Showing posts with label Online Play. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Online Play. Show all posts

Splinter Cell: Conviction

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Platform: Xbox 360, PC.

Just what's going on here anyway?

As with the other Splinter Cell games, You play as Sam Fisher, A now rogue super spy who is mourning the death of his daughter the only way he knows how, By taking revenge on every living thing in sight.

Is it FUN?!?!?!

You ever watch the James Bond movies, Or the Bourne Trilogy and think `Man, I want to DO that. I want to BE that guy.` Well, Here's your chance.

As a rogue spy, Your moral compass is no longer clouded by no kill orders and the like, It's open season all the time. These schmucks are in your way and there is nothing going to stop you from finding out the circumstances about your daughters death. Of course, you're only human, So your body only takes so much damage before you die. A single well placed shot can kill you dead (Luckily for you, the AI is almost never that competent.), That's where the 2 most important game mechanics comes into play, Stealth and the Mark and Execute system

For the vast majority of the game, you'll be skulking around the shadows, making sure that you're never seen or heard. The game has an incredibly easy way to tell if you're hidden from view or not, Is the screen black and white? Then you, my friend, are basically non-existent to the AI of the game. Take out someone with a melee move (Jumping down on them from a higher area, pulling them out of a window, or just simply punching them in the face.), You gain the ability to mark some targets in your visual range (amplified by the Sonar Goggles about halfway through the game), Once you mark your opponents, Simply press Y and watch Sam slaughter up to 4 marks with perfectly placed headshots. Congratulations, You've just cleared a room of bad guys in 5 seconds. Don't you feel AWESOME!? To mix things up, You can even mark your targets before you get the ability to execute. This gives you a chance to be far more strategic then just blindly firing on anybody in your path. Once you figure out all the little tricks and hints in the game, then it's pretty easy to blaze though even on the upper echelon of difficulties.

And that's just the single player. The Co-op story follows generally the same rules as the single player, But you'll want to make sure to play Co-op after the Single Player as the weapons and gadgets that you collect and modify in Single Player carry over to the Co-op story.

Is it interesting?

The storyline follows Sam as a grieving father looking for revenge, but before long the game spirals into International Intrigue variety of spy storytelling. Are you interested in EMP bombs? In huge government conspiracies that lead to the President's demise? If the answer to these questions is anything but a `yes`, then you're probably not going to be too interested in the story. Cutscenes aren't exactly skippable as you can only really skip them about 3/4ths of the way through sometimes, So you'll be listening to a lot of techno-spy-babble.

While it's not all bad and it's generally as interesting as a Bourne or a Bond movie. It can feel a little hamfisted at times, Especially during Co-op... So, you know, Buyer Beware.

Will it make me want to throw my controller through my TV... again?

On realistic difficulty, You betcha. The AI is incredibly smart and completely unforgiving. Even on Normal, you might find yourself restarting areas over and over again for not following the rules of engagement that the game sets down. Once you get the hang of using shadows, stealth and `Mark and Execute` to your advantage as well as the other tools that the game presents to you (Upgraded guns and gadgets), this game can become extremely easy but also extremely satisfying.

Story missions on both single player and Co-op are split up rather well and checkpoints are generally forgiving with a few annoying exceptions scattered throughout. Nothing to truly complain about, But enough to get under your skin, for sure.

Will this game consume my life?

It depends on how into the game you are. It can be as short as playing through the single player one time, Or as long as you want by collecting P.E.C. Challenges and achievements. If you're really into the game and want more beyond even the Single Player and Co-op, The game has you covered in the form of its Deniable Ops mode.

Deniable Ops is a mode of standalone missions (single player and Co-op) without any story at all, It's broken into 3 game types: Hunter, Last Stand and Infiltration (Depending on if you got this mode from Ubisofts point and content delivery system, Uplay or not.). Hunter Mode consists of hunting down 50 bad guys over 5 sections (10 per section) while trying not to get spotted, If you DO happen to get spotted, they call 10 more guards to hunt you down and kill you, So of you get spotted once a section, there's a possibility of fighting 100 enemies over the course of the level, This can get insanely frustrating as all of the guards that they call have incredibly aggressive AI.

Infiltration Mode is similar to Hunter except that when spotted or trip an alarm, It's Game Over, So you have to be incredibly careful about your movements attacks. It's generally a lot of fun, except for the random times that you'll trip an alarm after killing everybody in the area, requiring you to start that area over again.

Last Stand is Conviction's Horde Mode. You fight waves of enemies while defending an objective. The gunplay in Conviction isn't as tight as it is in a game like Gears of War II or Halo 3: ODST (Two shining examples of Horde mode) so Last Stand isn't what you'd call tons of fun. But it's fun enough with a partner.

So depending on whether or not you're interested in these modes, is how much longevity you'll get out of the game. 5+ hours for the single player storyline, 5+ for the co-op mode and as much as you want in Deniable Ops (single player and co-op). With the generous checkpoint system and the bite-sized missions in Deniable Ops (Around an hour per mission), It's easy to pick up and put down at your leisure.

Do I want to spend that much of my life with these people?

Out of the cast of characters, Sam is generally the most likeable of the bunch, It's easy to sympathize with a father who's lost everything and is trying to get some sort of semblance of his life back. The second most likeable is a man names Victor Coste, Who serves as a framing device for the story as a whole and a narrator. Anna Grimsdottir serves as what I'd call an `unreliable ally` in the game, You never quite know whose side she's on even at the end.

The two members of the Co-op team, Archer and Kestrel never really get fleshed out in any sense of the word. Which is a shame because they were rather interesting for what they were.

Sam is, for the most part, the only character that you play. With the exception of one level where you actually play as Victor Coste in a flashback mission trying to rescue Sam during a mission 20 years prior to the story.

Is it worth it?

Do you like spy movies? If the answer is `Yes`. Then you'll enjoy this game. It's story is about as coherent as a summer action flick. Regardless, It's an enjoyable game whether or not you're really into spy stuff. It just helps if you ARE.

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LittleBigPlanet

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Platform: Playstation 3

Just what's going on here anyway?
You love this game. No really, you do. You probably just don't know it yet. "Who are all those guys?" you may ask, leering suspiciously at the cover. Those are sackpeople. The loveable, customizable characters you control in LittleBigPlanet. For 1-4 players in single screen co-op, or online play. A classic "platformer", this game is for the most part two-dimensional. You (and optional friends) will run, jump, grab and swing through a gamut of strangely stylized levels resembling the kinds of worlds you'd create if you were trapped in an Arts and Crafts class for the Slightly Cracked(tm).

Is it FUN?!?!?!
Absolutely. If you're new to the gaming scene this is an excellent place to start. With controls reminiscent of typical side-scrolling type games, anyone who has played the original Super Mario Bros will have a general understanding of how it works. Each level has sections that can only be accessed once pieces from levels further on have been acquired, encouraging level replay even through the first playthrough. Each level and unlockable section gives you some piece of clothing with which you can outfit your Sack person.

Is it interesting?
This game is definitely eye candy. Each level is a different and quirky/strange story line that will keep you interested and moving along. The music is fun and eclectic, and the levels are unique and fun to explore, though increasingly challenging as they progress. The level styles, character customization and hidden areas will keep you coming back for more.

Will it make me want to throw my controller across the room... again?
Entertaining from the start, the tutorial (narrated by the amazing Stephen Fry) eases you step by step into the game play. "But Hatter!" you exclaim, "I am a gaming WIZ! I bleed pixels! I don't need *gasp!* Instructions!" Well, so you don't good sir! (Yes you do.) But it's presented so well, you'd be silly to miss it. The levels do get pretty challenging fairly quickly. Beginning players may find themselves frustrated while moving along the storyline, but the online play, and the online user made levels should continue to keep any player satisfied.


Will this game consume my life?
You will most likely find yourself coming back for more, and even more likely to show your friends any time they come over. The only potential snag is if you hit a difficult spot you can't get through, and end up finding another game with which to distract yourself.

Is it worth it?
Definitely so. As a casual multiplayer, it's exciting, and fun, and you can spend hours on it or just kick through a few levels, no matter the level of gamer you're playing with.

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Whose Tea Party is This?

Fantasy, creativity, originality, new worlds to explore, puzzles to solve, pretty pictures, and simulated violence! These are all things we love here at AGF. This site is for people like us, and hopefully people like you, who aren't supergamers, who never make the top of any leaderboards, don't buy every single game the day it comes out and don't spend ten hours a day gaming, but who love to pick up a controller from time to time and have some fun.

I, Alice, am based in Asia (for now) and play mostly XBox 360 and DS. My family owned a Vic-20 (which debuted the same month as myself), so I've been gaming practically since birth. My gaming style could best be described as "suicidal" - that is, I'm really good at falling down holes or off cliffs, blowing myself up with grenades, and calling in airstrikes on my own position.

I am the Hatter. Only half mad, you see. Gaming since I was a wee tyke, and my mother sat me on her knee and offered Centipede, Castle, and Bouncing Babies on her blazing quick x386, with a fancy CGA monitor. Though these details may be a little too telling of my interminable timeline, they are most certainly cornerstones of my gaming persona. I dabble mostly in PC, 360, PS3, PSP, and various emulated old school console games when I am not cursing the mechanical gods, or manipulating sonic aberrations.

I am the Caterpillar. Gaming since the dawn of Nintendo and the Birth of Mega Man. Like the Hatter, I date myself but this especially the birth of Mega Man are fundamental to my gaming. To this day Mega Man is still my favorite series. I mostly play on the newer gen consoles and handhelds (PS3, 360, PSP, DS) And while I do enjoy periodic romps into PC, Retro and Indie gaming, My heart and soul lies in RPGs. Be they `w` or `j`, I play them all the same.