Posts
- R
Saturday, December 29, 2007
1UP Show - Street Fighter IV Special
- R
Thursday, December 27, 2007
JFG - A Jeff Gerstmann Story
- R
Video: http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/151964.html?playlist=featured
LEGO Portal Creation
Caught this on www.digg.com's top gaming stories and thought I'd share it. I don't know exactly who created this, but kudos to them for their creativity. Portal is a great game and LEGOS are always fun to play with, so for someone to make a video game rendition is neat. So I did a little searching and found a few other LEGO creations that might bring back good gaming memories.
- R
Image:
http://www.neublack.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/nintendo-lego-video-game-02.jpg
http://www.neublack.com/art-design/740
http://pictures.deadlycomputer.com/d/17182-2/4347-noscale-Hog1.jpg
http://www.core77.com/blog/images/lego_games.jpg
Brand New Xbox 360 = Tears Of Joy
Christmas has come and gone, and I have to say that this year was a good year. I hit the gift card jackpot with over $400 in Best Buy currency, and it was exactly what I asked for. So, since my 360 had a problem reading discs and I had been going through a gaming withdrawal because it died just days before the Mass Effect release, I decided that a new Xbox 360 was a must. I got the new Arcade model because I already had everything else from my previous console.
Today, as soon as I awoke, I ran to my local Blockbuster and rented Mass Effect and once I heard that drive load the disc, I shed a tear. It was beautiful. i finally feel like a "real" gamer now, and I'm not saying I needed a 360 to be one, but i was missing out on some of the years best titles and it was driving me insane. Well, that's all. Hope to see you on Halo 3!
- R
Image: http://www.indielondon.co.uk/images/4384.jpg
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Mario Level Defeated With Ease
I don't remember playing this level in Super Mario World, but I'd love to test this out myself. Apparently, this gamer was able to defeat a whole level, one filled with pits, baddies and man-eating plants, without even moving. Some of the readers commented that they believe this to be a fake, saying that the video was custom-made by the player to work this way. I don't have any evidence to say it isn't a fake, and honestly, I really don't care. This type of creativity is awesome and it would be rude of me to bash someones hard work to give me two minutes of entertainment. Good job to whoever made the video.
- R
Video: http://www.break.com/index/mario-level-can-autoplay.html
Monday, December 24, 2007
Twas the night before Xmas - A Select Start Remake
Twas the night before Xmas, and all were indoors,
Not a gamer was playing, they gave up on Contra 4.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that they would be safe from that thieving Altair.
The gamers were nestled, all snug in their beds,
While visions of Jade Raymond danced in their heads.
Miss SS in her peejays and I ready to snooze,
Had just settled down after a night full of booze.
When outside the house came such a noise then a crash,
Like Freeman I grabbed a crowbar, ready to bash.
I jumped in a nearby box, I moved with a shake,
Got close to the window stealthy - like Solid Snake.
The sight of the night sky was so clear and so bright,
That I saw myself in a mirror and wondered if I was mentally alright.
When, what to my pondering eyes may appear,
But a warthog-looking sleigh and six Grunts, dressed like reindeer.
With a driver behind the wheel, his armor battered but still sleek,
I knew at that moment, that it must be the Master Chief.
And so quickly they flew, out of order and in disarray,
That the Chief got angry and yelled out their names:
“On lead one and lead two! Stay steady three and four!
Get in line five and six! I won’t repeat this anymore!”
So up to the driveway the little grunts flew,
A sack full of toys and the Master Chief, too.
I was turned around and startled by the shattering of my door,
That bastard kicked it in, it laid in shambles on the floor.
He was dressed in his armor, from his head to his feet.
And he wore a Santa hat, one that covered the helmet’s peak.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he pulled out guns and grenades his sack.
His visor - how it reflected! His movements – so fast!
Twenty bucks says that he could severely kick my ass!
He muttered to himself, as I stared and stood still.
I said hi, hello and how are you, but nothing – damn, bad social skills.
He finally stood up and looked, he was fit with no fat on his belly,
The armor was magnificent, and yet a little bit smelly.
He gave a me thumbs up and so did the hologram female,
Probably an apology for the door, sorry Chief expect a repair bill in the mail.
And so Cortana looked at the chimney, she analyzed each brick,
The Chief nodded, jumped up and destroyed it. God, what a prick!
He yelled as the Grunts flew up, and this may sound kind of lame,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good game!”
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
- R
Image: http://images.google.com/url?q=http://www.christcenteredmall.com/stores/art/barnes/the-night-before-christmas-zoom.jpg&usg=AFQjCNHLzCHRFkDqu8YFZZHvcnaJS1J5QA
Sunday, December 23, 2007
At Least The Dolphins Have A Chance In Madden
I have never been a sports game fan, except for the NFL Blitz and NBA Jams classics. But while watching today's Miami Dolphins against - the undefeated - New England Patriots game, I finally realized why people play sports games like Madden '08. As a resident of Florida, there is somewhere in my state legislature that states that I must be a fan - or at least root a little for - the home teams. So since the game is still not looking too good, I wonder if I could teach Tom Brady, and the rest of the Patriots, a lesson in Madden.
But I'm not into sports games. So the best thing I can do is play Blitz and enjoy a disturbing wave of satisfaction every time I elbow drop Mr. Brady. No hard feelings Tom, I didn't expect Miami to win anyways.
- R
Image: http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/screen1/914752_20030515_screen008.jpg
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Merry Christmas From Aperture Science
The guys behind Portal would like to wish us happy holidays and they created this humorous little clip. Lots of gags from the game are included such as the Companion Cube, the mini-turrets and presents "coincidentally" wrapped in orange paper. It's very nice of them to give us this video, but I wonder what that sign over the fireplace means for Santa. Please don't kill Santa, GLaDOS, all he wants is some cake.
- R
Video: http://aperturescience.com/
Friday, December 21, 2007
New Smash Bros. Brawl Video
The guys at www.smashbros.com have released a new video of one of Brawl's game modes - Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary. The video looks great and - as always - makes us REALLY want to get our hands on the game. Just the idea that the game will have an in-depth single-player story mode sounds fantastic. Now, I won't feel bad for buying a party game like I did when I got Mario Party and then barely played because no one was around.
Looks like it's time to dust off the Gamecube controllers, put Mountain Dew Code Red in the cooler and set Europe's "The Final Countdown" on repeat. It's time to get serious ... it's time to train.
- R
Video: http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Demo Review - Frontlines: Fuel of War
Frontlines: Fuel of War developed by THQ division team, Kaos Studios, would be the game love-child if GRAW 2 and Battlefield 2 had one too many cocktails. Frontline is based in 2024 where the world has fallen into conflict over what remains of the planets natural resources. The game pits the Western Coalition (US and European Union) against the Red Star Alliance (Russia and People's Republic of China) for global supremacy.
In the demo, now available on Xbox Live, you take part in an assault on weapon caches and intelligence headquarters held by the Red Star Alliance. The game resembles GRAW 2 through its use of futuristic weaponry such as mini-helicopters, detonating remote control vehicles (pictured) and other miniature UAV's. Where Battlefield's influence shows is how each vehicle can be controlled by the player. For example, the game features the use of futuristic aircraft, tanks and other land vehicle, all of which will be used in certain mission. The game states that you will "play the entire mission," so if air strikes are needed, chances are you're in the cockpit. Also, since you don't take the role of any particular character, if you die on the field, you are given a choice of which type of equipped soldier you would like to respawn as. The demo only allows a mixture of an assault template, equipped with a grenade launcher, and a rocket-wielding demolition template, but it would be safe to say more will be available in the full game.It was fun for the short time I got to play and, if you are a GRAW or BF fan, I would really recommend giving it a go around. Frontlines: Fuel of War will be available for the Xbox 360 in February of 2008.
- R
Images: http://games.gearlive.com/blogimages/ffow3.jpg
http://www.frontlineswar.com/images/news/drone_tigerrunner.jpg
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Become a Game Developer With XNA Game Studio
Want to be a game developer? Well, now you can with Microsoft's XNA Game Studio 2.0. The program allows the user to create a game for use on Windows and Xbox 360. That's right. If you make a good enough game, you might grab Microsoft's attention and hopefully have your game distributed on Xbox Live. For example, here is a short video of The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai, a game made through the use of XNA Game Studio Express (another version of XNA) by James Silva that's slated for a 2008 Xbox Live release:
Both XNA programs are free to download, so have at it. This could be a great tool to start with for some of you that want to be future game developers. Enjoy and send us any of your creations and we'll make sure to feature them.
- R
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Paper Mario ... Literally
This video by sketch, a you-tuber, is pretty neat. I am guessing that sketch went through a long and tedious ordeal of stop-motion capturing to get this video right. According to his description, the video took a total of six weeks to complete, so enjoy his video ... especially the ending. I wonder why he reacted like that, maybe he's had enough.
- R
Video: Paper Mario Animation
Writers' Attempt At Satire Sets Gaming Journalism Back
Being a writer takes a lot of creativity and understanding of the language. A good article is devoid of factual errors, zero misspellings and, if satirical, written in good taste. But every so often an author neglects these "guidelines" and, in the case of gamerhelp.com's article "Your favorite video game characters unmasked" feature, the author(s) shame gaming journalism by trying to use tasteless insults. Readers on the site and on Digg.com left many negative feedback about one particular comment about Catherine Disher, the actress behind the voice of Resident Evil heroine, Jill Valentine. We did censor for profanity, but we left the gist of it so you can figure out what the author meant when he wrote:
This lardy b**** is a testament to the fact that just because the chick sounds hot on the phone, doesn't mean she is. But hey, don't get us wrong--we'd still pork this piggy... and then tell our friends that we did it with Jill Valentine!"
Although we here at SS don't want to promote this type of writing, it would benefit more to show what "crappy"writing is all about. Now I know that this is my opinion and I shouldn't judge another writer's style, but these guys successfully set gaming journalism down a peg or two. And with all the heat from the Gamespot incident, any credibility and integrity a site can maintained is very valuable.
- R
Image: http://madsenblog.dk/billeder/chimp_at_typewriter.jpg
Monday, December 17, 2007
New Oregon Trail Remake Comes Dysentery Free
If you've ever played Oregon Trail in school, you'll remember these simple rules:
- Never try to cross the river, take the ferry.
- For some reason rabbits are worth more points than bison, even though you get more meat.
- Don't get attached to anyone because dysentery is a b****.
- If you finish the game, gloat and boast because you've earned the right to.
- R
Images: http://bp3.blogger.com/_Kvr_gxaBjMM/RyVJJAE0AsI/AAAAAAAAAnM/UlbiygpHg_c/s400/thule_bill.jpg
Sunday, December 16, 2007
DeviantArt Showcase: Twilight Christmas
I am a fan of other gamers' creative works and this seemed to fit the season. This image created by a deviantArt member by the name of "cody4king" shows us that Hyrule's savior, Link, loves this time of year. The picture was originally taken from the Nintendo website and Cody added his own touch to the picture, which is remarkably good. Good job, Cody, keep up the good work and we'll be sure to post up any future works that wow us.
- R
Image: http://fc03.deviantart.com/fs12/f/2006/339/a/6/A_Hyrulian_Christmas_by_cody4king.jpg
Baby + Cute Blanket = Dangerous Combination
Call the Pentagon, there is a new type of W.M.D. (weapon of mass destruction) and it's this baby. There isn't much to say, except that this baby is one cute little S.O.B. And that Nintendo themed blanket made by little Leilani's dad's friend, makes this picture even more precious. As you can see, the blanket is graced with some of the gaming industries most famous celebrities. Each character pattern was taken from Mario Kart DS and it looks like they got her "covered." (I'm so sorry.) Keep an eye on that kid, this may be an early sign that she will be destined for video game greatness, or at least a few days of Internet fame. Ugh, it's so cute I have to stop now before I "aww" myself to death.
- R
Images: http://lh4.google.com/richaroo/RWBqAb_GABI/AAAAAAAAAhI/nIHc-Bliae8/IMG_4838.JPG?imgmax=512
Saturday, December 15, 2007
BioShock GOTY Breakdown - Part Four: BioShock
Well, finally I will be able to answer the question Chris asked last week. But for a quick recap, here it is, "Tell me why BioShock won game of the year, when it was up against better games." Congratulations Chris, we will answer your week-old question to the best of our knowledge. And, without wasting your time with a second paragraph, Select Start will finish it's BioShock Breakdown starting right ...
Now, there are four main points to making a game: story, gameplay, graphics/sound and multiplayer. Some games omit the last feature if the developers decide to cut it out. In BioShock, the game lacks a multiplayer aspect, but you easily forget that when 2K Games provides you with such an interesting formula.
STORYLINEI can't really say much without risking spoilers, so I'll just sum up the beginning. You play the mysterious silent hero, who is stranded on a deserted underwater utopia after your plane crashes over the ocean. The utopia, known as Rapture, was built by a 50's visionary that believed a new society must be created as an escape from the oppression of the surface world. Rapture, now in ruins upon your arrival, has changed from a beautiful civilization to a cesspool of greed, corruption and insanity. And so, your adventure starts as the explorer of this forgotten city and the last hope Rapture has of cleansing it's impurities. Did I pretty much sum it up? Yea, and that's only the beginning. As the story unfolds, you can't believe what happens and you will never have a second where the story ceases to amaze.
GAMEPLAYBioShock doesn't have the regular ol' storyline you're used to and neither is it's game style. BioShock is both innovative and unchanging depending on whether the game is the first -Shock game you have played. I say this because BioShock had an earlier "cousin" franchise, System Shock, that undeniably resembles BioShock. While System Shock had a "psionic" power set, BioShock had the same type of power-up system used to add a supernatural element called, Plasmids. The plasmids system allows the player to obtain powers such as telekinesis, summon insects, electrocute, incinerate and freeze enemies. Before you ask, yes BioShock incorporates guns. You'll be able to get a machine gun that can eventually be upgraded by Rapture technology creating a more powerful and accurate weapon. And this is just the weapons system, which I barely skimmed the surface on.
The game also incorporate mini-games for the player. Throughout Rapture you will encounter mechanical turrets that open fire on you upon sight, but get close enough and you can enter a "Hack" mode that is really a small puzzle game. This puzzle game, if successfully completed, will allow you to modify the turrets mechanics to attack your enemies instead. This ability stretches towards cameras and flying automated machine turrets, so eventually you can create the perfect ambush for enemies. The turret systems are a small part of the BioShock gameplay, I could go on forever on what you can find, but I don't want to ruin the surprise.
GRAPHICS/SOUNDSHere is where BioShock knocks it's competitors and it's other features out of the water. Graphically, BioShock blows any other game I have seen so far to smithereens. The water motion looks and reacts realistically. Fire, smoke, bullet-flash, and everything else that should normally stress a system, run perfectly. The scary thing about this is that it makes the game that much more realistic, and that's not really bad at all. The enemies have emotion that makes you dive straight into the story and it makes you feel for your mysterious hero. Character models will be running erratically towards you and you'll be tempted to let them hit you just once so you can get a close-up shot. The games "mini-bosses," the Big Daddy's, bring a sense of creepiness and their near-invulnerability to your weaker weapons make them a force to be reckoned with at first. After a while you'll be able to stand a chance, but be ready to have those "friendly" guys making you wear your ass as a hat regularly. Seriously, these guys started the ass-hat industry.
BioShock's soundtrack is dated. It's old, nothing of our time, full of crappy songs we don't appreciate and it makes the game f-ing awesome. There is no heroic Halo-like theme repeated over and over to help give you courage, instead it's all classics about love while you're fighting for dear life. The music, although being light-hearted, makes the game that much more scary. The distinct sounds of water dripping and distant sounds of enemies mumbling are made ever so pleasant by the idea that hundreds died dancing to that tune you're listening to at that moment. It's feelings like those that haunt you throughout the game. The voice-acting is clean and your character's lack of a voice makes it a bit annoying, but at that point you welcome his silence after all the crap you've seen. If you ever get the chance, sit still and listen to one of the records playing while observing the environment's creaks and haunting noises. See how long it takes before you say, "OK, I've had enough sitting here, I want to get the hell out of here. Now!"
OVERVIEW
BioShock lacks a multiplayer aspect and although that sucks for someone like me that loves online gaming, it doesn't once take away from what the game brings. With a storyline that makes you curse at the screen promising revenge, and a hauntingly happy soundtrack to make you wonder if you're to old to break out your old teddy bear, BioShock shows that original games still got it and it isn't always about vibrant colors, mainstream music and lots of flare. It's the game of the year and if I had to pick one, I would give BioShock the best chance. It was the game that wowed us all and made an impact on the industry by raising the bar on what games should strive for, and that what we thought the game of the year should be.
And I'm done. That's why BioShock won, Chris. The game of the year award should go to the title that revolutionized the industry the most and made an example of what we want to see from future games. And that was BioShock: nothing more, nothing less.
Thanks for the question, and next time pick one that doesn't take a week to answer. I'm only one guy, you know!
- R
Images: http://jackb.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/bioshock_screenshot_banner.jpg
http://jakeinthecity.com/jitc/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/bioshock_16a.jpg
http://www.sfgate.com/blogs/images/sfgate/techchron/2007/08/21/bioshock_06.jpg
http://www.fpsteam.it/img2007/bioshock/bioshock_10.jpg
Video Game Flashback: Point-And-Click Adventures
Games have evolved to unprecedented heights in the last 20 years. We've gone from simple uses of lines and block to the use of digital modeling and texturing to create the characters and environments in today's games. But we should never forget the games of the past that helped bring today's games to their current splendor. And one of those types of games is what today's Video Game Flashback is about - the point-and-click adventure games.
Point-and-click games are PC games that utilize the mouse to point at certain objects on the screen and in genres like adventure games, they are used to further the story of the game. For example, as a character enters a room, the player then searches the room clicking on objects that could be an item needed to get past a current puzzle or saved to be used later on. It's hard to describe this type of gamestyle, but if you've ever played a Sam & Max title, you'll know exactly what I mean. And so, I dive into some of the point-and-click titles that I played back in my infantile stages of PC gaming.
DAY OF THE TENTACLE (LucasArts)DoTT, is a sequel/spin-off of the Maniac Mansion franchise and is a game that, to this day, has me remembering the small jokes to the largest puzzles. The story revolves around three characters, Bernard Bernoulli (from the original MM) and his two friends, Hoagie and Laverne. The trio use a makeshift Port-a-Potty turned time-machine to stop Purple Tentacle, a creation bent on global domination. The trio are separated after the time-machine malfunctions and Hoagie is sent 200 years into the past, Laverne sent 200 years into the future and Bernard left in the present.
The game has you working with all three characters to help each other overcome puzzles in their time period. For example, Laverne needs a small animal in the future and Bernard, in the present, has to grab a hamster and place the unlucky rodent in a nearby freezer for Laverne. Switch back to Laverne, look in her nearby futuristic freezer and, presto, ham-sicle equipped with futuristic puzzle-solving action. The game uses puzzles like these to keep you on your toes and, trust me when I say this, when you finally catch a break and use an item right, you feel practically untouchable. A great game, with a great story and full of humor that makes the experience that much more fun.
THE DIG (LucasArts)The Dig is a more serious type of point-and-click game. I say this because the story is darker and involves things like characters dying, being revived and also succumbing to madness. The story revolves around a group of astronauts sent to destroy an asteroid headed for Earth. The player taking the role of Commander Boston Low alongside two other primary characters, Dr. Ludger Brink and Maggie Robbins, find themselves an alien spacecraft that transports the crew to a distant planet.
Here is where the main story of the game begins, the player must learn to use the alien technology to eventually find a way to return to their ship. While on the planet, the player has to overcome puzzles that, like DoTT, move the story forward after each solved problem. In my opinion, Dig is one of the most original games I have ever played. For example, in the game you will eventually find a set of egg-like capsule that hold a goo that revives the dead. Well, while walking around the planet, you eventually run into the skeletal remains of an alien turtle (pictured). Where the puzzle starts is that you must rearrange the remains to their proper placement before reviving the turtle with your "miracle goo." Do it wrong and your turtle dies a horrible disfigured death, get it right and you get to move forward with the "help" of your new buddy. It was a mind-melting puzzle my first time around, but I'd play it again if I got the chance.I could write all day about point-and-click adventure. There were hits like King's Quest, Space Quest, Sam & Max and, a personal favorite, Full Throttle. All these games used a perfect fusion of puzzle-based adventures and it is a helluva genre. Unfortunately, even though episodes of Sam & Max get released occasionally, the genre has kind of lost it's ground and that sucks. So next time you have a drink, make sure to honor a toast to the oldies that couldn't stand the test of time, but still rocked.
- R
Image: www.ancientabandonware.co.uk/screenshots/Day%20of%20the%20Tentacle/day_of_the_tentacle_5.jpg
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/824/dig15pe.jpg
http://www.the-spoiler.com/ADVENTURE/Lucas.Arts/dig.turtle.gif
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Iron My Big Boy Pants, I'm Growing Up
And so another chapter closes in my life's story. After today, I will no longer be a college student, but a college graduate. I will be receiving my degree in journalism from the University of Central Florida and starting my journey into the journalism industry. I'm hoping that I will land my dream job as a online writer/producer for a publication's video gaming section, but I'll settle for anything in technology.
I'm might, MIGHT, take a break today, but don't go too far because Select Start will be back reporting gaming news and the like on Saturday. Make sure you check in because we'll have two new features; we'll be wrapping-up our BioShock GOTY Breakdown and we'll have another Video Game Flashback for you video game veterans out there.
- R
BioShock GOTY Breakdown - Part Three: Mass Effect
So to save us time, this is our third installment of Select Start's breakdown on why BioShock won the Spike 2007 Game of the Year Award. This next game was recently released and, in my opinion, didn't have enough time to really establish itself in the gaming community. I'm a prime example since I have yet to receive my new Xbox 360, and the only 360 game time I have had was when my buddy brings over his. Pushing that aside, today we'll be tackling Bioware's Mass Effect.
I know some of you might be wondering, how can I possibly review it for the breakdown if I have never played the game? I have taken the time to research different reviews of Mass Effect and I have tried to come up with a clear understanding of what Mass Effect brought to the gaming industry. Besides, I always promote my readers to input, so feel free to fill in any of my mistakes. Now that that disclaimer has been announced, let's start our breakdown of Mass Effect.
STORY MODEThe storyline of Mass Effect is quite simple; the universe needs saving and only you, Commander Shepard, has the slightest chance of actually doing it. The reason why many gamers have been waiting for Mass Effect to be released is because it mimics the same formula that Bioware's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic had - a decision-based gameplay that determines the future outcome of the story. To further explain this, if you have ever played KOTOR, where your decisions determine your character's personality and role in the story, Mass Effect also provides this and thus guarantees it's replayability.
GAMEPLAYWhat makes Mass Effect something unique is that it's also a third-person shooter, and that is one of the ways you can gain experience in the game. Side-quests implemented in the game help to merge the role-playing aspect of the game into the shooter, such as through the use of levels requiring you to take control of a lunar-rover type vehicle and explore planet surfaces. What many reviews state is that these side-quests come in lots and give the player multiple chances to stray away from the main plot line, interact with new people and ultimately prolong a great game.
GRAPHICS/SOUNDMass Effect has an amazing display of graphics and sounds. From the environments to the characters, Mass Effect made sure not to be stingy with the 360's power. Character faces have the most amazing and realistic expressions and each expression differs that, if you spent the necessary time during your character's creation, you'll be watching a near-perfect rendition of yourself die and that's disturbing and impressive at the same time! Where Mass Effect's graphics lack or slip up, is during the loading of it's environments. When your character enters a new environment, the backdrop will render slowly and it gets increasingly noticeable and annoying at the same time. Luckily, the game is so good that the layering skips can be tolerated, but when you get the impression that you bought a triple-A title, you kind of expect better fluidity.
Mass Effect is made more enjoyable through the use of talented and convincing voice-acting. The game adds that extra bit of realism and just plain ol' geek-fan feeling by including popular actors like Seth Green (Family Guy, Robot Chicken and Austin Powers), Keith David (Pitch Black, Chronicles of Riddick and Halo 3's Arbiter), Lance Henriksen (Aliens and Alien 3) and Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi of Star Trek: The Next Generation). Each character is portrayed so well that there will be times when you will find yourself so immersed in the game that you feel for the characters you may lose in battle. You may even cry ... it's OK, it's considered manly now.
OVERALL
Mass Effect has so much to offer for player's of all genres that there shouldn't be any disappointments at all. Most of the reviews that I searched mentioned how the texture rendering was Mass Effect's weakest point, but each also said that the problem was easily forgivable for such a well-developed game. Any game that offers more than 20 hours of gameplay and the ability to replay the game with a different outcome is well worth giving a chance. Can I recommend Mass Effect as a purchase? I won't say and that's only because I haven't had enough time to sit down and really make the decision, but (and that's a huge BUT) this game brings to the 360 something that we needed - a new kind of RPG for a shooter dominated system. Mass Effect brings to the table the RPG-style of gameplay most FPS fans have been waiting for, a shooter that allows us to become more bad-ass the more time we spend doing it. No more starting off from the beginning as an unstoppable force that plows through the opposition with ease, instead we have to work for it. And I can say that that's the type of "work" I can appreciate.
That's all for our Mass Effect breakdown. Catch up with us on Saturday (I will be out Friday since I will be graduating from college and need to celebrate) when we take on the BioShock and finally explain why it was worthy of game of the year. I promise it will be worth it, the game was outstanding and it paved the way for future console shooters, but that's for another day. Until then, feel free to bash away if I missed anything in my overview, you guys are gamers and your insight helps.
- R
Images: http://www.wallpaperez.net/wallpaper/games/Mass-Effect-643.jpg
http://www.totalvideogames.com/screenshots/Mass_Effect_71525.jpg
http://mm.consolas.com/%2FEspa%C3%B1ol%2FOcio%2FConsolas%2FXbox360%2F31010/mass-effect.jpg
http://www.dignews.com/admin/screenshoot/mass_effect_21.jpg
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Are You A Video Game Masochist?
Since I enjoy torturing the 15-20 people that read my blog daily, I thought I'd just make the experience even worse. If you ever had the chance to watch the Legend of Zelda cartoon in the late 80's, this line will make you cringe. The video is only one minute and 48 seconds long, but I dare you to try to watch the whole thing. I could only make it to about 45 seconds before I began rubbing my eyes like I do when a fork scratches a plate. Come on SS readers, show me what you got, are you man enough?
Oh, and please come back.
- R
BioShock GOTY: Breakdown - Part Two: Halo 3
To continue off from Monday's Orange Box breakdown on why BioShock won Spike's Game of the Year award, we now take a look at Microsoft's golden child, Halo 3.
If you have never heard of Halo 3 or the Halo franchise, where the hell have you been and what have you been playing since September? Halo 3, isn't the end all be all of video games, but it does bring two new features to the table that no console game has had before - video capture and map editing. But before I get ahead of myself, here is our breakdown on Halo 3.
HALO 3
During the week of Halo 3's release, it's safe to say that probably 99 percent of Xbox 360 owners were on Live playing Slayer and who could blame them, it was fun. Halo 3, which currently holds the record for the highest grossing opening day in entertainment history, allowed players to take the role of space marine, Master Chief, and finally put an end to the war between humans and their alien enemies, the Covenant.
FINISHING THE FIGHTThroughout the entire campaign mode, there is never one second that you don't feel like you're in the middle of an epic battle. Each, level is filled with short down times that immediately turn into gunfights because of an ambush. And although the Marines with you are better off just acting as bullet-catchers, the dialogue they provide makes the fight a bit more realistic. I remember many times when I would jokingly interact with the Marines, and more than often scream at them for running a Warthog into a wall. The campaign mode can be somewhat short if you're not playing it on Legendary, so once it's finished you hope that it's not really over. The story is solid with a few down times, but overall it's pleasing to play.
MULTIPLAYER/CO-OPOne of the things that made Halo 3 one of the titles worth nominating for game of the year, in my opinion, was Halo's multiplayer and co-op modes. Being able to go through the story mode with a buddy might have made the game incredibly easier, but it gave you an exhilarating experience to compete against each other for points. And if you got bored of playing that way, you were given the chance to turn on some of the skulls to add some difficulty to the gameplay. If you have never played with the Grunt Birthday skull, do so, you'll love it.
Now, Halo's online multiplayer is where the real magic happens. With over 20 different game modes, including custom games, there is never a time when you have nothing to play with friends. Each map is filled with sniper points and ambush points to make sure that you play as a team and maximize your teams efficiency, or you can just go "balls to the wall" blazing. And for us here at SS, we enjoy every second we get playing Capture the Flag games because playing strategically and the excitement of trying to get back to base with the flag is loads of fun. Also, the postgame trash-talking is worth it.
FORGEThe first of the two newest additions to Halo 3 and by far one of the most creative, Forge allows the player to customize any of Halo's existing maps and gives the gamer complete control. For example, I was a fan of the map Valhalla, and I thought it would be fun to have an all-human base across from a all-Covenant base, so I tried to make it as even as I could. With a Hornet, the Marine aircraft, at one end, and the Covenant's Banshee at the other, I was stoked to finish and try out the map. Unfortunately, when I was put on the team opposite of the Marine weapons, I realized why the Hornet was never put on a map originally, it was completely unfair. Just a fore-warning the Hornet is broken and if you end up on the bad side of the barrel, kiss your Spartan-rump goodbye because you have little chance to dodge it. Whenever someone asks me why I think Halo 3 is one of the greatest games to be released this year, I always mention the Forge feature and how it let us become the developers.
SAVED FILMSBy far the best feature added to the Halo franchise, Saved Films allows player to watch previously played games and edit the movie to their liking. This had to be the feature, I think, that made Halo 3 most worthy of the game of the year title. Having the ability to watch past games and make videos to share with friends was a blast. Players were able to spend hours trying to find that one snapshot that had their Spartan doing something silly and then post it on www.Bungie.net. I can say that I spent at least an hour a day searching through videos looking for tips that other players could provide or that small clip that was worth recognition. Certainly, the most innovative feature I've seen on any game, nonetheless a console game, saving game matches should be implemented in more online games.
OVERALL
I'll honestly say that I thought Halo 3 would win Spike's Game of the Year award because of all that it brought to the table. Cooperative play, solid online play, customizable maps and a video viewing option, Halo 3 had a ton of amazing features to offer and a helluva chance to take this year's gold. In my opinion, what I think may have harmed Halo 3, was when match up against the other game graphically, it just didn't stand up. I'll be the first to say that graphics don't make a game, but I do think that graphics are what we, in the gaming community, judge all games on. Just like I mentioned in my overview of the Orange Box, Halo 3 is a must-have game for the 360. The game has an outstanding gameplay value and if that isn't enough for you, then you can't really call yourself a "gamer." If you don't own Halo 3 yet, be sure to ask for it for the upcoming holidays, you won't be disappointed.
Well, that completes our breakdown of Halo 3, please feel free to add anything on why you think Halo 3 should/shouldn't have won game of the year. I am sure that there are several reasons so speak up!
Come back tomorrow for the third part of our BioShock: Breakdown. In tomorrow's overview we will take a look at Bioware's Mass Effect, the game that everyone gives credit for being the next big step in role-playing shooters. And if you've played Mass Effect already, I promise there won't be any long elevator waits.
- R
Images: http://blogs.theage.com.au/entertainment/halo-3.jpg http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1085/775700808_9d91b3ab3e_o.jpg
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Monday, December 10, 2007
Why BioShock Won Game of the Year 2007 - Part One: The Orange Box
We here at Select Start think that the Game of the Year Award is meant for the one video game that wows both the industry and the individual gamer. That game should not only revolutionize the industry as a whole, but it should also have a lasting impression that makes us say, "Remember when [insert game here] came out?" And so that's why when Chris, a reader, asked, "Tell me why BioShock won game of the year, when it was up against better games," I figured I'd shed some light on the 2007 nominees and it's winner - BioShock.
Before I dive into BioShock, I thought it would be courteous to take a glimpse at the other games in the race, but along the way I realized that a "glimpse" didn't do it justice. Also, know that these games received the chance for 2007 game of the year because of their near-flawless developing, so while I'll try to find something negative to say, don't be surprised if I can't.
And so, without further delay, we'll start with a game that transitioned beautifully from PC to console to show us that not all shooters have to be completely about gun-blazing, bullet-ridden bad asses and that even an FPS can be graceful.
Orange Box (Valve)
It's hard to talk bad about a game that is actually five games for the price of one and especially one that contains Portal, but I'll try. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what made this gem miss the game of the year award, but we can at least find out what made it become worthy enough for one of the best titles in the gaming industry.
HALF-LIFE 2 / EPISODES 1 & 2Half-Life 2 and Episodes One & Two were all great games, they each graphically ousted the previous and the storyline is like none other. But what I believe lacks are how the episodic content leaves you hanging at the end. Since Valve took an episodic approach at the Half-Life franchise, you're able to finish Half-Life 2 and, without missing a beat, you can easily continue the unlucky adventures of Gordon Freeman in the other two episodes. Then, all of a sudden, you find out that each episode only spans about 4-5 hours and before you know it, the game is over. This left me wondering why Valve didn't just wait and give us a full-length game and save us from that feeling of despair watching LOST gives us. It's a lot easier waiting three months for a show than it is waiting three years for a new installment.
TEAM FORTRESS 2Team Fortress 2 brings something to the multi-player world that no other game has brought - humor. Most FPS games made now try to bring that bad-ass, unstoppable, make your enemies wear their asses as a hat kind of attitude and sometimes that approach is delivered horribly. For a game to try and throw that out for a comedic approach is not only original, but welcomed to us FPS-ers that just need a light-hearted break from the serious gun-n-run type of games. Unfortunately when I played a few rounds of TF2, I was bombarded by horrible lag issues and that significantly lowered my opinion of the game. From what I got to play, TF2 had a wide array of selectable characters and each had their own strengths that made the game that much more strategic and fun. Plus it was always fun to set up a gun turret as the engineer and rack up kills in hiding.
PORTALI left Portal for last because it was the game that I believe made the Orange Box. Even though Portal was at first considered just an add-on to the Half-Life combo, within it's first few minutes of gameplay, Portal showed me what Valve was truly capable of. Mixing outstanding FPS gameplay with mind-boggling puzzles, Portal paved the way for a new world that shooters can now strive for - casual light-hearted shooters. The artificial character, GLaDOS, brings witty humor to the game and in doing so, helps to brighten any dull situation you may encounter. Her interaction with the player makes for a love/hate relationship that become more entertaining as you move through the levels. Though it may only take you 7-8 hours to complete Portal, it successfully keeps you entertained and we here at SS hope that Valve decides to make a sequel.
OVERALL
The Orange Box is a great game and truly deserved to be in the running for game of the year. Although I did not talk about the negatives of the Orange Box, know that I really couldn't find any and if I had to, I'd have to make stuff up. The Half-Life games are well worth a try, and if you haven't played them yet, then you're really missing out on a ground-breaking franchise that dominated PC gaming. Team Fortress 2 offers an alternative type of multi-player and anything besides the gung-ho attitude 90 percent of shooters offer, is welcome. And lastly, Portal, the game which I believe has, by itself, defined why Valve is at the top of the gaming industry and what the future of first-person shooters can be. If someone asked me if this bundle is worth it, I'd laugh and say, "Not only is it a steal for $60, it's almost better than sex ... ALMOST."
That's all for part one of our BioShock GOTY: Breakdown, please before the flaming starts about how little I know about the game, I spent hours playing each game and have come to my own conclusions. Select Start is all about gamers voicing their opinions and we want you to. So here's your chance: Tell us why you think Orange Box should have/shouldn't have won Spike's 2007 Game of the Year Award.
Also, check back tomorrow for part two of the breakdown when we attack Microsoft's heavy-hitter, Halo 3. Was Master Chief robbed of the title or was he another victim of the trilogy curse?
- R
images: http://www.theaveragegamer.com/wp-content/Screenshots/HL2/EP2/HL2%20-%20Episode%202.jpeg
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Iron Man Trailer: Not A Soldier ... An Army
Guess I missed more of yesterdays VGA's than I thought since I never saw this trailer for the Iron Man game. If I never shared a little about myself, along with video games, I am also a huge comic book fan. Yeah, I know I'm a full-fledged nerd, but it's my hobby so leave me alone. So a video game about a superhero is definitely a game for me. Hopefully it's just as good as the Hulk and the first two Spider-Man games - the third one was horrible.
Enjoy the video and catch you guys later.
- R
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Prototype Trailer Looks F-Bombing Awesome
Going to keep this short since Robot Chicken is going to start soon, but if you saw Spike TV's 2007 Video Game Awards you might have seen this trailer for Radical Entertainment's game titled Prototype, which is slated for a late 2008 release. Radical is responsible for developing The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, which was basically a destruction-fest starring the Green Goliath in a sandbox world like the Spider-Man games. The Prototype video hints that the game will also take on that open-world feature, except this time players will be causing the destruction with Alex Mercer, an experimental human weapon gone renegade.
IGN.com provides this short description:
Players will take control of anti-hero Alex Mercer, who wakes up in a mysterious laboratory as an experiment with no memory of his past. The world of Prototype is engulfed in a three-way conflict between the military, a mutated viral epidemic, and Mercer -- who has become a weapon in his own right. The whole game is built around the idea of "weaponizing" yourself. Mercer can absorb his enemies, taking on their memories, appearance, and abilities. Consume a helicopter pilot, and you'll learn how to fly a helicopter.
Reminds me of what an evil Kirby would be like. I liked Ultimate Destruction and I liked Crackdown for it's over the top superhero-esque gameplay, so consider me sold if this follows the same path. Watch the video and tell us what you think.
- R
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Video Game Flashback: Classic FPS's
Names like, Duke Nukem, Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake all bring fond memories of the early days of first-person shooters on the PC. Each of theses titles laid down the foundation to some of today's household FPS's like Halo, Half-Life, Far Cry and Call of Duty. And so here at the SS household, upon digging through my closet, I came across three not so well known game titles that laid down the foundation of my first-person shooter addiction.
Below are some pictures of the games I found, follow the jump to find out just which games they are ...
The first title was Raven Software and id Software's game called Heretic. The game was set in a medieval background and had a feature that not many FPS's had at that time - the ability to look up and down. The game took advantage of one of the most influential and amazing game engines at the time that was originally used in the popular title Doom. Heretic spawned several sequels titled, Hexen, Hexen II and Heretic II, but none that really left an impression on me like the original. Heretic was definitely a good game and was one of those three titles I'll always remember, but this next title I'll always consider a classic.
His name was Lo Wang and he was a ninja assassin, but most of all he was the most stereotypical protagonist I have ever seen. Shadow Warrior was a 3D Realms game that used the same engine used in Duke Nukem 3D and incorporated the same style of gameplay and unbelievable humor. With power-ups taking the form of fortune cookies, each cookie came with mock-philosophical sayings like, "Baseball is all wrong. Man with four balls cannot walk," and "Man trapped in pantry has ass in jam." Shadow Warrior tried to follow Duke Nukem's crudely entertaining gameplay and , in my opinion, copied it successfully. Shadow Warrior didn't really bring anything new to the FPS-genre, but it was definitely fun and, in the end, that's enough for me.
This last title I originally bought in a two-pack special so I'll try to keep it fair , but it was one of the coolest FPS's I have ever played. Star Wars: Dark Forces & Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II followed the story of Kyle Katarn, a mercenary that in the original lacked the Force powers only to inherit them in the sequel. In the game the player is able to battle iconic Star Wars villains such as Storm Troopers and Boba Fett and meet the infamous Jabba the Hutt. Most noticeably in Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, the player must make ethical choices that determines what type of Force powers the character will later obtain. Be good and lead a righteous path and your character will learn Light powers, but should you decide that the universe should bow before you, you will succumb to the Dark Side and be bestowed with destructive powers. Sounds cools, right? It was.The FPS-genre had gone a long way since it's first emergence into the gaming industry. We now have incredible graphics, sounds and in-depth story lines that push the latest technologies to the brink, yet we can't forget those games that paved the way here. I'm not sure if I can get these classics to work on my new computer, but if I can, you can be damn sure that I'll be the happiest gamer alive.
- R
images: http://fitsnews.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/back-to-the-future.jpg
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Friday, December 7, 2007
Sega bringeth and Sega taketh away
It took only one day for the rumour about Sega developing a possible Dreamcast 2 to have most of the gaming world grinning from ear to ear. Readers on Digg.com skyrocketed the story's popularity to the top with some leaving ecstatic comments and others believing the rumour to be a misunderstanding. And just as the hopes of having another Sega console filled gamers minds, it was shot down when Sega Corp. denied any involvement in making another gaming console.
Gamedaily.com reports that:
Sega of America PR Director Charlie Scibetta is currently looking into the trademark issue and why it was updated. In the meantime he told us that Sega "has no plans to get back into the console business," adding, "We're very happy being a platform agnostic company and have moved up the ranks the past three years from #11, to #9, and now stand at #6 in terms of our market share by units among third-party publishers. We like our current strategy and have no plans to change in the middle of this outstanding growth."
Disappointing. Anyways, follow the jump as we reminisce on the Dreamcast's success ...
For those who have never had the chance to play the original Dreamcast, the console was released in 1999 to compete against Sony's PlayStation and the Nintendo 64. Unfortunately, the Dreamcast came out too late and was grossly overshadowed by the release of the ever-popular PlayStation 2. But mistakes aside, what made the Dreamcast one of the most "successful failures" was it's popular line-up of both original and arcade port video games. With titles such as Soul Caliber, Crazy Taxi, Sonic Adventures, Shenmue and Power Stone, the system was a multi-player powerhouse. I remember spending hours of my life with my brother playing Marvel vs. Capcom over and over until our thumbs grew blisters ... ha, good memories.
It would have been kind of cool to have a Dreamcast 2. Then again, seeing as I still need to buy a PS3, I probably would've ended up having to consider selling some organs to actually afford another gaming console and I can't really condone that.
Rest in peace, Dreamcast, you really did have a good run old friend.
- R
image: http://www.racketboy.com/retro/dreamcast2.jpg
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Don't Miss Spike TV's Video Game Awards Sunday
And so they are here once again, Spike TV's 2007 Video Game Awards have come back to make gamers set their TiVos - just like them "Oscar-people." The show will have a line-up of celebrities like skateboard legend Tony Hawk, UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Jackass' Steve-O and NFL's Rocket Ismail among others. But the biggest headliner, in my opinion, is host of the show, "mother-f***ing" Samuel L. Jackson!You can check out all the categories and nominees here, but a fore-warning, this year seems to be dominated by the Xbox 360. I guess that's not a surprise since we got some great titles on the Xbox 360 and the Wii and PS3 kinda didn't deliver too much. We do get a few of the Wii and PS3 hits in there, but not enough to sway the 360's heavyweights. But who knows, I've been surprised before.
Be sure to catch the VGA's when they air on Sunday, December 9th at 9pm ET.
- R
Image: http://www.ifilm.com/show/23733
