Tuesday, August 28, 2012

What's lying on the counter?

This will be a double review.  A very sad review too.  And I will be reviewing Counter Strike: Global Offensive.  I first tried to get this on the pc.  I preordered it because I got like 15% off and I'm a man on a budget.  Tried to play the demo and my computer insisted on crashing.  Not just not working but a nice Blue Screen of Death that gimped my new computer.  I read up all about why it was doing this and tried to fix it.  Obviously the developers at Valve can't work around AMD's Bulldozer processor or whatnot and so I have to try and fix it.  Update drivers.  Still BSOD.  Update Bios.  It works! 

Oh but the framerate is awful.  I can run it but any action on screen turns my monitor into a blur of death.  It was unplayable.  I tried to find out what was wrong because I've already spent a week in a half trying to make this fucking game work.  I just wanted to headshot some veterans and be happy.  But happiness is not that easy.  I messaged steam for a refund so I could get it for my xbox.  That's still pending.  I did virus scan after virus scan and nothing showed up.  I did an memtest which tests your cpu and it passed after two hours.  The drivers were updated.  I reinstalled steam, reinstalled the game, and checked my hardware temps.  The cpu was running a little high at 56 degrees.  I then backuped everything (a pain in the ass) and reformatted.  Wow it still doesn't work.  Must be hardware.  Got some thermal paste and time to apply it when I am home next.

I really just needed a new game.  Something competitive because I haven't played anything online in quite some time besides Max Payne which felt like killing children in a playground rather then actual enemy combatants.  So I got it for my xbox after I tried the trial and not only had a blast but also felt like I was pretty good. 

Counter strike is counter strike.  If you have never played, this game really hasn't changed in ten or so years.  It's two teams against each other in objective based missions.  There is the counter-terrorists and the terrorists.  The terrorists love to blow things up and the CO love to kill the terrorists which only makes more terrorists next round.  In all but one game mode, you only get one life.  Games with one life really are amazing.  Not only do they slow down your actions and leave you defending your strategy but they also leave you really reliant on your team mates.  Speaking in this game is very recommended.  You won't get cussed out telling people the location of enemy.

The community reminds me of the pc gaming community where friendship comes with the territory.  Killing terrorists or blowing shit up really comes with knowing your fellow peers.  Getting to know them and how they play and what they like to do while playing helps the team tremendously.  A team of scrubs can take out a veteran just by simple logic.  Don't stray far.  Know where the rush is.  Have different guns and loadouts then your fellow friends. 

The maps are really good.  They have good choke points.  They have good short range and long range areas.  They have secret alleys and locations.  And they feel really balanced.  It's really hard to blame yourself for a loss.  Its really hard to look at yourself as the winner.  This game is based on your team and how well you work in one.  If you find yourself not liking this game, you must be a selfish, over grown, prick that needs to go play some deathmatch and jerk off to your k/d.  No one will care here how many nubs you have tea bagged.  We all see you and we are all laughing when the enemy team comes and slices your throat when you are looking like an entertaining fool.  Be a jester some where else plox.

Pros
-Counter strike come with great territory and competitive gaming
-The hit detection is too die for.  Literally.
-Good maps, good community, and just online.
Cons
-Fuck Valve and there shitty development team.  I am blaming them for gimping my machine.  Eight fucking core processor can't run cs on LOW!
-Can get discouraging. 

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Crusader Confusing

Just picked up the game Crusader Kings II.  Now imagine staring at this map for a few hours.

Yeah you are just as clueless then I am.  I even played the fucking tutorial and I still don't know what I am doing.  So you start the game by picking out a significant moment in feudal Europe and you pick one of the kings.  There are many kings to pick up from and every difficulty level is above the half way meter.  I tried five different kings with varying difficulty levels and I found out the same thing each time.  I know nothing about feudal Europe and how to run a country based on heritage.  How the hell do you make money when you are just a figure head?  How do you prevent wars that are fought over nothing but a fake plot? 

You can pause time and try to set your self up for greatness but the rest of the world runs on probability.  The farthest I got was living out one king and right when he died and his son took over, I went to war with three different kingdoms.  I was pissed since I've been trying to live the pacifists life.  WHICH DOESNOT WORK IN EUROPE. 

You have to run the military, the church relations, the relations between all your mayors and council members.  Also every relation with everyone surrounding you in a matter of time.  Also people riot, people are pissed, and everyone wants more land.  This is just a game that doesn't work for me and I used to love strategy games.  But if I don't get to build anything and I have to deal on an economy that I have little control over.  This game you have little control over everything and you have to deal with technology.  You have to deal with advancements.  You have to deal with keeping up with everyone else.  Too much stuff that you run by just pressing a button and hoping in twenty years that you made the right choice.  I think.  I don't really know what I am doing but clicking and praying.  I'll just tax them some more.

Pros
-Based off of history
-Feudal Europe
-Strategy with no control (Majesty)
Cons
-No control
-History doesn't make any sense.  Why are we fighting?
-Everything you do doesn't seem to make any present day impact.





Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Summer of Bugs

Since I usually always fall into the trap of buying games off the Summer of Arcade event, this year is no different.  I have already bought two.  I already reviewed one and was generally pleased with Tony Hawk HD remake compilation pack.  It was fun and I am still working on the Pro-jectives for that one.  Can't do that downhill jam for shit.  Then I realized I should at least get the next one because it's for Kinect.

I've always been a little weary about motion based gaming.  It's fun but since the controls are still being explored for each genre, the gameplay seems to take a backseat.  Not in all games but it's a noted problem throughout the motion gaming community haha.  Well, I just got my Kinect last Christmas because they have some pretty cool games and I didn't know what else to ask for from my girlfriends sister.  So we got the Kinect and since I asked for Kinect games for x-mas, I already start accumulating quite a few.  It was easy to hook up and kind of fun navigating my xbox with my hands.  It was like finger painting for a gamer/internet/technology fan.  Then I would play the games with so much vigor like I was working out and the next day would be hell.  My arms hurt worse then any work out I have ever done.  Damn you unnatural movement!
 
So I get wreckateers on only two basis's which are I have a Kinect and I think an IGN review.  I only read the ending statement or whatever junk they do and was like a 7.5 is worth my money (it's not, I'm poor.)  So I play it.  But before I play it I have to move all my furniture around so the kinect can maybe pick up my range.  This game uses some easy gestural mapping but a lot of the game is very finnicky. 

The whole premise of the game is to knock down castles and towers and buildings with an assortment of different cannons and projectiles.  There is a floater, a spread shot and a flyer which is really cool if it works properly.  The premise is very Angry Birds, destroy and get points, but this is in three dimensions which adds so much more to the game.  Not only do you control the power but you also control the pitch.  Then while the projectile is in the air, you control it with your hands to perform curve balls and hit special bonuses in the sky.  This game puts you in control!

Just like angry birds and every game ever created, the game gets harder the farther you progress.  There is advancements to the technology every few stages which makes the game innovative.  The gimmick of shooting never really dries up because, hey, I'm killing trolls and hitting three towers like dominoes.  It gets exciting and you want to cheer but be careful, THE KINECT IS ON. 
 
The controls are, like I said, finnicky.  Since it want a perfect shot with not to much control in the sky, the line up is so important.  To grab the drawstrings you must step forward and put your hands together out in front of you then to gain power you step back and angle your shot.  Pretty simple but you would be wrong.  The kinect has some troubles picking up the designated game area or something.  I don't necessarily know what is happening but ill be moving to the right and my guy will be moving closer to the screen.  Or any other way except the precise place I want to be for my shot.  It's aggravating especially when your icon or avatar somehow becomes turned around.  I tried turning around and performing the game but it wouldn't work.  I had to move around more shit to get it to KIND of work.  The first day I played it worked fine but since the game was getting harder and precision was key, I started getting antsy and the game started to break.  Definitely deterred me from the game because I'll have to use my collected mulligans to redo a shot that I didn't mean to shoot since I thought I was trying to grab the drawstrings.

7 blips out of 10 bloops
 Pros
-Addicting, familiar game with innovation
-Nice castles trolls don't mind me hitting these CHARGES
-Makes me feel like I am mini golfing with destruction
Cons
-Game I've seen before
-Issues with the Kinect/Gameplay that is deterring.