So, I played through the L4D2 Demo on my PC yesterday. It was an interesting experience to say the least. I had already played the demo on my 360 with just three AI partners and it had been super easy. They would stick with me and provide support and I hardly ever got hurt for more than a few seconds. I had that mentality going into this demo and I died twice because of it… Next time, I’m letting everyone else go first.
Anyways, the gameplay is just the say as the L4D with added guns, abilities, melee weapons and special infected. The new guns are really neat. I really liked the AK-47 that I got to use playing through on the 360 but the M-16 was pretty close in comparison. The machete is great for taking out a large group of mobbing zombies. Especially, if your teammate has been boomed or something.
To be honest, I don’t really understand what the adrenaline shot does. I would inject myself with it but I didn’t notice anything. I think you run faster and can reload quicker?
I’ll be picking up L4D2 if I can get some of my friends to get it as well. It isn’t a game you want to play alone.
When I was about eight I had my first attempt at the 40-60 hour campaign of Final Fantasy VII. I made it all the way to the second disk but got lost and the disc got ruined. I remember the guy with the yellow hair being awesome and a guy with a gun for a hand and a friendly red wolf. There was a battle with a giant machine and you got to drive a motorcycle and slash people with your giant sword. A couple years ago I made a second attempt at the game on a Playstation emulator for the PC and got farther than I did when I was eight (obviously) but when I reformatted my computer I forgot to back up my save file. That was over eight hours of gameplay!
A few weeks ago I randomly decided to download FFVII from the PSN. I endured through the first eight hours that I had already played through twice and actually enjoyed it more than the other times. The story is really good and since I’ve gotten into new segments it has gotten even better. I’m thinking of grinding about ten levels that way the enemies around me will be rather easy to beat and I’ll have a ton of money. So far, I haven’t died yet which is weird considering how hard I thought the game used to be.
I’m hoping to finish the game by the end of the year by just playing a few hours a week or when I’m bored with everything else that I have to play.
Halo 3
I have been playing a lot of Halo 3. It is basically the only thing I play on my 360 lately. I’m hoping to improve enough so that I can compete with a team in the amateur bracket at a MLG tournament next year. I have a lot more work to do if I don’t want to get dominated in the first round.
I ordered a pair of FPS Freeks which add about a half-inch of length to your controller joysticks. This allows the sticks to be moved with less effort and has made my aiming a lot smoother. What I lack when playing online is consistency which I hope will be improved with these at least a little bit.
Other News…
I have playing a fair amount of Left 4 Dead on my PC which has been really cool. I am getting pretty pumped for the Left 4 Dead 2. I probably won’t be able to get it right away but after playing the demo I will definitely be picking it up before Christmas. I played the demo on my 360 first which was great experience… I got to try out a bunch of different weapons and experiment as much as I wanted with AI partners. Now, I played the demo on my PC with three other people which was almost a complete disaster. I was distracted and my team mates… oh my team mates. Anyways, I recorded the play through and will be uploading it along with more of my thoughts hopefully by tomorrow. I’m kind of embarrassed on how bad I did but whatever.
I made another short video with Halo 3 clips that I needed to get off my hard drive but didn’t have the heart to delete. It is only three minutes but there are a couple cool clips worth seeing… at least I think so.
Over the weekend, I was in Dallas at the latest MLG event. At the event, Bungie setup time periods where you could sign up and try out Firefight in Halo 3:ODST. My friend, Stephen and I, got to play at 2:30 on Saturday. Man, I was impressed. Before trying it out, I had assumed it would be something similar to the Horde mode that is found in Gears of War 2. And, while it is similar, it also has an entirely different feel. You start out by picking your character and level and then we hopped straight in for fifteen minutes of intense action. I don’t know what the name of the map was but it was set in an urban environment in New Mombasa (I’m guessing). The ODST visor change is set to the equipment button, you can easily switch back between the two. We faced a couple waves of Jackals and Grunts but were soon attacked by invisible Brutes and a Wraith causing mass panic between the four of us. Oh yeah, let us not forget the annoying Drone swarms…
Conserving ammo is a must. I died once on purpose just so I could get guns that actually had ammunition in them. The silenced, scoped SMG is feels great and the new pistols feels almost exactly like the original Halo:CE pistol. My favorite pistol of all time.
Afterwards, Stephen and I got a picture with Shiska from Bungie.
Last night, Bungie released a new ViDoc showing off Sergeant Johnson and their new firefight mode that will be available in Halo 3:ODST. Watching the video has me even more excited for the release of the game and I can’t wait to play the new game mode with three other friends. What do you think?
I recently finished editing together another short minitage so to speak with Halo 3 clips. I definitely think it is better than the last one… my Sony Vegas skill are slowly improving. Maybe it’ll eventually look good. Who knows?
At approximately 4 A.M. this morning I accomplished my most greatest achievement. Personally, I think it should go on a job application over my Eagle Scout but that is another story… I attained my 50 in Halo 3 matchmaking. Nazgul11, a good friend of mine, and I played 32 games of Team Slayer (winning 25) taking me from a 43 to a 50 in the playlist. We got paired up with some absolutely crazy people which made a few of our games very difficult but in the end… mission accomplished. Now, I will be the feared one in social gametypes. Muhahaha
At the end of this month (August 28-30), the third MLG event this year will be held in Dallas. Players of Halo 3 and Gears of War 2 from all over the U.S. will meet to compete for fame and twenty thousand dollars. The Halo 3 players I have been following for the last two events most closely have been Walshy and igoturpistola. Both on different teams but I expect to see some amazing games in the Halo 3 tournament from both of them. The whole tournament is taking place inside the Hilton Anatole Resort in the ballroom.
Str8 Rippin won the last tournament in Columbus nad is the favorite to win in Dallas. Personally, I don’t like them that much. They aren’t my favorite team. Walshy, my favorite player, got kicked off his old team, Instinct, and is now playing on a team called Carbon. With all the changes to the team layout I’m not sure how well they are going to mesh.
Bungie is planning on having an Halo 3:ODST booth where spectators and competitors can sign up for a time slot to get the first chance to try out the new game mode, Firefight. It is basically the Halo version of Horde mode found in Gears of War 2.
While I’m there I plan to take a bunch of pictures and get a ton of autographs as well as play Halo 3 all the time while the main tournament isn’t going on. I’ve been excited about this for a while but now it is starting to bubble over. I honestly can’t wait. And let us not forget that Dr. Pepper booth babes will be present… I’ll leave you with a montage featuring the Str8 Rippin team.
I have been playing Halo 3 since launch day and still, to this day, have not got my 50. I have almost 2,000 experience and my highest skill is a 46 in TS. I can’t take it anymore! I have somewhat of an excuse because I never played Halo 2 so I had to jump in deep and got wrecked by all the veteran players that crossed over that night. That shouldn’t be an issue anymore though. While I am not the greatest, I play with 50’s all the time in custom games and online and regularly beat them in BR battles. Usually, I lose because of an AFK team member or someone named yoyokid96 that goes -15. For some reason, it extremely bothers me getting into Halo 3 and seeing my birdy and nub bar staring me in the face.
I am determined! I want my 50! I want to be a general! Give me two weeks. Two weeks time and I will be a general. Wish me luck.
When my PS3 arrived last week the first game that I picked up to play was Killzone 2. My setup at home is pretty nice. I have an HDMI cable running to my 24 inch 1080p monitor and an optical cable running to my 5.1 Astro headset.
When you start the game there is a pretty intense introduction sequence before the start menu that already gives you an idea of what you’re going to expect in the game. Basically, you are a soldier of the ISA which is taking over the planet of Helghan. Just like most first person shooters, you are given instructions by you’re commanding officer to go here, shoot that, blow up this, etc., but it never really gets old. The level design, while very guided, is great and action is always waiting right around the corner.
The weapons in the game are very fun to shoot and fit the usual line up. There are assault rifles, SMG’s, a shotgun and a couple guns that you wouldn’t always expect like a bolt gun and an electrical weapon blaster thingy.
The story, while not the greatest, is engaging and enjoyable. I came attached to a couple of the squad mates because they are quite hilarious and the banter is fun to listen to. The cutscenes and graphics are beautiful and most of the time the cutscene will fade and you’ll be back in control without a loading screen.
The multiplayer, once everything is unlocked reminds me a little of Team Fortress 2 with the class system. One thing that is different about Killzone 2’s gametypes if that they are all in one. About every five minutes the gametype will switch in game. You’ll be trying to assassinate an enemy member one moment and the be told to guard to strategic point on the map the next. This constant change on the battlefield is a lot of fun and forces you to stay on your toes.
Killzone 2 is a must have for ever PS3 owner. The single player is great and the online is just as good. The only complaint I have is that I can’t use my 360 controller because I find it more comfortable. You can’t have everything you want now can you?
