The Thoughts of Jables

What’s Really Good?!

I have put this off for long enough. I can’t believe I missed my self imposed deadline of ‘near the end of January’. No, I’m not talking about playing LBP for seven days (at this point, very unlikely that will ever happen). I’m referring to my all encompassing (not really) list of my Top 5 of 2011!

Now, I only place things on my list that I’ve played and/or beaten over the course of January 2011 to January 2012. As long as it’s release was within the 2011 calendar year, it’s fair game to be on this list. Also, I own the majority of systems currently available (excluding the Wii) and worked for a major games retailer (take a guess) for the first quarter of the year (fired in May). So I’ve played a lot, and I’ve dabbled with a lot of them. My list isn’t just games I’m ‘Fanboyish’ about. I make my choices based on mechanics, storytelling, fun-factor, and the ever important ‘impact’-factor. 

When I say ‘impact’-factor I mean this: does the game do anything for the genre? Does the game hold up to previous editions (the majority of games today are sequels or are derivatives of something previously released (i.e. Darksiders))? Is the game simply a stale rehash of genre standby’s? All of these questions should be answered within the explanatory text.

So let’s begin, shall we?

NUMBER 5! - Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (PS3/360)

Ok, so I am a slightly biased individual when it comes to this series. I loved one, two was great and Brotherhood was damn near perfect. Easily the best game of 2010 for me. This game did lots of things right, and sadly, back peddled a little as well. Nothing (save my #1) makes you feel more badass then running through ancient cities as an assassin. It’s incredibly gratifying to jump from a three story building onto a guard while stabbing him in the neck only to run around the corner and climb another building and run towards your next unsuspecting victim. 

With Revelations, Ubisoft has finished out the Ezio Trilogy. He’s no longer the brash young man of Two, nor is he the Middle-aged adept of Brotherhood. Very early on you see Ezio as an old and gray master assassin. Hitting his twilight years you see how much he has matured. I actually enjoyed his character more in Revelations then any of the previous two titles because of this sense of age. The line that will stay with me for awhile goes something like this:

To feel such pain from the loss of a loved one, I have never known. Perhaps my heart is too cold and hard to ever love like that.

Sappy and full of cheese, I know, but I love it! 

Later in the game he meets Sofia, a younger woman with a love of antiquities and books, she quickly becomes someone Ezio can feel for. I loved seeing him change his perceptions about love and life through his brief (yet important) interactions with her. The picnic was beautiful!

Outside of the story, though, is where the game kinda jumps back. 

The gameplay from Brotherhood returns to great effect. Dispatching foes is just as easy as it should be. That, however, is the problem. Very little was added to the fighting mechanics to distinguish Revelations from Brotherhood. This isn’t a bad thing, but it does nothing to freshen up the game. Movement is largely the same as well. The addition of the hooked hidden blade was welcome, and allowed for new ways to maneuver through the terrain.

Though lacking in innovation, the game still delivered one of the better stories I’ve played. This game could have been much higher if the dev team had given me just a little more ‘new’ and not so much ‘re-hash’.

NUMBER 4! - Radiant Historia (NDS)

A shocker to some I’m sure, but really this game is fantastic. 

Don’t know what it is? Well read on my intrigued friend, read on.

Radiant Historia is a 16-bit RPG nut’s wet dream… in the palm’s of your hand’s. Think Chrono Trigger meets Dragon Quest with a splash of Final Fantasy Tactics and you get this lovely piece of nostalgic greatness.

Perhaps some of my comparison’s are a bit of a stretch, but this game has pieces of each of them. Yet through all of that, it still comes out as something new, fresh, and unique.

In Radiant Historia you are tasked with an endless-cycle type quest that has you repeating several events, several times. With two distinct timelines to traverse, your character (henceforth known as Locke) must stop the world from becoming sand using an ancient tome known as Historia. With a sizeable amount of ‘endings’ to see, making the ‘wrong’ choice can sometimes be just as fun and entertaining as making the ‘correct’ choice. 

The combat system is wonderful as well. Taking the standard ‘turn-based’ formula of old-school JRPG’s the game embraces it’s lineage. You go, they go. You go, they go. Simple enough. However, to spice things up, there is a queue list on one of the screens to show you the order in which enemies and allies attack. This list can be manipulated by switching your characters movement order. You can switch with a teammate or enemy. This allows for more strategy within the simplistic combat, and gives you better control over how you want the battles to play out. 

Another facet of the combat system lies in the 3x3 grid that the enemies reside on. Certain moves are able to move your enemies across several spaces. You can slam enemies into one another and combo up with your allies to cause damage to multiple opponents at one time. Some characters can set elemental traps on spaces within the grid, causing more damage to enemies that get pushed (or pulled, or even shifted left/right) onto the space.

The strategy, tactics, and execution of such combat is always enjoyable, even when it’s just some basic enemies. This is why this game sits on my list. 

While staying true to it’s roots, Radiant Historia finds a way to remove itself from the pack by offering fresh, new, and truly innovative combat. Most everything else about the game is great, but the combat is what keeps you coming back.

NUMBER 3! - Uncharted 3 (PS3)

Uncharted 3 was a game that really goes against a lot of my self-imposed rules. It doesn’t really do anything to advance the series or genre (although more stealth combat was welcome). It’s gameplay mechanics are pretty standard fair for any 3rd person shooter. So why would I possible put this at #3?

Well that is a simple question to answer: it’s fucking Uncharted. It’s fun as hell, witty, amazing to look at, and an absolutely polished masterpiece. 

Topping the greatness of Uncharted 2 isn’t something I think Naughty Dog will ever be able to do (although, Last of Us does look to be really, really fucking cool). Uncharted 3 feels like they embrace this, and simply decided to do more of the same, which in this one case, isn’t a bad thing at all.

Story-wise we get another fun Indiana Jones-ish adventure with the loveable everyman, Nathan Drake. We get to see lots of foreign landscapes, and two types of ocean’s. Yes TWO! The action is intense and evenly dispersed. The camera work is still top notch, making the experience just as fun to watch as it is to play. 

Really the only thing wrong with Uncharted 3 is that it isn’t any better then 2. 

NUMBER 2! -Gears of War 3 (360)

Ok, so if Uncharted’s biggest issue was being too much like it’s previous entry, then what the fuck is Gears 3 doing here? Am I high? 

Fuck you, Gears of War 3 is absolute perfect execution. It does everything it’s supposed to without a hitch. Epic has spent the last two years working out all of the kinks and troublesome gameplay issues that have plagued the Gears franchise. I’ve said similar things before, but I mean everyone of them, every time I say it.

You won’t find a smoother, more welcoming, and refined piece of video game shooter than GoW3. Call of Duty can eat my dick while Battlefield eats my ass, nothing, and I mean nothing is better at doing what it does best (sorry Wolvie) than Gears of War. 

Well, almost nothing…

NUMBER 1!!!!!!!!!! - Batman: Arkham City (PS3/360)

This wasn’t just a sequel to an already fantastic game. This game epitomizes what every Bat-fan wants: to be the Goddamn Batman. 

Everything about this title screams amazing:

• Gameplay - Combat enhanced with easier gadget controls and actually useful gadgets within combat. Maneuvering in Arkham City becomes second nature after an hour or so.
• Story - It’s the muthafuckin’ Batman. Find a mystery, beat a bunch of thugs senseless, solve the mystery while beating a bunch of thugs senseless… repeat!
• Immersion - There is so much to do in this vast world of Gothic wonder that it’s not hard to find yourself plopped in front of the screen for hours just floating around looking for thugs to beat up. After all, you are the Goddamn Batman!

I was floored at the amount of content they packed into this wonderful piece of electronic entertainment. From the moment you don the cape and cowl to the final moments of the final boss, the smile on my face never left.

If you haven’t done so already, treat yourself to something amazing and play the ever-loving shit out of this game. It really is amoung the best games made in the last decade, and a real treat for fans of comics or Batman.

So there they are, my top 5. Here’s a few honorable mentions for kicks:

Pokemon Black and White (NDS)

The only reason this didn’t get on the list is because, well, it’s Pokemon. Eventhough I feel that this is the penultimate version of the game, it’s still Pokemon, and the game hasn’t changed in the 14-15 years it’s been around.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3/360)

This game is really great, and had I not enjoyed the story of AC:R as much as I did, might have ended up at #5. The cyberpunk story and dreary feel of the game is incredible. I feel like I’m playing a modern (ha!) Blade Runner or a more western Ghost in the Shell. 

Think Metal Gear Solid meets any modern FPS, and you’ve got Deus Ex:HR. Really, really good. Don’t pass it up if you can help it.

Bastion (XBLA)

This game was wonderful. A simple Action-RPG with a great narrative (and narrator), Bastion really only suffers from it’s lack of replayability. After you make your way through it twice, you have pretty much done, and seen everything you might want to. 

Portal 2 (PS3/360)

The puzzles were great. The characters are fantastic (SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and the story keeps you pushing through to the end. Although I haven’t played any of the Multiplayer, I have watched it, and I feel that it is something that would really be the icing on the cake of an already wonderful dessert.

Dragon Age 2 (PS3/360)

Fuck the haters, I really enjoyed this game. I like medieval hack-n-slashers. The story was enjoyable, and the combat was tight. The characters could have been better, at least more memorable and likeable. Also, making the game a little less linear would enhance the feel of RPG more than it did. Either way, I will be looking forward to what comes from this series in the future.

Ok, that’s it. Enjoy, have a great night, and don’t forget to tip your waiter.

Till next time kiddos, keep twiddling them thumbs!

Obsession!

I have done little more than play Pokemon over the last several weeks. Ok, so I have done some other stuff and played other games, but not really.

I started Deus Ex: Human Revolution and really enjoyed it. It’s fun, and challenging. Well, sorta. It has a great stealth action (a la Metal Gear Solid) feel with a modern FPS play style. Different from games I typically play, but still great fun. I stopped after I got to Montreal; the boss fills me with much frustration.

Speaking of frustration, I just finished Catherine this evening. I toughed it out through about stage 5-2, then decided that I could give two shits about the complexity and challenge of the puzzles, and used YouTube vid’s to cheat my way through the game. I really enjoyed the story and the thematic elements presented within this twisted tale of lust, betrayal, loyalty and love. If you’ve got a taste for something Japanese-y, and have a calm mind for frustratingly hard games, give this one a shot. Totally worth it. (Best part: I didn’t pay a dime for it :D)

Other than those two titles… Pokemon.

I finished the game, and have moved on to breeding. I captured a Ditto and have been whoring it up with various rare, and hard to find Pokemon. I never thought I’d enjoy it this much. 

The WTC works really well, and it usually doesn’t take more than a couple of hours for someone to respond with a trade to my liking. 

At this point the only thing that could possibly deter me from starting to dress like Ash Ketchum (can you believe he hasn’t aged in 14 seasons, almost 15 years!!!!!) is the fact that I’m too old to do so (sadly), and the forthcoming release of Mass Effect 3!!!

Uncanny X-Force and Why Remender is Writing the Best X-Book Since Morrison’s New X-Men

Over the last year and a half Marvel Comics has been publishing one of (if not the) best Sci-Fi/Action comics in the industry. Uncanny X-Force written by Rick Remender has been a non-stop, balls-to-the-wall, unbelievably wonderful ride of epic (like, should have been a major event type epic) proportions. 

Starting with issue #1, yes, the first fucking issue, this book has hit on all strides. A killer team of Psylocke (my fave X-Babe), Archangel, Wolverine, Fantomex (written right for the first time since Morrison’s New X-Men), and Deadpool (who is not overly stupid), this team did exactly what they were made to do: take out the big-bad’s covertly before they could truly become a problem for the rest of the X-Universe. 

The next few paragraph’s will contain some minor spoilers; you have been warned. 

In issue #4 the shocking conclusion ended with Fantomex putting a bullet into the head of a child. Yes, a youngling. It was the next iteration of Apocalypse, but it was a child none-the-less. This caused confusion amongst the team for the next several issues, leading up to the start of the Dark Angel Saga. Each team member second guessed themselves and had issues with the direction the team was headed. Even Fantomex (the killer of children) and the ever-insane, morally-absent Deadpool had issues with the aforementioned event.

Archangel suffered the most. With the next iteration of Apocalypse dead, he was infected with the seed of Apocalypse. In order to stop Archangel from fully converting, the team tracked down Dark Beast (a dimension hopper from the good ole Age of Apocalypse days) to learn the secrets of how to kill Apocalypse forever.

Dark Beast tells the team to head to his dimension (AoA) to get a life seed. Long story short, the team confronts that dimensions Apocalypse in order to obtain said life seed. Upon their return to their home dimension they are confronted with Dark Beast’s betrayal and Archangel’s ascension to Apocalypse.

So started the Dark Angel Saga. From there we were given eight wonderful issues. Drawing story and character elements from AoA and New X-Men as well as fleshing each of the characters out, giving them more depth than I thought possible (especially Fantomex, and even Deadpool to a lesser extent). Truly, this was masterful storytelling that was ahead of the curve. Read it and tell me I’m wrong. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

The conclusion and epilogue came out last week and this week, respectively. The end to this tale was heart-wrenching, and the story set-up for whats to come was gut-wrenching. Never before have I looked forward to something Marvel is producing, not like this.

Not to be overlooked, the art on this series has been amazing as well. With beautiful covers and fantastic (exquisite, even) interiors from the likes of Mark Brooks, Jerome Opena, Rafael Albuquerque, Billy Tan, and Esad Ribic. These fantastic artist’s coupled with Rick Remender’s deft writing and masterful use of character’s has given us (comic fans unanimous) 2011’s best story. 

And that’s what Jables thinks.

-Peace! I’m out! 

Regarding the Test

Since the test worked, I’ll direct you all to my Photobucket (http://s1143.photobucket.com/albums/n627/Samus_Supreme/) try going there for the time being to view my PokeTeam and all amazing (I laugh at myself frequently) photo’s for subsequent posts.

Thanks, love, peace, and what-have-you,

Jables

P.S.

Imagination is against the [Croagunk] Law

-Brock (Season 10, Episode 40 - A Lean Mean Team Rocket Machine) 

Changing Perspective, on Hiatus.

Sorry for the delay in post’s. I’ve been in the process of moving and finding a source of income. I can no longer rely on unemployement to take care of my bills (thanks Gov. Snyder). So I’ve been more actively seeking employment.

I have a couple of sweet interviews next week. Hopefully, they lead to beneficial regular employment. Otherwise look for my Little Big Planet posts in the aforementioned near future. 

I really do want to play this game and take swell pic’s for all of you; Pokemon White just won’t let me. To keep you pre-occupied here is some pics of my kick-ass team:

Why the fuck can’t I just add these like I could… goddamn changes to websites! I hate change when it’s among things I find ‘easy’ (relative term, what I find easy isn’t always easy for everyone).

Changing Perspective: Little Big Planet

I’ve never been a huge fan of platformers (Mega Man being the only exception, but that is a story for another time). I have no real gripes with what they are, and with what type of game they are, I just don’t have much fun with them.

Perhaps it is my inability to play many games with others (the greatest positive a platformer can give you). I just don’t care for too many of them. As I said, Mega Man and the subsequent spin-offs are the main exception. Running and jumping isn’t enough for me. I need some action, and jumping on enemies heads just isn’t as intense as I’d like it to be. 

I do like my fair share of the genre. The Assassin’s Creed series is a platformer at heart, and I fucking love Mega Man (1-3, 9 and 10, specifically. X and X2 are solid as well). I, however, grew too old for the genre with the likes of Spyro: The Dragon and  Crash Bandicoot. The characters didn’t click with my video game perceptions, and I gained little-to-no enjoyment out of the games.

Platformers, at their core, are what video games should be: simple, easy to play at the beginning, difficult to truly master. I appreciate them (as I do most games I don’t like), but just can’t bring myself to play them for extended periods of time.

So, for my next ‘seven day adventure’ I’ll be forcing myself to play Little Big Planet (LBP, for short). I love the possibilities the game presents: level creation, countless collectables, and ultra-cute character customization. I also think it is a title that will lead itself to a plethora of wonderfully candid pics.

I will be playing the game by myself (I know that there are certain things I can only get with multiple peeps) and I will attempt on days 5-7 (depending on how long it takes me to beat the ‘campaign’ portion of the game) making a level that I can share with everyone.

Perhaps this will lead to a greater appreciation of the genre (as Oblivion did), or maybe it will justify my current distaste for the genre. Only time will tell, and I’m happy to share the experience with all of you.

A quick aside: I realize that the majority of my readers (ha) are my friends and others that happen to click the link on my Facebook. Thank you to those that do read these and enjoy them. Seriously, hit me up with feedback, criticisms, and positive/negative thoughts. I’ll accept any and all, and happily defend my position. 

I enjoy talking to like-minded individuals about the things I love. I also enjoy talking to individuals that have an opposite feeling about the things I love. I enjoy talking to people that I can have a conversation with.

The internet has lead to an ever growing populous of discontent and hateful people. Which is fine, seeing as every person is entitled to their own opinions, but think about it for a moment before you make your voice heard. Why do you disagree? “It’s stupid,” is never a valid response. Why do you think it’s stupid, what about it is dumb? Be specific (perhaps even ‘pacific’) and state your opinion. 

This applies to anything and everything. Your opinion isn’t valid unless you can defend it! No matter how strongly you feel about it, if you can’t give specific (pacific?) examples as to why you feel the way you do, than why should I (or anyone, for that matter) give a shit? Unless there is a valid argument behind the accusation, it doesn’t matter. 

Your opinion doesn’t matter! That is, if you can’t back it up. 

Tangent aside, each of you that reads this has an opinion on the subject matter (and if you don’t then please, get one) and are free to comment on my posts as you would like. Keep in mind: without proper evidence or exposition your comments will be disregarded as serious, and looked at as simple being a troll.

Thanks to those that do enjoy my mini-rants and pseudo introspective point of view. Otherwise, give me something to work with.

——- Here is hoping I can pull myself away from Pokemon White Version long enough to actually accomplish the task of playing LBP. Look for Day One sometime within the next several (3-4) days. 

With Love and Passion,

Sammy Jables 

Poke-fever!! (A Grown Man Confesses His Love For ‘Pocket Monsters’)

It used to be that at least once every year or so I’d get a strong urge to play me some Pokeman’s. Well, with the release of the impressive Black and White versions earlier this year it struck me: these games are great! I put a shit-load of time into White but never got more than three or four badges. I lost interest and had so much other personal stuff going on that unfortunately, Pokemon had to go.

Well, all thats changed. I’ve been playing Diamond and am remembering why this franchise is as perfect as it is.

There are some issues with the games. They are almost too simple, but there is so much to do with so much depth that it is the game that keeps on giving. Each version plays nearly identical to one another (my biggest complaint) but with the introduction of new Pokemon in each game it helps to keep something that would’ve gone stale years ago, fresh and new.

The battle system could use a little bit of an over-haul, but works just as well as it did in ‘98. I’d like to see the Pokemon use more than four moves (although this might hurt the delicate balancing act of stronger vs. weaker) and maybe give the player a little more control over the actions taking place in battle (i.e. moving your Pokemon to avoid an attack).

An MMO version would be something spectacular, although with the amount of Pokemon one can acquire it might lead to some rather lop-sided battles (See also: elitist assholes) than we’d like to see from a game geared mainly towards kids.

Either way, Pokemon will always have a special place in my heart. It’s an RPG for everyone. From contests to battles, collecting to exploring, all of the main characteristics of some of the bigger console releases are here. It’s just a smaller package that you can take with you anywhere.

I wanna be the very best! Like no one ever was! 

Changing Perspective, Recap and Verdict

Now that my seven day experiment of playing a game I despised is over, it’s time to see if it was enough to change my opinion.

I played Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for approximately twenty-one hours. I traveled the land of Cyridiil with no regard for where I really needed to go, just to see what the world had to offer. I believe Doofus was level 5 or 6 when I stopped playing.

My journey started with a lot of goofy shenanigans and continued to embrace this method. I was able to see vast wooded area’s, swim in lakes and rivers, and even ride the ever elusive Unicorn. The latter being my greatest achievement (if only there had been an actual achievement for doing such a thing).

I had lots of fun with the game, regardless of the frustrations present in my final hours of play. I can’t believe I let my initial experience sour my opinion.

My first attempt at Oblivion was short, on someone else’s system, and confusing. I wasn’t sure what to do, or where to go, mainly because I felt pressure to not dawdle due to it being at a friends house.

This attempt was much more immersive and fun. I played the way I wanted, (which really wasn’t anything better than running around with a sword and killing as many things as I could) and I was able to play at a pace that was perfect for an experiment such as this. I saw lots of strange looking people, killed lots of rats and imps, and used my mortar and pestle to create several potions. 

The Elder Scrolls series is a great series for the Western RPG fan. With lots of customization options for your character, tons of different traits and abilities, and numerous methods of play, there really isn’t a better series for any RPG fan. 

Is this series for me?

Unfortunately, no. I can appreciate this game for what it offers, and how it embraces Role Playing within a genre that needs it, but I can’t really get in to it myself.

Will I continue to bad mouth the series?

No, I have put enough time in to the game to realize how fun it is and how millions can get whatever they want out of it. I’ve always known these things to be true, I just never bothered to find out how it was for myself. 

What ultimately killed the experience?

Truthfully, I got bored. Open games like this tend to do that to me. I am very easily distraught in this kind of game if there is too much to do. I tried to stick to the main quest thread, but when I did I hit a wall. I didn’t feel that my character was performing the way I wanted him to, and I felt that my play style might not have been the best for the class I created. Did it become too hard? Yes, and no. My weapons felt inadequate and my abilities didn’t really feel like they had improved at all. This is why I quit. I lost interest and became disgruntled.

What’s next?

I don’t know really. I’ve been thinking about games I dislike and the only one that sticks out is World of Warcraft. I don’t want to play an MMO for these types of experiments, mainly because I don’t want to rely on others for my experience. 

To sum up my thoughts and put this all into a new perspective: Oblivion was great fun. I won’t continue to play it (in fact I’ve already returned it. Bought my comics this week :D) but I will stop saying it’s a stupid game/series.

For those that have read these and enjoyed my posts, feel free to shoot me a message and let me know if you’d like to hear my thoughts on some of your favorites. 

Just because this edition of Changing Perspective (that’s the title I’m giving it) involved a game I hated, it doesn’t mean I’m not willing to put forth the same amount of effort in to something people would like to read about. 

Follow me on twitter (Sammy_Jables) or ask me a question (the Pick My Brain option on the side bar over there, —————————->) I will happily answer or at least acknowledge any recommendations.

For further reference these are the systems I own (keep in mind any suggestions involving extremely rare, hard to find games may not be considered due to monetary restraints):

• NES
• SNES
• Sega Genesis
• Sega Dreamcast
• Sega Saturn
• 3DS (by default a DS)
• X-Box 360
• Playstation 3 (by default a PSOne)

Thanks for reading, and keep coming back!