Archive for the ‘Games’ Category

30 Jan

When will it end?

Posted by vagrantesque in Games.

It’s a new year for games!

That’s definitely something to get excited about even at the worst of times, as there’s nothing like a new annum when it comes to entertaining speculative dreams of potential. However, this particular year will see things get interesting a lot more quickly than, well, arguably any year before it. Not even considering the fact that we will probably find out about Sony and Microsoft’s new home consoles this year, or that online services like Steam are odds-on to keep churning out fantastic indie titles, just take a look at this line-up of games set for the first quarter of 2013 alone:

How long can 24 hours be?

DMC, reboot of the beloved  Devil May Cry series, is already out, I’m playing it, and it’s awesome. Tomorrow sees the long-awaited release of Japanese developer Level 5’s collaboration with one of the most beloved anime studios ever, Studio Ghibli, in the form of Ni No Kuni. A week later, Dead Space 3 will chill millions of players to their core, and I won’t be one of them. No thank you. Slightly less scary but no less atmospheric is Aliens: Colonial Marines, an ultra-polished canon sequel to James Cameron’s famous Aliens movie, which hits less than a week later. The 21st of Feb then sees a blockbuster double release: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Crysis 3, both of which will stun with their visuals and intense commitment to action. The normally quiet month rounds out with the exceptional-looking platformer Rayman Legends.

For all February’s power, March positively dwarfs it. Its first week will no doubt be dominated by one of the most anticipated series reboots in recent memory: the new, grittier Tomb Raider. The same time period will also see the release of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, which fans of the anime will lap up, and the new Sim City, which will doubtless send millions of players into fits of obsessive micromanagement. Mid-month features a sequel to one of this generation’s real sleeper hits, Sniper Ghost Warrior 2, but it’s expected to be overshadowed by a gargantuan “exclusives battle” between Sony and Microsoft. In the red corner, God of War Ascension. In the green corner, Gears of War Judgment. Sporting similar-sounding names, both titles are prequels set before their respective trilogies and both are expected to make lots of money. For all the late-month intrigue of co-op fest Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel and the cloud save-enabled Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, The last week of March really belongs to only one game: Bioshock Infinite. Delay after delay has kept gamers from playing the viciously hyped juggernaut, but we will have it for real… very soon…

I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a stacked non-holiday period. It seems my wallet is headed for some more discomfort.

28 Dec

Best of 2012: Top 10 Games

Posted by vagrantesque in Best of 2012, Games, Lists. Tagged: , , , , .

YouLoveIt

This is where things get serious. It’s the home stretch of my top ten lists covering 2012’s finest entertainment media.

Of all the lists I put together in my head for posting on Vagrant Rant, this one was the least clear-cut. Partially due to the motivation of having a blog to write, I finished more games in 2012 than I have in any calendar year before, which gave me a pretty sizeable pool of experiences from which to draw. Ordering them was a real headache. Seriously, I adore every one of the games in the “Honorable Mentions” section at the bottom of this page and it’s hard to believe I had to cut any of them. Of course, there were some critical and commercial gems I didn’t play at all in 2012, which is a bit of a shame. Sorry, Farcry 3, Mass Effect 3 and Journey.

Unlike when I review a game, I decided not to let the fact that I haven’t finished a certain title stop me from including it on the list. This is ultimately a list of games I enjoyed playing this year, after all. However, to make the list a little fairer, at least in theory, I decided to disqualify any game I haven’t played for at least five hours of game time. That gets rid of some truly high-quality 2012 titles, most notably Uncharted: Golden Abyss, New Super Mario Bros U, Dishonored, Paper Mario Sticker Star and, yes, Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Regardless, it does mean that I’ve had at least a half-decent look at everything you’re about to read about.

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VR BEST OF 2012 DISCLAIMER
This list represents my opinion only. I am not asserting any kind of superiority or self-importance by presenting it as I have. My opinion is not fact. If you actually agree with me 100%, that’s scary. You have been warned, fanboys.
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10. Kid Icarus: Uprising

Uprising was fighting it out with Mario Tennis Open for this spot on the list, but despite all the multiplayer fun I had with the latter, it was just too hard to discount the entire package that the latest Kid Icarus title offered 3DS owners in 2012. Combining some of the best graphics and craziest stereocopic 3D available on the portable with a clever difficulty system, addictive multiplayer and a host of content aproaching Smash Bros levels of ridiculousness, Kid Icarus: Uprising is a marvelous game, even if its controls take some getting used to.

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26 Dec

Best of 2012: Top 10 Gaming Moments

Posted by vagrantesque in Best of 2012, Games, Lists. Tagged: , , , , , .

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Just as there were plenty of segments within movies that stood out in the memory throughout 2012, the videogames of the year provided their own set of unforgettable moments. Many of these were related to the experience of playing around with game mechanics, and thus are both personal to me and by nature spoiler-free. However, there were also plenty of story-related moments that shook me much like a film scene might, so read this list with care.

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VR BEST OF 2012 DISCLAIMER
This list represents my opinion only. I am not asserting any kind of superiority or self-importance by presenting it as I have. My opinion is not fact. If you actually agree with me 100%, that’s scary. You have been warned, fanboys.
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Spoilers

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10. Third Gym – Pokemon White Version 2

The first Gym in Pokemon White Version 2 is deliberately pretty vanilla and the music is identical to that of all the Gyms in White 1. The second Gym shows you in no uncertain terms that the music will not be staying the same from Gym to Gym this time around, but it isn’t until the third that the potential of such an idea really hits home. A string of creepy malformed chords greet your ears, sounding like cicadas dipped in LSD, and the visuals match the audio perfectly. Stringy cocoons litter the dusty building interior, leading up to a mega cocoon housing a psychedelic rainbow paint pool and the Gym leader. Trippy and awesome.

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23 Dec

Best of 2012: Top 10 Annoying Videogame Experiences

Posted by vagrantesque in Best of 2012, Games, Lists. Tagged: , , , , , , .

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For all the gaming highlights of 2012, there were quite a few moments of frustration, at least for me. They came in many irritating forms. Some were due to glitches in games, some were caused by basic design flaws and/or oversights on the part of developers, some were directly related to my own stupidity or incompetence. All sucked.

There isn’t too much more to say about this list; really, I just want to get it out of the way. It’s not bringing back very pleasant memories.

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VR BEST OF 2012 DISCLAIMER
This list represents my opinion only. I am not asserting any kind of superiority or self-importance by presenting it as I have. My opinion is not fact. If you actually agree with me 100%, that’s scary. You have been warned, fanboys.
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10. “Why am I trapped in the water?” – Sleeping Dogs

Barely seconds into my first opportunity to explore Hong Kong during Sleeping Dogs, I ended up at the docks. It wasn’t something I intentionally aimed for, but my open-world gaming habits, honed during hours of fun with Just Cause 2, dictated that I should explore as much of the game world as possible. Assuming the region was my oyster, I jumped gleefully into the sea, before discovering that ten minutes of aimless swimming were ahead of me. There was no place from which I could get back onto dry land, at least anywhere I could catch a glimpse of. The docks themselves weren’t much better, as I discovered when I finally did get back on land. There weren’t even any people out there; just a maze of crates and a jumping glitch that froze me in midair.

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20 Dec

Best of 2012: Top 10 Game Cases

Posted by vagrantesque in Best of 2012, Games, Lists. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

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Time to kick off my ambitious goal of presenting ten top tens of entertainment media in 2012. This is going to require an unprecedented time management effort, but hey, hopefully I’ve grown enough this year to meet the requirements. First up, something I’ve always paid perhaps a little too much attention to: videogame cases.

We live in an age where games are available as full digital downloads more readily than ever, but physical production is still plenty relevant. When you look at a game on a store shelf, a lot of things go through your mind, whether consciously or (more likely) subconsciously. Is the cover eye-catching? Does it stand out from its brethren? Does it give you an adequate idea of what the game will have you doing? Does it do something other than feature a man looking straight at you while striking a badass pose? All these things and more churned around in my mind before I could spit out this list of my top ten favourite game cases of 2012.

But the list doesn’t just take into account what the front cover of a game looks like; I’ve also considered the back, the spine and, where applicable, even the inside of the case. All facets of physical presentation have been accounted for. Yeah, I’m definitely a cool guy.

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VR BEST OF 2012 DISCLAIMER
This list represents my opinion only. I am not asserting any kind of superiority or self-importance by presenting it as I have. My opinion is not fact. If you actually agree with me 100%, that’s scary. You have been warned, fanboys.
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10. Assassin’s Creed III

Case_Assassin's

When compared to the cover art of the first four Assassin’s Creed games, one thing immediately stands out about the front of the ACIII case. Connor, the newest member of the Brotherhood of Assassins to be introduced to series fans, isn’t simply standing in an ominous pose with a hood over his head. No, he’s actually doing something, and something rather violent at that. That redcoat he has in his very capable grasp is not going to be breathing for much longer, or so the implication stands. The motion-blurred battlefield depicted in the background, complete with prototype American flag, adds to the kinetic excitement of the image, suggesting a history-rich experience well worth playing through.

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18 Dec

Game Review: Pokemon White Version 2

Posted by vagrantesque in DS, Games. Tagged: , , , , , .

The DS’ swansong is a real beauty and it’s a relief to get the review for it up on Vagrant Rant, at last. I’ve been playing the game when I can ever since its October 11 release.

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Platform: DS
Developer: Game Freak
Rating: G
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FIRE!

That thing’s power is honestly beyond ridiculous.

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674 hours, 18 minutes.
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According to the in-game timer, that’s how many hours I have spent playing the first Pokemon White Version. As a gamer, the Pokemon franchise is my World of Warcraft. It is my Team Fortress 2, my Counter-Strike, my Minecraft. It is that one series that grabs the addictive part of my personality and doesn’t let go. So understand that when I review a Pokemon game, my opinion is slanted a certain way. I will probably be more forgiving than a more casual fan on some aspects of the game’s design, but I will also be harsher on others.

Having said that, Pokemon White Version 2 is the best and most complete Pokemon game I have ever played. There you go.

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10 Dec

Behind, Pt 2

Posted by vagrantesque in Games, Lists. Tagged: , , .

With last Saturday marking the last decent-sized game release of the year (Paper Mario), it’s about time to reflect on how misguidedly optimistic I was at the start of 2012 for game releases.

2012 has been an awesome year for video games, and even if it you are of the belief that it fell short of 2011 in terms of overall quality, it’s hard to argue that we’ve been treated to some fantastic titles. And a fair few delays.

So, just like I did with movies a few weeks back, I’m going to look back at that list I posted back in February, wherein I rolled out a list of my top ten most anticipated games of the year, without the knowledge that half of them wouldn’t hit in 2012 at all:

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8 Dec

U Ready? – Wii U Review

Posted by vagrantesque in Console, Games, Wii U. Tagged: , , , .

I think it’s clear that desperation is now the main driving force behind my choices of post titles.

The Wii U, Nintendo’s new home console, launched in Australia and Europe about a week ago, and after spending as much time with it as my current lifestyle would allow, I present this, here, now.

Icy blue

Day One haul, clockwise from bottom left: Screen Protector Kit, Facepad & Stylus Pack, Wii U Premium Pack, Pro Controller, Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Assassin’s Creed 3 Join or Die Edition, New Super Mario Bros U.

Yeah, if you haven’t already guessed, I enjoy throwing money at console launches.

I’ll be structuring this piece much like my Playstation Vita review from earlier this year. Here goes.

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1 Dec

Greetings From Wii U

Posted by vagrantesque in Console, Games. Tagged: .

Where things are looking pretty awesome.

I am writing this post from the native internet browser of Nintendo’s new home console, the Wii U, while running the third sequence of Assassin’s Creed III in the background. My TV isn’t even on; it’s just me, the console’s Game Pad controller and a Tritton headset, alone in a dark living room at midnight on the first night of what looks like a sweltering Australian summer. Suffice to say it’s a pretty fresh gaming experience.

The console came out on Friday and I spent most of launch day trying out as many aspects of it as I could, writing notes and downloading updates. So many updates.

Anyway my thoughts will all be coming in one hit, as soon as I find a window of spare time big enough to post them. Stay tuned to Vagrant Rant.

28 Oct

Rant Chaser #1

Posted by vagrantesque in Games, Music, Rant Chaser.

This has been sitting unfinished in my drafts section for months. It’s just good to finally get it out!

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R A N T – C H A S E R

O N E

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So begins another new breed of Vagrant Rant article, where I will try to tie up any loose ends left from any of my reviews or other posts. These ends may form because I haven’t covered every aspect of a game, perhaps, or I watch a movie again and realise something new about it, or maybe because a particular song from an album is a “real grower” and I feel I need to mention it. I might also use this type of post as a way to highlight things that are too small for their own separate post.
This first edition is going to be packed with portable gaming stuff.

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