Informed Gaming

The latest Final Fantasy and the first on this generation of consoles is excellent but not the be all end all RPG which I kind of thought it would be.

The overbearing linearity had me as well as others scratching my head. It actually takes a huge step back exploration wise from other RPGs on the system and other games in the series. The majority of the game is a string of corridors more or less tied together with some cut scenes and battles. The battle system also takes too long to unfold. We are given pieces of the battle system and item modification over the course of the first twenty hours or so which is far too long.

Now on the plus side, the linearity does give us a very focused experience with battles and story advancement. Not a whole lot of tedious level grinding and unnecessary map exploration that some games in the series had. Fortunately, ts definitely a Final Fantasy game as far as story and gameplay go. We get a very creative and epic storyline with a host of memorable characters that you really get attached too. And once the battle system unfolds completely its among the best in the series.

All in all, it’s undoubtedly a Final Fantasy game. Most of the trademark elements shine through despite the baffling linearity. We get a more focused experience story wise but the freedom of exploration and sandbox gameplay fun isn’t there. I completely forgot to mention the graphics, and yes they’re breathtaking and certainly up to par with what the systems capable of.

Aliens vs Predator isn't anything revolutionary nor is it going turn any non fans into believers, but despite some derivative gameplay and some uninspired graphics I think it does a good enough job giving the die hard fans what they want.  It represents both franchises admirably if not adding all that much new.

As far as the story goes, it actually kind of just rips off elements from the first AVP movie.  But seeing as how it's a game I can forgive a story that's less than stellar.  Gameplay wise we get three campaigns.  A Marine, Alien, and Predator campaign.  The Marine campaign was decent.  It's fun getting to sleigh Aliens and the Predator boss fight was cool but having been spoiled with FPS perfection with Modern Warfare 2 this got stale after a while.  Luckily what the Predator campaign lacks in technical prowess, it makes up for with some well implemented mechanics that truly make you feel like the beast who almost brought Arnold down.  The Alien campaign was good as well, with some clever gameplay mechanics.

The Muliplayer again, although technically pretty far behind most of the bigger games on the system, it still to do a good job balancing the three species and making each fun to play as.  Each species has different techniques and play styles to take down your opponents.     

Games are not cheap, that's not really news to anyone.  Sixty dollars for a new game is pretty steep but luckily I have a few ways of reducing my budget and still getting the games I want.

Rule number one. SHOP ONLINE.  Do not buy in stores because your going to be paying ten dollars more at least.  Best case scenario you'll probably be paying half the price you would be at a store.  Can't argue with that.

I just hoped on Ebay and found a copy of Modern Warfare 2 used for $36 which includes the shipping cost.  If you went to Gamestop you would be paying $49.99 plus tax for the same product.  If you prefer your games brand new I found a copy for $41.99 which also includes the shipping cost.  But again if you went to Gamestop or even the supposedly cheaper stores like Walmart the price tag for it would be $59.99 plus tax.  That's twenty bucks in your pocket and all you have to sacrifice is a few days while the game is shipped out to you.  They say patience is a virtue.

Another way to keep more green in your wallet is to sell the game on Ebay after your done with it.  If you buy the game for say $60 dollars the day it launches, you could probably sell it a month or two later for around $40 to $50.  So that's pretty much like an extended rental where you get back the majority of what you paid for it.  But if you plan to sell your game on Ebay be sure you keep the game disc, case, and manual in EXCELLENT CONDITION people are much more inclined to pay for a mint condition game than one that is scratched up obviously.  And seriously, don't sell back to stores like Gamestop because they are rip off artists.

Lastly, if you prefer.  You can just bypass everything I just told you and check out gamefly if you would prefer to go the rental route.  This is also a viable option.

I can't believe I've been sleeping on the release of Final Fantasy XIII, which just happens to be right around the corner, March 9th to be exact.  I've been so caught up in my Modern Warfare 2 bubble that I kind of lost track of the fact that there are still other great games coming down the pipe. 

Me and I'm sure scores of other game connoisseurs have had a long and pleasant history with the Final Fantasy series.  It's been a few years since I've played an RPGs but from Final Fantasy 7 to Final Fantasy 12 I was an addict.  Squaresoft is the Bottomline when it comes to Role Playing Games.  You can't find anyone better at merging hours upon hours of addicting and deep gameplay with a fantastic story.  Typically when you play a game the story is besides the point and is pretty much just a minor diversion from the gameplay.  But when it came to the Final Fantasy games, this was a rare case of me actually being just as interested in the story progression.

So like an unexpected visit from an old friend, I'm looking forward to revisiting the Final Fantasy series.  I embarrassingly admit that I know next to nothing about this game story wise or gameply wise.  But I actually think it will be fun diving into a game blind for a change.

Bioshock 2 takes place ten years after the events of the original Bioshock and in a cool plot twist, you get to play as one of The Big Daddy's.  You're on the hunt for your little sister who has been taken by Rapture's new ruler Sophia Lamb.  Sophia Lamb is the foil to Andrew Ryan's twisted idea of the perfect society.  He believed in a capitalistic society for Rapture and she is now trying to organize a communist type movement where equality rules.  Different values, but they're both equally out of their freaking minds.

In a few of the reviews I've read, many believed that the new game seemed overly familiar and I'm going to have to agree whole heartedly.  The first game worked out so well because rapture was such a bizarre and wonderfully twisted/completely unique setting shrouded in mystery.  Half the fun of the first game was unraveling Rapture and figuring out exactly what the hell it was all about and what made it tick.  Now most of that has been unearthed so the mystique that was so effective in the first game is largely absent.

Now the story is inferior to the first one, but the combat has been tightened and features added to make the gameplay better.  The ability to dual wield a plasmid as well as a firearm is a welcome addition and makes the combat flow smoother.  As in the first one, I thought The Big Daddy's and now Big Sister's were more a pain in the ass than fun to fight.  Sure bounty is plentiful after taking one down, but it just seems more like a chore than a fun strategic boss battle.  The morality system is whatever.  You can get an evil ending, a good ending, or a neutral ending.  You get more Adam from a little sister if you harvest her rather than saving her, so you tell me what most people are going to do. 

So I can definitely recommend this game if with some disappointment.  The combat has been tightened and made a good deal better.  More weapons, plasmids, dual wielding ability, etc.  On the story/plot end of things a lot of Rapture feels old hat.  You feel like your going through a slightly modified version of the first game's environments with a story thats not nearly as exciting.

*I haven't played the multiplayer so that's the reason I didn't mention that.   

The throne for most popular/best online FPS is already being contested just a few short months after Modern Warfare 2 claimed it.  Now you have MW fanboys who wouldn't touch this game with a ten foot pole because it is Modern Warfare Two's "competition" but I'm not gonna be that guy.  And then on the other hand you have those just as annoying trolls who will buy and brag about this game strictly because it is Modern Warfare's competition.  They need to hate on anything that gets too popular.  Not gonna be that guy either.  The more popular something is the more your gonna see that wicked bias either at one end of the spectrum or the other.

I'm doing my darnedest not to fall into either one of those traps.  I love Modern Warfare but if someone thinks they can make a better game then I'll humor them with a completely unbiased opinion.  Competition is good for business and in the long run we get better products as a result.  Madden still sells like hot cakes regardless of the fact that they've been releasing essentially the same game for years now because of the lack of competition.  You see what I'm getting at here.  But I digress, let's get back to talking about the actual game.

After having played the multiplayer demo for Bad Company 2 I realized that they're really two different types of games.  They look similar on paper but when you dive into both you realize they're going for two different styles, so comparisons are largely irrelevant.  This game is throwing you headfirst into massive war scenarios complete with all sorts of vehicles of destruction.  The graphics aren't as impressive as MW2 but the huge scope of the maps and all the carnage that ensues is a site to behold.  Strategizing with the rest of your team is a must because  with four very unique but all very useful classes your really can't rely to much on one without feeling the repercussions of not having the other.  You definitely get a small fish in a big pond feeling which is awesome most of the time, but frustrating at others.  You feel like you have less of an impact on the outcome and when your teammates have their collective heads up their arses that will have you pulling your hair out.  On the other hand if you have that mojo going on you'll feel like John Rambo taking people out left and right either with a firearm or a vehicle such as a tank or helicopter.

Modern Warfare 2 on the other hand is a more intimate experience with much smaller maps and skirmishes.  You can kind of just do your own thing and as long as your watch your own hide, and your team does the same, thats enough to lead you to victory.  Communication with your team certainly makes things go smoother but its not vital for success like Bad Company 2.  Killstreaks rewards are also a love it or hate it thing.  If your not very good at the game it adds insult to injury when the best guy on the other team Nuke your ass as if he wasn't giving you a proper flogging before hand.  But hey, if your good then you really get to show off.

So both games have the same basic concept but I don't think you can really declare one superior over the other.  It all depends on what your looking for.  I for one can see myself bouncing between both games and enjoying them equally.  It's a little premature to say for sure, but I think Bad Company 2 and Modern Warfare 2 will both be online giants for the foreseeable future without to much influence from the other.