lochnesssnowman
Member
Ok, after a long drought (my last significant purchases were Tiger Woods 04 and KOTOR) of gaming due to university commitments and financial ruin, I am back in business with a slew of recent purchases. I've given each a fair shot at play time now and here's some of my thoughts so far... for anyone who cares.
Burnout 3 (Xbox)
I loved BO2 (GC version) and last summer got some great playtime out of the crash mode in particular. It was with much excitement that I therefore popped this badboy into my Xbox a couple of weeks back.
First off, I'm really enjoying the game so far (I'm not really the biggest racing fan I will admit). The emphasis on taking out opponents is actually quite nice and some of the new modes to showcase this are good fun. The game looks great and controls very well.
My main gripe is with the crash mode. They've taken out the outrageous damage totals and added all these multipliers about the place. It's still good fun but it seems to be missing the spark that enamoured me to BO2s crash modes. In world tour, I tend to want to get crash junctions out of the way or I'll just dodge them until it's necessary. This could be because I'm really enjoying other modes and aspects of the game though. Final note, the music is awful.
Fable (Xbox)
I've generally been a JRPG stalwart but KOTOR reeled me in to the Western style in a big way and although I didn't read too much information about this game prior to release, the morality and character stuff appealed to me.
I'm through about 5 quests now after graduating as a hero and so far Fable gets a big thumbs up. The combat is really nice and the controls are very easy to work with. The character morality shit really clicks with me and I like the option and choice available. I'm the perennial good guy (same as in KOTOR) and for some reason can't bring myself to commit acts of cruelty even against crater faced horror stories such as the beggar in the lookout point. The story isn't groundbreaking thus far, but I don't think it needs to be - just a vessel to propel your characters development through the game. I haven't delved into property, pubs or dating yet but I'm looking forward to it.
Tales of Symphonia (GC)
I love the artstyle in this game. Even if this played like ass, I could enjoy running around controlling something that looks this good. Luckily, the game is indeed a joy to play. This is my first foray into the Tales series, and it's a pleasant one. The combat is really nice and a lot better than the usual malarkey I've tried in JRPGS. I haven't played too far in yet (I bought this and Fable only two days ago) but I know this game is right up my street from my playtime thus far.
Second Sight (Xbox)
I liked TS2 a lot and saw this for £20 in town so decided to give it a whirl. I've only played in a little, and so far, it's not too shabby. The story seems to be quite good and well documented, and the throwback to his military training as a tutorial is a nice feature. The graphics do the job (nothing more really a la TS2), the controls seem fine and there seems to be a little variety at least with the gameplay. However, all this is nice but, man do I hate stealth shit. I'm on some level where you have to be stealthy to get around and while in the past I might have been all over it, I just don't have the time or patience these days to tip toe around and then run, hide and compose myself if caught. I've tried the run and gun approach to this level, and well, it doesn't work. I always end up down some corridor with an infinite supply of bad guys running round and piling up Hot Shots part Deux style as I shoot, collect their guns and rinse and repeat. If I run out, I always find myself going to some duct, before trying the sneaky stuff once more, invariably getting found out, and ending up in said corridor once more. I'll get past this when I have more time. I'm interested in how the story pans out.
Animal Crossing (GC)
As a European, I've only just moved into town, and man, this game is just class. Three of us (me, my wee bro and wee sis) are in town and we also have two seperate towns on other cards. There's an incredible amount of depth to be found if you look for it and against all logic I've found myself trying to get back from work at night (IRL) to make Tom Nooks before closing or to get Crazy Redd before he leaves. I look forward to letters from the museum, HRA or other villagers always try and make events (such as the singing dude, or turnip sales). I never thought that just going about day to day business and chores could be so good. We'll mention it IRL conversations too, such as my wee bro saying that a villager moved to another town or that some random dude is coming to town in three days. Simple, charming and what gaming is all about tbh.
Anyway, more content than I thought I'd put here. Cheers for reading, or clicking or whatever. Any thoughts are welcome.
Burnout 3 (Xbox)
I loved BO2 (GC version) and last summer got some great playtime out of the crash mode in particular. It was with much excitement that I therefore popped this badboy into my Xbox a couple of weeks back.
First off, I'm really enjoying the game so far (I'm not really the biggest racing fan I will admit). The emphasis on taking out opponents is actually quite nice and some of the new modes to showcase this are good fun. The game looks great and controls very well.
My main gripe is with the crash mode. They've taken out the outrageous damage totals and added all these multipliers about the place. It's still good fun but it seems to be missing the spark that enamoured me to BO2s crash modes. In world tour, I tend to want to get crash junctions out of the way or I'll just dodge them until it's necessary. This could be because I'm really enjoying other modes and aspects of the game though. Final note, the music is awful.
Fable (Xbox)
I've generally been a JRPG stalwart but KOTOR reeled me in to the Western style in a big way and although I didn't read too much information about this game prior to release, the morality and character stuff appealed to me.
I'm through about 5 quests now after graduating as a hero and so far Fable gets a big thumbs up. The combat is really nice and the controls are very easy to work with. The character morality shit really clicks with me and I like the option and choice available. I'm the perennial good guy (same as in KOTOR) and for some reason can't bring myself to commit acts of cruelty even against crater faced horror stories such as the beggar in the lookout point. The story isn't groundbreaking thus far, but I don't think it needs to be - just a vessel to propel your characters development through the game. I haven't delved into property, pubs or dating yet but I'm looking forward to it.
Tales of Symphonia (GC)
I love the artstyle in this game. Even if this played like ass, I could enjoy running around controlling something that looks this good. Luckily, the game is indeed a joy to play. This is my first foray into the Tales series, and it's a pleasant one. The combat is really nice and a lot better than the usual malarkey I've tried in JRPGS. I haven't played too far in yet (I bought this and Fable only two days ago) but I know this game is right up my street from my playtime thus far.
Second Sight (Xbox)
I liked TS2 a lot and saw this for £20 in town so decided to give it a whirl. I've only played in a little, and so far, it's not too shabby. The story seems to be quite good and well documented, and the throwback to his military training as a tutorial is a nice feature. The graphics do the job (nothing more really a la TS2), the controls seem fine and there seems to be a little variety at least with the gameplay. However, all this is nice but, man do I hate stealth shit. I'm on some level where you have to be stealthy to get around and while in the past I might have been all over it, I just don't have the time or patience these days to tip toe around and then run, hide and compose myself if caught. I've tried the run and gun approach to this level, and well, it doesn't work. I always end up down some corridor with an infinite supply of bad guys running round and piling up Hot Shots part Deux style as I shoot, collect their guns and rinse and repeat. If I run out, I always find myself going to some duct, before trying the sneaky stuff once more, invariably getting found out, and ending up in said corridor once more. I'll get past this when I have more time. I'm interested in how the story pans out.
Animal Crossing (GC)
As a European, I've only just moved into town, and man, this game is just class. Three of us (me, my wee bro and wee sis) are in town and we also have two seperate towns on other cards. There's an incredible amount of depth to be found if you look for it and against all logic I've found myself trying to get back from work at night (IRL) to make Tom Nooks before closing or to get Crazy Redd before he leaves. I look forward to letters from the museum, HRA or other villagers always try and make events (such as the singing dude, or turnip sales). I never thought that just going about day to day business and chores could be so good. We'll mention it IRL conversations too, such as my wee bro saying that a villager moved to another town or that some random dude is coming to town in three days. Simple, charming and what gaming is all about tbh.
Anyway, more content than I thought I'd put here. Cheers for reading, or clicking or whatever. Any thoughts are welcome.
