Weekend gaming Recap

So another weekend has come and gone but it was not without it's fun moments in co-op gaming!

First up on my list were two sessions of Left 4 Dead one which was a complete success despite 12 restarts on the finale and one was a complete failure after breezing through the campaign only to be brought to a complete halt on the finale.

Saturday I believe it was myself, Zonf86, and my lovely wife MissLaceyT ventured out to conquer Dead Air. We breezed through the campaign only dieing I believe once on the third level, but the finale... oh man the finale is just brutal. The basic setup was that we would all get in the corner on the dirt hill and fire at the zombies as they rushed to us... it sounds awesome in theory but man it seemed to go south real quick once a smoker pulled on of us away... then it was like dominoes one of use would fall, then the next and so on. However after a grueling 2 hours and 36 minutes we pulled out a victory as we all climbed aboard the plane waving goodbye to Louis as the horde chowed down on his tasty innards.

"Eat me first my innards are tasty!"

Our second run through on Blood Harvest Monday met with disaster on the finale, words cannot describe how painful it was to constantly restart over and over only to be met with defeat. We did however fair a little better once Zonf86's friend joined up with us but due to a smoker tank combo our chance to win was quickly snuffed out. If anyone out there is interested we will be attempting this again either Friday or sometime this weekend be sure to check here for more details.

Smoker and Tank BFF

On a minor note got some Sacred 2 in over the weekend and got my Shadow Warrior to level 33 woohoo!

Hope everyone had a good and safe Memorial Day!

Lay offs rock the Halo Wars world.

Following many of other UNSC field operations in the Galaxy the Spirit of Fire chief officers layed off all employee's working at the bases field armory just moments after finishing work on the new turret upgrade. "It was crazy one minute the Sparatans were praising our work commenting on how well our upgrades helped out the team, and then the next minute after they sent us 800 supplies to finish the upgrade for our turret system we were all fired" said a former field employee "I mean what in the heck am I suppose to do now?".

Pictured left is the field armory that was shut down late Thursday around 10p.m. after according to field operatives Biohzrd451 and A Satriani Solo had reached the end of it's usefulness and was no longer cost effective to keep it running at the base facility. "We had to make room for something that was more cost effective and the field armory just wasn't doing it, so we scrapped it, blew it up and replaced it with an Air Pad." said Biohzrd451 "If the base employees have a problem with the reduction they can come see myself of A Satriani Solo to be placed on new duties." According to reports these new duties were being placed in the flood infested territory with a butter knife and a prayer.

At the time of press Captain Cutter could not be reached for comment.

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel review (XBOX 360)

So it's been awhile since I have updated my blog, yea I know what you are thinking another failed blog.... well it's not the case just have been busy with other stuff :P. Ok so this week I am bringing you my review of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel.

So what happens when you merge a Diablo style hack n slash with an open world like World of Warcraft? If you guessed Sacred 2 you are right on the money because that is how this game feels starting out. When first starting the game you will be asked to create a character from a pool of 6 available classes 4 of which can choose either a light or dark path and two that must follow only one path. Here is the class breakdown:

Seraphim (Female/Light only) - This is the first class you are shown, basically following the back story they are responsible for the creation of Ancaria but were banished to live there by the creator. She is pretty much stuck to the good path so anyone out there wanting to play a dark angel please keep moving along.

Shadow Warrior (Male/Dark/Light) - The Shadow Warrior can for the most part serve as the parties tank, however for my review I played as a Shadow Warrior light path using some of his Astral Lord abilities which made him into a sort of Necromancer with medium tanking ability. I highly recommend this character to new players.

High Elf (Female/Dark/Light) - Serves the role of main magic user, and probably is the only one you could consider a full casting class in Sacred 2.

Dryad (Female/Dark/Light) - Archer/Nature magic user seems great for ranged combat.

Temple Guardian (Male?/Light/Dark) - Cyborg creatures that look like the Egytpian god Anubis. The seem to feel a role as both ranged combat and have a variety of tech abilities.

Inquisitor (Male/Dark) - Another class I got to play while reviewing the game servers as sort of a mage warrior hybrid with debuff spells.

So pretty good selection right? Well even after selecting your class you are given your choice of gods to choose from which grants you a special ability that is mapped to the top directional pad on the 360 controller, and more often than not comes in very handy.

The world of Sacred 2 looks amazing while the character models may not look next gen the world certainly does, grass and trees move in the breeze and even some spells affect the environment for example playing as the Inquisitor I cast Malestorm which causes all enemies to be hurled into each other it also makes the trees and grass move as if there was a violent wind blowing which I thought was pretty cool; however don't think you can just stroll through the world taking in all the sights because you will find yourself constantly hounded by enemies to the point is seems ridiculous and this is one of the faults I found with the game it seemed like there were no safe spots except for in the heart of a city with guards, some towns even have bad guys walking through them if you can believe that.

Keep running no where is safe in Ancaria!

The character in Sacred 2 while not looking next gen do provide some level of customization for your character to make him/her look they way you want, just an example my Inquisitor looks like he got his armor from Master Shredder so some level of customization is there; on the same note as that your weapons/armor can be socketed with various items you find in the world granting them different abilities ranging from damage enhancement to skill stat boosts. The one thing I did notice is that Sacred 2 has somewhat of a learning curve when it comes to getting spells and upgrading your abilities; when you level you are not automatically given spells or a choice to choose them spells/abilities are actually gained by finding them as loot/or buying them from a vendor, each rune you have of the same spell/ability that you use will increase your spell/ability level... this to me was a confusing system and it wasn't until my second run through that I figured out the system so if you are jumping into this right out of the box I recommend using the manual to get familiar with the world.

"I really like your helmet!"

The combat in Sacred 2 suffers from the same problem that other Hack n' Slash games have had since the beginning and that is extremely repetitive combat which as I said before is around every corner, now for me this is not bad but for others out there looking for different ways to approach a situation you might want to look elsewhere for truly deep combat.

Now for the highlight of Sacred 2 something I feel was done so right is the online Co-op. Following the foot steps of great games like Diablo 2 where the Co-op experience was one of the best in the Hack n' Slash genre Sacred 2 offers a similar experience but in a richer environment where each class can be so different from the guy sitting next to you playing as the same class that it is amazing. You can I believe bring a guest online but you will be sharing a screen for you couch co-opers out there however if someone joins your game they are free to wander as they please in your world which can support three other players if you are playing online.

All in all Sacred 2 is a good game for fans of Hack N' Slash or those just waiting on something to tide them over till Diablo III comes out, either way you are in for a treat in the world of Ancaria. I give Sacred 2 a 8.5/10

Resident Evil 5 Review

So yea I finally picked up Resident Evil 5 despite how much the demo put me off, why you might ask well let me put it this way it was a Friday night our friends were suppose to come over... well it didn't work out so sitting there in our boredom my wife and I decided to get Resident Evil 5 to play coop, and let me tell you I have not regretted that decision yet.

First off if your no stranger to Resident Evil 4 you will be no stranger to the layout of the game, however if you have never played Resident Evil 4 or and Resident Evil game and you are looking for a shooter you might want to keep looking. Resident Evil 5 sticks to the formula of you having to stop to aim and shoot (No more two-piecing darn) I will admit at first this was one of my turn offs about the game however after playing the game for a bit I will admit being able to move and shoot at the same time would have made the battles way too easy, in a way having to stop makes you think more aware of what is around you and has to react sometimes out of fear.

Resident Evil 5 puts you back in the shoes of Chris Redfield and the newest edition to the series Sheva Alomar who is Chris's new partner in the BSAA which is an organization setup to stop bioweapons for getting into the wrong hands. In typical Resident Evil fashion things go from bad to worse the more you progress in the game, and the further you get the into the game the tougher the creatures get you fight. Here comes one of my biggest gripes about the game, instead of making more unique enemies Capcom decided to recycle a few from Resident Evil 4 and throw them into Resident Evil 5, ok I can deal with the Chainsaw guy and the El Giante but coming across the same Minigun guy made me think ok they honestly couldn't think of anything else? On the plus side they did add a few new creatures to the mix one of my personal faves the ever popular Reaver who can one hit kill you if you get too close.

Another thing I didn't like too much about Resident Evil 5 is the rehash of enviorments, not to say that they are the same from Resident Evil 4, and not saying that the previous Resident Evils didnt all feature a Lab of some sort, what I am saying is the overall path through the game feels very similar to Resident Evil 4, once you get to the ruins you will catch what I am saying.

New to the Resident Evil experience (without including Outbreak) is the addition of COOP, and let me tell you it feels so right in Resident Evil 5, you will find yourself working together to take down objectives and to keep each other alive. I remeber when my wife and I first fought the Reaver and we worked together to knock him into the furnace, it was just amazing how much you can do with another person, but it's not all fun and games you will find yourself at times having to save your partner when they are in the dying stage, this can be an annoyance if you are at one of the parts where you have to split up, thankfully Capcom included a pretty generous checkpoint system so you will never be retracing your steps too far.

Overall Resident Evil 5 is a solid game for coop, however its probably not one I would pick up to play singleplayer, it's better left played with a friend over live or via couch coop.

I give Resident Evil 5 4 out of 5 for solid coop play and and overall enjoyable experience despite a few gripes I have about the game.

Halo Wars Review

Ok yea it's been awhile since I have updated the old blog but that is due to cut in work hours, and me being up to other things.... like gaming.

This week I bring you my review of Halo Wars!

Halo Wars is set 20 years before the events of Halo and sets you in control of the crew of the Spirit of Fire a refitted colony ship that now serves as sort of a scout early base setup kinda deal. I won't get into much of the story or how the missions play out but after seeing the cutscenes it makes you wonder when the Halo FMV movie will come out, because the cutscenes are so crisp and clear and watching the Spartans in action is nothing short of awesome seriously feel my arm I have goosebumps.

Basically the game starts out with you reclaiming alpha base on the planet Harvest which humanity has just taken back from the covenant... or have they? Apparently the covenant have found a forerunner relic on the planet and its up to you the crew of the Spirit of Fire to find out what they are after. It's pretty much the typical Halo story only this time you are not just controlling one person.... you are controlling an ARMY!!!

For years RTS games have crept onto the consoles with little to no effect as coming off as a pleasing game that controls well with... well a controller. However Halo Wars is different it did not have to jump over the hurdle of going from PC to console, it was designed from the ground up with the 360 in mind, and let me tell you it shows Halo Wars is very easy to controll and you will find yourself zipping along the map commanding your units while managing your base in no time.

The graphics are really good as well for a RTS and Halo Wars goes the extra step of adding changes to units/buildings as they take damage, for example remember in Halo 3 when driving the ghost? when you took damage parts would fly off and you ended up with a jacked up looking ghost, well Halo Wars has that, it is these extra details that really make this game solid.

Prepare to be cleansed beeyotch!

Multiplayer is also a blast not only can you fire it up and battle people from around the world, you can also fire it up and have your friend(s) join your team a pit yourself against the AI which can be set to different difficulties depending on how saucy you feel.

Now let me say I don't care too much for Halo games outside of the story but this one gets a 5 out of 5 for not only being solid but also being the first true RTS on a console that works.

Friday Night Gaming

Well its finally Friday and tonight is my prime night for gaming, so tonight we will more than likely be playing Left 4 Dead first running an expert campaign.

After we will probably be running Gears 2 on horde for a bit so if your up for a night of gaming we have two free slots on L4D and three free spots for Gears 2.

This week in review

Remember when the Sega first came out and you were not the cool kid on the street unless you had one? Well know you can relive your glory gaming days with Sonic's Ultimate Gensis Collection which boasts a huge list of classic Sega games.

The List:

· Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
· Alien Storm
· Altered Beast
· Beyond Oasis
· Bonanza Bros.
· Columns
· Comix Zone
· Decap Attack starring Chuck D. Head
· Dr. Robotnik's MBM
· Dynamite Headdy
· Ecco the Dolphin
· Ecco II: The Tides of Time
· E-SWAT
· Fatal Labyrinth
· Flicky
· Gain Ground
· Golden Axe I
· Golden Axe II
· Golden Axe III
· Kid Chameleon
· Phantasy Star II
· Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
· Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
· Ristar
· Shining in the Darkness
· Shining Force
· Shining Force 2
· Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
· Sonic 3D Blast
· Sonic and Knuckles
· Sonic Spinball
· Sonic the Hedgehog
· Sonic the Hedgehog 2
· Sonic the Hedgehog 3
· Streets of Rage
· Streets of Rage 2
· Streets of Rage 3
· Super Thunder Blade
· Vectorman
· Vectorman 2

Plus 9 UNLOCKABLE GAMES:

· Golden Axe Warrior (SEGA Master System)
· Phantasy Star (SEGA Master System)
· Alien Syndrome (Arcade)
· Altered Beast (Arcade)
· Congo Bongo (Arcade)
· Fantasy Zone (Arcade)
· Shinobi (Arcade)
· Space Harrier (Arcade)
· Zaxxon (Arcade)

I gotta be honest most of these I never played growing up, however some of the ones on the list make the 29.99 price tag worth while for me, and I am sure some people out there will see a few games on there and pick it up as well.

Let me start by saying I have gone through every game on here since purchasing it, while not playing each one through I did play enough to get the achievements, however this allowed me to get a feel for games I might otherwise not have played, for instance Bonaza Brothers I had never heard of until playing this collection and it turned out to be one of my favs because you need timing and strategy to get past each level on one clean run one mistake and you lose time and points, another one that comes to mind that really gave me the old arcade feel was Super Thunder Blade man going for the 1,500,000 point achievement was tough but after getting the feel for dodging the fire balls that the enemy vehicles launch at you it turned out to be fairly fun/enjoyable.

What really sealed the deal for me was Sega including Shining Force & Shining Force 2 both are some of my favorite games on the Sega and with them I can see countless hours playing through again to experience the rich and enjoyful gameplay.

The one downside to this collection that could have made it really shine was the fact that they didn't include any Live play, sure you can couch coop but with the ability to play online with friends it seems Sega got lazy and just didn't feel like programming the games with the ability to handle it.

You may have your own favorite games on here that make it worth the purchase for you and if you only see a few I would still say pick it up to relive some of those good times you had when you were younger.

I give Sonic's Ultimare Gensis Collection a 4.5 out of 5.