Posts Tagged ‘Gears of War 3’

Best Game Demo of PAX East:Gears of War 3 MP Beta

Posted: March 14, 2011 in Best of Pax
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There were many long lines at PAX East this past weekend.  No line that I waited in had a bigger payoff than the relatively short line for the Gears of War 3 Multiplayer beta.  The reason that the line was so short had nothing to do with the number of  people waiting to play it or less buzz about this game than others on the show floor.  Much of the credit goes to Microsoft for their extremely intelligent booth design.  The line was maybe fifty people long when we joined it and we were playing in 20 minutes.  Enough about the stupid line, already, what about the game?

You know what makes a good game like Gears of War 2 better?  It’s the small, smart changes that enhance an already great game.  Example?  The loading screen in GoW3 shows an overhead map of the level you are about to play in.  This map can also be viewed when you are killed in battle, a very useful feature, especially for new players as it also shows available weapons and team member locations.  Another small difference that packs a big punch?  Take a shotgun, here’s a hacksaw.  Do you see where I am going with this?

The sawed-off shotgun in this game is the most fun I’ve had with a boomstick since Action Half Life.  The sound this thing makes when you pull the trigger is one of the most satisfying explosions I’ve ever heard in a game.  It is great to see new weapons being added to the game that are super functional in certain situations.  The regular shotgun has decent accuracy at medium range, the sawed off does not, but nothing is better at quick, short range damage than the new sawed off.  I wish that I could have played longer to explore the additional weapons and game modes, but we were only allowed one quick round of team deathmatch.

The first thing that my friends and I noticed was that the game looks noticeably better than Gears 2, and Gears 2 was no graphical slouch.  I watched several other groups play and the lighting effects, in particular, were very impressive.  Also, how has it taken this long to make a muliplayer map out of a destroyed sports arena?  There is a scoreboard hanging down in the middle of the map!  One of the best executions of a new multiplayer map that I’ve seen in a while.

I walked into PAX expecting to be impressed with Gears of War 3, I didn’t expect to be blown away by it.  The game is being released on September 20th in North America.   That is when it will blow you away too, unless you pre order the game at Game Stop, or have purchased Bulletstorm, beta access is included with both.

What Are You Looking Forward To in 2011? Part 2

Posted: February 18, 2011 in Editorial
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When I was a kid, I played a side scrolling Duke Nukem.  I thought it was a fun little game, but the character never really stuck with me, and I never played the 3D versions.  I may give Forever a try, but right now, it’s not really my thing.  I think that it is a great “against all odd” kind of story for a game to survive as long as it has and actually be released.

L.A. Noire could go either way.  Yes, it is Rockstar, and their games are usually successful, but Red Dead is the first Rockstar game that I have really loved.  I am excited to try it out, the facial animation tech used in the game looks top-notch.  I wasn’t the biggest adventure game fan in the world back in the day, but I played my fair share of Full Throttle and the 11th Hour, so hopefully, it  plays like a mix between an adventure game and L.A. Confidential.

I hate to bring price into the equation, but I would totally buy Virtua Tennis 4 for $29.99 or less.  Virtua Tennis was one of the best games on the Dreamcast and one of the big reasons I held on to that system for so long.  I have a Kinect and I’m interested to try Virtua Tennis out with it, but I feel like it might be kind of like Punch Out on the Wii. You can use motion controls if you want to, but the controller will be a better gameplay experience.

Whenever an id game is released, it’s a lot like Ron Burgundy, kind of a big deal.  Rage has been talked about for quite a while now and I wasn’t excited about it until recently.  I get that way with games, if it’s coming out more than a year from when it’s being discussed, I can’t get excited until the release gets closer.  After listening to John Carmack speak about the game and digging a little deeper into the world they are trying to create, I’m optimistic that it will be an interesting, if not unique, experience.

Gears of War 3.  Hell yes.  I bought the original Gears of War and sold it within a few weeks.  I just couldn’t get into it.  I had it on the easiest difficulty and I was dying constantly.  I had to force myself to buy it again months later when I realized that it wasn’t just a passing game.  After learning the cover system; how to aim before you pop out of cover, and playing the campaign co-op, I was hooked.  My wife and I played through co-op on Gears 2, and I hope I can get a good group together for 3’s campaign.  The multiplayer mode where you start as a ticker and gradually move up to stringer units seems like it would be fun as well.

Which brings me to the game of the year.  Mass Effect 3 and Skyrim.  I just can’t decide.  I am a huge Mass Effect fan.  A lot of people like the story in the first game, but aren’t crazy about the actual game part of it, and I totally disagree.  I played through Mass Effect multiple times, I loved the way the gameplay revolved around the story.  I loved Mass effect 2, like most everyone in 2010, I just wish that the gameplay was more story driven.  I felt like I was playing it to build a team as opposed to p laying the game to advance the story.  The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is one of the best open world RPS ever released.  Skyrim is offering a new engine, greatly improved visuals, and the same amazing production values Bethesda has been known for over the years.  I was very late to the Oblivion party, playing through the game about a year ago.  Entering the world of Skyrim this November should be a real treat.