2 posts tagged “resistance: fall of man”
Well, it's been a while since I found time to post and I am sorry about that - life has been rather hectic with one thing and another and time has flown past.
So, what's new? Well LittleBigPlanet has finally landed and, to be honest, I was getting to the point of expecting it to spectacularly fail to live up to its hype. The truth is, however, that it is an insanely great game - cute, funny and really quite challenging in parts. The voiceover by Stephen Fry just tops off a great package, really.
Much has been made of so-called "inclusive" games recently, a phrase which braodly refers to games which appeal to those outside of the traditional demographic definitionof "gamer". The Wii is basically living on this premise, with its lack of outstanding graphics, Gamecube-esque games and sub-par media playback options - without the wand, the Wii would be dead in the water and, because waving a wand like a club to play golf is more natural than using a thumbstick to swing and another to address spin, etc, the Wii has sold like hotcakes as a "family" console - gran can play it with minimal introduction. However, the problem with the Wii is that it is, essentially last-gen technology with a gimick - it won't appeal to hardcore gamers because trying to play Call of Duty on the Wii is difficult and unsatisfying when compared to PS3 (or XBox 360). The PS3, on the other hand, has suffered from almost the exact opposite problem - it has some great games for hardcore gamers, often single player only, but few titiles that you can casually play with friends and family - mainly football, racing or fighting games.
What LBP does is bring together the knockabout, fun-to-frolic feel of, say, Smash Bros Melee to the PS3, a liberal sprinkling of catchy tunes (you'll be humming some of them for weeks) and some great old-school platforming, all covered with a sugary coating that is as addictive as Crack. My wife loves it, I love it. The cats love it - ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point... The game is brilliant and that is without getting into the whole world of user-generated levels that you can create, share or download. Think of it as a cute sackboy-related version of modding Quake, but without the need to learn any coding and you're part way there - suffice it to say that this game is likely to be around for a long, long time. Sheer class.
I recently got back in to Resistance:Fall of Man (primarily as Resistance 2 is out soon) - I had forgotten how good that game is. Even my wife, who is not a huge fan of FPS games, has given it a go and enjoyed it (admittedly she honed her shooting skills playing Uncharted, so she feels less intimidated), although it has scared the bejesus out of her at times. Then again, given its adrenalin-soaked nature and fast-paced action, it's not surprising it has made her jump - some of the set pieces can really get your heart pounding! Again, if you haven't got this game, I highly recommend it - it makes a change from the usual WW2 shooters and, whilst it might not be a true competitor to Half-Life 2 (what is?), it certainly has a lot to recommend it - not least the fact it is now available on the Platinum/Budget range.
Finally, I have been enjoying another guilty pleasure recently - the Sam and Max season 2 games. Currently, I am dealing with a zombie infestation, having dealth with mer-men living under Easter Island, a psychotic Santa Claus and giant killer robot amongst other things. To be honest, season 1 felt more well-rounded, but there are plenty of laughs and some great point-and-click adventuring to be had. If you liked the original Sam and Max game (or enjoyed the humour of the cartoon series), you'll love them. If you didn't catch the original, you might want to try Seasons 1 and 2 of the new games, as they are a nice set of lightweight point-and-click games that can be truly side-splitting at times.
Ok, that's it for now - I promise to write soon again!
Well, here I sit on the horns of a dilemma. I have, since the drive in my old XBox died, been without a games console (apart from my PSP, which is more of a travel companion). I do have a Gamecube, but save for the odd go at Donkey Konga, or a run at Resident Evil 4, it has not seen the light of day since I completed Zelda and all of the other games I had on it. No, that now lives with my fiancee who is happy to join me in the odd post-pub game of Monkeyball. So, I need to get a new console to fill the slot on my TV stand and stop me building a monster PC just to play games.
Why do I need one at all, I hear some nay-sayers ask? Well, the fact is I prefer a good couple of hours gaming to watching Big Brother or the like - games are, by nature, interactive and get your mind working. I tend to watch DVDs to relax and play games for fun. The last ones I really enjoyed were the Prince of Persia trilogy (including the extra in-between version on the PSP) and Tomb Raider Legend. I've played a lot of Neverwinter Nights on my laptop and have also spent a lot of time playing Dawn of War and the like. But what I really like to have as a leisure option is a nice console with a racing game, a golf and/or other sport game, maybe a fighting game and something with a bit of action (i.e Halo, or Splinter Cell for example). So, given the fact that I will no doubt buy my other half a Wii (she is a) a Zelda fanatic and b) very interested in the nunchuk controller), do I get myself an XBox 360 or a PS3? This is my current dilemma.
So, the Playstation 3. Well, I have to admit to loving my PSP, but I never really got on with my PS2 (bought one of the Gran Turismo 3 packs the day they came out many moons ago) - I preferred the fun factor of the Gamecube (I used to take it round to friends' houses regularly) and the superior technology of the first XBox (Halo 2 was great) to the black box from Sony. Yes, I know it had Final Fantasy ( I really enjoyed FF-X), but that didn't sell the system to me and I eventually sold it and 13 games to a friend for what I paid for the console a little over a year later, but I digress. The fact is that I am not a Sony fanboy, PSP aside, (I had a Saturn and N64 instead of a PS One, too) so they system has a lot to do in order to convince me to shell out at least £425 for a console alone. It needs to be able to store movies for me to watch and it needs to be able to play games that look great and are good to play, as it has to prevent me from wanting to build the monster PC that I keep threatening my fiancee I am going to. If it can do enough to convince me I don't need a high-end gaming PC to get my entertainment fix, then it will be worth the money. I can stick with my trusty Vaio Core Duo and save myself about £1000. So, the big question is "does it manage to do it?"
