The Gaming Experiment

I’ve been a fan of handheld games for as long as I can remember. From the different iterations of the Game Boy to Sega’s Game Gear and the Nintendo DS to the iPhone. But as the years have gone by, I have transitioned to a handheld gamer for road trips and right before bed. That’s probably why it took me so long so long to beat this week’s game.

For the experiment this week, I beat the overlooked, but fantastic and critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. This game took me about 3 months to complete in 5 – 30 minute intervals. If you’ve ever played some of the older GTA games, that were top-down, this game is in the same style. However, the camera is a little lower to the ground, which allows for good controls.

GTA: Chinatown Wars isn’t the franchise’s first foray onto handheld platforms. There were a couple GTA games (Vice City Stories and Liberty City Stories) that came out on the PSP, however, they were in the style of the PS2 3D games. Those games were good; but I believe that they suffered because of the lack of the second analog stick.

The PSP iterations were almost on par with their PS2 cousins (the PSP games were later ported to PS2), however, the DS just doesn't have the same horsepower under it's hood, so Rockstar had a to stylize the animations a bit. They have what looks to be more of a cell-shaded look to it. It works well.

The story is one of revenge, where the main character Huang Lee has come back to Liberty City (same city as GTA IV) to get an old family antique back, a sword from his grandfather that was stolen. As Huang, you will meet a group of excentric characters that has defined the tone of the GTA series; your standard gang boss' that you you will work for, your uncle, and even a police officer that you help along the way. The story is actually pretty interesting, and the writting isn't bad either. There is no voice acting, which is kind of disappointing, and can make some of the dialog awkward to read.

But one of the most interesting aspects of GTA: CW is its use of the touch controls, where you use the touch screen to deal drugs, hotwire cars, defuse bombs, and if you drive your car into the water, smash the windshield to get out.

GTA: CW is really a great game. It's an ambitious title that really utilizes every aspect of the DS without making it gimmicky, or feeling forced.

This game is one that you should Add to the Pile. If you played the game, let me know what you thought about it in the comments!

Check out the video below to get a taste of the feel of the game.

*I was unable to take any good pictures of the game, so I used the official GTA:CW website for the pictures

I'm sure that we have all played a Popcap game at some point or another. They have many hits, like Bejeweled, Bookworm, Zuma, and of course the critical smash hit Peggle. If there is one thing that the folks over at Popcap understand is that they know how to make games that are simple to play, but difficult to master.

Over the past couple weeks I have been playing their newest game Plants vs. Zombies (PvZ). This week I was able to finish it up and there is a lot of game for the $10 price tag.

SPOILER PICTURES

PvZ is in the vein of a tower defense game in which you place weapons on a grid to stave off incoming enemies. In PvZ, your weapons are plants, and the enemies are zombies. Similar to other Popcap games, this game is high on the cuteness factor, but looks can be deceiving, these flowers pack a punch and each have their uses. There are sunflowers that give you sunlight, which is the currency you use to place other plant weapons. The creativity of the plants and zombies is extremely high. Some of my favorite plant weapons are the Pea Shooters (both double and ice variety) which, as the name suggests, shoots peas at oncoming zombies and Wall-Nuts, that are used to block the path of the zombies. The variety is definitely apparent in the plants, but zombies are even more creative. From your standard slow zombies, to the zombies that wear cones on their heads to the Michael Jackson Thriller zombie. They are all amazing and great.

SPOILER PICTURES END

Like I said before, there is a lot of game that is packed in. Included is your standard adventure mode where you will progress though the several levels with obstacle types just as water, tombstones and a roof which requires plant pots to place your plants in. There is a survival mode which, like it sounds, has the different level types and ratchets up the difficulty. One of the more fun game types is the mini-game types, which has fun bowling with a wall nut as the ball, and also one game type where you get to play as the zombies attacking. These modes give the game longer legs.

I really think PvZ is the kind of game that needs to played to understand both the charm and the complexity of the game. This game is really a gem and worth every penny. I have played the game through twice to see the hidden Zombie type. I am rating this game a "Buy it". Download it now on Steam for $10.

Check out this video, I've posted it before, but it's worth watching again.

What hidden gem games have you been playing? Let me know in the comments.

I realize that the experiment is/was mostly for games that I have not completed in the past. But, I’m going to break my rules a little bit. This week I was able to complete, again, one of my favorite games of all time; Shadow of the Colossus.

This game, like Team Ico’s previous game Ico, is really the answer to anyone that asks the question, “Are videogames art?” This game in stunning, from the environment design to the combat mechanics, all are presented in a cohesive way that really allows the player to feel as though they are in this beautiful land.

The story seems to be pretty sparse of the background details of the protagonist. You play the part of the Wanderer. A young man that is trying to save the girl he loves. You ride in on your horse, Agro. He is loyal, and a great friend to you. Agro will be right by your side as you venture into the Forbidden Land. The Wanderer brings his love to a temple, and speaks to the Gods to resurrect her. She was sacrificed because she had a cursed existence and destiny. I won’t spoil anything else, but all I will say is that there is something that The Wanderer can do; kill 16 colossi, some the size of a tall building.

The things we do for love. These colossi are huge, some are just humongous, some fly, and others swim. You’ll have Agro at your side; sometimes you’ll need his help to get close enough for a good shot. Other times, you might need to jump off Agro, and hike to where you’ll need to be.

I’ll let you dive into the Colossi for yourself. They are just fantastic, and some the most creative boss battles ever.

SotC is a little different from your average game, no trash to kill and no collectables. Just straight to business, if you want to save Mono go and kill the 16 colossi of the Forbidden land. You will ride Agro, using your path finding sword, to the colossi and defeat them. You’ll need to climb them, scale their armor, and kill them. Killing some of the colossi gave me mixed feelings. The first in particular was tough, because he was just in the land. But if I wanted to save Mono, he had to go down, it was a part of the quest that brought me to the Forbidden Land.

I remember the first time I fought a colossi, and how epic that feeling was. Even after a couple years, that feeling of defeating a colossi is something that I rarely feel in games; an epic-ness that is tough but extremely rewarding.

This game is, without even a second thought, an Add to the Pile game. I would really love it if there was some way to update the graphics for the PS3. It looks great, the gameplay is amazing, and the story, though simple, is deep and rewarding. This is a must have for anybody's collection.

Stop everything that you’re doing. Buy this game, play it, then play it again. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Check out Team Ico's next game that was officially announced at this years E3 conference.

This last week was a pretty busy one for me. Work was extremely hectic, and then this weekend was packed with stuff I needed to do. I started the weekend by playing God of War 2, and I will definitely finish that game one of these weeks. But mid-way through the weekend I remembered that I got Ghostbusters for the Wii too, through Gamefly. I popped it in, and was able to complete it in 3 sittings or so.

Ghostbusters for the Wii isn't the same game as the Xbox\PS3 version. It has a more stylized feel to it. It doesn't control like the Xbox\PS3 version either. The character models are not realistic, but rather more cartoony. The look very similar to the CGI Star Wars: The Clone Wars characters. I think that this was a really great choice for the game because as we all know, the Wii is not a graphical powerhouse.

As a long time Ghostbusters fanactic (I can recite most of the movie by heart), this was a really fun experience, though the game was flawed.

You start off the game as a new recruit, and the Ghostbusters are training you on your first day. You will be seeing some new monsters, like the Snot Hag, but also some familiar faces like Slimer, Stay Puft marshmellow man, and the Grey Librarian. The story is well written. But probably the best part of the game is that it is fully voice acted but the original cast, sans Sigourney Weaver as Dana, and Rick Moranis as Louis. This game feels like an extention of the films, though it isn't quite as engaging.

The gameplay is OK, not great. There is a slight learning curve to using the proton-packs. But when it works it really feels like you are a part of the ghostbusting team. While in the two films there was only the energy stream, in the game, there are a couple variants that allow for more creative gameplay options. The enemies are creative, and fun to fight, with boss fights book ending each main story arc. There are some puzzles in the game that are interesting, but not really all that challenging. But I did appreciate the mix of gameplay. Catching ghosts into the traps was an interesting mechanic, that used the Wii controls to slam the captured ghosts into submission before they are finally trapped.

I have two serious gripes with this game. The first problem I had was with the controls, though they work sometimes, I really found myself fighting with them when quick action was needed, or if I needed to turn around quickly. This caused some frustrating moments, and made trapping the ghosts sometimes to be frustrating rather than fun like you would imagine it should be. My other problem with the game was the length, I was able to beat the game in about 5 hours, though I personally didn'y mind it, I'm extremely happy that I rented it rather than bought it. There is little replay value, though there is a co-op option and you can go back to previously completed levels to get all the collectibles.

For the hardcore Ghostbusters fanatic, this is a must play, but I cannot recommend this as a purchase.

I rate this game a Borrow mostly due to its length, and little to no replay value.

Ghostbusters wasnt the only game I played this weekend though, I was able to sneak in a little time on God of War 2, Plants vs Zombies, GTA: Chinatown wars, and Team Fortress 2.

Let me know in the comments what were you able to play this weekend?

This week I was playing a lot of the Uncharted 2 multiplayer demo, but I was able to squeeze in the completion of Epic Games Gears of War 2. I bought the special edition of this game on day one, which was back in November. I had ended up playing it a bit back then, but never took it to completion. I was really happy that I got back into GOW2, and I regret not finishing it up last November. This is the second game in the, Xbox 360 exclusive, Gears of War series. The first game was a flagship title for the Xbox 360 in 2006 and had you follow Delta team trying to save the fictional world of Sera. There was a definite improvement in the story. Also, you might recognize the main character’s voice.

The story is a huge improvement over the first Gears of War. There is a resolution the Dom and Maria, we understand the inner workings of the locusts, and Delta team is actually going underground and bringing the war to the locusts. We also learn about Marcus’ father, and a little more about his part in the story. All of that boils down to, you are still trying to save the world with your buddy Dom. But let’s be honest, we don’t play GOW for the story.

Most of the major staples are still present in the sequel. It’s a third person shooter, with a robust cover system. Your main weapon is a rifle with a chainsaw attached underneath it, which makes for bloody fun time when you tangle with a locust at close range. The environments are not only great to look at, but really make you feel as though you are in a living war-torn world. This game was made with co-op in mind. With Marcus and Dom together for the entire game, one player can take on Marcus while the other player can play Dom. One interesting gameplay mechanic that is used are branching paths, where Dom may take the garage and cover Marcus as he walks down the street. The gunplay is extremely visceral and exciting. There is nothing more satisfying than rolling up to one of the locust horde and chainsaw him in half. You’d be given your standard faire of weaponry, shotgun, sniper rifle, a plethora of hand guns, a couple styles or grenades, and my favorite, the hammer of dawn. The hammer of dawn is a weapon that fires a laser on the ground which summons a powerful laser from a satellite that roasts the baddies and leaves them well done. The game took me about 8 hours to complete.

I was able to finish the game on hardcore difficulty, the second highest difficulty to Insane. Though completing the game on insane difficulty would add some legs to the game, GOW2’s real staying power is in the multiplayer. GOW2 offers up 2 distinct type of MP, co-operative through the story, competitive multiplayer, like deathmatch, capture the flag variants, and a new mode that many games have begun to duplicate, Horde Mode. Horde mode can be played on all MP maps, and has 4 players working as a team fighting wave after wave of locusts. As the waves move forward, the difficulty ramps up considerably with more than just standard grunts, but adds in a healthy mix of some of the most vicious and creative enemies seen in the game. Horde mode can be played on any of the difficulties, which is a nice touch for beginners. One feature of horde mode that I really enjoyed was the ability to have Bots as the other players, so that getting a reliable group online isn’t a concern. The AI is serviceable, but not revolutionary by any stretch. I was even having some issues with Dom in the single player game.

I have to say, overall, Gear of War 2 is a fantastic game. I really enjoyed my time with it, and I think that I will be jumping into multiplayer a bit more now that I’ve completed the single player game.

Gears of War 2 should be in every 360 owner’s collection. I rate this one “Add it to the Pile”

Another week down, another game conquered. This week I was able to finish up Star Wars: The Force Unleashed developed by Lucasarts. The game definitely starts out strong. You begin as Darth Vader, the bad ass Sith lord, and fight on the Wookiee planet. At the end of the first level, we meet the main character, Starkiller, as a young boy. However, Vader feels as though there is a lot of potential in the toddler. Flash forward 20 years or so and now young Starkiller is Vader’s secret apprentice. Starkiller is seen as one of the more powerful beings in the galaxy. This game is interesting in that it is actual Star Wars canon, though Starkiller was made for the game, he exists and plays a part in the Star Wars universe. Knowing that helps add some validity to the game for Star Wars fans and denies detractors the option of calling this a ‘throw away’ Star Wars Game.

Of course you’re going to get the powerful lightsaber and there are several combos that you can learn. There is a level up system in game, where you are able to earn orbs to upgrade your stats, force powers, and add combos to your move repertoire. The combat is fun and satisfying, however, one problem I found was that there was several times where enemies were thrown at Starkiller, and I was being beaten and I certainly didn’t feel as though my powers were in-line with what a sith with my power should feel.

The story is an interesting one, where you play Vader’s secret apprentice and you are completing Vader’s dirty work. You are now tasked to kill the remaining Jedi. There are nine levels and each has a Jedi, or powerful sith as the end boss. As the game goes along, you begin to see through the lies of Vader, and begin to learn the Jedi way from a Jedi you meet in the middle of the game. The cut scenes are well animated and engaging.

Like I mentioned earlier, this game started out strong. The combat was fun, some of the combos were fun to pull off, and overall I was enjoying my time. But I have to say that there were several things that really took away from the experience I was having. I found myself fighting with the camera in inopportune times. Specifically, in one of the later levels, with a bull rancor, I needed to babysit the camera to show me the actual fight. It was frustrating to say the least. There was also another part of the game where your checkpoint dropped you in a warehouse with an overwhelming number of enemies and an AT-ST without any chance to perform the required action successfully. It was so bad that I had to lower the difficulty to easy, just to complete the sequence. It really soured me on the experience.

I had one more gripe.

SPOILER Start

One of the coolest moments in the game was completely ruined because of poor controls and an overall frustrating experience. In one of the later parts of the game, you must bring down a star destroyer…with the force. I like Star Wars a lot. The force is awesome, star destroyers are huge… that is an amazing combination. Ruined by sloppy gameplay. It’s a shame that this moment wasn't handled better because the magnitude of the experience could have been unforgettable.

SPOILER END

Overall, I wasn’t totally disappointed with the game. However, the issues with the camera, some unfair sequences and my issue with the star destroyer really spoiled a lot of the fun I was having with the game.

I don’t think that I could recommend this game for purchase, however, it might be worth a rent and for die-hard Star Wars fans I think that you must check this out. Especially that this is a fully sanctioned chapter in the Star Wars canon.

I’m going to have to rate this game: Borrow it.

I didnt think that I would actually be able to finish a game this week, and then after only 1 successful week, the experiment would be over. But, I did actually finish a game this week, so the experiment goes on.

Last week I was able to finish two games, Uncharted and Ratchet and Clank, and if you read both posts, you know that I really enjoyed them. Well, I must have really like Ratchet and Clank because I downloaded their PSN exclusive, Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty. PSN is the only place that you can get this game, there was no retail release. It was $15 and in my opinion, it was worth every penny. It is able to bridge the story from Tools of Destruction and Insomniac's new Ratchet entry Ratchet and Clank Future: Crack in time, due out in the fall of '09.

The game starts off right where the last game ended. Captain Slag has a new body, and is trying to plunder some booty (yeah, I had to make a booty joke). I don't want to talk much about the story, because it really plays well into continuing the story from the previous game, and I really recommend everyone to play Tools. But the story is concise, interesting and well written, all present of the previous game, so it comes as no suprise that this game follows suit.

The gameplay is very similar to Tools, but with much less emphasis on guns and more on platforming and puzzle-solving. I appeciated this change of pace, especially since I played it immediately after playing the gun heavy Tools. It was a relatively short game, clocking in at around 4-5 hours. The puzzles were fun and inspired and overall was a great experience and made me even more excited for the next game. One thing I was a little dissapointed with was the weapon selection, I realize just a couple sentances ago I was happy for the emphasis on non-weapon action, but I was still hoping for at least one new weapon. Ratchet, by the end of the game, has about six weapons, all of which were in Tools. But I'm sure that the team at Insomnia will come up with a lot more and creative weapons. The Groovatron is still the best. Here is a video of some of the weapons.

I was also able to play a bunch of other games, but none to completion. Like Punch Out!!, Red Dead Revolver, Ico, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, UFC 2009 Undisputed, and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Those are all good games, but I wasnt able to sink much time into any of them. I was having gaming ADD.

This week is E3, and I am really excited to see what will be announced this year, hopefully we'll see more from Sony with regards to the PSP Go!, Microsoft's new Zune HD integration with the 360, and I am really hoping to hear an announcement for a new Mario or Zelda game!

Week two of the experiment down. Now to play a relaxing game of Plants vs. Zombies.