Topic: Video Game Marathon

[Kathy]

I haven't played video games since pac man. But, this gang made me try bejewled blitz and I'm hooked. I have to figure a way to delete this so I can't play it anymore!

[Dragonfire]

 
That is an addictive game.

[Najemikon]

And you're doing... very well, madame. 

[Rogmeister]

Major League Baseball 2K10

Yesterday, I found myself at my local Wal-Mart and  I found some video games in my cart.  I actually had a couple in my hand I didn't buy...a couple Marvel super-hero games for the PS2...but I decided 3 games for the Nintendo DS was enough.  These are the first games I've bought since about a half-year ago when I bought some TV Game Show games like 1 Vs. 100 and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

One of the games I picked up on impulse was this baseball game.  Baseball is my favorite sport and I do have a couple baseball games I can play on my DS already but one is actually a Game Boy Advance game and is old enough that my favorite team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, no longer have any of the players on the Pirates roster in that video game.  The other I have is the cartoony MLB Power Pros and while I love the PS2 versions of that game, I'm less than enthralled by the DS version since batting is so difficult...and you also can't play full seasons, just individual games.  This game you can play full seasons (or go directly to playoff mode) and I did hesitate a bit because the last edition of this franchise on the DS got pretty bad marks.  But the screenshots on the back of the box definitely looked better than the last time a DS version of this series came out so I took a chance.

I have begun a season as the Pittsburgh Pirates and I lost my first 6 games...but I think I have gone 3-1 since then so I'm definitely getting better at the controls and such.  The best graphics are on the screen where the pitcher is throwing to the batter.  The pitcher's delivery is fluid and the batter's swing is pretty decent looking, too.  There is some limitations involved in the graphics...most of the batters have the same body.  When Pablo Sandoval is batting (his nickname is Kung Fu Panda), he's as slim and sleek as a shortstop...in reality, he probably weighs about 250 pounds if not more.  But I've learned to look past that.  Once the ball is put into play, you get a screen where you don't see any players...instead the defenders are represented by circles with their uniform numbers in the circles.  And you see unmoving black figures going around the bases...but I somehow don't mind that and I've gotten into the game pretty quickly.  There are some mistakes...many of my fielders tend to advance to the next base when they shouldn't and they get thrown out easily.  I can force them to retreat if I catch this indisgressions quickly enough.

One thing I wish they could have done is allow for trading and/or picking up of free agents like you get in the console baseball games.  That way, I could at least keep the one team I'm controlling current as far as the roster goes (and my baseball team only has 4 bench hitters)...but I've not seen any portable baseball game that offers this option.  Maybe in the 2011 edition?  Who knows?  Maybe it's actually in here...I don't think it is but I've not really glanced at the instruction manual yet.  What can I say, I'm a guy!

[Critter]

Flower

(Playstation 3)

It really is a shame that this game is so short because it was just so much fun. Flower to me is basically like an advanced version of the classic game Snake. It has basically the same principles, only this time it’s extremely pretty and much more complex.

This game is of course well-known for its relaxing effect. And it’s true, floating around on the air does give you a wonderful lightweight feeling of freedom, just drifting through fields of grass can be beautiful. I had heard this about the game however so it didn’t surprise me. What did catch me off guard was how dark and creepy some of the levels were. No one warned me about that and I was pleasantly surprised at the depth that these ‘darker’ levels added to the game.
Some of the levels were downright eerie. Floating through dark grey lands with scary music, and nothing but piles of metal electrocuting you if you get to close, then collapsing all around you was quite different to what I expected, but I enjoyed it all the same.

I did enjoy the gameplay here as it utilized the motion sensors of the PS3 controller. I found it a little hard to control at the start but once I got used to it was smooth sailing for the rest of the game. As I said before, this game was short… really short. That usually doesn’t bother me in games as I’m fairly slow anyway, but even with me playing this game felt like it was over before it really started.

Contrary to what most people say however I do believe that this game has replay value. At least for me it does as by the time I finished it I only had about half of the available trophies so now I aim to keep replaying the game until I get them all.

4/5

[Rogmeister]

I just ordered a new Nintendo DS.  Technically, this is called the DSi.  I think it's the same kind of model my brother got from his son for Christmas.  I like it mostly because it's sort of a jumbo-sized version of the system including bigger screens to play the game on.  My brother's is red and black while mine will be blue and he got 3 games to play on it: Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Brothers and a Tetris game.  I already have 33 DS games (I think) but I went and ordered two more as long as I was ordering this...I am getting the fourth Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? game to play on it as well as Jeopardy!  Both are versions of TV game shows.  Finally, I'm getting a carrying case that will hold the system and some cartridges.

[Rogmeister]

First off, I got the DSi but it wasn't quite the model I thought...it wasn't a jumbo sized.  The one I really wanted (the bigger one) is the DSi XL so I've now ordered that (I'll still keep the one I just got and probably make it my take-to-dialysis unit.

I love TV game shows so it's not surprising that I have a number of video games for the Nintendo DS that are based on the TV game shows.  Surprisingly, I don't have hardly any for the last batch of gaming consoles (PS2, GameCube, Xbox)...maybe they didn't make many such games for those?  Counting one game I have coming (Press Your Luck), I have an even 10 such games for the Nintendo DS.

I just had my first game with Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?--Back To School on the DS.  This is the fourth game of the series for the DS and while I don't have the first one, I do have the other three.  This has a few quick bonus games I did poorly at because I'm not familiar with them yet.  But I did okay in the other games.  The one thing I was very disappointed at in this newest release was the sound.  It was really bad...it sounded like Jeff Foxworthy was in the next room...low sound and low quality.  His voice bites were much better in the two previous games.  I'm not sure what happened there.  I'll still play this until the questions start to repeat (as all quiz show video games do) and then I'll put it away and play the others.

[Rogmeister]

I got a couple more games for the Nintendo DS so here are some mini-reviews of those games...

You Don't Know Jack was a popular series for the PC for awhile.  I've still got every PC edition.  They even did a couple releases for the original Playstation back in the day.  Now they have released some versions for gaming consoles including the DS.  I enjoy the game still and they did get one of the original hosts (Cookie) and he reads the questions, but not the multiple choices for the answers...I guess they had to cut corners somewhere.  As I play this, it appears to be limited to 37 different games.  That's not going to give it a lot of replay value but until then, I'll enjoy it.  It's still a good time.  Each game consists of 10 questions (5 per round) followed by the final lightnin-roundish Jack Attack.  Yes, I liked it.



Press Your Luck: 2010 Edition is based on the classic TV game show.  Of course they couldn't use the original host who died in a plane crash a few years back.  I've played a couple rounds and my one main gripe so far is the text on the questions is small and a bit hard to read...maybe it'll be easier to read when I get my DSi XL?  Beyond that, it seemed the contestants I was pitted against were idiots...they hardly got any questions right at all.  In fact, in my second game I deliberately picked multiple choice possibilities they didn't pick, giving me a better chance at getting those right.  The first game went by quickly because there were only a handful of spins total and no Whammies came up.  Luckily, there were more spins in the second game and I did get to see some Whammies...I won that game when my only opponent with money hit a Whammy on her final spin.  Despite a few flaws, I did enjoy the game...maybe I'll meet worthier opponents in later games?

[Dragonfire]

I remember Press Your Luck.  I use to watch that a lot.  I liked seeing the animations for the Whammies. 

[RossRoy]

Available on X360, PS3, PC & OS X - I'm reviewing the X360 version

Finished Dragon Age II a few days ago. I liked it a lot, but it's been dumbed down a little too much for my taste. It felt more like Fantasy Mass Effect, than it did a Dragon Age sequel. Not that there's anything wrong with emulating Mass Effect, which is a fantastic game, it's just that it doesn't feel as much like a Dragon Age game.

That being said, I loved the story. Yes, it slumped a bit at the beginning of Act II, but it was my own frustration at not knowing what had happened in the years between Act I and Act II than about Act II itself. Once you start doing the main story mission, the story picks up again, and it's all good.

The repetitive dungeons and maps ... are repetitive. It didn't bother me all that much, because it makes sense, in the way that the game takes place all in a single city. So it is plausible that all dungeons would be accessible from the same basic maps and would share the same basic architecture. Where it becomes cumbersome, is that the mini map and region map do not reflect the "modified and blocked off paths" - it shows the shole map as if it was completely accessible. Makes it kind of hard to know whether you've visited this or that little nook in the map. Also, one of the thing that is surprising, is that I would argue that the dungeons are too well designed. Each dungeons map has some unique features ... that become that amplify the fact the maps are reused all the time. You'll see a tree root come out of the wall, or a specific sculpture on the wall, or a specific pond shape or whatever, and then you see it again .. and again .. and again as the maps are reused. I didn't mind it too much personally, but it is something of mention and a flaw in the game.

Combat .. well, they managed to do what they wanted - press a button and something awesome happens. Pretty much every button push results in Hawke doing something. Be it attack, use a power, or whatever. Battles can get frantic. It's really fast paced and there's often many adversaries to take care of. I played the game as a Two-Handed Warrior. As you can imagine, the "spectacularity" of a two-handed warrior, when compared to magic wielding mages, pales a bit. But, I found it interesting nonetheless, thanks for class combos! Mages can freeze ennemies, making them brittle, and then if you use the right move, you can inflict major damage, or even shatter, ennemies. There should be tactics involved in combat, but to be honest, I didn't need it, and while my companions fell a few times, especially against big swarms or some really big tough opponents (a high dragon in the bone pit comes to mind) I usually managed to get through most fights. I did play on Normal. There is a tactics system you can setup, telling your companion what powers or items to use in this or that condition, but i didn't bother with it.

All in all, I think Dragon Age II is a great gaming package. Every relevant piece of info is readily available (like when levelling up, there are stats that will show you exactly what benefit you get from putting a point is STRENGtH versus putting it in DEXTERITY, etc.). The story is engaging and well defined. I wish they had used Varric's storytelling embellishment a bit more though. Technically, the game takes place way after the events pictures, with Varric telling the heroes' story to a Chantry Seeker who is looking for the Hero. But those segments are short, few, and far appart (basically one in-between each act).

Rating:

I'm off to play Dragon Age II again - This time as a Dual-Wielding Rogue!

[Achim]

I guess partly the development of only one year is to blame. There is only so much you can create within that timeframe...

[RossRoy]

I guess partly the development of only one year is to blame. There is only so much you can create within that timeframe...

Yeah .. and it makes concerned about Mass Effect III ... I'm wondering if the buyout by EA might be to blame.

I mean, just look at Bioware's history. It reads like a RPG hall of fame list.

When did EA acquire Bioware? Oh that's right - right in the middle of development for Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age. And what do we have since then?

The only game fully developed under EA game is Dragon Age II ... and surprise surprise! it lacks some polishing ... and you could argue it's a DLC nightmare.

[Achim]

Yeah .. and it makes concerned about Mass Effect III ... I'm wondering if the buyout by EA might be to blame.

But they already took 8 years for the first one, could hardly repeat that. Maybe they needed more cash themselves to cover production cost. EA might not be entirely at fault here.

ME3 will have had a 2 year tunaround, which is quite the regular thing these days. Most developers will make a new one within that timeframe, Uncharted, Batman, to name just two examples (the format became ga,e of the year, the latter isn't out yet). An RPG is more complex though than the ones mentioned. We'll see. At least they don't have to worry about decisions carrying over into another sequel...

[RossRoy]

Don't worry - it's just that I have an irrational hate of EA and Activision .. yet a lot of the games I love are from those 2 (well EA a lot more than Activision actually) and I will not deprave myself of them just because of who is publishing the game.