I've been playing a bunch of different games lately. I have stayed away from purchasing anything new because in a few days GTA 4 comes out and from what I hear its a hell of a time consumer. Plus Metal Gear is around the corner and I know for sure once that comes out the world will stop turning until I am done with it. So here are some quick and painless reviews on the games I am currently playing.
Tiger Woods '08 for the Wii.
This game is fun. It could be better but what the hell, the wii remote more than makes up for what is lacks in. It takes some getting used to but once you get the hang of it, its a lot of fun. Ms. Guru got addicted to the game and thats saying something. The woman is my opposite when it comes to video games. Basically, this is as close as you can come to "golfing" while still in your underwear and your kitchen only feet away.
What sucks? The commentary. Its ok at first but it gets repetitive FAST. Pretty soon you are almost able to predict what the guys are going to say. This annoying fact is not helped much by the crappy music and sound in the game. Granted, its a golf game and who wants to listen to Norweigan death metal while putting, but if you are committed to the game you will spend some time upgrading and customizing your character in the menu. Which brings me to how crappy the character building is. I'm not going to dive into this aspect too deeply, but for those of you who like a buff looking you in a video game, be prepared to settle for an asian looking black frumpy you.
So, I give it a C+. Fun game with a bunch of mini games, but sure could have used a lot more polish.
Oblivion - PS3.
Yes, I'm still playing it. The game of the year edition is just a monstrous game. Since I bought it months ago, I have played well over 110 hours and have yet to finish the expansion packs. I've spoken of the good and the bad before (DON'T BECOME A VAMPIRE!!) only to have the Great Crash of '08 purge my review into the black hole of the internet. But here are some things I have noticed as I have progressed further since then.
This game is GLITCHY!!! I don't know if its because its a huge game or what but sometimes when it loads I get nervous because of the many times my PS3 has frozen only to have to go back to my last save point. Not only that but there have also been times where I literally get stuck between rocks or something only to have to load to my last save. Spoken dialogue seems to just disappear at times when the game feels like it. It will speak the first few words of a line then stop. This repeats and gets pretty frustrating.
Besides glitches, for such a massive game it has a very SLIM cast of voice actors. It seems like the same 5 people provide the voice for the HUNDREDS of characters in this game. This takes away from the epic feel of the game. I know I'm a tool but damn I'm sure they can find thousands of "background" voices that will do it for free. I know if a game developer was asking people to be in a game I'd jump on it. Or at least pick up a couple of literate bums and give them a character each for a sandwich in return.
So, this game gets an A-. I didn't speak of the good things because I can go on for pages about it. For 60 bucks, a fun game that lasts 100+ hours is worth it.
Rockband - PS3
I'm sure many of you play this already so not much needs to be said. I will mention things I WISH rockband had. Like when buying and downloading songs, I wish I could preview the song before I buy it. A lot of these songs I have never heard before and would like at least a little taste of it before I bought it. I know I can go to YouTube but I'm lazy. They're making millions on DLC (downloadable content) alone so why can't they just add this puny feature on the PSN?
I also wish I could do the world tour thing and form a "band" online. Ms. Guru plays and people in my house play, but they all suck! My friend back in Miami and some friends really far away are awesome and wish progress was tracked with them. But instead we're forced to just play quickplay. With my fragile ego I need the constant reminder of how awesome I am recorded forever, for all to see.
So, Rockband gets an A- as well. Awesome song collection which is constantly growing, fun as hell to play with others hammered or sober, and WAAAAAAY better than guitar hero.
Super Smash Bros: Brawl - Wii
What can I expect from a fighting game full of cute Nintendo characters? Not surprisingly though its a good game. I have played this series since the N64 and they have progressively gotten funner and deeper. This game has a butt-load of characters some of whom are new to the series like Solid Snake (of course my fave). However, some are just copies of other characters with different "skins". But whatever. Its a fun game with a lot of features like a stage builder.
Suckiness? Sure. Like the controls. If you use either of the Wii remote configurations its a pain in the ass. What is cool is that they provide the option to use the Game Cube controls so for veterans of the series it is easier to jump in and beat the shit out of people online or in the house. To be honest, this game is fun for a short amount of time. Once you go in as deep as you initially wanted, you're pretty much done. It becomes a lot of the same. So unless you have a bunch of friends who like this game you're going to get bored of beating the computer quickly. * I have to note that there is an option to play online with others but I have not done so.
So, it gets a B. Its a solid game if you play with others. Single player gets old pretty fast.
Super Mario Galaxy - Wii
I hated this game. No, thats too strong. I hated the HYPE this game got. I don't understand why people touted this game as being such a great thing when in reality it isn't. I could see why people thought this, but to me its strengths are not enough to warrant the "best game for the wii" title it was recieving.
I will say that the level designs are out of this world (no pun intended). The physics of the game really give it a spacey feel to which this game is based on. I give Kudos for that. The graphics and design of the game as well as overall presentation are superb. There was good application of the Wii remote in certain parts of the game.
With that said, this game is BORING. I played this game for a good week and there were times where I was seriously falling asleep while playing it. Even though there is all kinds of crap going on, I don't know if its the music or what but it sure got me drowsy. Also, the controls were crappy at times. There is nothing worse in a platformer than trying to jump to one side only to either have your character not jump or jump in a completely f-ed up direction.
LOL. I'm not going to lie to you guys. After thinking about the game its really not as bad as I opened with. I guess I just didn't like it as much as many others.
On a side note, Ms. Guru's daughter LOVED watching me play through it though. She loves Mario and the cartoonish game was like a movie to her. Her son really loved this game too.
So, it gets a decent C. Theres some re-playability but not for me.
Wheeeew! That's a lot of writing! How bored am I? Off to play some games...OH!!! LOL I guess not. As soon as I wrote that I heard the garage door open...Ms. Guru's home...
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