Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Everybody Was IPhone Gaming!

About a year ago, I wrote a blog about how I thought if done correctly the IPhone could become the killer of the PSP. Well here we are about a year later and that has truly come full circle. As I write this blog, millions of people are currently downloading all kinds of games from ITunes to play on their IPhone and IPod Touch. Games generally cost anywhere between Free and $10, and here is the real secret...they're good!

Apple has done mobile gaming right. Each game is relatively easy to play, and all can be played in very short periods of time. This is key. For the most part when you are playing games on the go, you really have less than 15 minutes of where you can play the game. Maybe you are on the subway or you are waiting in line somewhere and you want to kill time. You can't pull out your PSP and start getting into a very involved stage of something. It will take you 5 minutes alone just to get to the start screen. With the Iphone, you're gaming in seconds.
The biggest problem with the PSP was what I described last year. There is no way to play your PSP without making it look completely obvious that you are playing your PSP. Last year I carried my PSP around with me for two weeks trying to find opportunities to play it. Say I'm out at a restaurant with the 30 Year-old Fiancee, and she steps away to go to the bathroom, I can't pull out my PSP and start playing a game of Madden. She would be furious. She's understanding when it comes to my gaming, but that's pushing it. However now, I can pull out my Iphone and start playing Tiger Woods Golf, and it looks to everyone in the restaurant that I'm texting someone. This is completely socially acceptable. No one has any idea that I'm on hole 17 at Pebble Beach putting for par. Awesome!


It didn't take too long before I figured out the greatness of this and started playing games like a madman. I've got Monopoly, Tiger Woods Golf, Metal Gear Solid, and the Price is Right. True story...a few weeks back I'm in Washington DC with a buddy of mine and we're having a few beers before we have to meet his parents for dinner. I slide over to him my phone and he starts playing the Price is Right. He's loving the game. Gets to spin the wheel and makes it to the showcase showdown. Needless to say we ended up running late to dinner. The cost of that game was half of the cost of one pint of beer.

Apple is really onto something here and the more 3rd party developers get on board the greater it's going to be. This fall Iphone Madden comes out. I can't wait to take my Patriots to the Superbowl...all while sitting at my desk at work.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year-old Gamer
Posted by: at No comments:

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Delightfully Evil

The 30 Year-old Girlfriend who has recently become The 30 Year-old Fiancee and who will soon become The 30 Year-old Wife is excellent indeed. She knows that I'm a geek. I don't even hide it. She thinks it's cute and embraces it. About a month ago she comes home from work with a surprise for me. It came in a nice small Gamestop bag and she simply said, "I hope you like it." I was pleasantly surprised when I opened it to see a new copy of Resident Evil 5. This past Saturday, I stayed up to 3am and finally beat the game saving the world again from the evil Umbrella Corporation. Today, I can confidently say to you and The 30 Year-old Fiancee that no only did I like it, I loved it.
Here's a very quick background on the story of this game. There is a viral weapon that turns normal people into Zombie like monsters which is going to be sold to terrorists. You play a steroided up Arnold Swartz...er...Chris Redfield who is charged with stopping this from happening. You team up with local partner Sheva and the two of you go off shooting Zombies in the face and stop the evil corporation behind this from destroying all of humanity while finding your humanity in the process.

If it sounds like a stupid summer Hollywood blockbuster, it's because it is. If they made this into a movie instead and released it in June, it would be directed by Michael Bay and make $70 million the first weekend. The story is definitely interesting enough with plenty of twists to keep you engaged throughout the game. And by the time you fight the final bad guy, you just can't wait to kick his ass. When I finally beat him at 3am this past Saturday I happily stood up in my living room and gave him the double middle-finger salute.

If you've read reviews of this game on line, people really picked this game apart. Let me address those issues briefly. First, the inventory system is frustrating but you get used to it. You and your partner get 9 slots each to carry items. If you carry two guns, ammo for the two guns, an armor vest, and two health items, then you only have one spot left. Not good. In the second half of the game, items are everywhere and you just walk right past them, because as nice as it would be to have a rocket launcher, I would rather have ammo for my shotgun.

Second, your partner Sheva is an idiot. She can't be trusted with anything that is scarce (like health) because she'll use it. Again, this is a bigger issue in the beginning of the game than the end. You will walk into a courtyard and she'll see a guy 300 yards away and she'll start opening fire with her handgun. The guy will be no threat to us but that won't stop her from using all of her ammo to prove a point. And if you give her any health at all, she'll use it on you the moment you stub your toe. You get punched in the face once and she comes running over and sprays you in the face like an overly protective mother. Thanks, but how about I hold on to these from now on.

Despite those flaws, the game is a lot of fun to play. You don't need to know anything about the other 4 games in the series to play this one. The story is completely self contained. If you are interested in the back story, they tell it to you in the form of a timeline, but it's not important. The game is touted as this horror masterpiece, but it was never scary. Sure it was gory at times, but never scary. It was summer action popcorn flick.

If you've played Gears of War 2 or Army of Two, then you've got a feel for this game. Scenes in this game seem straight out of Gears of War 2 including a boss fight against a gigantic squid like monster that can only be hurt by using an orbital laser which is conveniently left behind for you to use. If you like those games, then give Resident Evil a try.

There doesn't seem to be many games coming out this summer, so if you missed this in your travels, pick it up and give it try. Or if you are lucky like me, you can have someone give it to you as a gift.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year-old Gamer

Posted by: at No comments:

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Now This Looks Promising

You have to give Xbox a little credit when it comes to one thing, and that's their online gaming. Almost every game that you buy today has some sort of multiplayer component of the game. In fact, a lot of gamers will buy a game because of it's multiplayer than it's solo game. Take the game Left 4 Dead for example. This game is played with 4 people working together to survive the zombie apocalypse. Now while you can play this game with three computer partners, they don't quite react the same way as a live person when your screaming for help because some huge monster is ripping your nipples off.

Over the past few years, Microsoft has done a great job at perfecting the online experience and while I'll be the first to admit that there is still a long way to go, I think they are making great strides. And one shining example of this, is a game that they are bringing to Xbox Live Arcade later this summer, 1 vs 100.
If you've never seen the live game show here's a quick summary of how the game is played. There is one person who is the main contestant and they have to answer trivia questions. The more they answer correctly, the more money they earn. There is also 100 other people, known as The Mob, who are also answering the questions. The members of The Mob that get the question wrong are eliminated. The contestant can quit at any time and walk with the money they have, or they can go up against The Mob. If the contestant answers a question wrong, then the remaining members of The Mob split the money and the contestant gets nothing.

Later this summer, this game show will be played live via Xbox Live. Gamers can sign up at a scheduled time and play the show for real prizes. You can be either "The One" or "The Mob". You use your Xbox Live Avatar to represent yourself and you can win Xbox Live Microsoft Points or even video games.

I for one am a huge trivia nut and this is right up my alley. I posted the trailer of the game on the left and if the game is half as good as the trailer, then this will be a huge success. I know I'm looking forward to it and hope this is just the beginning of games like this. It's a great way to help unite the Xbox Live community and something that the Nintendo Wii will never have.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year-old Gamer
Posted by: at No comments:

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

The Best Sports Game I've Ever Played

For all two of you who are still reading this blog, welcome back. If you are wondering where I've been, the answer is simple. I've been on the ice of the Boston Garden for the past 4 months. Let me explain.

Over the holidays I was given a nice gift card to Best Buy, where on a whim I picked up a copy of NHL 09. I know there aren't a lot of hockey fans out there, but I"m one of them. And let me tell you, this game is the best sports game I've ever played.
Let's start with the basics. The graphics are great, the game play is innovative, easy to learn and hard to master. Basically, everything you would expect from a top quality sports game is here, but it goes way beyond that.

They have a game mode called "Be a Pro" mode. I started in this mode by creating myself as a left winger and joining the Bruins organization. They start by putting me as a rookie in the Providence Bruins on their 3rd line. When you play in this mode, you can only play as yourself. You can't change players and when your shift on the ice is over, then you sit (not playing the game) waiting for your turn again. It's a very compelling way to play hockey, and you learn a lot about how to play the game when you don't have the puck. Hint, positioning is key.

I start playing on the P-Bruins struggling at first, but then finding some success. I work my way up to their 1st scoring line and about 33 games into the season I get the call up to the Boston Bruins. My first game with the Bruins is at home against the rival Montreal Canadians where half way through the third period I score the winning goal. (by the way, scoring is really hard so this is a big deal) I have so much fun playing through the season helping the Bruins make their way up the standings that before I know it, i've played 82 games and the playoffs are here.

In the opening round, I get the Atlanta Thrashers. They jump out to a quick 2-1 series lead before I come roaring back and win the series 4-2. In the 2nd round I play the rival Montreal Canadians again. This series isn't nearly as close and I beat them 4 games to 1. Then it's off to the Eastern Conference finals against the Pittsburg Penguins, and boy are they good. Three of our games go to overtime and the phenom Sidney Crosby is just unstoppable. He scores 7 goals in the series and I painfully get eliminated 4-2 by the eventual Stanley Cup Champs, Pittsburg Penguins.

At the end of the last game, after I punched the couch for 15 minutes, I walked to the local bar and had a couple beers to one hell of a great season. I personally can't believe how into this game I got. I would drive home at night from work looking forward to playing whoever my match up was that night. I would travel home to Boston and watch a Bruins game on TV and tell my brother, "Oh, I easily beat these guys 4-1 when I played them last week."

I tip my hat to Electronic Arts. This is the best sports game I've ever played and is probably on my top 5 games of all time. It's a must play for any sports fan, whether you like hockey or not. The game is just that awesome.

Now it's time to look to the offseason to see if the Bruins will offer me a 2 year $3 million deal.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year-old Gamer
Posted by: at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)