Category: Video Games

Amish Otaku, PC, Video Games

World in Conflict: Brain in Conflict

Guest Post

When I first picked up World in Conflict, I really felt it even before I installed it. With the plethora of really good RTS games already on the market and soon to come – such as Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts and Age of Empires III: Asian Dynasty – it was going to be tough to give an accurate review of yet another game in the long line of games that:

1. Are based on killin’ things, and
2. Have tanks shooting other tanks.

To tell you the truth, I didn’t like the game much when I first tried it out. The units moved in an incredibly unrealistic way, the graphics weren’t as good as I thought they should be and damage was just weird. But I’ll come to that later. First, let me give you the premise. Continue reading “World in Conflict: Brain in Conflict”

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Amish Otaku, PC, Video Games

Everquest 2

Guest Post

Several months ago, shortly after the release of the World of Warcraft (WoW) expansion, The Burning Crusade, I had already leveled my rogue to 70, was keyed for every heroic instance, and was, quite frankly, bored out of my mind. I seemed to be faced with only two choices – go out and kill monsters to grind reputation, or run through a dungeon I had already completed twenty times. I was definitely ready for something new. Around that time, an e-mail arrived in my inbox advertising EverQuest 2’s new free trial, called “Play the Fae.” They had introduced a new fairy race in their latest expansion, and were offering seven free days to try them out.

I had tried EverQuest 2 (EQ2) when it was first released, but had been unable to get into the game before I got sucked into World of Warcraft with my friends. My old computer could barely handle the graphics load of EQ2, and now-gone concepts such as group experience debt (an entire group being penalized when one member died) caused frustration.

Nevertheless, I was intrigued by the idea of a fairy race (Could they really fly?), and decided to download the trial and give the game another shot. It was free, right?!? Continue reading “Everquest 2”

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Amish Otaku, DS, Nintendo, Video Games

Touch the Dead: Camp Attack on the DS

Eidos’s Touch the Dead is the best shooter on rails for the DS. It’s also the only one I can think of. In concept, the game is as brilliant as Snakes on a Plane, but much like the movie, Touch the Dead doesn’t live up to its hype.

Putting the game on rails – that is, not allowing the player the freedom of movement – was a good first step as it keeps the DS from working too hard on the 3D environments. It also doesn’t allow you to get lost; you’re simply dragged along until the zombies get you or you escape.

Of course, being locked into your movements also means you’re locked into your view as well. This is especially frustrating when you’re trying to shoot a box or a crate for health or ammo and you’re only offered a brief glimpse of your target. Typically, bonuses and power-ups like these are only shown once and if you miss it, that’s just too bad – you’ll have to do without it. Continue reading “Touch the Dead: Camp Attack on the DS”

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Amish Otaku, PC, Video Games

2 Moons: Open Beta

Guest Post

“No mercy for the weak, no pity for the dying, no tears for the slain!” declares the tagline for David Perry’s latest game in open beta; 2 Moons.

The game – yet another fantasy-based MMO – takes place in Haran, or “the Immortal Land,” during a period of growing dissonance. Centuries before, a heroine named Trieste had saved Haran from an event known as The Corruption by sacrificing her own life and sealing evil beings known as the Pitborn back into their own realm (along with their master, Abaddon).

Now, with Trieste’s magic wearing off, the seal is breaking and the Pitborn threaten Haran once again. And, as before, the people of Haran are forced to fight. Continue reading “2 Moons: Open Beta”

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Amish Otaku, Features, Interviews, Video Games, Xbox 360

Interview: Bryan Lam on Guitar Hero

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s has less than half the number of tracks as Guitar Hero II for the PS2 yet carries the same price. Why wasn’t a lower price sought at launch?

Well it’s something we definitely took a careful look at. Comparing GHII to GH 80s, there were different timelines, licensing agreements and other logistical parameters to work within, though we strongly feel we put out a title that felt and played just as well as the other GH games. And just to put it into perspective – and from what the media is saying – Rock Band is only going to have forty songs available on the disc, yet it’s going to cost gamers a whopping $200 to play.  As reference, Harmonix worked on both of these titles. What are your thoughts on that?

Although Harmonix’s new game will cost over $200 to play with the full experience, it must be said that it is a richer experience. At best, Guitar Hero allows for two separate instruments at once while Rock Band will allow four inputs simultaneously. It’s like comparing apples and pears: they’re close, but still different fruit.

It’s also important to remember that while GH 80s price per song is about $1.30 compared to the 360 version of GHII, which had a price per song of $0.88, the downloadable content is priced at a whopping $2 per song: double the price per song of the Xbox 360 GHII. Incidentally, at a $200 price point Rock Band comes out to about $5 per song. Continue reading “Interview: Bryan Lam on Guitar Hero”

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Amish Otaku, Features, Video Games, Villain's Exposition

Villian’s Exposition: Command and Conquer, Act on Instinct

Very few people today will deny that the original C&C was an amazing game. In addition to a fairly realistic physics engine, an intriguing plot that actually bordered on the believable and an interface that streamlined play, Command & Conquer was also one of the first games to standardize the use of live-action cut scenes – usually for mission briefings. Prior to C&C, the third installment of the Wing Commander series was the only successful game to incorporate what, at the time, seemed like a minor point, even if it did make the games that much more awesome.

Today, the mission briefings for C&C seem a bit hammed-up, and certainly nothing to write home about. With the exception of Kane’s murder of Seth in one of the later Brotherhood missions, about the only “action” in them is when the screen would cut to CGI explosions. For the most part, you had an actor either standing in the open or sitting at a desk. Continue reading “Villian’s Exposition: Command and Conquer, Act on Instinct”

Andrew Yager
Amish Otaku, PS3, Video Games

Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM

Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM is the fusion of the Dynasty Warriors series, which first began life on the PlayStation and found its fame on the PlayStation 2 console, and the Gundam anime series; the longest running anime series based on mechs and robots.

The Dynasty Warriors series is a beat-’em up action genre which involves the player taking the role of an important figure from the “Warring States” period of ancient China and doing battle with the different factions of the time. The series is based on historical figures and events, but the gameplay is most certainly not. Players will find themselves utilizing power ups that increase their strength, defense, and speed and collecting items from fallen enemies that can be equipped and used in future or previous battles. Continue reading “Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM”

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Amish Otaku, Video Games

EVE TV: PPV for the PVP Crowd

So…, what is EVE TV? Originally, EVE TV was a free service to EVE Online players that allowed us to watch the very popular alliance tournaments. In order to make the tournaments more than just sitting there watching ships blow each other up – which is in itself fun – EVE TV added a studio with commentators (read: people from the EVE community) giving us not only the blow-by-blow of the game but also other related content, such as interviews with the DEV’s and news about upcoming game-related events.

The first of these events that I watched on EVE TV, a tournament that spanned a few days, was a lot of fun for me. I enjoyed watching the alliances fight it out and, in fact, this is one of the reasons I decided to join in the first place. After all, any MMO company that offers a service like that to its players for free has to be good.

The next event, however, was a tad different. CCP had decided to go through a distribution company named Jalipo and, as a result, if players wanted to see the higher quality versions of the tournament they had to pay. This experiment turned into a bit of a mess due to issues with the servers in which members were frequently unable to watch what they had paid for. Continue reading “EVE TV: PPV for the PVP Crowd”

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Amish Otaku, PC, PS3, Video Games, Xbox 360

Fallout 3: Heaven or Hell?

Image from the Fallout 3 teaser
Bethesda

If you who haven’t already seen the teaser (I recommend it, if only to kill a couple of minutes), I’ll give you the condensed version:

Vacuum tubes, Inkspots music, radio panning out to an abandoned bus, panning out further to a ruined bus, panning out further to a ruined cityscape (arguably Washington D.C.), pulling back over craggy destroyed cement, Fall 2008 release date. The End.

… Oh, yeah, and a guy in Brotherhood-of-Steel-style power armor. Continue reading “Fallout 3: Heaven or Hell?”

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Amish Otaku, PS3, Video Games

The Agency: MMO Gaming Comes to the PS3

Concept art for The Agency
Sony

Get out your secret decoder rings, ’cause you’re going to need them.

Apparently, most of us weren’t paying that much attention earlier this year when Sony executive Yair Landau revealed SOE’s latest concept for an MMO. Keynoting the D.I.C.E. Summit, Landau previewed a clip of the new game – codenamed “Vista” – that gave those there a glimpse of a third-person shooter set in Prague complete with dangerous women and hot cars.

Prefacing the game’s introduction with one of the trailers from Casino Royale, Sony gave those at the Summit all they needed to know about the game at the time. It’s an MMO. Better yet, it’s a spy MMO. Continue reading “The Agency: MMO Gaming Comes to the PS3”

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