Game of the Year

 

Red Dead Redemption

I realize its already March, so I’ll keep this short and sweet. Red Dead is somewhat of an obvious choice for my game of the year, but there’s a reason for that. Rockstar worked their magic once again bringing their innovative open-world gameplay to yet another setting, this time the wild west. Drawing influences from Sergio Leone’s famous “Man with No Name” trilogy, among other films, western pop culture and history, they craft an intriguing world that’s brought to life with fleshed out characters and fully realized environments. I liken RDR to Bully, as in they both take the GTA formula and apply it to a new setting and create something much more interesting in doing so.

Honorable Mentions

Heavy Rain

 

 

- Innovative and engrossing, Heavy Rain is one of the more unique and satisfying experiences out there.

 

 

 

 

BioShock 2

 

 

- Maybe an unnecessary sequel, but the result is a game better in every possible way than its predecessor, albeit lacking a bit of the “magic.”

 

 

 

 

Blur

 

 

- The most fun I’ve had with a racing game, ever. Bizarre Creations, you will be missed. Good night, Sweet Prince.

 

 

 

Final Fantasy XIII

 

 

 

 

- The most polarizing FF among fans and critics alike to date, I happen to fall on the positive side of the polarity.

 

 

 

Game of the Decade: #1

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Well, it took me over a year, but here it is. My favorite game of the past decade, and maybe of all time, GTA: Vice City. GTA 3 really blew everyone away when it came out with its open world gameplay, but it wasn’t until Vice City hit that it was certain that Rockstar was here to stay as a true AAA developer.

I can’t think of a better possible setting for a game such as this other than the pastel draped, new wave mid-80′s Miami. It takes a lot to pull this off, and make it believable and authentic, but they knocked it out of the park. The amount of time and detail put into making the city come to life and be era-accurate is unreal. The characters and the script are hilarious, and I don’t think they could have possibly squeezed any more pop culture references in than they did. The voice acting is also top-notch, featuring actors such as Burt Reynolds, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo and even Lawrence Taylor. Ditching the route of the silent protagonist; Ray Liotta does a

...I like this shirt.

great job with Tommy. Gameplay wise, maybe it wasn’t not the best third person shooter out there, but considering the nature of the open world gameplay and the melding of different genres here, it’s still impressive. Above all else its just an insanely fun game, and a blast from start to finish.

It also features maybe the greatest licensed soundtrack ever. Every hit you can possibly think of is here, backed by GTA’s patented fake radio banter and ads. Even the games original radio content, such as its talk shows are insanely well made and make just cruising around vice city aimlessly a ton of fun. The whole game is one big love letter to the 80′s and I’m sealing it with a kiss.

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Game of the Decade: #2

Final Fantasy X

2001 was a simpler time. Brett Favre had no camera phone with which to capture his underwhelming penis with, Pluto was still our little 9th planet that could,  and the Square was still Soft instead of enix. Final Fantasy X takes me back to a time when I could truly get lost in an RPG. Lost in it’s world, its mythos, it’s story and really get involved and attached to the characters. FFX was the last game I can remember that drew me in and gave me this experience. I can’t say whether this really is  due to the loss of Square”Soft” quality, or if its just a factor of me getting older and more cynical, but both the former and latter are sad conclusions.

Square went back to its roots completely gameplay wise, featuring a turn-based battle system with enough new twists on the system to keep it  challenging and ultimately very strategically delicate. Even it’s extreme linearity is a throwback to the classic days. Which is something some people can’t seem to grasp. One of the main things people harp on when talking about X, or the most recent XIII, is how linear they are, and how Final Fantasy was always about adventure, and exploring, but that was never really the case. Sure, they featured traversable world-maps, but thats just a way to mask the linearity, you never really could go anywhere you want, your hand was always held and you’re always pushed along a very specific path. X simply doesn’t try to trick you, it ropes you along its path and takes advantage of its design to engage and tell you a story in the best way they can.

The visuals were top-notch at the time, and still hold up pretty well today. It’s still one of the prettiest PS2 games out there. Uematsu’s score is also another classic, ranking up there with his best efforts.

HA HA HA HA

The voice acting wasn’t great, maybe it wasn’t even objectively “good”, but to be fair this wasn’t a time when voice acting wasn’t widely done in games of this magnitude and they do an admirable job with it, though it certainly has its awkward moments.

It  spawned the first direct sequel of the series, X-2, which also turned out to be quite polarizing amongst fans, but I am pretty fond of it aswell. No, don’t worry, it isn’t my #1…

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Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.

Game of the Decade: #3

Uncharted 2

Naughty Dog’s blockbuster sequel came somewhat out of left field for me.  Not that I wasn’t aware of it, it just wasn’t on my radar as something I was interested in at all.  After playing through (or at least trying to) Drake’s Fortune, I was unimpressed. I thought the gameplay was stale and repetitive, and the set-up was typical “Dude Raider” affair. Luckily, I gave Among Thieves a shot and I was blown away. The graphics are vibrant, the environments are lush, and the facial animation is some of the best to date. The buzz word that gets thrown around all too often when talking about Uncharted 2, is setpiece, and I’m throwing it around aswell. It’s loaded with them, and they altogether form a great action experience.

One thing the Uncharted team gets so so right when creating the series is the way they motion capture and voice record. Everything is captured with all actors on set together, which creates a real chemistry between the characters that is fluid and unrivaled in the industry. The voice acting itself is phenomenal, there’s a reason Nolan North is featured in what seems like virtually every other game nowadays, and it’s because he’s the best. He’s great at what he does; Nathan Drake is entirely his creation and a big part of why the game is so enjoyable.

Mark Wahlberg is no Nolan North.

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The aforementioned Wahlberg cast as Drake in the hollywood adaptation

Quick Hit – Ilomilo

Very rarely is “charming” a word I get to use when describing a game, yet Ilomilo has me drinking tea and eloquently raising my pinky as I do it. The set-up is simple enough; Ilo and Milo are old friends trying to meet up at the park they used to go to, but they find that they have trouble remembering the way back, and everything seems to have shifted around. Ilomilo is a simple puzzle game that involves you navigating 2 different adorable plush alien fellows starting on opposite sides of the map, to meet each other somewhere along the way. You switch back and forth between characters and help them create paths and overcome obstacles together. Along the way you’ll unlock memories of their past time together via flashback photos and letters. The graphics are very littlebig planet, with everything looking as if it were made with real fabric, and real… “cuteness.”  The soundtrack is suitably quaint and melancholic, and employs flower-esque sound cues that work really well.

For awhile, Ilo was available for download via a “secret code” from the developer’s website, but it seems that window has passed. If you missed out you’ll just have to wait until January 5th when it hits the xbox-live arcade.

It’s also available for free on Windows Phone 7.
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Quick Hit – Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Amidst the sea of sequels, prequels, remakes, and rehashes, Enslaved is a breath of fresh air. Being a new IP from Ninja Theory, the guys behind Heavenly Sword, this Action-Adventure title flew right under the radar and has been a pleasant surprise. The game takes place in the distant future where the land is overrun with Mechs and humans are hunted and enslaved. You play the role of Monkey, a loner with an obscene amount of hair spray surviving on his own, who has been equipped with a slave headband by Trip, a fellow survivor of a slave ship crash. She commands you to escort her back to her village, and Monkey begrudgingly complies. The journey that ensues is one of the more memorable ones in recent history.

The narrative is interesting, the character interaction is entertaining and the flow is well paced. The voice acting and dialogue is well done and the relationships are believable, but it makes you wish it was fleshed out just a bit more. The graphics are great, and the art direction is strikingly unique featuring a vibrant color pallete and distinct character designs. It does suffer from some technical issues, graphic stuttering and the FPS drops dramatically in certain situations.  The gameplay itself  is a mix of a Prince of Persia/Uncharted style traversal and climbing, with Arkham Asylum style combat, and even some third person shooter elements. It’s a mish-mash of a lot of different styles and the result is an extremely satisfying experience.

★★★★☆

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Final Fantasy XIV: Follow-up

A leap of faith

Today marks the official release of Final Fantasy XIV, with the standard edition players finally able to get in the game. The servers have been up for 8 days now for those that purchased the Collector’s Edition, so the game is out there, people are playing, rabbits are being slaughtered, and basement dwelling neckbeards are trying but failing to resist the charms of fellow neckbeards’ catgirls. We’re in full swing now, but how does the retail version compare to the beta? What’s the reception been like? Well, let’s examine briefly.

-UI lag is considerably less, but no changes have no been made to the structure of it. It’s still clunky, it’s still annoying, it’s still worse than the 8-year-old UI they created for XI.

-Still no Auction House, retainers still remain the games answer for economic structure. More and more players however, are just foregoing the retainers altogether and reverting to XI-style bazaars in the cities, and this works well enough. The market wards are still just not worth the headache, at all.

-Player search function is still completely useless.

-Only a handful of missions, no quests. There’s a general lack of content beyond leveling and ranking up.

Needless to say, the player reception is still fairly mixed at this point. Playing now is more of an investment in the future, fingers and tails crossed hoping SE will eventually right this ship. They’re making progress, but instead of the hulking Roegadyn strides we were expecting, we’re getting the pitter-patter of Lalafell steps.

Opening Cinematic

Final Fantasy XIV

Open Beta Impressions

Initial Alpha testing for Square Enix’s newest MMO has been going on since April now, and finally just weeks before the games September 22nd release, the general populous has been invited to take part in an open beta test. General reaction around the globe so far has been somewhat mixed, amongst both FFXI veterans and newcomers alike. I fall into the former group so the majority of my beta impressions thus far are in direct comparison to the standards I’ve come to expect from their prior MMO efffort.

Positives

+ The graphics are great, and the art direction is beautiful. Featuring sprawling environments, gorgeous vistas, and a rich color pallette, it’s one of the best looking MMOs to date.

+ Nobuo Uematsu returns to compose the entire soundtrack; the first Final Fantasy for which he has done  in 10 years, and it’s fantastic. The quality here is just something that you will not see in any other MMO.

+ Character creation is much deeper this time around, and the probability of running into another player out there with the same exact model on your server, or in just in general is highly unlikely.

+ What very little there is to see of any story thus far is very well crafted and extremely cinematic. Each of the 3 starting city-states have unique and engaging  opening segments. This is something ultimately set XI apart from it’s competitors, and all indications point to this being a strong point this time as well.

The Moggles, they do nothing!

+ The Armory class change system is a very nice addition. You can change your class at will by changing your equipped weapon, which is incredibly convenient. The ability to customize your current class with abilities that you have earned from other classes is also an interesting twist on XI’s subjob system.

Negatives

- The biggest problem with the game as it is now is the user interface, and its a major issue. Menu navigation is slow and laggy, and the layout is nonsensical. Doing things as simple as changing your equipment, or setting up macros is much more of a hassle than it needs to be. This is baffling considering how easy FFXI’s UI was to use.

- The Auction House is non-existent at this point, and its unclear whether or not one will be added for retail release. Instead of the auction house they’ve added something called the retainer system. You can hire NPCs to set up personal shops and sell your items for you, even while you are offline. This is a good concept, but as the main means of commerce it is just a waste of time. Instead of browsing a simple to use Auction House, you’re reduced to going into these wards areas which are filled with players shops to browse, you’re forced to browse every shop until you find what you’re looking for, and if you hope to have a price comparison you’ll just have to keep browsing everyone’s separate shops. It’s a complete mess. It’s more efficient to simply shop at NPC vendors even if you end up paying more. Again it’s a nice way to set up player shops, but an Auction House without unnecessary tax would work infinitely better.

- Targeting is clunky and frustrating. With the lack of an auto-attack, dealing with multiple enemies usually ends up with you awkwardly trying to target the next enemy after defeating one, losing precious time in the process.

- The Search function isn’t where it needs to be. Again this is something that in comparison to XI is just a huge step back.

Now, it’s important to remember that this is still a beta, the game will definitely be patched many times in the coming weeks and theoretically all these issues could be addressed for retail release. At this point, this isn’t a recommendation or condemnation. I’m still excited, and it is still addicting, but it remains to be seen what kind of longevity it can have.

Open Beta Application

Game of the Decade: #4

BioShock

One of the more recent entries to this countdown, 2k Boston’s 2007 hit BioShock sent shock waves through the industry and set a new standard for horror games. It stands as one of the few games I can honestly recommend to anyone, gamer or not. If I were to introduce someone to the medium, I would sit them down in front of a TV, put a controller in their hand, boot up BioShock, offer no other guidance, and leave them alone for an hour. I guarantee when I walk back in the room they’ll have experienced a completely unexpected emotional response.

The game follows plane crash survivor Jack, who discovers the underwater city of ‘Rapture’ in his attempt to reach safety. The game sucks you into the narrative from the get go, and you won’t want to stop until you’ve uncovered all of Raptures dark secrets. What ensues on your welcome is one of the most engaging experiences you’ll find in any game, and quite possibly the best intro sequence to date.

Look Mr. Bubbles, it's an angel...

You’re greeted by the city’s creator, Andrew Ryan, whom explains his Ayn Rand-esque motives for creating a city under the sea. The story that unfolds on your journey through Rapture is compelling and unpredictable. It admittedly peaks quite early, with a less than satisfying ending, but its peak is as high as it gets.

The combat for the most part is standard FPS fare with a few new twists. Early on, Jack is introduced to Rapture’s most unique feature, gene-splicing. You’re given access to an assortment of tonics that can grant you a wide array of plasmid powers. These plasmids can be used in conjunction with your traditional weaponry to strategically take out masses of enemies. Firing a lightning bolt into a water flooded room of enemies, or freezing an adversary and smashing them into bits with a melee attack are just 2 examples of what your plasmids can do. This spin on the genre keeps the action fresh long enough to not hamper the storytelling.

The setting and atmosphere of Rapture is what truly makes BioShock standout as an instant classic. From its spliced-out maniacal populous, to its now iconic Big Daddy, Rapture is a gloriously horrifying stage for its fantastic act. It’s one of those games I wish I could just erase all memory of so I can experience it for the first time again.

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Latest on the ‘BioShock’ movie

Game of the Decade: #5

Dark Cloud 2

Sequels! Ah yes, more delicious sequels. Dark Cloud 2, released as Dark Chronicle in everywhere but the States, was a bit of a sleeper hit back in 03′. Level-5 was a newly formed developer when it first released the original Dark Cloud at the turn of the century, and it was met with a mixed reception, both critically and commercially. Thankfully their second effort turned out much better. Dark Cloud 2 put Level-5 on the map as a AAA developer and was the precursor to a number of  successful franchises.

The basis of the game has you traverse dungeons, fighting enemies, and collecting georama pieces to restore destroyed villages. The Georama is probably the most unique feature in the game, allows you to place houses, people, and other environmental elements to bring life back to these villages. The ability of your characters to time travel then allows you to see how your actions, and strategy in the past have affected the Georama in the future. This is ultimately a very rewarding game-within-the-game that defines what Dark Cloud is all about.

hay guiz hows it goin

At its core  it’s a simple Action-RPG with randomly generated dungeons, but it’s style, uniqueness, and depth are what set it apart and really make it stand out. The combat would seem to be standard hack and slash fare at first sight, but early on you learn that defense is just as important as your offense. Tie together the snappy gameplay with a highly addictive weapon upgrade system and you have a winning formula. The dungeons never get dull, and the ability to switch characters at any point between, Max, who wields a wrench and has a giant robot he can ride, and Monica, who wields a sword and magic, always keep the action fresh.

Lastly, its visuals are breathtaking. The cel-shaded graphics have never looked so good, and it still stands today as arguably the best use of them in a game to date. It makes you wish more developers would take the risk and go with the cel-shaded style more often.

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