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November 24, 2008

  'Left 4 Dead' is a multi-player must

Posted by Doug 
12:06 PM, November 24, 2008

Don't do this. Promise you won't.

Absolutely do not play 'Left 4 Dead' (Xbox 360) on single player.

EVER!

I'll admit it. I started the game on single player the first time I played it. I was seriously disappointed. I couldn't figure out what all the buzz was about. Luckily I stopped about 15 minutes into the first round.
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Then I tried online multi-player campaign mode with former punchbutton blogger Melcolm. That's when I realized what all the buzz was about.

'Left 4 Dead' is probably the ultimate run, shoot, talk and "strategize with teammates" multi-player game out now. It's crazy fast, scary and fun.

The game stays pretty simple. There's a zombie apocalypse going on outside. You and three others have to survive with a limited amount of weapons, a little bit of ammo and a few first-aid kits. Your goal is basically to move, as a group, from safe-house to safe-house without getting killed.

There's not just a few stumbling lumbering zombies waiting to take you down. In this game, there are literally THOUSANDS of running, leaping, slashing, grabbing, exploding and vomiting hordes of walking dead ready to pounce on you from almost everywhere. It's hilariously chaotic and completely random... you can't find patterns to the madness, you have to plan for every possibility.

Melcolm and I tried several times to use the "run-as-fast-as-you-can-and-don't-look-back" approach with varying degrees of success (but mostly failure). 'Left 4 Dead' never lets you figure it out. You must stay on guard at all times. That's why communication and on-the-fly strategies are so important. It's why single player just doesn't feel right.

Thrown into the mix of random citizen zombies are five distinct mega-zombies with increased powers:
• There's the hulking Tank zombie... he's kind of like the comic book Hulk. He has brute strength that will literally knock you across town.
• The Witch zombie hides, cries and fiercely attacks when you disturb her. Her glowing eyes in the dark will give you shivers!
• The Hunter zombie has a leaping attack that can only be fought off with the aid of another team member.
• The Smoker zombie has a tentacle-like tongue that can stretch for yards and drag you away from the rest of your team.
• The Boomer zombie is chubby green dude that is easy to kill, but his vomit blinds you and is an attractant to other zombies.

At first, I was bothered by the addition of these enhanced zombies to the story-line, but they help the game mix things up, especially since you never know where they will appear. They also make it challenging to keep your group together since everyone will want to run away when they show up. Just when you think you have figured out how to escape a chapter, along comes one of these irritants. It's good game design.

Not only are you running and gunning, but each player may have to play doctor and assist fallen teammates when their health runs low. This adds yet another element to the game's challenge. Do you save your butt and hoard your med-pack or do you share it with another team member to keep them alive and hopefully assist you to the end of the level?

There are a few buggy issues that I've encountered so far. I've been stuck in walls, frozen in place and encountered some collision/clipping problems. Nothing major, but I hope that some can be fixed in update.

And speaking of updates, it looks like DLC for 'Left 4 Dead' is being prepared as I type this. A shopping mall level inspired by the movie "Dawn of the Dead" should make it's way to Xbox Live marketplace soon. Sweet!

'Left 4 Dead' is one of the most fun gaming experiences I've had this Fall. I'm hoping it's appeal lasts as gamers figure out the best strategies and paths.

I'm hoping to settle in to the versus mode soon and see what it's like to play a zombie. I kinda wish the zombies had guns, too.

If you're into online gaming, 'L4D' is a no-brainer purchase. If you're a shy gamer, this might be the game to push you into actually using your microphone. Either way, it's brilliant fun and a nice way to add some unnecessary violence to your holidays.

Comments

Oh no. With Versus mode, no need for guns. The zombies are a BLAST to play. You can employ so many strategies (yes, it's better to work as a team than go solo on them) and demolish the teams. It is extremely satisfying snatching up the last standing survivor with a Smoker to win the round, or to be a hunter and get a distance pounce from off a roof to catch a straggler. I played the demo as soon as it came out, but I have yet to play through a single campaign on the full version, because I'm addicted to Versus mode.

Thanks for the info , its really nice game and i will go buy it this weekend ^^

GREAT review, and i couldnt agree more. Still playing the same maps over and over again since day 1. Can't wait for some DLC.

November 17, 2008

  Embargoes making holiday shopping difficult

Posted by Doug 
11:48 AM, November 17, 2008

I'm a savvy shopper. I can't afford to buy every game that comes out; and I certainly don't receive early review copies like others on this blog.

Personally, I trust a handful of critics, friends and reviewers to help me narrow my buying choices. But lately, as we delve into to the flood of holiday game releases, it seems that embargoes levied by publishers are keeping some reviews from getting out in a timely manner.

I've certainly been part of the embargo game in the few titles I have received from game companies, so I understand how the game works. It's usually: "please don't post full reviews until XX/XX/XXXX."

In the last few weeks, I assume, this has made reviews of some high profile releases very scarce. The lack of reviews could also be aided by the fact that some companies are holding review copies back. I'm just guessing here.

Whatever the circumstance, timely reviews of 'Shaun White Snowboarding,' 'Mirrors Edge' and other big-time titles were very scarce, especially from reliable sources, prior to their release. I still haven't found a decent 'Shaun White' review and it was in stores last Wednesday (and the Target-version last Sunday).

I've cancelled a few pre-orders and refrained from making others just from the lack of information out there. I wonder what gives?

I also thought that, by now, we'd have some early reviews of 'Need for Speed: Undercover', 'Animal Crossing: City Folk', 'Left 4 Dead', and 'Hello Kitty: Big City Dreams.'

'Gears of War 2' and 'Resistance 2' had "official" reviews out weeks prior to the games' releases.

Maybe it's last-minute production hassles, maybe it's an attempt to keep plot secrets from leaking out, maybe it's a promised exclusive, maybe it's a publisher's lack of faith in their titles... I can't be certain what's keeping reviews from reaching the public in a timely manner.

I'm probably making too much of a conspiracy out of this. It just seems, to me, that there are some companies that would love to get in a few hundred-thousand quick title sales before a review hits the internet, magazines or television shows.

I was totally psyched about picking up 'Shaun White' this weekend, as long as it got anything over a 7 / 70% / 3-star rating. But, without a review, I'm not buying and I've moved on. Sale lost.

Let's see what happens with 'Need for Speed' and 'Left 4 Dead.'

I know I'm not alone here, the boards are full of "what gives" postings concerning late or non-existent reviews. On the bright side, I'm saving loads of moolah.

What do you think?

Comments

It's because all the companies don't want people to say their game sucks. Word of a bad game travels fast, so all the major companies would like a bad review before a game comes out to affect their sales. I love left 4 dead btw, even though the content is a little bare (but the multiplayer component is excellent).

I love to hear an excellent review here and there, but with companies paying for ads on many of the reviewer's websites and magazines, they have the power to delay a crappy review of their game.

November 10, 2008

  'Gears of War 2'. Done.

Posted by Doug 
4:49 PM, November 10, 2008

tai.jpgI finished the single player mode of 'Gears of War 2' for the Xbox 360 this weekend.

How was it?

Pretty darn awesome.

The game begins 6 months after the first 'GoW'. The evil Locust monsters, thought to have been mostly killed off, have returned and are devising ways to sink entire cities with holes dug from under the ground.

Instead of going into a lengthy formal reviews, I'm bullet-pointing my likes and dislikes with some mild spoilers... so don't read any further if you want a totally fresh experience when you play.

LIKES:
• Marcus, Dom, Cole and Baird are back. Some of the best gaming characters in a long time.
• Awesome guns, chainsaws and flame-throwers.
• Sniper rifle. Do NOT give this thing up... it's a life saver. Single kill head-shots are amazing when zoomed all the way in. Ha!
• Chainsaw battle mini-games. I love the button mashing in the heat of war.
• Cool new Boomshield that lets you advance into enemy hordes without taking damage (it does slow you down).
• Much better control compared to the first game.
• Epic storyline that goes all over the place. You really feel like you've been dragged through hell and back when the whole thing is over. This also created some "dislikes" (see below).
• Real story emotion. I was getting "lump-throat" during several key moments in the game.
• Executions and meat shields. Uh, I didn't figure these out until AFTER I finished the game. Figure them out BEFORE you play. These are awesome!
• Awesome new characters including Carmine's brother. I want Tai action figure.
• Fairly good pacing. Rarely does the action lag.
• Amazing graphics. In some cases, jaw-dropping. I seriously couldn't tell what was modeled and what was pre-rendered in some areas.
• Some great and truly scary monsters and bosses. One whole level is a boss... not a boss level, the level IS the boss.
• Realistic achievements. I didn't feel like they were out of reach.
• Collecting is fun! Hidden collectibles that deepen the story and the gameplay.
• I love 'Halo 3'. This feels so much bigger and more lovingly created than anything in the 'Halo' universe so far. It's awesome. Worth buying an Xbox 360 for.
• The hilarious scene with an unusual elevator.

DISLIKES:
• About 30 open plot holes. There's a lot of wrapping-up that didn't wrap up.
• Insanely irritating driving/riding levels. I HATE the game's Centaur monster truck (it does have a nice gun). I felt like the developers threw the Centaur on ice as an inside joke to gamers that complain about in-game vehicles controlling like "they're driving on ice." I will pay an extra ten bucks for a shooter that has a decent controlling vehicle for once.
• (SPOILER) Deaths of awesome new characters. At least they are available in multi-player.
• Broken parts of the game. There is weird little moment in the game involving a crane that just didn't work the first 4 times I tried it. Other gamers had the same problem.
• Awesome build-ups to things that just don't happen. I would love to ask the developers if they ran out of time for certain areas of the game. Many times it just seems like there is something huge about to happen and it doesn't.
• (SPOILER) The "greatest hits" level. It's towards the end of the game and it's all the Locust types in one area. I found it frustrating and slightly broken... Dom is NO help.
• The ending.

'GoW2' lead designer Cliff Bleszinski states in the manual that he wants gamers to feel like they are thrown into an epic Hollywood action movie. 'Gears 2' feels exactly like that but with a backing of a development team that has a 10,000 times greater love for their project. This game seems to have more heart and detail than anything I've played in a while. Kudos to CliffyB and all the team at Epic.

It's a great gaming experience.

Oh, sit through the credits... there's something nice at the end.

Comments

It's called GEARS of War 2. Fix your headline.

You've been pwned. Have a nice day.

Good review, and I agree about the awesome graphics. Those who say they aren't special clearly aren't playing in 1080P mode!
I thought I'd add my bit about the crane bug too.

Most people are saying that they got thru this by using co-op. I kept reloading my checkpoint again and again to no avail, however when I restarted the chapter instead, it took me back only a few seconds before the checkpoint. I then ran straight for the crane without stopping to pick up ammo or look around, moved the platform in, and Dom behaved properly and did as he was supposed to.

August 12, 2008

  Review: Soul Calibur 4

Posted by Victor Godinez 
4:56 PM, August 12, 2008

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Yes, there are characters in the game other than Yoda and Darth.

Here's my review.


  

Posted by Marc Kravitz 
12:05 PM, August 12, 2008

Finally got around to writing this one up gang...sorry for the delay, but well worth it!



  Texas Gamer Guitar Hero Special

Posted by Marc Kravitz 
12:02 PM, August 12, 2008

GH offers plenty new ways to rock while you wait for World Tour!




July 18, 2008

  Latest Texas Gamer Reviews: Boom Blox and Lego Indy

Posted by Marc Kravitz 
10:32 AM, July 18, 2008



June 24, 2008

  Texas Gamer Review: GTA IV

Posted by Marc Kravitz 
11:40 AM, June 24, 2008



June 18, 2008

  Review: Metal Gear Solid 4

Posted by Victor Godinez 
5:38 PM, June 18, 2008

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Verdict: good game.


June 5, 2008

  Review: Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

Posted by Victor Godinez 
10:36 AM, June 5, 2008

I tested the Xbox 360 version of Quake Wars (developed by Nerve Software up in Richardson). The team-based FPS stuff is cool IF you have teammates that know what they're doing and stick to their chosen classes.

Medics should be healing, not rushing the enemy stronghold.

Ironically, if you play offline with AI-controlled bots, you don't have to worry about this problem, because the computer plays much smarter than the average random human comrade.

Graphically, Quake Wars doesn't stand out, but it's solid and fast and fun.