Game of the Month - November 2011

[tuffmuff]

November 2011

Games this Month:

tuffmuff: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Starhawk Private Beta
Dark_Phantom_89: Battlefield 3 (again)
Vyrastas: The Binding of Isaac (Steam)
Olsen77: Batman: Arkham City
Savenger: Modern Warfare 3
Wozamil: Modern Warfare 3

[tuffmuff]

I hesitated greatly on buying Skyrim. I’ve never really been into the dragons, mages, elves thing. BUT…it looked entirely too compelling for me to pass up. Blame it on the cool props at their display at PAX or blame it on just simply looking cool to me in the commercials. I’m also a huge Fallout fan and figured if it was similar in gameplay then I might like it. I underestimated greatly, everything about this game and Olsen is in trouble for holding out on me about how awesome it is.

First of all - the quests are FUN. I’ve only come across one, maybe two where I thought, “Geezus I’m bored.” With a game this massive and with this much to do, that says a lot. There’s nothing worse than a massive game with boring ass quests. The character creation puts Fallout to shame. We all know how terrible your Fallout character looks. It doesn’t get more boring or generic. In Skyrim, my character is actually kinda hot and I can appreciate hot

The environments are truly breathtaking. I was walking along one section of the game last night and it was nighttime - I got this crazy view of these mountain tops and in the background, two beautiful moons; one bigger than the other. It was crazy awesome and I found myself stopping what I was doing and hoping nothing dangerous was around) to just stand there and look at that scenery. Seriously.

On to the dragons… I’ve always felt like dragons are lame in video games. They’re never as cool as they should be and the fights are always mediocre at best. Well, the dragons in Skyrim are badasses and when you kill one - you’re even more of a badass. I love the randomness of their appearances and the way they totally catch you off guard as you’re working on something else. About a week into the game I was wondering through a part of Skyrim and came across a dragon. I’m fighting it and having a good ole time when a second dragon appears and now I’m suddenly fighting an Ice and Fire Dragon, at the same time. Needless to say those dragons didn’t make it (cuz I’m a hot, badass...remember?) but it was one of the coolest video game moments I’ve had.

Anyway! I’m sure everyone is saying “But Bethesda games are so glitchy” ….I say…Stop whining! Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas and now Skyrim are 3 of my top favorite games of all time; regardless of the glitches. Why? Because they’re that good and they’re worth the occasional freeze (or if you’re playing New Vegas… a lot of freezes *sigh*)

All-in-all it’s my GOTM. Probably even my GOTY. I highly, highly recommend it.

Now I’d be a total, disloyal jackass if I didn’t mention the Starhawk Private Beta. What can I say, it’s frickin Starhawk! You can build Starhawks that turn into transformer type mechs that in turn unleash hell upon everyone and everything on the map. The game is Warhawk exemplified and I love it.

I’ve spent most of morning prior to writing this up, playing the game and totally destroying everything. Chalk that up to 1000 hours+ of Warhawk and feeling relatively comfortable in the air (though they’ve gone and made evading damn near impossible) The game at full launch is going to be an absolutely insane multiplayer experience. The features in the private beta are minimal and I look forward to seeing more and more features roll out as it goes on.

Looking Forward to Next Month: More Skyrim and Starhawk

[Dark_Phantom_89]

Those eagle-eyed users will notice something odd about my GOTM, that being that it's exactly the same as October. Yep, that's right. BF3 was the only thing I played in November, and rather than just skip this month, I thought I'd copy it here so you can all read about the fantastic game that is BF3 again.

Dark_Phantom_89's GOTM:

It’s no surprise that my GOTM for October (and November) is one of the most highly anticipated titles of the year, that being Battlefield 3. Having been an avid fan of the Battlefield series, both on PC and PS3, this was instantly pre-ordered as soon as it was available for me to do so.

Many fans of the series will note that Battlefield has traditionally been an online only game (not to be confused with the Bad Company series which is more of a spin-off from the series rather than a direct sequel.) Battlefield 3 ventures into new territory with the addition of a Single Player campaign which revolves around the problems faced in many of the wars of today.

It’s a nice addition, but it can be argued that the story has been done many times before and there are only so many times that you can get away with Nuclear Bomb threats. Although on the other hand, the series is designed to be realistic, and these issues are indeed at the centre of many conflicts. However, the game seems to take a step away from realism when it comes to the enemy AI. Every single one of them seems to be an expert marksman, and you’ll frequently find yourself being shot at from god only knows where by an enemy from a ridiculous distance away. Now if it was a Sniper, you could be more understanding because those weapons are intended to be very accurate. But when you’re having to find cover from an LMG-wielding maniac hitting you from the other end of the map, you know that something’s not quite right. Your squad partners aren’t particularly helpful either. You’ll have to become their babysitter and spoonfeed them all whilst they have the cheek to tell you to hurry up and get a move on. This doesn’t mean that the single player campaign was a complete letdown, because there were moments where it did shine through.

The online co-op campaign is a lot better than it’s single player counterpart, but I feel that’s mainly because you’ll get to play through it with a friend. Communication is key, especially in some of the stealthier missions, which helps to bring a more tactical edge to the game rather than just constant run-and-gun.

Most of us know that the true beauty of Battlefield lies in the Multiplayer, and Battlefield 3 certainly does not disappoint here. The Multiplayer is one of the best and most enjoyable I’ve ever played in a game. The weapon customisation is seemingly endless and there are loads of various unlockables that you can utilise to tweak your weaponry to suit your playing style. The vehicles also make a comeback, so you’re not just confined to fighting on land. Although flying is a prticularly challenging affair, it is very rewarding when you master it and it can really help to turn the tide of battle. The classes seem to be fairly balanced, although some may argue otherwise. However, if used strategically, they can all prove to be very useful. There is also a wide variety of game modes that can be played, all of which will require teamwork if you are to emerge victorious with a healthy lead. Although there is the odd case of lag, you’ll have a blast playing online for the most part.

Overall, Battlefield 3 is an absolute blast. The Single Player and Co-Op campaigns are good, but the Multiplayer is truly where this game is at.

Looking forward to next month: Not sure. Possibly getting some older titles that I never got around to playing.

[Vyrastas]

Game of the Month = The Binding of Isaac (Steam)



This month I'm going with a game on Steam. I've been quite busy this past month, so I haven't played enough PS3 games to really choose one for GotM. PlayStation has been my primary gaming platform for years now, but during the last year or so, I've gamed more and more on Steam and I enjoy a lot of the indie games that are released through them. And you can't beat the regular sales they have.

The title of this game is what caught my eye. The Binding of Isaac. If you're not familiar with that phrase, take a look here. It refers to the Biblical story of Abraham, when he was asked by God to sacrifice his son. The binding refers to Isaac being bound to the sacrificial altar.

Now, I knew about the story and thought it a strange title for a game. I didn't hesitate to get it after glancing at the game page and seeing the discounted price tag of $2.50. The regular price is $5 and it's well worth the purchase.

The game story builds off the Biblical story. Isaac's mother hears the voice of God and He tells her to sacrifice her son. Isaac overhears and hides down in the basement. Down there he finds caverns and monsters and must navigate his way through. He uses tears as his weapon, and you can find a variety of collectible items, power-ups and secrets throughout.



If you think the art style looks a bit like Super Meat Boy, then you are a winner. The designer is Edmund McMillen, half of Team Meat. It features many of the same retro designs as his previous title, along with an 8-bit style soundtrack that's pretty cool.

The gameplay is very much like the dungeons in The Legend of Zelda. The interesting thing about this game, though, is that the dungeon layout and content is randomly generated each time. You have six levels you must complete to beat the game. Sounds easy, right? It's not... you can't save your progress and you only have one life. If you die you have to start over.

That may be frustrating for some, but having the dungeons, enemies and items all randomly generated makes up for that frustration, because the game is different every time. There are tons of collectibles and power-ups to get, and they only last for a single game. Sometimes you get good ones, sometimes you get crappy ones, but either way the experience changes because of your abilities. Because of this, along with unlockable characters and achievements that go from completing the game various ways to collecting everything, there is great depth for a game with only 6 short levels.

And it's fun to play, the controls easy to grasp. It's another game like Super Meat Boy where you don't feel cheated because it's so difficult, since most games run only 5-10 minutes. There's not a huge time investment.

If you want to check it out, you can play a flash demo here:

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/581168

If you use Steam, I highly recommend it. Easily worth the price.

[olsen77]

Note: This is the post that I started last month, but never got around to finishing. Even though I played Skyrim for most of the month, Batman hasn't gotten any love from the game of the month picks. It needed the attention and to be picked at least once.

It's a long history with Batman and I. It goes back to watching the 1960's TV show with my brothers after getting home from school. When the first Tim Burton Batman came to theaters, I had a Batman themed birthday party that included a trip to seeing the movie (and my dad having to reserve eight seats in a pretty full theater). After the epic disaster that was Batman & Robin, my interest in Batman started to wane. Batman Begins saved me as a Bat-fan.

When Arkham Asylum came out, I was skeptical at best. There had never been a good Batman game (other than Lego Batman, which while very good, was also the best by default). I had read the reviews and saw what people were saying about the game. So, I rented it over spending money on something that could turn out to be below my expectations. After playing for an hour, I returned it and stopped off at Best Buy to buy it.

When Arkham City was formally announced, the trailer with Hugo Strange made me geek out a bit. "If they're announcing Hugo Strange being the big villain, who else are they adding to the game?", I asked myself. Over the following 10 months, the villain names just kept coming. Joker, Harley, Two Face, Penguin, Riddler, Solomon Grundy, Bane, Freeze, Talia...the stable of villains just kept getting bigger and bigger. As more and more were announced, my thoughts changed to "Damn, who else is going to appear?". Black Mask, Red Hood, Hush among others I wanted to make some kind of an appearance. Instead of more villains, we got more playable characters, Catwoman, Robin, and Nightwing. As the news kept coming out about the game, the waiting became harder and harder.

At PAX in Seattle, tuffmuff and I got a chance to play the first few minutes. Funny story, we actually waited in line for about 45 minutes and got about halfway there before we realized that if we stayed there, we'd miss lunch with Webb, Minty and the X360A guys. We left and went straight back there after lunch. We ended up getting in line about where we left off. The demo ended up being the introduction of Catwoman through the fight with Two Face. The two most interesting things about the demo were the fact that some bits of dialog were censored (beeps and words removed from the subtitles) and tuff discovering Catwoman's sexy crawling (which I didn't see until I played the full version). That demo made the wait that much more difficult, but it was worth it, especially since we didn't think it would be playable there.

October 18 finally arrived. Unfortunately, I was neck deep in Fallout: New Vegas at the time. I had decided to finish that one up before moving on to Batman. Despite the urging from tuff and Mendel to play the game so that they can finally talk about it with me, I held back until Fallout was done. Sure it was torturous to sit there and look at Batman while grinding those 10,000 whatever trophies, but I had to get it done.

Once I finally started playing Batman, I didn't look back. This game was a Batman fan's dream. I still think that the environment choice is a little odd, but it's the next best alternative to making all of Gotham City the sandbox. Outside of making all of Gotham City, it was the only way to go. Arkham Asylum wouldn't be a suitable setting two games in a row.

Without spoiling the story (which is fantastic) or some of the unannounced villains, that part of the game is everything that you'll expect. What I enjoyed the most were the easter eggs for the characters not in the game. Scarecrow's mask (I still need to find his hidden room), Black Mask's wanted poster and escape tunnel, and Croc's hideout in the sewers were all great finds. Calender Man's stories on specific days of the year add some color and a bit of the rich comic lore to the game. The side missions (especially the serial killer one) were all great. Although, Mad Hatter's could have been longer, but there isn't much you can do with that character. It would have been the same thing over and over. The side missions and Riddler trophies break up the story a bit and provide some much needed puzzle solving.

There are still a couple of things missing that any Batman fan would love to see. There haven't been any vehicle segments in either game, which I can understand since that would potentially break the rhythm of the game, and the lack of a true Batcave. Arhkam Asylum had the psuedo-one, but Arkham City doesn't have one at all (and no, the Riddler challenge doesn't count).

The game is amazing overall and is a worthy game of the year contender. Even with so many characters, the game utilizes all of them nicely (the boss fight with Mr. Freeze being my favorite part of the game). The challenges will take a while since I have to do them for Batman, Catwoman, Robin, and Nightwing, but they're fun, albeit frustrating. I still have more to do in the game trophy wise, but I'll love finishing it up and thinking about what will be in the inevitable third game.

Looking forward to in December: Nothing really at the moment. No retail releases after the 6th and who knows what digital releases there will be. I guess it's just clearing the backlog a bit.

[Savenger]

Sav's GOTM: Call of Duty - Modern Warfare 3

Its that time of year again. Love it or hate it, COD has returned for yet another annual update. Much maligned for its success in past years, it is a game which divides forums. Its full on, adrenalin boosted gameplay are defended and lambasted in equal measure by the masses. Some feel its time has passed, that there are better and bigger experiences out there. But to be honest, right here right now, a little COD will do me fine.

For a fast paced online shooter, there is still no real competition out there yet. Infinity Ward had found a beautifully balanced setup with the first Modern Warfare, and have wisely limited any changes to that setup to enhancements and tweeks. With its trademark rock solid 60fps and almost non-existant latency, the game is a joy to play online. An this years itteration is by far the best version yet.

Gone are the game ending nukes: fun to use, but a pain in the arse to be on the recieving end og. Gone are the knife wielding rocket men: you can still pull off the odd knife kill, but in more believable encounters at more believable distances. Gone are the killstreaks: now we have pointstreaks, which are more forgiving and accessible in normal play for a larger proportion of players. All changes for the better.

For those who hate campers, I give you Kill Confimed. This new mode is based on collecting the dog-tags of killed enemies in order to score. No tags, no points. This means you have no choice but to keep moving, which can lead to some pretty hectic sessions, particulary around any chokepoints.

The maps this time round are... ok. There is nothing particularly wrong with any of them, but I have to say I much prefered the original MW2 maps. This may be because I know them that much better, and I may come to like the new ones given time. But as of right now, they strike me as being a little overly labyrinthine and bland. Thats not a great combination. To be honest, I'm hoping for a MW2 Map Pack at some point.

As for the Campaign: I actually have not got round to starting it yet. Having played through a lot of story driven games recently, I'm a little burnt by narritive. On past experience though, I know what to expect: popcorn fun, hugh set-pieces, high production values and a continent hoping story where you have to save the world yet again. I'll wait until things quieten down on the gaming front before seeing how this one plays out. Should be a fun and forgettable few hours.

Lastly, I am glad this game turned out as well as it has. After the breakup of the original Infinity Ward team, I had visions of this game going south in a big way. But not only has that not happened, this is on my opinion the best Modern Warfare yet.

Looking forward to: Getting around to playing Assasins Creed Revelations, ICO/Shadow and god help me, Skyrim. I may get lost in that one for a while...

MW3 Vs BF3

Having re-read my article, I can forsee Battlefield fans having a pop. So just to clarify: I think MW3 is the best fast paced online shooter out right now. I do not however see Battlefield as a game in the same mold. BF fosters a more thoughtful, calculated approach. MW I feel is more about reactions and instinct. Its not so much Coke and Pepsi, as it is Coke and Chardonnay. When I went in to pick up a new game earlier this month, I just happened to fell like Coke. The Chardonnay can wait until later, but I do plan on drinking both.

[Wozamil]

]

Woz's GoTM - Modern Warfare 3

I have to agree with my buddy Sav's online opinions of MW3 so I point you towards that for my opinion. I will, however, speak about the game's single player campaign.

The campaign is typical Modern Warfare. You don't play this expecting something drastically different from previous versions. What you can expect is an extremely high octane, explosive, and intense military shooter. The game is just fun, even if you felt like you've played it before.

There are a lot of fun moments that include a harbor chase, a helicopter chase sequence in Manhattan, and a zero gravity moment in a plane. With the fun comes a genuinely sad moment. Like the famous "No Russion" mission from MW2, the game has included another such event. This time however, there's no running around and killing people. It's more of a cut scene involving a family. Like it or hate it, it really captures the reality of war.

I feel like the story was a little unsatisfying and somewhat difficult to follow and the infinite spawning enemies can be a major annoyance. I have come to accept that from this series. However, The massive set pieces and the exciting non stop action sequences make this campaign extremely fun and my game of the month.

Looking forward to next month - Nothing

[tuffmuff]

Here are our November picks. Some of the other staff may add their's in later. Enjoy

[mjc0961]

Originally Posted by Vyrastas

Game of the Month = The Binding of Isaac (Steam)



This month I'm going with a game on Steam. I've been quite busy this past month, so I haven't played enough PS3 games to really choose one for GotM. PlayStation has been my primary gaming platform for years now, but during the last year or so, I've gamed more and more on Steam and I enjoy a lot of the indie games that are released through them. And you can't beat the regular sales they have.

The title of this game is what caught my eye. The Binding of Isaac. If you're not familiar with that phrase, take a look here. It refers to the Biblical story of Abraham, when he was asked by God to sacrifice his son. The binding refers to Isaac being bound to the sacrificial altar.

Now, I knew about the story and thought it a strange title for a game. I didn't hesitate to get it after glancing at the game page and seeing the discounted price tag of $2.50. The regular price is $5 and it's well worth the purchase.

The game story builds off the Biblical story. Isaac's mother hears the voice of God and He tells her to sacrifice her son. Isaac overhears and hides down in the basement. Down there he finds caverns and monsters and must navigate his way through. He uses tears as his weapon, and you can find a variety of collectible items, power-ups and secrets throughout.



If you think the art style looks a bit like Super Meat Boy, then you are a winner. The designer is Edmund McMillen, half of Team Meat. It features many of the same retro designs as his previous title, along with an 8-bit style soundtrack that's pretty cool.

The gameplay is very much like the dungeons in The Legend of Zelda. The interesting thing about this game, though, is that the dungeon layout and content is randomly generated each time. You have six levels you must complete to beat the game. Sounds easy, right? It's not... you can't save your progress and you only have one life. If you die you have to start over.

That may be frustrating for some, but having the dungeons, enemies and items all randomly generated makes up for that frustration, because the game is different every time. There are tons of collectibles and power-ups to get, and they only last for a single game. Sometimes you get good ones, sometimes you get crappy ones, but either way the experience changes because of your abilities. Because of this, along with unlockable characters and achievements that go from completing the game various ways to collecting everything, there is great depth for a game with only 6 short levels.

And it's fun to play, the controls easy to grasp. It's another game like Super Meat Boy where you don't feel cheated because it's so difficult, since most games run only 5-10 minutes. There's not a huge time investment.

If you want to check it out, you can play a flash demo here:

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/581168

If you use Steam, I highly recommend it. Easily worth the price.

...Damn you, Vyrastas! Time to kiss $5 goodbye. Saw the first screenshot and thought "Super Meat Boy?". Then I saw the second and said "Zelda?". And then bam, there it is.

Actually I think I'll put it on my Steam wishlist first and see if I can win a copy. I have enough to play now anyway. But if I don't, then I can say goodbye to $5.

[fletchar2]

A good read with some good choices. I couldn't help but chuckle at Woz's 'looking forward to next month'