I'm not going to go with my normal format for reviewing games this time. Why? Because I couldn't actually bring myself to finish Far Cry 2, or as I now refer to it, African Driving Simulator. I played nearly 5 hours of the game, and I'll guarantee 4 of those were driving back and forth long distances to get a new mission to drive all the way back.
I'm not usually for quick travel in an open world game like this. It ruins the experience. I love to travel the frozen wastes of Skyrim on foot or horseback exploring the wilderness. And that is the real problem with Far Cry 2's lack of quick travel. There is nothing, I repeat, NOTHING of interest between the two destinations you've been assigned to go. A couple outposts with 4 or 5 guards, but absolutely no reason to kill them when it's easier to drive past. And then you drive more..and more..
Everything else in this game is passable or good. I love the fact that some of the guns you pick up from the poor combatants of this African nation are rusted and liable to jam. The missions I played were enjoyable and usually had different ways to finish. The actual gun play is alright, and if it weren't for the human bullet sponges, it would have been good. The story, well, it's basically non existent and pretty awful, but the other things make that an acceptable thing in a game more about the shooting.
If you enjoy driving around for most of your gaming experience, play Far Cry 2. If you actually want to play a game that involves more than scenic road trips, try it's successor, Far Cry 3. It's essentially the same concept, except better in every way. I don't even use the fast travel in 3 because there are actually things to do in between the two destinations. FC2 really missed out because it could have been at the very least, a passable game that you could enjoy for a while. What you get instead of a fun, open world shooter, is this.
---
Next game, hopefully it's not a tragedy like FC2, is..
Scribblenauts Unlimited - $29.99
I've played it a bit when I bought it, but got distracted by something. Time to finish it.
Also, anybody who is on the fence about buying the new Tomb Raider, I played through and beat it over the last couple days, and I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised. It takes what's good about a game like Uncharted, and makes the shooting actually fun. If you enjoyed Uncharted, give it a try, because it really is a great game.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Spec Ops: The Line
Spec Ops: The Line - $29.99
Time Played Before: 0 Hours
Time Played Upon Completion: Says 4 hours, but I definitely played more, so I guess it didn't register some, I would say it was more around 8 or 9.
Now, the game play is nothing special. It really is the prototypical 3rd person shooter. It does nothing spectacular to further the genre in this aspect. Now, I'm not saying that the game play is bad, its just not great. It plays well enough for you to not get frustrated and quit, but again, breaks no barriers. Only thing that is slightly different, but its been done before, is telling your squad to fire upon certain enemies. Other than that, you take cover, shoot enemies, pick up weapons, grenades, and ammo, use turrets, all the usual things in these games. But this really isn't why you should be playing this game. It's all about the story.
Now, I really can't explain all that much about the story without completely spoiling everything. Basically, you are the leader of a squad of three delta force boys, heading into Dubai after what appears to be a sort of natural disaster in the form of a giant sand storm that has buried much of the city. A battalion went in, under the leadership of a man you knew from Kabul, and all communication with them was lost, you're to find the survivors and evacuate them. Except the 33rd battalion doesn't want to leave, they've taken control it seems and have declared martial law. Now you head toward the man you knew, Conrad, to find out what is going on, with American soldiers, your own brothers, trying to kill you.
It really sounds like the typical military shooter eh? Well, that really is the base of the story, but as you continue through, things are really what they seem. Choices must be made, civilians sometimes need to be let die to save somebody, or vice-verse. Some are easy choices, some make you think. It's not until the end that you really see the culmination of these decisions you've made. The people you've killed. It shows the horrors of war without any censorship, without you entering the battlefield. And it screws with you. Loading screens ask you questions like: Do you even remember why you came here? Or it tells you that you're still a good person.
As I said, at the end, I really couldn't grip what had really happened. I know in my head what happened, but layers upon layers of story still remain. Plenty of threads out there try to decipher exactly what occurs throughout the game, but it's really what you make of it when you play it. I just know, I doubt I will every feel the same when I play any military shooter.
I played with a xbox controller, as I usually do with 3rd person games, and it controlled well. If you've played games like the Gears of War series or the Uncharted series (interesting enough, you're character is the same actor as the one who plays Drake) you will instantly be able to dominate the battlefield.
Graphics are good. I ran on completely ultra max settings, and it looked quite pretty. Dust jumps up and blinds enemies (or yourself) when grenades explode and chips of plaster come up when you hit the wall next to your enemy. While much of the pallet is sand, it still makes it look good. Sound was also great. Guns fired with booming sound and explosions really shook my sub woofer.
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Story: 9/10
Replay: 7/10
Overall: 8/10
Don't be turned away if you play it for a while because of the game play. You may feel like you can play a better 3rd person shooter elsewhere, and game play wise, you will be completely correct. But once you get into it and to the end, you'll know you've experienced something very different. And let me tell you, it was a breath of fresh air from the genre of military shooter. Even knowing that this is a game and a fictional story, you'll feel emotionally invested and by the end, usually feel bad, in a good way. A game that makes you really think, is a very good thing.
----
The next game I'll be playing through will be:
Far Cry 2 - $9.99
I know it is far different than it's predecessor, more of an open world shooter as compared to the linear game of the first one. Heard good and bad things, but I'll judge it all by myself. Update in a few days.
Time Played Before: 0 Hours
Time Played Upon Completion: Says 4 hours, but I definitely played more, so I guess it didn't register some, I would say it was more around 8 or 9.
Review
Spec Ops: The Line is your prototypical 3rd person military cover based shooter when you first start playing, but once you delve into the story and play the game through, things change. I've never really been so emotionally touched by a video game before. Spec Ops really makes you think about the things you are doing, and why you are doing them.\
Now, the game play is nothing special. It really is the prototypical 3rd person shooter. It does nothing spectacular to further the genre in this aspect. Now, I'm not saying that the game play is bad, its just not great. It plays well enough for you to not get frustrated and quit, but again, breaks no barriers. Only thing that is slightly different, but its been done before, is telling your squad to fire upon certain enemies. Other than that, you take cover, shoot enemies, pick up weapons, grenades, and ammo, use turrets, all the usual things in these games. But this really isn't why you should be playing this game. It's all about the story.
Now, I really can't explain all that much about the story without completely spoiling everything. Basically, you are the leader of a squad of three delta force boys, heading into Dubai after what appears to be a sort of natural disaster in the form of a giant sand storm that has buried much of the city. A battalion went in, under the leadership of a man you knew from Kabul, and all communication with them was lost, you're to find the survivors and evacuate them. Except the 33rd battalion doesn't want to leave, they've taken control it seems and have declared martial law. Now you head toward the man you knew, Conrad, to find out what is going on, with American soldiers, your own brothers, trying to kill you.
It really sounds like the typical military shooter eh? Well, that really is the base of the story, but as you continue through, things are really what they seem. Choices must be made, civilians sometimes need to be let die to save somebody, or vice-verse. Some are easy choices, some make you think. It's not until the end that you really see the culmination of these decisions you've made. The people you've killed. It shows the horrors of war without any censorship, without you entering the battlefield. And it screws with you. Loading screens ask you questions like: Do you even remember why you came here? Or it tells you that you're still a good person.
As I said, at the end, I really couldn't grip what had really happened. I know in my head what happened, but layers upon layers of story still remain. Plenty of threads out there try to decipher exactly what occurs throughout the game, but it's really what you make of it when you play it. I just know, I doubt I will every feel the same when I play any military shooter.
I played with a xbox controller, as I usually do with 3rd person games, and it controlled well. If you've played games like the Gears of War series or the Uncharted series (interesting enough, you're character is the same actor as the one who plays Drake) you will instantly be able to dominate the battlefield.
Graphics are good. I ran on completely ultra max settings, and it looked quite pretty. Dust jumps up and blinds enemies (or yourself) when grenades explode and chips of plaster come up when you hit the wall next to your enemy. While much of the pallet is sand, it still makes it look good. Sound was also great. Guns fired with booming sound and explosions really shook my sub woofer.
Final Verdict
Gameplay: 6/10Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Story: 9/10
Replay: 7/10
Overall: 8/10
Don't be turned away if you play it for a while because of the game play. You may feel like you can play a better 3rd person shooter elsewhere, and game play wise, you will be completely correct. But once you get into it and to the end, you'll know you've experienced something very different. And let me tell you, it was a breath of fresh air from the genre of military shooter. Even knowing that this is a game and a fictional story, you'll feel emotionally invested and by the end, usually feel bad, in a good way. A game that makes you really think, is a very good thing.
----
The next game I'll be playing through will be:
Far Cry 2 - $9.99
I know it is far different than it's predecessor, more of an open world shooter as compared to the linear game of the first one. Heard good and bad things, but I'll judge it all by myself. Update in a few days.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)