I got taken in by the title.

Then I played it.

WTF!

This is the hardest game I have ever had the misfortune of playing.

Now you try.

Left 4k Dead

Good Luck!

Image Source: wrhowell

Post from: EveryJoe

Very Sneaky

What do you call a stealth game that incorporates an FPS combat system?

Metal Gear solid 4.

I will tell you about it in detail when I have finished playing it.

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Post from: EveryJoe

Snake? Snake…SNAKE!

OK, this is a “First Person Shooter”.  Notice the first person view, and shooting.

This is also a first person shooter. The only difference is that in this one you are not killing humans.  So, even if you are killing other types of animals in a game, it can still be called an fps.  (I know another difference is that you are on a different planet. Give me a break!)

This “hunting” game is in the first person and you are killing an animal by shooting it.  So, it can technically be called a “First Person Shooter”.

Following that logic, if this game involved shooting the fish with some type of gun than it too would be a fps.  And that sounds totally RAD!

So, as you can see, an FPS Fishing game.

Sounds cool doesn’t it.

Post from: EveryJoe

Maybe?

The action was smooth, the story line was entertaining, and the difficulty curve kept me engaged. So even with its gore, it is still a solid game.

The multiplayer however was less appealing.  The maps as beautiful as they are, feel cluttered and confined.

The amount of damage that characters can take is insane.  It took an entire clip to drop an opponent.  I know I was scoring head shots because they were dug in behind a car, and the only thing I could aim at was their head.

What is with the reload sequence?  The scroll bar thing that you have to time just right is stupid.  I didn’t know that the gun would jam it you screwed this part up.  I know it adds realism to the game, but HELLO, it has killer martians in it.  I don’t want a chainsaw! I have one of those in the back of my truck. I want a freaking laser! (Don’t have one of those. They ran out early during the black Friday Sale at NORAD)

I mean really, our military doesn’t use chainsaw bayonets because you have to be too close.  If I were fighting killer aliens I for damn sure would never be close enough to ever use the stihl strapped to the end of that gun.  The only use it would get from me would be during December.  I would make the barracks a little more festive by bagging an evergreen.

Before I digress any further let me say that it was fun, but not my favorite.

That’s all I have to say about that.

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Post from: EveryJoe

FINE! I’ll Play.

I almost lost my lunch.

I am not a prude or old woman, but this is too much for me.  I won’t play COD4 in front of my daughter, and it has a tame gore rating compared to most other games.

Now, I watch Tom and Jerry and the Looney Toons gang with her.  The act of a cat getting his head slammed in a door is violent, but it is not graphic, and that is the big difference.

My generation was raised on cartoon violence and most of us are fine; we are not crazy psycho killers.  I am not say in that graphic violence will make you a psycho, but I do believe that it does desensitizes people.

Like all of us, my daughter will eventually have to find the acceptable level of violence that society will tolerate.  I found that fighting is acceptable.  Fighting and using a weapon is not.  It is called assault with a deadly weapon and is punishable by law.  The inevitability of children throwing blows at school is alright with me.  It is the desensitization to that type of violence that frightens me.

Here is an example.  In 1968 the band MC5 sang the song, “Kick out the jams.”  The opening line in the song was, “Kick out the jams mother@#&%*s!”

In 1968, this caused a huge up roar.  Can you imagine if this album had been released today.  That was the only swear word in the entire album, but is was THE one to many.  Today people are desensitized to this kind of language.  I would be willing to bet that you have at least 5 CDs that used that word repeatedly.

Not only has the language usage changed but it seems that the fighting that I talked about earlier has given way to gun battles on the playground.

So, the point is when we are no longer phased by the elevation of violence then it starts to become accepted and easier to do. That kind of cozy relationship with blood and guts is never good.

If you have not seen any Gears here you go, but be warned.

Image Source:Poldavo (Alex)

Post from: EveryJoe

Get Off My Lawn!

Whereas this style and theme created a richer world for the first game.  I seriously doubt that it will lend anything to Among Thieves.  I have not played Uncharted 2, but I can say that with the utmost certainty because of the trailer.

The sparse mountainous setting of Nepal is a great departure from the robust jungles.  So, in turn the music that frames this new adventure should be able to make me feel like I am in the Himalayas.  I have no doubt that the Naughty Dog team will deliver completely, but since these games are like movies, their soundtracks should also be motion picture quality.

We have come a long way since Mario and Link beeped and dinged across our television screens, but for a music geek like myself I hope we never go back.

Post from: EveryJoe

That’s My Jam!

In games though, your characters are the most insanely fit people on whatever planet you happen to be on. They can run up and down mountains, swim oceans, and climb to the heavens.

Master Chief is a good example.  That guy never stops.  If he were an E9 in the Navy I was in, he would be drinking coffee and waiting for his retirement checks to start rolling in.

I know that these are just games and not real life, but COD4 limited the ability to sprint for hours and that added to the overall realistic feel. I am not hung up on realism, but I find myself trying to achieve these superhuman feats.  If I can do it then folks on Ninja Challenge better watch out!

Just to further my point that there is a disconnect between games and the real world, here is a video.  These guys are WOW dorks, but they still have an amazing experiment.

Post from: EveryJoe

Which Way to the Gym?

I had an interesting discussion with friends the other day about life meters. Life meters are a part of games that I have mixed emotions about.  Back in the day when arcade machines were fed with quarters, the life meter was a necessary evil.  If you were not dieing then you were not feeding the beast.

With the advent of home consoles systems, life meters were made obsolete.  Dying every few seconds to get more quarters no longer serves any purpose. It was just annoying and could ruin a great game.

So, on the one hand, new games with the old school life meters are pointless, but if the concept is modified to work so that life is regenerative then you have a visual way to gauge your health but not an instant game over.

This point is driven home by the Halo games and KillZone.

The health bar in these games were great visual aids as to how much health you have left.  So, if you are in a firefight and the indicator gets low you know that you have to scurry off and heal.

Games like Uncharted and COD use the pre-death rattle red screen and shortness of breath to warn you that you are about to DIE.  This type of warning system is hard for me to judge.  This means I usually charge in to battle all LLD.  (Navy speak for “light or limited duty” and is given to injured sailors.)

To end this post before I start to ramble, I think that the life meters of yore served their purpose but if they are not an integrated measurement tool in newer games they are worthless.

Source: ccgd

Post from: EveryJoe

It’s My Life

If your answer was, “Credits? There are credits.”  You are not being a very considerate gamer.

I know that reading the end credits of a game is on the level of watching paint dry, but it is the least we can for the men and women that put countless hours in to producing the games we love to play.

My wife and I feel that it is important to acknowledge the creative minds behind the game.

This post is not a sermon, I just wanted to remind everyone that we should be mindful of everyone in the industry.

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Post from: EveryJoe

Mr. Niceguy

Where do game designers come up with clothes that the characters wear?

It started when I played Tomb Raider for the first time.  I was like every other 16 year old boy and thought that is how every female should dress.  (except some moms and the elderly)  Then as I matured I stared to wonder – where does she keep all of those extra guns and items?

The latest version of this problem I am having is with Far Cry 2 and Uncharted.  In Far Cry you runaround the desert in bluejeans and in Uncharted you run around the jungle in bluejeans. After all of the dust settles, both of these guys have perfect hair and pants that look like they just came off the rack with not one hole or grass stain.

On a personal note, I only wish my pants fit that well. I run 5k’s so I am not fat, but my jeans manage to make me look like I got my pants a size too big.  I guess that if I got my pants made of with 1/4 denim and 3/4 spandex I could look like Nate or that other guy. (.25 denim and .75 spandex for everyone outside the US)

Don’t get me wrong I love my jeans!  They are pretty much all I wear but after experiencing the climate in other parts of the world I know better than to pack only denim.  If I were in north Africa with the temperature hovering between 130 degrees I sure as hell would be looking for something in a cotton blend.  The same goes for the jungle!  When I get wet giving my dog a bath I have to take my pants off.  The feel of wet denim is unbearable.

Before you say it,”they just happened to get caught in that situation.”  Bullfeathers!  All of the treasure hunting mercenaries I know dress accordingly.  That way they are always prepared.

Like a Boy Scout.  A treasure hunting mercenary Boy Scout. (with comfortable pants.)

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Post from: EveryJoe

I’ll Go Check at The Gap