Airdog wrote:Demo of Blitz: The League has been posted to the marketplace.
It's a shade over 1GB, I'm downloading it now.
I thought it was a pretty entertaining demo. I'm so tired of Madden that this game was refreshing to play. Graphically, it kinda reminds me of the 2k series a little bit. I like the "Clash Mode" which enables you to slow down the gameplay and make some wicked moves on offense. Also, you have can have smashing hits on offense as well.
I'm interested in reading up on this game, as it seems it's more fun to play than the previous version.
Anyone heard any more news about Settlers of Catan coming to the Arcade? It was announced way back in the beginning of 2006 and I haven't seen anything else since. Talk about a game that is pure crack...
Zeppo.....you got your wish....Ms Pac Man!!
Tried the demo and it was pretty fun, but I have a hard time
getting used to the control with the analog stick. It doesn't
seem as responsive as it should be.
Phantasy Star Universe online multiplayer beta released today.
I'm grabbing it to see what it's like with no real intention of subscribing. Can't get addicted to a MMORPG. You can still do quests up to level 30, and then it seems like you're limited/cut off. There will be monthly wipes as well.
Major Nelson is reporting that the Crackdown demo is now Live. Won't have a chance to grab it until after work today but some of you guys may want to give it a look.
Anyone receive the Halo 3 Beta email? Says they'll contact those that are in over the next couple days. A couple guys from OS have already received word that they're in.
Anyone receive the Halo 3 Beta email? Says they'll contact those that are in over the next couple days. A couple guys from OS have already received word that they're in.
I got the e-mail confirming I'm in. Now I can just gamefly Crackdown instead of purchasing it.
"Crackdown is a futuristic, next generation, online take on the wide-open Grand Theft Auto genre. You play as a super-human agent assigned to take out the filth that has starting filling up all corners of your city. The city's thousands of gangsters have grouped together into three criminal organizations: Cai-Shen Corp, an Asian gang that uses hitmen to extract revenge, The Volk, a Russian gang that specializes in guns, and La Muerta, a Spanish group that loves cars. Your overall goal as an agent is to defeat the bosses of these organizations, bringing peace to the city. You are a one-man super army, but if the going gets too tough, a friend can jump in and play along with you in co-op mode to bring an unstoppable crime fighting force to Pacific City."
i think i'll pick this up. this game is fun. didn't think i'd like the cell-shaded graphics but its not bad. only thing that sucks is you only get an hour with the demo. once you level up to a certain point, you only get 30 more minutes in teh game before it starts over.
In case anybody was wondering why the Halo 3 beta talk came up, if you buy Crackdown you get a pass into the Halo 3 online beta test (which will arrive in the form of a Marketplace download for those who are eligible).
I didn't get an e-mail so I assume I didn't get in.
This game is pretty fun - I could see it as one of those where you can just pick up and play, without much thought or effort. Plus, you could just wander around and mess stuff up to let off some stress (I guess there's just something about picking up cars and throwing them at random crowds of people that's stimulating to some section in my brain).
As far as the graphics are concerned, the game is clearly developed with frame rate in mind over beauty. There are a lot of bodies on screen at once, and from my experience the frame rate was pretty solid, even with multiple explosions on screen.
It seems that the game is split into multiple 'levels' whereby you access them through a main hub, which also seems to serve as your 'police agency's' HQ. I'm not 100% if you can just go from level to level through bridges but I don't think any more than the first one is available in the first level anyway. At least for now, if you try to enter any other levels your Inspector Gadget-like voice-over commander tells you that they're too overrun with criminals and/or they're too difficult for someone of your training. I'm guess this will remain in the final game, and there won't b ea true 100% sense of open world, much like how GTA is constructed (can't go to higher levels/islands/areas until lower levels are almost completely finished).
I can see all of the jumping getting on some people's nerves, and after playing Gears of Wars and Ghost Recon, it's difficult to play action/shooting games that don't have a proper cover system. It just seems to be common-sense to me now that anything without it is stupid and really takes away from the experience.
The game also heavily emphasises on developing your character, so that after you use your strengths they do improve. This was very heavily accelerated in the demo, but I can see this as being the most fun thing about the game. The enemy AI was pretty dumb, but once again I think they're emphasizing large firefights over smart small ones. But who knows, they might smarten up as the game progresses.
There is also a lot of searching around for orbs that also help emphasize your skills. I can see these being the basis for a lot of the achievements in the game, as well as finding obscure areas around the towns.
I see the game as a cross between Grand Theft Auto (for it's interface, graphics, and style of play), Super Mario Brothers (for its platforming elements), and Oblivion (for its character development through practice). That's a lofty hybrid to attempt to reach, but with some polish it may be able to be a slightly upper tier title.
As of now, I would hold off on pre-ordering it until some final game impressions come out, unless you're a huge Halo fan and absolutely must be in the beta.
the damn demo keeps locking up on me after about 15 minutes or so. Screen just goes black. What I've played of it I really like, but I'd like for it not to do that...
I've had similar problems downloading demos from time to time, but this one only took a half hour or so. I must have tried to download SC:DA a dozen times before I gave up.
OK, it's another GTA game, with some kind of sci-fi/cop element. Again, it all depends on your enthusiasm for this kind of genre. Agree that the AI was kind of dumb, and also agree about missing some kind of cover system.
With an actual GTA game coming out this year, I think I'll hold off on this one. Maybe it'll help make GTA IV a little more of a fresh experience.
I am waiting for Sensible Soccer. My must have game of the year.
[url=http://sensiblecoasters.wordpress.com/][b]Sensible Coasters - A critique of sports games, reviews, gaming sites and news. Questionably Proofread![/b][/url]
Played Crackdown for about 15 minutes and my very initial impressions are that it is just okay. So far, I like the look and feel of Saints Row better, BUT, I absolutely dispised Saints Row when I demo'd it and ended up really liking it one the full version was out so...
Great impressions, I totally agree with you - its a mix of GTA:SA (sandbox + RPG-like character development) and Mario Bros (platforming). I haven't played my 360 much in the past month or so (I've been playing my DS & PSP) but I had a lot of fun in an hour of Crackdown - I didn't bother much with the missions, I just killed enough bad guys to up my strength and then spent the rest of the game getting agility orbs and jumping from roof to roof like Spiderman. This game makes you feel more like a superhero than the crappy Superman game!
My only concern is just how long the gameplay will last (although I recognize the character building is accelerated). I might try and pick it up on the cheap in a few months.
The demo certainly put a better face on the product than any of the little stuff I've seen around the web. Everything seems solid and smooth, the mechanics seem to be pretty glitch- and clunk-free. Even the bit of driving I did was fun.
I like the super-hero feeling added into the GTA mix, and much like Just Cause (I might be the only guy who likes that game), the addition of the vertical element really sets it apart from other GTA clones. It's not as free and insane with the vertical stuff as JC (no flying, no free-falling, at least so far, and I never saw an aerial vehicle to grapple onto), but leaping up buildings and around from building to building is pretty damn fun, and the mechanics of shooting seem really solid. The little aim-specificity thing is pretty neat, and mixing in a bit of ability progression is a great idea.
I'm still not sure if co-op is jump-in, jump-out like GoW, but if it is, that would be a great thing. I had fun with the stupid AI. At least they outnumber you mightily, and they might get a little better as the game progresses. But this isn't a game where I'd look for ground-breaking AI, this is a game where I want to feel like a super-hero and whipe them out by the dozens.
Zeppo wrote:
I'm still not sure if co-op is jump-in, jump-out like GoW, but if it is, that would be a great thing. I had fun with the stupid AI. At least they outnumber you mightily, and they might get a little better as the game progresses. But this isn't a game where I'd look for ground-breaking AI, this is a game where I want to feel like a super-hero and whipe them out by the dozens.
From Team Xbox:
Another large difference comes in the way that co-op matchmaking is arranged. In the demo, you can basically do a quick or custom search for a game, or host a game that random players can enter. You won’t be able to jump in and out of matches either, as the random matchmaking does not allow such a thing. In contrast, the final of Crackdown will features the ability to jump in and out of any co-op game, and also features “just friends” and “invite only” slots for pinpoint matchmaking.
Sounds promising. I'm still not sure if that means that means that we can go back and forth between co-op and the single-player campaign like GoW, but it's something.
XBL Gamertag: RobVarak
"Ok I'm an elitist, but I have a healthy respect for people who don't measure up." --Aaron Sorkin
