Ongoing games:
noodles Final Fantasy 2 (iPhone)
noodles Deadly Creatures (WII)
belajjal Bayonetta (360)
ricochet Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
Latest additions:
VVVVVV (PC)
Need for Speed: Shift (PS3)
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PC)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (PC)
Mass Effect (PC)
Recently completed:
ricochet VVVVVV (PC)
ricochet Super Bomberman (SNES)
ricochet God of War Collection (PS3)
ricochet Megaman X (SNES)
noodles Ghostbusters (PS3)
Latests comments:
noodles
Wow, it's really been this long since the site launched? And it's really been this long for the new design to go up?
I blame commercialism, since it's keeping me too busy.
Now, since this little mistake I made launched the redesign too early I guess I'll have to finish the programming as well. Oy vey.
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Silent Hill 2
by noodles on Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 at 21:14 - Comments: 0
I guess the best person to write a game about psychological horror is someone that has genuinely troubling psychological problems. At least I imagine that the gamedesigner Masashi Tsuboyama spends his days picking imaginary cockroaches in his hair while mumbling about how doctors are killing his pet turtles on odd weekends.
What I'm trying to say is that Silent Hill 2 is a sick and twisted game. I don't mean that as in disgusting, I mean it as in being a very disturbing game. It's filled with metaphors, psychological trials and plain out brainfucks. Nothing seems to be random, everything has a meaning and represents something and can be interpreted in some way or another, all connected to the story.
You take on the role of James Sunderland. You start out in a restroom just outside of the town called Silent Hill. You're here because you received a letter from your wife, asking you to come here and meet her at your special place. Thing is, she's been dead for quite a while. Hey, if my dead wife asked me in a letter to come see her, I'd probably be too curious to pass it up too. Either that or figure out when I have to surrender my credit card and pin-number.
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tags: 2 silent hill
Devil May Cry 2
by noodles on Monday, April 20th, 2009 at 23:38 - Comments: 0
The game was short. And now that the good parts are out of the way, let's talk about the bad ones. Some bad words may occur.
The game may want you to believe that you're playing Dante. You're not, you're playing Gary Stu. Trust me, I know Gary when I see him, we play poker together, he's a nice guy, helps the homeless on weekends. In no way, shape, or form does this character appeal to anything except annoyance. Let's say you're one of those monotheistic gods, the ones that is everything, everyone, everywhere and everywhen, the creator and the destroyer. Now, what is the fun in existence? Nothing can oppose you, nothing can debate you, nothing can rival you. There is no fun in playing a character that, not only, is harder, better, faster, stronger than all his opponents, but is always sure that he will always win. It's like playing an evil character, but a very poorly written and super-stereotypical one. Yes, the whole point is always beating the game, but when the character acts like it's just another Sunday morning, where is the reward? If you do fail, you're out of character. Let's use someone else as a counterpart to display an example.
When Marcus Fenix, of Gears of War-fame, dies, it's because he is simply a soldier, he faces mortality all the time, he's vulnerable.
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tags: 2 devil may cry
Street Fighter IV is not a fair fight.
by noodles on Wednesday, February 18th, 2009 at 09:05 - Comments: 0
One of the more awaited releases as of late has been the arcade-style fighting-game Street Fighter IV, yet another game clinging to the antique scholars by using roman numerals instead of digits.
But here's the thing:
Anyone that's reviewing video games today has played the predecessor to this game, Street Fighter II - at least one of its many incarnations. We could take Street Fighter III into account, but everyone seems to agree that it's number 2 and 4 that's relevant here. But yes, anyone that's working in the industry today, or do their own reviews in a non-professional form for either YouTube or their own sites, publication or similar, have expectations dating back to the original game. I'll agree that Capcom, the developers for the Street Fighter series, have taken care of their franchise in all it's many interactive versions; keeping the feel of the game, and the new version may be just a next-gen iteration of the same series, but what about the newcomers?
Since close to everyone has pushed buttons in this title, there's no new blood to give their input. We have no clue as to how a game that's built its hype on a previous versions legendary status in the video game hall of fame will be accepted by the new challengers.
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tags: 2 3 street fighter 4 capcom snes
Metal Gear Solid 2
by noodles on Thursday, October 16th, 2008 at 17:54 - Comments: 0
So I wasn't ENTIRELY wrong about the extra X-chromosome, Raiden is not that far away from a chick.
First things first: See the face-buttons on the Playstation controller? See how they're placed? Triangle at the top, circle to the right, X at the bottom, and square on the left. The X, the one at the bottom, is the one that's most used, and most conveniently placed. This is why it's used to confirm, in menues and such. I don't care how well praised you are in the gaming community, if it's a western release, even if it's originally an eastern title, there is no justification for moving standard buttons around just because you feel like it.
I really tried to figure out why they left it so that Circle is "confirm", and X is "back", but I wouldn't be able to do it to save my PS3.
Leave the configuration alone!
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is the title of the sequel to the "tactical espionage action" for the Playstation. It, in turn, is a sequel to the Metal Gear games for the MSX - most people will still see it as a NES-title though, since the ports are the ones that gave the game international recognition - one of the first games that gave players the option of shooting or sneaking their way to the finish.
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tags: of ps2 2 metal gear solid sons liberty
My God, Snake Too?
by noodles on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 19:15 - Comments: 0
So the next game for me is apparently Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.
From what I've heard, it's a game of bait-n-switch. The whole game sells on the fact that once again we step into the shoes of Solid Snake, but instead we're putting on the stealth-suit of someone with an extra leg on their chromosome.
Nonetheless, I expect this game to be as much of an interactive movie that the first game in the Solid-series was; cinematic camera-work and everything. I'm guessing I'll be treated to a sneak 'em-up with half-blind and half-deaf enemies that don't see past the distance they can spit, and a box or two for me to hide in.
The thing I'm most curious about is game-time. My guess: about 12 hours worth of effective play, including a little scenic-route here and there.
tags: of ps2 2 metal gear solid sons liberty
God of War 2
by noodles on Monday, August 4th, 2008 at 20:54 - Comments: 0
Each time I play Metroid I wonder how Ms. Aran will loose her armor, and each time I get a little disappointed. In the second adventures of Kratos, they solve that issue more satisfactory, but only on a technicality:
The Greek mythology worked like that.
The gods could give divinity to anyone at the snap of a finger. However, said finger can, apparently, not be snapped again in the same manner to remove a given divinity. It requires trickery, cheating and lies. The epics have an abundance of deception, drama and violence.
The God of War series my be lacking in deception and drama - true that it still contains it, as the world is based on the antique texts - it more than makes up for in violence. Once again, the Ghost of Sparta grips his chained blades and sets out to cut, chop and tear his way through anything between himself and his goal.
The gameplay is solid for the most part. For some reason, beyond my understanding, you can not stop when you've started a combo-strike, which leaves you open to be back-stabbed by every other enemy in the vicinity. The ability to hit the block button at any given time would leave more micro-management to the battle, letting advance players truthfully show what the God of War is capable of, instead of taking everything from chip-damage to crushing blows, just because you're too busy trying to stab a minotaur in the face.
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