Tagged: Review
Diablo 3 Beta – Afterthoughts
This past weekend marked the first time the masses could get their first taste of the highly anticipated dungeon crawler from Activision-Blizzard, Diablo III. Many people, including myself and my roommate, devoted the majority of our weekends to slaying mobs and gathering all the loot we could get our mouses on. The instant I sat down in my chair and entered the game world, I finally knew what had been missing from my life for over a decade; the urge to advance my character further through the levels, and to acquire the best gear available to me, while praying my mouse would not burst into a million pieces from the ridiculous amounts of clicking it was about to be the recipient of. Diablo III is definitely a return to glory for Blizzard (as if they ever fell from it), as well as a game that holds tons of promise for countless hours spent in front of the computer screen. Though short, the beta contained more than enough to give any fan of the series, new or old, a taste of what is to come and to leave them begging for more.
While I did devote the majority of my weekend to the beta, I did have other responsibilities to take care of (stupid homework). Due to those other obligations, I was only able to two of the classes the game had to offer; the returning Barbarian class, and the new Monk class. Both had their advantages and disadvantages, but in order to avoid any spoilers for anyone who might have missed the beta (and who might actually read this), I will discussmy time with the Barbarian, and just leave my time with the Monk as a very enjoyable experience.
Oh the mighty Barbarian… it was the first class I played in Diablo II, so in order to keep the tradition going, I set out to make it the first experience I had with Diablo III as well. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. From the second I smashed my first skeleton enemies to a million pieces, I could only imagine what sorts of awesomeness lied ahead. The Barbarian in Diablo III is the only returning class from Diablo II, and the way the class is played has also made a return. Whether you chose to be a tank, or an all-out damage dealer, the Barbarian’s main resource is Fury, which functions similar to a Warrior’s Rage bar in World of Warcraft. I chose to go with the relentless play style of a dual-wielding Barbarian, to bring down my enemies with a whirlwind of steel and brute strength. Though my playtime was short, I could not have been happier with what I encountered and cannot wait until I am able to advance further.
Diablo III hits stores on May 15th, 2012.
Please feel free to share your thoughts of the beta in the comments section.
The Fails Unleashed
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed gave fans of the popular film series an exciting new perspective of the Star Wars universe. With it’s amped up displays of Force powers and a storyline that rivaled any of the prequel films (nothing beats the originals), The Force Unleashed opened up almost endless possibilities for a great sequel(s). Wait a second; didn’t the main character die at the end of the first game? How do you make a direct sequel without the main character? I’d imagine doing something like that would require a huge amount of skill… or a truck load of bulls***. Unfortunately for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, the latter rose to the occasion.
In The Force Unleashed II (TFU2), players once again take control of Starkiller, except this version is simply a clone of the one from the first game. That’s right, sometime between ruling the galaxy and charging his battery, Darth Vader figured out how to clone Jedi; something that apparently was impossible to do hence it never being done before. This raises several alarms for me. If it is possible to clone Jedi, then why is the Empire still settling on using Stormtroopers? Well, the problem is that I’m almost positive it is impossible to completely clone a Jedi. Sure, I have no problem believing that Starkiller as a person could be cloned, but it’s the fact that his Force powers were cloned as well.
That reason alone is why I had trouble really getting into TFU2; if a game’s main plot is too ridiculous to understand, then it doesn’t really have a chance of being a great game. Don’t get me wrong, TFU2’s game play was a huge upgrade over the first game, and aside from the whole cloning thing, the story was actually enjoyable. But due to it’s ridiculous concepts and an extremely short playthough (between 3-6 hours), TFU2 is not a game I would recommend, unless you are getting it for under $20.
For a more in depth review of this game, check out http://news.tgn.tv/star-wars-the-force-unleashed-2-indepth-review/, or simply click the picture in this post.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Review
Over the past five years, the Call of Duty series has evolved into one of the most popular and most successful franchises in the video game world. By offering intense action and story plots that rank with the best of action movies, the series has earned its place at the top of console shooters. Continuing with this tradition, Black Ops delivers everything that has made the series great, as well as providing a handful of new features that expand on the already first class game play.
The single player campaign is set during the Cold War and is portrayed through a series of flashbacks that the main character, Alex Mason (voiced by actor Sam Worthington), experiences while he is being interrogated by an unknown source. Each flashback provokes an intense mission that is a key point in the overall truth that the interrogator is trying to find. Being set during the mid to late 1960s, the Black Ops campaign thrusts players into many historically relative environments, such as Cuba, the Soviet Union, and Vietnam. The visual presentation of each setting looks amazing, and the missions that take place in them are just as good. As far as the plot goes, the Black Ops campaign might rank at the top of the Call of Duty games, with the only noticeable issue being that the entire campaign takes around six to seven hours to finish, which is quite short compared to its predecessors.
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Playing the solo campaign is just a small part of Black Ops compared to the feature that has made Call of Duty what it is today; the online multiplayer. Black Ops’ multiplayer takes all of the features of its most recent predecessor, Modern Warfare 2, and is somehow able to make them better. All of the fan favorite game modes are back, as well as the class customization features that keep players coming back for more. New to this however, is the addition of CoD Points. CoD Points are a form of in game currency that players earn by doing various things in multiplayer, such as leveling up. These points replace the old Call of Duty standard of leveling up to unlock gun attachments and equipment, as many of these are available as long as you have the point to spend on them. One of the best new additions to the multiplayer is the addition of Wager Matches, where players can gamble their CoD points in unique game modes in order to win big, or lose big. CoD Points may take away at least a part of the fun of leveling up that existed in previous Call of Duty games, but the overall game play still remains at the top of the charts.
Returning in Black Ops is the popular “Nazi Zombies” mode that first appeared in Call of Duty: World at War. This is a cooperative mode that puts players up against endless waves of mindless zombies, forcing them to fight for their survival. Playing this mode is a nice way to relax from the intenseness of the online multiplayer, but it is definitely not the game mode of choice for most players, although there are some modes that can be unlocked that offer some comic relief from the stress of killing zombies.
Call of Duty: Black Ops isn’t perfect, but it’s the closest any game is going to come this year. It has its flaws, but they are quickly made up by the awesome game play. On a scale of one to ten, Black Ops deserves a nine. It is completely capable of doing what all Call of Duty games do, and that is holding gamers’ attention until the next one comes out.
Insightful Nerding 