APB closed already?!

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So, I was sitting here, trying to decide on an MMO to try that I haven’t yet tried. After careful consideration I decided to give the game called APB a shot. I looked around at my favorite online stores, and couldn’t find it anywhere! I knew something was up, because it’s not like I could be misspelling the name.

After digging around, I decide to try to find the games website, assuming that maybe the game for some reason is only available for purchase through their store. To my amazement, their website was also gone! Curiouser and curiouser I thought.

After even more hunting around the internet, I discovered that APB had closed it’s doors! That’s right, the game had shut down. Now, the fact that it shut down isn’t the odd part. I mean, MMOs do have a habit of shutting down, especially the way the economy is these days. What is surprising however is how quickly the game closed down! After only being open for 3 months, they decided to call it quits.

You read that right! Three Months! APB now as far as I know, has the distinction of being the shortest lived MMO in gaming history, so congratulations on that!

I guess I will just have to stick to GTA IV in free roam mode.

Yet another MMORPG goes Free-to-Play!

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Some of you may, or may not be aware, that Sony Online Entertainment recently released a free-to-play version of their extremely popular MMORPG “Everquest II”, which of course is part of the EverQuest series of games. The Free-to-play version is called Everquest II Extended, and is currently in Beta. If you haven’t played the game, you really should now! Seriously, there’s no excuse. 

For those unfamiliar with how the new batch of premium MMORPGs going Free-to-play work, let me explain; The game really is free-to-play, however if you want access to certain features or quest packs, then you have to purchase them with usually some game points. Not in-game gold, but with points which are purchased with real cash! That’s how they make their money, however you aren’t obligated to purchase anything, and can fully enjoy the game without ever plopping down a cent. 

Everquest II isn’t the first premium MMORPG that has adopted the micro-transaction method of gaming. Other games include Dungeons and Dragons Online, as well as Lord of the Rings Online. 

So, why are companies switching to this method? I honestly don’t know, but I do know that times are tough for everyone, and these games are great for people who might be struggling with financial issues, because they have the option to pay as much or as little as they want from month to month, and can still participate in the MMORPG craze that has literally swept across the face of the planet.

The wait for DCUO

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Have you ever really looked forward to the release of a highly anticipated movie or game? I know that I certainly have! When I am looking forward to a game or movie, I tend to watch other movies, or play other games that are similar to the one I am waiting on.

For instance, When I was waiting on Mafia II, I went and replayed The Godfather: The Game. When I was waiting on the last Indiana jones movie, which was a major disappointment by the way, I watched the previous Indiana jones movies, as well as several of the clones, including Romancing the Stone, Allan Quartermain flicks and even that lame one with Chuck Norris and Louis Gosset Jr. called “Fire Walker“.

Now, I am doing it all over again! I am waiting in anticipation for the release of DC Universe Online, and in doing so I decided to get another Super Hero MMORPG to hold me over. However, there wasn’t a whole lot of Choices. In fact, there were 2 choices really. I could get and subscribe to City of Heroes, or I could get and subscribe to Champions Online.

It was a hard choice at first, I mean on one hand City of Heroes has a ton more content! I mean, you could be playing for years and never experience all that the game has to offer. Champions Online however has much better graphics and sound! See? Not an easy choice! Well, not an easy choice for most people.

I do admit, I was leaning in favor toward Champions Online. The better graphics and sound was more important to me than the content. Only because I hadn’t planned on playing it but for a few months! Remember, it was just to hold me over til the release of DCUO. I didn’t need a game with a plethora of content. I didn’t need a game that will keep me occupied for years to come.

However, what really pulled me over to champions Online was the fact that it was compatible with the Xbox 360 gamepad for the PC. I don’t mean that it supported it, but you had to calibrate and configure it. No! I mean it is fully supported and integrated right into the game! If you have your 360 controller plugged in, and start the game up, it’s ready! Just pick up the gamepad and begin playing! Even the onscreen commands tell you what buttons to push on your gamepad! For instance when you start the game up, and you are on the character selection screen, it tells you to press the green A button on your gamepad to begin playing.

I am a huge fan of gamepads, because I have been using them since I was 6. Using a gamepad to me, is about as natural as using my fingers. Is it any wonder that I went with the one that had full gamepad support?

After playing Champions Online for a few days though, I came to realise that this game truly does kick ass! It is an incredibly enjoyable game, and while I might have only planned to be playing it up until the release of DCUO, I have decided that I will most likely keep it as well as DCUO and play them both, assuming DCUO is even half as enjoyable as Champions.

Mafia II Review

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I had been eagerly anticipating the release of the game Mafia II, and the day it finally came out was almost like Christmas had come early. I sat out on the porch, just waiting for the friendly neighborhood UPS man to come pulling up in his giant brown truck. Then, when he pulled up, I ran out to meet him, and grabbed the package out of his hand and practically started ripping into it right there.

No, I am not a fan of the Mafia game franchise. In fact, the original Mafia game I completely despised. The sequel though? It called out to me, and despite my dislike for the original, I had to get it.

So, enough about waiting on the game right? I am going to skip past the bit where I run in, stick the game into my console and all that. I am going to get right to the meat of this post. The Review of the game.

When I began playing Mafia II, I found the controls fairly confusing, however by the time I finished the tutorial level I was quite intimate with the controls. In fact, it felt to me like I had mastered it. In this regard, the games tutorial did exactly what it’s intended to do. In fact, it excels at tutoring you on the games basics. Most games give you a quick rundown, and then throw you into some crazy situation and expect you to be an expert and the control system. Not so with Mafia II! In fact, you have plenty of time even after the tutorial to get into the swing of things, and by the time you find yourself in the thick of things, you will be more than capable of handling the situation.

The thing I found most impressive, even more impressive than the tutorial was the graphics! The graphics were astounding! Combine those graphics with the level of detail in the game? What do you have? If you answered a masterpiece, I will accept that! However, what I was going for was a Lifelike experience. The city you play in is like a living, breathing city! The songs match the time period, and realistic physics add to the realism!

On top of all that, the game has plenty of boobage! You can collect vintage girlie magazines hidden throughout the game, and when you find one, you can take a look at the centerfold. Remember, this game is Mature! Obviously it shouldn’t be played by the young uns. It obviously wasn’t intended to be played by them, so you shouldn’t be getting it for your kid.

I won’t lie to you, while I found this game thrilling, gorgeous and an exceptional game, it wasn’t perfect. In fact, it was heavily flawed! You have heard the Pro’s, Now hear the Cons.

One of the things I like about games, especially Xbox 360 games, is the online playability. Games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption both provide fun online gaming distractions. So, I assumed that Mafia II would provide a similar online gaming experience. I however was disappointed. Was the online experience equal to the other previously mentioned games? No! Not only was it not equal, it was in fact non-existent! This bothered me, since in this day and age of gaming, online playability is pretty much a given! All game releases pretty much have some for of online playability, even if it’s poorly done.

So, there was that! The Con’s do continue as well.

The game is short. I mean really short! Insanely short. I finished the game in 2 days, and I wasn’t even playing it non-stop. I firmly believe that If I put my usual gaming time into this game, I would have finished it in one day. I am sorry, but that is just not acceptable! Maybe back in the day of the PS2 and the original Xbox, but now a days? That isn’t going to fly! As gamers we expect longer, enjoyable games. We realise games were shorter in the past. However, games have grown longer this generation, and it’s become expected! So, when a game like Mafia II provides a game this short, it’s a disappointment!

Lastly, the game has been advertising upcoming DLC even before the game was released. Hell, on the PS3, the game had DLC out and available on the day of release. This pisses me off! Why? Because, the game was insanely short, I feel that in terms of game content, I was ripped off! The lack of content wasn’t due to the fact that they simply had run out of ideas and story to take the game. It seems to me, that they were making the DLC while they were making the game. If that’s the case, then they clearly had a direction they could have taken the game. Instead, they decide to make the game tiny, and sell fans of the game more content. Milk their fans out of as much money as possible to fill their pockets.

So what’s the bottom line on Mafia II? Rent it. Sure, the games great! It’s a blast to play, but with their being no online play, the replayability pretty much doesn’t exist. To top it off, it’s so short you will probably finish it in your rental period. So, rent it, and if you did like it as much as I did, wait a few months and buy it used, or wait for it to hit the bargain bin.

The Wii might not be so bad!

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I have never hid the fact that I am not a huge fan of the Nintendo Wii. In fact, I believe I have even clearly stated that I hated it. That it wasn’t for me. That was all true! However, things have taken a slight turn now. Don’t get me wrong, I am still not a big fan of the Wii, in fact they only have 2 decent exclusive titles. Those titles are as Follows.

Animal Crossing: City Folk – A good game, however there isn’t much difference between this version and the version found on the Nintendo DS called Animal Crossing: Wild World. There’s a few changes but not much. In fact, it’s so similar, that they allow you to transfer your Wild world character over into your City Folk game. Basically, City Folk is like an expansion pack for wild world, and not even a good one.

A boy and his Blob  – This is a remake of the original NES game, so if you were a fan of the original, like I was, then you will no doubt have to play this remake. The graphics are beautiful, the game play is fun. It’s an enjoyable experience for the whole family.

That’s it! Those are the two exclusive Wii titles that are even slightly of interest. Sure, they have other good games! I never said they didn’t, but the fact is those other good games can be played on better consoles with better game controls. Have I mentioned in this post how much I hate motion controllers? Because I really do!

Anyway, despite my dislike for the Wii, I decided today to rummage through the Wii shop, and see what all they had in there, and to my surprise there was some pretty good stuff! The first thing that tickled my fancy was Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, which apparently is a sequel to the Super Famicom / SNES game Final Fantasy IV, which for the record is in my opinion the BEST Final Fantasy game ever created!

After my mind boggled at that game, I decided to dig around some more, this time in the Virtual Console section of the Wii shop. I found myself shitshocked at what I found! Many of the best games ever created from past consoles, all right there on one system! I mean, they were old game titles, Most were well over 15 years old! However they were still incredible games, and they were right there! These were games that I used to play instead of doing homework! Games that I would play hooky for! Games like Super Metroid, Paper Mario, Mario RPG, California Games, the entire Phantasy Star Series and that’s just to name a few!

The one that really caught my eye though? Y’s Book I & II. You see, the original Y’s Game. Y’s book I was the first RPG I ever played! It got me interested in not just Role Playing, but gaming it’s self.  I played the original on a game system called the Sega Master System, and I remember staying up all night until I passed out from sheer exhaustion. Sure, before that game I played other games, but I had never played a game that long without losing interest. Considering I suffered from ADD, that was amazing. Needless to say the game became my all time favorite game.

Fun fact: Not only did Y’s get me interested in Gaming, but it also got both my cousins interested in gaming and even my aunt and mom. Yea, it was that much of a kick ass game!

Years later a system popped up called the TurboGrafx-16, which people were going gaga over. mainly because it had some game called Bonk’s Adventure and everyone thought it was the bomb diggity. The game didn’t appeal to me, in fact none of the games appealed to me, and so I had no interest in the gaming console. That was until they released Y’s Book I & II, the original combined with a sequel. Being such a huge fan of the original, I had no choice! I had to buy the TG16! So I did, I of course also got the CD player, and Y’s I&II, and I have to admit I was thrilled! I felt it was the best purchase ever made, and once again I found myself unable to set the control down, I found myself passing out from sheer exhaustion.

Now, they are available on the Wii, for only 800 Wii Points, which is the equivalent of less than 10 bucks! Needless to say I bought quite a few Wii points, and bought quite a few games and relived my past in ways I never thought I would again, and the games are every bit as good today as they were then.

So, now I don’t mind the Wii. It’s not a great system in my opinion, but it’s also not too shabby either. It has it’s pluses.

I used to think I took games too seriously!

Once upon a time, I used to think I took video games too seriously. That’s what I thought until I read the following article about this french gamer I mean!

Counter-Strike player Julien Barreaux stabbed a victim, identified only as Mikhael, in real life “to see his rival wiped out for killing off his character”.

For seven months, the 20-year old plotted his revenge and finally tracked his online killer, who lived only a “few miles” from Barreaux. After Mikhael opened the door, Barreaux plunged a kitchen knife into Mikhael’s chest less than an inch away from his heart. Despite him making a quick escape, police arrested him within the hour.

Barreaux has been sentenced to (only) two years in jail for Grievous Bodily Harm and will be undergoing psychiatric tests and anger management classes. Judge Alexiane Potel called him a “menace to society” and stated, “I am frankly terrified of the disproportionate reaction you could have if someone looked at you the wrong way in the street.” Whatever it is, Potel, I suggest you stay from sharp objects for the next seven months.

Waiting on Mafia II

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I preordered Mafia II quite awhile ago, and have been eagerly looking forward to it. I must confess however, that I did not like the original Mafia game, in fact I despised it. However, that being said, I also despised Red Dead Revolver but I believe the sequel Red Dead Redemption is one of the best games to come out to date. So, I am hoping that the game is leaps and bounds better than the original, and after playing the Demo and viewing the commercials, it would seem like it is a lot better than the other one. Either way, I guess I will find out tomorrow.

Anyway, since I preordered the game from Amazon I have been extremely anxious! In fact, I have been so anxious that I decided to play an older 360 mobster inspired game. The game was called “The Godfather: The Game”, and as I am sure you can guess, it was based on the movie “The Godfather”.

When I originally got the godfather game, I wasn’t impressed. In fact, I despised the game and felt it was one of my worst video game purchases. However, when I played it again recently my whole view changed. I found myself enjoying the game. In fact, I found myself loving the game. I enjoyed it so much that I found it hard to put down, and just tonight finished it. What started out as a simple way to pass away some time until the release of an anticipated game, became an extremely enjoyable gaming experience.

I remember that there was a sequel based on the godfather game. I remember that I didn’t enjoy that either, and was glad I only rented it. However, after enjoying the original I have decided that, maybe after I finish Mafia II I might go out give “The Godfather: The game 2” another chance.

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• Does Mafia II get “made” or swim with the fishes? (news.cnet.com)

Uncharted Review

I just recently had the honor of playing the PS3 exclusive game “Uncharted: Drakes Fortune“. The game is fairly old, however you wouldn’t guess that by looking at the jaw dropping graphics. You might be wondering if it is so old, why did it take so long to play it? Well, to begin with I didn’t have any interest. I saw videos, and screen shots and to be honest, I thought it was going to be Tomb Raider with a male leading character, and I despised the TOmb Raider games, even more than I despised the Tomb Raider movies!

When I finally played it, I learned quickly that the ame is NOTHING like Tomb Raider, which is a good thing. In fact, the game is really unlike anything I have ever played. Sure, the story might not be original, and some of the dialog might be a bit cliché, but the gameplay it’s self is truly unique and entertaining!

Basically, the story follows Nathan Drake, who happens to be a treasure hunter. Kind of like a modern-day Indiana Jones, except not quite as cool. As you start playing, one of the things you will notice is the tutorial guides. They are extremely helpful and informative, and teach you how to manuever around the world of Uncharted. It is highly advised that you do not ignore these.

The controls are simple enough so that anyone can pretty much pick up a gamepad and begin playing, and if you are having trouble, the game guides you into the action. You aren’t tossed head first into life and death situations. So, by the time you are in the heat of it all, you will be quite comfortable with the controls and play style of the game.

Everything about this game is great, the Story, though not original is entertaining, and the voice acting os probably some of the best that I have heard in video games to date! There’s not a thing about this game anyone can complain about. Well, at least not til toward the end.

You see, as you begin nearing the end of the game, Uncharted decides to introduce a new enemy type to the game. This Enemy is a melee enemy which just so happens to pack quite a punch. This means all of a sudden you are forced to break away from the controls you are used to. The method of combat that you have lovingly been introduced to is pretty much tossed out on its ear. Gone are the days of taking cover and aiming down the barrel for accurate shots. In order to survive you simply have to run like a maniac and shoot from the hip. Yea, suddenly, the game becomes a standard Run’N’Gun type game. To make matters worse, the game doesn’t give you any indication that, now might be a good time to change your entire play style.

This sudden change made the game frustrating, however After I played it and finished it, and looked back at the game. I think it was a nice touch. Sure it was a pain in the ass, but it gave the game a sense of confusion and panic. It made the game seem to come alive.

Over-all I would say the game is top-notch and is a must own, and am throughly impressed with this game title. Never before have I been this pleasantly surprised with a video game title.

Looking forward to trying Uncharted 2 now!

Alpha Protocol Review

Have you heard of a game titled “Alpha Protocol“? If the answer is no, it’s not surprising. You see, this game was one of many that glided in under the radar almost completely unnoticed, thanks in large part to the releases of highly anticipated heavy hitters Red Dead Redemption and Alan Wake.

Although you wouldn’t guess it by the title, Alpha Protocol is actually a Role-Playing game. Imagine if you will Splinter Cell remade as an RPG. Not just any RPG, but an RPG using the Unreal 3 game engine, just like Mass Effect. In fact, go one step further and picture what might come out if you stuffed Mass Effect and Splinter Cell into a blender and mixed them together on the highest setting. If you picture that, you might get a decent idea of what exactly Alpha Protocol is like.

When you start playing, one of the first things you will notice is the graphics. They are fairly impressive, though there is room for improvement. You will also notice the film grain which should be extremely familiar to fans of the Mass Effect series, in fact much of the game, in terms of graphics should be quite familiar to those fans.

The next thing you might notice is the lack of character customisation, in fact it’s nearly non-existant. When it becomes time to personalise your character, you will notice that there aren’t very many options at all to choose from. What you are given, is the option to change the characters eye color, choose between 5 or 6 different hair styles, pick between 4 or 5 different facial hair styles and decide if you want your character wearing a hat or shades. Fans of current RPGs might be heavily disappointed since in recent years we have been spoiled with character customisation. In fact, we have grown to accept it, and take it for granted.

However, all that aside, the game has good controls, in fact, very familiar controls that shouldn’t take any time at all to get used. The story is mediocre, it’s not Fantastic, but it’s definitely not the worst you could imagine. In fact, I would go so far as to say it was semi-enjoyable.

The only real flaw that I noticed was the games difficulty. See, they attempted to give the game an open exploration feel, similar to mass effect, however the game was clearly designed to be played in a particular order, and I firmly believe that the game would have been immensely better if it was a forced order. Sure, it would have been more linear, but it would have been more enjoyable and less confusing. The game was obviously designed to be linear, and them offering a “Free exploration” style of gameplay only served to make it frustrating instead of a fun experience.

Over all though, when the games finished and fully experienced, most RPG fans will have found it an overall enjoyable game title. Yes, it had its flaws but I firmly believe the game was enjoyable enough to look past those flaws.

Xbox Kinect

Microsoft unveiled their newly renamed Kinect system at this years E3, and I admit that I don’t  know a whole lot about it,but I have done some digging around the internet to get some information, and from what I can tell, it’s not all that impressive!

What the whole thing seems like to me, is basically a glorified Wii control system! Granted, unlike the Wii the kinect doesn’t use any form of hand held controller, but still! A glorified Wii! That’s what annoys me!

Here’s the thing! If I wanted a Wii, I would have bought a wii. It’s that simple. See, I am a busy person, and I don’t have a whole lot of free time to spend gaming. In fact, the only time I game is the few hours I have were I can stop, rest and relax and enjoy a good gaming experience. Now, considering I play these games when I am wanting to relax, I think it might defeat the purpose if I am having to be jumping around and swinging my arms like a mad man. That does NOT sound relaxing!

Now, I am hoping most games don’t use this as a feature, and the ones that do, I hope will have it as optional, because as I said before; If I wanted a Wii, I would have bought a Wii. So, depending on how many games start using this Kinect feature, I may end up finding myself switching over to the PS3 as the console of choice. We shall see.