To Rave or Rage Over RAGE

I finally had a chance to play id software's latest game, RAGE.  Id software is the developer who originated the first-person shooter genre with classics such as the Doom series, Quake, and of course Wolfenstein 3d.  Going into this game, I had high expectations.  Coming out of it, I've learned that as long as you remember this is a FPS and nothing more, than it's a great game.  Once you start thinking this is an open world game, or even a light RPG does it begin to go down hill.

First off, this game is huge.  It was an 18 gig download and the patch was another gig.  The patch fixed numerous technical issues as well as allowing for more video options such as vsync control.  The game apparently had a lot of issues at launch which I won't be talking about because I did not play the pre-patched game.  I will only address the issues I've found since the patch was released.

Who knew post-apocalypse could look so good.

RAGE begins with a meteor crash that would destroy all life as we know it on the planet earth.  You play as a super soldier who was cryogenically preserved in order to continue human life on earth after this catastrophic incident.  The game is absolutely gorgeous.  Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves.  The visuals are the best I have ever seen in a video game.  Albeit, I have only been gaming on the PC for a short time so I don't have a lot to compare to except Xbox 360 graphics.  I understand on the 360 the graphics are beautiful as well, but I do not know how they compare to PC.

RAGE does have a few technical issues but they are not as bad as the naysayers would have you believe.  At worse RAGE is guilty of being a bad console port.  First yes, the texture quality deteriorates on many objects up close.  For a game of this size, it's surprising at how blocky most things are when you get right up on them, but it's no worse than most other 360 games.  Secondly, the game experiences texture pop, especially when entering a new zone.  Again, nothing I haven't seen a gazillion times before from other games.  There can be texture pop-in when spinning the camera quickly as well, but for me, it was hardly noticeable.  Unless you expect perfection in video game graphics, none of RAGE's graphic errors should surprise you.  However, if you have ultra-high performance hardware and are playing at extremely high resolutions (2560x1440) then you may have more errors.  I played at 1920x1080 with 8x AA, large texture cache, and low AF, just for comparison, and didn't have excessive pop-in.

RAGE's gameplay combines racing elements and RPG elements into a FPS.  It is very convincing and in some ways too convincing.  I constantly found myself wishing RAGE was a different game.  During the racing events, I could imagine a combat racing game just like what is found in RAGE but more fleshed out with more vehicle types, terrain types and a wider variety of weapons and customizations.  While exploring, I found myself wanting more.  I hoped for more random dungeons to explore and all the great loot possibilities.  Alas, there are actually very few non story related locations to explore.  In fact, by halfway through the game I quit exploring because there is very little reward in doing so.  Eventually the "open-world" just became a means to get from one mission to the next.  Driving in the open-world was very fun though.  It had me wishing id software would do a remake of Autoduel.  I loved that game in the '80s and RAGE's over world reminded me so much of that game.

The combat in RAGE was nothing short of amazing.  The gunplay was perfect.  The enemies were varied and intelligent.  Mutants would run and crawl at you.  The would move swiftly and often times would jump or climb over objects in their way as opposed to going around through a bottleneck, which made them very difficult to target.  Bandit enemies would peek out from cover in different directions, they would reach around and shoot blindly, and they would also use shielded enemies as cover.  When injured, enemies would crawl, limp, or drag themselves to cover.  Desperately, they would even sit on the rear end and take shots at you if you got in their dying face.

The story wasn't bad for a FPS, but from the beginning it never hooked me.  The entire game involves you doing errands and favors for the various townsfolk in the different settlements.  Unfortunately, the game never sells you on why you should help these people.  Early on you are told to stay away from the Authority, you don't want them finding you, but you never see why.  The Authority is suppose to be the enemy but it is only the enemy because the game tells you.  The Authority never bothers you until you get sent off to screw with them.  Even when you see them in town, they aren't harassing anyone or doing anything unruly to convince you these are the enemy.  At no point did I feel compelled to do any of the missions because telling me that someone is an enemy without proving it doesn't sit well with me.  Since this game isn't really open world, saying no and walking away to find something else to do or to take another side isn't an option, so you have no choice but to fight this face-less enemy that you know nothing about except they supposedly will kill you if they find you.  I would love to see a sequel to RAGE where the resistance comes out and says, "Hahaha, we are really the bad ones and are going to take over the world thanks to your help since you were so stupid as to believe what some random strangers told you without finding out for yourself!!"

Driving in the over world.

All in all, RAGE is a great racing game that lacks content, a great driving game that lacks content, a great RPG that lacks content and story, a great sandbox that lacks content, and one hell of a FPS.  I think it tries to do too much, while doing everything great, it is all filler with little content.  Overall, the game has plenty to do and plenty of side quests but it feels like too many games rolled into one.  I would love for id to come back and focus on one of these play types and expand immensely on it and drop the extra stuff.  As expected from id software, the FPS elements were spot on and perhaps this game should have stuck with just that but I think they wanted to raise the bar on what a FPS could be.  Again, everything in this game is extremely fun, but there is little depth to all the added genre elements.  RAGE gets an 8.0/10.

Microsoft Receiver Turns PC into Next Generation Console

I recently picked up a Microsoft wireless receiver for Windows through Amazon.com.  This little gadget attaches to your computer via standard USB port and allows wireless Xbox 360 controllers to be used with PC games.  The controller works best with games that have gamepad support, but with 3rd party software it can be mapped to work with any game.  The receiver works just like the Xbox in that it allows for up to 4 controllers to be connected at once.  It will also work with your headset.

Currently Microsoft is no longer selling the receiver as a standalone product.  It is now packaged with a wireless controller and sold for around $60.00.  Unfortunately, this package is nearly impossible to find in stores.  The product I received was obviously removed from that package and sold to me at quite a markup.  However, considering I paid $20.00 and have no need for another controller, I was happy with that deal.  More so I was happy to receive an official Microsoft product and not a knockoff.

The receiver works flawlessly.  It included the installation disk and installing it on my computer was a breeze.  Syncing a Xbox 360 controller with it in the same room as a Xbox 360 is difficult.  I had to unplug my Xbox and then I had no problems.  There are many common complaints with this product that I have not experienced.  I have had no issues with connectivity while playing within 20 ft of the receiver.  There are reports that the receiver draws a lot of power and doesn't work if other USB devices are also attached.  For me, the receiver worked fine, but I don't have high powered USB devices attached to my PC.  Also due to the high power there are reports of the receiver to stop working or the possibly the USB port to become damaged.  I have not had this long enough to comment on that really as I've only been using mine for about 2 weeks.

In addition to picking up the Microsoft receiver, I also got myself a HDMI wire to allow me to conect my PC to the living room TV.  My laptop has become an overpowered Xbox now!  Hooking it up is more work than using the Xbox, but once I'm in a game there is no difference except for superior graphics.  It's really nice to play PC games relaxing in the recliner with a gamepad!  If you are an avid PC gamer but prefer a gamepad, I highly recommend this setup.

Has the Japanese RPG lost it's edge?

The game that stole me away from Nintendo.

Growing up, the Japanese role-playing game was my bread and butter.  Sure I enjoyed the occasional action and game or platformer but it was the Final Fantasies and Dragon Warriors where I invested most of my time.  As console generations past I even made decisions on which consoles to purchase based on where Final Fantasy games would be published.  Hence my transition from Nintendo consoles to Sony's Playstation consoles but that's another article.

 The JRPG continued it's dominance up until the current console generation.  On Xbox 360, until recently, I haven't owned a single JRPG.  It's not that I haven't been playing RPG's.  Fable, Fallout, Oblivion, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age have kept me plenty busy over the years.  Finally, a few months ago, I picked up my first JRPG for Xbox 360 — Lost Odyssey.

Lost Odyssey

Lost Odyssey is a classic JRPG from the creator of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi.  When you first start playing this game you will be immediately reminded of all the things you loved about the many Playstation 2 JRPGs.  Unfortunately after a few hours into the game, I remember all the things I disliked about the genre.  The random battles and the un-interactiveness of the environment really takes away the freedom I've come to expect in an RPG.  The story in these games, while always feeling epic, lacks any player choice and comes out feeling rigid compared to Mass Effect.

I will say Lost Odyssey was no where close to the level of the Final Fantasy's before it, but it was still extremely representative of the genre in general.  It's skill system was interesting at first but tedious by the end.  Like many JRPG's the spells and weapons, while looking very nice, were really boring and unimaginative.  It's story was lacking and wasn't always cohesive, unlike most Final Fantasy games.  Likewise, the voice acting and writing was sub par for the most part, an area where JRPG's usually shine if you like the melodramaticness of them.

I always looked at the JRPG as a great storytelling game.  Often times they are more linear and less interactive.  They sacrafice player choice to present a scripted story.  Bioware and Bethesda have shown us over the past several years that these practices are no longer necessary.  The universe can be flexible and still produce an epic storyline with multiple paths leading to closing points.  Gamers have a higher standard we hold our RPGs too now thanks to these companies and their innovative ideas and immersive worlds.  If the Japanese RPGs ever move away from the cut scene mentality I think part of me would miss the gorgeous visuals these always present, but if instead I get player choice and vast worlds with the freedom to explore, I'll take these over scripted content anytime.

Are you afraid of the dark? You should be.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent by Frictional Games was originally released in September of last year for PC, but may have been a gem that you've missed.  Being self published, the game was released with absolutely no advertising except for word of mouth.  However, despite such little fanfare, it went on to sell nearly 400,000 copies and counting.

Amnesia is a survival horror game in it's purest form.  You take on the character of Daniel, a young english man, who has awoken in an eastern European castle without his memories.  The only clue you are given is a note from yourself which demands you kill a man in the castle by the name of Alexander.  Armed with nothing but a lantern, you are tasked with exploring this eerie castle in search of this man and the reasoning behind the cryptic note you left yourself.

The story is told through a series of flashbacks throughout your adventure as your memories return to you.  Gameplay consists primarily of solving various puzzles as you make your way through the castle's corridors and chambers.  The puzzles are never frustratingly difficult but you must certainly maintain a keen eye particularly late in the game.  Along with the puzzles there are creatures that lurk through much of the areas.  As you are not armed, you have no defense except to run and hide from these beasts.  Fortunately there are many options such as inside large bedroom wardrobes, under stairs, or even in dark corners.  Don't stay in the dark for too long though as this will cause you to lose your sanity.  As your sanity becomes weaker it makes it increasingly difficult to control your character.  However staying in the light makes you susceptible to being chased and attacked if you stumble upon one the the monsters in the castle.

This is not a jump scare tactic game.  There are very few of those.  Amnesia brings terror to your soul through pure immersion.  The more immersed in the game you allow yourself to become, the deeper the fear.  The sounds and environments put you in the moment and you are constantly wondering what is behind the next corner.  This creates immense tension throughout the game.

This tension, however, can make the game a bit slow.  There are times where you would rather stay near a torch because moving into the dark can be such a frightful task.  Also your sanity level is regained by staying in the light, which can take several minutes for an improvement.  This is broken by a few chase sequences that are really frightful but an enjoyable change of pace from the skulking through dark halls that you'll become accustomed to.


Overall this is an excellent game for anyone who is a fan of horror.  It may not be for the faint-hearted however, as it will keep the tension level peaked at all times.  This is not a game you play to relax.  I give Amnesia: The Dark Descent 8.5/10.

Gamestop: The Console Pirates!

I love GameStop!  Because of them I can play tons of quality titles that I wouldn't have been able to experience if I had to buy these games at full price.  Many times I pick up games for next to nothing and sometimes a few for free even.  Most of these games I would never have bought if they weren't so cheap.  It's unfortunate that none of the proceeds go to the developers though.

Sounds a little bit like piracy doesn't it?  Developers lose out on sales? Check.  Gamers experience more while paying less?  Check.  There has been an ongoing concerted effort to end digital piracy for the past 10 years but it seems no one has challenged the legitimacy of the second hand business. I'm honestly curious about why developers and publishers haven't gone after second-hand sales more than they have.  Both avenues detract from profits.  The only difference between these two is that GameStop sells only pre-owned console games.  PC games usually contain data rights management to prevent reuse of the software which prevents second-hand sales.  Does this make GameStop pirates of the consoles?

If a website were to charge a fee per download or perhaps a monthly subscription fee to use a peer to peer sharing service would this still be pirating?  This service would allow users to upload their pre-owned PC titles for a credit which could be used toward the purchase of other pre-owned content available on the p2p network.  Perhaps the service could even allow for digital sales and distribution of new content similar to Steam or Direct2drive.  This would be the digital equivalent of what GameStop does.  Would the major publishers go after this type of service with lawsuits and criminal charges?

Why is it that copyright laws only extend to digital?  Shouldn't these same laws that protect digital media also apply to re-distributing the physical works themselves?  If the answer is no then I would think these laws need to be changed.  But are the laws concerning piracy out of line or is the second-hand sales business unlawful?

Mouse+Keyboard+AC: Brotherhood=No

Playing Assassin's Creed Brotherhood on PC with a mouse and keyboard are nearly impossible.  Maybe it's just me and maybe I'm too used to the controls on the 360.  Ah well, this game will have to wait until I have the wireless gaming receiver for Windows.

Bioshock'd the Hell Outta Me

I know I'm 4 years late on this one.  I picked this up pre-owned several months ago from Gamestop while they were having one of their buy 2 get 1 free sales.  I picked it up based solely on recommendations and reviews.  Going into the game, I knew very little.  Only that the game takes place underwater and that it's a single player based FPS.

Well was I in for quite a surprise when I discovered this game is a horror game!  Now I've read online the debate regarding this fact and let me assure you this game is in fact horror.  It probably is not "survival horror" but it is horror nonetheless.  The game takes advantage of the oppressive underwater environment, eerie soundtrack, and a cast of demented characters.  It then finds new and frightful ways of catching you off guard with the deranged inhabitants jumping out at you and popping up from nowhere when you turn around.  Turning the difficulty down will take a lot of the fear factor out of the game but even then it still has a few moments that will make you jump.

The gameplay combines different weapon types in one hand with spells called plasmids in the other.  The spells and their effects are very cool, each with a different purpose.  There is no does x damage spell.  The spells are either a DoT, or a stun, or a pick up the enemy and throw it across the room.  No generic damage spells make for some very fun kills.  Like freezing the enemy and beating it with a wrench until it breaks into a million pieces.

The game was definitely enjoyable and presented a unique art style.  If nothing else I'd recommend playing this game once just to experience it as it is an enjoyable experience.  Will I be running out to play the second one now?  No.  I might pick it up cheap if I'm bored at some point, but it certainly won't be near the top of the list of games I want to play.  I give this first entry in the Bioshock series an 8.0/10.

   

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Revolutionizes Gaming

Just a couple weeks ago I completed Deus Ex: Human Revolution.  This game is absolutely amazing!  I would list this as one of the best games I've ever played.  I'm not even joking.  The game combines shooter with stealth elements in perfect harmony.  Add on a plot packed with twists and turns and you have yourself a recipe for brilliant.  I would describe Deus Ex: Human Revolution as Resident Evil 4+Mass Effect 2+Fallout 3.

You play the role of Adam Jensen, head of security for a leading biotech manufacturing corporation.  The company specializes in the highly debated and controversial augmentations industry.  Augmentations are artificial upgrades to the human body.  During the opening cutscene there is an attack on the company's headquarters which results in the lab technicians, including Adam's ex, being killed.  Our protagonist himself barely survives and only thanks to the quick action of his employer to heavily augment Jensen.  With these new special powers, you make your way through the game trying to uncover the truth of what happened that day.

From the very beginning you are given a choice of how you want to play.  You can play this game and not kill a single enemy if you so choose.  The only exception is with certain bosses.  It is entirely the player's choice on how much stealth and how much combat to use.  Personally, I stealthed through what I could.  If I was caught or couldn't find an obvious path to stealth to my destination, I wouldn't hesitate to pull out a combat rifle or shotgun and mow down the opposition.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is hard to classify.  It features first person play with a tactical cover system.  It also allows for exploration and some side questing.  Deus Ex:HR also features a limited inventory system similar to Resident Evil 4.  This game is not a FPS all though it's in the first person.  That is really where the similarities between this and FPS's stop.  I wouldn't call it a RPG either although it certainly has some RPG elements.  Maybe RPG-lite.  Perhaps it's the way it blends these different genres so well that makes it so great.  I would give this game 9.5/10.

Die damnit, die!

***Spoiler Warning: Minor spoiler below.***

At the end of the game you are given a major choice that will influence the ending of your game.  It took me several minutes to make that decision and really made me think about how I play video games.  In Deus Ex: Human Revolution you play a premade character with a clear personality as opposed to a game like Fable where the protagonist has no defined personality and YOU are the character for all intents.  So I found myself thinking what would I do here and what would Adam Jensen do here.  The answers were not the same.  I eventually did all 4 options to see every ending but I still ponder, if a reload isn't possible, how should decisions be made in a video game?  Based on your own detached thoughts and conclusions or in line with the in game character's personality and mindset that he or she would have from being directly in the situation? 

Will Skyrim be Oblivion or Morrowind

I cannot wait for this one!  I know, me and millions of others.  I'm hoping my girlfriend has pre-ordered this already because it is going to sell out on day 1.  Then the stores will get more copies and those will sell out in a single day as well.

If you've played previous Elder Scrolls titles then you already know this game is going to be huge.  If you haven't played before or don't know much about Skyrim, you can read all about this latest installment and all the previous games over at the Unofficial Elder Scroll Pages.  They keep track of all things Elder Scrolls including reviews, guides, interviews, images, etc.  It is an all around excellent fan page.

I first got into the Elder Scrolls series with Morrowind.  I was looking for something epic and also something older that my PC would run at the time.  I certainly had  found what I was looking for.  Later I played Oblivion on Xbox 360.  Between the two, I think Morrowind is definitely the better game.  Sure, there are things Oblivion did better but overall Morrowind was the better experience.

There are definitely some things I did not like about Oblivion that I'm hoping do not make a return in Skyrim.  I really didn't like how the game allowed you to join every guild and complete those quest lines all with one character.  Bethesda can give the game a lot of replayability by making the guilds exclusive.  They did this in Morrowind with the noble Houses.  Those were directly exclusive.  If you joined one house you could not join either of the other two.  Likewise you could not join both religious factions.  The guilds, while you could join all 3, you could not complete the quest lines in all 3 because the quests required you to kill key members of the other guilds.  This really forces you to make choices and if you want to experience all the different quest lines you would have to have 3 separate playthroughs.

The next disappointment I had with Oblivion was quest markers.  Almost all games nowadays have some kind of quest helper whether it be an arrow pointing you which way to go or a bread-crumb trail to follow.  I really can't stand this hand-holding!  I feel the Elder Scrolls world is one which is made to be entirely immersive.  The nice thing about these worlds  Bethesda creates is getting lost trying to find your destination often leads to discovery of other towns, dungeons, and treasures that you may have never explored if you hadn't taken that wrong turn!  By adding these quest guides pointing you in the right direction, they really diminished the fun of accidental discovery.

Clairvoyance in action.

The Skyrim demo shows a new spell however called Clairvoyance.  This spell will give you a trail showing you the way to your next objective.  From what I've seen, I'm really liking this idea.  It is much more immersive than trying to force an arrow.  I'm hoping this spell completely replaces the quest markers from Oblivion.  It just makes sense. It fits in well unlike a map marker or another type of artificial quest helper walking you through the world.

Oblivion had dozens of dungeons.  Nearly 200 different locations if memory serves correctly.  The problem though is they were all the same.  Sure some looked different and they had different types of inhabitants.  A few were even truly unique and had a unique story to what the purpose of the location was once upon a time before the fort, ruin, mine became decrepitated.  But all of these dungeons lacked what I love best in games like these, loot!  Sure there were swords and maces and — Ebony Armor of Dispel!  Maybe it was the random generation of things, I don't know but the loot never seemed worth it.  Things I could craft from the enchanting altars always seemed to be far superior than the random loot found in dungeons.  All the unique items I found were through quests, usually as quest rewards.  After exploring enough dungeons I realized that exploring dungeons was pointless.  Which is sad.  Why design all these places but give the player no reason to explore them.  Todd Howard, Executive Producer at Bethesda Game Studios, has said the world will not scale like Oblivion but more like Fallout 3.  He also said if you go somewhere too hard and survive, you will be rewarded with improved loot.  So hopefully this means less random generated loot and more unique treasures.

I know however Bethesda chooses to handle these items, the game will be fantastic.  Despite the flaws, I loved Morrowind and Oblivion.  The scope of these games draw me in like no others.  I'm looking forward to hearing more about this fifth installment of the Elder Scrolls and I'm sure I'll write more on Skyrim as more and more information is released.

Welcome

Hi welcome to The Gaming Diaries. I wanted to make a place where I can share my thoughts and opinions on video gaming, both current, older titles and those still upcoming. I also wanted a place to discuss whatever it is I'm currently playing and hear other's thoughts as well. I'll primarily be discussing gaming, but I'm likely to touch on other entertainment items and random things as well.

Just a random bit about myself, I'm 32 male. Name's Jeff. I've been playing video games since about 6 years old. I've obviously played through numerous console generations. Currently I own an Xbox 360 and a Dell laptop capable of playing current titles. Most recently I've played Deus Ex: Human Revolution. More on that another time.

As far as my gaming tastes, I prefer single player games especially RPG's. When I was little, my favorite part of video games wad finding new weapons and armor, as well as leveling up. Now we call it character progression. If a game lacks character progression, then it better have a heck of a story to keep me interested, generally speaking. Also I'm not that interested in online play with strangers. I have played MMO's though. Needless to say, FPS's are not my favorite genre. However, there are always exceptions to the rule.

Ok that's it for now. I'm looking forward to messing around with the look of this blog later when I'm home. I wrote this whole post from my phone since I'm so incredibly bored at work today. Until next time.