Insanely Awe-dical

This was one of the games that I had on my list of "Games to get when I get a Xbox360" I've had the 360 since Christmas (Thanks Kate!) and had not yet picked it up (the reasons for this, I can't recall them clearly).

Either way, the cheap price tag at Gamestop and having the idea of playing co-op with a friend that's in town was tempting, and I picked it up this weekend. One thing I remember reading about Gears of War is that it constantly topped lists of "Games to play to show off your HDTV." I was excited to see the visuals, and I know that the 5.1 sound on FPS games never disappoint. I'm reserving my opinions and curbing my excitement because Call of Duty 4 blew me away so much, that I almost feel like I can't be that impressed anymore.

The game has a dark tone, but hardly has any exposition - you start controlling your character within a minute of starting the campaign and you're moving around. You have a chance for a quick tutorial with the controls - using weapons and finding cover, and you're in the battle very quickly.

As opposed to standard FPS, this uses an over-the-shoulder perspective. Technically, it's a TPS (third-person shooter), but unlike Stranglehold and Max Payne where the character is centered, this character is situated to the left at about 1/4th of the screen. This prevents your character from getting in the way of your target, and I feel is a good choice.

What this perspective also creates is a sense that you're right there in the battle. The in-battle intensity is unmatch and distinctly different from other FPS games. The fray is intense with the emphasis on finding cover (a rock slab, a broken car, the edge of a fountain). With your enemies finding cover as well, your forced to flank your enemies. The cover system shines here, giving you commands to allow you to slide to a adjacent wall, jump over a wall and dash to the next wall, and other transitions to get you in flanking position. I want to pay special attention to the dash, which is really like a crouching run, but the camera gets set low and shaky, giving it the feeling you're watching a documentary.

Sometimes you get to flank your enemies - but sometimes you're both hiding behind opposite sides of the same wall. This is a great time to rev up your chainsaw bayonet and get in there melee-style. The chainsaw on your machine gun has a satisfying effect, with blood spattering on the screen and the enemy being horrificly sawed.

There isn't much to say about the visual and the sound other than it's an amazing experience and the in-battle intensity is fantastic.

Like Call of Duty 4, it's fairly short, but it's very satisfying. Call of Duty 4 did an excellent job of putting me in the battle and feeling the fear of the gunfire, grenades and artillery. Gears of War has a much more raw intensity about it through it's use of cover, camera angles and amazing visuals.

Labels: games reviews

The Orange Box

This game is full-featured game combining 5-games for the price of one (mine was actually further discounted thanks to a Gamestop coupon I found on CAG). It includes Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2.

To be honest, I've played Half-Life 2 on the computer a couple of years ago and enjoyed the first couple of hours, but computer lag forced me to abandon the game. I picked it up again for a short time on Xbox, but didn't spend a significant time playing it. Now I'm back on it, and enjoying it.

I will say the primary reason I purchased the game was for Portal, which was critically acclaimed as the funnies and most unique game released this year.

Breaking the mold of classic FPS games, Portal doesn't require what I call "twitch reflexes." It isn't like Halo, Call of Duty or any other game where people can pop out from around a column and you need to react and kill. This is a puzzle game and everything is already set in place. Fans of this sort of fast-paced dynamic action shouldn't be expecting it in Portal.

The game starts with the player waking up in a test room, having a robotic voice guide you through a series of simple tests before you retrieve the portal gun.

The portal gun creates an excellent game mechanic which allows users a unique way to travel through some areas. Need to get across a gap? Shoot a portal on the other side and shoot one on your side, and walk through -- boom you're on the other side of the gap. It's these sort of locational logic that creates the puzzles. Additionally, you can use the portals to increase your momentum, creating puzzles that stretch that throw the player across wide gaps and huge ceilings. Soon you're using portals to catapult yourself across huge gaps, firing portals in mid air before crashing into a wall in order to zip over to another room.

The icing on the cake is the wonderfully written dry dialogue written for the robotic voice. It's an experience that is difficult to describe, but playing the game in silence is a drastic difference when the accompanying voice isn't there to provide cold and sometimes jeering comments.

Now from what I've read, Portal is not a full-fledged game. However, it is incredibly well-written, and the game pace puts the character in a myriad of tests, as well as a sort of supplemental survival test. A skilled player can beat the game in a couple of hours, and I'd hardly call that a full 50 dollar game value. Hopefully the game will be so well-received that Portal 2 or a full fledged game based on the concept will become a reality.

This is one of the games I've beaten in recent memory (last two I can recall are God of War 1 and 2), and it was clearly gripping enough for me to complete it. I am currently looking to play through it with the developer commentary, something I am never ever interested in, but it seems fascinating to me in this instance.

For a more budget-friendly/mouse-friendly 2d version of the game, check out this Flash version of Portal. It's a great place to try your hand at the portal puzzle concept. The flash version obviously is much more technically simple, but the concepts are there, and if you enjoy the puzzle aspect (albiet cartoony), the 3d Portal game for xbox 360 will be like a theatrical release.

Labels: games reviews