Day 25 - Game with the Best Gameplay
Since this is falling on Christmas, it's going up on the 24th just so I don't have to remember to upload it tomorrow.
Best gameplay is the theme of the day. Horrid gameplay can ruin any experience. Hell, I will put up with some wonky mechanics if everything else captures my attention (I'm looking at you, Kane & Lynch 2), but if the gameplay is tight, I'm going to love it.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
30 Days of Gaming: Day 24
Day 24 - Game with the Best Art Style
I've got a few for this one. Art direction can really make or break a game. Look at Darksiders which has a very World of Warcraft style to the characters, but the backgrounds are the ubiquitous "browns, browns and more browns" in a lot of places. It creates an interesting dichotomy of colorful, overlarge characters that pop off the screen while the backdrop is dingy. So, now that I've rambled a bit, let's get to my favorite art styles!
I've got a few for this one. Art direction can really make or break a game. Look at Darksiders which has a very World of Warcraft style to the characters, but the backgrounds are the ubiquitous "browns, browns and more browns" in a lot of places. It creates an interesting dichotomy of colorful, overlarge characters that pop off the screen while the backdrop is dingy. So, now that I've rambled a bit, let's get to my favorite art styles!
Review: ilomilo
ilomilo
XBLA
Publisher:
Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Southend
Studios
Release Date: 5
January 2011
Best friends do
everything together. Play-dates in the park, fishing, trips to the
fair. All these things make memories that should last forever. But
what happens when memories are fading and best friends begin to
forget. Taking these surprising themes and mixing it with cutesy art
and mind-bending puzzles, ilomilo is fun little DLG
(downloadable game) for XBLA.
The strange world of
ilomilo
Friday, December 23, 2011
30 Days of Gaming: Day 23
Day 23 - Game with the Best Cutscenes
This one was surprisingly easy. It has to go to Final Fantasy XIII. I dislike the game, personally. I don't like playing it, but I gave it the old college try anyhow. And I was rewarded with some amazingly beautiful scenes, interesting characters and a well-defined world. Cocoon and Pulse are great locations and have many vistas and sites that are meticulously rendered in fine detail. The scenes are made using the in-game engine, so everything looks the same between the gameplay and the cinemas. I loved what I saw and my jaw was on the floor often with how pretty it all was. Take a look at some of the videos below to get an idea of how gorgeous this game is. These videos might be SPOILERS if you haven't played yet.
As you can see, it's pretty. So very pretty.
And, to beat a dead horse (doing that a lot over the next few entries), I love the new cinemas in the PSP Final Fantasy: Tactics - War of the Lions. These add a lot, though they assume you left the main character's name as Ramza. I love hearing the voices and the style is superb! Also, sorta SPOILERS for the early stuff.
This one was surprisingly easy. It has to go to Final Fantasy XIII. I dislike the game, personally. I don't like playing it, but I gave it the old college try anyhow. And I was rewarded with some amazingly beautiful scenes, interesting characters and a well-defined world. Cocoon and Pulse are great locations and have many vistas and sites that are meticulously rendered in fine detail. The scenes are made using the in-game engine, so everything looks the same between the gameplay and the cinemas. I loved what I saw and my jaw was on the floor often with how pretty it all was. Take a look at some of the videos below to get an idea of how gorgeous this game is. These videos might be SPOILERS if you haven't played yet.
The opening movie
Lake Bresha, right after it all hits the fan
Snow's fireworks scene with Serah
As you can see, it's pretty. So very pretty.
And, to beat a dead horse (doing that a lot over the next few entries), I love the new cinemas in the PSP Final Fantasy: Tactics - War of the Lions. These add a lot, though they assume you left the main character's name as Ramza. I love hearing the voices and the style is superb! Also, sorta SPOILERS for the early stuff.
The opening cinema
The first cinema, after the tutorial battle
Thursday, December 22, 2011
30 Days of Gaming: Day 22
Day 22 - Game with the Best Story
I'm going to sound like I'm beating a dead horse here. I'll try to keep the synopses spoiler-free, but some small ones may sneak through. Be warned, there may be SMALL SPOILERS ahead.
I'm going to sound like I'm beating a dead horse here. I'll try to keep the synopses spoiler-free, but some small ones may sneak through. Be warned, there may be SMALL SPOILERS ahead.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
30 Days of Gaming: Day 21
Day 21 - Guilty Pleasure Games
This one is pretty easy. UniSon:
Rebels of Rhythm and Dance on the PS2. I'm a sucker for music games
in general (DDR, Beatmania, Pop'n Music, the Pinky Street music game
tie-in from Japan), but my heart belongs to UniSon. It's anime with
gameplay. It's silly, weird and downright gorgeous.
The girls at a performance
You play one of
three girls (who determines the difficulty) who are chosen by Dr
Dance, a man with an afro and disco suit that scream wacky. He
teaches you dance moves to famous songs like "YMCA" and "Barbie Girl." After enough practice, you perform the song and gain fans. The
underlying story is one of a town were singing is the only
entertainment allowed because dancing is outlawed by Emperor Ducker. The girls fight his oppressive regime with their funky steps and
bring music (with song AND dance) to the masses. It is as silly as
it sounds, but the production values are top-notch and the gameplay
is unique (you use the twin sticks to mimic hand/foot motions for
dancing). All in all, a hilarious game that's fun, too!
Dr Dance and robotic pal Friday
Dancing to Aqua's "Barbie Girl"
The villain, Emperor Ducker (he rides a giant rubber duckie, no joke)
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
30 Days of Gaming: Day 20
Day 20 - Under-Rated Games
This one is a toss up. I'd have to say
that I really feel that Alice: Madness Returns, Alpha Protocol and
Dark Void all fall into this category. I know they are all current-gen games, but really, they got shafted when they came out and are not nearly as bad as people seem to think.
Monday, December 19, 2011
30 Days of Gaming: Day 19
Day 19 - A Game Everyone Should Play
Wow...ummm, well? I
can always recommend Mass Effect, Borderlands, the Uncharted series and the Final Fantasy series. Those
are classics in their own rights and deserve to be enjoyed by almost
everyone who plays games. These either have amazing stories (Mass Effect) or superb gameplay (Borderlands) or a combination of the two (Uncharted and Final Fantasy).
The intrepid Vault Hunters of Borderlands
These are the games that anyone who enjoys video games should at least try. I've not met many that dislike the rich fiction and amazing universe created by Mass Effect. I know many people that lost hours to hunting loot on Pandora with friends in Borderlands. Hell, even folks that don't like FPS games enjoyed Borderlands. Then you have the summer blockbuster movies of Uncharted that allow you to play the explosive scenes and adventure about the globe. And lastly, you have the deep mechanics, stellar stories and great worlds of Final Fantasy that keep even jaded gamers coming back. All of these are brought up whenever I am comparing titles or looking to find a new game to run through.
Nathan Drake gets into so much trouble in Uncharted 3
Oh, Final Fantasy X, how I love you
Though, I think one that everyone needs to
experience, not play, experience, is L.A. Noire. The story, the
mental challenge of the investigations and the brilliant use of
facial motion capturing lends itself to an experience like none
other. L.A. Noire is, frankly, the next step for facial graphics and
character interaction. It should be enjoyed by everyone at least
once, if only to see the amazing tech and the story telling. I know people get fidgety about the noir themes of the story, but the fact that it is such a great tale makes it one that everyone should buy into at some point.
Hero Cole Phelps of L.A. Noire
And last, but certainly not least, is that benchmark for all things Super Mario Bros. 3. This game was the high water mark for the NES days. Everyone I know that grew up playing NES loved this game. It's still super fun, and it still has some of the best (if not the best) mechanics and gameplay of any 2D platformer. I know that my daughter will play this gem (providing she's into games) because it is something that all gamers should play.
The amazing Giant World from Super Mario Bros 3
Sunday, December 18, 2011
News Roundup: 18 December 2011
Last news update before Christmas! And with that comes one last plea for those of you who can to donate to Child's Play! A few stories after the jump. It's mostly quiet as we head into the Holiday Week, but come January, it all picks back up! Have a great week, everyone!
30 Days of Gaming: Day 18
Day 18 - A Game You Plan on Playing
Oh dear. There are so many... Welp, we'll just throw out a few (with trailers) and call it good!
Rayman: Origins
I'm super stoked about this one. The art, animation and tight platforming sold me through the demo. We got this as a Christmas present, so I have to wait till the 25th to enjoy it. :-/
Syndicate
I know. Lots of folks are upset that their isometric tactical action game is being remade as an FPS. Oh, the tragedy! Oh the humanity! Oh the...no, you know what? This looks awesome! It looks interesting to play, it has some neat ideas with the on-the-fly hacking and it looks fun as hell! I'm also excited for 4 player co-op that takes missions from the original game and remakes them. So, you don't like the new direction? Replay the original!
Mass Effect 3
Nothing really needs to be said about this. This trilogy was amazing, I'm super excited to finish it out and see where all my choices will lead. And Shepard is one of my favorite characters, after all.
Oh dear. There are so many... Welp, we'll just throw out a few (with trailers) and call it good!
Rayman: Origins
I'm super stoked about this one. The art, animation and tight platforming sold me through the demo. We got this as a Christmas present, so I have to wait till the 25th to enjoy it. :-/
It's so pretty!
Syndicate
I know. Lots of folks are upset that their isometric tactical action game is being remade as an FPS. Oh, the tragedy! Oh the humanity! Oh the...no, you know what? This looks awesome! It looks interesting to play, it has some neat ideas with the on-the-fly hacking and it looks fun as hell! I'm also excited for 4 player co-op that takes missions from the original game and remakes them. So, you don't like the new direction? Replay the original!
Agent Kilo, thank you for your service
Corporate raiding with friends looks awesome!
Mass Effect 3
Nothing really needs to be said about this. This trilogy was amazing, I'm super excited to finish it out and see where all my choices will lead. And Shepard is one of my favorite characters, after all.
Reaper VS Thresher Maw? Yes!
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