A Wolf Among Us

 

I have spoken before about my love of Telltale Games.  Their point and click creations are as intriguing as some of the best books I've read.  A Wolf Among Us is one of their typical five episode games that came to the Xbox 360 back in 2013.  It's based on the comic book series Fables, the stories of classic fable characters like Snow White, Ichabod Crane, trolls, ogre, princes, etc who have chosen to live in the non-magical world.

I am not much of a fan of fairy tales or children's stories.  I personally much prefer a dark, adult plot with lots of realistic characters.  But the Fable comics and the Wolf Among Us game made we want to dive deeper into these old, classic stories.  Any game that makes me want to watch a Disney movie is pretty amazing.

The game follows Bigby Wolf (Big Bad Wolf) as he attends to the residence of Fabletown, a small community in the Bronx full of creatures glamored to look like regular humans.  What made this game/story so interesting is that there is murder, romance, prostitution, magic, cut throat politics, and even a bit of fetishism.  I don't want to go into too much detail because it's really hard to not give things away.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to express my love for this bizarre, complex game.  I encourage you to play it if you haven't already.  You will be pleasantly surprised.

One More Line

One More Line is a free mobile game that has slowly taken over my life.  It is one of those apps that is perfect for passing the time.  Playing a round takes less than one minute.  If you aren't very good at it, like me, it will take about 5 seconds.

The goal is to travel the furthest possible distance down a straight lane.  There are small orbs scattered around that you must use to slingshot yourself forward.  You die if you hit the walls; you die if you hit an orb.  The replayability is akin to Flappy Bird.  No story, just a single objective to keep trying.

What makes this game so much better than others like it is the amazing soundtrack.  It's one song looped, but surprisingly doesn't get old.  It probably becomes annoying for those not playing, but who cares about those jerks ?  I once heard someone call the sound "futuristic space disco" and that is a fairly apt description.

The other great feature is the ability to take pictures of your run right in the app without having to take a screen shot.  It will then save the picture or instantly post it to social media if you want.  Why don't more games have this ?

Since it's free, just download it and save it for when you need to pass the time but might not have the attention for something difficult or story driven. 

Check out some game play here.

Se-gaaaaaa

Now I make no qualms about the fact that I love a sale.  It is the highlight of my Tuesday to check out the new Gold Deal of the Week on Xbox.  In May or June, there was a huge deal on Sega games, and I excitedly bought up Sonic 1, 2 and 3 for like, 160 MSP each.  Dude.  All that nostalgic fun for under $5!?  Heck Yes.

And playing them has led me to the conclusion I always make when I go back and play old games.  How the heck did gaming get popular??  These games are so difficult it makes me want to chuck my controller out the window.  I am seriously struggling to get past the first world in Sonic 1.  And I got all the way to the end and the airship defeated me and all of my continues on Sonic 2.  I have barely even tapped in to Sonic 3.

I have also had a few other observations.  I was just playing and really wished I had the patience to live tweet the level, because I felt exceedingly clever at the time.  Let's see what I can remember.

First of all: Sonic is a game made to be played fast.  Like, unbelievably fast.  Sometimes Sonic isn't even on your screen because the little dude is zipping all over the place.  That said, the game is designed so that if you play it that fast, you will die. All. Of. The. Time.  Because there are like a billion bad guys and they are all strategically placed so that when you come off of that ring, you will hit him. When you bounce off of that wall that you didn't expect, you will be shot backwards directly into a crab.  Oh yeah - and everything shoots random bullets, and all of them kill you too.  And they will ride across multiple screens with you, or get to your screen before you've even see the bad guy.  Awesome.

Sonic has a serious case of bitchy resting face.

And the little sign at the end?  When you spin it around Sonic gives you the peace sign.  He might as well just be flipping you off.  Dude is a grouchy little guy.  He's got that crabby face all the time, and heaven forbid you stop moving the controller for a second.  He's immediately impatiently toe tapping.  Alright, man, if you're so ready to get flung into the next pit of lava, let's go.

Also, what kind of lesson is it teaching us that if you have money, you can't die?  But the second you're broke, you're toast.  Nice one, Sonic.  The original gold digger.

Finally, and most fun, playing a game that I haven't played in years reminds me of awesome game memory.  These classics imprint themselves on your mind and never leave.  I still remember which trees hide coin blocks.  Where to jump to get to the secret high locations full of rings.  And, of course, which bad guys will get you. Every. Single. Time.  Those I remember best.  I wish I could go back in time and make sure that you guys all got to take advantage of the sale and play these great games again, for super cheap.  But regularly priced they are still a steal.  Go pick at least one up, and relive your youthful frustration.

It's Tricky!

SSX released on Xbox/PS3 at the end of February, and it was the chance for me to re-live a ton of my college gaming glory.  Did it grant me this one hope?

Spoiler alert: It totally did.

The graphics and sound track make me feel like I'm back in the dorm with SSX Tricky & SSX 3 on the GameCube.  I mean, obviously the graphics are outstandingly improved on the new systems, but the general look and feel of the game is the same.  The tracks are rendered beautifully.  Avalanches, trees, rocks, ice patches...they are all so realistic.  Especially when your snowboarder crashes into them at 100 mph.  No, there is not graphic violence and blood splattering, when your rider is damaged you get a dark vignette on the screen which fades as their health rebuilds.

And the sound track, a staple of the old games, is still super fun.  It fades into the background, offering a radio-like atmosphere to your playtime, and is not annoyingly repetitive.  And, of course, when you get into Tricky mode it plays the one song that you want to hear: It's tricky to rock a rhyme to rocky a rhyme that's right on time it's triiicckyyyyyy...  Thank you, Run DMC... I can not hear your song without wanting to go super-uber.

Finding a crazy long rail and grinding down the entire face of the mountain is
definitely one of the top experiences in this game

Now here's where it gets...tricky?  Ha!  When I first started playing I felt a little overwhelmed.  The controls felt crazy, and I was discouraged thinking that it was more of a button-combo-pressing game, which I suck at.  As I went along, it got easier, and it continues to do so.  I get better and better the more I play, and doing the tricks feels more and more natural.  Perhaps if I had started with the original controls I would've been more successful, but I am playing with the new style.  Debbie had similar issues and switched to the old-style controls, which felt more natural to her, but it screwed her up to start new and go back.  In short, a warning: If you have prior SSX experience, you may want to start with the old style controls.

So the game has the look, the sound, the fun... Sounds perfect!  What could possibly be missing?  Oh, multiplayer.  Yeahhh..  There is a really fun option called RiderNet where it links up everyone playing the game and you can compete against each other in races, trick competitions, and survival events.  This is so fun!  I mean, it is totally upsetting to play a trick event and get 3 million points when the top scorer has 21 million (how?!)... but still really fun.  What's not really fun?  Being able to actually play, side by side, with a friend.  You can't just pick a run and do it together.  This was how I spent college!  This is what I looked forward to!  Shredding that fresh white powder with Debbie all over again... and that dream was taken from me.  You can, and are encouraged to via RiderNet, compete against your friends best scores on the events.  Your friend has a "ghost" that plays down the mountain as your opponent. So at least there's that.. I just want to actively play with someone.  Boo to you, game, for taking away multi-player fun.

All in all though, this game has lived up to the hype that we here at Achievos bestowed upon it.  I still have fun playing it, even when I feel like I suck at it.  And even though I got totally rage-y over some of the more difficult deadly descents (kind of the "boss battles" of this game), I still kept going back for more.  It is so fun, and so worth your money.  Get this game!  And then add me as a rival.  I shall shred your ghosts to pieces!

We Will Rock You

I'm willing to wager that by now you readers have noticed that Debbie and I have a weakness for Xbox Live Arcade Games.  I'm especially weak when they are $5.  The weekly sales get me every time!  Plus my husband has a weirdly awesome eye for games.  He had downloaded the demo for Rock of Ages out of the blue, then it went on sale around Christmas so we picked it up.  This game is such a blast.

It's kind of a puzzle/strategy game, because you have a course that you have to populate with obstacles against your opponent.  But you also have to drive your rock down the opponent's obstacle ridden course as well.  Double win!  I am not nuts about the strategy part, mostly because when I am on an arcade game it's so I can zone out, but the hubster loves it.  He watches me play and he's always like, "Want me to tell you what you need to do?  Hey, you need the wind machines.  Hey, use a cow."  It doesn't get annoying at all. (Love you, babe.  Thanks for finding this game.)  I actually appreciate his help from time to time because then I can continue to mindlessly play.  Also I dominate the boss battles way more than he does.  HA!

The game also has single player mini-games, including a take on Skee Ball.  Anything with Skee Ball is a win for me.  And there are multiplayer options, although I have not yet delved into those.  I tried to join a random game and play vs. someone online, but I think the server errored.  Or there wasn't anyone else on at the time.  In other words, readers, buy this game and play with me.

If the fun gameplay isn't enough for you, then the quirky story line should be.  The whole premise is that you go up against characters from history in a very tongue-in-cheek manner.  They are hilariously depicted, from Leonardo da Vinci to Marie Antoinette to The Plague.  And at the end of every level, when you win, you get to run your opponent over with your boulder - eliciting a nice squishy sound and a girlie scream.

At the time of writing, this game is 800 MS points to buy.  I'd definitely suggest the demo at least, you can get a lot of fun play out of that and a great feeling for what the game has in store.  And when it's on sale for 400, just pick it up.  It's a great one to have in your back pocket for some laughs at the very least.  It's not every day you get to run over Bacchus with a smiling boulder.

Lumos Live !!

Actually, the name of the game is LUMINES LIVE but a girl can dream.  Available on the Xbox LIVE Arcade for a mere 800 points, LUMINES LIVE is another one of my favorite, mindless puzzle games.

On the surface, LUMINES looks a lot like Tetris but there is more to it.  Instead of dropping the classic, static brick shapes that we all grew to love, this game drops squares made up of four bricks.  The bricks can be one of two colors.  The object is to clear the board by making solid squares of color.  The change in the basic objective of the game works against the player.  When most people begin playing this game, myself included, it is difficult to not make lines.  The knee jerk reaction is to think like Tetris and fill up the board length wise or even Dr. Mario style by going up in down, maybe even a little Connect 4 up in there.  Switching over to a square objective definitely takes some getting used to.

Unlike Tetris and some other puzzle games, there were several modes to play.  The Challenge Mode allows players to continue dropping squares until there isn’t any more room.  The squares slowly speed up and the music changes.  To make the level transitions harder, the colors change.  What was once orange and white, is now a transparent green and grey.  Trust me when I say that mentally processing the change is harder than it sounds.

Just keep telling yourself "square, square, squares"

There is a Puzzle Mode that I found to be very difficult.  Large shapes are highlighted in the playing field and the objective is to fill up that shape with one color and have the opposite color outlining it.  Completing this without any help took a lot of time and one misplaced brick can set the player back significantly.  The other single player activity is Mission Mode.  This one reminds me a lot of the challenges from Peggle.  Each mission has a predetermined set of colored bricks already in the field at the start.  The player is given one predetermined brick and you have to clear the field completely in one drop.  The first mission is very easy and took seven seconds to complete.  After that, they become increasingly more difficult with more bricks and can be incredibly hard.  These modes are far less mindless that the general Challenge Mode.  They require more thinking and strategy.

Lastly, there is a multiplayer mode.  Players can link up locally or over Xbox LIVE to have themselves a good ol’ fashioned versus match.  The first person to run out of space and reach the top of their board loses.  There are a few quirks here and there that add complexity to the multiplayer.  As one person gets more points, the center line shifts over to squeeze out and give the person in last place less space.  Also, any squares cleared up against the center line can also clear matching bricks on the opposition’s side. 

Multiplayer, notice the jacked-up change in bricks.  Those adorable flowers might be the death of me.

I liked this game.  I definitely wouldn’t play it solely for achievements or for the multiplayer.  But if you are looking for yet another mindless game for those times when you lack the focus, LUMINES LIVE is the game for you.

Castle Crashing Chaos

  

Despite knowing each other for years, there is very little that Linz and I have in common.  While that's probably a testament to our friendship, we have yet find a video game that we both play.  Instead of just hanging out in party, we attempted to enjoy our time playing the same game.  We both purchased Castle Crashers and its fair to say that we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

Castle Crashers in a side scrolling beat 'em up title with a shallow third dimension.  While it can be played with a single player, the game is designed for co-op.  It allows up to four players at one time to venture through woods, rivers, and castles to save princesses and kill bad guys.  Along the way, characters have the opportunity to pick up sidekick animals that provide perks.

This game is pretty tough if you play alone; there is no progressive or corrected leveling to accommodate for the number of players.  But completing this quest with a party of four isn't exactly easy.  There is so much activity on the screen that I find it difficult to even keep track of where my character is.  With four characters, four supporting animal friends, and a boatload of enemies, it's really tough to stay on top of everything.  The super shallow third dimension makes it easy to get lost behind bigger enemies or even co-op partners.

This is all happening at once ..... all the time.

It's not that I don't like Castle Crashers, but it is a game to play when you are feeling light at heart.  This is not a game that should be approached with any level of concentration.  If the potentially frustrating chaos isn't evidence of such, the animation of woodland creatures constantly pooping should be.  Seriously, they spray feces when they stand still, after a fight, or just to propel themselves faster.

In the end, I do recommend Castle Crashers as a party game that doesn't take itself too seriously.  I think the cost of 1600 MS points is a bit high, especially considering it's over two years old.  But if you have the green and you're in the right mood, this could be the perfect game for you.

Livin' La Vida Loca

I'm channeling Ricky Martin when I play Disney Universe.  Sounds like a jump, right?  Spend 5 minutes in the Universe and you will see why.

The video gives you a little indication of what it's like.  I just watched the trailers and they don't indicate the extreme madness that this game offers, so I had to link the actual gameplay to show you what you're going to get.  There is always 800 billion things happening on screen.  There are puzzles which are usually extremely simple to complete, especially with the assistance of the blue helper arrows (they guide you exactly where you need to go) but trying to solve the puzzle with A) thirty spastic bad guys stomping all over you and B) the "assistance" of a 4-yr-old player two is not easy.  When the kid and I play this there is a lot of this happening:

     "K, go over there."
     "Where?"
     "Over to the arrow.  Step on that button.  DO NOT MOVE."  (I go to required location activated by button, she moves, I die.)  "AGgggghhhhh I said don't move."
     "Well can I go there?"
     "Umm..not yet."  (Because it is a step in the required puzzle to move forward in the level and if she tries to complete it it'll take 10489208 hours longer than I am eager to spend for her to drag a wheel to its location etcetc...)   "Now, step on the button.  Don't move."
     I complete the step.  Bad guys spawn.  She jumps off a cliff 12 times.  

It is maddening to say the least.  I have yet to play this single player, but I'm hoping that I can get through some of the levels easier and get the achievements I so desire by playing alone.  But it is a blast to play with the kid, since dying has little to no consequence (you just lose some of your gold) and she thinks it's a really fun game.  I don't know if she could play this one on her own just yet... I think it's a little too advanced as far as the puzzle solving requirements go.

The graphics, sound, and levels are all fun and cute, but they do add in to the general chaos.  For example, we played the Lion King levels earlier today and there is all the crazy stuff going on already, plus the level around you is on fire and everything got kind of wavery looking.  For a minute I thought my Xbox was trying to give me 3D graphics.  I was very confused and got a little nauseous, but luckily that has only happened in the one section of the one level.  And I seem to be extra sensitive to video-game-induced motion sickness so it might not even be a problem for the general public.

There are tons of items to find and unlock in each level, and each suit can be leveled up by finding and collecting stars in the levels.  It definitely has replayability based on just having to level up all the suits.  And kids would totally find a favorite level and play it to death, because that is how they roll.  If you have young'ens who love Disney, make sure you have this one wrapped up under the tree.

My Fire is Burning

I've got a fire burning on the dance floor, that's for sure.  And if I don't have it 100%, I'll do a break-it-down mode and get my groove on until it's perfect.  I've also got unrelated fires burning in my back, arms, legs and hips from being unable to stop playing the Kinect once I get started, but that's for another post.

I just picked up Dance Central 2 this week and am thus far totally loving it.  Today is actually the first day I've played it so I am far from completely through it, but I feel confident in blogging it because hello, it's a dance game.  I doubt there will be any life-changing end-game content.

"Linz!" you say, "It is so unlike you to buy a game when it is this new and expensive!  What has come over you?  Are you suddenly independently wealthy from the ad revenue from this blog?"  Why thank you for asking, loyal reader, and sadly no - Debbie and I have not yet been able to quit our day jobs and focus solely on gaming and blogging.  Darnit.  I was actually tempted into spending money now on new games instead of later on used games because Target is running a buy 2 get 1 free sale.  Last year I took advantage of this same sale and got Fable 3 (which I just started playing this week as well. What is wrong with me?!)  So this year I got Dance Central 2, Disney Universe and Once Upon a Monster.  I swear those last two are for the chitlins, not me.  Sort of.  And I've already played DC2 so I'm winning compared to last year!

I was definitely torn on buying DC2 already because I have not even fully gotten through Dance Central 1, but I am a sucker for dance games and wanting more and more variety in my playlists.  I thought about buying the DLC for the first game, but it was as expensive as buying the 2nd game so why not treat myself this time?  There are a lot of really fun songs in the 2nd game, but I have to say there seem to be more that I don't recognize in this title than there were in the 1st one.  Plus, they included a weird cover of Britney Spears' Toxic which makes me sad because that is like, my favorite Brit song and it's not the real thing.

The thing I love about dance games is that they never seem to get old.  You can replay the same songs over and over, trying to perfect the moves and best your last high score.  So I'd say replayability for this type of game is at an all time high.  I can't even begin to think of how many hours I sunk into the DDR franchise in college, and moving your feet on to 4 arrows is about a tenth of a percent as fun as actually doing dance moves you can recognize from the music videos.

I can't even get into the whole 'downloading your tracks from the first game into the second game' issue because I haven't tried to do it yet...but I can say that I think it's majorly B.S. that you have to have a code from the first game AND pay 400 Microsoft Points.  I don't want to pay an additional $5 for songs I could play by switching out the game disk.  I would guess you could download your songs and pay the money and then sell your copy of DC1 and maybe that would be worth it??  I don't know.  If anyone can shed some light on this, please feel free to in the comments.

When it all comes down to it, this game is fun. If you played Dance Central 1, you will like Dance Central 2.  It's the same concepts, same simply menus, same rocking moves and awesome beats.  I have found that it seems to be slightly more difficult, although it might just seem more difficult because I keep getting more and more pregnant.  If it's not the baby belly to blame, I would say the "easy" difficulty on DC2 is comparable to the "medium" on DC1.  Pick it up now, pick it up later, just don't miss shaking your groove thing.

This is happening.

You're No SSX

I recently acquired a free copy of Shaun White Snowboarding (thank you again, Stone).  While I did enjoy being back on the virtual board, it just doesn't compare to SSX.  I think others might like it where I did not.

My deep love for SSX comes from the land of the ridiculous.  The outrageous stunts, the impossible amounts of air, and extra tricky tricks.  Shaun White doesn't have any of those.  This game focuses on being more true to real life.  Now not all aspects of the riding are uber realistic, but far more so than EA's titles. 

Don't let my not-so-loving words totally scare you away.  There are numerous positive attributes to this game.  The graphics really add to the feel of riding, like the rush of scenery as you tear down the mountain.  And the feeling of jumping from high to low or crossing a huge gap reminds me of that great falling feeling that came with jumping off view points in Assassin's Creed 2.  For many people, the boards and clothes are all a huge part of the game.  I don't really care that much as long as I can upgrade to a fast board or one better for grinding.  But for those who love the customization, this game does not disappoint.

One thing that I super loved in Shaun White Snowboarding was the open world environment.  Players can take a helicopter to the top of the mountain and pick up challenges or races on the way down if they want.  I frequently found myself just exploring the mountains and taking the different routes and tricks all the way to the bottom.

There are varying landscapes, but none of them are quite as outrageous as SSX.  It made me miss the days of trying to jump onto the subway rails in Metro City.  I also miss the music.  The music of Shaun White was the sort of bland mix of Sublime and Blink-182 and music very similar to it.  I know that the genre of snowboarding has a very distinct culture and therefore a distinct brand of music.  But changing it up or having more radio stations with a wider variety would've been nice. 

Shaun White Snowboarding is definitely a game worth checking out.  Its an older title so buying it cheap and used should be easy.  And as much as it doesn't compare to SSX, you can still spend an entire weekend playing this game without regret.  Give a shot.

OnLive Takes on PAX Full Force

The game on-demand service provider OnLive took PAX by storm.  After at least a year online, the service is ready to take on the needs of the masses. When I say masses, I mean lines at PAX that were hundreds of people deep at any given time.  They were so long that event organizers had to cut people off due to fire hazard and c-blocking other vendors.  All those people were in line for their chance at a free OnLive console.  You can get one too.

First, a little more about OnLive.  As stated in my grand introduction, OnLive is an on-demand service for video games.  More specifically, it allows players to stream games to their televisions, PCs, and laptops.  There is no need to have an amazing graphic card or insane processor.  All games purchased are kept on servers and streamed to the user.  Customers can pay for games on an individual basis.  Most games are at a standard retail rate.  There are sales once a week where a not-totally obscure title can be purchased for five dollars.  The game might be a little older, but the price is still great.   Example: a couple weeks ago they had Borderlands with all DLC for $5.  Srsly.

The other pricing option is their PlayPack Bundle.  It kind of works like streaming Netflix where you can have unlimited access to more than 80 games whenever you want.  But just like streaming Netflix, you don't have access to the full catalog, and not a lot of major titles when they are first released.  To make up for this, OnLive members with the PlayPack option get an additional 30% off any additional purchase.  So that $50 game is now only $35.  And those five dollar deals I was mentioning earlier?  Yea, those get the 30% off treatment as well. 

The only problem that I found with the console is that it isn't wireless.  My apartment has a more intense wireless network than NASA.  We have everything linked up and passing back and forth.  But the OnLive console must be wired into the router.  A hardline Ethernet goes into one end of the device and HDMI comes out the other.   There is no wireless option whatsoever.  Even if we weren't addicted to our cord-free lifestyle, the router in my apartment is nowhere near where all the gaming takes place. 

So for a lot of people, this is still a totally viable gaming option with lots of potential savings.  And with my wireless dilemma, I am willing to part with my free, unopened, OnLive console to a loyal reader.  We haven't worked out yet how we will give away all the amazing things accumulated.  But keep a watchful eye on the blog to see how this $100 console and other super cool prizes could be yours.

My goal when taking pictures is to make them look as grainy and poorly lit as possible.  Mission Accomplished.

PAX Prime 2011

After months of anticipation and days worth of hype, Achievos has finally reached PAX Prime in Seattle.  There are a lot of booths, dozens of games to play, and some amazing cosplay.  With so much convention to cover, I will be general for right now.  But you can expect more detailed analysis of what I experienced later.

Upon entering the convention center, Friday found itself not to be as crowded as I assumed it would be.  Its well known that Saturday is the busiest day.  But after hearing the harrowing tales of escape from the obscene hoards at ComicCon, I was prepared for the worst.  Luckily, there was a total manageable and very friendly crowd.

The gamer spirit runs deep at PAX.  I know that sounds like an obvious statement, but there is a nearly tangible current of kinship.  Everyone is excited for free swag and blown away by fantastic demos.  Lines are long but people are patient and easy to chat with.  Booth babes, advertisers, developers, and higher are all ready and anxious to answer any questions.  

Fellow attendees Stefanie (left) and Frank (right) met and chatted with Gears of War 3 Lead Producer Chris Wynn (center).  Now that is some fan service!

But above all things, we all show up for the games.  One game that I was able to try out was Kirby's Return to Dreamland which is slated to release in late October.  Available on the Wii, this latest addition to the Kirby lineup allows for four players and is very easy to play.  I have never played a Kirby game in my life and this one was pretty simple from the get go.  There was a younger child next to me who didn't know what he was doing, but he appeared to have a good time.  So in the ten minutes I was allowed to play, I can say that this is definitely a very family friendly game.  Everyone will be able to pick up a controller and play along, even if they are a little below the learning curve.

Debbie playing the new Kirby

This is just a tiny sampling of things to come.  I will write and post more throughout the weekend.  I am also grabbing tons of goodies to give away to our loyal readers.  Keep reading to find out how you might win yourself posters, buttons, t-shirts, and autographed cards.

The Queen of My Castle

I totally got hooked by a link the Frag Dolls posted on their Facebook feed about getting into a closed beta for a new game called Castle Empire.  I'm in it, and I have to say, I am loving it.

The game plays a lot like a simple, slower version of Age of Empires (AoE).  AoE was one of my original loves of gaming, and took many an hour/day/week of my time when I was in high school/college/post-college/right now.  The above screenshot is the main hub of my town.  The island you are on is split into 9 sections, and you start in the bottom left, each remaining section shrouded in fog and filled with bandit camps.  As you defeat them you can take over the sections and increase the size of your town.

As with AoE, in Castle Empire you must farm for materials like wood, stone, water, fish...  The type of supplies you need are organized by category based on level.  For example, I am currently level 19 and am up to the third category of supplies, advanced, and now have to farm not only fir logs, but also hardwood logs for building and upgrading different buildings in my town.  The system works, but it has been a trial trying to find that perfect balance for collecting goods.  Each building has a time frame that it takes to collect X number of resources, for example, a level 1 fir wood cutter takes 2 minutes and 22 seconds to farm 1 fir log.  A fir wood sawmill, which turns those logs into plants, takes 4 minutes and 28 seconds.  So you have a surplus of wood from plank creation - a good thing because you're going to be using those logs all over the place.  There is a fine balance to be found for supply and demand, and I have seen people in the chat talking about running spreadsheets just to keep it all straight.  I have far from perfected it, but that's part of the fun in my book.

The battle function when taking on bandit camps is simple, but has its own frustrations.  Soldiers are expensive and time consuming, and generally most get killed in battle so you're back to square one on building up your army to take on the next bandit camp.  The enemy camps are clearly marked as easy/medium/hard, and tell you the number of bad guys you're going up against, so you can prepare appropriately.

Obviously this game is in beta.  There have been glitches that I've heard other people talk about in chat, but have not experienced myself.  There are often people in chat that work for development that are getting the players ideas and suggestions, and I think it's a good method.  It's interesting to see how much other online games are influencing people's desires in Castle Empire - I've made suggestions based on AoE and Sim City, and have heard suggestions clearly taken from games as different as WoW. 

Right now Castle Empire is a really fun way to kill some time.  It is an interesting combination of a real-time strategy + Facebook game.  I say that mostly because of the time involved.  You aren't going to sit down and play this game through in a couple hours.  Collecting supplies and spending them on buildings and creating your army takes days sometimes.  You also have a friends list and you can help your friends out by gifting supplies or placing buffs on their buildings which make them work twice as hard for X amount of time.  It's a blast, and I love checking in on my little town a few times a day.  So far it seems like a game that can eat up as much of your time as you're willing to let it.  If you want to give it a go, send me a message at achievos@gmail.com and I'll send you an invite.  As of right now I think that's the only way you can get into the beta.

What You Need to Know About XBL Gold Family Pack

You've seen the ads all over Xbox.com and on your dashboard.  But is it really worth it?  Already have Gold? Don't have three gaming family members? Concerned about costs and renewal?  Here is what's up.

The Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack is available for $99.99.  What it includes is four one-year Gold subscriptions. In case you weren't sure what Gold allows you to do, it provides the player with the ability to play online multiplayer games, download games and other content, stream services like Netflix, Last FM, and Zune with appropriate subscriptions, and party chat with friends.  

The regular cost for one year of Gold membership is usually $60.  There are frequently deals out there that can get you a discount or pay full price but also get some free downloads or Microsoft points.  But comparing flat out rates, the Family Pack is clearly the better deal.  Four subscriptions would normally cost $240, and the Family Pack provides it for $100.  That is obviously a pretty major savings.

Be aware that there are some restrictions.  One person is in control of all four accounts.  That person has the ability to set parental controls and other system restrictions from their computer.  The primary account holder can also monitor and track the amount of time online and what each person in the group is doing.  So if you have a friend that loves practical jokes, you might not want them to be in charge of everyone's account.

When it comes time to sign people up, personal information will have to be shared.  The primary account holder logs on and adds people into the three available positions in the Family Plan bringing the total to four.  As each person is added, that primary person logs into xbox.com, then the next player being added has to do a sub-log in with their account info to complete the process.  That means that someone has to know someone else's ID and passwords unless everyone is in the room at the same time ready to enter their own passwords.  So if you are planning to do this with friends, make sure that you fully trust them to know your business or vice versa.  Once the sign up process is complete, the personal info will not be needed again.  The Family Pack was designed for exactly that, families.  The assumption is that moms and dads know their children's email addresses and passwords.

Already have a Gold membership?  Not a problem.  If the main account holder is already in the middle of a subscription, the remaining time will be calculated into money and that will be credited towards the total.  So if I had six months left on my plan, it would cancel my existing Gold (don't worry, you don't lose any info), credit me $30 towards the Family Plan, and I would only $70 total.  If the other three members in the pack have remaining Gold memberships, they will simply tack that remaining time onto the subscription.  For example, I set mine up and the second, third and fourth person still had remaining time on their existing membership.  So Xbox cancelled them and added one month for each.  These extra months applied to everyone.  So now we all get Gold member ships for one year and three months instead of just one year.

Since one person is the main account holder, the three extra people will not be allowed to keep their own credit card information on file.  They will have to purchase Xbox points cards and use the codes to redeem them and purchase downloads that way.  It is an inconvenience, but points cards are really easy to find.  They can be purchased at Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Game Stop, anywhere that you might find gaming accessories sold.

Lastly, the renewal is annual.  I didn't see any place to turn off the automatic renewal, but Xbox will send emails one month before the renewal to warn you that its about to take your money.  That should give you plenty of time to talk with people and make sure that they are still wanting another year of amazingly cheap service.

So that is the important stuff that I noticed.  There was no service interruption and the price is completely worth it.  If your family is full of gamers or you have three really trustworthy friends, this could be the perfect fit for you. 

Eric is Greek now. Welcome to the family.

Sony's Playstation Brings New Hardware and a Sincere Apology

Sony has been having a rough time this year. With the entire network going down for over a month due to repeated security breaches, Sony owes some people an apology. At the start of Sony presentation at E3, that apology was given. Sony's president of their America Computer Entertainment division made an appearance to publicly eat some humble pie. It was almost three minutes filled with apologies and heaps of thanks to third-party developers, retail stores, and consumers for standing by Playstation's side.

Moving past that ugly issue, Sony has some goodies to share. The biggest reveal was the much anticipated successor to the PSP. What was being paraded as the Next Generation Portable (NGP) was given a face and a name, the PS Vita. Some of the major features of the Vita include a 5" touchscreen, streaming applications, and a lighter, more comfortable shape. There are two different price points for the new handheld. For a mere $250, this little wonder can be yours with built in WiFi. Take a small step up to $300, and you can get the unit compatible with the AT&T 3G network. The most amazing part ? There is no contract or monthly fee required to use their 3G network. That means streaming Anywhere !

They are also coming out with some pretty respectable launch title. Would you like to keep a sexy, minature version of Nathan Drake in your pocket ? I know that's a 'yes'. Keep an eye out for Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Gamers will also be able to take their favorite, cuddly Sack Boy with them everywhere they go with the release of a portable version of LittleBigPlanet. Other titles include ModMation Racers and Wipeout 2048. With some big games to look forward to, I might finally get a portable system for the first time in years.

Sony also brought out some more uses and applications for the Playstation Move. More games will be able to utilize the motion technology. They have also introduced some more attractive bundles for the Move that include controllers, the camera, and more for the low price of $150.

Of all the companies presenting this week, Sony was really the only one pushing the 3D technology in your living room. It makes sense since Sony are the only ones also happen to mass produce 3D televisions. All that in mind, they are offering some pretty enticing bundles. For only $500, you can get a 24" 3D TV, the active shutter transmitter with a pair of glasses, and a copy of the new Resistance 3. The package doesn't look very appealing to me, but for someone looking for a novelty that would probably fit great in a dorm room, this could be great for you.

Looking back on the presentation, there was nothing really mind blowing. There were new titles like Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. Sony is still trying to peddle 3D and the Move. The saving grace of this conference was their new Vita. Unlike the Nintendo 3DS, the launch titles look amazing.

Noire Is the New Black

L.A. Noire is an awesome game.  I'm just going to come right out and say it.

 

It's realistic, gritty, dramatic...  According to a video I watched online about it it's also pretty true-to-the-times of the 40's and the style of detective work you would find back then.  (The video isn't the most exciting 11:16 of your life, but it is interesting and gives you a good look at gameplay and graphics.)

The game makes you feel like you are in control of a real open-world where you have to solve the crime.  There are clues strewn about crime scenes, some requiring you to look in the surrounding area.  Things aren't handed over to you like in some games, but it's also not impossibly difficult to find the clues and solve the cases.  As in the video, the ex-detective says, "We never get this lucky" when Phelps (your main character) finds a murder weapon in a nearby trash can.  You'll solve some crimes in a single area, while others will have you traversing the city looking for people you have to interview.

The graphics are beautiful.  The game earned recognition with its face capture technology, finally giving characters in a game realistic animation of the face.  And teeth!  For once in a game, the teeth don't look wooden.  I love it.  You can watch a character talk and it feels oddly like watching a real live person talk.  They flinch when then lie, they blink and fidget and look around.. It's really neat to watch.

When you first loaded the game up and looked at the city map it is easy to feel totally overwhelmed.  The city is huge, but it is beautifully rendered.  And, again referring to the video link above, it is realistic.  The ex-detective mentions both the police station and coroner's office looking just like that   in real life.  Talk about total immersion.  And probably my favorite part about the city is this: you don't have to drive it.  When you are traveling places with your partner for solving crimes, you can set your destination and your partner will drive.  I am a horrible driver in games, and this is a simple and easy solution.  Of course, if you're adventurous you can jump in any car and drive around the city on your own, discovering the various landmarks or each of the 90+ cars.

There are some drawbacks though, as with any game.  Most of all I have seen complaints online about it being too slow going, or boring.  I'm here to tell you - it is a slow game.  But you're solving crimes...That, to me, doesn't seem like the most high paced lifestyle.  I like the pace of the game.  It feels realistic to me that you would spend the majority of your time on a case in thoroughly checking out the crime scene, and then interviewing anyone and everyone you can find to help you out.  Obviously, neither of these things are as thrilling as sniping someone from across the map on a FPS or taking down a huge boss in an RPG...but that isn't to say they are less fun, just a different kind of fun.

Second drawback?  The realism!  Seriously, looking at the murdered bodies freaks me out.  But I am not down with all that homicide fascination that seems to be such a huge part of our culture.  I mean, look at the TV lineup - half the shows on at prime time are murder shows.  This game fits right in to that genre, so if that's your bag, you'll love this.  I'm just the kind of person that gets nightmares when I see a woman who was beaten to death with a tire iron.

 

Final drawback: anti-climactic.  I'm not through the game, so this isn't a statement on the end of it.  This is a statement on the end of each and every case.  You find the bad guy, you chase him down (they seem to run a lot), and then - gray screen showing your breakdown.  How many clues you found, how many questions you asked correctly in the interviews.. And maybe a sentence at the bottom about how you could've done better or what the perp will get for a sentence.  And that's it.  I don't know what I want, I mean, I know this game is already gigantic and they probably didn't want to spend the time on stories about each and every perp... but maybe for a few of them?  Every now and then give me a little bone - show the guy in court, or at least rotting away in a jail cell.  The cases just seem to wrap up so abruptly, it leaves me wanting.  This may be the style the chose partially because the game does play out like mini noire films.  Each murder has a stylized title screen at the beginning, and then this sort of "credit roll" at the end.

So if you've made it this far in this crazy long review, I congratulate you.  If not, and you skipped to the bottom hoping for a summary, here's the gist of it: try this game out.  If you like the gameplay of Grand Theft Auto, you will be a natural at how L.A. Noire handles (and you'll enjoy the improvements they've made from the GTA series).  If you like puzzle games, this is a fit for solving the crimes.  If you just want to try a game out that looks and sounds really pretty, then give Noire some of your time, I don't think you'll regret it.

In Honor of Mother's Day ..... Final Fantasy 10

When I was a wee lil gamer, my mom bought our family their very first home gaming system. On Christmas morning we tore into a brand new NES complete with Mario, Power Pad, and Zelda. We weren't allowed to play Zelda until mom finished it first. And in those days, before online walkthroughs and strats, mom made her own maps complete with secret locations and codes for every level using a only pencil and graph paper. Mom still plays video games more than most of my friends. So in honor of our family's original gamer, I present a review of one of mom's favorite games, the classic Final Fantasy 10.

Final Fantasy 10 was the start of a new era for the Final Fantasy franchise and for it's publisher, what we now know as Square Enix. The series was previously full of ugly pixelation. The tenth installment on the Playstation 2 would definitely be its best looking game up to that point. FF10 even looks better than some of today's releases. Number ten also brought in the use of voice actors for the first time, and decent ones at that. People instantly fell in love with the characters of Yuna and Tidus.

Speaking of the main characters, this game stayed on course with the series's tradition of strong stories. Final Fantasy 10 has everything. There is romance, a son trying to understand his father, and the impending destruction of the world. The characters are compelling and the ending has some respectable twists. Definitely worth a play through.

FF10 was the first game in the series that either of us played, and its a great place to begin. The conditional turn-based battle system is extremely user friendly as is the sphere grid. The game has a lot of worlds, maps, and exploring to do. And newer players can find their niche in melee, ranged, or magical attacks. So there really is a style for almost everyone. This game is a great introduction to the series.

With all that said, you should dig out and dust off your PS2. Final Fantasy 10 is a classic game that will easily enhance your gamer credibility. Plus, if you don't play it, you are going to get shut down by by a 59 year old woman. So do what mother says; "wash your hands and play your video games". Happy Mother's Day !!!

Michael Jackson: The Experience is $60 Fail

I love dancing. I love video games. So when they started making video games based on dancing, it was a pretty big day for me. I have spent many an afternoon inside the Southern Hills Mall arcade playing Dance Dance Revolution like a YouTube cliche. And when Dance Central came out, I went a little crazy. But Michael Jackson: The Experience was, for me, the day the music died.

It should be noted first that this game is a different experience on the Kinect than it is on the Wii or the PS3. So this review/public shaming is directed solely at the edition made for the Xbox360. I am targeting this console because of the application of the Kinect specifically for this game. The developers had some good ideas, but horrible execution.

This is the first game I have played that requires you to dance and sing at the same time. There are several problems with this. First, if I had the physical stamina and lung capacity to dance full out to a heavily choreographed Michael Jackson video while singing the damn thing, I'd be too busy training for the Olympics because I would obviously be a an athlete far superior to most gamers. This skill set is well beyond that of the average consumer.

While I am borderline desperate for games to play with my Kinect, the Jackson game took advantage of almost every capability the equipment has to offer without testing it in multiple environments first. I live in a typical Chicago apartment complete with ancient, squeaky hardwood floors. Between the floors and my breathy jumping, the singing rarely registered correctly on the Kinect's built in mic. And God forbid there should be a siren outside or my phone should start ringing.

So maybe this game is amazing with the Wii or the Playstation move. Perhaps playing with a large group or party would be way more fun and tolerable. But even the classic songs of Michael Jackson couldn't save this game's solo campaign.

Bad TV Turned Great

I have avoided these freaky little rabbits in the past, because I thought they were ugly, probably annoying, and maybe even a little frightening.  I may have been wrong.  They are ugly, a little annoying, and still the stuff of nightmares -- but they are also hilarious!  And this game is so fun!

My siblings came over for a game night and we spent a long time playing Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party.  It is a blast.  If you have ever read this blog you have deep and abiding knowledge of my love for mini-games, and the Rabbids provide.  The entire game is playing mini games that are based on television programs that are on now.  There are "Pimp My Rabbid", "Rabbidass" (Jackass), "American Choppy" just to name a few.  And they are really hilarious.  The games are organized on to channels, which are mockeries of HGTV, Spike, MTV...  My favorite channel is the cult movie channel, and the games are a blast.

The gameplay is all fairly easy, although I was having some trouble with my Wii-mote responding correctly.  There is a dancing game where you move your nunchuck and Wii-mote according to the "dance coach" , and for whatever reason I could not get it.  This could be partially due to these two things: 1 - I don't have the little extra gyroscope add-on for the 'mote.  2 - I don't have the rhythm.  Ok, who are we kidding?  It's clearly the lack of the gyroscope.  But other than that small issue I was having an absolute blast.  Each of the channels has a couple of game styles to play with tons of variations.  Like the Cult Classics channel is shoot-at-target games, which I adore, but every time I played it it was based on a different movie and you were shooting at different things.  I feel like this game would have a lot of replayability just going through and seeing all the different shows they chose to mock.

The Rabbids are ridiculous.  The gameplay is simple and fun.  My siblings and I were cracking up over the hilarious Rabbids, and the more hilarious watching each other play.  The game can use the balance board peripheral, but I don't have it, and it adjusts the gameplay accordingly so you don't need it.  The Wii doesn't get a lot of love around these parts, but it's games like this that make me think I should dust off the old 'motes and give 'er another go round more often.  That and I have Mario Galaxy 2 waiting in the wings.