The Final Countdown
One man's opinion on the best games of this year
Fallout: New Vegas
The previous incarnation would have been in my GOTY in 2008 had I even transferred my mental list onto paper. While rife with bugs and other such issues that countless patches and updates will hopefully cure the game is still a great experience which has definitely improved from the last.
Sometimes it does feel like a glorified expansion pack that some bright spark decided to hawk for full price, though upon purchasing said add-on I found that my investment was well worth it. In terms of scope and setting the game has (and I use the word with a grimace) a very ‘immersive’ atmosphere.
The game feels ‘big’, something that some other games (I’m looking at you Fable III) haven’t achieved. Bethesda have always had a knack for that and everyone can tell this is just Oblivion fast-forwarded a couple of thousand years. And still when talking to people the camera has a tendency to some zoom in like I’m trying to see into their souls but instead I end up talking to a haunted mannequin of person.
This is another game that is loose on the over-arching story which seems to be a pattern in new games being released, have we rinsed all the originality out of narrative so we’ve just given up? Once again though it doesn’t really matter as Fallout is all about the players experience and interaction with the great wide world.
I enjoy the combat immensely, especially pummelling unsuspecting children with spiked fists and bolt action rifles, yes; I have a problem than can only be satiated by throwing grenades at kids. Fallout helps me take this out in the virtual world... though one day I fear even that may not be enough.
Chaos Rings
After purchasing my Iphone and managing to not faint/splooge myself to death with the shear excitement of conforming like the sheep I am, I decided to indulge in some games for its platform. There are a lot of games and developers vying for your attention on the tiny gaming platform and you can blissfully burn a pile of money buying games of indiscernible quality.
Those of us in the ‘know’ can usually tell whether a games going to suck or not and when it’s coming from a developer such a SquareEnix we can usually take solace in the fact it’s made with quality. Suffice to say I wasn’t disappointed with the game and it was in fact the best I played on the phones platform. It surpassed even Angrybirds though many users thought that such quality would stay unmatched for years to come eventually culminating in a blockbuster movie directed by David Lynch.
It had an interesting materia-like system akin to a cross between FFVII and IX in that you equip base skills and level them up by fighting different enemies. There are different worlds to fight in and the story unfolds with each level, usually filling in the story on the way there which is shrouded in mystery for each character in the beginning.
The writing could have been better, coming off wooden or clunky at times but what endeared me to the game most was that it has potential. I’m talking take the main characters and the heart of the story (mysterious alien force kidnaps people and makes them fight to the death) and transport to a PS3 exclusive. The vision here would have made a game that could easily be ten times better than the debaucle that was Final Fantasy XIII. Why o’ why do you not invest in quality SquareEnix, where did it all go wrong?
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Dec 16, 2010 16:07:05 (Dec 16, 2010 16:07)
