The Days of Our Ben

Mass Effect 2

Most games that I play fit easily into an established genre.  Mass Effect 2 is not one of those games.

The dialogue system is pretty much the same as in the first - you are presented a radial menu of shorthand versions of the possible things you can say.  Upper is generally “paragon” and lower is generally “renegade”.  It’s a fun and engaging way to experience and participate in the story segments of the game, and I’m glad they left it intact.

When I got into the combat part of the game, I was shocked how different it was.  It’s not an RPG shooter, it’s just a shooter.  You don’t get XP from killing things, there is hardly anything to loot, you don’t even have an inventory.  You can level up your skills somewhat between missions, but it doesn’t really feel like an RPG.  I feel like I could probably go through the whole game without ever leveling my character up if I was good enough.

I think the decision to ditch a lot of the RPG elements worked really well.  Bioware games have always been about the story for me, and the inventory and skills management always got in the way of that.  This refined shooter gameplay really lets the story shine, and I felt myself getting completely drawn into the narrative.

Which is suprising somewhat because not much really happens in this installment.  It’s all about getting to know your crew.  That might be another reason why it works for me so much.  I think with the emotional connection I’ve made to the crew over Mass Effect 2, the sequel could be seriously effective.

Mass Effect 3 can’t come soon enough.

Assassin's Creed 2

Assassin’s Creed 2 obviously reminded me of the first Assassin’s creed.  But it also reminded me of another recent Ubisoft game:  Farcry 2.  All three of these games presented amazing first impressions.  Their environments were immersive, their gameplay simple and fun.

The problem with all three of these games is that about half way through them, I started to feel like I was doing a chore.  I was compelled to do that chore, but it was a chore nonetheless.  I played through Assassin’s Creed virtually non stop, and by the time I was done I had a bad taste for it.  I actually stopped playing Farcry 2 because I convinced myself that I should be having fun playing my games.  The strange thing is that when I came back to Farcry 2, it was awesome again!  The world was more interesting and the things that I did in the world were fun once more.  With Assassin’s Creed 2 - I realized once again that this was one of those Ubisoft games. Unfortunately, I had rented it - so I felt more compulsion to finish it quickly than I would an owned game.  After some experimentation, I realized that it should be played no more than every other day.

I wanted to get that out of the way because I think it’s important to how you will feel about the game.  If you are someone who has to play a game straight through - it’s going to get repetitive and boring.  But if you use it as a game to come back to every now and again - it’s going to be a blast!

After the original Assassin’s Creed, I was left totally uninterested in the plot they had created.  By the end of Assassin’s Creed 2, I’m sold.  I can’t wait to see what happens in the inevitable sequel.  I don’t want to spoil too much of the plot, but the last words your character utters before the credits are “What. The. Fuck.” I think that sums it up nicely.  But it’s the good kind of striking consternation.  The kind where you have no idea what was just presented to you, but then it starts to unravel itself in your head.

Uncharted 2

Since I got my ps3 for christmas, Uncharted 2 is the first game that I’ve completed for it.  I have to say - what a way to start off!

Uncharted 2 has received pretty much universal praise from game critics, and I agree with it for the most part.

The graphics are certainly the star in this game.  I’ve never seen their equal.  Every environment is lush and believable and made me feel fully immersed in the world.  Things that look like they should break will break and climbing surfaces don’t always stick out like sore thumbs.  The former can make the climbing sequences more challenging, but I don’t feel like it’s a bad thing.  You just have to keep your eyes open, and be aware of drake’s abilities.

I completed the game in practically no time, always wanted to return to it whenever I had a spare moment.  This was due in large part to the engaging story and characters.  I wanted to see if they could make it past the next hurdle, and what lay in wait around the next corner.

Even with all that praise, I still have some complaints about the game.  Primarily, the camera.  I don’t know if it’s Naught Dog’s fault, or mine - but I could not get the hang of the camera in game.  I think the main issue for me was that in FPS games, I like to use inverted camera controls, and in third person action games I like non-inverted.  The reason that’s a problem is because Uncharted 2 is “both”.  When running around and climbing I like it one way, and when shooting “down the sights” I like it the other.  The result being whenever I entered into shooting mode, I would aim wildly for a few seconds.   So I guess Naughty Dog could have added the option for inverted in one view and not the other, but that would probably just confuse most users.  In the end, I don’t blame them - but it’s something you should be aware of if you have the same taste for controls as me.

Another weak portion of the game so far is the multiplayer.  The camera issue is more of a problem in multiplayer, obviously - but it also feels stiff and lifeless for some reason.  I think that may be partially to the lack of gore.  When shooting an enemy, I don’t really have a good idea of how much damage I’m doing.  The problem there being I don’t have a good feeling of when to retreat.

Overall, Uncharted 2 was a fantastic introduction to the PS3 for me, but it’s not the perfect game a lot of the gaming media make it out to be.