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Jan 22nd, 2007 at 15:38:03 - Dead Rising (360) |
Well, I just finished the game on two modes, only infinite mode is left where your goal is simply to survive as long as possible. The first mode, "72 hour mode", is the story of Frank in the mall until the helicopter comes 72 game hours after the start of the game. After beating this mode with the best possible ending you get an achievment for unlocking the "ture ending". No, that isn't a typo. This makes you wonder and stick around after the credits. The next mode, which is unlocked by getting the best of the 5 possible endings, is called "overtime mode", which is after the helicopter comes to the mall and Frank discovers he will soon be a zombie unless a serum is made, which is one of the main objectives of this mode. After that your concern is escaping from the mall and the special forces that are trying to kill you. The final boss is an enormous tank that is piloted by the most intense and stereotypical millitary commander, with a bald head and multiple scars all over his face. After beating the somewhat easy tank you have to fight the guy inside on a zombie-surrounded tank with only your bare hands and most likley in your underwere. This guy is one of the hardest bosses I've faced of the recent video games, with the end boss in Gears of War on insane mode barely coming in first. I definetley stood up and yelled when I beat this guy but that only unlocked "Infinite mode". Doh!
I've found that the best strategy is to find bookstores and pick up books which give you increased stats on your experience points or weapon durability. These books can be combined, for example: one boss drops a handheld chainsaw (which is one of the best weapons in the game) and you can pick up 3 books: criminal biographies, entertainment, and construction with a 3 times durability bonus each for a total of 27 original durability. This game is very difficult and requires a good amount of problem solving to survive easily.
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Jan 19th, 2007 at 19:18:15 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (XBX) |
You have many choices when you begin the game. Following the main story generally unlocks more and more features of the game but there are many other side quests to do. In each city there are hidden tokens, which are challenging to find. I used an online guide and I still had trouble sleuthing through the Grand Theft Auto world but finding a complete set of tokens (fifty of them) unlocks weapons at main save points and I spent quite a few hours finding these things. There is also a list of wanted cars to export, which I enjoyed doing very much. There are three sets of 10 cars to find and you need to go all over the world map to find these cars. After completing the car finding mission I was very wealthy and I had enough money to go all over and buy houses and real estate. There are even missions in vehicles, much as pimping missions if you can find an old pimp mobile caddy-ish car. It is all the little intricacies and details that really make this game so great.
The main story is very, very long and takes you through more than just three massive cities. You begin the game with being framed by a pair of crooked cops and then dropped in hostile gang territory with no possessions. Each city has a main storyline that generally involves gang related violence and you move away from the familiarity of the ghettos into big city gangs and crazy casinos. Your family is a big theme in this because the death of CJ’s mother is what made him return to Los Santos after leaving in shame. Your gang family and your sister are very important motive and betrayal is a very sensitive subject with characters in the game. The story is easy to follow and also easy to get into. After playing with CJ for hours and hours you definitely start to feel an emotional attachment to the characters. The story, while goofy at times, is well done and entertaining.
The missions in this game are easy if you come with the right equipment but some can be frustrating without finding good weapons ahead of time. There is a star rating for police wanted level, which makes things difficult sometimes. With one star a cop will chase you if he sees you but won’t come after you otherwise. With two stars cop cars will actively pursue you and makes things crappy for you. This can be fatal for the novice player as cop AI isn’t the best but it still is enough to do you in. With three stars the FBI sends detective cars against you and a helicopter and four stars calls in the swat teams. Five and six stars are unattainable for more than a minute or two at a time because basically the US army is on top of you, which is always fun to do before you go out fighting. In general this game is one of my favorites and is amazing because it can appeal to such a broad audience and still have so many hours of fun game play.
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Jan 19th, 2007 at 18:42:13 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (XBX) |
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Many people are already familiar with the Grand Theft Auto series but the latest installment of San Andreas simply changes everything. This personally is one of my favorite games for many reasons but the most exceptional qualities about this game are its immensity, attention to detail, and sense of complete freedom. Grand Theft Auto games are known for their large world maps but in San Andreas there are three cities based on San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Each of these cities is the size of previous GTA cities and there is also an enormous countryside of highways, deserts, forests, and trailer parks. There is something to do almost anywhere you go from buying houses to gang missions to downhill bike races. This game is great because you can literally do ANYTHING you want to do.
This GTA has many more Role-Playing Game characteristics than previous GTA’s because your character has actual stats in the game that are increased through real activities. There is a hunger issue in San Andreas so your character needs to eat roughly once per game day to remain satisfied but if you don’t eat your fat level goes down and your character gets skinnier but if you buy an excessive amount of food your character gets obese and can’t jump as high, run as fast, and has reduced stamina, just like in real life. Also you can increase your characters physical damage and make him look more muscular by going to the gym and working out. Working out involves actually lifting weights manually by hitting a button very fast so you just don’t walk in and get a +1 strength message. Other characteristics include driving skill, motorcycle skill, how long you can hold your breath, endurance, gang rep, and sex appeal. The clothes, hair, and tattoos you have affect sex appeal and gang rep. For example if you run around naked or are in goofy clothes people on the street will make comments about your lack of sex appeal or masculinity. The same goes for any exceptionally high or low quality when people talk to you on the street.
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Jan 12th, 2007 at 23:39:19 - Dead Rising (360) |
The story of the game is difficult to develop because the story mode is very time sensitive. There is a timer on for 72 game hours and events run by the clock, which can make several side-quests very challenging to complete. One thing that has been bothering me about the game is the text looks so small to the point where it is hard to read. Some quests and items have been complicated by very small text. Speaking of items, almost everything in the mall is a weapon. Not only is everything a weapon, but you use facilities in the mall to enhance your weapons. For example, you can heat up your frying pan and the hold it against zombies’ heads. I’ve found that the hardware stores have the best weapons, with the chainsaw, scythe, and sledgehammer being one-hit kills. Another humorous item I found was a lawnmower for the center of the park in the mall could be used to mow through crowds of enemies.
If I had to describe this game in one sentence I would say grand theft auto and resident evil. This game is very fun if you have liked either of them.
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