this is an old game that i discovered semi-recently... it is the sequel to the popular SNES title... Illusion of Gaia... this game is one of those hack and slash adventure rpg style games... similar to secret of mana or legend of zelda... the game takes place in the modern world where continents have disappeared due to a devious character... the goal of the game is to regain all the continents of the world and return to your village...
graphically enix does a great job... i always liked their sprite batches and level designs...
sounds ... well sounds are on par with that of any other snes game... nothing too outrageous set here... they fit where they should... and they did their best for 16bit sound...
gameplay is action packed... mobs will swarm you if you arent careful... you need to utilize tactics in defeating waves and bosses...
character development is exactly the same as Illusion of Gaia... sooo if you're familiar with that title this game will be easy to comprehend...
Friday, May 2, 2008
Portal
ok this game... this game ... yeah i dont know where to begin... its crazy... the game style is one that hasnt been seen in years... well mainstream that is... it features a scientist who is using a special portal launching gun... developed on the source engine... valve set a new bar for physics and camera usage with this game... the portals themselves act exactly how a portal should... throw an item through one hole... it comes out the other as though it were a doorway... you can even create a paradox where you can throw a book through a portal and have it fall for eternity... or yourself... my favorite levels are those where you have to build momentum from jumping from portal to portal... i think the developers were genius with those...
graphically its beautiful... its source... so characters are lifelike... water and fire look as real as can be... textures are superb...
sounds and voices are hilarious... the cake is a lie... i mean.. come on... and the damn song at the end... you cant help but love this game...
physics again... because its such a huge thing for this game... are phenomenal... items fall as though they were real... you gain speed at realistic rates while falling and jumping from portal to portal...
ultimate complaint... too short... i really need to go out and search for some modded levels for this... because its just so damn fun... some of the levels really racked my brain...
graphically its beautiful... its source... so characters are lifelike... water and fire look as real as can be... textures are superb...
sounds and voices are hilarious... the cake is a lie... i mean.. come on... and the damn song at the end... you cant help but love this game...
physics again... because its such a huge thing for this game... are phenomenal... items fall as though they were real... you gain speed at realistic rates while falling and jumping from portal to portal...
ultimate complaint... too short... i really need to go out and search for some modded levels for this... because its just so damn fun... some of the levels really racked my brain...
Call of Duty 4
this is a game i got for christmas that i didnt really get to enjoi until after the new year (due to photography demands)... but yes... this is a game is the fourth installment for the series (and best IMO)... this game is similar to any other wartime shooter game... however its the AI, multiplayer, and weapons i love most in this...
after playing CoD3 on wii this game feels like god pooped this one out himself... man is it great...
controls are sooo smooth and intuitive for this game... using a typical button map for those familiar with console shooter games... cross hairs are smooth and dont jump/skip
graphically this game is beast... graphics are excellent... lighting especially... this game is just wow when it comes time to look at it... character models are well designed as are weapons... the levels are just huge and completely interactive and immersive...
sound and voice acting is extremely well suited... characters have a lifelike feel to them... and the effects are well suited for the situations
gameplay is excellent as well... single player has a tom clancy/medal of honor sort of blend... multiplayer sets new levels for console games... effectively halting mine and other people's halo 3 craze... this game offers an array of endgame options for players
i just cant wait for new consoles to be developed sooo i can utilize some johnny wii lee style head tracking for a game like this...
after playing CoD3 on wii this game feels like god pooped this one out himself... man is it great...
controls are sooo smooth and intuitive for this game... using a typical button map for those familiar with console shooter games... cross hairs are smooth and dont jump/skip
graphically this game is beast... graphics are excellent... lighting especially... this game is just wow when it comes time to look at it... character models are well designed as are weapons... the levels are just huge and completely interactive and immersive...
sound and voice acting is extremely well suited... characters have a lifelike feel to them... and the effects are well suited for the situations
gameplay is excellent as well... single player has a tom clancy/medal of honor sort of blend... multiplayer sets new levels for console games... effectively halting mine and other people's halo 3 craze... this game offers an array of endgame options for players
i just cant wait for new consoles to be developed sooo i can utilize some johnny wii lee style head tracking for a game like this...
We Love Katamari
this is for the recent 360 launch for the franchise by namco... this cult game has grown immensely since its initial launch in the states... the wild japanese game features the prince of the cosmos doing the busy work for the king who drunkenly (or stoned you choose the context) knocked the stars from the sky... to do so you must use these objects 'katamari' to roll up items to build stars...
the gameplay is unique and completely addicting... i mean... you start playing and wonder where the hell 6 hours went addicting...
controls are rather similar to that of like... a 3d marble madness type game...
cameras... something that needed drastic improvement finally got some with this launch... thank jeebus
graphically this game is a lot better than its predecessors... objects are sharper and cleanly distinguishable...
music and sounds are as lovable as ever... god is the music ridiculous and awesome... (as the theme song gets stuck in my head...)
ending... this game is just a much improved version of the ps2 ports... i highly recommend picking it up if you love the series...
the gameplay is unique and completely addicting... i mean... you start playing and wonder where the hell 6 hours went addicting...
controls are rather similar to that of like... a 3d marble madness type game...
cameras... something that needed drastic improvement finally got some with this launch... thank jeebus
graphically this game is a lot better than its predecessors... objects are sharper and cleanly distinguishable...
music and sounds are as lovable as ever... god is the music ridiculous and awesome... (as the theme song gets stuck in my head...)
ending... this game is just a much improved version of the ps2 ports... i highly recommend picking it up if you love the series...
Obligatory World of Warcraft Blog
i figured since i spent a great deal of time playing this game during the semester i can do a blog on it... since the game fucking changes every 2 months...
world of warcraft is an MMORPG that pretty much took the world by storm... not necessarily in a good way either... WoW (as it is commonly called) set a very low bar for gameplay difficulty... one unfathomed by previous developers.... the game itself plays very smoothly with the occasional bug here and there... and the community is rather active...
graphically the game is constructed well... however models are becoming dated... and constantly being reused... a huge no-no in my book...
sounds are similar to the graphics... in the sense they are well recorded and used... but constantly used by several sources limiting the actual sound effects
story is pretty well furnished... the entire warcraft universe is filled with fan and professional based lore... however the majority of several things were taken from a previous game, Warhammer... a popular table top hobby game started in the UK...
this game is constantly being updated... nearly every month or 2 there is a decent patch filled with new stuff... constantly changing the game... sometimes for the worse...typically for the worse... and often dulling down the game to the level a retarded chimp (vin diesel) *cue daniel tosh* can play...
overall this game is pretty well developed and stands on a large community... but at the same time effectively destroying the MMORPG market with they're low barred staples...
world of warcraft is an MMORPG that pretty much took the world by storm... not necessarily in a good way either... WoW (as it is commonly called) set a very low bar for gameplay difficulty... one unfathomed by previous developers.... the game itself plays very smoothly with the occasional bug here and there... and the community is rather active...
graphically the game is constructed well... however models are becoming dated... and constantly being reused... a huge no-no in my book...
sounds are similar to the graphics... in the sense they are well recorded and used... but constantly used by several sources limiting the actual sound effects
story is pretty well furnished... the entire warcraft universe is filled with fan and professional based lore... however the majority of several things were taken from a previous game, Warhammer... a popular table top hobby game started in the UK...
this game is constantly being updated... nearly every month or 2 there is a decent patch filled with new stuff... constantly changing the game... sometimes for the worse...typically for the worse... and often dulling down the game to the level a retarded chimp (vin diesel) *cue daniel tosh* can play...
overall this game is pretty well developed and stands on a large community... but at the same time effectively destroying the MMORPG market with they're low barred staples...
Space Quest Series
ok... this is old skool... and i mean old... older than some of the people in our class... but i love these games and grew up playing them... they are .. Space Quest... starring the lovable janitor Roger Wilco... i recently came to learn that Sierra re-released all these games with a dos emulator sooo i had to get a hold of them...
these games feature a genre not too popular amongst today's gaming crowd... the point and click adventure games... where you simply move your character around by clicking squares and using commands to investigate items and people... its sorta like the cheesy CSI games out there... only sci-fi and silly...
graphically these were pretty intense for the day... and with the re-release... ive gotten to seen the early ones with updated vga friendly graphics... however i miss the outrageous sprite driven pixelated graphics...
story is pretty genuine... since there were few games out at the time to compare to... but still it remains pretty genuine
sounds were terrible.... 8 bit sound for a sci-fi game is a bit much for me... the shrill alarms made my ears bleed...
these games and the genre were the forefathers for the simple flash games you see on websites like stickdeath.com ... a genre missed by a few loyal fans...
these games feature a genre not too popular amongst today's gaming crowd... the point and click adventure games... where you simply move your character around by clicking squares and using commands to investigate items and people... its sorta like the cheesy CSI games out there... only sci-fi and silly...
graphically these were pretty intense for the day... and with the re-release... ive gotten to seen the early ones with updated vga friendly graphics... however i miss the outrageous sprite driven pixelated graphics...
story is pretty genuine... since there were few games out at the time to compare to... but still it remains pretty genuine
sounds were terrible.... 8 bit sound for a sci-fi game is a bit much for me... the shrill alarms made my ears bleed...
these games and the genre were the forefathers for the simple flash games you see on websites like stickdeath.com ... a genre missed by a few loyal fans...
Eternal Sonata
sooo yeah... Eternal Sonata... this game is pretty epic in the sense that its biographical and gives history lessons through-out... the idea behind the game is you're in the dream world of Frederic Chopin while he is in a coma from tuberculosis... (pretty wild idea IMO)... you progress through the game and learn more about Chopin's life and this history of his homeland during his era, through the use of cut scenes, cinematics, and photographs trailed with narration...
graphically this game is great... it uses cell shaded characters (im such a fan for this style since i become reminiscent of old rpgs) with full 3d surroundings...
sounds are superb... what else could you expect from a game about a famous piano prodigy...
characters are hilarious... each has a weapon based from an instrument... your primary character Allegretto uses a sword thats also a stringed instrument...
story is immersive and easy to relate to since its biographical
this game is just a great one... for anyone that loves classical music its a must... only complaint is that the combat is too easy... it gets to the point where your characters are just so over powered that it becomes a waste to fight a boss...
graphically this game is great... it uses cell shaded characters (im such a fan for this style since i become reminiscent of old rpgs) with full 3d surroundings...
sounds are superb... what else could you expect from a game about a famous piano prodigy...
characters are hilarious... each has a weapon based from an instrument... your primary character Allegretto uses a sword thats also a stringed instrument...
story is immersive and easy to relate to since its biographical
this game is just a great one... for anyone that loves classical music its a must... only complaint is that the combat is too easy... it gets to the point where your characters are just so over powered that it becomes a waste to fight a boss...
Super Smash Bros Brawl
im sure about half the class has done a blog on this one... but i figure i can throw a minor twist on mine since im probably the only person that didnt play SSB-melee...
my room mate picked up this game the day it came out... i was looking forward to it primarily since i hadnt played a smash bros game since N64... we played that game for hours... had some friends over doing FFA for a drinking game... over all pretty enjoi-able...
like most fighting games i get bored rather quickly... this game is similar if not more so in my opinion...
the controls for most of the characters are the same and they lack originality... the few new characters are pretty cool... and the like super smash moves as well...
im mildly let down on the lack of new levels, however the few new ones are pretty awesome, in particular i like the one where its like a comic and shit gets drawn onto the level and it becomes interactive...
the graphics are on par with that of a wii game...
controls are alright with the wiimotes... however i prefer to use the game cube controller...
overall... this game sorta just feels like an expansion to me... not enough like a new game in the sense that its for the wii and doesnt utilize the motion sensoring... the game is fun for a short while but after the initial buyout craving/frenzy dies down... it'll be shelfed until we get a wild hair in our ass when we're drinking...
my room mate picked up this game the day it came out... i was looking forward to it primarily since i hadnt played a smash bros game since N64... we played that game for hours... had some friends over doing FFA for a drinking game... over all pretty enjoi-able...
like most fighting games i get bored rather quickly... this game is similar if not more so in my opinion...
the controls for most of the characters are the same and they lack originality... the few new characters are pretty cool... and the like super smash moves as well...
im mildly let down on the lack of new levels, however the few new ones are pretty awesome, in particular i like the one where its like a comic and shit gets drawn onto the level and it becomes interactive...
the graphics are on par with that of a wii game...
controls are alright with the wiimotes... however i prefer to use the game cube controller...
overall... this game sorta just feels like an expansion to me... not enough like a new game in the sense that its for the wii and doesnt utilize the motion sensoring... the game is fun for a short while but after the initial buyout craving/frenzy dies down... it'll be shelfed until we get a wild hair in our ass when we're drinking...
Ultima Online
hah ok again... i have played UO before... but i have recently picked up the game on a free server that includes all the expansions until the Samurai Empire and they have drastically changed the game...
Previously in UO gear and items meant little in the world of combat... a player with the best gear could easily get schooled by a person wearing crap that had more skill... and the best part... take all of their great gear afterwards...
UO set many, many precedents for the MMORPG world... player housing, skills, rp value, guild benefits... just over all immersion... you could literally do what you wanted to... the game was incredibly intuitive for its time (early 90s people come on...) in the sense that you were able to wash bloody bandages in water and reuse them (one of my all time favorite features) and fighting on horseback... if you were knocked off both you and your horse would fight the enemy...
the expansions added greater items, stats, skills, lands, housing opportunities and over all better graphics... personally the greatest feature is probably the housing changes... they basically packed on the Sims with the samurai empire expansion... allowing players to design a house and yard, leaving room for incredible variations...
these expansions combined with the inventive nature of loyal players have lead to some incredible free servers out there, filled with scripts for races, quests, items and tons of other things... so if you have some free time and just want to poke around in a fun MMO... check out UO... i personally play on this server... www.oblivion2.com ... and my character's name is Aido
Previously in UO gear and items meant little in the world of combat... a player with the best gear could easily get schooled by a person wearing crap that had more skill... and the best part... take all of their great gear afterwards...
UO set many, many precedents for the MMORPG world... player housing, skills, rp value, guild benefits... just over all immersion... you could literally do what you wanted to... the game was incredibly intuitive for its time (early 90s people come on...) in the sense that you were able to wash bloody bandages in water and reuse them (one of my all time favorite features) and fighting on horseback... if you were knocked off both you and your horse would fight the enemy...
the expansions added greater items, stats, skills, lands, housing opportunities and over all better graphics... personally the greatest feature is probably the housing changes... they basically packed on the Sims with the samurai empire expansion... allowing players to design a house and yard, leaving room for incredible variations...
these expansions combined with the inventive nature of loyal players have lead to some incredible free servers out there, filled with scripts for races, quests, items and tons of other things... so if you have some free time and just want to poke around in a fun MMO... check out UO... i personally play on this server... www.oblivion2.com ... and my character's name is Aido
Warhammer Dawn of War
Alright... for all you RTS fans out there... the greatest game of the genre has new expansions...
Admittedly i personally have played Dawn of War before... but i was able to obtain all the expansions for the game recently...
These expansions include new units, campaigns, races, game styles, cinematics and various other tidbits...
Particularly i was playing the Dark Crusade expansion... going through on campaign mode i saw a nice change to the level/mission select style... the world map in itself is a game similar to Risk... where it is turn based and the territories you control are given a numerical value based on garrisoned troops... each turn goes by and you are able to obtain 'requisition' aka money to bolster your defenses... you're primary army is commanded by a hero of the race (i was playing Orks) and is sent to conquer the various territories...
over time as you gain more territories you gain more requisition per turn allowing you to build incredibly defensive territories saving you time should you be attacked (when a territory is attacked you have the option to let it auto-resolve (dnd style roll a die and see if you win) or physically play the defensive mission)
over all this game is rather ground breaking on many levels and i highly suggest it to all RTS fans out there... especially the Warcraft 3 fanbois
Admittedly i personally have played Dawn of War before... but i was able to obtain all the expansions for the game recently...
These expansions include new units, campaigns, races, game styles, cinematics and various other tidbits...
Particularly i was playing the Dark Crusade expansion... going through on campaign mode i saw a nice change to the level/mission select style... the world map in itself is a game similar to Risk... where it is turn based and the territories you control are given a numerical value based on garrisoned troops... each turn goes by and you are able to obtain 'requisition' aka money to bolster your defenses... you're primary army is commanded by a hero of the race (i was playing Orks) and is sent to conquer the various territories...
over time as you gain more territories you gain more requisition per turn allowing you to build incredibly defensive territories saving you time should you be attacked (when a territory is attacked you have the option to let it auto-resolve (dnd style roll a die and see if you win) or physically play the defensive mission)
over all this game is rather ground breaking on many levels and i highly suggest it to all RTS fans out there... especially the Warcraft 3 fanbois
Monday, January 14, 2008
Unreal Tounament 3
alright for all of you that have played unreal before this one is a tad bit different as far as abilities and guns go... first off the old way of obtaining power ups like berserker and speed and what not has changed to your typical fps power up pick up scheme... boring IMO but whatever it works...
secondly some of the weapons functions and abilities have changed... if you recall the impact hammer the alternate fire has changed into an EMP punch thing (due to the addition of vehicles, but im getting there), next the pistol is now able to be dual wielded, so combine that with the semi-automatic fire and its GG... bio-rifle is the same, chain gun is the same for the most part only with the alternate fire you can now pin people against walls and it has a knockback... rocket launcher is the same, shockrifle is the same, sniper = same... hmmm im pretty sure the rest of the weapons are the same...
the other huge addition to this game were the vehicles... this allows the game to have a whole other aspect and almost gives it a halo sort of feel (but much faster paced)... vehicles include your typical tank type, low armor apc, a compact hoverboard (in exchange for the translocator in certain game types) and a few others....
the game also includes the engine modifier, so players can also design models and maps, and even complete modifications of games style.
the only issues ive come into contact with so far are the need for a powerful machine to play the game... my specs are
2.04ghz core duo 2
geforce 7600gtx go
2gb ddr2
10krpm 80gb hdd
vista
im forced to run the game at a medium to low rez with medium texture settings to have it run smoothly without hardware lag
the other issue im hoping will be resolved with this patch im downloading but online play has been gimped due to some extreme server lag when it comes to game play (communication doesnt lag for some reason)... sooo hopefully 1.1 will fix this shast so i can play online
secondly some of the weapons functions and abilities have changed... if you recall the impact hammer the alternate fire has changed into an EMP punch thing (due to the addition of vehicles, but im getting there), next the pistol is now able to be dual wielded, so combine that with the semi-automatic fire and its GG... bio-rifle is the same, chain gun is the same for the most part only with the alternate fire you can now pin people against walls and it has a knockback... rocket launcher is the same, shockrifle is the same, sniper = same... hmmm im pretty sure the rest of the weapons are the same...
the other huge addition to this game were the vehicles... this allows the game to have a whole other aspect and almost gives it a halo sort of feel (but much faster paced)... vehicles include your typical tank type, low armor apc, a compact hoverboard (in exchange for the translocator in certain game types) and a few others....
the game also includes the engine modifier, so players can also design models and maps, and even complete modifications of games style.
the only issues ive come into contact with so far are the need for a powerful machine to play the game... my specs are
2.04ghz core duo 2
geforce 7600gtx go
2gb ddr2
10krpm 80gb hdd
vista
im forced to run the game at a medium to low rez with medium texture settings to have it run smoothly without hardware lag
the other issue im hoping will be resolved with this patch im downloading but online play has been gimped due to some extreme server lag when it comes to game play (communication doesnt lag for some reason)... sooo hopefully 1.1 will fix this shast so i can play online
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Intro
alright figure i'd pop something on here for an intro to myself and what not...
im Myke Czumak aka Myke, Coozmak, Coozy and various other derivatives from my last name
i am not originally from south carolina, but was born in new york and moved to charleston when i was 5. from there i moved to boston when i was 11 and then to greenville, sc when i was 15.
my interests are a broad topic... i have interests that typically clash with one another... say sports and hobby games for instance... lol... i'd go to football practice and come home and build tables for various hobby games i played...
im also an avid gamer... pc/xbox/wii... pretty much anything... game genres include just about everything but favorites are any sort of RPG (online included), adventure and FPS... im currently juggling WoW (i hate the fucking game, yet i play... go figure), call of duty 4, and now unreal tournament 3...
in addition to sports and gaming, i also do photography, film, and music... most notable work i have done with film was work some camera assistant and camera for a few scenes in the feature film Elizabeth Gunness ... it was a film my teacher shot immediately following my graduation in '04... as for music i currently play guitar and bass, and im learning violin...
i suppose this is decent enough for an intro... enjoi
im Myke Czumak aka Myke, Coozmak, Coozy and various other derivatives from my last name
i am not originally from south carolina, but was born in new york and moved to charleston when i was 5. from there i moved to boston when i was 11 and then to greenville, sc when i was 15.
my interests are a broad topic... i have interests that typically clash with one another... say sports and hobby games for instance... lol... i'd go to football practice and come home and build tables for various hobby games i played...
im also an avid gamer... pc/xbox/wii... pretty much anything... game genres include just about everything but favorites are any sort of RPG (online included), adventure and FPS... im currently juggling WoW (i hate the fucking game, yet i play... go figure), call of duty 4, and now unreal tournament 3...
in addition to sports and gaming, i also do photography, film, and music... most notable work i have done with film was work some camera assistant and camera for a few scenes in the feature film Elizabeth Gunness ... it was a film my teacher shot immediately following my graduation in '04... as for music i currently play guitar and bass, and im learning violin...
i suppose this is decent enough for an intro... enjoi
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