TheJoey.Net

It’s actually pretty surprising I haven’t written about this game sooner considering I got it over Thanksgiving break and have been completely obsessed with it. However, I have been busy with school and the business, and a new project I recently launched. But now that I do have some time (thank God for the holidays), I’d like to take a moment and talk about just how great this game really is.

It’s no secret that Call of Duty 2 was a work of art that I played every since Xbox 360 came out. Call of Duty 3 was made by a different company and was an utter disappointment. Call of Duty 4 (COD4) however, was made once again by Infinity Ward, making it an excellent game. COD4 takes place in modern day (a few years from now actually), in two countries- Russian and some unnamed Middle Eastern country. You play as the British Special Air Service (SAS) and the US Marine Corp (USMC). Your objective is to stop a Russian militant group working with a terrorist group in the Middle East. I don’t want to give away too much, but it’s a very encapsulating story that makes the game seem all the more real. After I beat the game I told people it was the best movie I’ve ever played.

The game play is what really does it for this game. The controls and physics really make you feel like you are in the battle. During one level ( a flashback to the Chernobyl incident), you are a sniper that has to take out this target from a very far distance. You have to take into account that distance, wind speed and the Coriolis Effect. It’s actually a pretty draining level. As far as other features go, You can shoot through thin materials to kill your target, you can throw grenades back at the enemy, and there is a new feature called last stand, which lets you shoot people with your pistol (the same way enemies did in COD2) until you die. You are not just ground infantry either. You provide air support for a couple of levels, and that is a lot of fun. The fact that the graphics are incredible doesn’t hurt the realism of the game either.

Multiplayer is a pretty different experience for COD4. There are multiple classes with different attributes, strengths and weaknesses to choose from. You can also create your own classes. The more experience you have the higher your rank and the more classes, guns and extras there are for you. So of course to get the cooler stuff, you need to log a lot of time. I actually think this is a neat feature. Since I beat the game pretty quickly, I didn’t think there was much more for me to do. However, as I do enjoy playing over Xbox Live (note to self- renew that soon), I now have some work to do to experience the game at it’s fullest.

I know some consider this blasphemy, but I honestly think COD4 is better than Halo 3. The campaign mode, definitely. Better storyline, better game play, more strategic. Multiplayer is arguable, but I like it better for more team oriented stuff or if I don’t feel like getting tea-bagged with I get killed. Looks like I’ll be playing COD4 until the next Xbox 360 installment comes out.

posted on December 25th, 2007 in Gaming, Reviews| No Comments »

Halo 3 was the most anticipated game of the year, and quite frankly in a very long time. The Halo franchise has done to the video game industry what only a few have done successfully. It is to video games what Star Wars is to movies. Books were written to talk about things not covered in the game and Peter Jackson is working on a movie that he wants to be better than his Lord of the Rings Trilogy. There are even rumors of a prequel game. But right now, the all important question is: is Halo 3 up to snuff?

In short: Yes. It arrived at my house at school on Friday. I was home by 2:00pm and my friend and I sat down at 2:30pm to play it. Seven hours later, we beat the game, but on a mere difficulty of Normal. In that time, however, I was able to take in the game for what it was worth- the story line, the new controls, weapons and other equipment, and the graphics. Oh my God the graphics. That seems like a logical starting point.

Halo 3’s graphics are unlike anything I have ever seen before. Playing it on my HDTV is incredible. I would say even better than Gears of War. The shadows and lighting are so precise and everything has such great detail, you almost forget you are watching a video game. The physics in the game are also very accurate. Halo is known for it’s excellent physics engine, but it seems to have gotten better. Even a couple of my friends who understand the stuff noticed it.

As far as game play goes, the boys at Bungie managed to change it, but keep it familiar. Some of the controls were changed to take advantage of the Xbox 360 controller, which also made shooting and reloading easier. They brought back the pistol and the assault rifle, which has become one of my favorite weapons. There is an onslaught of new guns, two new types of grenades and some other tools that can help or hurt you depending on how you use them. That adds a nice element of strategy to the game that I think was missing from Halo 2. For example, with the Power Drain, it’s great if you use it correctly, but if you don’t, you will be on the losing end of that battle.

Finally (for now), is the story line. What’s in a video game story line? Most people just want to play on, runnin’ and gunnin’ until they can’t look at a screen any longer. But with Halo 3 (just as with Halo 2), you want to watch the movies. You need to know what happens next. Not to mention it gives you the opportunity to admire the graphics without having the fear of being killed. Cliche at times? Sure, but it’s a video game, not some Academy Award winning piece (we’ll wait for the movie for that). Even during the game, it messes with your head, and maybe you’re a little freaked out, but want to play on. It’s encapsulating and you feel like you are a part of the Halo Universe.

I say this post covers my first impressions because I haven’t even scratched the surface. This weekend when I go home, I will pick up my WiFi adapter so I can partake in massive online play (assuming my Xbox Live membership is renewed), which should be great. Up until now I have played multiplayer with a max of 3 including myself, which can’t compare to online games with 16 or better. I will also be playing the game on Heroic and Legendary, though I am not sure how well I will fair on the later. Those two things should give me enough to do a follow up. But I will say this- Halo 3 and Halo 3 alone is worth having an Xbox 360.

posted on October 3rd, 2007 in Gaming, Reviews| No Comments »

It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a video game. Heck, It’s been a while since I’ve played a video game. But as the school year thankfully and sadly (seeing as I’m a senior) came to an end, I found some time (and took some liberties) and decided to get and start a new game. That new game is Marvel Ultimate Alliance.

Admittedly, I did not think the game would be this fun. I knew my brother had it and enjoyed it, but I had no strong urges to play it. It was picked up kind of on a whim, which is why I have it so late after it came out. However, the game is incredibly fun. You pick and choose your team of four Marvel heroes, switching them out whenever you have the opportunity. You start off with Wolverine, Spiderman, Thor and Captain America. Unless they were incapacitated, I’ve kept Wolverine and Spidey in the whole time. My other two favorites so far are Human Torch and Thing. Deathpool and Storm are also very good choices. The first thing I really like about the game is the team management. If you keep a set of characters together a lot, they learn to work together. It’s also up to you to give them upgrades and spend the money you pick up wisely to get the best team you can. (Also, I was able to unlock the symbiotic suit for Spidey. I cannot wait to upgrade that baby!)

As far as game play goes, it’s pretty good. The controls are easy to use and intuitive, but not so simple you can’t do really cool stuff. I personally like the combos you can do with other heroes on your team. Movement, jumping, swimming (there is an Atlantis level) and fighting are easy to do. I love flying with Human Torch and swinging with Spidey. The graphics are amazing. The people at Raven/Activision stepped up the graphics for the 360, which is excellent because the game looks great. Multiplayer is awesome. Me and a couple of friends played together yesterday and it’s well done. They just join in and are now part of your team. The only complaint of have about that is you can only advance so far apart from each other. It’s tough sometimes when you are in a big battle and you can’t move in a certain direction due to the fact that Player 2 is in the other corner.

Finally, there is the camera view. I think the developers made the best choice here with how the camera moves and how you can control it. With a team of four, there isn’t much other choice, and while sometimes the over-top view can get a little annoying at times, it’s the best option and usually works well. All in all, I really love the game and have been playing it pretty obsessively. I haven’t really played this much since around November, when I got Gears of War.

posted on May 19th, 2007 in Gaming, Reviews| No Comments »

I finished Gears of War recently, and it was awesome. The game was short but left room for a sequel (Halo 2 esq). After playing the campaign on single player and co-op, I’ve gotta say Co-Op is so much more fun. Running the missions with a friend gives you that extra communication/fire power that at times you really need.

I’m going through it now on hardcore, which is pretty serious. Now that I am home and have a good internet connection (not a flaky WiFi one), I will also be doing online play a lot more! Later!

(PS- Now that I have a break, I will probably be posting more.)

posted on December 16th, 2006 in Gaming| No Comments »

One of the selling points of the Xbox 360 was free access to the Xbox Marketplace, where you could download game demos, new levels, trailers, etc. This is called the “Silver Package” on Live. Since November 22nd 2006, one year after the 360 came out, you could also download TV and Movies (available in HD as well). You use Microsoft points to get TV shows like South Park, UFC, The Nine and much more. Movies include V for Vendetta, The Matrix and The Untouchables to name a few. The list of companies partnered with Xbox Live can be found here and the pricing can be found here

According to Joysig, the prices break down like this:

• New 720p HD movies- $6
• New 480p SD movies - $4
• “Classic” 720p HD movies - $4.50
• “Classic” 480p SD movies - $3
• 720p HD television - $3
• 480p SD television - $2

Not to shabby if you ask me! I have not tried the service yet, but will most likely post my experience when I do. Later!

posted on November 26th, 2006 in Gaming, Tech| No Comments »