The Death of Quick Time Events

The recent plethora of new age games has seen a dramatic overhaul of exciting gaming mechanics. New action sequences like Dead Space have shaped the horror genre. Mass Effect revolutionized run and gun rpg shooters. But when we see the game changers like the Uncharted series we wonder to ourselves, can it get better? We are faced with this quick time event. A series of timed button mashes that requires you to hit correctly to get past your main objective. With Uncharted it might be dodging a bus. With God of War it may be ripping a boss in half. Can we ask ourselves one question, why keep this game mechanic constantly moving forward? 

 

It is beyond overused lately and to see solid games like Dead Space 3 or any of the other Dead Space games for that matter use it is a real shame. Does this really bring in more gamers? Does it better your playing experience? 

Voice your opinion in the comments and let us know. 

What It Never Came to Be – Assassins Creed 3 Review

CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS AND STORY DETAILS

DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO RUIN YOUR GAMEPLAY EXPERIENCE!!!!

After playing the past AC games I started to see a trend that what I had hoped was not going to happen. I repetitive title of games that had the same game mechanics, but different locales and characters. AC2 really drew my attention with it’s successful attempt at perfecting the stealth genre of video games. The character Ezio and his beloved set of skills that would shape how I see how video games should be. Brotherhood set the cycle of mundane games after AC2, and eventually Revelations which I absolutely disliked.

Getting into AC3, hearing the hype, reading about the time period it was set in. I knew Ubisoft had found their golden ticket to bringing the franchise back in full force. We are first greeted by Haytham Kenway. I wealthy British assassin set on ridding the Crown and getting what he truly desires. For the first portion of the game we play as him. He fights and acts like the past assassins would normally. Personality wise he is a very snide and to the point individual with a cut throat attitude. I won’t go into too much detail on what Haytham’s actual goal is in the storyline, but he does fall upon a beautiful Native American woman he encounters later on.

This is where we find Connor, or should I say Ratonhnhaké:ton. Yeah it’s a mouth full. Some very dramatic and emotion sequences take place in Connor’s life, and this turns him into who he will eventually be – an Assassin. Donning the suit he is trained by a grand master sensei-esque man named Achilles. Achilles used to be an assassin back in the day, but is limp with some sort of injury at the time. Connor is to find a man named Charles Lee and a few others. Oh and did I mention his father? Yes Connor is set to kill his own dad. I’ll let you all figure out why on your own playthrough.

Connor’s whole persona REALLY threw me a curve ball in this one. He is such a hard headed stubborn individual. I understand the things he has experienced, but when your a total dbag to our founding fathers you can leave. Not really trusting anyone Connor sets out to kill those who oppose him. On the other side of things we still follow Desmond and his struggle to rid the templars and save the world. We see a lot more action this time around with Desmond which was really fun.

All in all this game was good, but not great. A lot of rich history went into making this game. The ending fell through as lame to me and wasn’t quite what I expected it to turn out. I wouldn’t be totally surprised to see them make another game. ( Already announced AC4 for next gen consoles.) I was disappointed more than anything as to why things had to end the way they did. That said, it’s now up to Ubisoft to change the franchise up and give the fans a sense of excitement once again for the Assassins vs. Templars story.

Assassins Creed 3 – 7.5/10

Nothing Special – Medal of Honor Warfighter

I wish the new installment of Medal of Honor had a better impact on me. I was expecting something totally fresh and innovative, man was I wrong. I started the campaign not knowing what exactly was going on. As I progressed through each mission, yes the realistic feel to it was spot on, but it never really grabbed my full attention. Missions involving vehicles seemed that much more irritating due to the length of trying to get the objective complete. It was a never ending, constant restart of disappointment. To me it was just another war game like any other Call of Duty and Battlefield. An in your face war experience taking place in exotic locales. A main antagonist trying to destroy a major part of the world, and a special forces team member ruining those plans. I have seen it many times before. With that said, I haven’t delved into the multiplayer yet which I am hoping is a lot better. The customization looked well thought out and game modes looked pretty interesting. The take away from this review is only to get this game if your a true EA fanboy and/or you are a die hard Medal of Honor fan. To me it just felt like a luke warm experience only to have an ending result that was short of satisfying. 

Assassins Creed 3 Oct. 30

I am very excited for this games release on October 30th. With everything that I have seen so far gameplay wise I have so much to look forward too. I don’t know if it’s the Revolutionary War time period, but the fact of killing red coats makes my inner gamer all giddy inside. The hook blade is the most exciting weapon for me thus far. Its a deadly grappling hook and a great distraction for groups of patrolling enemies. They seem to freak out when they see they’re buddy dangling from a tree dead. I would be too if I had a trained assassin coming at me with a tomahawk and hidden blade. With that said I am also excited for the DLC that is being released at a later date. Who knew George Washington would ever succumbed to kingly temptation? It’s an interesting take on history and the direction it could have taken. Assassin’s Creed 3 comes out in a few days and I will eventually be reviewing it once I complete the game. Leave a comment below if you are also excited for this title. 

Loot Never Felt So Good.

Its been awhile guys, to whom read my blog. I just want to say thank you! You are what makes me write these articles.

And now to the good stuff. I want to talk about a little game called “Borderlands 2” today. Almost everyone has played the first one, but most people have never heard of it. They are almost always put off by the cartoonish graphics and weird storyline. Yes, the first game had its flaws, but all games have that. To me Gearbox software poured their heart and soul into the sequel. Borderlands 2 takes place after the events of the first game. You are yet another group of rag-tag vault hunters ready to give Pandora a new ass kicking. The four classes consist of a Siren, Gunzerker, Commando, and Assassin. I chose the Commando because of his turret skill that pretty much destroys everything in it’s path.

Starting the new game I was easily taken in by the new visuals. The engine looks a lot cleaner and colorful. I am met by the infamous ClapTrap from BL1. His witty remarks to every situation is absolutely hilarious. I progressed through the game pretty easily. The skill tree system has changed in such a great way too. I chose the Guerrilla skill tree which adds slag damage and accuracy to my turret, making it a devastating companion. The customization in the game is also a nice touch. I found myself searching everywhere for new heads and skins for my character. I had mentioned dialogue earlier, and want to touch on it again. It seemed to me that almost every character had their own unique persona to the games storyline. I know that seems given, but as I was playing I couldn’t help but get caught up in the funny tag lines they were throwing out. As if I was there and laughing along. The main villain Handsome Jack is the kind of character you absolutely hate to love. He is so sarcastic and the all around dbag everyone expects.

The story has much improved from the previous game. There are some major character changes and storyline moments that made me go … WHAAAA? I haven’t pushed much on the side mission until I actually finished the main storyline and I wish I hadn’t done that. Each side mission is full of goodies and unique dialogue that I had missed before hand. Oh and did I mention the characters from the first game are back? Yes, Mordecai, Brick, Lilith, and Roland are back as NPC’s and are the main focus of the second game.

If you enjoyed the first game and want to carry on as the true vault hunter that you are definitely go for Borderlands 2. It is a fun filled killing extravaganza. Yeah.. I just said that. A few minor bugs and glitches are the only thing holding this game back from complete perfection. That and the season pass including additional characters and content make it even better. The new pirate-themed DLC is coming out tomorrow so I would recommend checking that out.

 

Feel free to post your comments below and make sure to follow me on Twitter @NappieT. This article was written by T.J. Napier. Thank You.

 

The Legend That is Spyro the Dragon

I want to talk about one classic title that truly got me into video games. Yes I had been gaming before then, but the 1998 release of Spyro the Dragon for the PS1 might be one of my favorite games of all time. It had it all, action, adventure, and great storyline. The object of the first game was to help the other dragon’s in each realm be set free from there stone prison. When set free they would either give you good advice or some cheesy yet funny tagline. Each realm had its own theme and unique enemy types. I strongly remember the desert area in which you fought vultures and arabic themed creatures. Spyro had is own arsenal of attacks that he could use against enemies too. This was uncommon for most games during the 90’s. He had his charge, fire, and bodyslam attacks that would get him across each level. You felt as if you could take on anyone or anything that the game threw at you. From the creepy Scarecrow boss to that crazy wizard level, Spyro had it all.

Made by Insomniac Games, Spyro delivered every aspect of what gaming should be. It was fun, and one of those games you could play everyday. Something about collecting gems to spend on realms or finding secrets areas to save the other dragons made it for me. By the way, who else sometimes couldn’t catch the guy holding the eggs? Being a 90’s game you come to expect crappy graphics and a cheesy story. At the time Spyro didn’t have that. If anything it was the complete opposite. Im sure anyone can agree that it was also a challenging game. Spyro’s enemies didn’t just lay down and die for you. Yes, the frog type enemies were idiotic and would run from whereas others would attack on spot. . Oh and who didn’t love Spyro’s little sidekick Sparx? 

Everyone has probably ran this topic to the ground. Maybe others thought Spyro was a terrible game. But for me it was much more than that. It was my childhood, and Im not the type of person to forget that. It made me want to try other video games. Yeah these days I have other favorites, Mass Effect, Halo, etc, but Spyro was so different from so many other games. Maybe that’s why it stood out for me. It’s been some time since I last played the game. I fell out of Sony awhile ago, and never decided to try it again. Who knows, I may wander onto Spyro again one day in the future. Me, my childhood self, and Spyro the Dragon. 

Did you ever own Spyro? Leave a comment below about your likes or dislikes about the game. 

What’s So Amazing? – The Amazing Spiderman Game

SPOILERS BELOW! IF YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED THE GAME AND DO NOT WANT TO KNOW ANY IN GAME DETAILS PLEASE DO NOT READ!

Like every other Spiderman game to date it is destined to, well … suck. It’s like the Madden curse for superheroes. Why the developers would purposely strive to make bad gameplay decisions, thinking it was good is strange to me. The open world feel is fun, but gets really old very quickly. The Amazing Spiderman game did this too, but added some “better” qualities to it’s experience. Set a few months after the ending to the movie, you are once again thrown into the shoes of Peter Parker aka Spiderman. Oscorp has fallen into a a disaster zone in which a bunch of crazed science experiments are released. They’re some weird animal/human hybrids infecting the city by biting people. Like most movie game tie ins they tend to really get everything wrong. Although with this title, Beenox did a wonderful job adding in some of Spidey’s most notorious criminals. Villains like Scorpion, Rhino, Lizard, and even Iguana. 

Not all good things come out from this. The biggest issue was the lame boss battles. They didn’t feel like boss fights in the first place. A few jump away from major attack and go in for a flurry of punches and they’re out cold. Every enemy you encounter in the games seems like they take the same amount of damage. Of course they had to add giant mech battles into the fray also. Who doesn’t love annoying robot battles, right? Another irritating factor with this title is the camera angles. I felt more like throwing up at times instead of punching bad guys in the face. Spidey’s movement on ceilings was extremely nauseating. Oh and Beenox, where did you get your stealth ideas from, the Dark Knight himself? If you have played any of the Arkham titles you’ll notice the huge similarity between the stealth takedown approach they took. And to add an even more Batmanesque feel, they added tearing of Spiderman’s suit during intense fighting moments. Bruce Wayne would be so upset, then drop kick Spiderman for stealing his ideas. Replay value is also an issue for this game. It’s a very short campaign and so far no dlc missions. Flying around the city only takes so much before you rip the disc from your xbox and begin playing another game. 

Bad boss fights, and lame stealth missions aside there are some good gameplay choices for Spiderman. The new web rush mode is awesome when traveling around the city. I felt truly like Spidey when I was zipping around on my web. Collectibles were also fun seeking out. There are 400 comic pages to collect, and suits to capture around Manhattan. It’s always cool to run around as black suited Spiderman with less Tobey being such a nerd. Beenox also added in some killer fighting moves to up the badass factor for Spiderman. He is so quick around enemies and the web retreat feature gets you out of sticky situations. i didn’t get to play as him, but as a pre order bonus you could play as Stan Lee and also Rhino had a mini game. 

This was the best Spiderman game to date for me. I still have many disappointments with it, but it was decent. I am really hoping just as they did with the Batman games make a Spiderman game darker and more real for the player. Lets have fingers crossed for the future of superhero games. I recommend Red Boxing this title, and who knows you may end up enjoying it and want to buy.

Did The Amazing Spiderman game AMAZE you? Voice off in the comments below and feel free to like this article while your at it! 

What’s all the Rage?

Rage, the first person shooter developed by id software. To me this game is … OK. Set in a post apocolyptic/futuristic world. Rage delivers an exciting adventure with guns, gore, and …. racing? Of course, racing in a FPS is all the rage these days. See what I did there? Yeah lame I know, but the racing or should I say traveling in the game is by all means atrocious. Borderlands attempted it, and not everyone can pull off this concept. Pretty much the story takes off as you are awakened from a deep cryogenic slumber for a couple years. You are then put into this wasteland of a world filled with bandits, marauders, and psychopaths. Armed to the teeth in an array of weapons you are to take on these baddies any way that seems fit. Oh and did I mention boomerangs? If it isn’t cool enough to throw them at enemies how does decapitation sound to you. It’s an interesting take on a side weapon for a game. The game does have many ups and downs. I’ve already mentioned the racing, but to me another flaw is the AI. Enemies seem generic and lifeless. The boss fights are also the same way. The simple find your weapon used to defeat the boss and fire. Reload and find again three more times. One thing I did enjoy was a major voice acting spot. Mr. John friggin Goodman adds his take on the character Dan Hagar. I don’t know if this is an ode to his role on Roseanne or not, but he adds a nice touch to the game. 

 

I had high hopes for this game before it’s release. What really got my attention was the dazzling graphics engine. While in combat it feels almost too real sometimes, well if Earth was an apocolyptic wasteland. The gore level is raised pretty high as well. Bullets feel like they’re actually doing something to the enemies in a gruesome fashion. The campaign storyline really threw me off though. It was as if I didn’t pay too much attention to the story and just wanted to kill things. It’s a total let down to have a game do that to me. I want the storyline to envelope me in every way possible. 

 

This was also developed by Bethesda. They are really stuck on this theme choice. Although I give them props for giving me a more eerie feeling while playing the game. Every room seemed lonely and desolate to me. I was just waiting every second for an enemy to jump out and begin firing. I like that in video games and also why I really enjoyed Fallout 3. All in all Rage has tremendous graphics and concept choices. Yes the storyline is weak and so is some of the games elements, but I can’t say that it entirely sucked. I recommend picking it up anyways since it’s dirt cheap at local game shops. 

Did you enjoy Rage? Leave a comment below!

Brink is Broke

So much hype was with this game. The unique customization, the rpg shooter element, and explosive campaign. I remember reading an article before the game was released showcasing the games “freeflow” movement style. Like parkouring off buildings isn’t cool? Pfft.. I was so excited for this games release! Even had the pre order down for the Doom theme pack.  What really drew me in the game was the customization options. I am a sucker for creating an in game character that no one else has. It’s just something that is a pretty interesting concept.

Okay I got the game. Excited jumping in place moment for 5 sec. Oh made by Bethesda? This is even sweeter. I turn on my Xbox and start playing. Cool start up screen. Very futuristic and modern. Oh I can customize my guy like they said? AWESOME! After deciding on what game mode to play I enter my first match. Like being hit with a 747 I am in an instant stupor. This isn’t like it was supposed to be? The controls are clunky, moving sucks, and the enemies are as acting as if they’ve been binge drinking for days. Even my bot teammates are acting stupid. No campaign storyline??? I found out that the campaign really isn’t campaign. It’s just a bunch of random objectives rinse and repeated multiple times with different maps. WHY BETHESDA?! You promised me a parkouring futuristic rpg shooter with awesome gameplay. Instead I got a drunken house party video game. I felt like Einstein in a room full of chimps. Yeah let me just turn up the difficulty on the bots. Yeah bad idea. The auto aim feature is ruthless with this game. Just like Black Ops bots they will kill you. No matter how well you play.

2 hours had gone by. Frustration has set in big time and I have tried so hard to enjoy this game. Brink may be one of my most hated games of all time. Everything about it made me angry. GameAngry?  Dumb pun or not this is def not a game anyone should pick up. It’s just a misleading pile of garbage, and thats putting it nicely.

Did you play Brink and want to put your head through a wall? Leave a comment or like this blog.

Missing a Note – Guitar Hero by T.J. Napier

The era of Guitar Hero was a grand and mystical time. The player was given the ability to actually play an instrument even though they didn’t know a single note. The 5 plastic buttons lining the guitar controller put you in the drivers seat at being a rockstar within the game. The feeling of actually playing a song and the virtual crowd cheering was an amazing feeling. Unless you were a Guitar Hero prodigy you instantly started on Easy mode. Slowly learning fret patterns to gain more and more experience with the game. As soon as you knew it you were playing on Hard and eventually on Expert difficulties. Getting as high of a score as you could and trying to stay in the green for the entire song. As a long time Guitar Hero gamer I was easily addicted. No I cant beat Through the Fire and Flames on Expert, but thats okay with me. Its more about having fun and enjoying the game itself.

Going through Guitar Hero 1, 2, and 3 made me appreciate the series even more. Then came …. Metallica, Aerosmith, and Van Halen. Yes Guitar Hero : Metallica was amazing, but the direction GH was taking was really disappointing. They were recycling games left and right trying to get a game released every couple of months. With other music based games like Rock Band and Rocksmith, the GH franchise never stood a chance after GH 3. Game after game made me lose the excitement I had from the earlier games of the series. Plus the songs were lame as hell. Even putting an online marketplace which made buying songs easier and …. expensive. Costing 160 MP for each song was ridiculous to me. I went back and forth from GH to Rock Band, and both games got old real fast.

What happened to my love for GH you ask? I still love the game don’t get me wrong. Yes there are major things they need to fix, and thats why they stopped making them for some years now. I am really hoping a future GH game will be released. One with a fresh story mode based campaign and awesome song choice. RIP Guitar Hero. Maybe we will meet again sometime in the future.

Did you worship Guitar Hero? Leave your comment below.