The Bad Gamer

3 months since I last posted. Wow, guess I’m bad at commitments. 

Back to some personnel stuff, I’ve ORDed from national service. This means that I have more time to play games for now before I get my sorry ass into the working society. But with that said, It’s time to make up for my absence and get reviewing on one of the games I’ve anticipated for quite long and completed not too long ago…

DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION

In Deus Ex: Human Revolution you play Adam Jensen, a security specialist, handpicked to oversee the defense of one of America’s most experimental biotechnology firms. But when a black ops team breaks in and kills the scientists you were hired to protect, everything you thought you knew about your job changes. At a time when scientific advancements are routinely turning athletes, soldiers and spies into super-enhanced beings, someone is working very hard to ensure mankind’s evolution follows a particular path. You need to discover why - because the decisions you take and the choices you make will be the only things that can determine mankind’s future.

Picture and Description credit goes to http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/944090-deus-ex-human-revolution

My Take

I wish to take a slighty different approach with this game as if I were to do it too simply, it does not serve this fantastic game any justice what-so-ever. In short, I will try and give this game a fullest review as I can possibly.

Plot: 9/10

You play as Adam Jenson, a security manager is one of the world’s top augmenation companies, Sarif Industries. As you prepare the security procedures for your head researcher/girlfriend’s, Dr. Megan Reed, breakthrough presentation, a black ops team storms into the company, destroys all of Dr. Reed’s research, and wipes out Dr. Reed and her entire research team. As you tried your sorry ass to save your girlfriend, you get your (still a non-augmented human’s) ass handed. Thrown across a glass pane and man-handled by one heavily augmented mercenary, you were shot in the head and left for dead in the burning down laboratory. 

Your boss decides that to save your ass, he’s gonna augment every part of your body he could possibly augment and turn you into a walking death machine. 

From there, the story starts with purists trying to ruin your boss’ factory that produces WMDs. Then it goes to pursuing whether happened during the black ops break-in.

The main story is very immersive, often requires you to make decisions about the current state of the world that is plagued with augmented people. Many side quests are included in this game. they are not compulsory but they give you a better insight into the main plot and the world itself.

To me, this is definitely the best part of this game. Not only those it feel like a good story, conversations made requires one to make certain choice. You can pull a good cop-bad cap on terrorist hell-bent on taking a hostage, break a cop by picking up his weakness or smooth talk someone out of committing suicide.

Gameplay: 7/10

This is definitely one of this game’s weakest point. It’s not completely unplayable nor does it utterly ruin the experience of the game but it sure does hinder certain parts of the game.

The games claims that you can choice how you wish to play this game. You can choose from playing it like a tactical spy AKA ninja-ing your way through without killing anyone, or go in the place guns ablazing like Rambo or you can make use of certain objects to aid your navigation around the map. 

But like I said, it claims to be like this.

However, sad to say, one will quickly realise that by only playing a certain way, one will maximise the amount of experience gained, so that one can unlock as many augments that are dormant. Soon, you will notice that in order to obtain the many upgrades you want, you end up executing the same moves over and over again.

Also, the boss fights are the only part where it is justified to go trigger happy. On top of that, compared that way to played normally, it feels a bit bland. 

Speaking about augments, they play a huge part on deciding the pacing of the game. If you decide to add uber strength augments in the early stages of the game, you may progress through the story faster by lifting obstacles that are in your way. Icarus augment lets you jump off any roof without the fear of death. You can even do an Iron Man fist slam on the floor and knock your enemies off their feet. But it makes me wonder, Adam has like metal legs, so what is it trying to tell me? Metal legs can’t automatically cushion my falls? No pistons or shock absorbers?

Mind-boggling.

Graphics: 8/10

Theme for this game is black and gold. What seems like a ridiculous combination of colours actually looks fantastic in the game world. the textures on all of the models looks realistic and good. And amazingly, the in-game engine graphics do better than cut scene graphics (most likely due to save time and convenience for the console versions). Details especially on Adam’s costume are so detailed you can see the embroidering on the shoulders. Cracked mirrors in Adam’s room, the warehouse in Singapore, everything seemed good.

Not all was perfect as I soon noticed many of the civilians loitering around have the same modelled face on them. Robots are just recycled models with different textures. Sometimes, the Chinese hookers in Hengsha look just like the Hookers in Detriot, but with a different accent.

Sound: 9/10

The choice of the sound track was definitely something well thought out. Each crucial moment in the game cued music matching the ambience of the scene. Although boss battles were stale, the music helped made it bearable for me, keeping me on my toes.

Voice acting was top notch. Each dialogue matched with emotions behind it. While I was playing, I could basically see myself as Adam. Whether it was him drilling the person for more information, or sarcasm to his boss, it was realistic and believable.

Overall : 33/40 (total score)

This game was a thrill ride to be on. Although I nit picked on certain aspects of the game, I felt that for SGD50, it was money well paid for a game of such a standard. I would recommend a purchase without second thought.

So go buy it and immerse yourselves into the world of Deus Ex!

So I’ll be taking a short trip to Australia.

About 10 days.

Will share about it after 3 July (Hopefully)

Cheers. 

EDIT: As someone asked, it’s Queensland. But I will be at Gold Coast for a day or two. Will land on Friday. ;)

Getting to the point…

Looks good, movement a bit stiff, a 2D juggling fighting game. Kinda like street fighter with tekken combat style.

Fatalities and X-ray moves kicks ass to execute.

Sorry for the lack of posts as usual.

One shouldn’t feel forced to post stuff as that would kill the passion off quickly.

Recently, PSN went back online from the intrusion and I took a look at the “Welcome Back” package.

Not impressed with the Asia’s side but Dead Nation, inFamous (US PSN) with Wipeout HD (SG PSN) is quite a handful :D

Also recently 3DS got an update with the eShop. Downloaded my pokedex 3D and excitebike.

Still, just waiting for starfox and resident evil.

That’s all for now.

Last 2 weeks, a series of unfortunate events caused me to have no time to update the site with my weekly reviews. I hope the people reading this are a forgiving bunch and would continue to show your utmost support to my humble site.

So let’s get into the “Survival Horror” genre for this week!

RESIDENT EVIL 5

The biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down players’ spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures. He is joined by a new partner, Sheva Alomar, who lends her strength, intelligence and sharp-shooting skills to the mission. In order to survive, Chris and Sheva must work together to take on the challenges of discovering the truth behind this evil plot. Utilizing a revolutionary new 2-player co-op mode of gameplay, players assume control of either Chris or Sheva and experience Resident Evil in new ways. In Resident Evil 5, Capcom has players fearing the daylight as much as they have feared shadow in previous games.

Picture and Description credit goes to http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/929198-resident-evil-5

My Take

I tried Resident Evil 3 on the playstation. And I didn’t really like it. I’m no good with Survival Horror. The dogs popping out of nowhere, dead corpses reanimating and all that puzzle solving was so messy that I quitted half-way through all that frustration.

RE5 on the other hand was far from being a survival horror. It felt more of an action game. I could just run around and be trigger happy, with my health and ammunition at a healthy level. 

Graphics look good. The African backdrop looks decent and the characters made me wonder whether they really existed among us. 

Gripes I had with the game was the controls. You gotta stop moving, aim, shoot and then continue moving. WTF?! No zombies in a RE game…

WAIT NO ZOMBIES? O_O 

Right… And biohazard in Africa… Well that kinda make sense. Go experiment on wild Africans in their tribes and no one would know, let alone catch you in the act.

Still, it feels good to play it and with so much action than scares, I’m loving every minute of it.

So now to the real scary stuff…

DEAD SPACE 2!

Isaac Clarke Returns to Battle the Necromorph! Engineer Isaac Clarke returns for another blood-curdling adventure in the sequel to the critically acclaimed Dead Space. After waking from a coma on a massive space city known as “The Sprawl,” the lone survivor of a horrific alien infestation finds himself confronting the catastrophic new nightmare. Battling dementia, hunted by the government, and haunted by visions of his dead girlfriend, Isaac will do whatever it takes to save himself and dominate the gruesome onslaught. With an arsenal of tools to dismember Necromorphs and new determination, an engineer will bring the terror to space.

Picture and Description credit goes to http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/975302-dead-space-2

MY TAKE

Right smack at the start, an infestation begins as the monsters in this game, the necromorphs, spread their “seeds” and reek havoc upon the place you’re locked up.

Followed by many many cheap scares…

I couldn’t take it, so I switched off my PS3 and waited 2 weeks later…

2 weeks later, I mustered all my remaining courage and took on this game. Cheap scares aside, this is actually a decent game. The heads up display has been shifted so that everything is displayed on the main character himself.

The graphics are hard to judge. On one hand, it’s good that the environment is dark to create the ambiance but sometimes it’s just too dark to make out the environment.

Some decent puzzles here and there, some of which I had to go online and search gameFAQs for answers (I fail). But all in all, quite doable.

Decent variety of weapons. But with the schematics hard to find, one might not unlock all the weapons or the ammunition that they sell.

Only played it once through so, I have yet to fully upgrade all the weapons.

Looking forward to play it again soon!

Once again, I’m sorry for posting 2 weeks late but life never often goes the way you want it to go.

I’m still playing patapon 3 -,- and grinding levels is such a pain…

Next week is Monster hunter week as I review Monster Hunter Tri and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite.

Til then, See ya…

http://www.facebook.com/Qisahn?sk=app_4949752878

With Grow and Share Package coming, it is a good deal!

As I mentioned last week, I will cover a bit more on the 3DS with Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D as well as a newly released PSP game I have been yearning for quite a long time: Patapon 3 on the PlayStation Portable. So let us get down into business.

PATAPON 3

The greatest portable adventure of rhythm and war is back with robust online support. Devastate your opponents with attacks as Superhero Patapon in the third iteration of the critically acclaimed rhythm-based action/ adventure. Play campaign with friends, go head-to-head or take on a clan of other Patapon gamers with network play allowing up to eight people. Customize your tribe with different weapons and abilities in the greatest portable adventure of rhythm and war.

Picture and Description credit goes to http://www.gamefaqs.com/psp/997853-patapon-3

My take

Patapon started off pretty much as a game with little if not no leniency, therefore two major groups of gamers were formed when one touches upon Patapon as a subject of discussion. One being the haters who struggle with maintaining even the simplest of rhythm, the other the hardcore rhythm lovers that thought that this game was geinus. I am not gonna lie, it was pure hell to play the 1st patapon. One offbeat and you are basically screwed so bad that the bosses’ next strike with a non-fever (when your rhythm was fantastic, you go into a mode called fever mode) defense move is also a one hit K.O. However, I struck through it and was glad that I made that decision. Forming your army with archers, horn-tooters and spear-hurlers, it was a fun game and the first of its now called rhythm-strategy genre.

No pause button, no multiplayer :(

Patapon 2 took whatever they had in Patapon and made it even better. Gone were the days where offbeats broke your fevers. Easy mode is the answer to all the crybabies that could not handle the game’s steep learning curve. Now on top of creating armies, you can level each patapon up to Lv 10. Weapon varieties also increased and with a never-dying Hero patapon added, you can hunt for many different hero masks to suit different situations that you deem fit. After all of this, I asked myself, “How could they make it better?”

Still no pause button, Co-op multiplayer added. (I cursed and swear every moment that I was required to pause the game.)

And then came Patapon 3. I started. Within 5 minutes, I went bonkers. They remove the concept of customizing your army. Instead, you have 4 patapons, each a reincarnation of the 4 playable class in patapon 2: Hero, Sheild (Tatepon), Spear (Yaripon) and Arrow (Yumipon). I felt betrayed, but I continued. It was quite bad at the start. Continuous deaths repeatedly showed on my PSP screen because I could not deal sufficient damages on the bosses. Then I realised, “This is not a Rhythm-Strategy anymore… IT IS A GOD DAMNED RHYTHM-RPG.” With that mindset, I proceed to do what most rpgs gotta do when you keep failing: GRIND!

And it really is. Magic-imbued weapons, leveling weapons and characters. Furthermore the enemies do not really give you a chance when you are under level. One hit just pwns you. It is really horrible to fail so bad in patapon 1, do so good in patapon 2 and thrown into the depths of despair once again in patapon 3.

Currently, I’m near end game and even after many sleepless nights of grinding. I am sad to say this but I am still unable to unlock up to 50% of the total skills my hero has. There is too many skills and very low experience points gained per quest. However, a few character classes have been more rewarding than the others and I have maxed some of them.

My last words for people considering this game: do not treat this like a normal patapon game. It is not! Be prepared to face despair again, for what doesn’t kill your spirits, makes your patapon warriors stronger.

PAUSE BUTTON FINALLY IMPLIMENTED IN PATAPON 3 ON TOP OF GREAT CO-OP + PVP MULTIPLAYER = A HAPPY ME.

PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2011 3D

For over 15 years, soccer fans have looked to Konami to deliver the most authentic soccer experience short of stepping onto the field and playing the real thing. Now Konami brings fans the first soccer game in 3D - PES 2011 3D for Nintendo’s new 3DS handheld gaming platform. Enjoy the game with hefty modes and competitions including the UEFA Champions League and prominent Master League.

Picture and Description credit goes to http://www.gamefaqs.com/3ds/609540-pro-evolution-soccer-2011-3d

My Take

I kinda regret taking this title to review but looks like I do not have much of a choice eh?

I still remember as a Secondary school kid, whenever I would go to Malaysia to visit relatives, I would just take my cousin PlayStation and rot away on Winning Eleven. Hours would pass and I would never be satisfied. However, sad to say that now I do not bother with soccer games due to the fact that it was an everchanging scene where new players come and go. With that, new soccer games follows the same path as well. It becomes obvious that it does not seem like a smart choice to purchase a similar game year after year with little or no changes in it? However, my itchy fingers and my stubborn naive brain told me it would be nice to relive all that nostalgic feeling of scoring that match changing goal or to take a team out with penalty shootout, so I bought it without much thought.

And I was kinda right, it is pretty much your average soccer game. Teams with their up to date players. Statistics in their right places and your what nots. You choose your team and then your opponents’ team in exhibition mode and you start the match right away. Champions League mode is basically your career mode where you choose a team and play them while making important transfers that will make or break the team. Master League is your StreetPass function to complete with other players when your 3DS is in sleep mode.

The game looks awesome with the 3D effect and the right settings. It literally feels like you are with your favorite player/team on the field fighting for that top position. I bought this game just in case I was bored with Street Fighter and truth to be said, it is BLOODY SATISFYING to score against a tough opponent no matter how many times you play against them.

My only nitpick about this game would be the graphic. Yes, I know… I did mentioned it looked great with the 3D effects on and with the proper settings. However, without the 3D effect and on other settings, it looks like a PS2 Winning Eleven.

Still, no regrets. I’m still having a “ball” of a time playing this. Get it? Ball of a… Right, the effect of this did not come off right.

So I end this week’s My Take on this note.

Next week’s entry will be a little late but hopefully I can squeeze it in on time.

Readers are welcome to advise on what games they would like to see me do a My Take on.

Prolly do a Resident Evil 5 and Dead Space 2 if time permits. 

April 20th 1889 marks the birth of terror: Adolf Hilter.

Little did they know that a hundrend years later, I was born.

._. Happy birthday to me.

As promised, I will give write up a short review about the two games I have been playing this week on my Nintendo 3DS, Super Street Fighter 4 3D Edition and Pokemon White.

SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV 3D EDITiON

The ultimate version of Street Fighter makes its seamless transition to the Nintendo 3DS with Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition. The console experience is now in the palm of your hand with rich new features that utilize the capabilities of the Nintendo 3DS to its fullest. Packed with 35 playable characters, bonus stages and cinematic Ultra combos, Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition expands the action by allowing you to fight your friends around the world using Wi-Fi. New to the franchise are the figurine mode, which utilizes the Street Pass feature to add a collectible meta-game, and the 3D over-the-shoulder camera option that takes fighting to new depths. For those new to the franchise, a simple mode has been added allowing players to pull off challenging moves with a single touch of the screen.

Picture and Description credit goes to http://www.gamefaqs.com/3ds/997808-super-street-fighter-iv-3d-edition.

My Take

I personally suck at fighting games. I know it because I own Street Fighter 4 and Super Street Fighter 4 on the PS3. Unfortunately, I always liked Ken and his flaming Shoryuken. Either that or Akuma and his infamous Shun Goku Satsu. So I decided to pick it up as my first game to be played in 3D on my 3DS.

Not surprisingly, all the techniques all came back to me the instant the match began. Then I realised something, the touch screen had four “buttons” with moves on each of them. And all of a sudden, combos I usually have difficulty executing become a breeze to achieve. With the button configurations on “lite”, one can actually register the characters’ special moves onto the “buttons”. Furthermore, these settings are saved on individual characters so one does not need to hassle themselves with constant changing on moves.

To sweeten the deal of this game, they have included alternate costumes that would cost a decent sum on the PlayStation Network. Some people might say that this game was out for quite some time so free DLC costumes already installed into the game was a marketing ploy by Capcom, but for a person that has not purchase any of them, I am actually glad they did.

Well, I am gonna cut it short here and say that it is what you would expect from Super Street Fighter 4 but more. If you want to find out more, google it up or even better still, try it out yourself.

POKEMON WHITE VERSION

Pokemon Black Version and Pokemon White Version feature new Pokemon that players can catch, train and battle as they progress through the game, and some Pokemon can only be caught in one version of the game. For example, the Legendary Pokemon Reshiram can only be caught in Pokemon Black Version, while the Legendary Pokemon Zekrom can only be caught in Pokemon White Version. Additionally, the two games feature different areas for the first time in the series, with the game world of Pokemon Black Version featuring a unique metropolitan area called Black City, and a lush, green area named White Forest only found in Pokemon White Version. Pokemon Black Version and Pokemon White Version also mark the first time in a Pokemon video game that the seasons will change in the game world. Certain Pokemon appear more frequently during different seasons, and players can only access some areas during a specific season.

Picture and Description credit goes to http://www.gamefaqs.com/ds/995081-pokemon-white-version

My Take

I can not say I totally hate this game but where is all that hot blooded rivalry one would expect in pokemon? Red VS Blue, Ash VS Gary, Gold VS Silver? I mean c’mon, it was this sort of snobbishness that made me love pokemon. But hey, it is not all bad. Pokemon sprites now are in a looped animation, so no more 2 seconds sprites in the beginning yay! The plot was better than all that diamond/pearl/platinum nonsense (Nothing beats Heart Gold/Soul Silver), and questions were raised. Are pokemons really happy in their pokeballs and all that PETA (or PETP for this case) stuff going on.

A few of the towns were did in 3D which was a delightful touch and there are actual cut scenes of an epic battle. C-gear was an interesting take on a modified Streetpass system but it was quite redundant once you realised everyone playing pokemon around you had their C-gear turned off. Certain pokemon designs are really awful aesthetically, but most of them were ok. Mechanics were fine-tuned for newb-friendly experience like critical catch and free fresh water at every gym.

I would say borrow this game first and give it an hour or two. If you like it then you are good to go, but if you do not find it your cup of tea, then you can miss it.

I’m sorry if this post seems like stuff was going everywhere. This week was a hectic week for me and I was on the verge of postponing my post, but that would not be very professional of me, wouldn’t it?

Next week, I’ll give you guys a peek on 2 more new games I’m playing: Patapon 3 on the PSP and Pro Evolution Soccer 2001 3D on the Nintendo 3DS.

Til then, take care and play in moderation. =3

Sad to say I’m unable to post any gameplay videos. I’ll keep my word and do my 3DS review. :(

Nintendo revolutionize the gaming industry with the very 1st 3D handheld console. The 3DS boasts having better processors than the Nintendo Wii and with a decent graphic card built in, it claimed that its graphics can be on par with other 3rd Gen consoles such as the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Credits :http://cobrashark.blogspot.com/ 

My take:

For a SGD400 console, it may seem overpriced. But it does have certain redeeming values.

The 3D screen takes the cake. At first glance, I was really not very impressed with the effects but soon, I became accustomed to it and felt that it was not that bad of a gimmick.

One of the most interesting things that the 3DS offers is the Streetpass system. If you leave your 3DS on in standby mode, whenever you pass by people doing the same with their 3DS, information will be transmitted between both consoles. Which results in some surprising fun.

The pre-installed applications are not the best the world can offer but they are free, so I can not complain much. AR games are an interesting take on using a number of preset images to produce a 3D effect with a card being the main “game” card. Face Raider is not bad as it makes full use of the 3DS’ gyroscope and accelerometer, but it gets weird very fast when you play in the public as you have to turn around to shoot stuff all around you. Streetpass Mii Plaza is my favourite as it can receive Mii (3DS Avatar) and play the mini RPG, Find Mii or the puzzle game, Photo Swap. Personally I prefer Find Mii. Probably due to my love for cheap RPGs. :)

The 2 main gripes I have with it is the battery life and the strain on the eyes. At maximum brightness and full 3D effects, I’ve heard that the battery life is at a miserable 2.5 to 3.5 hours. Having a DS, a DSi and now a 3DS, I am more used to having a Nintendo handheld consoles lasting me for a week before I see the red light. DSi was the start of my battery bain with the brightness setting being at a minimum level 2 or else nothing can be seen on the screen. The same can be said for the 3DS, and now at its current power hungry insanity, I am constantly hesitating to increase the brightness and having the 3D effects on when I do not see a power outlet around. 

The strain on the eyes is an understatement. A handheld console is often played on public transport. Just imagine with the 3D effects on the maximum settings and you playing on the bus/train. I guess many of you can start to imagine about the nausea and migraines one would get when playing in such an unstable environment. Truth be told, Nintendo warns children below the age of 6 to not play any of these games in 3D mode due to their eyes not being able to handle the strain. I am likely to agree with them with this point.

Final Impressions:

I would say that the 3DS, with the lackluster release of only a few decent games, is a case of wait-and-see. With its price steadily dropping from how I look at it and further game releases to be promising, I suggest everyone to start saving a bit of your pocket money. When solid game titles like Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil and Kid Icarus are released, dash to your nearest gameshops and pick your revolutionary consoles without a second thought.

Next week I will probably touch on 2 games I am playing on my 3DS: Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition and Pokemon White Version. 

I know that Pokemon White is for the DS but hey, that is the game that I’m playing most of the time when I get bored of street fighting so meh, I will mention a bit about it.

Please comment and give some constructive feedback to improve my writings. Much appreciated.

I’ll begin my weekly post soon.

Problem is I want to take my sister’s camera to do a video complimenting the posts.

So this may take a while.

I’ll just start off with a simple question that will induce internet rage.

NGP or 3DS?

If I’m unable to start my gameplay videos soon, I’ll do a 3DS review.