So there’s this recluse guy named Erik Estavillo, who has been filing lawsuits against various distributors of online games. First he filed claim against Sony for knocking him off of Resistance: Fall of Man, alleging they had violated his First Amendment Rights, which as pointed out on Popehat, is a boiling crock of shit and was dismissed in September. This didn’t stop the douchebag from appealing the decision and filing three more lawsuits, against Microsoft, Nintendo, and Blizzard.

He’s suing Microsoft over a broken Xbox 360 which caused him “undue stress,” Nintendo over a software update that stopped him from using a third-party program Homebrew Channel (here  his unalienable right to happiness has been infringed upon), and Blizzard for creating a “harmful virtual environment” that utilizes  “sneaky and deceitful practices.” Among his allegations hoisted at the makers of World of Warcraft are the high subscription fees, the distance between locations, the extra expense of paying for teleportation stones, and the resurrection process.

With any luck, the judge will slap him with fines for mucking up the judicial process with frivolous lawsuits,  but there’s multiple things that indicate that these attempts are just asinine.

1. Sometimes equipment breaks. If it isn’t because you smashed it or attempted to feed it Cheetos, bring it back and exchange it. This is feasible. Suing over it is not. And if a broken system causes you that much stress, go to a shrink and get some fucking Zoloft. Please. For America’s Sake.
2. You’re not on FaceBook, Erik Estavillo, nor MySpace, nor Twitter, nor any other cyber community, because you’re an anti-social dillweed. You were kicked off of Sony’s server for presumably being a mondo chode. Nobody wants your Homebrew weak sauce; you shouldn’t be that upset that Nintendo stopped you from realizing even further how few people like you.
3. More than 10 million people are currently using WoW, and you know what they all have in common? They pay the subscription fees, they pay for the expansion packs, and they pay (game currency) to resurrect. You know what else they all have in common? They’re not douchebags who’ve decided to spoil everyone’s fun.

Seriously, Erik, what do you expect to happen through all this? Do you think there’s a single valid justification for this completely inane, child-like behavior? Can’t you just go crawl back in your shell and leave the celebrities alone?

You read right, there’s the other thing: aside from wasting the court’s time he’s also subpoenaed Depeche Mode’s Martin Lee Gore and Winona Ryder, because he claims they understand loneliness. Please, this is the thinnest-veiled plea for attention I’ve ever heard; I want to meet celebrities too, but I’ll do it the old-fashioned way, by waiting outside their windows.

No, Really, That's All Right - Leave Me Out Of It.

Just as I finished posting, an RSS feed from GamePolitics.com catches my eye.  It also caught my ire, inspiring me to create another post.

A gamer named Erik Estavillo is suing Microsoft and Nintendo of America in a lawsuit filed on November 18, with the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California.  Microsoft is being sued for “undue stress”.  Estavillo’s Xbox 360 console was affected by the Red Ring of Death.  He says that, because he cannot afford for its repair, he has “sadness he will have in the mean time of finding one he can afford.”  For Nintendo, he claims a recent Wii system update had disabled his Homebrew Channel.  He says that he is unable to unlock characters for Mario Kart Wii and believes that Nintendo is forcing him and others buy another game to perform this process.

Some gamers may know about Erik Estavillo.  For the rest of the populace, here’s a brief history:

Erik Estavillo was a gamer who played on Sony’s Resistance: Fall of Man through the PlayStation Network.  His account was banned by the moderators from the forums and the network for multiple violations.  So, Estavillo sued Sony Computer Entertainment America, or SCEA, because his First Amendment rights were being suppressed.  In addition, he also sued them for stealing his pre-paid points.

However, the judge threw out the case, stating no plausibility for First Amendment rights.  The judge explained that Sony’s network is not a ‘company town’.  This means that Sony has no relationship with the local or national government in terms of organization, function, or electoral body.

Estavillo was not pleased.  He filed an appeal with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  As of this writing, the appeal is still in process.

Throughout the legal process, Estavillo has claimed numerous mental and health condition:  depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia (the fear of crowds) and Crohn’s disease.  He claims that video games have helped him alleviate these conditions.

So, now it’s on to why this person has raised my ire.

First off, this whole legal process is based on free speech.  I am reminded of a quote from a high school teacher:

“The right to swing my fist ends where your nose begins…”

The moment someone says something that is damaging and harmful to another person’s well-being, all bets are off; there is no free speech.  I watched a video of him harassing a player about his name and making lewd threats.  I don’t see how his commentary is considered free speech if he’s defacing a player’s name and describing where he’s placing a piece of fruit.  If I was a moderator during his tirade, I would have banned him immediately.

The second reason is his defense.  I find it very disgusting and shameful that Estavillo is using mental and physical sickness to push his case.  According to a post from GamePolitics.com, his list of ailments have “… lead to his leaning on videogames [sp] “heavily” for happiness.”  In essence, he’s using his illness as a crutch to support his argument, figuratively speaking, and shifting the blame away from himself.  I doubt diseases can speak, and they are not choosy about whom they infect.

Finally, I find the pursuit of these lawsuits to be frivolous.  If the only reason that Estavillo is making lawsuits is to harass the gaming industry, I don’t think he will have many supporters.  Yes, the spotlight is on him but no one is going to step in it.  In fact, very few people would associate with him, including myself.  I don’t see any reason to sue the gaming industry because of irresponsible behavior.  The industry has a right to ensure their networks and forums are amicable, accessible, and comfortable to all users, even if it means banning those are opposed to it.  It’s a great waste of time, money, and energy for Estavillo, California, and the gaming industry.

If there’s one thing I’d like to say to him, it’s this:

Grow Up!!!

(Below are links to posts and articles that detail Erik Estavillo’s ‘quixote quest’.  View at your leisure)

• Banned Resistance Player Alleges Sony Violated Free Speech and Stole Money
• Judge Able to Resist PSN Lawsuit
• Banned Player Appeals Verdict
• Banned Player Targeting Microsoft and Nintendo
• Eric Goldman’s Blog about the Judge’s Decision

If you’re a fan of Resistance: Fall of Man, you’ll be pleased to know that the brilliant designers and sculptors at DC Direct (I’m surprised, too!) were awesome enough to create a very cool set of four figures based on the game.

The first series is available for pre-order over in our video game section and it includes Nathan Hale, a Chimera Advanced Hybrid, Ravager and Steelhead. Each one stands a little over 6 inches tall and the detail on these guys is impressive. Just take a look!

And if you haven’t gotten into the game yet, or you’re looking for a little help in that department, here are some links to the games and strategy guide over on Amazon.com…
Resistance: Fall Of Man for PS3
Resistance: Retribution for PSP
Resistance: Fall of Man Signature Series Players Guide (Bradygames Signature)

In the interests of pacing it’s not uncommon for action games, and first person shooters in particular, to vary the style of gameplay over the course of the game as a whole, and over the course of individual levels. This variation of gameplay style leads to a variation in the aesthetic experience of play, and because of which it can be used as a narrative tool.

While playing Resistance: Fall of Man, I found I was able to break each level down into a combination of seven distinct styles of gameplay. With one notable exception all of these different gameplay styles used the same control scheme. In order to provide this degree of variety without changes to the core mechanics, changes were made to the layout of the levels, the placement of enemies and other objects (Nouns), and the range of tools (Verbs) available to the player. This form of level design is common throughout action games.

The seven distinct gameplay styles in Resistance, should be  familiar to anybody who’s played an action game in the last decade:

• [A] Combat in a corridor or along another form of restricted path.
• [B] Combat in an open area.
• [C] Boss Battles.
• [D] Mini-Boss Battles.
• [E] Navigation past mines, and other traps.
• [F] Combat against Turrets or other fixed emplacements.
• [G] Vehicle Combat. (The sole exception where a new control scheme is used).

While each level in Resistanceis united by an overriding narrative goal and aesthetic (Visual, aural) theme, the gameplay is made up of a combination of these seven different gameplay styles. It’s possible to examine each level and break it down into a string of characters describing the gameplay, for example BEFAB, or ABDAG.

Each of these gameplay styles changes the experience of play, eliciting a different psychological reaction from the player. Therefore it’s possible to ascribe certain emotional responses to each gameplay style. Often in areas that are focused on gameplay style B (Combat in open areas) the player is provided with support from allied non-player characters, the aesthetic experience is one of cooperation and teamwork. Areas that are focused on gameplay style E (Navigation past mines, and other traps) keep the player alone and lead to slow and careful progress, the aesthetic experience being one of tension and deliberate action.

A level built from the structure BE evokes an aesthetic experience of teamwork followed by tension and isolation, an implied narrative of having to “go it alone”. This is a different emotional reaction to a level structured as EB, which contains an implied narrative escaping isolation and “pushing through to your teammates”. In the former case the narrative arc of the level moves from a position of  camaraderie and power to one of tension and isolation, a downward arc. In the latter the arc is reversed and the player ends the level with a with a sensation of power and comfort that they did not possess at the start, an upward arc.

In this way it’s possible for a level designer to indirectly influence the emotional experience of a player, altering  their personal narrative, through changes in the gameplay style of a level.

Picked up a new book today. Resistance The Gathering Storm.  I was looking for a new book since I am all most finished the one I am reading now.  I buy book because I take for ever to read them, lol.  Was looking at buy a different book but they wanted $35.  So I picked this one up because it was $10.  Once I give it a read, I’ll write a review.

Потребител на онлайн играта на Sony – Resistance: Fall of Man е бил толкова разгневен, след като от компанията са му забранили достъп до нея, че решил да ги съди. Очевидно причината за забраната са определени “коментари” от негова страна, направени в играта.

Ерик Еставило сам е подал съдебния иск и очевидно не разполага с адвокат. Той твърди, че забраната, в комбинация с неговото усложнено здравословно състояние му е причинила “душевни щети и страдания”, равняващи се на сумата от 55.000 долара.

Според неговите твърдения, той страда от обсесивно компулсивно разстройство, пристъпи на паника, различни форми на депресия, болест на Крон и най-вече – агорафобия – всичко това – подсилено от забраната. “За тъжителят това е единствения начин, по който той може истински да се чувства част от обществото” – пише в обвинителния акт.

Изглежда обаче, Sony са се подсигурили срещу подобни случаи, тъй като в правилата за ползване изрично пише, че компанията си запазва правото да “изрита” от играта когото и да е, по какъвто и да е повод.   

Ерик Еставило също има своите козове – според него, тъй като играта ползват хора ненавършили 17 години (въпреки забраната), цялото потребителско споразумение трябва да се счита за невалидно.

Si no habeis jugado a alguno de los juegos casi que pasando, a no ser que mi voz os ponga.

A ver si vuelvo a actualizar regularmente…

Having played and enjoyed the two PS3 Resistance games (reviewed here for the Top 100: Resistance: Fall Of Man and here in full: Resistance 2) I was really pleased when they announced a PSP Resistance game.

I was even more pleased when it was confirmed as third person (first person doesn’t really work on PSP) and soon the screenshots came out looking great.

As I fired it up I’ll admit I was excited. The game bridges the events between the two PS3 games across the other side of the world and into Europe.

You control James Grayson – a deserter in the British Army who has a break down after being forced to kill his brother, who was infected with the Chimera virus.

Grayson’s expertise in Chimera Conversion facilities sees him get a shot at redemption and a chance to avenge his brother’s death.

For a PSP game this is big stuff. The cut scenes are high quality, certainly as good if not better than most PS2 games and the script is pretty strong despite a few forced ‘Britishisms’ from the main character.

The graphics in game are really good as well and Resistance has little trouble in putting five or six enemies on screen at one time with no sign of slow down. Impressive.

Controls take a while to get used to (stick to move, face buttons to aim) but once you get the hang of it it’s the closest we’ll get to a second stick. Changing weapons with the d-pad can be a chore if you’re also running using the stick but it’s a minor inconvienience.

The levels are actually quite long for a portable game, especially as checkpoints don’t save your progress. The game saves at the end of each chapter. This was a real gripe for me as it meant if a level was 40 mins you had to, effectively, play it in one go as getting up to the third or fourth checkpoint then powering down would mean starting the whole level again

A bad design oversight in my opinion, surely it wouldn’t have been too hard to be able to save wherever you wanted? Or at least at the checkpoints?

The score and general sound effects were really good, I enjoyed the way some of the music really ratcheted up the tension – particularily during boss battles.

The weapons were as inventive as ever, I loved the chaingun – especially as it also had a shield!

Some of the levels were very frustrating, be prepared to die quite a few times on some of them, though it’s often a case of rethinking your strategy and maybe using a different approach.

Resistance Retribution is a most welcome addition, not only to the PSP, but also to the Resistance universe. This is definitely up there among the best PSP games I’ve played.

There is even a mode where you can connect your PSP to your PS3, load up Resistance 2 and ‘infect’ your PSP. Grayson becomes infected and some of the cut scenes and character responses to you change. It’s a nice touch.

In fact if it wasn’t for the frustration caused by the lack of proper save points this would probably have got a 9.

Rating 8/10

So it’s time for the second part of GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games.

A quick recap on how I decided who came where:

I decided, as so many games mean so many different things to me, I should come up with a fair way to judge them. This is what I came up with:

Time Spent Playing

Storyline

Difficulty

Fun

Ground Breaking?

A few provisos before we hit the next ten games…

Firstly this is my list of my Top 100 games. I certainly don’t expect you guys to agree with it (though hopefully you’ll agree with some of the choices  ) and would welcome any comments.

Secondly, I’m not planning on putting the scores or totals up, just listing the games in the order they came out in.

Lastly, I never owned a Nintendo or Microsoft console so my experiences on these games were limited to friend’s houses etc – bite me

Let’s go!

90. DESTRUCTION DERBY (Playstation)

There’s something alluring about smashing cars up. Whether it’s GTA, GRID or Motorstorm it’s all about the crashes and smashes. So to create a game about Destruction Derby is what’s known as a ‘no-brainer.’ You all start on the ridge of a giant concrete bowl and when the buzzer goes you all drive into the middle and smash each other up. A great pass and play game before all this mutliplayer nonsense this was a fixture on my PSOne for ages.

89. PACMAN (Arcade)

One of the true classics. Sadly I was a bit young to get involved when it came out and by the time I was gaming we had moved on to bigger and ‘better’ things. I did play this a fair bit though and it was always really challenging. I liked seeing other people’s tactics… Go for the fruit straight away or try and save it until as late as possible?

88. ROCK BAND (Playstation 3)

Rock Band is one of those games that you’ll have specific memories of and for me, playing at the launch party with my colleagues is it. After blitzing through Don’t Fear The Reaper I switched to drums and picked Ballroom Blitz – only to fail pretty much before anyone else joined in Great fun with mates and a solid online mode to boot.

87. SYPHON FILTER (Playstation)

Gabe Logan’s first outing was an absolute stunner that rivalled Metal Gear – it just didn’t quite match up to the grand scale and storyline of the Metal Gear world. Being slightly more action based and coming loaded with gadgets Syphon Filter was a great addition to the PSOne and with Splinter Cell currently an XBox exclusive could we see Gabe coming out of retirement and heading to PS3? I hope so

86. TOMB RAIDER (Playstation)

Tomb Raider was a seminal game that helped put gaming and the Sony Playstation on the map for a lot of the general public. The game itself is a third person action/adventure title which features Lara Croft – the gaming world’s most famous ‘pin-up.’ Tomb Raider was a really enjoyable game but it never really resonated with me as a complete classic.

85. RED DEAD REVOLVER (Playstation 2)

I’ve always thought the Western was a sadly under-used genre in the gaming world since the arrival of the Playstation but with Red Dead Revolver, Rockstar did a great job of showing the genres strengths. The quick draw mode for shootouts was excellent but sadly a few bad design decisions and some gameplay annoyances meant this didn’t become the classic it could’ve been.

84. OUT RUN (ZX Spectrum)

When most people think of driving games Out Run’s red Ferrari with the blonde haired female passenger often springs to mind. Hell, I can still hum some of the tunes from the radio of the car (Magical Sound Shower anyone ) and the game delivered a sense of speed not really seen much previously. I used to spend ages on the ZX Spectrum version although the fact you had to load from the cassette whenever you chose which stretch of road at the end of a level to go for was fairly painful!

83. RESISTANCE: FALL OF MAN

Resistance: Fall Of Man was probably one of the best launch titles the PS3 had. The game was impressively graphically but it was the inventiveness of the weapons – the Bullseye in particular that struck me. The Bullseye had a secondary fire mode whereby you could ‘tag’ an opponent. If you hit them with the tag you could fire you gun in any direction and the bullets would redirect straight at the target – brilliant. The storyline was cool and the gadgets you got were fun to use, generally an interesting and fun game.

82. TIME CRISIS

Time Crisis was kind of like the step up in home light gun games after Lethal Enforcers and after playing it in the arcades it was nice to see it fairly accurately recreated on the PSOne. Hours of fun blasting through the levels. Although the game was fairly short it had a massive replay value as we all tried to outdo each other in terms of score and cool kills.

81. TOEJAM AND EARL (Sega Mega Drive)

What a crazy, brilliant, messed up game this was! After crash landing their space ship, two aliens called Toejam and Earl have to find all the pieces of their ship to get back home. Much hilarity ensues, packaged within a really testing game. Randomly generated levels made it different all the time leaving Toejam and Earl firmly stuck on the planet for most folks, who didn’t have the time/patience to finish the game.

So that’s another ten down – Top 80 coming soon!

Según datos de GameSetWatch, sin contar los juegos desplazados como regalo dentro de paquetes,únicamente un juego de Playstation 3 ha vendido más de un 1 millón de copias en Estados Unidos: Resistance: Fall of Man.

Esto viene a ser relevante porque EU es uno de los mayores mercados al que apuntar cuando se habla de videojuegos, y es precisamente de dónde hablamos lo que quita sorpresa al hecho de que un shooter sea el título con más demanda.

Adicionalmente, únicamente 6 juegos han vendido más de 500, 000 unidades: Little Big Planet de segundo con entre 750,000 y 1 millón de unidades, Resistance 2, Killzone 2, Uncharted y Gran Turismo 5 con un rango entre 500, 000 y 750, 000 unidades desplazadas.

Otros “menos agraciados” son: MotorStorm, Ratchet & Clanck y Heavenly Sword que han movilizado entre 250, 000 y 500, 000 unidades.

Es bien curioso que un juego estrella como Metal Gear no aparezca por ahí, e incluso que Killzone 2 no esté arriba de Little Big Planet, por aquello de la preferencia de género en dicho país.

Get ready, video game fans! The biggest video game convention in the world, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), goes down June 2-4, 2009 in the Los Angeles Convention Center and you can expect big news from Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft and hundreds of others, from developers and designers to writers and artists. It’s going to be awesome!

Unfortunately, there’s no way of knowing what surprises are in-store, but be sure to check out the official website for a look at the programming. And we’ll definitely be reporting on the new developments as we hear of them!

For now, video game aficionados can take a look at our selection of VG-related figures and collectibles for an easier way of bringing the virtual world to the real world!

Resistance: Fall of Man can be thought of as a modern first-person shooter captured in its adolescence. It arrived on the tailwind of the best and brightest PlayStation 2 and Xbox shooters, and it follows their lead with panache, sporting engaging firefights, creative weapon designs and exciting combat. But unfortunately, it suffers from last-generation conventions that leave the player feeling beleaguered too often by mazes of corridors, uneven pacing and a sorely missed online cooperative play mode.

Yet in spite of feeling a bit frayed around the edges and worn with age, Resistance is an undeniably fun and engaging journey that’s still worth taking.

But first, I should preface by noting: I had a hard time determining the best approach for reviewing Resistance. On the one hand, it was a highly vaunted flagship title that was widely regarded as an early adopter’s best bet for his or her shiny new PlayStation 3; but on the other, that was just about two and a half years ago, and expectations for games have changed significantly since then. Resistance arrived on North American shelves on November 14, 2006 — five days after Gears of War — and since then we’ve seen the genre rapidly evolve with heavy hitters like Halo 3, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Killzone 2. And perhaps most importantly, it would certainly be unfair to discuss the game without addressing its recent sequel, Resistance 2.

As a result, this review will be followed up in a few days by an in-depth review of Resistance 2, which will compare the two games at length.

Thanks to the Chimera, pretty much every inch of Britain that you'll encounter is halfway reduced to rubble.

Resistance’s premise is absolutely one of its most valuable assets; in fact, it may be the best spin on the oversaturated World War II first-person shooter genre since Return to Castle Wolfenstein. The game focuses around a devastating and unexplained emergence of deadly alien-like creatures, called Chimera, which swarm out of the Soviet Union and encroach upon Britain from the English Channel. The year is 1951, and you are Sgt. Nathan Hale, an American soldier who interestingly bears the namesake of one of the United States’ first spies. Tasked with aiding the British defenses, you’re dropped into an intriguing mixture of mid-20th century society and futuristic tools of destruction.

Insomniac deserves commendation for creating a surreal, fascinating world bolstered by a brilliant premise, but the game regrettably falters in its delivery. Pre-rendered cutscenes built on in-game assets may have been adequate at best in 2006, but in 2009 it’s the scarlet letter of rushed production. Frankly, it looks hokey, but the real problem is that it jerks the player out of the action too frequently.

The between-level story sequences strive to be more sophisticated. They feature the narration of Cpt. Rachel Parker of the British forces, who serves as Hale’s radio guide throughout the game. She grimly describes the devastation wrought by the Chimeran war machine as still images of annotated maps and war-torn battlefronts zoom and pan across the screen in a Ken Burns documentary style. It’s a nice departure from the shaky-camera, testosterone-and-blood storytelling approach of games like Gears of War, but at the same time it fails to complement the game’s frenetic, fast-paced combat. Instead of enriching the player’s experience, the cutscenes only alienate the player from the game.

An example of the game's interface; note the segmented health meter in the bottom-left corner.

Resistance utilizes an unusual, segmented health system. As was the case in The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, you have several life bar segments that will regenerate over time. Take too much damage, however, and a segment will go away, diminishing the maximum amount of health you can have until you stumble upon the next medical kit. It’s designed to emphasize a tactical approach to each encounter, but it leads to increasingly difficult firefights, because you have to be more and more cautious as you inch closer to death. It ends up feeling frustrating at times because it punishes anyone attempting run-and-gun play approach and forces players to be more cautious and stealthy.

There’s nothing wrong with that approach to combat, but with relatively limited cover mechanics (you can duck or move behind an object, but the game offers no assistance) and an abundance of health and ammo pickups, Resistance plays like an old-school shoot-em-up shoved uncomfortably into the auspices of a “next-gen” first-person shooter.

If you hop online with Resistance for a game of deathmatch, you’ll discover there’s still plenty of action to be found:  Tons of people are  still duking it out, servers are still alive and kicking, and leaderboards continue to tick away for every player killed and every point yielded. There’s even a few additional maps that can be nabbed for no additional charge, making it painless for new players to join the fray on even footing with long-time players.

It’s a little difficult to recommend Resistance as a substitute for a shooter designed for long-term online play when games like Call of Duty 4 emphasize persistent character development and present a wide assortment of extra challenges for the hardcore to pursue.  That being said, anyone looking for a few quick rounds of play is almost certain to have a good time.

Resistance: Fall of Man is available on PlayStation 3 for $29.99.

Recommended for:

• PlayStation 3 owners in search of a solid shooter that, in spite of a few antiquated design elements, delivers legitimate thrills and engaging combat
• Action game fans who value a long, replayable single-player campaign at a low price

Not Recommended for:

• Anyone who has played through Resistance 2 and wants to see how the series began; Resistance: Fall of Man will feel like a giant step backward
• Competitive online shooter fans seeking their next addiction — the game does little to offer a persistent sense of progress to players

The alternate history sci-fi first person shooter is finally available for handheld gamers… which due to my limited gaming environment (see first time dad) is very good news.

Developing a new storyline, this latest game builds off of the previous two Resistance: The Fall of Man games. Set in an alternate 1950’s Britain under siege by a strange alien menace called the Chimera, gamers will direct James Grayson who joins the resistance in an attempt to drive the aliens from the sceptered isle and throughout Europe. The PSP game will feature an all new storyline, 8 player multi-player gameplay and a couple of new features connecting to the PS3 including being able to use the dual shock controller and a separate version of the game called ‘infected.’ Both features are newly developed by Sony and show massive innovation in the use of the PSP as it relates to the PS3 console. Several gamers have been understandably worried about the future of the PSP and this could be a good indicator that Sony is forging ahead with some new ideas.

Release date: March 17, 2009

There is currently a downloadable demo available on the PSP store.

Recommended:
Resistance: Retribution
Resistance 2 Collector’s Edition
Resistance: Fall Of Man
Resistance 2

If you have read my post called Tomorrow… you will know I was supposed to have finished a PSP game and play the Resistance: Retribution demo. I was tired so I couldn’t be bothered to play a game but I did, however, play the Resistance: Retribution demo.

I have to say that I was very impressed. Control wise it is similar to the PSP Syphon Filters. The face buttons move your aim and the d pad lets you change guns, interact with the environment etc. It does come from the same people though. It plays similar to Syphon Filter but a lot faster. You can run about shooting at people but you can also take cover (It automatically lets you take cover when you stand still near an object) to avoid getting hit. The weapons are just the ones from the PS3 Resistance games so fans of the series will know which weapon is best for what etc. Overall I was really impressed. I might get it. It all depends on how much money I have at the time.

Just got my hands on a copy of resistance 2. I’ve been playing the first one a lot lately. Resistance 1 was an alrite game but it had quite a few flaws and it seems like #2 is making up for it.  After Playing almost to the end of the first game my expectation for #2 were low. I gave up on resistance #1 it was just to diffucult to play and had weird controls and the graphics were nothing to brag about but resistance 2 has improved tenfold. It feels like a mix of Call Of Duty meets Gears Of War. The graphics are pretty sharp, and thats a big step up from the first game. It’s got new weapons and upgraded versions of some of the weapons from the first game. It also has improved controls for the game that are similar to Far Cry 2 or Call Of Duty 4. The story is much more entertaining this time around too. Oh and did I mention the multiplayer is awesome.  You gain experience and rank up by doing good in online matches and as you rank up you get new outfits and perks. The online multiplayer is much like Far Cry or Call Of Duty but with a sci-fi twist. So overall Resistance 2 is an awesome game. A must play for any FPS fan. It deserves a spot at the top along with Halo and Gear of War. I give it a 9/10.

Here there will be none, we are all humbled by the great idea exchange of the interwebs, therefore i will not be having any toolbag tomfoolery, but i also do not feel i am completing my day on a good not if i do not piss someone off at some point so i will say in advance i dont care and fuck you, have a nice day.

The first order on my agenda is today President Obama was sworn in and we have a new president. For the first time in my life i could vote and it feels so good to know that i voted well, not just on the party that won but on the party that will change the direction of this country. Now I’m a realist, i know that no Presidency is perfect and I’m sure Obama will mess up but i know that he will at least right many of the wrongs that the past administrations have commited. Change is not always good but if what your doing isnt working then its the only thing that will work.

Next on my list is some of the games ive been playing. Ive been stuck on Resistance:FOM for a while now until i get some money to by #2 and rockband. Although ive been playing some demos and i have to say there are a few games out for playstation that are looking pretty good to me. First is Dead Space, its a slow pace third person horror shooter that looks to me to be everything that Doom 3 failed to be. It actually looks scary and seems not to be full of extra hours of non-repetitive “hey look another space-zombie/mutant/demon thing coming out of the obvious dark compartment that has a sliding door”. I cant wait to get my hands on Dead Space. Another game that ive had the luxury of experiencing is Mirrors Edge. This is a revolutionary FPS that has gameplay like no other. Its all about fast pace obstical crossing action and with matrix like fighting sequences, all in all a phenominal game. I played the demos for warhawk and lotr conquest and both of these titles look to be very fun online games.

A very curious thing’s been happening to me lately, and it’s something I can’t quite explain. Basically, I’ve been playing like a gamer with a normal attach rate. Resistance 2 has its hooks sunk deep into the pleasure centers of my brain and shows no signs of relenting.

I received the game for Christmas, along with a number of other titles that I’d been pretty excited to play. After two short days, I had finished with the single-player campaign. Frankly, it wasn’t all that satisfying. I’d expected a whole lot more. And then I checked my “scorecard” after the credits quit rolling.

Much to my surprise, there was an “XP” statistic. Huh, I thought. Experience Points?

This seemed very strange for a first-person shooting game. I’d known that the cooperative component made use of leveling, but hadn’t realized playing story mode contributed. And, to tell the truth, so far as I’m aware it doesn’t. You receive separate XP totals for each of three game types: single-player, co-op, and competitive. Seems like these collectively tally into an overall rating that’s basically not tied to anything. And yet…I’m hooked. I’ve been playing for over three weeks now and have no intention of starting another title any time soon.

Multiplayer games aren’t usually my strong suit, but working together with a good group in the phenomenal cooperative campaign has been great. So much so that I’ve been dabbling in deathmatch. Er, really I kind of play lots of it. What’s funny is that I’m still no good. And not exactly getting better, either. But I keep coming back because, no matter what happens, I’m gaining experience. Apparently it’s quantifiable!

Kidding aside, what Insomniac’s done here is brilliant. They’ve provided a powerful incentive to keep folks playing. Unlike most strong multiplayer games, Resistance 2’s online space isn’t dominated by early adopters and fanatics; rather, there’s a healthy mix of “n00bs” getting gibbed right alongside seasoned veterans. Even if these less skilled players haven’t ever come out on top of the heap, they’re most certainly being rewarded for improving, albeit incrementally. Hell — I know it’s been more than enough to keep me going…and with all these other new games sitting around, that’s saying something loud and clear.

Por Vivi Werneck

A genética não deixa erros! Se somos gamers psychos é porque alguém, em nossa árvore ginecológica, err… digo, genealógica também foi (ou é) viciado em games! Exemplo disso é essa simpática vovó overpower mandado ver nos meninos maus dos jogos! A proeza da velhinha, que só sabe dizer “Die fucking bastard!”, também pode ser conferida no seu blog oficial.

Depois desses vídeos vou ensinar a minha vovozinha que existem coisas mais divertidas na vida do que ficar dando susto na já esclerosada netinha! Hehehe…

1) Vovó neurótica jogando o RPG Overlord (Atentem para a blusa style da senhora! Rsrs)

2) Agora a vovó of war, com “lindas” pantufas azuis, está metendo bala Resistance: Fall of Man

3) E, por fim, a vovó já esparramada no sofá de tanto jogar, dá o golpe de misericórdia em Mass Effect

Amei essa vovó!!! (Fucker! You´re bastard! Ahahaha…). Ah… É claro que nós, as Girls of War, também temos a nossa querida vovozinha de estimação! Old Clarice, nós te amamos! Hihihi…

No, this post isn’t related to Dead Rising Wii (which is looking shit by the way), this is just me once again announcing that this blog is rising from the dead. Over the December period I had picked up a second job which had me contracted on Mondays to Fridays and sometimes Saturdays so I have been a very busy person. I realise this blog probably has no constant viewers, but regardless I’d like to apologise for my inactivity.

Because of my increased workload I had to put a few things on the back burner but now as my contract is ending soon I have more time thus I can complete what I wanted to. For starters I have a Disaster: Day of Crisis review which is 1/2 finished. For New Years I’ll be doing a review of LMX’s Game of 2008, which I’ll be blogging about this weekend. And I also want to review Fire Emblem: New Shadow Dragon early 2009 when I eventually get the chance to finish it. I’m roughly up to Chapter 12, I could review the Japanese version but that’d be pointless.

Amongst my working I rewarded myself, that’s right I *finally* picked up my PS3 with: Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance: Fall of Man, and Fallout 3. As well as a shiny new HD TV to display its amazing visuals on. As of this post, my Wii is still unplugged due to a dead Wiimote, I am going to be replacing it soon though. It just doesn’t have a high priority on my list.

2008 is nearly over, a year dominated by the Wii obviously. But in terms of game quality it is a draw between the XB360 and the PS3. But as it stands, 2009 is looking like the year of the PS3. Either way, it’ll be interseting to see.

Also check out the massive Steam sale, it rocks. Bought DOOM 2 for 0.99c

See you next mission.
-lmx