buttonmashing

Mashing buttons since 1984

Nat

Joining the Party

by 1 Comment

Halo 3 (spending shells)I mentioned last week that I wouldn’t be hopping on the bandwagon with the rest of the game playing world (correction: North American game playing world). In a moment of weakness, I’ve proven myself wrong.

I kept forgetting that I had this $50 Best Buy gift card burning a hole in my pocket. Well, I did set a record of hoarding it for almost two months and that’s only because I detest Best Buy. A need arose for me to pick up a TOS link cable (and I didn’t because Wal-Mart is much cheaper), and I got Halo 3 instead. Oh, and did I fail to mention that it was three days after launch and I didn’t have to wait in line?

If you look at my Bungie stats, you’ll see that I’ve played less than ten games. Every one of them has been a blast. I was even able to hook up with Tony and another online friend for a couple of hours of co-op.

Oh, and why would I have only played less than ten games? That’s because I did a massive game trade-in at my local Gamestop and got Stuntman: Ignition. It may sound weird to the average gamer right now, but I’ve had more fun with that game.

You can start breathing now.

Stop Tickling Me!

by 2 Comments

When I was a kid my brother and I would tickle our little sister till she just about peed her pants. We never really got her to, but for boys it was a worthy goal. Anyway, my sister would be laughing the whole time while trying to get away. She enjoyed the fun and the attention, but there was a lurking danger that she really would pee if the tickling didn’t stop.

One quick glance of the buzz on gaming sites on the net and you’d think gamers have done just that.

Late summer to early fall is always a good time to be a gamer. There are usually a glut of AAA titles to chose from. It’s been no exception for me this fall, but I’m being a little contrarian from the rest of the herd. I present to you my fall pick of games.

I’ve been meaning to do some writeups on these games for a while, but I’ve been so busy playing every night that even my surfing habits have died down. Hopefuly, I’ll get something up as I finish each one.

[Read more…] about Stop Tickling Me!

Metroid: Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

by 5 Comments

I have a confession to make. I’m cheating on my wife. She knows it and she condones it. Why? Every couple of years Nintendo presents us with its butch vixen, Samus Aran. She’s the only other woman allowed in our house.

There has been no exception with this year as the recently released Metroid Prime 3: Corruption has finally been brought to the masses for the Nintendo Wii. For what was originally intended to be a launch title, the extra time put in by Retro Studios to polish the game has been well worth the wait.

However, instead of me gushing about this game over one post, I figured that while everyone else is playing that other game and soon to be OTHER GAME, that I would write up some gameplay sessions. Now, before you get you panties all in a bunch (You do wear panties, right? The granny kind?), these posts will be spoiler-free. I’ll do my best to not give anyway any story elements.

With that in mind, I’d like to give a quick impression.

Brilliance. This game exudes brilliance. This is probably the most polished game that Nintendo has ever made, and if you know Nintendo, you should know that says a lot. Their games usually exhibit an above average shine. This game is loaded with tons of homages to the earlier games (in the timeline of the Metroid series), and doesn’t take itself too seriously all the time. Some diehards may not like this, but I for one, love the bobble head doll of my Mii on the spaceship dashboard.

Fun with Paper

by 8 Comments

In a market of growth such as videogames (making more money than movies last year), Nintendo has continued to innovate over the last twenty years. In almost every console Nintendo has made (yes, even the Virtual Boy) there has been something that they have done that has pushed the envelope in either hardware or software.

The Nintendo 64 wasn’t a really innovative console unless you can count the rumble pack, but one One of the things Nintendo did was shine in the software department. Goldeneye 64 brought multiplayter FPS gaming to the console masses long before Halo, Zelda: Orcania of Time brought excellent story elements and adventure design just before Final Fantasy VII, and Paper Mario brought a unique twist to the RPG genre.

By combining little bits of side-scrolling, RPG, and adventure gameplay and including the world’s most beloved video game character, Nintendo created what may be one of the most unique games from the N64 era. Oh, and did I mention that the beloved character, Mario, was flat? Yes, all the characters were 2D in a 3D world.

Where does that bring us you may ask? Simple. Nintendo has fulfilled fan’s wishes the world over by releasing the game on the Wii’s Virtual Console.

Let me let you in on a little secret. I’ve played almost every console, but I’ve never played an N64 game. Not a single one. However, I have played the other two Paper Mario games to great length and I don’t expect to be disappointed with this one. I consider them to be the best games on their respective consoles. Here’s hoping I don’t get cut.

Sorry, I’ve been away for a while. I spent last week preparing for a day long job interview of which I nailed this last Sunday. It looks like my family will be relocating in a month. Hoo-rah.

Timeless List: Warning Forever

by 4 Comments

Warning ForeverThere are a few games that I keep on my “list”. These are games that no matter what, when I reinstall my OS or upgrade my computer they are the first things to be installed. There’s a criteria that these games have to meet: replayability over more than 18 months, easy to pick up but difficult to master, and cause me to stay up all night on more than two occasions. So far, only two titles make that list, but I’ve now added a third. Last Friday, it met the 18 month requirement.

I introduce you to Warning Forever.

I don’t know what it is about this game that keeps drawing me back to it. It’s perfect for killing some time on a break at work and it’s also great for getting lost in immersive, repetitive gameplay. What makes this shooter unique from most other games is that it’s a game of bosses. Yes, you read that right. There are no wave after wave of peons. Just bosses. More accurately, you could say that it’s a boss that learns.

The player has a certain amount of time to defeat the boss, you’re also penalized for dying. The boss certainly isn’t. Every time you face him, he evolves to best suit your playing style. Keep attacking him from the front and the next evolution you face will have more armor in the front. If he kills you with rockets during one phase, you can be sure that he will have stocked up on more rockets next time around. Basically, he adapts to your strengths and preys on your weaknesses.

This type of responsive AI really causes the player to have to think ahead strategically. Do you widen your attack radius and cause the boss to armor up all over, or do you narrow your attack to certain areas? Do you attack from the side, front, or behind? Maybe you decide to circle the boss? Whatever you do, you get a sense over time that you are playing a real entity. (Which might be a good indicator that you need to stop).

There are nine possible evolution paths with subpaths under each evolution for the boss. This mathimatically tranlastes to fifteen or sixteen levels you face before reaching the end. I’ve only gotten to twelve. Needless to say, it gets intense. It’s also different eact time you play.

The game can be customized is areas of time, lives, and other options such as sudden death. There’s a high score list as well as a neat feature of using your own MP3s for music. For a simplisticly styled game, the vector graphics hold up well, even in this day and age of Geometry Wars style gameplay. The control scheme may turn players off, actually, because it does take three to five playthroughs to get a feel for it. However, it’s a lot like riding a bike. It just simply clicks and you’ll see how intuitive the control really is.

Here’s the best part: it’s FREE. It was programmed by Japanese developer Hikoza T Ohkubo and is available on his website. It’s a small download that’s great for running of a USB stick. Don’t tell the devloper, but if he sold it, I would most definitely pick it up.

(Thanks to Wikipedia for the image of which I slightly edited).

BONUS: Be sure to check out Ray Hound as well.

Back in the Saddle Again

by 7 Comments

I have a confession. Being the resident Sony expert it might be surprising to note that my only Sony experience in the last two years has only been with a PSP. Even that has been sketchy at best. Let me give you some history.

When the PSP came out I was pretty excited. I traded in my PS2 and entire collection of twenty games. I walked out with a PSP, two games, and a case. Looking back, it was a horrible trade. After about six months of Lumines, I traded that back in and received my first Xbox (one of six! – that’s for another story) and a couple of games. I was Sony dry for almost a year.

Enter late Summer of 2006, and I get a call from Visa. I have a Sony credit card, and I need to use my reward points in 24 hours or I lose them. I pick back up a PSP and five games. Nine months later, it’s still a little sketchy with the PSP. However, it appears to be picking up a little in that department.

My dilemma is that I cannot really post much review info about Sony’s bread and butter, the PS2, with any sort of integrity or legitmacy. I could use a PS2. And then came the windfall.

I have to run a video game tournament for teens in October and one of the needs is a PS2. I’ve been graced with a budget of $200. I figure I could get a system and four $20 Greatest Hits games. Here’s where you come in. What games should I get? A couple of caveats:

  • the games need to be $20 or less
  • they can only be released in the last two years
  • no sports (to dated) and no games that require peripherals
  • no games I can get realtively easy on other systems

What four games would you recommend? List them in the comments.

Gas Budgeting Woes

by 1 Comment

Pure Detroit muscleIn a moment of weakness yesterday, I walked into one of our three local Targets (don’t ask) to get a pair of sunglasses and I walked out with a copy of the best physics game on the market, Forza 2.

I then had to go back and get some glasses.

I know that I previously mentioned that I just didn’t have the time, but something about the simlulation of it all was compelling me. I’m a sucker for realism. Of course, like mentioned in an earlier post, pretty picutres help too. Also, the last couple of years I’ve been digitally driving in games such as Burnout, Burnout 2, Burnout 3, and Burnout Revenge and I was just getting, well, burnt out. So, I cleared my gaming schedule for the first couple of weeks of June and put this disc through its paces. So as to not repeat what Tony said eariler, I won’t be giving my impression, but I will give my experience with the sim.

I never played the first Forza, but I did drive my fair share of cars in all the Gran Turismo games, so I know a little bit about driving simulations…or so I thought. I started the game in career mode, bought a Ford Focus and jumped into my first race. The timer counted down and I hit the gas. Within seconds, I’m drifting right out of the first turn. A couple of seconds later I get back on the road and then drift out of the second turn. Needless to say, my first race didn’t go so well.

However, the game has this great difficulty setting called Novice. Apparently, if you’ve never played before, this is an excellent place to start. There’s a track guide that not only shows you proper placing on the course but tells you when to brake and accelerate. There’s a credit (read: currency) penalty for playing on this setting, but it’s a must if you’ve never experienced true driving in a virtual form. However, after just nine races I’ve realized that the guide can be somewhat of a crutch. It’s perfect for time trials, but doesn’t come in really all that handy when racing against other drivers. They just keep getting in the way.

I did spend about 30 minutes customizing my car’s paint job and giving it the “pimp my ride” treatment, but then I realized why would I want to do this on a Ford Focus when I could just trick out my newly aquired Z28 and upload a pic to the Forza website. However, I may have to put that idea on the shelf. My son saw a Volkswagon in the game’s store. He adores Herbie the Love Bug.

You do the math. It equals 53.

Get Out the Gamepads Summer’s Almost Here

by 5 Comments

By way of introduction, I figured I let everyone know a little bit about myself and then we’ll get on to the good stuff. I’m a 30-year-old gamer who grew up playing Nintendo and PC games who has been married for seven years and has two boys ages 4 and 1 1/2, and you could probably say I’m a Nintendad. I work in the IT industry developing and maintiaining web sites that run on the technology that is behind this one. Sonic was cool, Punch Out should have the words “Mike” and “Tyson’s” in front of it, and Tie Fighter is the essence of a pure of computer game.

Now that that is out of the way, here’s what I’m currently playing with some quick impressions. You’ll probably be seing future posts that revolve around these games, though there are some suprises I’m not sharing right away.

  • Crackdown for Xbox 360: My Game of the Year (currently) for 2007. It’s a great game for blowing off some steam. This was the game that caused Tony and I fits (well, really it was me doing something else). It’s also the first game in which I’ve bought downloadable content, and that should say something because I think most content on Xbox Live is too pricey.
  • Pokémon Pearl for the Nintendo DS: I’ve never played a Pokémon game before. How can Nintendo put all that digital crack in an itty bitty plastic case?
  • Titan Quest for the PC: I’m a little late to the game on this title, but I never played any of the Diablo games either. I hear its supposed to be similar. For some reason I’m compelled to play…a long time. My longest play session was four hours. That cannot be good.

Now this is where you come in. Let us know what you’re playing.

Portal: The Exit

by 1 Comment

Notice you’re in a different place, but you can see back to the place you started from?

Yep, that’s Portal. If you don’t have The Orange Box for the 360 or PC yet, you must stop reading this a get it now. It is absolutely the best gaming value out there.

Note: if you are here, it’s probably because you came through a web example of a portal.