It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to post up here and I’m overdue.  I haven’t been to any new movies lately that are worth mentioning (I saw Whiteout but I’m trying to pretend I didn’t) so I figure that I’ll just chat about some of the games I’ve been playing.

 

First up: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.  I was a rabid fan of the first one to the point that I put in a good 100+ hours into it.  Naturally, hearing about the sequel and seeing those stunning graphics led me to buy this thing ASAP.  First impression: too short and that’s a crime!  This one lacks in almost every way.  The comic missions of the first one?  Gone mostly.  Four costumes per character?  Try two!  Huge campaign spanning MANY locales?  Try ten hours split into two plays.  Character choices??  TRIMMED!!! No Blade!  No Elektra!  No Moon Knight!  No Ghost Rider!  No Doctor Strange! But… we got Ironfist… um… woo!  Thanks for that trade! 

All those complaints aside, I love the game.  It’s super neat but wow, coming off of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1, this game should have been called Marvel Moderate Alliance.  If you’re an aspiring game developer out there reading this then take one piece of advice: when you make a sequel at least match the original in features.  Exceeding them is optional but when we get something that feels pared down and not remotely as complete, it rubs us gamers the wrong way.

 

That out of my system, I’d like to talk about Wet.  I have only played the demo and it was a lot of fun.  I’m guessing that this game will not take forever to complete so I haven’t bought it yet but wow.  I love Eliza Dushku and I love the maneuvers you’re able to pull off in the game.  I hope that it comes down in price soon because I want to see the ‘real’ deal but if you like over the top silly, try it.  Hopping from one car to the next like a meth addled jack rabbit was pretty amazing.

 

On the PC side, I’ve tried ‘The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena’ or better known as ‘The longest titles in Entertainment’.  Ol’ Vin returns as the psycho killer (quest que cest?) and brings his own brand of justice to a big ass space ship.  Sneaking around that hulk was a lot of fun for the most part but I kind of got tired of whaling on some folks and having them just curse me out.  Was I hitting them with nerf blades?  C’mon!  I don’t care who you are, getting gashed up on the mouth, cheeks, eyes and forehead should count for SOMETHING beside ‘You asshole!’.

 

I think that the primary sell for this game is the voice acting and the serious violence.  Sneaking around CAN get old (because you really have to move slowly) but otherwise, definitely worth a play. 

 

Cogs!!!  Holy crap, this game will drive you to drink, kill or wear Pink, I swear.  It’s dangerous.  Part addictive, part torture, it’s a crazy game made by people who are really scary and much smarter than me.  Go check it out and don’t forget to take a lot of deep breaths.  It’s hard! 

 

Cogs in a nutshell: puzzle game with gears and sliders and steam.  You have to build stuff, complete lines, etc.  When you do it quickly enough and in few enough moves, you get stars.  Those stars allow you to move on to the next puzzles but it won’t stop you from trying to max out your rewards on each puzzle.  Personally, I have never felt so much pressure, rage and intrigue all at once.  It’s like dating your perfect mate but realizing that that mate is actually a tortoise… or something.  It was crazy.

 

Moving along…

 

Champions Online!!!!   This game is amazing.  I have a character who is a gun toting fairy with purple wings, white hair and some kick ass outfits.  Sound familiar?  Yes, she’s awesome.  I love this game!  You can do so much in it with the character generation alone that I was stuck there for hours.  Then, I moved on to play and now, I’m thoroughly addicted.  If you like superheroes or you want to make any character you can imagine, this game is for you.  In fact, what’re you still doing here?  Go buy it now! 

 

Okay, I hope you’re still here cause I’m going to carry on.  Here’s the basic feature of Champions: you have energy that you use for powers.  You use one power to build that energy up and then you release the energy with special attacks.  Unlike other games, you can’t just stand there and hit a button hoping the battle will conclude favorably.  No, you have to run around, fly and block attacks to survive the action!  It’s interactive!  And moreover, it’s fun! 

 

I wasn’t all that impressed with player versus player but there’s a pretty extensive side of it.  The quests are awesome but they do thin out a bit around the 20s.  I personally was getting annoyed having to cruise all over the world looking for new things to do.  Overall though, I think it’s a major success.  Please, take a look!  You won’t regret it at all!!!

 

And I think that’s all I’ve got going on as far as gaming is concerned.  I’m not even looking forward to anything particularly.  Maybe Left 4 Dead 2.  If I knew you could AIM in it (a la Call of Duty) I’d be chomping at the bit but otherwise, it’s just a so-so maybe so. 

 

Hopefully next week, I’ll have more to talk about.  Until then, stare at your screen intently for a moment as I hypnotize you into buying Champions Online.  Goooooo noooooow…. To the stooooooooore…. Buy the gaaaaaaaaaame…. Be a heeeeeeeeerooooooooo.  Spooooky!!!!!!!

 

Out!

 

Filed under: Ophelia's Blog
Tags: « Assault on Dark Athena • Champions Online • Chronicles of Riddick • Cogs • Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 • Vin Diesel • Wet »
by FiFi