BlueGamer Bluecast Going Live 0

by Adam Blue • Site News

I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take the BlueGamer Bluecast forward. Starting this Saturday, the BlueGamer Bluecast will be live on In The Face Radio Saturdays from 5pm-7pm CST. This will occur every Saturday as long as I’m tolerated at the station. The show will still be available as a downloadable podcast. But there are also benefits for listening in live.

First of all, there is a web cam set up to watch what’s going on. Some days I may be in my pajamas, others, I may be clipping my toenails. Or, there will be contests based on what’s going on in the studio. No concrete decisions on prizes, but they would probably be along the lines of video games, t-shirts, the toenail clippings, etc. There will also be mini breaks during the show where I play music from a variety of video game soundtracks. Call in, or even text in the chat room the name of the song and game it’s from to win a prize.

Yup, calling in. The real benefit here is to be able to call in and yell at me for my opinion on Ubi’s DRM…or any other topic we may discuss. And again, just join up in the chat room during the live show if you’re afraid of what you may sound like over the phone. It’s a dreaded feeling I’ll have to endure for many Saturdays.

So to sum this up: Live Bluecast Saturdays 5-7pm cst, will still be available for download, and ability to harass me on-air.

BlueGamer Weekly Twitter Updates 0

by Adam Blue • Twitter

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This Is Why I'm Scared Of Nintendo 0

by Adam Blue • Editorial

I want to buy WiiWare and DSiWare games. With Ubi’s DRM, I know there will still always be a way to play no matter what. But Nintendo’s DRM? That shit is locked to the hardware.

Deleting a Nintendo DSi Shop account
Removing the Nintendo DSi Shop account will delete all currently registered Nintendo DSi Points and downloaded DSiWare applications. Applications cannot be re-downloaded unless additional Nintendo DSi Points are used. This option should only be selected if you are planning on transferring ownership of your Nintendo DSi or Nintendo DSi XL system.

On the Nintendo DSi Menu, use the stylus to select the Nintendo DSi Shop icon
Select the “Start Shopping” button.
Select the “Settings” button.
Tap the “Settings and Features” button.
Select the “Remove Nintendo DSi Shop Account” button.
Tap the white box, then enter the system’s serial number to remove the shop account.

So I made a poll at a forum I frequent. Luckily my Wii was under warranty when it crapped out. But now? I’d have to pay them to fix it in order to then get my games on a fixed console.

Just Cause 2 Impressions 0

by Adam Blue • Impressions

Unfortunately, Just Cause 2 is boring to me. It’s a good game though, but after a 1000/1000 Gamerscore on the first game, there’s little more here to do. I even think the explosions and physics had a little more bang to them previously. I will continue to play, but not at my normal, rapid pace. If I get a little further and feel different about it, I’ll do a review and explain why.

For now, if you’ve mastered the first, you might feel a little bored with this one. I see people that didn’t like the first but like this one; that’s just following the hype train this time around, because it’s the same as the first. Though, for Avalanche, I’m glad Just Cause 2 is getting the hype it is because they deserved a bigger following of the first game.

Here’s a conversation I was having in a forum:

User: Yeah – the game has 2 major failings: It doesn’t train you the controls very well, and it doesn’t teach you what you should do in the world at all.

Me: Actually, for me it seemed pretty clear. It displayed the controls as needed during the first mission. Everything’s pretty contextual. From controls to objectives. Too much so that it restricts the freedom found in the first.

Though, even though I loved the demo, the full game now seems rather dull. I will blame it on the fact that I played the first to perfection. 1000/1000 GS. This feels lesser in the explosives/physics department. I’ll probably hold off on playing through it. It definitely is made just to play around, with less emphasis on freedom of environment in the campaign.

Playing The Sonic Classics 0

by Adam Blue • Editorial

The thought of Sonic 4 coming out has me pumped. I’m fine with the 3D games from Sega though. But people want their old-school Sonic, and since it’s working for Mario, why not?

So before the release this summer, I’ve been going back and playing through the original Sonic classics on XBLA. Sonic 1-3, Sonic CD (GameCube) and Sonic & Knuckles. While they initially seem easy (despite finishing an act with little or no rings), the later levels get challenging. Challenging enough that I die before I can complete them. What I need to start doing is saving my game near the end, that way I can start again, since the original Sonic 3 save system is absent. The Gems Collection Sonic CD save seems not to be working on my Wii. I may need to secure a GameCube for that since they are cheap, plus I plan to get back to playing my GBA carts on the Game Boy Player.

But it’s just interesting to play these games again in full. They are very difficult, but require repetition and memorization. Sonic 2 is full of death traps that you just need to remember. But that’s just part of the design, which has held up well. These games have great design to this day. I’ve also got the Game Gear and GBA games I never finished. I’ll try getting around to that.

Back to Sonic 4, the website posts updates regularly, a big one being the music for the first level, Splash Hill Zone:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dyhhBXXoeQ

Off topic, GameFly is sending Just Cause 2. That will keep me distracted from Sonic for a while.

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by Adam Blue • Twitter

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Review – God of War 3 0

by Adam Blue • Reviews

Here it is. What should have been a launch title for the PS3 in some form is now upon us. Though, what made the first three so special besides the great combat, was the epic set pieces. Yes, the PSP still did a good job with that. Naturally, I wouldn’t review this and instead just post some quick impressions telling you to get it immediatley. But honestly, God of War 3 didn’t turn out like I thought it would.

I thought the E3 demo was garbage. It just looked like a pixelated mess. Considering PS3 games aren’t required to have some sort of Anti-Aliasing, I figured it just went that route. Uncharted 2 did a good job with the AA, Killzone 2, not so much. But fortunatley, the final, full-retail product, looked a smooth as can be. This, coupled with amazing graphical effects that give a sense of depth and scope, I will probably crown this as best looking console game (Crysis still owns them all). There is a neat focus effect depending on the foreground/background that help you get into the game, or just down-right make this feel like a movie.

And that goes hand-in-hand with the set pieces. The action sequence in this game is unbelievable. It pulls you in, gives you freedom of gameplay, but also varies that gameplay according to what actions are present. Again, it’s amazing. But then, the rest of the game happens. From here, it’s not as epic. Maybe a reel-in tactic? Whatever the case may be, the rest is a let-down. Now, there are a couple more sequences that are of epic proportions as well, but it being a small fraction of the game, doesn’t help the game be the ultimate experience. There is moreof an emphasis on many enemies and using your power to destroy them. The most powerful attacks are really all you need. I got to a point where all I did was press triangle to attack, because it was so powerful I didn’t need anything else. Though there still are a few instances where you’ll come across some down-right dirty enemies, requiring strategic dodging and countering. But there’s not enough. I even finished the game with all treasures found and all weapons upgraded. Because of this I really have no need to play again. Also, these epic set pieces seem to be a one-time thing. Once you know how it goes down and when you need to press a button, it’s just Heavy Rain set in Greek Mythology.

There were some control issues that were actually common knowledge, so it wasn’t just me. I vaguely remember this from GoW2, and other people on the net have confirmed this with the GoW Collection. When double-jumping, sometimes the game will register it wrong and you will be shot straight down to your death. I died more this way than from enemies. It’s pretty sick. With all the complaints I’m seeing, I’m surprised this is still a apart of the game. In short, GoW doesn’t do real double-jumping like every other game.

Conclusion: If you’re on the fence, just hold off. Even as a GoW fan you might not be happy with a $60 purchase. It’s just not as epic as the others, and when not awing you with epic sequences, the fighting is very basic. Even with new weapons and magic, everything can be maxed during the first play-through. For instance, I recognize how much more epic GoW is compared to Dante’s Inferno, yet, I had the drive to go through DI four times. Rent if you’re not working on a backlog, otherwise, save it for the summer drought…if that even occurs this year. But remember this: The game is not bad. It’s just that it feels like it could have been put out a few years ago, and the focus here became epic sequences rather than awesome combat.

God of War 3 Control Issues And Perfect Dark 1

by Adam Blue • Editorial

Well GameFly got GoW3 over to me the same day as Perfect Dark’s release. Juggling between the two, I can still make out the fact that Perfect Dark is an incredible game even today. The mission design is just awesome. I will be putting a lot of time into it, like back in the day. If there was some magical way to upload our character stats from the N64 memory card – that would be amazing.

As for GoW3, these graphics are phenomenal. While Crysis still carries the crown, for a console developed title in a brawler franchise, this is just fascinating. Even though graphics don’t necessarily make the game, here, they really pull me in. If this is just a PS3 thing that the 360 isn’t capable of, I hope to see more titles on the PS3 with such engaging visuals.

Though, I’m a bit bored with the game. I feel like I’m just chugging along, going through the motions. The first level was so amazing, that the rest of the game, so far, feels slow and tame. I’m also having problems with jumping. When doing the double-jump, the second jump may not always register correctly, and will just throw you to your death below. This isn’t always the case, just when you’re trying to advance. Most of my deaths have been from this. Luckily though, I’m not just a loon as it appears to be a known issue. I think it’s a GoW thing as I vaguely remember this from the second game. Is it GoW? The PS3 controller? PS3 wireless connection? A combination?

The C&C 4 Review/Rant 0

by Adam Blue • Editorial, Reviews

As some of you may know from reading this blog, I am a huge Command & Conquer fan. Some of you may also be familiar with how pissed I got when things started slowly going south. EA purchased Westwood, rushing the release of Tiberian Sun and released C&C 3 which almost completely disregarded Tiberian Sun (although, the expansion made for the purpose of pleasing fans tried its best to piece everything together…but the damage was done). With C&C3, most of us knew it was done. One of the developers of Tiberian Sun who left with other Westwood vets to start Petroglyph, spoke out on what they planned to do with the C&C franchise. This world was awesome.

We had the mysterious Kane, tiberium crystals that started mysteriously appearing around the world, and the Tacitus artifact found in a crashed alien ship, along with the emerging of Cabal. All of these neat plot points started opening up, with fans eager to hear how it continues. It even goes deeper with Tiberium veins, blue crystals, mutants, visceroids, etc. Depth very much comparable to Bungie’s Halo universe. But all of these details were left out of C&C3. Why? My only guess is the people working on C&C at EA decided they wanted things done their way. I was able to stomach it though. The game was fun, but not exactly the evolution we were hoping for from Tiberian Sun. Again, we just accepted it. It was almost as bad as an Alien and Predator fan witnessing the Alien vs. Predator movie. It changed everything.

So now we get C&C 4: Tiberian Twilight. My thinking is that after the retribution of Kane’s Wrath, we’ll get a part of what Westwood intended to bestow upon the fans. We wanted to learn more about the Scrin, the tiberium, Cabal…all those above plot points. But unfortunately, none of that is found here. For one, the polish and production found in previous games is certainly very low-budget here. It was going down-hill anyway, but now it has come to a cliff. I hate to talk bad about the dev team on this, but everything looks bad. Even the FMV was full of stupid filler crap. I’m fine with using unknown actors, and the acting was fine for this medium, but there was no substance. No resolution. Nothing to tie previous plot points together. I didn’t care anymore.

As for music, a huge staple of the earlier releases, it’s also slightly disappointing. TD and TS set the mood. The music, written by Frank Klepacki, was amazing and would be something you could listen to outside of gaming. There is actually a cool score written for the game, but it would have been better off as cues within the gameplay. We’re missing the rocking music, the atmospheric doom sound – anything resembling the Tiberium Universe.

It seems though I was playing the game for the story and not the gameplay. Part of that is true. C&C3 was already a let down, but I was eager to follow the story and see Joe Kucan again as Kane. How was the gameplay? This time around it is not a base-builder, but an RTS similar to Dawn of War II…but not. I don’t know. EA said they were experimenting with different ways to play an RTS, and while it is different, it’s not necessarily what should be packaged. I mean, it works as a game, but it’s pointless. I guess it’s fun to try out, but ultimately has no real strategic point like DoW or Company of Heroes. And I really don’t know how to explain it. It has no point.

You have a mobile base called a Crawler which you build units from. You then build the right mix of units to take out the enemy. If they have air, get anti-air. Rock, Paper, Scissors. There are some points around the map you can grab colored tiberium crystals to help you out. But it just doesn’t seem to mean anything to me. I like the addition of tons of units to choose from which are unlocked by leveling up. Also from leveling up, you gain abilities and buffs to be used on units. That whole element is great for an RTS. But the actual gameplay is, again, pointless.

This is a sad time. The Tiberium universe was a fantastic and exciting storyline with much potential, but to the dismay of fans, we are left with nothing. It has been taken away. It’s like watching Alien vs. Predator, Quantum of Solace, or Blade: Trinity. It takes away what makes it great, and leaves us behind. But why has it been taken away form us? Originally, Westwood was purchased by EA because of the cash potential. Once secured, Tiberian Sun was rushed out to meet the demands of upper management/stock holders/whathaveyou, to secure maximum profit. But when C&C3 came around, it really looked like they tried. Like they had freedom. But who made these decisions that changed the Tiberium Universe? Did ex-Westwood employees leave on bad terms making the team at EA feel they need to do their own thing? The lore was right there, yet not even used.

R.I.P.

Command & Conquer 4 Impressions 1

by Adam Blue • Impressions

I played through the beta and it seemed to have a lot to offer, but as the full retail package, the game seems very low-budget. It doesn’t feel like C&C so far. Even though there’s no reason to dwell on it, I really wish the Tiberium universe evolved from Tiberian Sun. I guess there’s more story to learn from the campaign, but in the end I feel like I’m watching Alien Vs. Predator all over again.

I plan to finish the campaign rather quickly and hope to have a review up soon.

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