What Are You Playing

[TBT!]

Well, I spent a good part of the weekend with Black Ops. Still not finished with the single player yet, but I'm still loving every bit of it. It is, by far, the best single player CoD game yet. I've heard mixed things about the Multiplayer, but I haven't tried it yet so I'll reserve my opinions until then! Taking missions from JFK was great, and when you hit 'Nam the action goes through the roof!! neo

Interesting, I played through the single player last week and wasn't impressed.

I actually think the Vietnam levels were terrible and hated them, Treyarch are still way too reliant on infinite spawn to push you forward,on the whole I found nothing new or exciting in Black Ops and felt it was FPS by the numbers. IMO Black Ops just didn't have anything that made it stand out above the usual FPS fare, If you are looking for examples of stand out CoD franchise levels to me they would be "all ghillied up" the sniper mission & the original opening mission on the ship in MW1.

As for me I'm happilly exploring the mojave desert in fallout NV and loving pretty much every minute of it, the graphics engine may not have improved much since FO3 but the gameplay really hits the spot.

T.

[The_Donster]

I think I'm some where in the middle of you guys when it comes to Black Ops. I stayed up last night and wrapped things up. While I don't think it is the best COD, I don't think it is the worst either. I can definitely see where TBT is coming by, nothing really original here. I had the plot figure out early into it and hated their "tribute" to Deer Hunter Still, it had a good pace and I'm hoping I fair better in this multiplayer than COD's Thinking I might go back to Force Unleashed before tackling the sequel to brush up on the ways of the force.

[neolego]

Holy Cow, me and Timbo disagree.......call the papers .

First, I will admit that "All Ghillied Up" is the best level of any CoD game, and probably the best level I've played in 10 years period. And I still think that Modern Warfare gets the nod as the best of the series based alone on it's change of pace. But I think that Black Ops is a fantastic story and great game that ranks up there. I've said before, I always prefer the grittier, historial based games as opposed to future style stories, that's just personal preference. And I don't mind the spawning, it keeps the action packed and keeps me on my toes. (and for the record, Infinity Ward created that style, and Treyarch just ported it). In the end, there will always been a Modern Warfare vs. Anything else in the CoD series debate and there will always be people that just prefer modern weapons and stories and opposed to people that perfer history and classic stories and weapons. In the end though, we all win because the games remain fantastic.

I also picked up MLB the show last week. I haven't played around with it much because of Black Ops but I played a little bit last night. It is probably the best baseball game I've ever played. I found it very cheap and it was worth every dime. neo

[Lurch77]

Reach?, Black Ops?, pfft In a few more days It's On Like Donkey Kong!! :banana:

[Dio]

TRU had a sale on video games, so I decided to pick up Baroque for PS2 since it was $10. But then I found out it was a roguelike so I was hesitant to play it since I don't like the idea of having to start over again if I die. But I played it anyway thinking it would still be interesting. It's actually kinda boring even though the rooms are randomly generated. I wish the game wouldn't entirely take place in Neuro Tower.

[DarkRedShadow]

So I beat story on black ops a couple of days ago,and I gotta say I love the voice acting!The cast is great with people such as

Same worthington AKA The Terminator Navi

Ed Harris aka does he really need aka?

Gary Oldman AKA Sirius Gordon

Ice Cube AKA Rapper

And Topher Grace aka the dude that should have never been in spiderman 3.

I did like it although I did not really enjoy vietnam.

Oh yeah and the sound track is awesome{except for eminem Don't really like his music}

Ive been playing lots of online and I have been enjoying it.

Also yesterday was the day lbp2 should have been released,can't wait 'till Jan 18

Oh yeah JFK KILLING ZOMBIES!

[neolego]

Well, it's been quite, maybe everyone is actually busy PLAYING the games to talk about them . Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has picked up Kinect. As hard as it is to believe, my wife is actually asking for one for Christmas. I thought I was done with the 360, but maybe not, lol. So, any thoughts about Kinect from the multiverse?!? neo

[The_Donster]

Sounds like this is appealing to the wives Neo. My wife has actually been talking about it and the holiday bundles. Unfortunately with the 360 in the bedroom, I think it would be a waste for us. If I can ever finish this damn upstair project, it could probable work in the spare bedroom. While I would love to upgrade to the new console, I'm not really interested in using the Kinect. That's just me though. Don't think I was much help, sorry

[drgnrbrn316]

I don't see what the appeal is myself. The only game that even looks halfway decent or not a blatant Wii ripoff is that Dance Central game, and I don't dance, so that's out. So that means I'd be getting one to browse menus with, and I've never found using a controller for that overly strenuous.

There are some games that Kinect could be really good for, but it doesn't seem to fit with any of the games that Xbox is famous for, mainly shooters.

I think Sony was right in saying that you'll always need buttons, not that they've done a hell of a lot with their motion controller at the moment.

Oh well, back to figuring out how to play GT5.

[handsomedevil]

I'm addicted to House of the Dead: Overkill! hahaha

[neolego]

Well, Santa came early this year. I picked up my Xbox Kinect Bundle yesterday. Let me first say, it's good to be back. Getting rid of my Xbox was a HORRIBLE idea and I'm man enough to admit when I made a mistake. Holding that controller again yesterday felt like a dream, I have no interest in ever playing PS3 again (well, at least until Uncharted 3, lol).

Anyway, It was supposed to be wrapped and under the tree, but I worked out a compromise with the Mrs. She was allowed to wrap my games and put them under the tree and I could open and use the console in the meantime. So, right now I have Halo Reach, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, and Fable III sitting under the tree......but I can wait a few weeks!

As for Kinect, she did let me keep Kinect Adventures out for the kids and I bought her Biggest Loser the game. So far Kinect is really cool. The menu stuff is awesome. My biggest concern was that I would have to stand to use it, but that's not the case. You have to stand to play the games (at least the 2 I have), but I sit on the end of my couch, slightly to the left of the TV and Kinect recognized my "wave" and hand motions while I browsed the menu system. It is a novelity, but being able to do it from my favorite seat in the house was a nice plus and it's kinda fun.

As for the games, me and Kira (my daughter) spent most of the afternoon playing around with Kinect Adventures, and it's really fun....for her. It's a very simple game that showcases what the Kinect does, but it doesn't have the staying power of, say, Wii Bowling. But, for a pack in it was pretty fun and Kira completely loved it. All she did was simply step in front of the TV and Kinect acknowledged her and even with the vast height difference could read both of us. VERY COOL. The one small issue that we had was Cal (our son). We were about 8 feet from the TV and he thought it was fun to run around in front of us and every now and then Kinect would grab him and it would throw my movements off, nothing game breaking, but if were playing a serious game someone walking in front of you could be a huge issue. Overall I'm glad that we invested in the bundle and I'm sure we will get some good use out of the Kinect especially with the kids. I was worried that Kira, at 4, wouldn't get it, but she was navigating menus and playing just fine without my help. She got a Bronze metal on her very first attempt.

Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know that I was back and plug Kinect a little. I'm sure more impressions will come as I spend more time with it. Love Live XBOX 360!!!

neo

[TBT!]

Oh Neo you are so fickle with your loyalties

I do find it amusing that your post was mostly to talk about the kinect but your first sentence was how much you love the xbox controller! That doesn't bode well for kinect IMO.

T.

[neolego]

I do find it amusing that your post was mostly to talk about the kinect but your first sentence was how much you love the xbox controller! That doesn't bode well for kinect IMO.

Kinect is a Novelity right now. The stuff with the menu is really fun and cool and it was awesome to have my 4 year old daughter stand next to me and be able to play a game with very little instruction required. HOWEVER, I will go on record and say there is no way that I will EVER do my serious gaming with the Kinect, it's just not made for that. What was meant by my first comment is simply that the Xbox 360 controller is, hands down, the BEST controller ever made. I'm looking forward to Fable III and Reach and AC Brotherhood and all of those games could never be enjoyed on Kinect. So, while the "newness" is fun with the Kinect right now, when it all boils down, the controller will always been essential!!

On a playing note, I downloaded Pinball FX2 along with the Marvel Tables and have been playing quite a bit. I loved the original Pinball FX and 2 is everything made better and then throw in Marvel tables and you can't beat it. There are 4 tables for 800 points: Iron Man, Spider-Man, Blade, and Wolverine. They are all cool, but Spiderman is my favorite right now. I also played the Trial version for Comic Jumper and Limbo, both are games that I really wanted, but I'm kinda on the fence right now. Comic Jumper was funny, but didn't really catch me with gameplay. Limbo was fantastic in style and presentation, but I spend 20 minutes trying to get across a pond with a box and died over and over. While I would love to play that game, if I can't get through the demo, the full game is going to drive me insane......but I could have just been tired. neo

[youbastards]

I do find it amusing that your post was mostly to talk about the kinect but your first sentence was how much you love the xbox controller! That doesn't bode well for kinect IMO.

Kinect is a Novelity right now. The stuff with the menu is really fun and cool and it was awesome to have my 4 year old daughter stand next to me and be able to play a game with very little instruction required. HOWEVER, I will go on record and say there is no way that I will EVER do my serious gaming with the Kinect, it's just not made for that. What was meant by my first comment is simply that the Xbox 360 controller is, hands down, the BEST controller ever made. I'm looking forward to Fable III and Reach and AC Brotherhood and all of those games could never be enjoyed on Kinect. So, while the "newness" is fun with the Kinect right now, when it all boils down, the controller will always been essential!!

On a playing note, I downloaded Pinball FX2 along with the Marvel Tables and have been playing quite a bit. I loved the original Pinball FX and 2 is everything made better and then throw in Marvel tables and you can't beat it. There are 4 tables for 800 points: Iron Man, Spider-Man, Blade, and Wolverine. They are all cool, but Spiderman is my favorite right now. I also played the Trial version for Comic Jumper and Limbo, both are games that I really wanted, but I'm kinda on the fence right now. Comic Jumper was funny, but didn't really catch me with gameplay. Limbo was fantastic in style and presentation, but I spend 20 minutes trying to get across a pond with a box and died over and over. While I would love to play that game, if I can't get through the demo, the full game is going to drive me insane......but I could have just been tired. neo

Grab the tree branch that fell before the pond.

[neolego]

Grab the tree branch that fell before the pond.

Hm....thanks for the tip! I'll give it another shot tonight. Question for you, did you buy the game? Would you reccommend??

neo

[youbastards]

Yes, to both questions. I thought Limbo was one of the most unique gaming experiences this year. The full game is relatively short, but the production quality and style of the game makes up for it, IMO.

[neolego]

Yes, to both questions. I thought Limbo was one of the most unique gaming experiences this year. The full game is relatively short, but the production quality and style of the game makes up for it, IMO.

Thanks, since I haven't been on Live in some time I missed several big arcade games. I'm looking to pick up 2 for the holiday deal (400 points back) and Limbo is on that list. So is Comic Jumper, Lara Croft, Costume Quest, Deathspank, and Plants vs. Zombies.........oh the choices..... neo

[BrobotC]

Anyone here have tron evolution?

[neolego]

Anyone here have tron evolution?

I don't have it, but I've heard it's not very good.....so I continue to fight to urgue of the Tron fan inside of me and NOT buy it......but I may..... neo

[Trekker 42]

Come Christmas, I'll have a PS3 and I'll have Red Dead Redemption. I didn't get any other multiplayer games, but I'd very much like to make a Posse with some of you guys someday. I'll tell you my gamertag once I'm hooked up. But I can pretty much guarantee that it'll be some form of Trekker 42. Most likely.

[neolego]

Well, I have been playing quite a bit lately. I'm astounded just how much better the Xbox is than the PS3. Now that I've back on LIVE I just want to play more.

Anywho, yesterday was a big day. I decided which 2 games to pick up in the December sale, so I downloaded Plants vs. Zombie (my iPhone game of the year) and LIMBO. I also downloaded the X-Men Arcade game and Pac-Man CE: DX.

I spent most of my time yesterday with Limbo, man that game is awesome. It drew me in for an hour and a half without even thinking about it. I'm at the part with all the gears, so I'm almost done but I ended up having to put her down for the night. I can't wait to see the ending, I hope I get some sort of explination of what the crap is going on. Needless to say though, this is one of the most visiual unique and haunting games of all time!

Pac-Man CE: DX is Pac-Man....on Steroids. It is the best Pac-Man game that I've ever played. The new following mechanic from the ghost really change everything that you do and the first 30 ghost chain I got made me giggle like a half baked serial killer.....so fulfilling!! But, of all the new additions, the BEST (IMO) is that Matrix time. Just before you are going to die the game slows down to a crawl and gives you just the time you need to make a split second decision. When you get the speed of the game up really high, that Matrix time is needed and it's adds a little more of a puzzle/skill/quick thinking aspect to the game and less luck!

Now, X-Men arcade....It's not really different, but it's X-MEN ARCADE!! I still think TMNT Arcade is a better game, this game will always have a place in my heart, and being able to play it in HD for achievements makes it even better. I beat the game last night with Cyclops (My favorite of the bunch) but there is an achievement for beating it with everyone so I will play back through again several times. However, I'm most interested in the Multiplayer stuff. However, over the Summer when I sold my Xbox I let my Gold run out, so now I'm waiting until Christmas for a new Gold membership. So, as soon as I get that I'm looking forward to some 6 Men games!!

And, on top of all of that, I'm still trying to make my way through the story of Assassin's Creed II. I'm getting Brotherhood for Christmas, but since it's a continuation I want to beat II first. But, with all these awesome arcade games I'm having trouble getting to it......but that's the kind of trouble I like . neo

[The_Donster]

Still haven't gotten back online. Decided to wrap up Walking Dead last night instead of Force Unleashed. I did renew my Live though, so I'm covered for another year. Was giving a hard hint on the new 360 a few nights ago to the wife, which she immediately picked up on With us getting a new tv, I don't see me getting this anytime soon though

[neolego]

I finished LIMBO last night. And I will say that I'm ultimately disappointed. The game, from the start, was intriging and challenging and even haunting. It pulled me in and made me want to keep playing (I beat it in two sittings). Then, I came to the ending. Without spoiling anything for anyone, I just felt completely let down by the whole experience. I was looking for something much more difinitive than what we got. I'm all for open ended ideas left for personal inturpretation (Inception, LOST, Brad and Angelina), but I feel the game attempted to be TOO lofty. If anyone is on the fence about this game I would say wait for a price drop. It's a game I would recommend to anyone, but at $15 it feels like more of a letdown than anything. The only game that I could even compare it to is Braid, which is one of my favorite games of all time. The same thing was attempted in Braid. A cryptic plot with an artistic metophor as an ending. The main difference is that Braid is laced with story. When you start ever level of Braid you have several "books" to read that start filling in gaps and giving some information, so that you can make an educated guess as to what's going on. So, to that end, Braid is still the best indie game even and while Limbo looks AMAZING, it still falls short by it's own heaviness......but that is my opinion .

I'm also still working through Assassin's Creed II, and might I just say I do love that game. Assassin's Creed is easily one of my favorite new series of this Generation. I love the controls and the quality and the gameplay and the story. At this pace I don't think I'm going to beat it before Christmas (next week) so Brotherhood may have to wait just a little while longer ! neo

[undeadpool]

just downloaded the DCU online BETA and im in love with this game even though i suck at it

[neolego]

I got a story for you, but like "Memento" I'm going to give you the ending first: Dance Central!!

Ok, so it's goes like this. I had some family over yesterday after church. They wanted to check out Kinect as they are looking to get one for their family for Christmas. Now, I only have Kinect Adventures (that came with) and The Biggest Loser (thanks to my wife ). So, I downloaded Demos for Sonic Free Riders, Fitness Evolved, Joyride, and Dance Central, all of which I hadn't played before. So, while those were downloading we jumped into Kinect Adventures.....this of course AFTER the Cowboy game . Anyway, we had fun, but I'm not greatly impressed with the selection in KA, in fact it fails in comparrison to Wii Sports....but I digress. I then brought up the Demos, Sonic Free Riders was crap...crap, don't even think about buying it! Joyride was OK, but most important was the kids LOVED it. My 4 year old has had trouble playing Mario Kart Wii in the past so I didn't think she would enjoy Joyride, but the game controls great and she doesn't have to worry about gas or drift or anything, she just steers. So, my 4 year old daughter and 4 and 3 year old neices played Joyride for about 30 minutes and loved it. Then, it was the adults turn so we flipped on Dance Central. Before I share my impressions let me tell you that I had zero interest in the game from day one, it wasn't even on my radar....in fact, before yesterday I would have bought Sonic Free Riders before Dance Central........but alas, that was yesterday.

So, they only give you two songs to choose from: Poker Face and Poison. I went with Poker Face as a more modern dance song and began learning moves. The game fully tracks your whole body. For instance, when doing side steps, not only is it monitoring your feet in sync, but if you are holding your arms in a weird way they will glow red and you will lose points. Very cool. So, they take you through each of the steps in the song and let you practice them a few times, then they put it all together with the music. And, to top the cake, in the middle there is a freestyle section, where Kinect records you dancing however you want and then plays it back at double time......and LOLs follow. You can then access and see the photos put together in a stop motion video of your dancing....more LOLs!! Now, remember I told you, there are only 2 songs in the demo. So, for the next 2 hours the adults spent dancing to hilarity! End of the story, it was a great game and now it's probably my next Kinect purchase. And, if you needed more validation, my wife (who doesn't dance.....ever!) not only danced to both songs on hard but looked at me after one of her rounds and says, "we gotta get this game". Well done!

neo