buttonmashing

Mashing buttons since 1984

FPS

Cheap Game of the Week – History Channel Civil War: A Nation Divided

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Overview: A rare first person shooter set in the American Civil War

Pricing: About $20 new or used.

Rip-Off Warning: Can occassionally be found for $30 new.

Platform: Playstation 2, Windows, XBox 360 (Reviewed)

Is it worth it? There aren’t many first person shooters set in the American Civil War. While there have definitely been some liberties taken with historical accuracy and weapon reloading has been tweaked somewhat, the game stands in rare company. A lever action rifle feels like an assault rifle in this game and learning melee combat is a must.

The game does have some issues. The level design is full of invisible walls and is practically on rails, there are only 6 missions per each side, and the graphics are just barely servicable. Yet I found myself enjoying this game and the unique challenges it often presented the player. The game is not particularly hard, but the play style is different from standard run and gun.

Some quibbles with the game. Iron sights were worthless since you were better off just looking at the cross hair and waiting for it to turn red. Also, taking cover didn’t seem to work very well. Not that the game had a cover system, but enemies standing close to a solid object seemed to become bullet proof while I could hide behind a wall and still take damage.

Final Judgement: I just don’t have much to say about this one. It’s an enjoyable if somewhat short play experience that will definitely give you something different. It was a solid PURCHASE for me and highly recommended if you’re looking for a budget title.

Metroid: Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

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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.