Quick and Dirty Video Game Impressions
[via Gaming Today]
In Saratoga Springs, New York, 20-year old Joshua Stetar met a 15-year old girl, who was living in Spokane, Washington, through playing Halo online over a year ago. He apparently found her address online and began sending packages and flowers to her home, all of which her parents returned. He also sent several hundred text messages to her cell phone, which forced her parents to change her number.
Title: Rock Band
Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Harmonix
Publisher: MTV Games
Genre: Rhythm
It was only a matter of time. Guitar Hero made everyone a rock star. Karaoke games are all the rage for some people. DDR forced players to get up and “dance.” Two of these three ideas had to be combined at come point.
Sorry DDR. 
Rock Band brings together guitar playing, karaoke, and drum-based rhythm games into one package. The guitar part plays like guitar hero. The karaoke is… well, you already know why most of us sing in the privacy of our own vehicles and/or showers. The drums…
Let me just say this: plastic drums and wooden sticks are very, very noisy. I dare not touch them anytime past sundown for fear of waking up the neighbors. My fiance was playing this game and I tell you: do NOT try to sleep anywhere within 100 yards. You WILL hear the drums in this game, and it’s really what detracts from the experience for me.
Other than that, buy this game. Play it alone. Play it with friends. Whatever floats your boat. It truly is a unique experience and the evolution of Guitar Hero.
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So, I finished Bioshock a few days back and have been thinking about where it sits among other FPS games of today and all time.
I wouldn’t hesitate to say that Bioshock has one of the best stories I’ve seen in a non-RPG game. Some people would categorize it as an RPG, but I think it’s just an FPS with some skill development.
Gameplay-wise, Bioshock didn’t really hit me as the best it could have been. The Big Daddy battles, the splicers, and the plasmid/tonic uses are fun. The main problem is that the game doesn’t really evolve well alongside the storyline. At the end of the game, you’re fighting the exact same enemies that use 80% of the same tactics that they did on the first few levels. Using the proper plasmids, even the Big Daddy fights become a practice in patience at best, and a simple chore at worst.
Don’t get me wrong. Even with some repetitious gameplay, Bioshock still shines when compared to 95% of the games out there. Souring gameplay has become the norm in games today rather than the exception.
Title: The Orange Box (Half Life 2, Team Fortress 2, Portal)
Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Valve
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: FPS
Setting: Near-Futuristic. Robots, aliens, gravity guns. All the things that we could see being invented or discovered relatively soon are here. Whether the world is being run by alien lifeforms who subjugated Earth (Half Life 2) or you’re playing a test subject for a new teleport gun (Portal), there’s no doubt that this setting is derived from modern Sci-Fi.
Mood: Tense / Comical. Half-Life (and expansions) sets a very tense, dramatic mood with its setting and constant threats from around the next corner. Portal and TF2, on the other hand, are more cartoonish and comical in respect.
The Challenge: Survive? Find the exit? Capture the flag? Lots of options here.
Memorable Moment: Portal is worth finishing just for the music in the closing credits. A robot’s final message to a rebellious slave never sounded so sweet.
The Verdict: Definitely worth a rental if you’ve played Half-Life 2 before or just want to experience Portal. If you’ve never touched any of the games in this box and are a fan of FPS of Half-Life and any of its spawns, it’s a must buy.
Title: Bioshock
Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Irrational Games
Publisher: 2K Games
Genre: Action RPG / FPS
Setting: Pulpy. An underwater city built to escape both Capitalism and Communism… complete with genetic manipulation gone horribly wrong. Think Sky Captain under the sea.
Mood: Somewhat of a mix between a “horror in the darkness” game (ala Doom 3) and a “look what I can do with these awesome toys” game (ala Half-Life 2).
The Challenge: Survive in this underwater playground for freaks, biological nightmares, and giant brutes in antique dive suits (and with demonic little girls that they protect).
Memorable Moment: Why the hell did my character just pick up a hypodermic needle and inject in into himself without any idea of what was in it? Followed closely by the “Toaster in the Tub” achievement.
The Verdict: Definitely one of the finer FPS/RPG hybrids to come out in a long time. Unique environment and many, many interesting encounters in the first few moments of the game. Lack of multiplayer makes this one rent-worthy.
