Showing 1-10 of 10 items
I didn't think much of this when it first came out. Looked good, as I've enjoyed every Halo game. But many, many hours later I've come to appreciate the excellent pacing and presentation of the campaign, the tactical and intense multiplayer, the pure joy of grunt murder in firefight, and how much fun I've had with every minute of Halo Reach.
I treasured the original Starcraft (and Brood War), but never took it seriously. Enjoyed the story, entered poweroverwhelming, and massed carriers. This didn't keep it from being named The Best Game of All Time in an article I wrote in college. With Starcraft 2, I was disappointed by the story, but was completely overwhelmed by the amazing mission design. And then I started a game of multiplayer, just to see how I fared. Bad idea, since 150 wins later I'm watching tournaments, Day 9 Dailies, and listening to State of the Game and Podcast Overwhelming every week. Wings of Liberty had big shoes to fill. The expansions now have a man-sized Kuribo shoe to fill.
Mass Effect had one of the best endgames of any video game I've ever played. Holy crap, dude. So I expected the Mass Effect 2 story to be ridiculous and amazing. Not fetch quests. But despite my disappointment there, I had an amazing time with this game. The gameplay was polished, the technical hiccups were smoothed out, and the characters were great. The DLC delivered, and the last 10 seconds of the ending made me go "ME3 NAO!!" After witnessing the glorious VGA trailer, at least I can say ME3 soon....
Was the first Galaxy cool? Sure. It was nice. I didn't jump out of windows because of it. Galaxy 2, however, had me grinning the whole time. I friggin' love this game. The music, oh man! The gameplay, more please! The variety, wow! I don't know why this game clicked so much more than the first for me, but it was absolutely enjoyable from beginning to end (granted, I haven't gotten every star yet. so there's still work to be done!) And I hate Yoshi, mostly because of his stupid boots and my friend's spamming of egg throws in the original Smash Bros. I killed it instantly whenever it wasn't necessary. But eventually, the bloodlust, the dark passenger was gone and we coexisted. Which is more than I could have expected.
Early in the game, a ridiculous remake of Fly Me to the Moon plays. I gasp. I wonder if this madness will even touch the greatness of the Devil May Cry series. I figure out some combos, wail on some bosses, enjoy the main character's bad assness, and fight a completely epic final, final boss. I start again on hard and discover how intricate the combat system really is. I realize that yes, Bayonetta is a worthy heir to Dante. Sorry Nero, just remember the good times we had.
I bought Darksiders in January, but didn't play it til December. What was I thinking?? The combat is cool, the art design is incredible, and the dungeons remind me of Soul Reaver (being a monster fan of the Legacy of Kain series, this is a good, good thing). Darksiders is awesome. So awesome.
I like platformers. Yet this came out during a busy time in my life, so I probably wouldn't have time to play it. But dammit, I made time! Turns out that despite some frustration, this is one of the most rewarding games of the year. I figured I'd get fairly far and play something else, since I never finished other XBLA platformers such as N+ and 'Splosion Man. But I beat this game. Why bother getting all the band aids? Because they think I can't. Why beat the bonus worlds? Because I can't let me friends succeed where I failed. Why should I unlock all the Dark World levels, The Kid, and then beat the Dark World itself? Because Super Meat Boy wouldn't give up, and neither would I!! And that's the story of why my avatar wears a SMB shirt.
I liked Donkey Kong Country back in the day. But was it because of the game, or the omfg graphics? And would I forgive Donkey Kong's constant murderous attacks on my Kirby in the original Smash? Who cares about all that, because Returns is the only DK game I ever want to play. First the music gets my foot tapping, then the level design makes me cry out happily, and then I realize that there's hidden stuff that MUST be unlocked. And even though co-op makes you want to punch friends, it's a stupidly fun take on a great single player game. Best of all, this reminds of Crash Bandicoot for a number of reasons. I love Crash Bandicoot (on the PS1, anyway). And, as it turns out, I love this game, too.
This is like that other God of War game... but CRAZY! This game met all expectations. The combat system is polished to GoW perfection, the audio/visual front is top tier, and remember those mountains you climb? The ones that move? And how you friggin' kill them? How you KILL MOUNTAINS!?!? Ghost of Sparta is awesome, but this is amazing. And David Jaffe had good things to say here, despite the fact that his ending would've been much different. And if it's good enough for Jaffe, it's fucking good enough for me!
It's like the 2000 version of Perfect Dark, but 60 FPS, online, and with achievements! Did you spend hundreds of hours playing the original? I sure as hell did. Shooting things in detailed environments around epic set pieces is fine and dandy. But how often do you get to perform espionage in Chicago, escape Area 51 with Elvis, visit alien spaceships at the bottom of the ocean, and then fight the Skedar King on the Skedar home planet?? Turns out you can do that once every 10 years. And it's GLORIOUS.
