Left 4 Dead

Story:

Uh...........Not really much of that here. Two weeks after the first infection every part of an unnamed town has been destroyed and you play either the biker, the vet, the office worker, or the college student. In the same order, the general public sees it as the tough guy, the old guy, the black guy, and the girl. They have 4 different campaigns that leads to a minimum of one getting rescued. This whole story revolves around the opening cutscene which is your ONLY piece of story you get. The rest is just run N gun fun and it plays quite nicely. They manage to show one of every special baddy(except the boomer but who wants to render something that grotesque) and they make the whole thing look pretty cool. The one thing that bugged me about this was the fact that the four people who did the cutscene were some of the most terrible actors I've ever seen. In the middle of a small zombie skirmish, the biker saves the vet shooting a shotgun one handed and saying “merry Christmas” afterwards was an incomprehensible amount of faked awesomeness that it bugs me down to my nerdy zombie apocalypse loving spine. I mean, most of the time I thought I wanted a mindless kill zombie jamboree but now that I have it, I miss having a story and I hate Louis.

Gameplay:

As far as the survivors go, it's pretty predictable. FPS with Pelee and grenades, molotovs, and health kits. You can only get a glock, an Uzi, an AK, a semi auto and auto shotgun, and a hunting rifle. Even though you'd expect a shotguns blazing take on the zombie apocalypse, I want a little variation in the mix. I want weapons like the ones I found in dead rising. I want to shoot something in the head with a nailgun or chuck pop cans and jewelry at some zombies in first person. There are two kinds of compressed tanks you can find that explode like grenades and kerosene tanks that light like molotovs. The grenades on the other hand, aren't quite grenades. They are the all fun easy to make pipe bombs(even though they explode like grenades). They have a little beeper on it that makes the zombies chase it because particular to this game, the zombies like sound more than flesh. This is never explained though. Apparently their brains go canine when they become zombified and all they wanna do is play fetch. The med kits are pretty basic because they just heal you. You also can find pain pills that allow you to extend your life span temporarily. I could see what happens though, some 12 year old going “Mommy! Mommy! Grandpa takes those pills to make him live longer right?” “What? Where'd you learn that bobby?” “left 4 dead mommy!” “HUH! That game I bought you for Christmas that I was severely warned was bad for children but I blatantly ignored. LAWSUIT!!!”. Yeah.

Enemies:

These zombies are special. You even get to play them in Versus mode. There's the hunter who pounces on his enemies and tears their torso out. These guys are very suspicious though. The kinda look like a Mexicans wearing hoodies and I swear that a couple of them tried to nab my wallet. Then there's the smoker which uses it's abnormally long tongue to snare the survivors and then proceed to drag them away from the group and tear at them. Again I see that this is a message being implied. I see that smoker grabbing the hot college co-ed and dragging her to him, tearing the clothes off her body. Next we have the boomer which I find the most offensive of the bunch. He looks like geek who did the antacids and water south park trick and is busting at the seems with a nasty liquid that attracts zombies. So this guy want to sit on you right? Nope. He vomits on you and I don't mean drunken frat boy vomit, I mean this fat bastard's like a fire hose. He can manage to get everybody and their dogs in one burst. After he's done, he'll waltz right up to you and explode his nastiness all over you yet again. I take this as offensive because it's like saying all fat guys are nasty and smell bad. Then there's the one you can't control, the witch. She's a little lady who sits in the corner and cries. Usually though she'll be right in the way you're trying to go and she'll normally cause nothing but problems. If you make noise, get close to her, or even shine your light on her she'll get up, claw you to death, and run away screaming. This would seem like a problem but they made killing her in one hit an achievement on the xbox 360. That made everyone go “hey! We can kill her in one hit! She's not dangerous!”. This is achieved by sneaking up behind her and shooting her in the face.................with a shotgun. I've analyzed this and realized, this is Valve's message against disturbing hobos. Now last but definitely not least is the tank. It's a giant hulk looking thing(I say hulk because he's got a huge upper body but small legs and nothing but a pair of cargo sorts covering his radiated wang) and he can hit you..................10 feet across the room. He can also tear the floor from below you and chuck it at you and he is easily the most dangerous zombie in the mix. Best thing of all, you can play all of these cretins and like me you'll hate to find out, it's more fun to kill the survivors then to survive.

Campaigns:

There are 4 campaigns that you can play. No Mercy, Death Toll, Dead Air, and Blood Harvest. No Mercy is where the cutscene in the beginning leaves off. You get from a rooftop to the sewers to No Mercy Hospital where you race to the roof and use the radio for evac from a news helicopter. Death Toll has you go through a bunch of tunnels and more sewers before you reach a beach house and stall for evac from a boat. Dead Air has you fight through a lot of town area before reaching the airport and getting evac from a 747. Finally, Blood Harvest has you fighting through the woods and farmhouses following train tracks till you reach the final farmhouse where you wait for evac from a..........Well I don't know what it is. If you had a child hatched from a Panzer, a Warthog, and A porcupine, you'd probably have this vehicle. Each campaign is roughly the same length and each one follows the same set of rules. Start to safehouse, safehouse to safehouse X3, Safehouse to final standoff and evacuation. You always end up in some kinda house or shelter where there's an abundance of ammo, med kits, and usually some explodables which makes even the difficult levels rather bearable.

Final Judgement or Apocolypse Now: 8.0 out of 10

Each campaign will last you about 10 run throughs before you get bored and seeing that each one will last about 30 minutes you can expect 20 hours of rather repetitive gameplay. If you can get really into the versus mode then you can hope for an additional 10 hours and after that there's not much to offer. This would seem like a good buy but I rented it and got all I could out of it after around 2 weeks. This is decent to pick up and play when you feel like destroying legions of zombies but there's so little substance that you can't get the complete survival horror feel as you should expect. I really got into this until I realized that there was no more experience to gain and that the cries of people over XBL when I start tearing their organs out just became unfortunately unsatisfying after doing it so many times. My hopes for this is that they go all Resi Outbreak on it and do the same game with different characters, more weapons and accessories, new versions of zombies, and maybe even a story(Though this being a primarily multiplayer game we can't get our hopes up). That way we don't fix any broken, we just polish and improve.

Not-so Fallout 3

Yes, many many people have waited for such a game as this. All the footage and hype that went into fallout 3 really got people excited about this long awaited sequel but I have bad news for the fanboys, it's not as good as you think.

Now, I'm not saying it's not good, it's just that this game is nothing but oblivion a couple millenia in the future. I got oblivion as a christmas gift last year and I drank in the spiked kool-aid that was it's entertaining gameplay and beautiful landscapes. After I wasted a few months of experimenting with said kool-aid, I decided to switch my attention to other delicious substances. Then when Fallout 3 came out, I eagerly drank some of the kool-aid just to slosh it around a bit, then spit it out because i'd grown sick of the familiar taste. It tasted like oblivion with a little bit of led mixed in. I didn't want to swollow solely because I was afriad it'd make me spaz out and die like many other fanboys ave done since it's release. This was better kool-aid then most of the other stuff I drank in lately but I'd still rather taste something new then taste something i'd been drinking for so long that it went down like water anyways. When I grew bored of oblivion, I didn't bother playing much between then and the release of Fallout 3 and in the few times I did, I put it away no more then an hour into play. When I popped in Fallout 3, I enjoyed it all the way up to when it kicked me out of the vault. After that point it became oblivion. Not oblivion V2.0 however, more like oblivion V1.1. They fixed a few things that annoyed me from the original but it only held my interest so long.

I give this game an 8.5 though. This may seem skewed due to what I said but if you still love oblivion, or never played it before then you will love it more then an anime kitty with a rainbow backdrop. Also, this is not meant to be a review even though I gave it a score. This is because I played it more then enough to review it, I just decided it was easier to give it the label “Oblivion clone” and call it good cause I can't describe much better and anybody reading this I would assume has played one or the other(or both) and can probably visualize what I mean.

Gears of War 2

Backstory:

Cliff Blezinski easily has a more beautiful mind then Russell Crowe(at least in my eyes) and has done work with the unreal engine for some time now and has done a crack job of it. Then not so long ago he started development on Gears of War. My first thoughts around this time were “CliffyB talked about being the shy kid around a bunch of meat heads. Why would he want to make a game like this?” Well, shortly after it's release and the 5^th or 6^th time I'd beaten it, I realized that this game had more of a sci-fi nerd novelist feel to it then anything else. I continued to play it and still own my copy of the first though I have yet to actually purchase the second.

Gameplay:

I eagerly awaited it's arrival and was far from disappointed. Everything that I thought was wrong or a little wonky from the first game was mostly fixed. The storyline wasn't so much “Go here! Blow that up!” as the first; We actually had character development. The shotgun had been powered down enough that you couldn't rely on it the whole game and in multiplayer, and the lancer chainsaw didn't always mean a one hit kill anymore. There were now chainsaw duels which could possibly save you if the fourteen year old on the other end of multiplayer didn't spaz out on the button faster then you. One of the most notable changes is the many new executions(Which my personal favorite is the Sniper Hammer). I see people who purposely switch weapons just to do the weapon specific executions which really does say something. The one useful one however, is to use a meat shield. You pick up the corpse and block shots with it. It isn't as awesome but is very very useful.

Weapons:

The gorgon pistol is a little burst fire/high caliber pistol which is a welcome addition, because if you mix that with a shield, you can be damn near unstoppable. Next is the flamethrower. The flame boomers are EXTREMELY overpowering but easy to take down if you shoot their gas tanks(which they kinda stole from the game Pariah but it's the same company so meh) which makes taking down almost a joke. The ink grenades are annoying but fairly useful in certain situations such as a wretch stampeded. They bring up a cloud of ink which blinds opponents and slowly damages them and they prove useful against campers and people who like to run away a lot. The smoke grenades are the one choice I really disagreed with however. Not only do they bring up a cloud of smoke, but they knock you down and it takes so long for you to get back up that you can get rushed and killed before you can even know where the fuck it came from. Worst yet, this is used by some people for EVERY kill they earn. It's a practical use for a grenade but the knockdown shouldn't last as long as they make it. The last change I can think of in the weapons is that the hammer burst now fires as fast as you can tap the fire button instead of the traditional 3 round burst. This sounds great in theory but it gets tiring quite quickly in a match of horde or submission when you have to jam out a lot of shots. The last two weapons that come into play are the mortars and the mulcher. Both are exactly what they sound like. One shoots mortars, and the other turns enemies into mulch. If you think I'm kidding then you are dead wrong. It will literally tears your victim into tiny little bite-sized chunks. Also, there is a shield which protects you from gunfire and you can use it as a decapitation execution.

Maps:

Another thing that CliffyB triumphed in was innovative level design. The new maps are all fun to play and are without the many glitches the first one so kindly shoved in our faces. Each one shares it's own uniqueness and innovation to overall gameplay. Jacinto is a map from the story which has you able to jump over flowerbeds and refuses your ability to jump back over. This makes using them for cover very strategic. Day One gives you many places you can hide in such as the fire escape or the trench. Good for holding up in but never truly safe. River is probably the best one of them all. This level is versatile enough to have team vs. team matches having semi identical landscapes on both sides while having multiple ways to cross the river. This level also works well in horde matches because it has houses you can hold up in and it helps raise the intensity quite a bit. They also brought back some of the cool maps from the first one(namely canals and gridlock) only altered a slight bit. By a slight bit I mean covered in snow. Unfortunately it's only for those who buy the game and it's a one time use code which is kind of a rip off but an effective marketing tool nonetheless. They plan on releasing more maps which I won't pay for but will stand to be spectacular anyways.

Game Modes:

HORDE!!! FOR THE HORDE!!!!!!!! Sorry. Just had to say it. This is easily my favorite game type. This is not only because it's killing a lot of enemies, but it's not killing other players and having them whine words like “Cheap!” and “Noob” at you all the time. You go through 50 waves on varying difficulties and the longer you last, the stronger the locusts get. There is an achievement for beating every wave. I have done it, Twice. This is easily the most fun cooperative match there is, because you can just kick back and kill loads of locusts and have 4 others to back you up(if they haven't left the game yet). Then there are the obvious kill everyone, destroy everyone's heads, and smear the queer. Ok, the last one ain't so obvious but I hate that old bastard. The most innovative game type in this game is easily meatflag where you have to down a civilian and carry him to your side of the map. This may seem like capture the flag, but there's a catch. That old $*%&$ bastard has a revolver and pops more headshots then FPS Doug. You have to fight him just to get your flag EVERY time. This is as annoying as it is fun. They also have 2 forms of king of the hill. One is time based, the other is points based. Both aren't very original or fun for that matter but for those who like to camp, I will SHOOT YOU!!! Wingman is the last one and it's easily the most hectic of them all. 5 teams of 2 instead of 2 teams of 5. Everyone's your enemy. Easy way to win, Point your gun at the nearest ammo crate. You'll shoot your partner half the time but usually you'll kill the greedy bastards on the other team too.

Campaign:

I have to make a good mention of this just because of how much work this must have went through. It only lasts between 5-10 hours for the reasonably experienced players but you'll enjoy every second of it. There's just the right amount of dialog for an action game; enough to keep you hooked and little enough not to take away from the action. You also fight a fish the size of an A-Bomb, a worm the size of the Chrysler building, and a locust with a chainsaw on a spear. Seriously, they're probably waiting for gears 3 and everything and everyone will be covered in chainsaws. Oh, and you also get to learn about the digestive tract; Can't all be fun can it?

Final thoughts and Score:

This game is cool; Very very cool. Cooler then the north pole. Cooler then liquid nitrogen. Cooler then the other side of the pillow. There's not much more I see them adding unless they wanna go the halo 3 forge root or add vehicles to multiplayer. I definitely enjoyed this game. Despite the minor flaws, the game as a whole is very good. I give it 9.0. This game is worth buying if you didn't already stick it under your christmas tree. Only reason I haven't bought it is because I'm a poor college student(hint hint) and need that game money for ramen. I hope you enjoyed this review.

Tales of Symphonia; Dawn of the New World Review

Backstory:

The people at Wolfteam have been making games in the tales series since 1994. Ever since then, the series has been seeing decent sales which merits them to continue making games under the concept “why fix what's not broken”. The original game which this review is named on is Tales of Symphonia* and so far, it's proved to be the most successful game in the tales series. The game was credited for addictive storytelling, Fast paced action RPG gameplay, beautiful environments, and exceeding long game time clocking in at a suggested 80 hours of gameplay. From my perspective, I still hold this game as one of the best because I loved every part of it. Now we have the sequel to this prominent tales game, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World* so, let's see if it's up to snuff.

Characters:

The game manages to focus a lot of attention on the first game's protagonist, Lloyd Irving. Throughout the game you manage to see many familiar characters that haven't changed much since the first game; Collette is still a klutz, Zelos is very shallow, and Presea is still expressionless. The new characters in this game are named Emil and Marta. Emil is a wimp and Marta is an annoying girl with daddy problems. These new characters however, are still just as deep and humanly flawed as the last set of characters. Emil turns out to be a pile of angst, but it becomes easy to ignore; Marta is hyper and bipolar, but the same still applies. The characters remain lively and likable no matter how you try to look at them and they continue to make you altruistic as you play through the story. The one issue that is brought up however, is that they replaced the voice actors of Lloyd Irving and Sheena Fujibayashi. For most people who played the first,this will get a little annoying mainly because the new voice actor for Lloyd did a terrible job. The one good thing is that you don't hear him talk much anyways.

Storyline:

The end of the first game leaves you at a real cliffhanger and basically, doesn't give you an ending. The game takes place two years later and for those wishing to fill the gap that the original left off, you won't be disappointed. The game focuses around Emil wanting to get revenge on Lloyd for killing his parents in Palmacosta. He makes friends with Marta and the guy trying to kill Marta so it sets the plot very quickly. He decides to help Marta on her quest to wake up the lord of all monsters which has you find his minions; Most of them are around places you visited in the first game. You have numerous encounters with the original eight characters and you get to use them from time to time. You spend most of your time listening to Marta confess her love for her prince Emil and most love stories are ok, but Tales of Symphonia 2* attempts to shove it down your throat. The ending doesn't leave you at a cliffhanger so you feel more fulfilled at the end.

The World:

You end up revisiting many of the towns and landmarks from the first game from Altamira, to The Iselia human ranch, all the way to the infamous Hot Springs. You end up seeing many different places changed due to the combining of the worlds such as the desert oasis Triet being covered in snow. The land manages to be just as beautiful as ever even figuring that two identical worlds had been crammed together. You don't get to trek it yourself however, you just get to say where you're going and it will send you there post haste. The one main failing with the world is that you revisit many of the old dungeons and because you already finished them in the old game, a lot is done for you. They do add on little pieces to it or alter it to make it into a “new” puzzle but old players will feel like they've done it all before.

Gameplay:

You have the option of fighting your battles alone, with some friends, or not at all. You have artes like the last characters and the health and TP bar remain. They decided to change the unison attack though; Instead of telling each character what move to perform, the character you're controlling does the same move and sometimes people in your party join in if they're feeling sassy. This becomes irrelevant as later you get the option of using a special attack which does fours times the damage and throws the old unison attack right out the window. The one issue with this is that it's so easy to use, you end up with the option of finishing every battle with it. They also added a monster taming element where you get to capture poke.. monsters. You can feed them and they evolve and I feel like I've seen this somewhere before. This is a good addition though, because there will be battles where you are by yourself and without those monsters, you'd turn into lunch meat. The Katz guild also makes a return in which you can do little mini quests for them in exchange for items. Many of the quests are just copy-paste versions of the dungeons you already finished but doing these adds more time to the game. The puzzles are much the same in most places but there are extra parts which gives you more to do. The wiimote comes into play for you using the sorcerer's ring. It opens up a world of new puzzles they could have put into the game, but they didn't utilize it very much. The last thing is that there are a few points in the game in which you make choices which can effect the ending, although this isn't an issue because you'll end up picking the choices which move the game along which gives you the full ending anyways.

Final Judgment: 8.5 out of 10

This game despite it's little flaws is a welcome addition to the series. The storyline is gripping and as immersive as ever. The characters are interesting and you'll enjoy all the bits of dialog. You get 30 hours of gameplay so you know you get your money's worth. If you haven't played the first one and are interested, I recommend the first one because you're getting the same game but once you finished the first one and you want a bit more, this is the right place to turn.