EDC Update: Assassin's Creed 2 100%

I met a new goal in my extreme difficulty challenge.
It took several hours to become interesting, but the original Assassin's Creed was a game that holds a special place in my heart. When the sequel came out, I jumped straight in and found a game with more streamlined mechanics, a better story, more likeable characters and more overall polish. Assassin's Creed 2 lets you feel like a deadly and stylish assassin on a quest for revenge and ties in several historical Italian figures in a conspiracy that doesn't come across as too hokey. Rarely in a videogame have platforming, exploration and stealth been combined so seamlessly. This game is a must-play for any gamer.

Here's my updated progress:

Halo 3: Legendary difficulty in solo mode
-done
Rainbow Six Vegas: Realistic Difficulty in solo mode
-done
Rainbow Six Vegas 2: Realistic difficulty in solo mode
-done
Gears of War: Insane difficulty in solo mode
-done
Gears of War 2: Insane difficulty in solo mode
-done
Mirror's Edge: Hard difficulty
-done
Halo 3 ODST: Legendary difficulty in solo mode
-done
Assassin's Creed 2: 100% completion, all feathers and items found
-done
Mass Effect 2: Insanity difficulty
-approx. halfway with vanguard (tip: vanguard is unbalanced and weak on high difficulty, attempt this with a different class)
Assassin's Creed: 100% complete
-Templars, Jerusalem flags and Damascus Flags still needed
Project Gotham Racing 4: Receive a platinum medal in every arcade event
-approx. 20% complete
Splinter Cell Conviction: Realistic difficulty in single player
-10% complete

Bad Company 2

Bad company 2 has officially become my latest addiction. I just wish I'd gotten in closer to launch so that I'd have the massive skull-busting Barret rifle by now. Play with me on PSN if you like; my id is twelve1784.

The Long Dark Xbox-less Fall.

I'm going on month number three without a working Xbox 360, which is typically my console of choice. While I wait for the opportunity to pick up a 250Gb 360s bundle I've been catching up on the PS3. I think it's safe to say that I'm far past the Metal Gear Solid 4 hype going into it over two years later and I feel that without those rose colors glasses the game is failing to live up to its reputation, at least at the four hour mark. Red Faction: Guerrilla I found for $10 and if you can appreciate taking down a whole fortress with nothing but a sledgehammer and the sweat off your brow, it would be a steal at twice the price. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 I purchased in a pack that includes the Onslaught maps and Battlefield: 1943. If you haven't played B:BC2, I can't suggest it enough. The single player campaign is fantastical but not absurd and overcomplicated, the characters are some of the most charming ever in an action game and the multiplayer is second only to Halo in my house.

I still haven't taken photos of the upgraded PC as I'm trying to figure out where our camera is. Hopefully those will be up soon. After the upgrade to a Radeon HD5770, I've been running Fallout: New Vegas with Ultra settings, 4xFSAA and 16xAnisotrophic Filtering all silky smooth. If you're looking for a big boost in PC gaming power I highly recommend the 5770.

My Bad Company 2 stats.

Hardware Upgrade!

I've been ridiculously busy for a long while. I won't get into details and I don't want to make any excuses. I should be getting into a better and more regular schedule very soon though. Either way, I'll be doing some long awaited upgrades to my computer. I just installed a drive that adds 3 USB 2.0 ports and several SD card format readers that I can access from the front. I have ordered a USB gaming headset and most importantly a Sapphire 5770 ATI graphics card. I'll have an updated gaming equipment section with photos soon and hopefully more frequent new articles and posts coming very soon.

Halo Reach: death by loadouts

I've been playing a bit of the Halo Reach beta and I love everything except the armor abilities. What a damn disaster. They unbalance the hell out of the game and you will never know frustration like jumping into a game of team slayer where the other team all has active camo and uses it constantly. I'm very worried about the final version of Reach and I can only hope that there will be a couple choosable gametypes without any armor abilities.

On the plus side, my overall K/D for the beta is 68/21.

EDC Update: Halo 3 ODST

Goal #2 of my extreme difficulty challenge is done!
I just completed Halo 3: ODST on Legendary difficulty, which not only adds another notch to my challenge but it also means I've beaten every Halo game so far on legendary difficulty. Despite being a placeholder between Halo 3 and Reach, I found ODST to be an interesting and enjoyable side story with a darker tone, better characters and lots of backstory for the Halo series. If you like shooters, give ODST a shot, it's probably cheaper now, plus it will get you into the Halo Reach beta that just started up today.

Here's my updated progress:

Halo 3: Legendary difficulty in solo mode
-done
Rainbow Six Vegas: Realistic Difficulty in solo mode
-done
Rainbow Six Vegas 2: Realistic difficulty in solo mode
-done
Gears of War: Insane difficulty in solo mode
-done
Gears of War 2: Insane difficulty in solo mode
-done
Mirror's Edge: Hard difficulty
-done
Halo 3 ODST: Legendary difficulty in solo mode
-done
Mass Effect 2: Insanity difficulty
-approx. halfway with vanguard (tip: vanguard is unbalanced and weak on high difficulty, attempt this with a different class)
Assassin's Creed: 100% complete
-Templars, Jerusalem flags and Damascus Flags still needed
Project Gotham Racing 4: Receive a platinum medal in every arcade event
-approx. 20% complete
Splinter Cell Conviction: Realistic difficulty in single player
-10% complete

Single Player Review - Splinter Cell: Conviction

I just completed the single player campaign of Splinter Cell: Conviction and I was blown away. The narrative and pacing are absolutely top-notch, raising the bar just barely out of the reach of popular favorites like Bioshock and Uncharted 2. I was sucked through the campaign from start to finish and I found the conclusion to be far better than I had expected.

The game is lean and efficient in nearly every way. There aren't any extraneous characters or threads in the plot, it is simple, compelling, gripping and unlike some previous Splinter Cells, clear. In fact, it felt like it might have been written by Luc Besson and compares to fast paced films like Taken and From Paris With Love. This has led to a shorter single player campaign and many gamers and journalists have, in fact, complained about not getting enough for a full priced game. The jury's still out at my house, but I spent about six hours on the campaign without once being bored or wading through a filler section, and I haven't even touched the co-op, denied ops or competitive multiplayer modes yet.

Conviction plays like the awesome cutscenes I always see in action games but never get to control. While other, (cough, Modern Warfare), games try to make you feel like a professional badass motherfucker by tossing in grand set pieces and scripted events, SC:C actually gives you the reigns. So when you see six guys in a room below you and you mark the first three of them, mark a fuel tank between the fourth and fifth, then pounce on the sixth and use your mark and execute skill to clear the whole room in two seconds, you feel completely responsible, empowered and badass. I can't count how many times I looked at the surgically precise devastation around me after a protracted strategic firefight and exclaimed "shit yeah, I did that," often accompanied by bemused looks from my wife.

Splinter Cell: Conviction is a dramatic change for the series, but it is one I welcome. Opinions on the other game modes will be up once I've had time to properly explore them.

Tip: Make sure to wait through the credits after completing the game for a hilarious conversation between Coste and Fisher.

Splinter Cell Conviction: Two Graves Just Ain't Gonna Be Enough

Last week the official launch trailer was released for Splinter Cell: Conviction. My excitement for SC:C was already at a fever pitch but this trailer elevated it to a point where I might spontaneously catch fire. Johnny Cash's version of "God's Gonna Cut You Down" plays in the background, (putting it in this category), which along with Sam Fisher's dialogue sets the tone of the game perfectly.

Crackdown 2: Yet Another Reason Why I'll Be Spending Too Much Money This Year

Just look at the insanity in that screenshot. I'd be lying if I claimed to have even the slightest idea what's happening but... I like it. Also if you look real hard you can spy an agility orb. Toss in expanded co-op and competitive multiplayer modes and Crackdown 2 looks to be a sure-win unless Ruffian somehow manages to completely bust the mechanics.

Why the Playstation Move won't catch on

Despite the fact that many developers will sign on to "develop," (re-release), games for the Playstation Move, I don't think it will catch on.
Allow me to offer a one line argument for why the Move will not be the next big thing that Sony is hoping for.

Wii - Nintendo first party games = Move.

The only thing that has ever enticed me to buy a Wii is that it's the only place where I can find Mario and to a lesser extent Zelda, Metroid and other Nintendo properties. Shit, New Super Mario Bros Wii has already sold around 11 million copies, does Sony have anything exclusive that can even come close to that?

Of course, I don't represent all the consumers of the world. Perhaps certain people just want games that let them bowl or play tennis virtually or flail around like imbeciles, what about them? Well, those people already have a Wii and are happy with it and are not about to jump up to buy a Playstation for $300 and the peripherals required to play Move for around $100. Many people have mentioned that perhaps people with nice HDTVs and a Wii will want what is essentially a Wii HD. Honestly that sort of thinking is out of touch. I hate it every single time I hear a Nintendo rep say it but they're right; the vast majority of Wii owners don't give a shit about HD.

Barring some unforeseen and outrageous circumstances, wading into the waggle-ridden territory that Nintendo has carved out for itself is one of the most ill-advised things that Sony could do.

EDC Update: Mirror's Edge

The first goal on my extreme difficulty challenge is complete!

I just beat Mirror's Edge on the hard difficulty. I actually found it easier than my original playthrough on normal, largely because I almost always knew where to go next. What a fantastic game Mirror's Edge is, the more I play it the more I'm willing to look past the issues and shortfalls and wrap myself up in the bliss that is Mirror's Edge gameplay. Despite the fairly linear levels, the sense of speed and freedom is a nice break from stop and go shooters like Gears of War, Modern Warfare and Halo where brief gunfights are broken up with constant hiding, healing and regrouping. If you haven't tried Mirror's Edge, you owe yourself to find a copy and give it a go, I'm sure it must be inexpensive by now.

Here's my updated progress:

Halo 3: Legendary difficulty in solo mode
-done
Rainbow Six Vegas: Realistic Difficulty in solo mode
-done
Rainbow Six Vegas 2: Realistic difficulty in solo mode
-done
Gears of War: Insane difficulty in solo mode
-done
Gears of War 2: Insane difficulty in solo mode
-done
Mirror's Edge: Hard difficulty
-done
Halo 3 ODST: Legendary difficulty in solo mode
-15% complete
Mass Effect 2: Insanity difficulty
-approx. halfway with vanguard (tip: vanguard is unbalanced and weak on high difficulty)
Assassin's Creed: 100% complete
-Templars, Jerusalem flags and Damascus Flags still needed
Project Gotham Racing 4: Receive a platinum medal in every arcade event
-approx. 20% complete

The Extreme Difficulty Challenge

I'm the sort of obsessive jackass who spent hundreds of hours of my childhood and teenage years beating games like Goldeneye in every way possible. I beat every level in that game on every difficulty in the time limits necessary to unlock every cheat. I collected all 120 Stars in Super Mario 64 and met Yoshi on the roof of the castle. I beat 100% of Super Mario World, finding all 96 exits and maxing out my coins. Quake 1 and 2 I beat on the highest difficulty, I unlocked every fighter in Marvel Vs. Capcom 1 and 2, I soloed Halo 1 and 2 on legendary.

This is not the sort of behavior that a normal and healthy human being should exhibit, let alone foster, but foster it is exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to challenge myself to beat many of my games on the highest difficulty, and/or 100% them. Call me sick and disturbed, but don't ever say I'm not determined.

Here's a list of the games, my goals, and my progress so far:

Halo 3: Legendary difficulty in solo mode
-done
Rainbow Six Vegas: Realistic Difficulty in solo mode
-done
Rainbow Six Vegas 2: Realistic difficulty in solo mode
-done
Gears of War: Insane difficulty in solo mode
-done
Gears of War 2: Insane difficulty in solo mode
-done
Halo 3 ODST: Legendary difficulty in solo mode
-15% complete
Mirror's Edge: Hard difficulty
-4/9 chapters completed
Mass Effect 2: Insanity difficulty
-approx. halfway with vanguard (tip: vanguard is unbalanced and weak on high difficulty)
Assassin's Creed: 100% complete
-Templars, Jerusalem flags and Damascus Flags still needed
Project Gotham Racing 4: Receive a platinum medal in every arcade event
-approx. 20% complete

Possible Future Challenges
Bionic Commando: Commando difficulty
Shadow Complex: 100% complete
Mass Effect 1: Insanity difficulty
Batman Arkham Asylum: Hard difficulty

New Portal Update Includes Mysterious Clues: My Money is on Half-Life 3

The online videogame community has been abuzz about a new patch for Portal that adds a new radio station that includes hidden messages pointing towards... what? No one knows yet. It looks like Valve has hopped on the viral marketing bandwagon. Lets just hope they get it right and the messages don't just point to a website with no information or a countdown timer that ends with another countdown

My money is on the messages being an early clue towards Half-Life 3, (or Half-Life 2: Episode 3), perhaps only the beginning of a larger and more mysterious viral campaign. I noticed that at the same time that Steam updated my copy of Portal, it installed a hefty update to Half-Life 2: Episode 2 as well, perhaps there are some clues there as well.

Interstate 76 coming to GoG

The best PC game of all time, (with the best soundtrack of all time), is being released on Good Old Games for $6 including the expansion pack and it will be reworked for compatability with Windows XP and Vista. If you never played Interstate 76, you owe it to yourself to buy it now. If you have already played Interstate 76, I don't need to convince you because you're already waiting with a credit card ready.

Protip: Never get out of the car.

COOP Live

The fine gentlemen behind COOP, formerly of The 1Up Show, have moved their show from a totally pre-recorded format to a live online broadcast. Viewers - like you and me - can interact in real time and send their questions or comments via twitter. Check it out at the COOP Live page or watch the watch the first episode just below, embedded in the warm embrace of this website.

A Dante's Inferno Ad That I Don't Find Silly or Horribly Offensive

Something about video game advertisements that play with the dissonant elements of bat-shit insanity and laid back music really get me. Gears of War and Gears of War 2 nailed it and now EA put out a commercial for Dante's Inferno in the same vein.
Not to mention that there's just something that I find *cough* compelling *cough* about a guy who will dive face-first into hell without a second thought for the love of his life.

All this talk about 3D

I've read and heard lots of discussion about the pros and cons of 3D in gaming, but one point that I believe will be one of the most important is also one that I haven't heard elsewhere. What will the effect of adding 3D to videogames do to development costs? Costs have already been climbing so fast and high that developers are going to have to hire company Sherpas. We are already seeing games like Mirror's Edge which sold something like 1.5 million copies and still weren't considered a financial success.

If developing for 3D adds to that I worry that we're going to wind up seeing a more extreme form of the current segregation between high profile games that have ultra-high budgets and tons of marketing that sell millions of copies. . . and everyone else.

An Hour Into Uncharted 2

Earlier today I was standing in EB Games with Uncharted 2 for $55 in one hand and Skate and Prince of Persia $40 in the other. I was leaning towards Skate and Prince of Persia but in the end, based on the rave reviews and the plethora of game of the year awards it has recieved I walked out with Uncharted 2. I haven't yet decided whether that was a good choice.

I'm only an hour in so far, mucking around in the museum in Istanbul, so there's a lot of game ahead for me to play. Still, I can't help but feel underwhelmed. Of course, the graphics are top notch and the animations are some of the best and natural ever in a videogame, but those animations seem to have come at a cost. Controlling the character feels like he is moving around knee deep in mud; what Nathan Drake does on screen certainly looks convincing but I often feel that it doesn't reflect what I am trying to make him do. Also the cinematic nature of the game often comes from dramatic camera angles that made me feel like I was watching a movie but sadly has sent Drake to his death at least a dozen times. When the game cuts to a dramatic camera angle I just can't figure out which direction the game wants me to point the analog stick and jumping from one ledge to another becomes a game of guess and check. I can't help but feel like if all the graphics and admittedly superb voice acting were stripped away, the game mechanics would be almost identical to the clunky and stiff but passable mechanics of Lego Indiana Jones.

As I mentioned before, the graphics are some of the best I've ever seen, but there are little inconsistencies that drive me bananas. Maybe I'm just a pessimist or way too anal about little details but in a game that gets so many other things right, the small but repetitive problems are often the worst. The flashlight attached to Drake's hip always points forward, yet is able to shine light wherever the camera is directed, even if it is behind him. Guards immediately sound the alarm if they see Drake or his accomplice, but they couldn't care less if they stumble across another guard lying unconscious on the ground. These are all strange omissions from a developer that went out of their way to make Drake look sopping wet when he gets out of water which, by the way, is an awesome effect that they absolutely nailed.

Maybe these issues will all fade into the background as I continue playing and I haven't even looked at the coop or multiplayer yet, but the first hour of a game just shouldn't be as underwhelming and sometimes even frustrating as this. I'll post more impressions once I'm further into or done with the game.

Spec Ops: The Line - My Underdog of 2010

The Spec Ops series isn't one known for quality. Released at budget prices for the Playstation 2 in the late 90s and early 2000s, the Spec Ops games were moderately enjoyable but the gameplay was stiff and unoriginal. Hopefully gamers forget about all that when Spec Ops: The Line arrives on store shelves in late 2010 because based on the short trailer that was aired at the Spike VGAs and the little other information I've heard about it, it could be a classic in the making.

Spec Ops: The Line is set in Dubai after a series of devastating sandstorms and the scenery is barren and intense. The plot has you playing as a soldier sent in after a crazed army colonel named John Konrad. That's right, like Apocalypse Now, this is a re-imagining of Joseph Conrad's 'The Heart of Darkness,' but with Dubai taking the place of Apocalypse's Vietnam and Darkness' Africa. The gameplay looks like like a third person shooter with a Gears of War/Rainbow Six Vegas style cover system.

Debut Trailer


Extended Trailer