Played Fallout 3 for about fifteen minutes before freezing and a hard reboot-then switched to Vista to update and play World In Conflict. Crashed 3 times. Suspect heat and humidity has something to do with as massive thunderstorm exploded moments later.
RT
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Games-In-Brief: Spring/Summer 2009
A massive slew on ongoing personal stuff including moving my family 3500 km has been distraction. I am working to keep them under better management to prevent further distraction.
I rotate through a pile of games, as I usually get to play in chunks, and when I get frustrated, I quit. Here is a list of the games currently plaguing my shelves and hard drives:
The Witcher: Extended Edition- A visual feast of an RPG with truly adult themes and content (without being gratuitous), the combat is a bit wonky. Unfortunately the most recent patch destroyed my install so I am re-installing and re-patching.
Supreme Commander- This epic RTS has been a blast to play but the biggest impediment is that the missions grow massive and timely as you play. I am wary of starting what appears to be an end-game, as the initial mission space is massive and looks to only get bigger. I also suck at RTS’s
World in Conflict- I left this game behind a while ago on an abandoned Vista partition-Win 7 is spectacular, and leaves me thinging I will be nuking that partition so I should finish the game. A tight, accessible RTS, it is visually enthralling and can really push a system. Great story too.
Far Cry 2- Visuals again lead the pack in this game, as does the dynamic weather, day/night and fire propagation systems. The open ended nature of the game leaves the experience entirely to the player, which can be daunting. Like Supreme Commander, this game has a potential to be a massive time –sink as the exploration of the world is far more compelling than any story missions. More annoying is the compressed and apparently time-adjusted dialogue, which makes everyone, talk as if they are running at 1.5X.
F.E.A.R.: Extraction Point – A reasonable expansion pack to the original, it builds on the atmosphere of the first game, bumps up the weapons, but still leaves the player fighting inside warehouses and corridors. The A.I., while more cleverly scripted than actual A.I., is challenging and exciting.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Not yet graduated to the Clear Sky prequel, this game, while initially buggy, has finally been patched to a tight, unique experience. As much RPG as shooter, it has a vibrant exciting world with threats from all side and looks fantastic.
Age Of Conan- I have jumped back into this ultra-violent yet striking MMO with renewed vigor, as new content has been released, opening areas of the world previously unexplored. Recent patches addressed balancing issues, which required me to re-outfit my avatar with new skill trees, but the new far more granular feedback on stats is welcome.
Titan Quest- A pretty Diablo clone RPG is accessible and entertaining, though driven solely through mouse-clicks. The resounding thud of a shield bash is satisfying, though I feel like I am not leveling properly. Distribution of skill points is a bit obtuse and unlike as to potential benefits.
Fallout 3- Though I have not purchased or played any DLC, I continue my quest through the capital wastes, avoiding the game ending mission in order to finally and fully explore the map. Now essentially overpowered and able to walk through (almost) any enemy in the game, especially accompanied by weaponized companions, I am playing to explore, and discovering new and weird things every time.
Xbox Live Arcade has gotten my attention with two game demos: Shadow Complex and Trials HD. Shadow Complex is a gorgeous side-scroller rendered in 3D, following the old-school vibe of the original Metroid. The Unreal Engine is stunning as ever and this massive arcade download comes complete with full rendered cut scenes. Ridiculously fun and might in fact pry $20 from my cold hands in the form of 1200 Microsoft points. Trials HD is a physics based 3D almost-isometric view of a motorcycle stunt driver who the player has manipulate through a serious of ever more challenging jumps and tricks. Controlled only by acceleration, braking and leaning back or forward, the bike and rider are sent hurtling through the air into flips and ramp slide, often culminating in a massive ragdoll crash. Deliriously entertaining, it looks like a steal as well.
I rotate through a pile of games, as I usually get to play in chunks, and when I get frustrated, I quit. Here is a list of the games currently plaguing my shelves and hard drives:
The Witcher: Extended Edition- A visual feast of an RPG with truly adult themes and content (without being gratuitous), the combat is a bit wonky. Unfortunately the most recent patch destroyed my install so I am re-installing and re-patching.
Supreme Commander- This epic RTS has been a blast to play but the biggest impediment is that the missions grow massive and timely as you play. I am wary of starting what appears to be an end-game, as the initial mission space is massive and looks to only get bigger. I also suck at RTS’s
World in Conflict- I left this game behind a while ago on an abandoned Vista partition-Win 7 is spectacular, and leaves me thinging I will be nuking that partition so I should finish the game. A tight, accessible RTS, it is visually enthralling and can really push a system. Great story too.
Far Cry 2- Visuals again lead the pack in this game, as does the dynamic weather, day/night and fire propagation systems. The open ended nature of the game leaves the experience entirely to the player, which can be daunting. Like Supreme Commander, this game has a potential to be a massive time –sink as the exploration of the world is far more compelling than any story missions. More annoying is the compressed and apparently time-adjusted dialogue, which makes everyone, talk as if they are running at 1.5X.
F.E.A.R.: Extraction Point – A reasonable expansion pack to the original, it builds on the atmosphere of the first game, bumps up the weapons, but still leaves the player fighting inside warehouses and corridors. The A.I., while more cleverly scripted than actual A.I., is challenging and exciting.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Not yet graduated to the Clear Sky prequel, this game, while initially buggy, has finally been patched to a tight, unique experience. As much RPG as shooter, it has a vibrant exciting world with threats from all side and looks fantastic.
Age Of Conan- I have jumped back into this ultra-violent yet striking MMO with renewed vigor, as new content has been released, opening areas of the world previously unexplored. Recent patches addressed balancing issues, which required me to re-outfit my avatar with new skill trees, but the new far more granular feedback on stats is welcome.
Titan Quest- A pretty Diablo clone RPG is accessible and entertaining, though driven solely through mouse-clicks. The resounding thud of a shield bash is satisfying, though I feel like I am not leveling properly. Distribution of skill points is a bit obtuse and unlike as to potential benefits.
Fallout 3- Though I have not purchased or played any DLC, I continue my quest through the capital wastes, avoiding the game ending mission in order to finally and fully explore the map. Now essentially overpowered and able to walk through (almost) any enemy in the game, especially accompanied by weaponized companions, I am playing to explore, and discovering new and weird things every time.
Xbox Live Arcade has gotten my attention with two game demos: Shadow Complex and Trials HD. Shadow Complex is a gorgeous side-scroller rendered in 3D, following the old-school vibe of the original Metroid. The Unreal Engine is stunning as ever and this massive arcade download comes complete with full rendered cut scenes. Ridiculously fun and might in fact pry $20 from my cold hands in the form of 1200 Microsoft points. Trials HD is a physics based 3D almost-isometric view of a motorcycle stunt driver who the player has manipulate through a serious of ever more challenging jumps and tricks. Controlled only by acceleration, braking and leaning back or forward, the bike and rider are sent hurtling through the air into flips and ramp slide, often culminating in a massive ragdoll crash. Deliriously entertaining, it looks like a steal as well.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Return To Form
I have split off my ranting blog (ragingcanuck) from my gaming blog (game-a-day-ish) because it was getting too muddled. Hopefully this works better and allows me to get back into blogging.
For a laugh, check out whyicantpark as well, its my log of parking denials.
For a laugh, check out whyicantpark as well, its my log of parking denials.
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