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Playstation Plus: Damn You!!!

Posted in Blog, Games, Resident Evil on December 1, 2013 by slateman

PS+I was a day-one subscriber to Playstation Plus and have not one second regretted that decision. Alternately, I accidentally renewed my Xbox Live subscription and went an entire year without ever using it once. I digress. I love me my PS+ but man…this isn’t good!

My HDD is full, or close enough to it, and I went through my download list only to find several titles ‘purchased’ but not downloaded. Shadow Of The Colossus, Dragon’s Dogma, the first Resident Evil Chronicles game…Kingdoms of Amalur and Binary Domain there were more too. This is in addition to the dozens of games on my HDD already. Guardians Of Middle-Earth – barely even touched. Ico, the same. The list goes on. Then…let’s not forget the discounts. Mamorukun Curse for 50% off? OK. Ys Seven for $7.50? Must…resist..? I bought the Aliens game even though I knew it was garbage simply because it was so cheap! I grabbed the first Ratchet & Clank for $3.75. Three Seventy Five!!! Madness.

PS+ is ideal for hardcore gamers and I hope it remains to be so with the current generation (PS4), seeing as how it’s mandatory for multiplayer. However, on the other hand, I cannot keep up! And most of those games listed above were just PS3, that’s not including the Vita and eventual PS4 games. I cannot complain, really…I just also don’t have enough time to dedicate to this stuff. What dreadful times we live in, eh? (Oh…and I don’t own a 3DS, but the new Zelda would be a must-own, and while I do have a Wii U, I haven’t figured out how I’m getting the new Mario game. And that too is a must-have)

UPDATES…..

Posted in Blog, Borderlands, Cubing, DoDon Pachi, Games, Godflesh, Personal, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, The Walking Dead, Yankees on November 2, 2012 by slateman

It’s been a long time and a lot has happened. I’ve had some ups and downs these past few weeks but the good has been rather good. Let’s see…

First off, I’ll be getting a new cube any day now and I’m pretty psyched. It’s a cool one, it’s the curvy copter, and it’s a jumbling puzzle. It should be spectacular.

My Godflesh site turned 17 years old a few weeks ago. That’s insanely old.

Resident Evil 6 and Borderlands 2 – Making progress. Taking forever. Well worth the cashola.

I also picked up Street Fighter X Tekken as well for cheap. I’d played it several months ago and look forward to having it in my library!

The Yankees – I couldn’t even write about this. I still can’t.

The Walking Dead – both the game (episode 4) and show (episode 3) were solid. The game may have been a filler/connector episode and the show an introducer, but both were strong and make me yearn for more. Sadly the game’s sequel must wait quite a while.

Hurricane Sandy – :( So much destruction. :( :(

EPISODE VII!?!?!? I’ll post some thoughts on this soon. It may actually have a chance of being good. Four words – Pirates Of The Caribbean.

DoDonPachi: Maximum came out on the iPad and was on sale so I snatched that up. It’s kinda fun. It’s cool seeing the returning characters/stages/music and it is a pretty good challenge on later levels. I may pick up ESP Galuda II as well.

Enough for now?

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Resident Evil 6: Demo Impressions

Posted in Games, Resident Evil with tags on September 21, 2012 by slateman

I’m psyched about RE6. OK, there, I admitted the obvious. Now, the other day I talked about its expectations and what it needed to do to beat RE5. After a day with the demo, I fear it will not accomplish that.

As for what’s done right…the game looks friggin’ beautiful. Visually, it’s right where it needs to be, with great textures, plenty of detail in the background and huge scope. The new menu system is great, as it keeps you in the game while you manage inventory or options. The game keeps the power of punches and headshots and will not falter on those accounts.

However, having gone through all three demo campaigns, I felt worried. The Leon scenario was classic, with spooky hallways and zombies hidden throughout. Now, we’ve lost that really scary feeling as with a partner, you can’t retain that truly classic intensity while having a friend with you. However, I liked running through the shadowed hallways and positioning headshots on slow-moving zombies. So satisfying.

The newcomer’s scenario was just OK. I got lost a few times and, without any background, didn’t know why I should care. I’ll hold out on making any observations on this one just yet.

Finally was Chris’ campaign and I don’t know what to say. By leaving survival horror, you have to pursue that path with excellence lest you feel like a copycat…but I did not feel thrilled with much about this (Well, the boss was pretty friggin’ cool!) I am not officially nervous about this scenario. Finishing it did not leave me with the desire to play it again….precisely what you need for this to be a success IMO.

BUT, I shouldn’t be hasty. October 2nd is just around the corner. This won’t disappoint…right?

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Resident Evil 6 Expectations: How To Surpass RE5

Posted in Blog, Games, Resident Evil with tags on September 19, 2012 by slateman

The Resident Evil 6 demo is live and I’m crazy psyched to give it a full run. My buddy and I tinkered with it for 5 minutes but wanted to save the whole thing for when we had a little free time. As the game is coming out in just a few weeks, I thought I’d talk about how this game will compare to Resident Evil 5.

Now, I’ve professed my love for RE5 before. The game, released in March three years ago, has really set the standard for action games and the layout for them. Now, I won’t even give forum to anyone complaining about survival horror. This is an action game and I would have it no other way. I love Resident Evil and sincerely hope RE6 can live up to the excellence of the last installment.

So, what does RE6 need to do to match/trump its predecessor. Here is my opinion.

Layout
First off, it needs to match the fifth game in its spectacular layout. By this, I mean the save-game system must remain as it did. Though I had to cancel my GameFly subscription, I have played a lot of games over the past few years and I haven’t found one with such an impeccable layout. Your save game keeps track of each level on each difficulty, time, collectibles and itinerary. This makes it easy to jump into and out of, and I never lost data because my game wasn’t saved properly. I love it and this must return.

Scope
Having played RE5 so many times, I kind of forgot how massive it was. From the humble city-streets beginning to the grandiose finale, Chris and Sheva went through a huge world of diverse excitement. While I know RE6 will have three story arcs taking place in different places (though crossing), I hope it keeps that feel of an enormous journey rather than a jumpy collection of short stories.

Replay Value
To say this again…I beat part 5 on the PS3, then went back and did it on Veteran mode. I played through it on the easy setting and got the infinite rocket launcher. Later, I played the game with a friend on Professional…which was brutal. In order to get the platinum trophy, I went through everything again.

A different friend never played it, so we trudged through the game on the Xbox360. I couldn’t help myself, so I beat it on Veteran myself and did most of it all again just to collect stuff.

I lost my save game on the PS3, then went through AGAIN…to say I loved this game would be an understatement and I desire to have that feeling again. I loved redoing it all to get the treasures, to save up for the guns, to power them up. Very few games really give me such a rewarding feeling and I certainly hope we have plenty of unlockables (infinite rocket launchers were awesome!) as well as great Mercenaries/Versus modes again.

Power
Being surrounded by enemies in the first jungle area was an overwhelming feeling. Those giants would wreck me and all those smaller guys around me were killing me. I grabbed that magnum and, in the midst of the madness, shot a round at a masked foe. It felt HUGE. The guns really felt like they scaled as the game progressed. Handguns were OK but shotguns were brutal! So, when I unlocked the infinite rocket launcher, I was in heaven. This was just a progression from Resident Evil 4, so I expect this to return in full force. Having played the demo, head shots are just as rewarding as they ever were. So good!

Thrills
To reiterate, RE is no longer about crawling through hallways with a horrible, yet intense control scheme. It’s a Hollywood movie with all the excitement and thrills of any summer blockbuster. Nothing displays this more potently than Uncharted 2. It was so outrageous and I ate up every minute of it. What will RE6 be all about? I can’t say I care. I want it to be a huge production, with twists, good voice acting, enormous explosions and much, much more.

Honestly, if the gameplay can improve on RE5’s and make it look super slick, I’ll be sold. That may sound like I’m selling it all short, but I guess that’s a testament to how much I love the series. This game should be intense, huge in scope, powerful and thrilling with a great layout and tons of replay value. I am so psyched for it to come out. Tonight…to put down Borderlands 2 for a little bit and play the demo. Rock and roll!!!

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Games I’ve Beaten – 2012 Edition

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Borderlands, Games, Lists, Portal, Resident Evil, Skyrim, Street Fighter, Uncharted with tags on September 4, 2012 by slateman

After a few rough weeks, I’m glad to be back posting stuff here, even if no one reads this blog. I was thinking about the games I’ve completed this year and thought I’d write a few notes about them. How many have I finished? Well, these should be broken down into retail games and PSN games. Don’t think I got anything new on the 360, so that’s PSN and not XBL.

GameFly tells me I’ve rented the following this year:

  1. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (later purchased)
  2. F.E.A.R. 3
  3. Street Fighter X Tekken
  4. Portal 2
  5. Uncharted: Golden Abyss
  6. SSX
  7. Sniper Elite V2
  8. Rayman Origins
  9. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
  10. Binary Domain

Not a bad list and it really justifies the GameFly fee, seeing as how I’d not have purchased most of those. Of the 10 titles GF sent me over the course of 8 months, I only completed 4. But that’s not really bad seeing as how SFxT can’t truly be finished and my PS3 died before I could complete the fun Sniper Elite.

In addition, my friend and I love coop games, but both Ghost Recon and Binary Domain aren’t what we’re looking for (gotta pay for one, no campaign coop in the other), so I wouldn’t count either of those.

This leaves F.E.A.R. 3 which, by all measures, was pretty much crap. SSX just was absurd and I didn’t play that long before shipping that one back. It lost all the charm the old games had. Now, Skyrim is a big one, and I quite enjoyed what I played but I have yet to complete the campaign despite dumping scores of hours into it.

The games that I count are Rayman Origins which was a pleasurable platformer replete with collectibles and tons of replay value. Had I not been on vacation in the middle of nowhere (which is why I got the game to begin with, really), I would’ve written more about it. The handheld Uncharted was largely a success. In fact, it’s the best-looking handheld game I’ve ever played and it felt like Uncharted, itself a success!

Finally we have Portal 2. I’ve said it before and won’t hesitate to repeat it – Portal 2 is one of the most brilliant achievements in gaming history. Ingenious and clever and…well, no reason to do this again.

Now to PSN games. It looks like I’ve played the following this year:

  1. Outland
  2. Journey
  3. The Mysteries Of Little Riddle
  4. The Walking Dead (Episodes 1-3)
  5. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD

I figured I must’ve beaten more than that…but I guess not. I’ve already professed my love for that game. As for Journey, I wasn’t entirely sure what I thought of it. The Little Riddle game was something fun to play with my wife, and The Walking Dead games…well, just read below. Playing through the three episodes was one of the of the most enticing gaming experiences ever.

I played, but haven’t finished:

  1. Batman: Arkham Asylum
  2. Just Cause 2 (PS3 died, lost save game)
  3. Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One (same)
  4. Lara Croft & The Guardian Of Light (same)
  5. Rochard

I’d like to get back to Rochard. Batman…I didn’t love that as much as everyone suggested I would.

Verdict: So…let’s face it…the reason for this article was to figure out what the best game was that I completed. Well, first off, Borderlands 2 comes out in two weeks and Resident Evil 6 in four. Those could very well be high up on my list, but from what I’ve done so far, Uncharted, The Walking Dead were the highlights. Rayman and Outland were fun, visually-impressive titles, but Portal 2 was the best.

Let’s see how BL2 and RE6 fare against such a juggernaut!

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THPSHD: FAQ Posted

Posted in Blog, Borderlands, Games, Guides, Resident Evil, Tony Hawk Series with tags , on September 1, 2012 by slateman

The days of THPS are long gone, but with the release of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD, I have to admit an excitement about the Hawk series not felt for the better part of a decade. Now, let’s not be hasty here, this isn’t pee-your-pants excitement like I’m feeling for Borderlands 2 and Resident Evil 6. Just sayin’. Anyways, I got a review copy of the game for both the PS3 and the Xbox360 and have gone through it mostly with the former. Of course, given my history with the game, I had to write a guide for it! Thus, we have my new THPSHD FAQ. I love writing guides so this was fun. Kinda looking forward to the THPS3 DLC.

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Mini-Review: Outland – I Love This Game…

Posted in Blog, Borderlands, Castlevania, Games, Resident Evil, Reviews with tags , on August 18, 2012 by slateman

I think it was last year when I picked up Outland on the Xbox360. It was probably when my PS3 was dead and I needed something new to play. Of course, I LOVE Ikaruga, in fact, I have a section of one of my sites devoted to it. This game is an action/adventure homage to the excellent title and I love it.

Now, my Xbox360 doesn’t receive as much love as it used to. I don’t know why we all have our favorites but I much prefer the PS3 and its interface than Microsoft’s offering. Most of my gaming hours are spent on Sony’s platform and now that Outland was free for PS+ subscribers, why not nab this game again?

So, with brilliant Ikaruga-style mechanics, awesome visuals and a cool soundtrack, this game is a lot of fun to play. It’s not overly difficult, but boss battles can be very tough. I would love to find a complete set of artwork for Outland as it’s just marvelous. The color schemes, the details in the background, animations, enemies and most of all, bosses, all look spectacular and are deserving of their own art book or online gallery.

The gameplay is equally fantastic. It brings the aforementioned polarity to match the progress-and-return 2D method of Castlevania/Metroid/Shadow Complex. I love these types of games. I’m always eager to go back and collect what I missed, aiming for 100% whenever I can (or 200% in the case of the brilliant Symphony Of The Night!)

So, I should really just play the 360 game rather than going back to repeat all this. But it’s just so fun, I don’t mind. Will I finish the whole thing? Perhaps…but it’s definitely entertaining while it lasts! (i.e. until Borderlands 2 and Resident Evil 6 come out to consume all my time!)

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Games To Come: Aug / Sept / Oct

Posted in Blog, Borderlands, Games, Resident Evil with tags , on June 24, 2012 by slateman

July will be the last quiet month as after this we are looking at some big games coming out. I’m pretty psyched actually. All are sequels and all are promising. Let’s take a look!

14 August, 2012 – Darksiders II

I’m a big fan of Joe Madureira and so the first Darksiders was right up my alley. God Of War meets Zelda with the best art style in the world! Now, I rented the game and it took me a good while to get through it. I’ll admit some parts dragged a bit. It was good enough to warrant a sequel (albeit, not quite what I was hoping (4-player coop???!!)) and so that sequel will be played in less than two months! I love me some action-rpg games and with the cool setting, art style and GOW-inspired gameplay, sign me up! This should be a pretty cool game. I’ll likely GameFly this one unlike the next two, I know, I should be supporting the developers more. However, with Borderlands 2 and Resident Evil 6, sequels to two of my favorite games of this generation on the horizon, I cannot afford to purchase all three this autumn!

18th September, 2012 – Borderlands 2

All Borderlands 2 has to do is be as good as the first. That’s it. If they can manage to do that, I’m going to love this game to deth. (get the reference?) Honestly, after losing my level-40 save game, I went back, started anew, beat the game again, started a second quest, completed two DLCs and got through half of Claptrap to platinum the game. I LOVED Borderlands. It was so different, so fresh, so brutal, so fun. I already mentioned its trailer is the best trailer ever. To get ahead of myself, a BL3 will have a lot to do to trump these two games, but for now, just match the first and I’ll buy the disc and all the DLC without any question at all. That’s saying something.

2nd October, 2012 – Resident Evil 6

Now, if Borderlands is all it can be, I should still be playing that mammoth when RE6 drops a mere two weeks later. That’s OK, b/c while I may love me some Borderlands, Resident Evil is the fucking shit as well. Having played the game and its variations since the series’ inception, I absolutely loved RE4 and RE5. How much? Oh, that’s simple. I beat RE4 on the GC twice, tinkered with the PS2 version, then beat it on the Wii and then bought the HD remake on the PS3. Yeah, that much. Oh, RE5? I 60-hour platinumed that mother on the PS3, then went back and beat it on the Xbox360. Then I lost my save data and went back to play through more on the PS3. It was that good IMO. So…to say RE6 has the most to live up to is an understatement. First and foremost I plan on playing the shit out of it coop, getting all the collectibles (in-game, not limited-edition jacket nonsense). Everything points to this being a great game…but we know how expectations can be crap sometimes. I’m hoping it’s the bomb and plan on buying this day 1. Please don’t let me down Capcom

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