I always have a bunch of game-related thoughts running through my head. Sometimes one of those thoughts is enough for an entire article, and sometimes it’s not. I feel like I’ve had a lot of little things on my mind lately, so I sat down and typed them out stream-of-consciousness-style.
Maybe this will become a regular column, or maybe my unfiltered thoughts are better left bottled up in my melon. I guess there’s only one way to find out...
The first time I tried to play Mass Effect, I only got a few hours in before I got sidetracked with other work-related games. I thought that I might one day return to the game, but then my Xbox 360 (and all of my save files) was stolen. My desire to go back and finish was recently rekindled when I played a few minutes as research for our Mass Effect 2 coverage.
I’m now about eight hours into the first Mass Effect, and I love it. I think the story’s terrific, I like how frequently you level-up, and I’m amazed by the game’s size and scope. The inventory system is lame and the vehicle parts can be a chore, but the rest is so great that I’m able to look past those issues. I really didn’t expect to enjoy the game as much as I have, and I can’t wait to finish. In fact, I’ve been so concerned about saving the galaxy; I haven’t yet finished Bioshock 2, which I’ve had for a week.
Speaking of Bioshock 2...I’m probably an hour or two from the end, and I’m not really sure about how it’s going to sit with me once I’m done. I feel as though 2K Marin was far too cautious, and didn’t take any real chances for fear of “screwing up” the sequel. The combat is better, the controller layout is much friendlier, and yes, there’s multiplayer, but the rest feels too much like the first game. You’re fighting the same enemies, collecting the same little sisters, listening to the same-style voice recordings, all while in basically the same place.
The story doesn’t even feel that different -- not that I can follow it. I’m good, I’m bad, I’m mad at Ryan, I’m mad at Lamb, I can’t trust anyone, I can trust some people...I dunno. All I know is that I’ve listened to every tape-recorded, self-serving soliloquy I’ve found and I couldn’t be more confused.
And what’s with all of the crap you’ve got to collect this time around? I spend more time picking up cans of beans, potato chips, pep bars, water, cash, ammo, tape recorders, bandages, sardines, beer, wine, aspirin, soda, canned meat, canned fruit, hypos, med kits...it totally kills the pace of an already slow-moving game.
When I go back and read those three paragraphs it certainly sounds as though I hate Bioshock 2 because it’s a bad game -- that’s not the case. I’ve had a decent time so far, and I’m interested in how the game wraps-up since things have gotten crazy right near the end. I think that I’m just frustrated because it doesn’t build upon the groundwork laid by the first game. But as I’ve learned over the years, I have less patience for “more of the same” than the general gaming public.
Speaking of “more of the same” sequels...
Activision has revealed that they’ll release “just” two Hero games in 2010: DJ Hero 2 and a new Guitar Hero. Personally, I’m over the Guitar Hero/Rock Band genre, so I don’t really care. But I think it’s a smart decision if the company wants to keep the rest of the world from feeling the same way.
Speaking of Guitar Hero...
I played about an hour of Guitar Hero: Van Halen the other day and had a great time. But wait, I just said I’m over the series; what’s the deal? Well, I’m a casual fan of the band and I think their music is perfect for Guitar Hero. I only played Van Halen tunes, and I only played the VH tunes I really liked. Oh, and my copy of the game was free, which (sometimes) helps. I cranked my stereo, fake-rocked for an hour, and I then I stopped. I might play again someday, but that mini-dose of Van Halen was all I needed.
I should also mention that the band’s/Activision’s decision to not include any Sammy Hagar tunes is indefensible. I can’t say that the decisions surprised me, but it’s a slap in the face to fans of the band and fans of the Guitar Hero series.
And somehow that leads me to...
I got a new projector recently, and I’m now able to enjoy games in 1080p on a 105-inch screen in digital surround sound. It’s friggin’ amazing. All games look fantastic on this rig, but some of them really benefit from the movie-style atmosphere. Bioshock 2 is much more engrossing on the big screen, and the character close-ups in Mass Effect feel like they’re straight out of a movie -- a movie in which I’m able to pick the dialogue.
That’s about it for now. Feel free to share your thoughts on the article’s format, my opinions, or anything else that comes to mind. Hopefully you enjoyed the article and we can do this again in the near future. Thanks for reading.
Comments (11)
Also, about the amount of shit that you consume and carry in Bioshock 2... I wouldn't want to see what's inside of Delta's suit. Taking the helmet off would likely kill everyone in Rapture. I can't imagine that all of the beans, liquor, potato chips and raw genetic material you ingest will come out with a bow on top.
Some valid musings in your article, and I'm in particular agreement with your observation on the allure of Mass Effect's cinematic feel. I'm continually astounded on how BioWare managed to cram such quality into one game, but I'm not complaining.
About Mass Effect, I played the PC version and quite enjoyed the vehicle sections. Maybe they control differently? Or maybe I just happen to like that sort of thing.
But the inventory system is completely dumb. I hated dealing with it so much. I only sold stuff when I absolutely had to, and then I would sell as much as possible, to try and delay the next time I reached the inventory limit.
Still, ME is all kinds of awesome.
I played Mass Effect so much (4 complete play-throughs and 5 minor) that by the time I shelved it I had become numb to its problems. Inventory management was a mess and I found my own way around it (only keep three weapons/armor/mods for the three people you always use, sell everything else) and the vehicle segments were fine once I learned the shortcuts. Essentially, drive past anything that isn't necessary to kill in order to advance, exit Mako and kill from afar when you can. The thresher maws are easy when you find the sweet spot distance. Once it erupts farther away just get far enough behind it so that it has to turn around to spit. Exit the Mako and just shootshootshoot. You can sidestep the spit and as long as you don't walk towards it, it'll never submerge.
That projector set up sounds amazing. I am currently running on a 42" LCD, which is nice and crisp, but I secretly desire a 105" projected image. My wife would kill me if I got that. Like Court TV style.
A friend and I were just talking about ME 1&2 and AC 1&2. He is playing through the second ME while I am about to wrap up the second AC. The way we figure it, we'll swap trilogies after the 3rd game in each series drops.
@Aaron Thanks! I hope they're useful tips as I didn't really do a good job of explaining. Once I had two of the highest level heat dampeners on my assault rifle I never had to stop shooting. The heat never even raised above the third bar so I never had a need to pick up any other mods. And once you max out your money (TOO easy with all the vendor trash they throw at you) the only reason to loot is to find that one biotic amp that is better than you already have.
