There is a saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I personally think that there is a point that we have to stop and question the motives of a person/thing that wants to be exactly like another. Individuality sets us apart from one another and establishes greatness as more than a superficial visage of people who have preceded; it becomes a mirror of one’s self. This is my main gripe with 3D Dot Game Heroes.
3D Dot Heroes is probably the single most unoriginal game I have ever played, by no means am I saying that it’s bad, but at the same time this game is clearly impersonating Zelda: A Link to the Past. From the story told before gameplay, to the premise, to enemies, and even the overworld; everything chimes with the feeling of the Legend of Zelda. It cannot be disputed that A Link to the Past is probably one of the greatest games ever made, but to completely mock its existence by making a clone by another name, is in a way not showing the game the respect it deserves. Over the course of the game it becomes evident that 3D Dot Game Heroes may actually be some sort of parody of the Legend of Zelda action style but again, its blatant rip of the franchise is a little extreme.
Loneliness has been such a prevailing element in so many games to incite that sense of fear and desperation in players. Perhaps the misconception that this idea brings about is that loneliness is reserved for the survival horror genre, but that’s not necessarily the case. In the original Lost Planet the player controlled Wayne, a young snow pirate who, after being attacked by an enormous alien creature known as an Akrid, is frozen solid in a block of ice for 30 years. When he is thawed by another band of snow pirates they realize that Wayne has no memory of his past except for a few jarring memories of his father, his name, and the Akrid that caused the destruction of his last team, the Green Eye. The most notable part about Lost Planet was its overbearing sense of loneliness. Though Wayne made contact with others over the course of the game, the enormous levels took him through massive snow covered terrains filled with enemies and little else to lighten the atmosphere. This made the players sympathize with Wayne; he had witnessed a horribly traumatic experience that wiped out his only family and he didn’t even have the memory to consolidate that fact. It was a lonely road he traveled on. This sense of fear and desperation is made ever the more potent by the fact that everyone that Wayne crossed was an enemy as well as the fact that some of Wayne’s adversaries measured stories high and could, in the most literal since, swallow him whole. But the fight continued.
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It’s funny how advancement seems to take us full circle. We were once at a point where the greatest desire of any developer was captivating his audience with enthralling graphics and gameplay that were not only unique but advanced and superior to anything that came before (That’s what developers wanted us to believe anyway). But time makes fools of us all. Where we once thought that style and flash would pave the way to the future, we are now enthralled and captivated by the antiquated and retro. Games have sprung forth from the abyss, but instead of flashing their new mechanics they are flaunting their old school aesthetics and gameplay. But we like it; we accept the updated Pac-man game, the new Galaga, and even the new Super Metroid (though we preferred to call it Shadow Complex). They don’t carry that staleness that you would expect from games that predate our parents, they are fresh, new, and dare I say…fun. Bring on the Retro-revolution!
Zatacka 360 is a remake of a classic DOS computer game by the name of Achtung Die Kurve or, for everyone else, it is more familiarly referred to as Zatacka. Zatacka is a basic game in all its rights. It does nothing too exceptional and at its core is a bare bones experience that offers as much enjoyment as you are willing to take from it. Juxtapose it to games like Tetris and Centipede and you realize that you need to want to have fun in order to feel the joy behind Zatacka 360. But rest assured, if you’re looking for it you’ll find it in no time.
The game has a meager start screen with all the components you would expect from any Xbox Live Indie Game. We get a “Start Game”, “Help”, and various other menus that can be accessed from the start before going any further into the game. One of the primary lures of the game is that it is completely multiplayer (The game allows upwards of 6 players, I still don’t quite understand how). It cannot be played single player so in the case that you only have one controller or that you are an introvert and dislike hanging out with others, then this is not the game for you; don’t waste the 80 Microsoft points in change. However, if you are a party animal and love to throw your friends into random fits of gaming goodness then be my guest, its an experience that you can get into with the right mind set. One noticeable problem is the fact that there is no CPU for the game. Maybe it would take a little bit of the personality from the game but at the same time it would definitely add a bit more accessibility to those that don’t have 4 friends on the ready whenever this game springs into mind. I only had a friend ready because I stay in college dorms and my roommate was lounging about. Its just a thought in case an update ever decides to intrude into this game, I would definitely appreciate being able to outsmart a CPU just as well as I can my friends.
The objective of Zatacka 360 varies with the mode that the player is currently on. One game mode involves players trying to trap each other with elaborate designs that they create with their “snakelike” trail that they carve along the playing field. The players can control their trails with the left and right triggers which allow them to move left and right respectively throughout the playing field creating very long and rather random figures, unless of course they have an artistic eye, which does not serve them at all in the long run. Another game mode has the player attempt to capture the most squares of the playing field while attempting to avoid and trap their enemy at the same time.
Alongside the different gameplay modes the player also has access to a variety of different options that augment gameplay. Some of the modifiers increase the number of characters allowed, some increase the speed of the trails created, some increase the speed of item generation. Oh, but how can I forget about items. There are several items throughout the course of any given match, many of which are designed to achieve nefarious goals and torment your friends resulting in them flinging curses at you as you elegantly trail your “snake” to victory; the crowd goes wild…though possibly with anger at this point. These power-ups do things like cause you and your opponents to switch places, cause you to speed up, cause your opponents to stop in their tracks, and various maladies that really make the game pretty fun, especially when you take advantage of larger parties to play with.
Most of the game really is a matter of personal preference. If you are more into the new and robust style of games today then the presentation of Zatacka 360 will grind your nerves rather quickly. There really isn’t much to look at. Everything is pretty static, the colors may stand out, especially when the character moves from square to square causing them to highlight, but for the most part they do little to make the game look really spectacular. The sound is repetitive as we have come to expect from retro games but at the same time it would have been a little bit more welcoming had they added a little more of a soundtrack for the players to work with.
In the end Zatacka 360 is just standard fare. It’s nothing that’s going to make you gasp in utter amazement or shudder with delight. It is a game that can provide endless hours of enjoyment or a game that is repetitive and monotonous. It’s all about the mindset. If you like this type of game then its 80 point price tag isn’t going to make anyone cry in anguish. I recommend it for the lovers of the retro, and multiply this recommendation times the number of friends that you have on the ready. It’s just a matter of taste. Though a little bland, it just requires your own personal seasoning.
A little bit of persuasion never hurt anyone. Well, at least not anyone who didn’t deserve it right? The life of a Mafia man has never been chivalrous, timid, or lighthearted. It’s a dark dank world that they just know how to take advantage of. That’s where the player Vito Scalletta comes in. With your arsenal of guns, cars, and brute strength you can “persuade” people to pay up, “tempt” them to give in, or just club’em and dispose of them in the truck of your car. This newest DevDiary (#2) shows players some of the tricks and tools of the trade. In order to be a wise guy you gotta get wise to the world around you and that means that you can’t always be the nice guy. Check out Mafia 2, they’ll show ya how it’s done.
Kane and Lynch are creeping up on us with their newest title Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days, but surprises are for the more medically sane and stable. For these two, its all the more fun to take the front door, and that’s what it’s all about in this newest trailer for the game’s multiplayer mode “fragile alliance”. In this game mode you have to cooperate with your teammates to break into a vault, steal 4 million big ones, and make it out alive in 4 minutes. The stakes are high as you bust in while avoiding the cops, grab the cash, and dash, before time runs out. It sounds like its going to be one intense romp, but it also sounds like teamwork is the key to victory. This game emphasizes the importance of sticking together and completing objectives, so if you like to betray your friends then this is not the game for you. For starters if you betray someone you’re actually marked as a target (bonus points) by all other players. Their serious about this! It’s a game of all for one and one for all, and with four players it’s sure to keep everyone on their toes.
Has Rapture become tinged in that stale color that we call boredom? Have you scraped the sea floor in search of Adam? Have you returned to the surface over and over again? It seems that even the life of the big daddy, the gargantuan guardians of those Adam sucking girlies called little sisters, begins to where thin with age.
But Fret not because 2K has not left your side in your time of need. Consider this that courtesy gift you get for saving all of those little sisters (unless you’re a jerk that did nothing but harvest their poor defenseless little bodies, shame on you). For their second installment of DLC, 2K offers up its Rapture Metro Pack.
This pack costs 800 Microsoft Points ($9.99 PSN) and gives players access to several added levels to the multiplayer experience, 6 maps to be exact. This add-on also gives players access to a higher level cap, level 50, and gives players the ability of a “rebirth” feature (many of us are more familiar with its COD name, prestige) that allows the player to return to level 1 at which point they receive a “special mask”. The Add-on also gives players access to 3 more multiplayer achievements/trophies.
In addition to this, 2K has also created two more DLC’s to be released at the same time (Available now). The first is the Kill’em Kindly DLC, which will be a free download for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, and will add a new multiplayer mode of the same name. This mode will be a completely melee driven experience that will allow players to combat one another with golf clubs to determine a winner.
And finally, the last update may be a little more familiar to players of the Bioshock 2 multiplayer. This update, called simply Character Pack give the player access to the two characters Zigo and Blanche, once only available by pre-ordering the game from Gamestop. However, unlike the wonderful freeness of the Kill’em Kindly DLC this one is going to cost you 160 points ($1.99 PSN). Hey if you wanna play, you gotta pay.
Either way, 2K is looking to keep you wrapped up in their enchanted world for as long as it takes them to make another, or get you hooked on their next work of art. At least while you are out their traversing the undersea world of Rapture, beating in the skulls of splicers and stealing poor little sisters from their daddies, you have a nice bit of scenery to take in. Ahhh, smell that undersea air and feel the water rushing in between your toes…wait, what!
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MAG. The “Massive Action Game” exclusive to the PS3 has carved out its own niche in the systems online network. The game has been designed from the ground up to utilize the full extent of the system’s hardware, allowing a staggering 256 players to combat each other in a multiplayer setting akin to games like Modern Warfare 2 or Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
Well for all those who wine and dine on MAG’s multiplayer (what else is there?) then heads up. On May 13th there will be a short “scheduled” downtime on the server. No need to be alarmed, it’s only supposed to last for about 90-120 minutes (that’s about 2 hours for you impatient people out there). It’s a standard update that takes care of bugs, glitches, and does a little fine tuning behind the scenes to make things smooth and comfortable.
The maintenance starts at 1am Pacific Daylight Time/ 4am Eastern/ 8am GMT. So all you early morning gamers out there, consider this a notice. Those in games will receive a forced restart and those outside of them will not be able to join. But then again its only 2 hours so stop worrying…cry babies.
Xbox Live and PSN, without the online multiplayer what would they be? There wouldn’t be much lure to playing a game on a console where the only hook is the XBLA/PSN titles. Xbox Live wouldn’t be worth its 50 dollar a year price tag and Playstation Station Network wouldn’t be worth…nevermind. Anyway the point is that online multiplayer defines the online experience on gaming consoles. Without this leap toward online interaction all of those people living sheltered in their parents’ basements playing their Xboxs would be completely friendless wouldn’t they? We would never have spent so many hours playing Gears of War, Halo, or Modern Warfare and we definitely would have thought twice about buying games like Battlefield 1943 or Warhawk. The single player experience can take a game far, but the multiplayer seals the deal and pushes the game forward by leaps and bounds.
But there is a limit. Every multiplayer game has its flaws. Some flaws are graphical, some are technical, some are hacks, some are glitches, exploits, even bad coding. But nothing is worse than bad sportsmanship. But I’m not talking about the pricks who spout racist remarks through their headsets or attempt to make themselves look more stupid than they are by actually talking (we can always mute them) I’m talking about those that take advantage of factors in the game beyond your control. Many of you might consider these exploits, but no. This has nothing to do with coding or bad design, for the most part, this has to do with being an a-hole!
I am talking about those people who take advantage of games by camping. These are ultimately issues that can’t really be fixed by developers but they are annoying issues that really make games unbearable for me. They are everywhere! When you play a game of Halo, campers sit next to the flag goals whenever you try to return a flag. But wait, I can’t argue here right. Some call it good strategy and maybe it is, but let’s move on. What about the people who would find where the opposite team was spawning in Gears and then wait so that they could chainsaw or boomshot them. How infuriating is it to be killed by a noob who has no clue how to play…but they know how to camp. The same goes for so many games like that, people who supplement their inability to play with their ability to be cheap and unfair. You can’t change the way people play, if they want to cheat they will, if they want to glitch they will, and if they want to camp they will.
Perhaps if you want to understand my point of view then you have to understand the way that I play games. I am a fast paced player. If a game cannot keep me entertained then I will not play it. I am always on the move and if I’m not then I’m bored. I believe that a player should be able to play smart and fast and so I don’t believe that you should ever have to stop anywhere (within reasonable constraints) to be good at a game.
This is why one particular game has never been one of my favorite games. Modern Warfare. I don’t hate the game at all, in fact there are some times that I may even find myself playing it, but at the same time I know so many other games that have much better online multiplayers. My problem with Modern Warfare is the fact that it not only does nothing to inhibit campers, it encourages them. When you walk in the room, you’ll get sniped/stabbed/shot by the guy hiding in the room, but when he kills you you’ll get a kill cam and know where he is. Well that’s not helping you because he’s probably camping in that room. You’re going to go in that room looking for him and, like a fool, you’re going to get killed again. Well maybe you should just forget about your revenge. That doesn’t clear you either. You walk out into the field and a sniper will get you, under a staircase and a player will shotgun you, atop a building and someone will stab you. Camping is such a big part of this game that players know all of the best places to hide to catch others by surprise. Perhaps camping is so effective in Modern Warfare because there is little to no defense against it. The only thing standing between you and chest full of bullets is…SURPRISE! In other games startling a player is not always good for your health, but at least there is some defense to keep you from dying because someone else’s cheapness.
Maybe I’m asking for too much. Gamers are just people too and in the end aren’t people only going to do what makes their lives easier? But I believe that in the long run, shouldn’t it be your skills that get you kills instead if your ability to hide in the shadows like a ninja. Where is the perk or achievement that awards you for sitting in the dark corner of a cabin, waiting for someone with greater experience to wander in so you can get that 30 seconds of satisfaction for killing them until you stumble into somewhere so that the same fate can befall you? It’s a hollow victory. So campers enjoy your wins, because even though you don’t have the skills to get them as the game was intended at least you’re keeping yourself entertained living in this façade that you call victory. For all those who have the skills that keep them alive in Modern Warfare while at the same time allowing them to excel, get kills, and win, I salute you and I hope that I actually get the opportunity to play people like you in multiplayer.
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