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Category: Game Reviews
G4 - Last night, Infinity Ward and Activision invited members of the press out to a sound stage in Hollywood to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer for the first time. The developers are adding so much to the game that it’s initially staggering, but after a few rounds, you realize that this is a totally different theater of war than Call of Duty 4 and it’s time to figure out the differences.
There are some major game changers in effect for MW2 and Infinity Ward seems to have taken player feedback to heart. Secondary weapons now include pistols, machine pistols, shotguns, and launchers. No longer will players have to give up their precious primary weapon slot to field a shotgun or lose a perk to grab a rocket launcher. The change also gives a lot of versatility to snipers giving them the option of grabbing a fully-automatic pistol or shotgun for close range conflict.
Half-Life 2 – $29.95
Half-Life 2: Episode One – $19.95
Half-Life 2: Episode Two – $29.95
Portal – $19.95
Team Fortress 2 – $29.95
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Individual price $129.75
Package price $49.95
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Pre-purchase discount – $5.00
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Cost to you $44.95
You save $84.80!
The pre-purchase for “The Orange Box” is now available via Steam. Looking at the prices, if one does not own Half-Life 2 and/or Episode One it’s a great deal. However, if one does own Half-Life 2 and Episode One and is really only interested in Episode Two, it may not be. It looks as if Episode Two will be available later for $29.95, $10.00 more than Episode I was selling, $12 if you expected another 10% discount. Considering that each episode is reported to be like a 1/3 of a normal-length game, the cost of collecting the Episodes are adding up fast. If so, it’s no small wonder Valve wanted to split the releases. $50 for roughly 2/3 of a game works out well for them, especially when released on Steam and especially when first offering the higher-priced package first in order to get the eager beavers to pay more. Episode One, many agree, was short but we do not yet know about the length of Episode Two so it’s possible it is considerably longer than the first and, as such, worth the additional 50% ($10). To be fair, we’ll reserve final judgement until then.
When Episode One was released, consumers were able to pre-purchase to receive a 10% discount, bringing the price down to $18. Fair enough. Some thought $15-16 was its actual worth whereas most agreed $20 isn’t “too bad” considering you do get it sooner than waiting years for a full-length version.
When Steam was first released to the public some boasted that it was a true win for the consumer since the consumer would be able to download games at a discounted price since there was no need for a publisher (like Vivendi) and the cost for packaging and shipping.
Game titles rolled out slowly at first then the bottom of bargain-basement games started being released by companies trying to make a few dollars on products that have mostly run their course on the retail shelves. Smart business for older titles, really, and convenient to the customer who may want to pick up an inexpensive game on an impulse.
New games like Bioshock were released on Steam. Unfortunately, there was no cost savings to the consumer over purchasing the game in the store. The fact that the consumer isn’t “winning” as much as before, though, is solely the consumer’s fault. You can’t really blame Steam or game providers in as much as they, like all other businesses, simply want to get the most money possible for their investment. The marketplace dictates worth and people have obviously been ready and willing to shell out more money than something is worth. For some, it’s convenience. For others, it’s not knowing any better and jumping at the first offering that pops up in the Steam News window. If only purchasers knew what power they really have.
I don’t wish this post to be a hate-fest toward Valve and Steam since I hold no ill-will toward either. As previously stated, the offering is a great deal if you do not already own Episode One and/or Half-Life 2.
I leave this post with a couple quotes, though:
Team Fortress 2 and Portal are included with all retail and Steam versions of Episode Two for the PC.
Not only did Newell confirm that the title will be included as the multiplayer component of Half-Life 2: Episode 2, but a first glimpse of the class-based shooter showed a surprisingly stylized look reminiscent of campy 60s spy films — an approach used in titles such as No One Lives Forever and XIII.
I could be wrong but it looks to me, as noted on pc.ign.com and many other internet sites, that Team Fortress 2 and Portal were to be paired offerings with Episode Two, not quite the case as per the costs posted above. If “Team Fortress 2 and Portal are included with all retail and Steam versions of Episode Two for the PC” how could it be not be free? ALL retail and Steam versions… ALL. If the two games come will ALL versions then they’re either free or they have to overcharge for Episode Two to compensate for the cost of the two other “free” games. Those are the only two options, right? Personally, I only want Episode Two, but I want it at a fair price and I want companies to stick to their word. Also, I don’t care for bait and switch tactics. Promising one thing to get all the good publicity and traction then quietly backing away and overcharging is bad business if caught or interpreted that way by the consumer. I hope this isn’t the case here and will be quick to post if I learn otherwise.
Just when you thought the beloved plumber Mario might be nearing the twilight of his more-than quarter-century career, Nintendo comes out with a game for the Wii that pumps new life into two retro video game genres.
“Super Paper Mario” (Rated E, $49.99) combines the charm and action of an ’80s side-scroller with the depth and creativity of a solid role-playing game.
This hybrid of sorts of “Super Mario Bros.” and “Paper Mario” features an elaborate and well-written back story that’s explained in detail during a rather long opening sequence.
Here’s the quick version: The villainous Count Bleck captures Princess Peach and forces her to marry the spiked-shell turtle Bowser, which creates a rift of dark energy.
Mario and his friends must gather eight “pure hearts” to restore the universe to its normal state. continue reading…
Format PC
Developer Bethesda Softworks
Publisher
Genre Role Playing“You don’t need to be mad to quest here” yells an increasingly unbalanced Will Porter. “But it helps!”
As job interviews, go it’ll be short and relatively painless. It’s just you, a disinterested chap named Haskill, a bare room, a desk and a chair. After such an imposing entranceway, surrounded by otherworldly vegetation that’s leeched through its tableau of linked screaming faces into the lands of Cyrodiil, you were perhaps expecting something a little more grandiose within.Then, as the interview concludes, the dull, featureless walls melt away into a cloud of butterflies. And then it happens: you’re somewhere slightly mad.
The setting is the torn realm of the daedric Prince of Madness, one Sheogorath, if you haven’t been keeping tabs on your Elder Scrolls lore. Bethesda’s stated aim is to create a new self-contained land where the characters are more tightly defined, where dialogue is richer and where their quest designers can stretch their imaginative powers to the full, under the broad canopy of the insane, the unstable and the downright psychotic. continue reading…
The list of inexpensive Xbox games.
Aggressive Inline
Arx Fatalis
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II
Beyond Good & Evil
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 – A great co-op game to beat.
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood
Burnout Revenge
Burnout 2: Point of Impact
Burnout 3: Takedown
Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth – Had a cool and weird story. It’s not difficult to beat, but it has some sticky parts.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay – You get to play as Riddick. How cool is that?
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Conker: Live and Reloaded
continue reading…
The Cheap Holiday Games of Old.
The holiday season has come once again, and there are games galore. With such a large amount of games being produced every year, and the new consoles, some games are bound to escape our clutches.
Here is my list of cheap ass games for what ever reason either escaped my claws or good games that most people probably never even tried.
Aggressive Inline
Alien Hominid - A fast paced action game that’s hard as heck, but makes for some fun.
Animal Crossings – Only for the socially inept.
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean – One of the best card based games I’ve played. Beautiful scenery, story felt fake, but I still plan to beat it.
Battalion Wars
Beyond Good and Evil – A much better game than I thought it would be. 3rd person action RPG that’s worth going through once.
Def Jam: Fight for NY
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem – Beat it 3 times just so I could see each ending. Definitely one of the top games for Gamecube only.
Extreme-G 3 – Love futuristic racing games, but don’t like F-Zero? Well here you go.
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – 3rd person action RPG made by SquareEnix. Controller for 1 player, or multiple Gameboy Advance systems for multiplayer.
Fight Night Round 2
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Freedom Fighters
F-Zero GX – Fast, Furious, and not a movie. For people who need insane speeds and psychedelic colors.
Gladius
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life
Hunter: The Reckoning
Hunter: The Reckoning Redeemer – Grab a buddy and a keg and go zombie killin. continue reading…
It has been over a week now since Emergence Day. I have beaten the game twice now: first on Casual, then on Insane. I’ve collected every CoG tag. I’m working on beating the game again on Hardcore. Why? Because it’s that damn good. GoW, short for Gears of War, is currently the top of the list of fun games. It’s like Resident Evil 4, Ghost Recon: Advanced War fighter, and Halo put into one, yet on a whole new level. This is the first installment of the trilogy, yes trilogy. With such a powerful beginning I’m eager to see what Epic does for the next two games. continue reading…