New Series!  Game Testers

John and I both have been playing a lot of great games lately.  We have reviewed some of them on this very site. 

I thought it would be cool to take a look back at games we’ve played in years past.  Some of them are excellent, some terrible.  But all of them are games we tried.  This is the first in the series - No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’s Way. 

It was released in 2002.  In it you play Cate Archer, a spy who fights against the evil forces of H.A.R.M. in all kinds of cool environments such as a trailer park (in the middle of a tornado!),and a Japanese ninja village. 

NOLF2 had some bugs when I played it. However it was tons of fun.  I played it on my PC.  I haven’t found it on a console. 

The Good: It is well-written and the voice acting is stellar. Graphics are great.  Lots of cool weapons including an angry kitty bomb and a blowtorch disguised as a hairspray can.   

The Bad: The game play is a bit repetitive at times. Also, it does happen to freeze up occasionally. I had to check with a walkthrough several times, only to find that I missed welding a small hinge or lock. Also, I am not sure how much fun this would be to play again… replay value is important in a game.

Don’t cheat with this game… there is one spot (on a level in India) that if you do cheat, you won’t be able to finish the level. I know because I learned this the hard way. (OK, I admit it… I like to cheat when playing off line).

So, I am giving this 4 stars due to replay value and bugs. If you are willing to put up with these two issues, it is well worth the time and investment.  You can still find this game for sale.  It is currently on Amazon for around $20.00 — well worth the price.

I would like to see another adventure with Cate in it. 

Total Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Get it on Amazon: No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.’s Way

Last time this happened was with my thumb drive.  I lucked out on that one:  it worked fine even after going through the washer and the dryer.  Not this time, though:  the bluetooth is D.O.A.

That dang bluetooth was expensive!  I paid extra to get the exact model I wanted.  I was so mad.  So now I was suddenly in the market for a new pair of headphones, but my wife would kill me if I spent the same amount of money again.

A buddy suggested the TuneBuds Mobile from Griffin.  I have a Blackberry phone, and I was a bit hesitant because it says on the box that they are for iphones.  However, I got it, and boy am I glad I did.

The TuneBuds are another well-designed, excellent product.  The cord is covered in some kind of tough fiber weave.  It makes it feel more solid.  The earbuds are comfortable, and the speaker works perfectly.  My first call was actually to my wife who said she could hear me fine (and by the way could I pick up some milk while I was out?).

Getting a call was strange at first.  It was just a bit disconcerting to hear the person’s voice in both ears.  However, most of the time I use it when I am driving and so only leave one side in.  Not a big deal. 

It also comes with a little carrying case.  Sweet!  The other bonus is that it works with my ipod.  And the music sounds great, especially when compared to the original earbuds that came with the ipod.     

My only quibble is that there is a button on the TuneBuds that allows you to control your iphone.  It doesn’t work for the Blackberry.  However this is a minor issue I am willing to put up with.

So, all in all another fine Griffin product-  Total Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 

PS:  The TuneBuds are usually $39.99 on Amazon.  They are currently on sale for $29.99  A great set of headphones, and cheap to boot!  What a deal! 

Amazon: Griffin 9410-TUNBMBLB TuneBuds Mobile for iPhone

Well, it’s official. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots is the best game I’ve ever played. I enjoy games for many reasons and until recently, GTA IV was one of my top overall game because of many different categories, but it doesn’t even compare on the scale that is Metal Gear Solid 4. The game is so detailed that I’m almost done (last act) and I still haven’t quite mastered all of the moves. It’s probably why I’m already planning how I’m going to play earlier sections of the game my second time through.

Yes, there are many things to strive for in this game. Now I’m just trying to get through. Then there will be an all stealth attempt, no kills, and to get all of the secret statues. But maybe I’ve said too much. Yes, there are secret weapons, items, badges, Easter eggs and more. The cut scenes are fantastic too with the best graphics I can ever remember. Some are incredibly long, but only once was I ever really kind of bored. The humor all through is excellent. There is one moment late in the game when Otacon asks you to put in Disk 2. I won’t spoil the moment for you, but let’s just say that it’s priceless.

The boss battles are so well done with tension and drama that I’ve actually ejoyed every one completely and never once dreaded one coming up and worried “how will I beat it” like I have in games past. There are just so many clues, hints, and other great stuff that it is it’s own world. No doubt about it.

The rest of the time I was totally glued to the story. No…I take that back. I was IN the story. Hideo Kojima has made the game that he can proudly call a masterpiece. It’s visually stunning and every movement and all of the technical elements of the game are spot on. I don’t know what it takes, but this has to be Game of the Year for sure. If you have a PS3 then this games is a must own. If you don’t have a PS3, then this game is worth getting one. It’s just that good.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Should be a 10 out of 5.

Thoughts…

Metal Gear Solid 4 is the most impressive game in the series and thus far, it’s incredible to play. The stealth is excellent, the gadgets are fantastic, and the cut-scenes and amazingly impressive. So far I’ve pretty much found that this is a must-own title for the PlayStation 3. The level of customization on the weapons is a blast and I’m working my way through war-torn streets try to accomplish my mission. I really don’t care about not having casualties, I care more about having fun so I’ve nailed a few soldiers in my path.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This game is both beautiful and perfect. Definitely a worthwhile purchase.

I found this game to be really unique.  You can manifest the darkness in several different ways, such as a snake that slides along walls and ceilings and attack unsuspecting enemies, or you can create a black hole that sucks several people up at once and spins them around before spitting them out.  To gain strength, you have to eat the hearts of those that you kill, which is pretty gruesome.  There are also simple puzzles you have to solve using The Darkness’ powers, and you can summon these little demons who also will kill for you.   

The Darkness powers take some getting used to.  Jackie likes hanging out in shadows and this can make things a bit hard to see at times.  When the darkness is manifested, and all the lights are out, everything takes on a bit of a sepia glow which also makes it difficult to navigate through.  It’s a fair price to pay, because it is tons of fun to sneak through the shadows and tear bad guys apart.   

The other cool thing about this game is random people you meet can give you side missions to accomplish.  For example one of the old men of Jackie’s family gave him assignments to go and kill certain gang members. 

Unfortunately, some of the side missions are incredibly lame.  One involved Jackie having to take a train to give a guy a letter.  Yeah.  That’s it. 

Throughout the game, Jackie finds phone numbers.  He is also given a number for each side mission he completes.  He uses these numbers at any pay phone.  The phone rings, and somebody’s answering service picks up and you hear that person talk about why they can’t answer the phone.   He might call the butcher, or a restaurant, or just someone’s house.  Jackie always hangs up when the system beeps.  

Some of the messages are funny, others dumb.  I ended up skipping most of them.  Why even make the call?  It unlocks bonus content, which is neat.

The bonus content is cool.  You can see actual comic books and photos, and a ton of other things. 

You have to use the train a lot in this game.  It was neat at first, but got bothersome after a while.

Overall I would give this game a Total Rating: 4 out of 5 stars   Though it wasn’t a perfect game it was really enjoyable.  I found it at Fred Meyers for $16.00 on clearance, which was an insanely good price for all the time I got out of it (I think about 20 hours +).  If there is a “The Darkness 2″ I would definitely consider buying it. 

Hint:  Don’t take the boat to Paulie’s island unless you want to finish the game.  This is especially true if you have side missions yet to complete.  You won’t be able to finish them because the credits roll after the final bad guy.      

Spoiler:  Thoughts about the ending:  After Paulie is dead, the darkness consumes Jackie.  Suddenly, he is on a park bench with  Jenny.  After a brief discussion, he asks if he is dreaming.  She says he is and he must wake up.  Cue credits.  I thought this was a cool ending, because the whole game could have been a dream.  However, more likely is that only this cut scene is a dream, given that there really was a The Darkness comic, with a like mythos.

The Darkness PS3

One thing I really like about Belkin cases is the fact that they have a really thin plastic covering over the center button.  This protects the button but still allows me to use the ipod easily. 

This is my 4th ipod cover.  I had three with my 2nd Gen ipod.  Two of them were Belkin and the other was a different brand.  I keep going back to Belkin because the cases are good quality.  I dropped my 2nd Gen ipod twice on asphault, and both times it worked fine afterwards when it was being protected by a Belkin.

However, two things that totally bug me about this case, and also the previous Belkin cases I have owned:

1) Lots of dirt and grime gets inside the case.  I have to keep my ipod in my pocket since I am a manly guy and not prone to carrying around purses (unless a shopping emergency occurs while out with my wife, and then I will carry the purse at arm’s length to show everyone I am indeed a manly man).  My pockets are clean enough, but somehow the little bits of lint still make their way inside the case.  So annoying!

2) The plastic that the cases are constructed with is very soft.  If you rub it the wrong way with your hand or clothing, the case will scratch or cloud up.  I swear, sometimes it seems as though the very air molecules bounce off it and leave a dent.   I have had this case for about two weeks, and it looks like it is a year old.  I can hardly see the screen anymore because of all the scratches. 

So there is the complication:  what good is having an ipod with a screen if you can’t see the screen?  The cases run upwards of $20.00 each, and I can’t afford to get a new case every two weeks. 

Total Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon:  Belkin Remix Metal Case for iPod nano 3G (Silver)

You’re probably thinking “Well, Kevin, that’s cool and alll, but I already have a charger.”  If you are, well, you still should read a bit further, because this baby charges not one but two things at once.  That’s right!  You can charge your phone and your ipod in one go at home.  The car charger will only charge one unit at a time.   

I know, chargers aren’t all that exciting or sexy.  But they sure are necessary.  I can’t count the number of times I have been low on juice and wished that I had a charger around.  Hopefully that won’t be an issue any more for me now that I have the PowerDuo.

A quick note about the packaging:  there are a lot of things that come in packaging that requires a razor, or maybe an industrial saw to open.  Not this thing.  It was a snap to open.  As a parent of a daughter who seems to want only things that are massively difficult to get out of the plastic, I must say it was refreshing to spend only a few seconds to get the chargers free.

After I got the chargers out, they were even easier to use.  I liked the fact that both units have a light that tells you that the item is charging.  Also, the car charger has a replaceable auto fuse to protect your stuff from surges. 

Normally, I can find something wrong with a product for these reviews.  However, in this case I really can’t think of anything.  Griffin is a great company with a lot of awesome products, and the PowerDuo Universal is one of them.  I think this is the perfect gift for any Geek:  no one can have enough chargers.  I should know, having lost several of them.  Hopefully I’ll be able to hold on to this one.

I give it a Total Rating: 5 out of 5 stars       

Amazon:  Griffin 7264 PowerDuo Universal Charger for Devices that Chargers through USB (Black)

I downloaded and installed some of their many programs available on www.stardock.com and was literally blown away with the amount of things I can do with them.  For example, are you tired of the way your desktop looks?  You can change it completely with just a couple of clicks.  Icons, sounds, themes, the start bar… all putty in your hands using Stardock’s programs.         

I have been playing with the software suite for the past couple of weeks and feel like I still haven’t even made a dent in the amount of features available to me.  In fact, every time I start to think about it, I get dizzy and have to sit down. 

I think the biggest benefit to having this software is the fact that user driven modifications seem to be encouraged.  There is a huge community of extremely talented modders out there, and I can check out their work and download and apply it to my computer very easily. 

For example, the other day, using Sound Packager, I downloaded and installed a Sexy Female voice theme that user RobJK had created.  Unfortunately, it was very sexy, and I realized quite quickly that my pregnant wife would kill me if I left it running.  So, with one click I returned to the standard Windows sound theme.  I now have a theme called ”Classic Arcade” by David Murphy running.  The widows sounds are all ones from classic arcade games.  Sweet! 

My current favorite is this application called Icon Packager which allows you to change the way icons appear.  You can download and appy new icon packages with one or two clicks and change all your icons at once.  Then, if you’d like them a little more blue, say or slightly more green, you can change that too. 

Even though I am not a developer, I found the software easy to use.  There are a ton of other things you can do with Stardock, many more than I have room to mention.  I strongly suggest you check them out:  www.stardock.com

Total Rating: 5 out of 5 stars       

GamesRadar has an interview with Paul Fitzpatrick who’s written the very first official review of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots that due out in June for the PlayStation 3. I’ll just tell you right now…he gave the game a 10 out of 10.

GR: What’s the single biggest improvement over the previous games? What makes the biggest difference in MGS4?

PF: Having what is basically a classic FPS shooter control set up is the biggest improvement (although I guess it debuted in MGS3: Subsistence). It means that when Snake has to shoot it out, you can negotiate that with confidence for the first time.

That’s one of the things I’m most looking forward too is the better control scheme. I’m also looking forward to not having that strange side/top view and being able to see more.

GR: As an overall production, does the game deserve the years of hype it’s garnered?

PF: It is unique, and mostly for the very best reasons. It is, lest I haven’t said this enough, a really, really enjoyable game to play. So, for my money, yes.

GR: Do you think its release will make any kind of difference to the PS3 as a platform? Some say it’ll sell systems like nothing we’ve ever seen before, while some think it will only sell to the pre-converted hardcore Metal Gear audience.

PF: I think GTAIV is more likely to shift hardware, but if you like games at all and/or have any interest in where they’re going, this is indispensable. This is a game for the fans. But if you’re not one, it doesn’t take much to get on board. The earlier games are still superb, and wikipedia can get you up to speed with the plot in fifteen minutes. Get involved!

GamesRader MSG4 Review Interview

You know…that’s a fantastic idea to read wikipedia for the whole plot of the games. Honestly, I’ve always been lost as to what’s happening. I’ve played the last 3 or so MGS games and I still don’t have much of a clue beyond sneak, kill, boss battle, sneak again. I’m going to go read up on things before this game comes out.

This weekend I took about a hour long break from GTA IV to check out a title that I really wanted to see, The Bourne Conspiracy. I downloaded it from the PlayStation Store and then did the install (which took 5 mins or so) and was pleased to see there were 3 levels in the demo. With my heart racing, I launched into the game and decided to try the easiest difficulty setting…trainee.

I started out in the familiar Swiss bank scene from the first movie and was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with three bank guards. Just as promised, the action was fast and brutal. The moves were quite easy and I felt like a semi-Bourne right away. I did get punched a couple times though. Then came some guards with guns so I had to make my escape. I sprinted out a door and up some stairs where I was computer guided into taking a guy down (this happens a lot) and then I had to used “Bourne Sense” and run down a hallway.

A barred gate then starts to close and I had a 20th of a second to hit the X button. FAIL. I had to try that again, this time running to the gate and I hit X, but darn it…I was supposed to hit the triangle button. FAIL. I then realize it’s a random button of the four. PASS. Then more running and fighting. Either I was getting beat by a boss bad guy (FAIL) or not hitting said buttons fast enough when they came at me (FAIL) but it became a nightmare. One leap from and outside balcony to another was like a standard X button jump and then on the other side it was a random button that I had to hit in that short span to trigger the jump. FAIL and FAIL. I found the sheer randomness of it all frustrating. Why can’t one button just be the jump button dammit?

Then came a subway tunnel and some guns. I ran down the tunnel to beat the first guy I saw senseless and as I’m fighting him a train comes along and hits me. FAIL. Then I dodged that train the next time and ended up in a clumsy shootout. I finally killed the two guys and headed for another section. I dodge 2 more trains (this tunnel is busy!) and raced up some stairs only to be shot. FAIL. Then I was slower on the stairs and killed a couple guys only to be surprised with a guy in my face. Yes! Brawl time! While I was going all Jason Bourne on him, another guy behind him calmly approached and shot me in the head from a foot away. FAIL. Three more FAILS in this area finally got me through to the plane that was taking off.

I fought a couple guys in a great fight on the plane, but oops I missed the 20th of a second button push to dodge an APC they roll at me. FAIL. Then another brawl and a boss bad guy. FAIL. Then onto a car chase where I missed some button press to enter a tunnel. FAIL. Followed by a button press to reverse gears. FAIL. Followed by a button press to spin the car and complete the scene. Yep, you guessed it. FAIL.

A quick note about the car chasing action. It sucks. The roads are big and wide and stupid looking. The car handles like crap too.

Although I really (really, really) wanted to love this game, the act of failing something every minute to minute and a half of game time on the easiest setting was maddening. Yes, the fighting is awesome and made me feel like Bourne when I was able to use a fire extinguisher from a wall to bash someone, but it just wasn’t quite enough to sway me into thinking this would be a game I would own. I’m saddened.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars