "SpendSpace" view. I rarely use this, but it's occasionally fun to look at. Here is my grocery spending over the past six months as compared to other folks in North Carolina:
As you can see, I spend way less than the average family for groceries (which makes sense, seeing as I'm only feeding myself). The missing data for July is odd; either the data has yet to be loaded up, or no one in North Carolina bought groceries in July. I'm guessing it's the latter. ;-)
Minor Gripes
I only have a few gripes with Mint. Every so often, Mint will have trouble connecting to my bank accounts. This can occasionally become an annoyance, especially when the connection failures last for a few days. All of the problems eventually clear up, however, and the service catches up with all the transactions it missed in the mean time.
There are ways the tool could be improved. I wish the cash flow view allowed you to view longer periods of time, and I've seen people calling for a cash flow predictor, which is an interesting idea. The folks at Mint seem willing to listen to the public, which is great. Hopefully some of these improvements will show up at some point in the future.
Conclusion
Overall, I'm incredibly pleased with Mint. There are plenty of other features that I haven't listed here, many of which you may find useful (learn more at the Mint features page). Signing up for an account is free and easy, as long as you're willing to provide your financial login information.
When I moved into my house last year, I bought an LG front-load washing machine. Having never owned or operated a front-load washer, I didn't quite know what to expect. For those who don't already know, front-load washing machines typically spin clothes at a very high rate of speed (mine tops out at 1050 RPM), removing a large amount of excess water in the process. This high speed spin process usually results in substantial vibration. The problem is compounded when the washer is located in an upstairs room (as mine is), and not on a solid, ground level floor (I've read that concrete floors are ideal).
Not knowing about this at the time, I was really surprised to see that my entire house vibrated when I washed a load of laundry. The shaking and noise got bad enough that I decided to look into solutions to the problem. I read some about vibration reducing pads online, and picked up a set at a local home improvement store (for about $30, if I remember correctly). After installing the pads with the help of my dad, I noted an improvement in the amount of vibration in the floor. However, the vibration was still bad enough to cause some sympathetic vibrations in my dryer (a major source of noise, oddly enough). Also, these pads were flat on top, so the washer tended to 'walk' off of them when a load was particularly unbalanced. Like before, the problem became bad enough to look for another solution.
I found another pair of pads online that had good reviews, and picked up a set (here's a link: Good Vibrations Washing Machine Pads). These pads are round, not square like the others I had bought, and have a recessed area for the foot of the washing machine.
Wow! Not only does the washer no longer walk off of the pads (thanks to that recessed area), but the vibration in the floor has been reduced by what seems like an order of magnitude! My dryer no longer suffers from "sympathetic-vibration-syndrome," and the entire wash cycle is noticeably quieter. A set of four pads are $36.95 as of this writing (plus shipping). The sellers accept PayPal, so if you've got some money stored up (like I did, thanks to a recent donation to Born Geek), you can pick up a set pretty easily.
If you've got a front-load washer and have issues with large vibrations, I recommend the "Good Vibrations" pads. They work remarkably well.
I recently purchased a copy of Far Cry 2 on Steam. Oddly enough, Far Cry 2 has nothing to do with the first Far Cry, save for the name. Crytek, the original game's developer, wasn't involved in the development of Far Cry 2, so I'm confused as to why this game is billed as the true sequel. Other than the standard first person shooter tropes, the two have very little (if anything) in common.
To me, Far Cry 2 resembles the Grand Theft Auto series more than any traditional first person shooter. The mission design feels similar, as do many of the game mechanics. But in the long run, how does the game fare? Here's my review.
The Good
Sandbox Style Gameplay
I'm a sucker for sandbox games, especially when it comes to the FPS genre. Being given the freedom to attack a problem in a number of ways opens the door for replayability, as well as adding a sense of realism to the game. Far Cry 2 provides that experience to a point, and I had fun exploiting it as much as I could.
African Milieu
To my knowledge, no other game has presented the player with a setting like this. Many of the locales feel authentic, and there are certain moments when you can seemingly feel the surroundings (sunrises and sunsets in this game are particularly well done). Kudos for whoever made the call to set the game in this part of the world. It's refreshing to see something new.
Attempt at Realism
I'll give credit to the game developers for trying to make the game a little more realistic than some similar titles. Weapons degrade over time (arguably too quickly). Vehicles need repair as they take damage. Your view is restricted while driving (i.e. you can't swivel your head around). And your character occasionally must perform first-aid on himself when he's taken too much damage.
Grenade Launchers == Fun
Of all the weapons in the game, my personal favorite has to be the grenade launcher. It feels tremendously powerful, especially when it's mounted on the back of an assault truck. Drive around with one of these things and you will own your surroundings. Just make sure not to aim too closely to where you are standing.
Excellent Fire Mechanic
Far Cry 2 is the first game I've ever seen that uses a fire propagation mechanic. Set fire to dry vegetation and it will spread in the direction the wind blows. This can be used in clever ways to hem in the enemy, though this tactic isn't exploited in the game as it should be. Some missions designed around this would have been fun.
The Bad
Repetitive Missions
Mission design in Far Cry 2 is as bland as it gets. All of the arms dealer missions are the exact same setup (destroy a convoy somewhere on the map). All of the assassination missions are (you guessed it) assassinations of a person in various locations. And the main missions aren't much different. It's all either fetch an item, kill a person, or destroy some object.
Simplistic Game Mechanics
The mechanics of this game are very simple and feel like a console GTA clone. Usable objects flash slowly in the game, and there are only a few of those: ammunition, weapons, health kits, and save points (the latter of which seems redundant, seeing as you can save anywhere in the PC edition of the game). Driving vehicles is simple, but for some reason enemies can drive faster than you possibly can. A lot of the game feels dumbed down which is a shame.
Drab Color Palette
The color palette used in this game could hardly be more boring. Each locale is either brown or green; if you've seen one location, you've seen them all. The HDR lighting doesn't help in this regard. Outdoor scenes feel flat due to the bright sunlight, and indoor scenes are dark and dank due to the lack of sunlight.
Nonexistent Stealth Mechanic
There are a few weapons in the game with silencers, and the player can also purchase a camouflaged "stealth suit." But none of these features seem to make your character more stealthy. Enemies always seem to know where you are and it's hard to 'lose' them once they've detected you. This removes an aspect of Far Cry and Crysis that I loved the most: being able to hide from your attackers, regroup, and attack again from a new location. An honest-to-God stealth element would have made this game so much more fun.
Bland Weapon and Vehicle Design
For the most part, the weapons and vehicles in Far Cry 2 all feel the same. Sure the weapons may sound a little different, but they rarely have a noticeable difference in handling. For example, every machine gun seems to do the same amount of damage as the others. With the amount of choice given to the player from a weapons standpoint (there are bunch of weapons to unlock), you'd think the developers would have made them feel different. To make matters worse, a few weapons are even nearly impossible to use. The mortar is a prime example of this; there's no clear way to aim the shells, so the weapon is quickly rendered useless.
Malaria
Your player contracts Malaria at the beginning of the game, and keeps it until the end. The sickness is manifested by random "hallucination" sequences, making it hard to do anything until you pop a few pills to stave off the attack. Getting sick in a game like this is an interesting idea, but this implementation is poorly done.
Weak Story, Ending, and Voice Acting
Weak stories are commonplace among FPS's, so it should come as no surprise that the Far Cry 2 story is very weak. The ending of the game is equally as bad, and a real let down after spending many hours in the game world. Voice acting was atrocious across the board (one of the worst efforts I've ever heard). I would have rather read the dialog than hear actors read it to me in monotone.
The Verdict
This game had a lot going for it, but in the end I was mostly let down. Thankfully, I only paid $20 for it.
Reading Watchmen is, for me, akin to looking at the Mona Lisa. In my heart of hearts, I know it's a masterpiece, but I just don't like it. My main problem with Watchmen, and a problem I'm increasingly having with LOST (which I'm trying to catch up on), is that there's no hope for the characters. I have absolutely no reason to root for the characters in Watchmen; they're the saddest group of people in the world. The story is overly complex, the pacing erratic, and the tone is way too preachy for my liking.
I know lots of folks out there adore this story, but I say 'skip it.'
Here's another home related product review. Before I jump into it, however, let me tell you a story.
Several years ago, my mom wanted to get a new vacuum cleaner. Her current one had served her well for a number of years, but was nearing the end of its life. My dad, sister, and I decided to get her a Dyson Animal for Christmas (we got her one of the older models; the one linked to is a newer one). It was quite expensive (~$400 if I remember correctly), but we wanted to splurge and get my mom something nice, so we did. On Christmas eve, my mom vacuumed the living room with her old vacuum, and everyone went to bed. The next morning, we got up and opened our presents. After all of our packages were opened, my mom wanted to try out the new vacuum, and did so on the freshly vacuumed floor from the previous night. To our surprise, one pass of the Dyson over the carpet actually made it look cleaner. She continued to vacuum the whole room, and in the end, the canister was completely full of cat hair, dust, and dirt! Needless to say, we were sold on the Dyson line of vacuums.
The Dyson line has improved since those early days, and the new Dyson DC25 uses a ball to handle steering. After reading a bunch of reviews for it and its smaller brother (the DC24), I decided to go with the DC25. Every review I read was highly positive, so I broke down and bought one.
Just after I moved in, I had the carpets professionally dry-cleaned (the former owners had several pets). The guy did a great job, and the carpet looked much better once he was done. Remembering my mother's experience with the Animal, however, I decided to give the carpets another cleaning with the DC25. I ended up emptying the canister twice! I was shocked at how much pet hair and dirt the professional cleaning left behind. Not only did my carpets look better at the house, the whole house smelled better! The ball really is amazing to use (a flick of the wrist is all that's needed to steer the vacuum), and it's much lighter than my mom's older Animal. Setup was very easy: a total of 4 clicks was all that was needed to get things going. And cleanup is a cinch; one button allows you to disconnect the canister from the vacuum, while another allows you to dump the contents into the trash, all with one hand!
This vacuum has a few drawbacks, however. First of all, it's very expensive, much more so than its competition. I personally think the cost is worth it, considering how well my experience with this line has been in the past. But it may be a little off-putting for most people. Second, the documentation that comes with the vacuum is sorely lacking. I was really disappointed with the poor quality, and was hoping for something a little more substantial. Next, the packaging ends up being a mountain of cardboard. It's all recyclable, of course, but the amount of cardboard that came in the box was pretty crazy. Finally, the cord feels a little shorter than the one on my mom's Animal. This isn't a big problem, but a few extra feet would have been appreciated.
All in all, I'm quite happy with my purchase. I was pleasantly surprised at how much dirt and debris the vacuum picked up, and I'm glad I gave my house another once-over with it. If you're willing to pay the high price, you won't be disappointed with the Dyson DC25. It gets a solid A+ from me.
I just completed the seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Without a doubt, this final volume is the pinnacle of the series. The narrative is unlike any of the previous installments, and reads like a non-stop action movie. And while I'm on the topic of movies, I will go ahead and predict that the feature film for this story will not do it the appropriate justice. To fully appreciate this story, and the overall arc of the boy wizard, one must spend time with the books.
I'll admit that I was apprehensive of going into this final story; a little scared, even. A great sense of foreboding precedes the reader into this final volume, and never once lets go. My nerves are pretty shot as a result (J. K. Rowling is truly a master of the cliffhanger). Thankfully, I can say that the finale is well worth the journey through seven years in the life of Harry Potter.
Completing this series is difficult. I've become friends with the characters in these books, and to know that their adventures are over is a little sad. But, as I mentioned in a recent post, the reading bug has bitten me once again, and I look forward to delving into other worlds.
If you haven't read this series, pick it up. If you think the series is just for younger readers, think again. And if you're persistent enough to read through all seven volumes, you will be rewarded. I feel safe enough to say that these books now rank among my favorites, and will hold a treasured spot on my book shelves.
Back in November, I picked up a Kensington Digital FM Transmitter for my iPod Classic. And on my way back from Dustin and Sarah's wedding yesterday (congratulations, you guys!), it occurred to me that I hadn't yet posted a review of the device.
Having never used an FM transmitter before, I was unsure about the reception quality. Thankfully, this specific Kensington model is top notch. It's rare that I encounter static, and I've noted that it most often happens when driving under a particularly large overpass. The audio quality is excellent, though I find that I have to turn up the volume on my car stereo a little higher than I normally would with the corresponding audio CD. This might simply be related to the compression that MP3's provide, but it's a minor nuisance.
The unit provides 3 preset buttons, which is very useful to lock in multiple unused stations. This feature was really handy when I went to the mountains last Thanksgiving; one of the preset stations I was using in the RTP area was being used in the Asheville area, and switching was simply a matter of pressing a button (and then tuning to the right place on the receiver).
While your iPod is attached, the unit charges the battery. Unfortunately, there's no option to not charge the battery, which would be useful for battery conditioning purposes. I don't use this unit every day, so this minor problem doesn't impact me as much. One other minor annoyance is that the iPod-style connector doesn't lock into place. This makes it much easier for the cable to fall out, though I have only seen this happen a time or two.
Overall, I really like this unit. According to the Amazon product page, this particular model is being phased out and replaced by the Kensington LiquidFM Transmitter, which has much lower reviews. If you want one of these models, I suggest picking it up ASAP. You will not be disappointed.
I completed Crysis yesterday, so I thought I would post a few quick thoughts on my experience:
What I Liked
As can be expected, the graphics in this game are insane. The jungle atmosphere is spot-on, physics are incredible, lighting is superb, and character modeling is excellent. Visually, this game is a real treat to play.
The nano-suit which the player wears is an interesting game play mechanic. 'Health' is handled via the nano-suit, and the abilities which the suit provides (speed, strength, armor, and cloak) are fun to play with.
Level design is excellent. All of the locations feel incredibly realistic, and there's a ton to explore. I'll probably play through the game once more just to fully explore each map, because I know there's a ton of stuff I missed.
What I Didn't Like
Crysis isn't near as long as Far Cry, which really disappointed me. Likewise, the maps in Crysis aren't as large either.
Crysis has an incredibly weak story line, much like Far Cry did. This comes as no surprise, especially in the FPS genre, but I was hoping for a little more meat than what I was given.
Again, just like Far Cry, the game turns into a battle against alien forces. I really enjoyed battling the human forces in the early parts of this game, and I wish Crytek had stuck to that theme. The later alien-based levels are, for the most part, not very fun. Why can't we get a game that uses this style engine and doesn't devolve into a 'save-the-world-from-alien-attack' kind of story? Perhaps Far Cry 2 will provide the kind of experience I'm looking for.
Difficulty is really uneven. I played through on the 'Normal' difficulty, and found myself stuck at a few places (though I never got stuck permanently). Some battles are surprisingly easy, while others are incredibly hard to survive.
Some of the vehicles the player gets to drive are woefully difficult to maneuver, which is frustrating. I'm not entirely sure why this is, because the vehicles in Far Cry were a pleasure to drive.
This game is a system hog. I played at 1280x1024 on the High setting (no anti-aliasing or anything fancy), and there were still a few moments where things really chugged (entering and exiting buildings especially). Overall my experience was smooth, but these moments of stuttering killed some of the immersion factor.
I'm not sure if I can recommend this game or not. It's worth playing through for the eye candy, but some of the game's frustrations cancel out that fun. My final verdict for Crysis? C+
Never before I have felt so connected to a Penny Arcade comic. I recently picked up Professor Layton and the Curious Village, a puzzle-adventure game for the Nintendo DS. After roughly 10 hours of game play, I've completed the game, so I thought I'd post some thoughts on it. Before we get to that, however, I'd like to explain how this game works.
Professor Layton is one of those hybrid titles like Puzzle Quest. It is neither an adventure game, nor is it a puzzle game; it's somewhere right in the middle. Layton himself is a private detective of sorts who is hired to figure out a puzzling will left behind by the late Baron Reinhold. Along with his assistant Luke, Layton quickly finds himself in an ever-increasing mysterious situation. There are twists and turns all over the place, and plenty of mysteries to be solved in the process.
Each person you meet will give you clues to the ever increasing list of mysteries you encounter, but only if you solve a puzzle for them. And by puzzle, I mostly mean 'brain teaser.' The puzzle difficulties are all over the place in this game. Some puzzles are easy to solve, while others will have you banging your head against a hard surface in frustration. There's a hint system in the game that offers you three hints per puzzle, which is often enough to help you figure things out, but sometimes the hints are themselves quite cryptic. Getting a hint costs you a 'hint coin,' of which there are a limited amount (though plenty are hidden throughout the game world). When you solve a puzzle successfully, you are awarded a number of 'picarats' (essentially points). Each puzzle is worth so many of these picarats, with harder puzzles being worth more. Answer incorrectly and the value awarded goes down. I'm not sure what this point system is good for. At one point you learn that if you get enough of these picarats, something special happens. I never saw anything happen as a result of my score, so I must not have gotten enough. But enough about these details. Let's jump into my review.
The Good
Gorgeous Graphics
Professor Layton is drawn in an anime-style, with a distinctly European vibe. This particular title feels a little like something Hayao Miyazaki and his friends at Studio Ghibli would do, much in the vein of Howl's Moving Castle (a great movie, by the way). Not only does the static art look great, but there are a number of animated cut-scenes which are stunningly nice to watch. Hopefully more games will make use of this visual style!
Interesting Story
The storyline is quite unique, which is refreshing. I really felt as if I were playing through a movie, and the twists and turns throughout the story were entertaining. Much of the writing is top-notch, and a few genuinely funny moments made me laugh out loud.
Plenty of Puzzles
There are a total of 120 puzzles in this game, which offers plenty of game-play time. I only found about 100 of the puzzles (some of them are hidden in various parts of the village), so I plan on playing through one more time to make sure I find everything. Several mini-games (or mini-puzzles, whichever you may prefer) are also made available to you as you play through. You must build a device with 'gizmos' that you find, repair a painting via scraps that you find, and furnish the living quarters of both the Professor and Luke. The publisher even offers weekly downloads of new puzzles, though I haven't tried out that feature.
Great Voice Acting
A few of the animated cut-scenes include voice acting, the quality of which is excellent. The characters sound believable, and it's clear that a lot of work went into giving each one a unique personality.
The Bad
Difficulty Extremes
One of the most frustrating aspects of this game is the wildly varying difficulty levels between puzzles. Some are very straightforward, while others are ultimate mind-benders. A few of the puzzles had fairly low difficulty ratings in game, but I found myself stuck, indicating to me that not all of them are rated as accurately as they should be.
Little Punishment for Failure
There is very little punishment for failure on any given puzzle. Suppose you have a puzzle that's worth 50 picarats. Each time you fail, the value comes down by 5. But this deduction only ever happens 3 times. So, regardless of how many times you try this particular puzzle, you will score at least 35 picarats. This essentially means that you can brute force each puzzle, especially those that offer multiple choice answers. This feels like a cheap way to beat the system (though it's a handy way to get past those truly difficult puzzles).
Repetitive Music
The music, while not gratingly annoying like in Puzzle Quest, is very repetitive. To my knowledge, there's no way to turn it off either. You could turn down the DS speaker volume, but you might miss the audio in a cut-scene as a result (and you definitely don't want to do that). An option to disable the game music would be very welcome.
Over-sensitive Handwriting Recognition
Handwriting recognition is used throughout the game for you to enter answers to various puzzles. It seems a little too sensitive to me, and doesn't give you nearly long enough to write some characters that require two or more strokes (the letters T and F for example). As a result, some trial-and-error is required in order to answer correctly.
Not Enough Voice Acting
As impressed as I was with the animated cut-scenes and voice acting, I was disappointed that there wasn't more of it. The little snippets we get are truly high quality, but more would have been great.
Little Replay Value
Once you've solved all the puzzles, there's very little to draw you back to this title. The weekly puzzle releases from the publisher are interesting, but I doubt I'll keep up with them.
The Verdict
This was a fairly fun game, and I really loved the art direction. While each puzzle is unique, they get a little monotonous after completing 75 or so. I have to admit that I was really tired of the game by the end, but my desire to solve each mystery I uncovered kept me going. At least one sequel is planned for Professor Layton. Unless the gameplay is tweaked, I'm not sure I'll pick up any subsequent titles. But this initial offering was entertaining, at least for a little while. The eye candy and unique story are worth the price of admission. My final verdict: B
Another game I finished recently is The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS. This game took me quite a while to beat, mainly because there's so much to do (and I didn't do everything). I thought I'd write up a few thoughts I had.
The Good
Classic Zelda Gameplay
Phantom Hourglass is as much Zelda fun as I've had since the SNES classic A Link to the Past. Puzzles in the game are quite challenging, the action is spot on, and there's a laundry list of side quests and challenges. This is classic Zelda, through and through, and that's a very good thing.
Excellent Use of the DS Hardware
As I have mentioned before, Phantom Hourglass makes great use of the Nintendo DS hardware. The touch screen controls are incredible (I hope future games use it as good as this title did), and clever use of the microphone really added a new dimension to the gameplay.
Great Writing
The writing in this Zelda title is particularly strong. There are a lot of really great scenes, and the ending is one of the best I've experienced in a while. Over the course of the game, I really grew fond of the various characters, which is rare for me in a game like this.
Fun Side Quests
A large portion of the game is spent sailing various oceans on a ship. Several side quests go along with this game play, including treasure salvage and fishing. The treasure salvage mini-game is pretty fun, and there's plenty of fun to be had on the high seas.
Bottomless Wallet
This is the first Zelda title I know of where Link has no apparent limit to the number of Rupies he can pick up (if there was a limit, I didn't hit it). Finally!
The Bad
Annoying Repetition
One of the main 'puzzles' in the game involves traversing through the temple of the Ocean King. You end up having to go through this Temple 4 or 5 times, which gets old pretty quick. As you gain new items, you can go through the temple quicker, but it still gets a little tedious.
Insanely Difficult Puzzles
A few of the puzzles throughout the game are insanely difficult. "Maze Island" is impossible to do without a guide of some sort, which really frustrated me. Thankfully, there aren't many of these.
The Verdict
This title is a must own. If you don't own this, go out and buy it immediately. My final rating: A+
Last weekend I finally finished Metroid Prime 3. Here are some quick thoughts I had on the game:
What I Liked
The "Morph Ball" mode is incredibly fun. In essence, you become a pinball and get to roll through a number of tracks. There were plenty of puzzles that used this gameplay, and it ended up being my favorite part of the game.
The Wii-mote and Nunchuck controls work surprisingly well. This is the first FPS experience I've had with the Wii, and I was quite pleased.
Backtracking is well used in the game. There are plenty of areas that are inaccessible until you get certain powerups, forcing you to really explore every nook and cranny of every map.
What I Didn't Like
Loading times aren't what they should be. Levels are loaded in an on-demand fashion, and there are some times when the delay gets in the way.
The game feels a little too easy. Firefights end up being "how fast can you pull the trigger." Weapon powerups are obtained in a few places, but they never feel more powerful.
All in all, I highly recommend this game; it's a strong A in my book.
I recently purchased Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat, and having finished the game, I thought I'd write a short review. I have to admit that I've only tried out the single-player campaign, though I hear very positive things about the multiplayer experience. Team Fortress 2 is eating up all of my online gaming time right now, so I doubt I'll give the CoD4 multiplayer any attention in the near future.
The Good
Great Graphics
CoD4 is without a doubt one of the best looking games on the market today. I was really impressed with the detail that went into the character models, and the level design is top notch. Character animations are very believable, and there are some truly wonderful moments that make great use of them.
Thrilling Gameplay
The pacing in this game is very fast, so I found myself quite tense the entire time. This fact really added to the game's atmosphere, and I found myself really enjoying the various firefights that I got into.
Excellent Mission Variation
I am thoroughly impressed with the mission variation throughout the length of the campaign. While the standard wartime firefights are present, there are a number of unique missions presented: everything from a particularly hair-raising, stealth-based mission, to a well implemented sniper mission, to my favorite, the "Death From Above" mission, where you take the role of a gunner aboard a AC-130 "Spooky" Gunship (I wish someone would design a whole game around this concept!). As a result of all the variation, the game never feels repetitive, which is a big plus.
Strong Ending
I was very pleased with the way the game ended. Most of these types of games never have much of a resolution, but this game wraps things up nicely. If you sit through the excruciatingly long end credits (and a really lousy 'hip-hop' song), you get to play through one extra mission, which undoubtedly speaks of a future Call of Duty installment (no surprises here).
The Bad
Short Length
The single-player campaign only lasts about 6 hours or so, which seems to be the new FPS length standard. This is somewhat disappointing, but not all that surprising.
Challenging Difficulty
I found CoD4 to be surprisingly difficult the first time through. There are a few times where I felt like the AI had a truly unfair advantage, which led to a few frustrating moments.
Beefy Requirements
My gaming rig could barely handle this game, which is sad considering that it's still a pretty beefy machine.
The Verdict
I really recommend this game, though I wouldn't place it on my "best of all time" list. There are a number of really great moments throughout the entire campaign, and the "Death From Above" mission is worth the price of admission alone. My final rating: A-
I recently posted a few thoughts on Team Fortress 2, but I thought I should write a full review now that I've spent more time with the game. Let me start off by saying that when I purchased The Orange Box, I was not in the least interested in Team Fortress 2. Portal and Episode 2 were the only titles I anticipated playing, and I even considered buying them separately. I'm very glad that I went for the better deal, as I hope this review will indicate.
The Good
Perfect Game Balancing
I cannot stress enough how well balanced this game is. Each class has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, and when used together in a balanced fashion, a team can quickly become unstoppable. I've played a number of matches where nearly all of the people on a team used the same class as everyone else (e.g., everyone becomes a soldier or an engineer). This kind of 'swarming' usually results in defeat. When I join a match, I usually see which class has been omitted from my team, and I join up as that missing class. My goal is to provide as balanced a team as possible, so we have a better chance of winning the round.
Gorgeous Graphics
I really like the cartoon-like graphics. Many of the character models utilize very funny expressions throughout the game, and the cartoon visuals make it all the more appealing.
Detailed Statistic Tracking
Team Fortress 2 keeps track of all your statistics for each character class that you play. It routinely congratulates you on meeting or exceeding your current records. This kind of positive feedback makes the game very rewarding.
Stylized Game World
A 1960's spy theme is the overall look and feel (think Austin Powers or No One Lives Forever), and it really brings the game world to life. The developer commentary points out that in the real world, two warring factions would never place their bases of operation right next to one another. But in a stylized world like the one Valve has created, it makes perfect sense.
Funny Dialogue
Each character class has a number of different lines that they speak throughout the game. Much of the writing is comical, and the stereotypes the game places on each class are truly excellent. The voice acting is equally as good.
It's Just Plain Fun
At the end of the day, isn't this all that matters?
The Bad
Only Six Maps
The only down side I can see to this game is the lack of maps. A total of six maps are included with the game: one capture the flag map, and five control point maps. Valve has indicated that more maps will be forthcoming, and I simply cannot wait for the new content. Regardless of this fact, the game is still incredibly fun.
The Verdict
If you haven't tried out Team Fortress 2, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. I initially thought it wouldn't be much fun, but now I'm hooked. This game gets a solid A+.
For those who don't already know, I absolutely adore the Half-Life universe, and I believe whole-heartedly that Half-Life 2 is the best game I've ever played (though titles like The Legend of Zelda, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and System Shock 2 are close runners up). You may recall that I also really liked Half-Life 2: Episode One (looking back on my review of that particular title, I can say that two of my three bad points, "Too Expensive?" and "Stuttering," are no longer valid in my book; my judgment was clouded on the former and updates have corrected the latter). So what is it that draws me so closely to this gaming franchise? In a word: storytelling. I'll be posting more on this particular topic soon, but suffice it to say that few games (if any) have affected me as deeply as the Half-Life series.
Episode Two is most definitely the Empire Strikes Back of this series. In my review of Episode One, I speculated that this might be the case, and it turns out that that theory was right. Be warned that this episode is very dark. It has been known since the release of Episode One that a primary character is killed through the course of events, and that is indeed the case. I'll say no more except that the particular moment is the heaviest blow I've ever experienced in a game. My upcoming post on the use of storytelling will delve a little deeper into this (without spoilers, of course).
I have played through Episode Two twice, and I'm nearly halfway through my third play-through, this time with the always entertaining developer's commentary turned on. As such, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of the game, and so I present to you the following thoughts.
What's New
Allow me to first highlight what's new (or changed) in Episode Two:
Particle System
One of the first graphical changes you'll notice is the new particle system. This new feature adds some interesting effects, which get used in a number of places. Keep your eye out for the tweaked blood and gore when shooting an enemy (especially the ant-lions).
Cinematic Physics System
Used in several places throughout the game, the new cinematic physics system is really great. There are a few really dramatic sequences where large structures crumble quite realistically. You'll find a high-level description of how they implemented this system in the developer commentary, which I found very interesting.
Dynamic (and Decoupled) Flashlight
A new lighting system has been implemented, which allows Gordon's flashlight to cast realistic, dynamic shadows in the game world. This small tweak adds a lot of depth to the rendering engine. One oddity is that the flashlight no longer drains the HEV suit's main power source. Instead, the flashlight now has its own dedicated battery. While this is a welcome change (and one that should have been implemented all along), it breaks the continuity in the game's universe. The developer commentary mentions this break in continuity, and their justification for the change is understandable.
Hunters
The Hunter, a brand new enemy which we caught a glimpse of in Episode One, is fully introduced in Episode Two. I won't spoil any of their encounters, but allow me to say that these guys are very tough (a welcome change). They play a large part in the last climactic battle, and are a potential source of frustration due to their difficulty.
Combine Advisors
We briefly met the Combine Advisors in both Half-Life 2 (where we saw them on several computer screens) and in Episode One (where we see them in strange pods). They are more fully fleshed out in Episode Two and are horrific creatures. As you might expect, they play a pivotal role in the story.
Enemy Variants
There are a few variations of enemies that we've seen before. The fast zombies now appear in a new "upper torso-only" form, where they pull themselves along the ground using their arms. Three brand new ant-lion variants are present: ant-lion grubs, an ant-lion worker (which spits a nasty acid ball that causes a surprising amount of damage), and the powerful ant-lion guardian. I also noted that a few of the Combine soldiers have updated uniforms, though they are otherwise identical to the existing soldiers.
The Magnusson Device
Gordon doesn't get access to this new device until the very end of the game. I'll only state that it's very handy in taking down those nasty Striders.
Other Small Changes
A host of other tweaks can be found scattered through the game. Fire effects have been updated (though I'm not sure they look any better). The quick-info reticle is now enabled by default and cannot be disabled. Subtitles now match up a little better with the actual speech rate. And I'm sure there are others I've forgotten to mention.
The Good
So what did I like in Episode Two?
Story
As I've already stated, the storyline in the Half-Life series is what makes each game so enjoyable, and Episode Two does not disappoint. Some answers to questions raised in Episode One are supplied, but new mysteries are also introduced. The G-Man makes a very formidable appearance which really creeped me out. If there's only one scene that's worth watching though, it's the final one. Never before have I been so moved. This is by far the best running storyline in any game to date.
Non-Stop Action
In another similarity to Empire Strikes Back, there is no rest for our heroes in this episode. Tension is held high from the first moment you enter the game all the way through to the powerful ending sequence. This "only one-step-ahead" kind of gameplay is genius, pure and simple.
Graphics
The Source engine is still, in my opinion, one of the best looking game engines around. Eye candy has been improved in this release, along with lots of very subtle changes that you're not likely to see at first, though the developer commentary sheds some light on these seemingly hidden items. Although it doesn't run as smoothly as Episode One, the visuals are as good as ever.
New Locales
Episode Two takes place in a number of brand new locales, which have never before been seen in previous Half-Life titles. This refreshing change is very welcome, after having spent so much time in City 17. On the whole, these new locales are much more expansive than we have seen in previous titles. However, the new driving levels feel a little claustrophobic when compared to the "Highway 17" chapter of Half-Life 2.
New Vehicle
A brand new vehicle is added in this episode, and it's a blast to drive. The controls feel a little too sensitive to me (as compared to the buggy from Half-Life 2), but I really had a fun time driving through the countryside with Alyx riding shotgun.
Ties to Portal
Though it's not crystal clear at this point, I'm willing to bet that the events in Portal (which I recently reviewed) will affect what happens in Episode Three. There are some very interesting ties between the two games, as is alluded to in the transmission sent by Judith Mossman. I'm excited to see what will develop here.
Achievements
Episode Two includes a number of achievements, just as most XBox 360 games do. This is an interesting concept, and adds a little replayability.
The Bad
There are a few minor things that I disliked about Episode Two, none of which really impacted my overall impression.
Relatively Short
As with Episode One, this outing is a short affair. I completed the game in about six hours, short of the eight to ten that Valve mentioned earlier in the development life-cycle. The fact that I can't get enough of this universe doesn't help matters. Had it been 12 or 15 hours long, I might have still complained. :P
Surprisingly Easy
I was a little disappointed with how easy the game felt. That's not to say that there aren't a few difficult moments; being chased by the ant-lion guardian is particularly nerve-wracking, as is the final battle. According to the developer commentary, it sounds like a number of areas and puzzles were simplified due to playtesters being unable to make forward progress. I don't know where they found their playtesters, but they must not play games very often. One piece of commentary mentioned that a particular tester unknowingly walked in a small loop in one level for literally 30 minutes, trying to figure out where to go. That kind of idiocy indicates to me that Valve isn't putting much effort into finding good people to test their products. I'll gladly volunteer for a test position, and I'll do a much better job! :-D
Flawed Collision Detection
I'm not sure what changed in this arena, but the collision detection in Episode Two seems much weaker than in Episode One. There are a few places where I saw objects clip through world geometry, breaking the realism. Maybe a future update will fix this.
Decreased Gravity Gun Accuracy
The gravity gun doesn't feel as accurate as it was previously. During the course of Episode Two, I often found myself picking up a piece of debris instead of the item my crosshair was pointing at. Again, hopefully an update will correct this.
The Verdict
Wow. Episode Two is by far the best episode in this trilogy. It's going to take Valve a lot of work to surpass the level of excellence they've set here, but if anyone can do it, I know they can. I'm guessing that it will be some time before Episode Three sees the light of day, but I can already assure you that I will be preordering the minute it becomes available. If you haven't picked up Episode Two as a part of The Orange Box, make sure you do so; you will not be disappointed.
I've played through Portal a couple of times now, and I thought I'd post my thoughts on the game. Along with Half-Life 2: Episode 2, this was one of the two items I was most looking forward to in The Orange Box. My review of Episode 2 will come later this week, as I have only played through it once, and I'd like to give it at least one more going-over (I can't wait to write about it though; there's so much I want to talk about). For now, let's talk Portal.
The Good
Hilarious Dialogue
The dialogue in the game is well written and very funny. The writer's should be very proud of themselves; few games are of this caliber. One downside to this is the fact that GLaDOS's voice can be a little difficult to understand at times. I highly recommend turning on subtitles when you play through the game the first time; it will make understanding her much easier.
Innovative Gameplay
Portal is such a unique concept. Although Prey used the portal concept, it wasn't nearly as well executed as in this game. Being able to shoot entry and exit portals nearly anywhere you want is a really great touch. I can't wait to see where Valve will choose to use this technology again.
Ties to the Half-Life Universe
The storyline in Portal is loosely related to the Half-Life universe. In fact, having played through both this game and Episode 2, I am beginning to wonder if we won't be seeing Portal technology in Episode 3. The ties between these two games may be stronger than is now apparent, and only time will tell how closely they are related.
Achievements
Interestingly enough, the PC version of Portal includes Achievements (as most X-Box 360 games do). This is a nice addition to the gameplay, and it will be interesting to see if Valve continues to include this idea in future titles.
End Credits
Best end credits sequence ever! And an accompanying song by Jonathan Coulton seals the deal.
The Bad
Short Gameplay
Portal is only about two to three hours long, which is a bit of a disappointment. The advanced levels and level challenges (shortest time, fewest portals, fewest steps) add a little replayability, as does the developer commentary (which is highly entertaining). But the main storyline is short (though the twist in the storyline is highly entertaining). Once you've solved the main puzzles, and you make it past the storyline twist, there's little reason to play through again.
Easy Difficulty
The majority of the puzzles seemed quite easy. I didn't truly feel challenged until test 15 out of 19, and though the last few levels were a challenge, I never found myself hopelessly stumped. The advanced levels are much more challenging (and stumped me for a while), but there are only 6 of them. Hopefully more will appear over time.
Bad points aside, I can't recommend this game highly enough. As a part of The Orange Box, it's an even greater deal. This is definitely a title you should pick up this year. You won't regret it.
I've played through BioShock a couple of times, so I thought I'd post my thoughts on the game. There are incredibly in-depth reviews all over the web, so I'll try to keep this as short as possible (fat chance though, right?). All of these thoughts pertain to the PC release, my gaming platform of choice.
The Good
Graphics
Without a doubt, this is one of the best looking games available today. It doesn't feel as gritty or realistic to me as Half-Life 2, but the game is a sight to behold. The water effects are well worth the price of admission. Future Unreal Engine 3 games should be fun to play.
Voice Acting
BioShock has some of the best voice acting in any game, on par with all-time greats like System Shock 2 and Half-Life 2. Many of the characters are believable, though there are a few rough edges. The primary bad guy is particularly bad, and you'll really come to hate him by the end of the game.
Art Direction
No game ever produced can touch the art direction presented in this game. In one particular level (Fort Frolic), you fight several waves of enemies all to the strains of Waltz of the Flowers from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite. It's a magical gaming moment that I won't soon forget.
A Definite Psychological Thriller
There are a lot of really psychological moments in this game, many of them bordering on the horrific. Not many games can pull that off without being cheesy, and BioShock does an excellent job of keeping it just scary enough.
The Bad
I unfortunately have a laundry list of gripes with this game:
Volume Problems
The audio diaries scattered throughout the game are often difficult to hear. Turning on the audio-subtitles helps a little, but they quickly get out of sync (clearly a game bug). Hopefully a patch will fix this issue.
Mediocre UI Design
In order to see how many Little Sisters are left in the current level, as well as how much money and Adam you currently have, you have to go into the game menu (by pressing Escape). Storing critical information like that in a game menu is an incredibly poor design decision. Maybe this is different on the 360 release?
Repetitive Combat and Hacking
The bestiary in this game is very limited, which inevitably leads to repetitive combat. In addition, there are far too many enemies on some levels. System Shock 2 did a great job of maintaining a slower pace by limiting the number of enemies on each map. The pace in BioShock seems entirely too fast. Similarly, the hacking mini-game quickly gets tedious. Having additional hacking mini-games would have helped in this department.
Way Too Linear
Most first-person-shooters are linear affairs, but BioShock is too linear. While you have the option of visiting a previously cleared level, you never have a need to. System Shock 2 did a great job in this arena, forcing you to revisit levels to obtain some item you needed to continue on your journey. BioShock could have made backtracking a fun thing to do, but it ultimately does not, a big disappointment.
No Inventory System
How the hell am I supposed to tell what I'm currently holding?
The Ugly
This Is No System Shock
Touted as a "spiritual successor" to System Shock 2 (one of my favorite games of all time), I was expecting this game to be just as good. And it's simply not. There's a lot to like about this game, but there's also a lot to dislike about it. When I finished both System Shock 2 and Half-Life 2, I literally sat through the end credits thinking "Wow; that was one of the best gaming experiences of my life!" At the end of BioShock, I was simply glad the game was over. How disappointing!
Pricey
Games are expensive, and a blockbuster like this is expected to be pricey. But $50 seems a little high to me. I didn't feel like I got $50 worth of entertainment out of it. Which is why I'm glad I only paid $26 (long live Amazon rewards points)! :twisted:
Do I recommend this game? Absolutely. It's a must-play for 2007. There's a lot I ended up disliking, but overall I think the experience was a positive one (if only for the enjoyable art direction and eye candy). I'm guessing the 360 edition of the game is similar in most regards, but at least one review preferred the PC edition (your mileage may vary). If you don't have this game, be sure to pick it up.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is the latest Nintendo DS game that I've been playing over the past few weeks. I just beat it last night, so I thought I'd share a few thoughts on the game.
This is the first Castlevania game that I've ever played, though the series dates all the way back to the original NES title. For those not familiar with the series, you play as a crusader set out to destroy the evil that has taken up residence in Dracula's castle. It's a classic 2D side-scrolling game, and is an incredible blast to play.
Your character has two ways to attack the various monsters throughout the castle: either with a number of weapons or via special abilities which come through harvesting the monster's souls. Each soul you collect gives you a different ability. Some abilities cost mana to use, while others act as "enchantments" and are active all the time. You can equip three souls at any time (one "bullet" soul, one "guardian" soul, and one "enchantment" soul). There are also a few ability souls collected through the game, which are always active. This specific aspect of the game is quite enjoyable. Collecting all of the souls is much more difficult than you might think. I've been playing off and on for several weeks and only have about 75% of the souls collected.
Interestingly enough, there are only two real "levels" to the game: Dracula's castle and an area (presumably of Hell) called simply "The Abyss." The castle "level" has a number of stages, and is incredibly large. It took a long time to explore the entire level, and I have undoubtedly missed some hidden rooms.
When your character dies, the game is over. There are no "extra mans" to be had, so you have to be very careful. Thankfully, you can save the game any time at a number of save points throughout the castle. Make sure to save often; I lost a number of hard to get souls last night because I got overconfident.
I highly recommend this game. I've had a ton of fun playing it, and I've already started the next game (Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin). This is excellent proof that 2D games are not dead (and shouldn't be). My final rating: A+
