A new challenger approaches!
In a "new challenger approaches" a new guest writer, publishes an article that I help him assemble and edit into the blog's format. the following article is written in a different style than mine, nonetheless it is a good read in my opinion.
Psymon! and his: 5 games from last gen that will blow your mind!
Psymon is an acquaintance of mine, he wishes to become a movie critic at some point and maybe have his own blog on the matter. He is someone that I respect very much and someone who has been influenced by video games just for as long as I have. His major influences are Nintendo, Capcom, Early games by Activision and a tad bit of Ubisoft.
The new generation is here, and all the xbones and sonyfriends are pumped, to see the industry taking its next big step. The video game industry giants are battling again for your money and it is up to you to choose which one is better… (its the ps4 but dont tell anyone that).
Now the last gen was probably the best in the industry so far, it lasted over 7 freaking years, and spouted over billions and billions and billions of dollars… (Dont lie you read that using Carl Sagan’s voice). But besides what Biggie Smalls teaches us about ignoring wenches and acquiring currency, quality and heart are still poured into many modern games, some of them made, again, billions of dollars in revenue and scored awfully high on critic’s reviews. But most of them faded into the shadows like a one hit wonder. Thankfully you're reading this, so you will know about some of the true hidden gems, a few select group of amazing games you might have missed while playing call of black ops modern battlefield 2014.
pictured above: how to play mario party.
L.A NOIRE
No doubt, this is one of my favorite games and it holds one of my favorite soundtracks in all gaming but maybe that's just my musical taste. This game stands out because it forces you to think critically and not just mash buttons and shoot the bad guys, although there's plenty of that to go around in this game, its not the main focus. L.A Noire is set in L.A (insert retard sound, witty joke here) during the end of the 40's. America’s economy is booming, the soldiers have returned home, everything seems just peachy, but man, oh man is it the other way around (shit's actually going bonkers, yo!).
You play as detective Cole Phelps in a sprawling open world divided in chapters, each corresponding to a different case. At first, you start as a normal cop, afterwards the traffic department in which you rise above your colleagues solving mysteries related from car accidents to car murders. Then you gain through homicide, vice, and arson department. Each case has a unique story and is rated on how well you solved it. What is most enjoyable about this game is its gameplay. Instead of shooting thugs and running around flailing your firearms. It's based on detective work, each crime scene is riddled with clues that help you find out who the culprit is. Then there's the interrogating part and here is where your ability to think comes in. The game is not riddled with tedious puzzles or predictable outcomes that give away the solution. You are forced to interrogate, question and call bullshit on the suspects claims, if you do call B.S on them you have to use evidence, real evidence, and no "aliens did it" is not an answer. You must read the suspects facial expressions and study his alibi to see if it cracks under the scope, you must think long and hard (that's what she said) and most importantly rely on your wits and critical reasoning for solving each case. And that, my friends, is a rarely accomplished feat in a game. So if you want a game that tests your ability to argue, reason, and basically make you feel like a mythbuster but with far too many guns and a history of violence, look no further. This is truly one of the best games on the market that exploit your critical thinking skills and if it was very worth it's tag price at release you can be damn sure it's worth it's price now Boy-o!.
(Faces me and my girlfriend make after sex. **left: gf right: me**))
SPEC OPS: THE LINE
In a sea of military shooters where every mission is about muricah’ and gun boners, it's refreshing to see how Yager games, developed one of the most intriguing and thought provoking third person shooter games this side of Metal Gear. This game's strong suit is its story, based on Joseph Conrad's: "The Heart of Darkness", and influenced heavily by one of the most acclaimed movies of all times "Toy Story 3" (ok, i know it's not toy story 3 but cmon that's a great movie), anyway the game is influenced by none other than the cult classic "Apocalypse Now", which delves deeply into the heart and mind of a soldier and what it takes to make the right, or wrong decision in times of war, and yeah I'm not talking "shall i shoot this guy and save muricah’ or should I kill this guy later and save muricah". I'm talking about deep moral quandaries here, the kind that Plato and Nietzsche would have a field day in the discussion of just one topic. The gameplay is solid as The Rock’s cooking (can you smell it?). And the A.I in this game is really smart, the enemies lob bombs at you when you find cover, they always try to flank you, change strategy as you move from cover to cover. Something to note is that there's a lot of enemy and weapons variety here to keep your gun erected penis going all night, and maybe a quickie before breakfast. It's only a matter of 40 minutes into the game where you make some hard hitting decisions that shape your character's development as well as your squads mindset during the story.
Very few games paint war as a truly hellish place, where not only physical injuries are rampant but emotional and deep psychological issues develop. This game proves that there is no such thing as unharmed soldiers.
Toy Story 3: Director’s cut
DRAGON’S DOGMA
Dragon's dogma is one of the few good things Capcom made before DmC (yes, dante is not a white haired vixen but that's Ninja Theory's deal not Capcam's and the game's good stop crying) and let me tell ya, its amazing. Its an RPG driven by squad based combat, much like monster hunter with friends, it has you slaying ghoulish fiends, mythical creatures, and overwhelming beings.
This game lacks in storytelling and the world feels a little bit drab but what it lacks in these aspects it more than makes up for it in quality gameplay. You take the role of the arisen, a special kind of person chosen to slay the dragon and save Hyrule, yay! I know it sounds a lot like Skyrim, and it borrowed some basic concepts but it's far from it. Mainly, it's difficult as all fuck, and like any great game should, it punishes you harshly for your mistakes and rewards you beautifully for your patience and hard work.
Again, this game is hard, you can only save in big cities, and there is no quick travel system either, so you're bound to go on foot and explore old school. This makes each encounter really intense, and exploring so much more gratifying, each fight is literally a fight for survival, and when the day turns into night, you automatically shit your pants. First of all if you don't have a lamp, you're pretty much like Ray Charles in a boxing match, and not just any boxing match, because nighttime makes enemies a lot tougher. Its like fighting Mike Tyson at his prime, either you soil your pants, which you already did and run, or you stand there and get pummeled relentlessly and have him muncho on your sweet delicious ears until you gain enough skill to battle him again.
dragon's dogma boss battles
It's gameplay is truly astounding being the best I've seen and played in an RPG, period. Yes, even better than Dark Souls (Come at bro). You can attack them at a distance, face them head on and you can even climb on the big ones to munch on their damn ears with your sword. Enemy variety is at it's best, each monster has its own unique weakness and strategic approach so you must think carefully before you act. And the last couple of hours of this game are a mix between Dragonforce's epic guitar shredding and contemplative jazz music. It doesn't mix very well, the ending is an edgy atheist wet dream, but its gameplay make it a must own for any action fan out there.
dragons dogma’s ending
MOD NATION RACERS
Taking a break from all the hard and heavy stuff, this is a game developed by some dudes who partnered up with Media Molecule, (the guys who made Little Big Planet) so you know you're gonna have a jolly good time. This game is just pure fun with friends or online, not so much on your own.
The developers focus on the player's imagination (its not a cardboard box for all those spongebob fans out there wondering). Your creative inner child blossoms in this game, you can make literally anyone a cute cartoon racer, Hitler VS Pee Pee Long-stockings? Go ahead, Goku Super Saiyan Phase 4 VS Waluigi, why not? Your hot 16 year old neighbor VS your dick? Well probably not, unless you want to take a seat over there while Chris Hansen judges you in front of national TV. But aside from sexual acts with minors, everything is permitted.
The controls are simple yet tight, (not a frauding slip) the racing intense and the story is pretty cute and funny. You can customize your character, your car and even make your own racing venue with an astonishing amount of details and tools to choose from. The racing is pretty much like Mario Kart, maybe even better, with one minor detail, you can collect energy by drifting or pushing people off their way, this energy serves as a boost or as a shield and it's an interesting addition, you either play it safe or go all out, also there are items and weapons you can throw at other racers, and yes the ultimate dick move, the dreaded blue shell of morbid death and destruction is back, to ruin friendships and make you punch your little brother in the gut (I’m sorry josh but god dammit you had it coming) this time in the form of missiles or thunder. This game provides you hours of creative skill development and playing it is just a blast. For a cute and fuzzy racing game it sure has a lot of things going for it, it's the Mario Kart of the PS3!.
courtesy of the blue shell.
CATHERINE
Wait, I know what your thinking, (Jon) it looks like those pervy “chinese cartoons” your parents warned you about when you were watching Toonami, or Adult Swim, and you're just waiting for some kind of tentacle rape scene to appear in this game but, (thankfully) it's far from that… It's anime style drawings and quirks make it an incredibly hard pill to swallow because it delves deep into your conscience. It's so refreshing to see a game where the main character is just like you, he’s not a dragoncommanderborn private detective universal soldier tasked with saving the world cuz only his special set of skills can do it. No, this game is about character development, especially the player's realization of who he truly is.
This is one of the last generation gems that nearly no one has played, and its a dayum shame. The story is very simple, yet original and quite frankly awesome. You play as Vincent Brooks, a 32 year old guy who is just fine the way he’s life has played out, he adjusted to having a normal job and a good relationship with his long time girlfriend Katherine, but she wants something more, she wishes to get married, move in together with Vincent, have a family with him, and he’s just not sure about committing to something so serious, so he goes to a bar with his pals and gets a Little *ahem* well, shitfaced and meets Catherine with a C, the very opposite of what his current girlfriend is, she’s uber hot, has an outgoing personality and has the hots for Vincent. So he made one drunken mistake or did he? and woke up the next day with Catherine in his bed complementing him on how he is just ravenous in bed. Now a deeply conflicted Vincent has to choose in a span of 8 days how to get his shit together, all the while there’s some kind of curse that's killing men that cheat on relationships in their sleep.
The gameplay is also original, divided in two parts: one is based on spatial puzzles that consist of climbing to the top of a block tower by moving it's blocks (obviously, duh), sounds simple right? WRONG, it's really hard and stressful cause you have a limited time to do that. The puzzle parts are in Vincent's dreams, where he battles his conscience as he regrets deeply what he did to his gf. The other half of the game is made up of conversations you have with both C/K-atherines via text messages and hanging out with your friends at the local bar. You meet new people that seem to struggle with the same nightmares you have, so that's cool and intriguing. The game has multiple endings depending on your choices. That trivial character interaction makes you care a lot more about other characters relevant to the story. It has multiplayer, but only when you finished the game. Catherine is driven by a profound story that hits every emotional chord, questioning deep moral issues about trust and what's right and what's wrong in a relationship.
pictured: nightmares, real ones
Thanks a lot for reading my article, to recap: a Detective game, a FPS, an RPG, a Racing game and a Puzzle game. I hope you have enjoyed the read and just keep in mind I recommend these games because I loved them and I think they deserve to be at least given the chance to shine. So go ahead give them a try and see for yourself!
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