When I first heard about Brutal Legend, I thought it was pretty interesting. The game looked unique if nothing else, with its crazy mix of monsters, heavy metal heroes, and hot rod cars.
But in the months since I first heard about it, it just kept coming up. Everywhere I looked, it was being talked about, hyped up, and listed as one of the top games of 08 (then 09 when it got pushed back).
When it got cut from the Activision portfolio during the Activision & Vivendi merger, everyone was devastated. People started freaking out, worried that one of the most original games in recent years was going to die. But the worry was irrational, with the game so far along in development, and with such big names behind it, publishers were more than happy to pick it up. But throughout the whole ordeal, the press time devoted to Brutal Legend skyrocketed.
So its understandable that I've had enough at this point. Which is why it made it on my "I don't care anymore" list a few weeks ago.
But press releases hit up the wires again today, to announce that Brutal Legend finally has a firm release date (October 13th). And as I checked out the story, following the links the game's official site, something weird happened. I got interested again. It was the screenshots that pulled me in again, which is why I'm including a bunch with this post. The one from the top of the mountain got me in particular, the landscape below reminds me of some of my favorite areas in Guild Wars. So I took a closer look at the screens, and realized that a lot of the world looks crazy: I think I would enjoy just wandering around looking at stuff, if nothing else.
And as the screens pulled me in, I started thinking about the other draws. Jack Black's unique voice can't help but make me smile, so it might be cool hearing it all through a game. And if the game is as funny as its rumored to be, it'll be a good time. As long as they don't overdo the heavy metal stuff, because I'm really not into it, I'd be interested in the game. But I'll wait until I hear some hands-on previews or reviews, to hear whether the gameplay and the action hold the cool art, humor and voice acting together.
So I may not be sold on Brutal Legend, but it's definitely back on my radar.
Downloadable Content has become one of the biggest crazes of this generation of consoles, so I think its time I weigh in on the trend as well. I recently combed the Live Marketplace, hunting down the games that I own and recording what DLC was available for them.
Then I decided to compare their value to the retail games.
When I buy a game for anywhere from $20 to $60, I want to get my money’s worth. One way I measure a game is the hour-per-dollar method: how many hours did I spend enjoying the game, compared to how much did it cost?Great games tend to be over the hour-per-dollar mark. I put about 75 hours into Gears of War 2 so far, more than worth the asking price. Halo 3 fared even better, with about an hour and a half per dollar. Grand Theft Auto IV is the best-value retail game I have for this generation, with about 125-150 hours thus far, or more than 2 hours per dollar spent. But in an interesting twist, the best game overall this generation was not a retail one. I recently bought Worms from Live Arcade for 5 bucks, and the 20 hours I’ve played so far (in only 2 months) make it more than worth the cash.
But does DLC have the same high value? Let’s take a look:
Most of the downloadable missions for retail games are quite short. The JediTemple mission for Force Unleashed, according to reviews, can be easily beaten within an hour. The Epilogue for Prince of Persia and Bring Down the Sky for Mass Effect both take about 2 hours to complete.
Operation Anchorage for Fallout 3 is only slightly longer, somewhere between 2-3 hours, but the new Fallout DLC, The Pitt, is said to last anywhere from 3-8 hours.
The JediTemple, the Prince’s Epilogue, and Operation Anchorage cost $10 each, making them a far cry from the hour-per-dollar mark. Bring Down the Sky is cheaper, at least, costing only $5 for the 2 hours of content. The Pitt is the only pack that comes close to the hour-per-dollar mark, since it is also priced at $10. I tend to take my time with games and try to see everything, so I’d likely get the full 8 hours worth. But the best DLC by far, according to this value system, is the Lost and the Damned for GTA IV. The new missions are supposed to take between 10-15 hours to beat, and feature a brand new character and plotline along the way. Fifteen hours is longer than many full retail games last. Plus, the pack also includes a wealth of new radio stations, vehicles, guns and multiplayer options. By the time you play through the missions once or twice, screw around with the new bikes and guns, and go online for a while, you’ll have spent far more than 20 hours. So while this pack costs $20 bucks, it still wins the best-value DLC crown.
In addition to having the best value, The Lost and the Damned also received the highest reviews, garnering an impressive 90/100 on Metacritic. So the 15-20 hours won’t be a boring slog-fest, nor will they be repetitive. With a new character, new style of gameplay, and tons of improvements and add-ons, it’ll be a kick-ass time.
And it comes with 250 more achievement points. But that’s a topic for another day...
A few weeks ago I listed Demigod as one of my most anticipated new games of 2009. The game has just released, but oh boy is there drama surrounding this one.
First off, the score so far. I looked it up on Metacritic, and its 4 scores are drastically different: 86, 75, 65, and 50.
I read through the individual reviews, to get a sense for why the reviews are so different. Apparently, the online multiplayer didn't work at all when the game first went on sale, and in the week or so since it has only begun to be fixed.
And in some games, this might not be a big deal. But all of the reviews I read said that the game basically does not have a story mode or campaign, meaning it is entirely multiplayer focused. And while they had only good things to say about the gameplay and the visuals, a multiplayer game with a broken multiplayer is a big problem.
So what's the deal?
The rumor is that GameStop broke the street date, which caused many of the problems. Stardock and Gas Powered Games, the publisher and developer, respectively, have to ship copies of the game to GameStop and other retailers early, so the stores have time to ready the game and set up for the opening day. But these retailers are given a "street date," the day they are allowed to start selling the game. These deals are not always followed; sometimes retailers start selling a game early for some reason.
So if GameStop got anxious, they may well have started selling the game early. And if the game went on sale a few days early, Gas Powered Games might not have had the multiplayer servers ready. Supposedly the only problems are in their servers and network, so the problems could/should be fixed soon, but this seriously hindered their launch. So the different reviews come from the publications' differing approaches to a broken launch.
IGN chose to review the game as it is, but took into account the great potential of the game, giving it a 7.5 out of 10. They may re-review the game once issues are addressed, so here's hoping they find it more worthy in coming weeks. Cheat Code Central had basically assumed in their review that the network would be patched, and gave it a nice 4.3/5.
Both of these reviews praised the game for its unique premise and its tight gameplay. The player chooses one of 8 Demigods, and fights with opposing Demigods for the right to be the next full God in the pantheon. The gameplay is tactical, focusing on your specific avatar, instead of on grand sweeping armies. Your Demigod is treated like an RPG character. It gains experience as it fights, it can receive new armor and items, and you can upgrade skill trees and give it better abilities as it grows. Standard fare for the RPG genre, but this is pretty sweet customization for an RTS. It gives players a reason to get invested in their unit.
They also praised the game for its action-focus. There is no base-building, no resource management, no troop creation. There is just pure action: strategic and tactical combat that the Cheat Code Central reviewer likened to an intensified real-time version of chess. The reviews of the gameplay and the combat sound extremely enticing, and I am hoping that my PC can handle the game when I get a chance to pick it up. But in case the launch drama wasn't enough for you, 1UP.com gave the game a paltry C (which is translated to a 50/100 on Metacritic, bringing the game's average way down). I read through the 1Up review, to find their fault with the game. They not only factored in the problematic launch, but lambasted the developers for the event, fully blaming them.
And the most frustrating part is the 1Up reviewer's opening line: "I've never been huge on real-time strategy games." If you don't like RTS games, why are you reviewing this!?!? Of course you won't like it!
So... take the reviews with a grain of salt. Stardock will most likely fix the network, and the game will be back on track, despite the potential early leak. Listen to the bountiful praise of IGN and Cheat Code Central, and ignore the RTS-hating reviewer. Demigod looks amazing, and nothing I've heard or seen yet has changed my mind.
Last week I gave my predictions of the top 10 new franchises of the year. Those were the games that had me most excited, whether they had been in the news or not.
The following 10 games have received a ton of hype, and have extremely high expectations. But despite all the hype and the early praise, I could really care less about them. Some are simply because I have no hope of getting them (sorry PS3, you're still too over-priced for me), others have received attention for pleasing hardcore fanbases.
But by Top 10, I mean these are going to be the Top 10 BEST games of 2009 that I don't care about. Meaning, I am sure they will be awesome for some people, I just am not those people.
Some of you may try to disagree with me. You might even be thinking to yourself right now, "I disagree with you," or if you are man of strong convictions, "I strongly disagree with you." But you know what? You can't. Because I didn't say these were the worst games, I just said I don't care about them. And you can't know better than me what I care about. Unless your psychic. In which case we should meet.
Anyway, these are my Top 10. Enjoy!
1. Brutal Legend
OMG! Tim Schafer is making this game?!?! LOL I have to get it FTW!
Let's be clear, I expect this game will be good. It will probably be very good. For fans of the kind of classic rock/metal that it pays homage to, this game will probably be nirvana.
But I am not one such fan. A game about classic rock legends has me as excited as a game about classic Korean myths. No, I do not know any classic Korean myths. They are probably cool, but I have no prior connection. That's the point.
Some people are stoked for the game simply because Schafer is involved. While I am sure the man has talent, one man does not produce an entire game, and the only game to his company's name right now is Psychonauts. I haven't played Psychonauts either, I hear it is good, but having not played it, you can't expect me to be excited.
So yeah, people will probably have fun driving around in the crazy cars, and swinging their axe and their "axe." The art will be cool, the monsters will look great. But I'm sick of hearing about this game as if its the second coming of Christ. Get over it guys, its just a game (it hurt me to say that). Play it, have fun with it, and stop being googly-eyed 10 year-old girls.
2. Starcraft 2
Here's another one that will get me some hate mail.
I am sure, as I was with Brutal Legend, that this game will be good. It will probably be exceptional. People will probably play it for the next 10-12 years, as they did with the first. But I don't have to like that fact.
No matter how balanced or creative the original Starcraft was, its old now. And Starcraft 2 doesn't look to be doing much besides adding a new paintjob. So excuse me if I am not excited, but another 10 years on what is basically the same game just sounds repetitive to me. There are so many other games out there, waiting to be tried and explored, that it just doesn't make sense to stick to this one for so long.
Oh yeah, they are also ripping fans off by splitting the game into 3 parts, each of which must be bought separately, for full price. 3 games, 1 campaign each. Thanks Blizzard. You know how to sucker-punch our wallets.
3. The Sims 3
Does the Sims even count as a real game? You guide little digital people around a town, and make them do things that real people do, only digitally. Sounds kind of boring. It's like "The Real Life: The Video Game."
It's in the name, though: Simulator. This is a Simulator game that is supposed to represent something in the real world. Sales have shown that the Sims sells well to girls, which makes sense. You're essentially playing digital Barbie, or digital house, or even digital divorce (what, your little sister didn't play that one?). So.... I'll leave this one to the ladies.
4. Alan Wake
I've been hearing about this one for like 3 years now. It apparently had some really amazing trailer at one of the conferences a while back, and it blew away all the reporters and reviewers, so that they were drooling for more info on the game. But the more info never came. We really know next to nothing about this game, yet everyone acts like its going to be the best thing ever. Call my cynical, but I'm going to wait it out on this one.
5. Street Fighter IV
Go ahead, say it. You despise me. But you know what? I still love you anyway.
I know the game is good, I won't argue that. If it wasn't good, it wouldn't be on this list. But I just really don't care. I never owned any of the originals (though of course I played them), so the whole "nostalgia" thing just isn't there. The "retro" graphics look good, yes, but they haven't filled any gaping holes in my heart with their childhood-completing greatness. Have fun with it, all of you fanboys-from-the-past who have been fulfilled, I won't ruin your fun. Just don't expect us all to be as excited as you are.
6. Rage
I love you id, I really really do. I promise. I played the crap out of Commander Keen back in the day, and I said my prayers to Wolfenstein and Doom like every other good boy.
But this is another one like Alan Wake: there isn't enough info yet to be getting excited. Id hasn't revealed much concrete info on their new shooter, in fact, they revealed so little that many thought it was a racing game. I like the idea that you're adding in cars, it'll be good to see id expanding to conquer new genres. But you haven't told us much beyond this. We don't even know if its coming out this year for sure.
When final screenshots and reliable info start coming out about this game, I will grab my pre-order and set up my tent in the mall. But right now, I'm feeling nothing. It's too premature.
7. Gran Turismo 5
Sure the game will look gorgeous. Sure the controls will be tight. But that doesn't make it fun.
If I am going to be playing pretend racing games, I want the fantasy to be worth it. I want dramatic cop chases (like GTA IV!), or credit for bigger crashes (thanks Burnout!), or even just a slick night-racer look, like the Need for Speed games inspired by Fast and the Furious.
If you want a racer worth looking forward to, look up Split Second. It's going to be a ground-breaking racer (quite literally), with a huge taste for the theatrical.
8. InFamous
This is the PS3 exclusive knock-off of Prototype. As proof, let me retell the conversation that took place when Sony green-lit the game.
-"Hey, some developer wants to make a game about an anti-hero with awesome powers."
-"Kind of like Prototype?"
-"Exactly like Prototype."
-"Go on. I'm listening." -"Well this guy has all sorts of superhero powers, like lightning and badassery, that make him fun to play."
-"Are the powers more badass than in Prototype? Because badass sells."
-"Oh yeah, it's over 9000 times more badass. He shoots lightning! Like a Sith Lord! And Sith Lords, as everyone here knows, are the pinnacle of badass."
-"So he's extremely badass. Good. But what does he destroy?"
-"Everything."
-"Everything? Is that even possible?"
-"We're not sure, but we're putting it on the back of the box."
-"Good."
-"No, not good. Bad. Extremely bad. That's the point."
-"I see. What about the features? I'm told that Prototype has 'free-roaming,' whatever that means. Can our character do this 'free-roaming' move?"
-"He can not only free-roam, he can roam free, if you know what I mean."
-"...."
-"If you know what I mean."
-"..........."
-"Yes, he can free-roam."
-"Good, that's what I like to hear. Match the competitor, feature for feature. Then add 1 more."
-"That's the whole design philosophy behind InFamous, sir. Prototype has helicopters that you can hijack. And people that you can consume. In InFamous, you can consume helicopter people."
-"Helicopter people?"
-"Yes sir, helicopter people. They have rotors on their head."
-"That doesn't make any sense."
-"But Prototype might do it."
-"Then get them in the game. Now. I won't be caught with my trousers down."
-"They are down, sir."
-"Not if you get helicopter people in the game asap."
-"No sir, I mean they literally are not fully on right now."
-"Oh. My mistake.... what about these memories? I hear they are important for Prototype."
-"I am glad you asked. Not only will InFamous have memories, it will also include a free social networking site, where you can upload or write your memories, whether they are photos or just words. This ensures that our users can consume all of each other's memories as well."
-"Consuming other people's memories?"
-"Yes. It adds replay value."
-"Replay is good. A good buzzword."
-"It's already on the back of the box, sir."
-"But this consumption business. Sounds a bit canabalistic."
-"It is sir. We had problems in testing. But they are worked out now."
-"Excellent. Let's start production right away. It's time for us to be a start."
-"You mean, B A Start. As in, up up, down down, left right, left right, b a start?"
-"Exactly."
9. Killzone 2
Halo 3 on the PS3? I think so. The game has badass armored dudes who have to go to other planets to stop aliens from wiping out humans, with a focus on a co-op campaign and a ton of multiplayer options. And Killzone 2 has the same stuff! Even the character's armor looks similar. I guess I can't blame you, PS3 owners, you're missing quite a treat with Halo 3.
Just last night, for example, a kid sang me a song about pancakes for helping him win a match. Sure it sounded garbly over the Live headset, but how do you think I sounded with a mouthful of pancakes? He even answered my questions about his mom. You don't find co-operative underlings like that on the PS3.
10. God of War 3
Yes it will be awesome. It will improve on everything from past installments and become an instant classic. But I can't get it. So stop rubbing it in.
:(
*NOTE ON PHOTOS: you may notice that all of these pictures are tiny, while the pictures for the Top 10 of 2009 are large. That is because I care less about these games. You may also notice that the picture for Starcraft 2 is from the original Starcraft. You didn't notice? Then you prove my point. Finally, you may notice that I put more pictures on the InFamous article. That's in case you get bored, because not everyone shares my sense of humor. We can't all be perfect.
News lately has been full of previews, and rather than just restate what I'm reading, I'm going to offer my predictions/expectations for the year.
Top 10 New Franchises
1. Prototype Release: June Developer : Radical Entertainment Platforms: 360/PS3/PC
This game is full of so much awesomeness, that I don't think my 360 will even be able to contain it. You play as one of the most badass gaming characters ever as he rampages across a disaster-struck NYC, killing or destroying everything in his path. His mutant abilities to transform body parts into weapons, like huge claws, massive spikes, or thick armored plates, make him nearly impossible to kill. And you can consume other people to take on their appearance, or to learn their skills or watch their memory. Consuming memories is how you learn the backstory to the game, which is a sweet idea for narrative work.
2. Borderlands Release: June Developer: Gearbox Platforms: 360/PS3/PC
This is another game that has me psyched for its sheer coolness. The game takes place on an alien world with a wild-west feel. With no government in sight, the raiders and explorers roam free through the desserts, driving sweet combat buggies as they fight off rivals and dangerous beasts. But though the game has a lot of driving and shooting, its an RPG/shooter hybrid, and the RPG side shows strongly with the loot. The game supposedly has over 650,000 unique guns already, due to a weapon creation system in the game that generates more guns than any dev team could possibly hard code. Seriously, over half a million different guns, do you need anything else?
3. Champions Online Release: June Developer: Crpytic Studios Platforms: 360/PC
The newest MMORPG from Cryptic Studios, the makers of City of Heroes and City of Villains. This one is going to have a very in-depth character creation system, where you design your own superhero, from his appearance to his powers to weaknesses. The screens and info so far look great, so this is definitely the next MMO on my list.
The developer on this one should say it all. As the newest RPG from the developer of Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, Jade Empire & Baldur's Gate, there is no way that Dragon Age can't be good. It's a huge fantasy world, with tons of our favorite fantasy creatures, but with the excellent game design of BioWare. And each character class has a unique begin to the game, going through a lengthy origin sequence, which adds a lot to replay value.
5. Darksiders Release: August Developer: Vigil Games Platform: 360/PS3
This is another one with a pretty badass premise. Armageddon has just begone, and the earth is now a battleground between angels and demons, battling over the last remnants of humanity. You play as one of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse, War. And its your job to annhialate all the other bastards that are roaming the wasteland that was once our world. Did I mention you get a giant sword, a warrior horse, and gattling guns?
From the famed developer Pandemic (Battlefront series among others), this looks to be a highly unique stealth game. Set in WWII behind enemy lines (I believe its Paris), the character takes on the role of a partisan fighter who is attempting to sabotage Nazi plans and help bring them down from the inside. The game has a unique art style for many of the sequences (I believe its the un-saved areas), where everything is shades of grey except for the red Nazi flags & symbols, kind of like Pleasantville. It looks to be a very original and action-packed title.
This is another title from a well-known developer. Raven is releasing a trio of heavy-hitters this year, including the newWolfenstein, and the new X-Men game, but Singularity may be the most unique of the three. The story puts the player on a strange island where an accident manipulated the time continuum. The island will go through periodic shifts, where everything around you changes from its broken-down contemporary form to its brand-new Cold War version. The game also lets you manipulate time yourself, like the ability to send objects forward or backwards in time to collapse/rebuild them, freezing objects by pausing time, and decaying your enemies into dust. The puzzle opportunities sound as intruiging as Braid's, but in 3D.
8. Demigod Release: April Developer: Gas Powered Games Platform: PC
This game is set to combine all of the best elements of RTS and RPG into one. Players choose their race/team and then select a Demigod, choosing either an Assassin or a General unit. The Generals play much more like RTS, commanding all of your little minions around the battlefield to take out the enemies. Assassin units are highly powerful on their own, so rather than micromanage your troops, you let them fight on their own while you hunt down key opposition to kill yourself. The size of the battles is impressive, the scaling looks spot-on, and there are some awesome creature/unit designs, like the impossibly huge Castle Demigod.
9. Halo Wars Release: March Developer: Ensemble Studios Platforms: 360
This one is already out, but its from 09, so it deserves a spot on the list. Take the most popular console FPS and turn it into a console RTS- sounds kind of crazy right? But Halo was originally conceived as an RTS by Bungie, and it still kicks ass after returning to its roots. I''ve only gotten to play the demo so far, but I'm hoping to get the full version for my birthday later this month. The game uses a built-for-360 control scheme, which makes it one of the best (if not THE best) RTS games on consoles. It's action-packed, it includes all of our favorite units (like Warthogs and Scorpion tanks) and keeps the feel & integrity of the Halo universe. Ensemble was shut down after finishing the game, but that only makes it more alluring.
10. Batman: Arkham Asylum Release: June Developer: Rocksteady Platforms: 360/PS3/PC
This may be based on one of the oldest IP's in action fiction, but the game itself is a new franchise. It isn't based on any movie or tv series, so the developers were free to do as they'd like. The game's premise is that Batman was following a recently-captured Joker into Arkham Asylum, when the madman breaks out and takes over the joint. The place is massive, including tons of underground and secret areas, so the whole game takes place in the huge madhouse. The action and stealth seem integrated well, and are a blast from what I've read so far. This game may finally redeem the Batman name in video games, and even may him a hit again, like Dark Knight did with movies.
So you're probably wondering by now, who is this GameLady chick?
Well she isn't a chick at all: GameLady is actually Scott Kieffer, an aspiring game designer/game journalist.
He got the nickname "Lady" from a fellow Guild Wars player. His main character in the MMO was named Lady Nacrustea, but since "Lady" was far easier to say, the name was shortened.
Eventually the nickname translated over to the real world, where it earned some funny looks when used among mixed company, but eventually Scott got used to it. Thus, GameLady was born.
Scott is a journalism major, an interactive multimedia minor, and a history minor. Over the past few years he has used his major to report on various parts of the gaming industry. His Interactive Multimedia minor has been spent doing a lot of game design at college, and he is also working on some design projects outside of school. He chose his history minor for fun, but has since put the knowledge to good use as he works on his fantasy series, the first book of which should be done soon.
When I first heard about Brutal Legend, I thought it was pretty interesting. The game looked unique if nothing else, with its crazy mix of monsters, heavy metal heroes, and hot rod cars.
& Vivendi merger, everyone was devastated. People started freaking out, worried that one of the most original games in recent years was going to die. But the worry was irrational, with the game so far along in development, and with such big names behind it, publishers were more than happy to pick it up. But throughout the whole ordeal, the press time devoted to Brutal Legend skyrocketed.
