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games
Recent Games
Here are my thoughts on some recent games I've played.
Half-Life 2 (PC)
Since the first Half-Life is arguably my favorite game of all time, I was really looking forward to this. After multiple delays that added up to more than a whole year, it finally came out. And boy is it ever worth it. First off, the graphics. Many people have asked how it compares to Doom 3. The answer I always give is that they're drawing different things. While Doom 3 was really good at drawing black on top of more black, Half-Life is really good at drawing real world scenary. The texture on walls and buildings are photo-realistic sometimes. Facial features are generations ahead of any game in the market these days. The rendering of G-Man's giant face towards the beginning of the game was fantasic. In addition, the facial expressions provided by the engine are realistic as well. A smile curls the lips, eyebrows, etc. all in combination.
On top of the graphics, Valve brings great gameplay, too. In comparison to the first Half-Life, there seems to be more scripted sequences this time. But it's not too much to make you feel like you're watching a movie. They're blended together with the ordinary gameplay to make you feel like you're a part of the world. The heavily hyped physics engine adds the element of authenticity to gameplay. Several puzzles are based on the physics and it is fun to see things react according to Newton's laws.
Story-wise, it feels a bit slow and shallow at times but I thought it was comparable to the first one. Gameplay and graphics more than make up for it. Now to the bad things. There are a few to be mentioned. The enemy AI is beyond weak. It's almost as if they took a step back from the first Half-Life. The teamwork observed in the marines in that are now nonexistent. Enemies take shots in the face and just stand there to be shot again. While level design is great, the overall layout of the levels leaves a bit to be desired. They're so segmented into blocks. There is a water level, a zombie level, an ant level, etc. I felt it would make better gameplay and more realistic story to blend them together.
Either way, this is the best game on the PC in years.
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (GC)
I didn't even finish the first Metroid Prime and I'm really not sure why I bought this. Probably because I feel bad for the Gamecube. The Metroids on the GBA were really enjoyable but I think the weak controls of the Gamecube just brings down the Metroid line a bit. Graphics and gameplay are exactly the same as the first Prime. The game is challenging and frustrating. Hopefully I can finish this one.
Halo 2 (XBOX)
This is the monster on the XBox everyone's been waiting for. The first Halo was revolutionary and this sequel is basically continuing on the same path. Graphics are a little bit better during the cutscenes. Gameplay and level design are essentially the same as the first one with minor tweaks. All the good things are back: variety of gun play and vehicle driving. The big beautiful scenary in the levels are also back. Enemy AI seems to be sharper this time. They hide when being shot at and there's some rudimentry teamwork sometimes. It is *the* game to get for the XBox this season.
Having said all that, this game feels more like an expansion pack than a sequel. Nothing new is added to gameplay or graphics except for some very noticable lag in rendering. Considering the amount of time spent in development for this game, one wonders what it was all spent on.
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (XBOX)
The original Splinter Cell was one of the best games on the XBox. This sequel is basically a replica with some minor tweaks. Sam Fisher (the main character) has a couple of more moves now but they're useless. I'm almost done with the game and I've only had to use them a couple of times. The weapons and gadgets are essentially the same and they don't add much to the gameplay. Heat vision is a bit toned down this time; so you can't spot someone 100 yards away. The only truly useful addition is the ability to whistle. Makes distraction a bit easier; although before, I could just jump up and down to create some noise.
Story wise, it is classic Tom Clancy. Terrorists steal some weapons. Secret U.S. agents find the weapons and capture the terrorists. Nothing special. The story adds nothing to the gameplay either. The game is somewhat short just like the first one. On the XBox, i found the save spots to be well spaced. There were a couple of sections I had to repeatedly do, but that's part of the fun I guess.
Perhaps the biggest innovation of the sequel is the online play. 2v2 terrorists vs. agents. I've only tried it a couple of times. The learning curve is fairly steep. You have to learn the maps as well as the collection of gadgets each side has. For a newbie, it can become very frustrating.
Project Gotham Racing 2 (XBOX)
The game I've been waiting for ever since I beat the first one a year or 2 ago. First, the graphics. The cars look splendid, although not too much better than PGR1. The background is where the game really shines. The bump mapping on the brick roads and whatnot have been redone and they look a lot better, especially in the sun. Likewise the reflection of the sun on top of the cars are pretty amazing, too. In the audio department, the car sounds are authentic so it's hard to complain. I listen to my own music during racing so their length soundtrack is meaningless to me.
Now the controls. They feel a bit different from PGR. Seems like the cars turning radii have been enlarged a bit. I find myself slowing down a lot more than I did before to make those tight turns. The power slides feel about the same. Although I think it's more obvious now that some of the cars just can't power slide.
The structure of the game has also been tweaked. For one thing, you can now only use designated cars in a certain stage. So it's no longer possible to take a Skyline to the beginning stages and smoke them all. This makes sense because it just isn't fair. Secondly, the Kudos goals are much more defined. You can longer adjust the exact goal down to the exact point or second. Instead, they have gold, silver, bronze, etc. I sorta liked the older version.
The Kudos system has also been adjusted to make life easier. You can now bump the railings and not lose the entire combo. Likewise for hitting cones. It makes the game easier but I do like the idea of perfection present in PGR1 and even the stricter MSR. You now also get bonuses for a clean race and finishing ahead of your preset goal. I think these are excellent additions.
Overall, this has to be the tightest racing game ever made. PGR1 was my previous favorite and the changes in this one has made the game better overall. Some changes I didn't especially care for but the good out-weights the bad. Having lots more cars to drive also doesn't hurt. Compared to the Gran Turismo series, I think the entire PGR series focuses more on controlled driving. IMO, GT is just about getting the best cars and taking the best lines in turns. PGR has that plus the stylish slides. O yea, the game is also XBOX Live but I haven't tried that yet.