What happens when an overworked accountant finally breaks down and buys an XBox 360....

• 24Aug 08

  Flashing Lights are Only Fun at Christmas

  I think my 360 got upset that I was playing my PS3 more lately. I turned it on this morning for the first time in a week to attempt to finish Sequence mode in Geometry Wars 2 and it froze once, then the infamous three flashing red lights appeared when I re-booted the console. Now that's all that I get.
  
  Thankfully you can order a repair on XBox.com now, at least in the USA, and avoid dealing with MAX on the support line and the Russian Roulette of outsourced call center employees of varying accents and competencies. The disc drive on my original console, purchased November 2006, refused to read discs in July 2007. I was lucky enough to get a refurbished box back in time for BioShock last year. This time I don't think my timing is going to be so great. I'm going to miss the launch of Castle Crashers and Mercs 2. Bummer. Hopefully people won't be tired of them when I finally get back on Live.
  
  This will give me an opportunity to play some of the PS2 games which I own, but never got around to playing again. Last year I went through Shadow of the Colossus, God of War and Sly Cooper 2 in the month it took to get a 360 back. This time I can play Okami, Kingdom Hearts 2, Jak 3 or GTA: San Andreas so I have plenty to keep me busy. I also should probably be studying for the CPA exam......
  
  Pour one out for another dead console....RIP 360 #2: 8/7/07-8/24/08

  • Posted Aug 24, 2008 1:31 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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• 30Jul 08

  Emerging from the Downloadable Desert

  It has been a long time since I downloaded a game from XBLA or PSN. The last game I bought from Live Arcade was Symphony of the Night in March 2007 and the last game I bought from PSN was the overrated Everyday Shooter when it was half price in December 2007. Since then there has been a dearth of interesting titles released. I've had my fill of Match-3 clones and shoddy retro ports so nothing has compelled me to open my wallet. That streak seems to be coming to an end very soon though as the drought seems just about over. In fact, there may be a flood on the horizon.
  
  

  Pixeljunk Eden

  
  I downloaded the demo from PSN for this last night after hearing good buzz about it from the usual gaming media sources. I was skeptical going in because it seemed similar to the hype that was lavished on Everyday Shooter last year. People raved about the artistic merit of the game and how impressed they were that it was coded by one person, but glossed over the fact that it wasn't that fun to play. While Pixeljunk Eden delivers visually and aurally, it also delivers in the gameplay department. On the surface there doesn't seem to be much to draw you in. You are a worm in a garden, you jump & swing from plant to plant breaking pollen pods to fill up seeds to grow more plants to get higher in the level to find the spectra to finish the level. The simplicity of purpose is a benefit though because you don't have to think much beyond measuring your next jump or judging if your swing can reach that next pod. This allows you to enjoy the sensual feast which the game serves up. The levels are visually stunning with rich colors surreal plant formations. When you break a chain of pollen pods in a row, you unleash a mini-fireworks display that cascades across the screen. The visuals are complimented by an infectious soundtrack that I can only describe as some fusion of jazz and techno that gives the game a very relaxing, groovy kind of vibe. Played on a large HD display in a darkened room, the game is gorgeous.
  
  The controls are simple and responsive. You point the left stick in the direction you want to jump, you jump with the X button and stick to any surface you come in contact with as long as you don't hold any button & aren't spinning. When you want to swing from your location, you jump holding down X which tethers you to where you leaped from with a strand of silk. You control the swinging with the right stick and the length of the tether with the bumpers. Swinging is used to break pollen pods and to gain momentum towards making higher & longer jumps. You have a good deal of aftertouch control while you are in the air as well. It takes a few minutes to get the hang of it, but when you do it's a very natural control scheme. I definitely recommend that you download the demo. The demo has the first 2 gardens (out of 10) so you get a good chuck of game for free. I think I'll be buying this when it releases tomorrow.
  
  

  Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2

  Like most people, Geometry Wars Retro Evolved was one of the first games I played when I bought my 360. I loved it, but I was TERRIBLE at it. I never scored more than 275k points and I have long since stopped trying to improve that. Whatever skill that it takes to zone out and break 1 million, I don't possess it. My interest in the series was rekindled when I played a little of Geometry Wars Galaxies for the DS. The addition of the collectible geons and the little upgradeable helper ship really took the game in a great new direction. Even if you had a bad session, you'd still earn points towards upgrading your ship so it didn't feel like a complete failure. The point multipliers were also easier to attain and the stylus controls were tight. This put the 360 sequel back on my radar. I downloaded the demo this morning and enjoyed what I played. I liked the time limit mode that they included. Much like Pac-Man Championship Edition, you just have to score as many points as you can in 3 minutes. You can die all you want and your multiplier doesn't reset. The game has the same frantic action as the original with things chasing you and exploding all over the grid. It can still be difficult to see smaller enemies through the bullets and explosions leading to some cheap deaths, but the penalty isn't as severe so it's less frustrating. I scored only 800k my first try, but improved to 1.1 million by my third. The other modes included sound fun as well, so I'm leaning towards making this part of a double dip this week.
  
  

  Bionic Commando Rearmed

  I LOVED the NES original. The story combined with the swing mechanic made that game stick out for a lot of people. Everything I've seen about the remake leads me to believe that Rearmed is going to the perfect blend of nostalgia and modern visual & gameplay upgrades. They seemed to have captured the campy spirit of the C1a$$ic while modernizing it for a whole new generation. Being able to do more with the arm beyond swinging and grabbing power-ups will be a big improvement. This will be a day 1 purchase for sure.
  
  

  Castle Crashers

  This looks like a fantastic game. An homage to side scrolling brawlers of the past with crazy cartoon graphics and a ton of things to unlock. Even though this is probably going to cost double the usual $10 of most Live Arcade games, it seems like the content will justify the price. I think we've all been looking forward to this one for quite some time.
  
  

  Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

  I was addicted to the DS version of Challenge of the Warlords for quite some time so I'm eagerly anticipating it's space themed sequel. It will be interesting to see what kind of changes the new setting will offer, what will replace the spells and training your mounts, how will the new hexagon pattern and zero gravity effect strategy and gameplay? Should be fun
  
  

  WipeOut HD

  I hoped that this was going to be the proverbial slump buster when it was promised to be released in May.....then June.....then it disappeared due to a "tricky technical issue". I loved the original PS1 game and the future racing theme. The vehicles handled well and the sense of speed was impressive. Everything I've seen on this HD upgrade has been impressive. The tracks, the tunes, the weapons, how smooth it runs, how polished it looks....it can't get here soon enough. I hope they work out the problems quickly.
  
  I am probably leaving something out, but after not being interested in any downloadable game in months, having a list of 6 upcoming titles seems like an overload. Hopefully these all turn out to be worth the anticipation and money.
  • Posted Jul 30, 2008 11:09 pm PT
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• 22Jul 08

  Don't Believe the Hype - Psychonauts

  Psychonauts receives universal praise everywhere I look. After finally getting around to playing through the game myself, I don't see why it gets all the love.
  
  Recently I've been burning through a stack of Playstation games, which for whatever reason, I bought, but never found time to play. After completing & enjoying Sly 2, Justice League Heroes & Uncharted, I eagerly dove into Psychonauts expecting another fun time. From reading professional & player reviews and listening to people on podcasts lament that Psychonauts is one of the best games that nobody played, I thought it was a can't miss. I love platformers and have played dozens of them during my gaming life, from the Super Mario games through the Jak, Ratchet & Sly series to even Scooby Doo Night of 1000 Frights. Unfortunately, Psychonauts would have to rank pretty low on that list.
  
  Things I did not enjoy
  

  • The Overabundance of Cut Scenes - There were sections of this game where gameplay was interrupted every few steps. They might have looked nice, but I didn't find them all that compelling which brings me to...
  • The Story - This point may be my own fault for having high expectations, but I read this game was supposed to have a great plot and clever dialogue, what I played had neither. The only thing unique about the narrative of Psychonauts was the aspect of Rez invading people's minds to cure their demons, but to me that just led to a bunch of disjointed levels which didn't seem to fit together. That was also probably my fault because I got bored of the story pretty quick and wasn't caring why I was jumping from the mind of the Milkman to the Crazy Actress to the Painting Bull. Beyond that its the same derivative "unlikely hero learns powers and saves the day" thing.
  • Power & Item Limitations - You learn a bunch of powers as you progress through the game, but you can only equip three of them at a time. If you come to a point you need invisibility to sneak passed an enemy, but you don't have it equipped, you have to hit select, bring up the powers menu and swap out the one you need. Its even more frustrating for the items because you can't hold an item and activate a switch or talk to a NPC. If you put it away to open the door, you have to hit select and pull up the item menu all over again. The lack of a quick select menu that gives you access to all your stuff is disappointing, especially since Ratchet had it 4 years before Psychonauts came out.
  • Collecting to Advance - Yes, collecting is part of most platformers, but pretty early in Psychonauts you are forced to walk around the camp with a device that detects arrowheads buried in the ground. You have to collect over 1,000 of these things to buy two items from the store or else you can't advance to the next level. In order to dig these things up I had to mash on a button so hard, I was seriously risking an aneurysm. This was a boring waste of time which was interrupted by more cutscenes as I ran into characters walking around camp.
  • Frustrating Sections - I'm not one to shy away from a challenge, but there is a difference between being challenging and being cheap. Getting blown up by exploding mice that constantly respawn on the asylum level. Having to make precise jumps with sloppy, floaty jump controls and when you miss, falling all the way to the bottom of a level only to start all over. Having to protect the kid in the meat circus, but not knowing where he is in the level because he jumped to a platform (in a cutscene) that can't be seen from the platform you are on. A rail slide section with gaps spaced in it that forces you to slow down so you miss the jump or go too fast that you overshoot the next jump combined with the previously mentioned sloppy jump controls.
  • Having to Wait to Level Up - If you want to redeem the Psi-Cards, Cobwebs or Brains you pick up mid-level, you have to warp back to HQ then warp back, but instead of taking you back to the exact spot you warped out, you are taken back to the start of the level. That discourages you from actually reaping the rewards of the items you find.

  
  Things I Did Enjoy

  • As a fan of Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas & Corpse Bride, I dug the visual sty1e of Psychonauts which seemed to be at least influenced by Burton's work and I think Psychonauts could have been a good animated movie.
  • Two of the levels did live up to the hype of being unique and different. The level where Raz is a giant that is stomping around a city environment was a lot of fun to play. You don't normally see that kind of scale in a platformer where the character towers over it's enemies. The other level I enjoyed was the board game level which you play with the Napoleons. Figuring out how to get the pieces on the board and then moving them into the right spots was fun.
  • I found the powers varied and useful. Double Fine did a good job of ensuring that you would encounter sections which would require you to use each power you acquire. Setting something on fire with Pyro, bouncing with Levitation (when a precise jump wasn't required), picking up an enemy and tossing it aside with Telekinesis all feels satisfying.
    
    

  Unfortunately, on balance, Psychonauts turned out to be a big disappointment to me. It's not an unplayable game, but it is far from the pinnacle of the genre that people make it out to be. Hopefully the cool kids will still let me sit at their table.

  • Posted Jul 22, 2008 10:37 pm PT
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