2009.10.09 14:09 - Entertainment, Microcode
I'm not sure I understand how there's a market for a railway simulator.
I'm always surprised when Steam advertises updates and add-ons. Not displeased or anything, I just can't quite reconcile the sort of person I've seen working on model train layouts or chasing steam engines cross country (i.e. my Dad) with the sort of people I know that enjoy computer gaming.
On the other hand, I don't really grok the virtual air traffic controller thing, either, so maybe I'm just not sufficiently imaginative.
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2009.07.08 11:26 - Entertainment, Microcode, Internet Stupidity, Meatspace Stupidity, Miscellanea, Zombie Preparedness
Apparently, two hours of zombie killin' on Monday night was darned cathartic.| [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink
2009.06.19 14:49 - Entertainment, Microcode
I haven't spent any time fiddling with the multiplayer end of Ghostbusters, and maybe never will. (As described, I'm not sure how compelling it is to play paranormal janitors with random XBox Live users.) I've pretty much completed the single-player campaign, though, and I really enjoyed it.
The gameplay's really kind of pedestrian. There's nothing actually wrong with it, and I'd be really hard put to improve on it significantly, but I'd be surprised if you found anything groundbreaking in it. The story's great fun from start to end, though. Reading the technojargony flavor text for weapon upgrades is usually good for a chuckle, and the various cursed artifacts are also often good for a laugh.
I played on 'Casual' difficulty on the XBox 360, and had loads of fun. I'll probably take a stab at 'Professional' difficulty next week. The downside is that the single-player campaign is only about 6-7 hours long this way.
Verdict: Strong recommendation if you're a fan of Ghostbusters. It's a good game, and a better story. If you don't care about multiplayer, though, you should absolutely check out the PC version, which is $30 vs the XBox 360's $60.
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2009.06.16 23:51 - Entertainment, Movies, Microcode, Meatspace Stupidity
Might just be me, but does anyone else think the male Rookie character in the new Ghostbusters game looks like Colin Hill? Anyone? Bueller?| [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink
2009.05.23 19:41 - Entertainment, Microcode
This is a conceptually interesting game; you're following Frederic Chopin through a fever dream as he lays dying of tuberculosis or something in Paris (or wherever).
In actuality, you're following around a sad, terminally ill girl who is written and voiced with all the subtlety of a half-brick to the forehead. The art direction is nice, with bright colors and environments that are mostly pleasing to look at. The combat system seems a bit shallow, but has some interesting elements involved. But, man: the man plot (at least as far as I've played) centers around a little girl who is terminally ill of some undefined and, apparently, otherwise benign illness (I'm thinking that it's some sort of depressive disorder) seeking tax subsidies for the natural herbal supplements manufactured by the people in her village. Oh, and the nobility's evil and drugs are bad.
The chapters of the story include some stuff about Chopin's actual life as related to different compositions he wrote, but this appears to have little connection to the game itself, and the information is delivered as a completely disconnected expository dump that is not integrated in the game at all.
At it's best, it's okay. It's hard to escape the feeling, though, that there are better, more interesting and more enjoyable stories that could have been told using the premise, and even the art direction.
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