Lost Planet 2 Demo Impressions

So the demo for Lost Planet 2 dropped last week, and let me tell you my co-op experience was fantastic. I never really played the first Lost Planet but I have heard lots of good things about it, so when firing up Lost Planet 2 it was all brand new to me.

Controls: At first (like many others I am sure) the controls felt sluggish I felt like I was not moving fast enough, and aiming felt down right tedious. A friend of mine offered a suggestion that made alot of sense to me, the armor you are wearing restricts your movement/aiming after hearing his theory and playing the game again it made perfect sense. I then found myself easily navigating the demo. Plainly put Lost Planet 2 is a game where you have to get use to the controls, because it is not your standard Third Person Shooter nor does it control like the standard FPS give it time and you will come to like it.

Looks like he needs a dose of Vitamin Bio

Graphics: Let me say the graphics for this game are amazing, My favorite moment was being down by the water and watching the grass sway and move as the giant Salamander emerged from it, or when he charged up his lightning attack and there was a gust of wind as he slammed into the ground. All around the graphics are awesome and make for a really visually pleasing experience.

Sound: Not really alot to go into as far as sound goes, but the effects of the weapons are awesome, listening to the whine of the mechs minigun as you unload into the enemy is amazing. I can't remember if there was music or not because we were too busy talking back and forth about how to deal with the boss to pay much attention to it.

Gameplay: The gameplay is amazing, there are so many ways to go about taking down the boss that it is just pure awesome. From hopping into a mech with a buddy, or launching your grappling hook into the Salamanders mouth... did I mention you can go inside of him? Imagine the worm from Gears 2 and then imagine instead of coming out the worms mouth being launched out his ass and you have the experience from inside the Salamander. Lost Planet 2 is a solid game and the co-op it probably the best I have seen since Left 4 Dead.


All together I would give the Lost Planet 2 demo 4.5 out of 5, while it is a killer demo the controls can put alot of people off to the experience which is the reason behind the 4.5 score. Still if you are looking for a solid demo to play get it... I mean it is free, and it gives you time to really peg the controls down. Here is looking forward to Lost Planet 2 around Easter.

Borderlands

Ok so unless you have been living under a rock you will have heard about this game called Borderlands. Let's start off by saying that Borderlands has come out of left field and from what I have read is shaping up to be GOTY potential; Why you might ask? Well lets start off with the basics shall we?

• Four player co-op online:Now this for me is a huge selling point because what is better than getting together with friends blasting away some aliens/raiders/puppies, gaining levels, and finding sweet loot? It is along the same vein as Diablo where the more friends you get online the harder the baddies get, but the more your rewards increase so it is a fair trade. Also each person can be a specfic class or if everyone wants to be the sniper class everyone can be, although with branching skill trees I am sure no character will be the same.

• FPS/RPG elements: We have seen this before with Fallout 3 however where Fallout 3 was lacking I think Borderlands will succede. Reading some of the preview articles it would appear that by using a specfic weapon with you character you will increase your overall skill with it sort of how on Oblivion or Morrowind that when you used a specfic weapon it would increase your skill with it, only I believe this will not level you up rather it would increase your accuracy etc. It is also cool to see that each class will have skill trees allowing each player to have a totally different character than their friends, if I am not mistaken this will be the first time we see something like this on a shooter.

• Tons o' Loot: The devs have been talking about this since day one; Randomly generated loot, which according to what has been said guns can have hundreds if not thousands of different variations making for a loot lovers best dream.

• Unique Art Style: Some people love or hate the art style that Borderlands has chosen; I for one absolutely love it, it is gritty yet at the same time has a comic feel that I think really sets it apart from everything else out there. In a sea of similar games Borderlands is the shining lighthouse.

Borderlands is set to hit store shelves October 20th of this year for the PC,360, and PS3 and I don't know about you but I plan on picking up my copy on day one. Till next time, later days!

Weekend update

Well yet again another weekend has passed us by, and I am here to provide a recap of mine.. it's kinda like a drop of water in the bucket of life I suppose lol.

Ok so Friday we ended up running around in Left 4 Dead through like 2 or 3 campaigns and we had a real good time with Zonf86 and his Girlfriend.

Saturday I ended up getting up around 6:30 to run to Wal-mart to get food and stuff for Logan's 2nd birthday party, was a good time not sure about you guys but the best time to go to wal-mart is either late at night or at the butt crack of dawn. After getting home around 7:50ish I unloaded grociers, then went to the dollar store at 9 to get pull ups and icing for the cupcakes... on my way out my Dad stopped me, did I mention we havent seen them in like 4 months because they are insane? Anyway after wasting like 3 hours of my life talking to him and my mom I ended up back home just in time to help setup for the party at 3. Good times I ended up grilling hot dogs and stuff for the party, and after everyone left played some Halo3 Campaign on Legendary... yea it was freaking tought.

Sunday.... Well I won't even go into sunday but I did do a nice 2v2 versus match on Left 4 Dead and managed to snag two achievements on Marvel Ultimate Alliance: Golden age of comics; and the one for getting the silver surfer, only 5 more to go and I have it completed to 100% woohoo.

Check back later I plan on writing a piece for Borderlands and Left 4 Dead 2, both are my most anticipated games this year.

Shotgun Safety

This week I was bring you some very special tips given to me by Left 4 Dead's very own Francis about Shotgun safety, a topic which is very dear to both Francis and myself.

Never Point A Gun At Anything You Don't Want To Shoot -

• I can't stress this enough if you pull your shotgun out and point it at a target make sure it is what you want to shoot, we don't need multiple shootings happening.

Safe Gun Handling -

• When handling your shotgun you want to maintain a strong grip, also it is important to note that your hunting partner may or may not want you to place your shotgun in a sheath, when the sheath is on you will find the shooting experience less enjoyable. There are many types of sheaths on the market some are all natural and others are made of a rubber like material.
  

Shotgun sheath

Know your shotgun -

• You really should know what your shotgun can or can't do. Also have your hunting partner take measurements of the barrel to make sure it is a weapon they can handle. Also you don't want to fire off a round early so make sure you test how responsive the trigger is, sometimes a sheath will help prevent early round discharge.

Always check your gun for barrel obstructions -

• This is one I stress a lot, make sure there is nothing wrong with your shotgun, you really don't want your hunting partner handling a defective weapon.

Shooting, alcohol and drugs don’t go together. Don’t drink and shoot -

• Although they can sometimes make the experience more fun they do tend to create early round discharge, and sometimes they will cause you to shoot the wrong target.
  

Never shoot across another shooter -

• If there is another shooter present please don't whip out your shotgun wait till they are done then proceed to shot yours.

If you don’t know where your hunting partners are, don’t shoot -

• If you are not sure your hunting partner is in the right place don't fire off your round it is always important to know where your hunting partners are and where they have been.

Cleaning/Maintaining your shotgun -

• It is improtant to clean and maintain your shotgun on a regular basis. If your partner is around have them rub the barrel down with your choice of lubrication, also before cleaning the chamber I recommend discharging a round although this sometimes happens on accident when lubricating the barrel.

Always remember that when you are done shooting your shotgun please put it back in its holster.

Left 4 Dead Versus Dead Air recap

So yea I gotta be honest, when I first got Left 4 Dead I was not big on versus, in fact I am not big on any kind of competitive gaming, but when you get a good group of people on your team it is on of the most enjoyable experiences.

Lately we have been getting a session of Left 4 Dead versus in just about everyday with Zonf86 since we seem to be on right at the same time he is everyday. Yesterday however turned out to be really awesome with us dominating the other team right off the bat on the first map... I won't give away too many clues as to how we ambush because some of my readers may be against us on a private vs match.

Some things I have noted while playing public games and some good things to know when approaching this for the first time.

Glitches-

One of the glitches that I have just found out about is called "Ghost Swiping" somehow the hunter before spawning is able to swipe the survivors without ever having to spawn; While the damage it does it trivial at best it is none the less cheating and I recommend taking note of anyone you have not killed in awhile because they are more than likely the ones ghost swiping, I ask that you note the name so after the game you can submit feedback against them while it may not do much it will prevent them from being in the same game as you.

Another glitch I have seen is somehow you can call a vote to change the difficulty to easy, not really sure if it does anything but it seems that you have less health as a special, yet again I find it trivial as every time the other team has used it we have beaten them.

Team Killing -

I have noticed this in about 9 out of 10 games. There will be a team of two usually friends who will team kill the other people and call votes continually usually resulting in a locked vote since the other two are friends anyway. This to me ruins the spirit of the game and yet again if you see it remember the name and submit feedback.

Dying on Purpose -

This is a strange one that I have noticed. There are alot of players out there who just want to play as the infected and will kill themselves on purpose just to make sure they are infected first the next round... this one I am at a loss of words on I love playing as the infected but half the fun it matching your wits against a team of human special infected/survivors.


I am not on a high horse when I say submit feedback nor do I have a stick up my bum, I prefer to just play fair and have fun and I know when people do the above it really ruins the fun and spirit of the game.

Anywho if you are ever looking for a fair game of Left 4 Dead be sure to look me up Biohzrd451.

Till next time loyal readers!

Thrusday gaming/weekly recap

Well here are are again Friday, thank god.

Been a busy/costly week so far, Rent, Cable and electric bill all due so my paycheck just went out the window. Still in good sprites despite the monetary setback today is my Son's second birthday, seems like only yesterday I taking my wife to the hospital, standing there beside her as I witnessed the miracle of birth... don't ask her if it was a miracle it looked painful lol; but here we are two years later and he is talking, running around, and getting in to everything.

Tonight also happens to be my best gaming night it would seem. Usually we get a few hours worth of play with Zonf86 our good friend from the UK, as well as some of the fellows from Co-optimus who have been equally as awesome to play with. Tonight we are hoping to get some private versus action going, however if there is a lack of bodies we are probably going to make a run for Nothing Special. Last week we did a bout two rounds of private versus and it turned out really well, hoping to do it again sometime.

Tomorrow morning I am suppose to get up at 5:20ish am to run to the store to get the stuff for Logan's party... should be fun.

This summer in gaming

Well its been almost a month since I last posted but never fear I am still around.

It has been a hectic summer so far with Florida temps in the 90s (feels like 100) and with the three birthdays back to back (my wife's, mine, and my sons) it has been expensive, but enough about that this is a blog about gaming and that's what I am here to talk about.

So anyone who knows me knows I love achievements, I just can't get enough of them. Well this summer I have decided to blow the dust off some of my games and see if I can't get 100% on them. The first one I got knocked out was Left 4 Dead and let me tell you Nothing Special was a long time coming, I managed to snag it with 3 bots and a handful of prayers. Now I am currently working on Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Crackdown, Crackdown seems like it is going to take a little bit more time I have already managed to snag all 500 agi orbs now I just need to hunt down the 300 hidden orbs which should be a real treat :P.

Anyway big plans for tomorrow I have scheduled a Left 4 Dead versus meetup and things seem to be going to plan. It should be a blast and I think everyone will have a good time, if not well then they can just get punched off a building by the tank :P.