11.23.10

People are in there holiday outfits, spending time with loved ones and family. I just hit that cold chill the holidays always brings upon me. A certain sadness mixed with fond memories but more often than not painful ones. As much as it's closer to my weather I hate this time of year. It's as if an apparition of the past comes in and settles right into my soul like it's his/her own. My nose gets cold and I really can't concentrate on anything. Of all the old memories I keep I continually want to drown them out with alcohol. 

At least this year, assuming it lives up to the hype, I'll have gran turismo to take my mind away from things. Anger can easily be controlled by normal times and black ops. Suppose video games is an outlet for me, productive or not, it gets me by. Out of all the passions and dreams stripped from me(or myself) I still have this one. Even music seems to be a fading breathing mechanism for me. 

Just another unproductive, gasp at air rant, from yours truly. Here's to being a realist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHvf20Y6eoM

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light Review(PSN)

I was fortunate to win this game as I was hesitant. I loved Lara and all of her features for years but the formula has gotten quite tired to me. I wanted to wait to give my thoughts on this game till the online coop patch was released. Finally, the wait is over and we have online coop. There is already local coop but this was the final piece to this game I was waiting for.

Lara finds herself in the Mayan jungle facing off against a Demon of sorts. I won’t say anything on the story because there isn’t a lot to go on here.  Is it important to the game? Not at all in my opinion.  As soon as you adjust to the new view of lara it turns into a beautiful game. The detail of the landscapes are quite impressive for a downloadable titled.

The gameplay is what makes this game. Although you know where you should go there are plenty of items to collect. Items such as relics, guns and other included in the many challenges this game offers. The puzzles are fun and exploration is rewarded. That’s what makes a Lara Croft game anyways right? Items change your  weapons, speed, skills, etc. I did have some issues with both of my DS controllers controlling with the left analog stick. It seems to have gotten better but a hint if you have this problem is to roll. It also comes in quite handy for beating the timed challenges.

I waited because I wanted to see if the online coop works. Great news is does and adds to the depth of the game. You solve puzzles different on coop so it gives it a unique feel and just adds again to the replay value of the game. You will want to trophy hunt, beat challenges and play coop with a buddy over and over again. I played the coop day 1 so it did seem it was tough to get a random game. Hopefully more people will pick this up soon so that’s not an issue. In the meantime, get a buddy and have a blast. That’s all the fun in coop anyways right?

I want to thank Crystal Dynamics for making a solid game, no matter the history. It is finally a blast to return to Lara’s world for me and for the price is one of the best offerings out there now. If you are into arcade adventure games this is a must have. If you are fan of Lara, it’s definitely worth your time to pick up this title.

9.0 out of 10 for a truly fun and replayable title.

Shatter(PSN) Review

I am a late comer to this game but thanks to PS+ I got this game. I’ll start off by saying I love the classic brick breaking games and this can be added to the best of list. This game has a true arcade feel and is completely stunning in 1080. Better than the visuals is the catchy electronic composition of Jeremiah Ross. It seems to add to the unique flow of the game and keeps you completely immersed in the world of Shatter.

Gameplay has a unique twist. Instead of the normal bouncing of the ball you have certain power ups along with the ability to either push or pull the ball. Vacuum with suck and pull if you will and no jokes are needed there. Ultimately you have the ability collect fragments for a shard storm which adds to the point collector in all of us. Another unique part of the strategy is the balls count as lives. So you can use more than one at a time in your strategy. Just be cautious as it can be much trickier keeping up with multi-balls. It almost adds a pinball flair to the classic brick gameplay.

For the price to play it’s honestly a title you must have and try out if you are into brick breaking games. I personally feel an addiction just due to the beautiful graphics and excellent tunes that accompany you on your electronic journey. Not much story here, just arcade fun at it’s best. Only downside is after you complete story mode there is only a boss rush mode and bonus mode. They are all fun to play but if you are not into bragging rights for a high score you might hesitate to come back.

Since I found this psn classic late I’m hoping they are working on the Shatter 2. Hopefully, with addition of a online multiplayer/coop which would have truly set this game as a must have. I believe it is still a must have for fans of the genre. You will be play off and on like I have since I downloaded the game. I’m still working on high scores and that’s enough incentive for now.

To set yourself apart in a genre filled with these type games for generations it receives a 9.5 out of 10 from me. I love everything this game has and is. Only thing holding it back from pefection is the addition of an equally addictive multiplayer.

Thoughts on COD:Black Ops

This is actually a shooter campaign that will stick with me. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The AI is odd at times on enemies. Your squad do get in your way like said above but it was well worth the time spent. I'm playing through again now. The story was a lot of fun but does require some paying attention. Imagine that.


I got tired of COD a long time ago but still wasted money on MW2. I traded it(I rarely trade games) in a little over a month. Black Ops has balance, I' m enjoying all the modes, and the new cash system I think adds to the experience overall. I don't know if it's luck but I rarely have any of the problems spoke of from people.

After a few days of continuous playing(last time I remember being addicted like this was kz2) I'm having a blast. There are some needed patches and I'm betting they'll come sooner than later. Multiplayer also doesn't feel like your on a hoverboard anymore and that was one of my biggest issues with cod games all together. 

I was planning on doing a full review but there are so many out there it just doesn't matter. Most of all its truly fun to play. Being in the kz3 beta and playing this has been an interesting twist. I thought I was going to waste money again and I didn't. Honestly, I was looking for black ops to get me by till kz3. Now I'm wondering if it will actually compete for my attention, even in feb.