So, due to the fact I haven't had exposure to any new games recently (due to not buying them, among other things), I thought I'd use the past two weeks to reflect on games that I've spent a large amount of time on. Games I keep returning to.
PC:
Total Annihilation: I've spoken before about Total Annihilation. It's a game I've always loved, even from before I had a computer that could actually run it properly. I have fond memories of playing skirmish battles and only building air units and just bombing everything I could find. I've recently discovered there's a fully 3D remake called "Spring" available (it even runs on Linux!), so I shall be looking into that soon.
Worms 2: A game I will definitely never get tired of. I even have a version of it on my old phone. The humour and the fun of the damage you can cause when using suicidal tactics is great. Also one of the few games I've ever completed, though with only 17 short missions, this is no great feat.
Dreamcast:
Shenmue: Now almost 9 years old, this game still stands up as excellent. Games like GTA might have made the idea of a fully explorable environment somewhat commonplace, but Shenmue is still great, thanks to an excellent storyline and great characters. It really saddens me that Shenmue 3 (and thus the end of the Shenmue saga) will likely never see the light of day.
Soulcalibur: Like driving games, I've always enjoyed fighting games on a basic level, but I've never been that good at them. While I'm still not exactly great at Soulcalibur (I still get beaten in multi-player games fairly often), I've managed to complete a fair amount of the missions (though they are fairly one-dimensional, you're fighting someone, just the why or how changes) and I've made it through arcade mode a few times. I mostly play for enjoyment, rather than because I feel the need to complete and unlock everything.
Playstation 2:
Canis Canem Edit: Another of the few games I've actually completed (storyline-wise, at least). The storyline and the humour of this game just make it insanely fun to play and quite addictive to boot. One of the best parts of the game is how the richness of the environment really encourages you to explore and do things your way. This definitely ties into my post on narratives as while there is a definite pre-defined story but it allows you to explore that story with a great degree of freedom.
Kingdom Hearts: Again, a game where the story and the characters are the draw. The great part is that while most of the characters are familiar, they're used in interesting and new ways and the story of the game is still very strong.
Burnout 3: I think I've said enough about this game before. Definitely another game I've become addicted to. The lure of just doing one more race is something that can easily eat away at my time...
Showing posts with label playstation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label playstation. Show all posts
Sunday, 6 April 2008
Saturday, 16 February 2008
07/02/08 - 14/02/08
Games I've been playing this week:
I've played a fair few games over 3 different systems this week, a Playstation 3, an Xbox and my Playstation 2.
PS3:
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction: (Demo) Seems like a great game from what I've seen. Very enjoyable and reminds me a bit of Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast (but without the focus on speed). Definitely delivers on the PS3's graphics potential.
Timeshift: (Demo) I've never been a big fan of FPS games as I always find aiming difficult, but the Timeshift ability definitely helps with that. The Timeshift ability also makes for some great effects. Definitely a game I'd pick up if I owned a PS3 (or Xbox 360, or a good enough PC).
Burnout: Paradise: (Demo) Another great game graphically, though (as my friend Alex pointed out) the "shininess" of the graphics means they tend to lack a certain realism. The demo didn't really allow much scope to check out what you could do, but mostly it was just fun crashing the car and watching it in spectacular slow motion.
Nucleus: A simple little game that wasn't really that interesting. Definitely not something I'd choose over playing something else on the PS3.
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga: A very fun game that's great to play with someone else, especially as it allows you to attack their character (at one point I had to stop playing as I was laughing too hard from doing this). There's some great touches in it, like C-3PO hopping around with missing limbs after being attacked, or how silly Chewbacca looks with a Stormtrooper helmet on.
PS2:
Burnout 3: Takedown: Obviously the graphics aren't as good as "Paradise", but still a great game. Obviously being a full game rather than just a demo, there's a lot more scope to do things. It strikes me as a game for people who don't necessarily "like" racing games. It rewards bad driving and crashes (though winning a race will also help) and various other things along those lines. I've always been someone who never wanted to learn exactly when to brake in order to take a certain corner best or whatever, preferring instead to see what stupid things I can do with my car to entertain myself. Definitely the perfect racing game for me.
Hitman: Contracts: An interesting game that I haven't played much. It's definitely a game I'll have to spend some time on, as I've never been good at being stealthy in games. Some initial gripes were that the joystick set-up was confusing, but I found I could change that, and that I couldn't read the health meter very well, but I soon worked it out after I'd been shot at a lot and subsequently died.
Xbox:
Batman Begins: Initially picked up for my housemate as Gamestation didn't have any more games available that she wanted and I knew she liked the film. A straightforward and enjoyable game with some nice touches (like how when you're near an enemy, you hear their heartbeat and the controller rumbles with each beat). It's been criticised for being too simple, but for someone like me or my housemate, it's perfect. Plus, being Batman is awesome!
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc: This game is very much a platform game. A good game with some great humorous touches. However, the transition sections between worlds where you have to skate along platforms and jump onto another as one ends, can become rather tedious as they are quite long.
I've played a fair few games over 3 different systems this week, a Playstation 3, an Xbox and my Playstation 2.
PS3:
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction: (Demo) Seems like a great game from what I've seen. Very enjoyable and reminds me a bit of Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast (but without the focus on speed). Definitely delivers on the PS3's graphics potential.
Timeshift: (Demo) I've never been a big fan of FPS games as I always find aiming difficult, but the Timeshift ability definitely helps with that. The Timeshift ability also makes for some great effects. Definitely a game I'd pick up if I owned a PS3 (or Xbox 360, or a good enough PC).
Burnout: Paradise: (Demo) Another great game graphically, though (as my friend Alex pointed out) the "shininess" of the graphics means they tend to lack a certain realism. The demo didn't really allow much scope to check out what you could do, but mostly it was just fun crashing the car and watching it in spectacular slow motion.Nucleus: A simple little game that wasn't really that interesting. Definitely not something I'd choose over playing something else on the PS3.
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga: A very fun game that's great to play with someone else, especially as it allows you to attack their character (at one point I had to stop playing as I was laughing too hard from doing this). There's some great touches in it, like C-3PO hopping around with missing limbs after being attacked, or how silly Chewbacca looks with a Stormtrooper helmet on.PS2:
Burnout 3: Takedown: Obviously the graphics aren't as good as "Paradise", but still a great game. Obviously being a full game rather than just a demo, there's a lot more scope to do things. It strikes me as a game for people who don't necessarily "like" racing games. It rewards bad driving and crashes (though winning a race will also help) and various other things along those lines. I've always been someone who never wanted to learn exactly when to brake in order to take a certain corner best or whatever, preferring instead to see what stupid things I can do with my car to entertain myself. Definitely the perfect racing game for me.
Hitman: Contracts: An interesting game that I haven't played much. It's definitely a game I'll have to spend some time on, as I've never been good at being stealthy in games. Some initial gripes were that the joystick set-up was confusing, but I found I could change that, and that I couldn't read the health meter very well, but I soon worked it out after I'd been shot at a lot and subsequently died.Xbox:
Batman Begins: Initially picked up for my housemate as Gamestation didn't have any more games available that she wanted and I knew she liked the film. A straightforward and enjoyable game with some nice touches (like how when you're near an enemy, you hear their heartbeat and the controller rumbles with each beat). It's been criticised for being too simple, but for someone like me or my housemate, it's perfect. Plus, being Batman is awesome!
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc: This game is very much a platform game. A good game with some great humorous touches. However, the transition sections between worlds where you have to skate along platforms and jump onto another as one ends, can become rather tedious as they are quite long.
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