Batman Arkham Asylum (PC via Steam)
(Updated: February 28, 2010)
Verdict so far:
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Summary:
Likes:
Characters - Probably the best in-game characters I've seen.
Environments -
Dislikes:
WTF:
AVP (PC via Steam)
(Updated: February 28, 2010)
Verdict so far:
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Summary:
I am such a huge fan of AVP1, not so much AVP2, in fact I never played AVP2 cause it was made by Monolith and I'm pretty much a "hater" of their tech ever since NOLF. But this new revision of AVP by Rebellion I was looking forward to. Unfortunately for me my expectations were too high and I sad to say that my experience so far has been non enjoyable, to say the least.
Likes:
Dislikes:
Marines are horrible - The strongest story/gameplay in the original AVP were the Marines. But in this AVP the Marines are the worst part of the game. The
Marine Story -
Control Setup -
Too much like FEAR -
Full body Clumsiness -
No Crouch -
WTF:
Fire FX -
Mass Effect 2 (PC via Steam)
(Updated: February 23, 2010)
Verdict so far:
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Summary:
If you know me, then you know I am not a RPG player at all! In fact you'd say I hate them, which is surprising I'm playing Mass Effect 2 (for more than a couple hours even). When I first started playing I was hating it... 2 main reasons, there is an ungodly amount of talking (I guess it's expected in an RPG) and I chose the worst class to use, the Engineer. The Engineer sounds cool after reading the description but poor execution on the visuals and feedback of the combat drone made it a horrible experience. So I restarted and tried out the infiltrator, which is so much more fun. However that did not fix the talking, however the spacebar fixes that for me. Which skips the current said line. I may not know everything in tge story but I don't care. The turning point for me in the game, (basically the game was a Thumbs Down until this point) was when I got into my ship. For some reason it changed my perspective of an RPG to trying to be a badass in space with the best crew.
Likes:
Scale - The amount of content in this game is remarkable. There are several worlds you can go to all with a unique look. A good variety in character models and a bajillions of unique dialogue sequences. Not to mention how much "space" you travel through.
Dislikes:
Animation Issues - I am a stickler when it comes to animtion issues. For me it seems like one of the things needed to be spot on if you're going to have cinmatics and good combat. For example, FPS games should have very good animations as RTS do not need to be as clean due to the perspective if the camera. Anyway, Mass Effect 2's first big animation was when you speak with the illusive man for the first time and the camera was on a close-up shot of his grill while he took a puff of his cigarette. Issue was that his cigarette clipped through his chin. I practically busted up laughing, brought me out of any immersion I was in and laughed.
Then other anomalies started popping up including animation pops, my character was not even in the scene of a cinematic for like 20 seconds (the other character shook my invisible hand and then I came into scene), another cinematic showed a character snap into a sitting position -- hovering in mid air on his back -- then snap into the appropiate pose, and the most annoying of them all eyeball twitching in pretty much every cinematic. Makes the characters look like they are on drugs.
I personally do not think "well there are 1000s of animations in the game" -- BS! Each one should be just as good then! I can excuse the animation compression to a certain extent, but even that can be massaged. Plus, how the cinematic scenes are hooked up, they reuse a ton-load of animations so they can cut corners and not make everything unique. It's like a table driven system where it will pick random animations depending on what you press/say. The only things that look procedural are the lips and the eyes... The eyes, as expressed earlier are a FAIL. The lipsync is not bad, but not perfect either, at least it's close.
WTF:
NHL 10 (360)
(Updated: February 23, 2010)
Verdict so far:
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Summary:
Every so often I look forward to a little fast paced sports. Hockey always provided this for me. However, this time around I was a little hesitant on getting NHL 10, cause I am a fan of 2k Sports more so than EA. After several reviews and videos I decided to go with NHL 10. I like the game overall. I had NHL 09, and I'd say NHL 09 is slightly better... Just slightly. But the "Be a Pro" mode has been upgraded in NHL 10 with extra features so it makes me want to play it more.
Likes:
Be a Pro mode - This mode has eaten up all of my time. I have yet to play a normal game cause of it.
Multiplayer - Is really fun, especially the Club Mode where you only play your PRO character and skill him up.
Puck Collision - It seems as if they really paid attention to the puck collision in this version, everything can tip the puck. I've even had a scoring shot blocked by the very end (not the blade -- the other end) of his stick.
Dislikes:
Multiplayer - I have played very very little of the "Be a Pro mode" (forgot the real name) online, but I can see getting hooked as you rank you up your character. However, they still have yet to put in a proper season online. Madden 10 has it, and it's a great start, I totally thought it'd be in this as well. Ugh, I guess next year?
Multiplayer lag - There seems to be a sluggish feel to MP. Almost a half-second delay between input and character response. Very aggravating. Single Player does not have this issue. Friends say they do not experience what I am experiencing so hopefully it's just something I can fix.
This is really getting annoying now... After about 3 weeks playing with multiplayer the LAG is really getting my frustrated, almost a game killer.
Too little XP rewarded - I am grinding through a "Be a Pro" mode season, trying to get my guy to the "next level" and after about 30+ games I am still considered a rookie. Each games gains about 10 XP per category (3 of em in all). With a character starting average of 75 I'm barely 82. EA probably wants you to use real money to pay for boosts.
FPS Fighting - Lame!!
Pay extra for boosts - Lamer!!
Announcer talk - Still not good enough. Too many repeats and slow on respond to the action, sometimes too much action therefore fading out the previous dialogue so it can try to start the next.
Menus - Slow as balls... I want quick no delay menu switching. EA still has yet to figure this out with any of their sport games. One thing to implement, if user is spamming button, do not play the "transition to next menu" thing. Not to mention that some menus require A or start but not both... Come on! Also bugged, some menus do not show what button to hit to get out of it... Oh wait, it's B!!
WTF:
Checking -
Turtle Beach X41 Headsets
(Updated: January 11, 2010)
Verdict so far: 
Summary:
I wanted a new set of surround sound headsets so I didn't have to lug my Tritton AX360 headsets back and forth from work. So for my birthday I got these and I have to say they are pretty sweet. My setup at home requires me to use headsets only since I don't want to disturb my son while he sleeps from my loud ass speakers. They are extremely light weight, lighter than the AX360's and have a better cup around the ear. The headsets are wireless, which is the best feature. Able to game without some tiny chord constantly moving around. The mic is pretty good, I've had some issues where my PC does not pick up my volume very well, but that's my on-board sound being dumb. However, you have to have the mic connect a wire from the headset to the 360 controller or PC (note the dislike about this). It also has a jack for normal stereo headsets in the front of the Headset Station, in case you want to share audio with dual headsets. Comes in handy, especially if the batteries die on the Headsets.
Check out the Spec on their website.
Likes:
Wireless - By far the best feature, wireless surround sound.
Comfort - Really light weight, I still cannot get over how light they are. They feel good around my ears. I'd imagine if you have big ears they'd get a big uncomfortable.
Quality - I was surprised by the quality of the sound. I have a pair of Bose (wired) headsets and I'd say it sounds more crisp than them!
Volume - No wire means not having to find that little gizmo connected to it just to adjust the volume... Nope, it's on your left ear. Easy to find, and easy to adjust.
Dislikes:
Batteries - It takes 2 AAA batteries, which feel like they go out just after 10 hours of use. Having to change the batteries every 4-5 days is a drag. I'm going to invest in some rechargeable batteries and see how that goes.
Only 1 Optic Input - I constantly switch between the PC and 360, and since this headset was primarily intended for the 360 it only has 1 input for Optic audio... So I constantly have to disconnect / reconnect the proper cable. I may invest in a Optic switch.
Popping - Yes, there is popping. More than likely due to interference with the 2.4GHz frequency than a hardware issue. I've read wireless routers can cause this, but I disabled my internet one day and I still got the popping. The good news is that it's not as frequent as some may say. I get it around 2 - 10 minutes, but it's still annoying.
Mic - Ok... this is probably the worst part about the headset. The design is not very robust. You connect a cable under the left ear which connects to your 360 Controller. However, if for whatever reason you drop your 360 controller, and since the cable connects under the left ear, it disconnects the mic cable from the headset. After awhile you get used to getting the cable back in without having to take off the headsets, but be prepared to take them off a few hundred times cause you cannot get the cable connected. Oh! Turtle Beach does have a "fix" for it. On their website (tech support) they have instructions, I think a PDF, which shows you how to hook up a rubber band (yes, a rubber band) to keep the mic cable connected. WTF!?
Now... For the PC, there's a whole other issue... The mic cable is a 2.5mm jack, like the ones used for the 360 controller or cell phone! Which means you will have to run to Radio Shack and buy a 2.5mm female to 3.5mm male adapter. Of course Turtle Beach does not have a cable for this, cause they are LAME!
WTF:
Effects Button - On the left ear of the headset there are 3 things you can play with... Mic input, volume, and a button that is labeled Effects. I have no f'n clue what this does nor care enough to look it up. I know it beeps when I accidentally press it while trying to shove the mic cable back into the headset after it falling out.
Currently Playing:
Aliens vs. Predator (2010)
Batman: Akrham Asylum
Mass Effect 2 (PC)
NHL 10 (360)
Modern Warfare 2 (PC)
Wings of Prey (PC)
Dirt 2 (PC)
Assassin's Creed 2 (360)
Current Want List:
Fairytale Fights
MX vs ATV Reflex
Just Cause 2
Crackdown 2
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