Gearheads Weekly Game Review
By Blankman
Posted on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 12:09:16 AM EST

Ok gamers, it's time for our weekly game review to discuss recent releases as well as upcoming releases.  This week's release was a bit sparse.  I guess no one wanted to go up against Ubisoft's Rainbow Six:Vegas 2 or publishers are waiting to release their titles during mid-Spring.  I, personally, dug RB6:Vegas (the first one).  The second offering comes a year after the first one graced the 360 & eventually the PS3 (lots of bugs, framerate issues, texture tearing, etc- stay away from this console offering).  The 360-version was very action oriented & intense.  The improvements in the sequel seems in line with GRAW 2, just minor improvements.  Do you really want to spend $65 on minor improvements?  Retailers have a tendency to lower the price on Ubisoft's game about three months after its release.  Fry's Electronics has it on sale today for $40.  It is getting solid reviews since it's just minor changes.  The one thing that bugged me about the first game was that the graphics didn't transfer over on the MP.  Ubisoft did that so the framerate wouldn't take a hit.  This time around, Ubisoft has improved the MP graphics to mimic the single player game's.  I'll wait for it to go down in price since there's just too much out there right now.

Dark Sector is releasing next week on March 25th.  From the current hands-on previews from several game site & mags, it's chock full of bugs.  In fact, it was just revealed that the glaive (the game's uber weapon) was the result of a glitch from a thrown weapon.  It apparently got stuck in an enemy NPC & kept spewing out blood.  The developer thought it was cool & turned it into the game's signature weapon.  Talk about mistakes that became reality.  LOL  I was really looking forward to this game & from the early press play, it doesn't sound good.  I'll probably wind up skipping this one.

Well, I grabbed a copy of Army of Two.  I had a gift card for Gamestop so I only paid $30 actual cash.  JohnEmidnight also grabbed a copy as well since his son had it too.  The game has some cool things going, but it simply isn't innovative considering EA slammed Gears as being another run-of-the-mill shooter.  Well, they put their foot in their mouth because the "glass is half empty."  The single player campaign is extremely short (about 6 hours).  As Boxin has already stated, the supposed "last boss" was completely atrocious.  I really don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't played or intend to play it, but I want to save those HDTVs from being destroyed by thrown controllers.  ***SPOILER ALERT...***
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The final boss isn't a "boss" at all. The damn cutscene kills him for you!  Yes, that's right; it completely rips off the player by having a freaking cutscene finish the game for you.  What the hell?!?  I know that a lot of game mags & game sites slammed the game right before its intended release.  That's why EA postponed the first release to "work out the kinks."  Well, they did more deleting than fixing things.  EA left a lot of content that didn't fare well with the previewers on the cutting room floor.  Instead of fixing these aspects, they decided to remove them completely.  What a damn shame & missed opportunity.  There's also no jeep or tank vehicle combat in the retail copy for one thing (it's been removed due to the negative press which caused EA to rework "aspects" of it).   Based on how short the campaign was, I would have just left the darn parts in.  Although the MP is fun, especially with a good buddy; it's simply not deep enough after the fun's worn off.  If it didn't cost me $30, I would have been royally pissed.

Well, that's it Gearheads.  What's your take?  BTW: The patch for Bully is now available on XBL. It fixes the freezing glitches & framerate problems for older 360s (presumably launch units).

Poll
Games that you're getting or recently got:
Rainbow Six:Vegas 2 (360/PS3)
Condemned 2:Bloodshot (360/PS3)
Army of Two (360/PS3)
Bully:Scholarship Edition (360/Wii)
House of the Dead 2 and 3 Return (Wii)
Turning Point:Fall of Liberty (360/PS3)

Votes: 12
 
Results :: Vote Link :: Polls

Display:

Personally

I'm purchasing no games until GTA IV is released.  I'm going to rent R6V2 when the chance arises, same with Condemened 2.
I will make a note on the new Mass Effect content, Bringing Down the Sky.  Probably the biggest gameplay issue of Mass Effect were the side missions, all taking place on (usually) similar rocky planets, gathering stupid minerals or dead bodies that only a museum would care for.  Your introduced to an interesting new enemy, and are presented with an actual mission that you'd actually pull your space taxi over to complete.

ArkkAngel007

by Mr C on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 12:38:14 AM EST


my thoughts

Army of Two = Co-op is pretty fun... game is not that amazing.

Condemned 2's SP is amazing.

Not getting anything else for a while.

Eat A Peach

by Zoso Fan on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 12:53:36 AM EST


Great diary, Blank.

Next on my list is GTA4 followed by ST:TFU.   I just watched Eastern Promises last night, and I loved all the scenes with the "Russians" in the Sopranos, so I am finding myself drawn to GTA4 more than I thought I would be.  The MP announcement didn't hurt either.

Other than that, I plan on getting both the new CoD4  and H3 map packs when they become available in April.

One last thing, and this isn't just Blankman that does it, I hear it a lot here and in other communities.  To everyone who thinks because they used a "gift certificate" to buy a game, their game is that much cheaper - that logic is only correct for those who DON'T buy games.  For those of us who buy games frequently, those gift certificates are basically cash, and you are just pulling the wool over your own eyes if you think the game you just bought with gift certificates, was that much cheaper.  It wasn't, because now you don't have that discount for the next game that you want.  ;)  (just havin' fun here) :)

Gears is my porn.

by 3Suns on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 03:20:56 AM EST


Eastern Promises

was a dominant movie.  The scene in the sauna is bad-ass.  Viggo is the man.

I'm feeling California and looking Minnesota.

by heeyoh2 on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 06:18:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]


I hear what your saying, 3Suns...

but the gift card that I got was from doing five on-line surveys.  The research company offered me compensation & one of the sponsors was Gamestop.  They sent me a $25 gift card for basically no work at all.  That's why I'm considering that I've only spent $30 for Army of Two.  The Gamestop card was basically free money, in a sense.  However, if I had received a gift card as a gift/present, I would have considered that as actual money because you would have to reciprocate on that "gift" by spending your own money.  I'm not sure if my logic makes any sense you to, but it does to me.  Hahaha. ;)

Gears is my Star Wars! Wooohhh!!!

by Blankman on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 03:25:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]


ha ha ha Good stuff, Blank

I am just havin' fun.  It comes up so often in the gaming community, when it was your turn, I couldn't resist!  ;)  LOL

Gears is my porn.

by 3Suns on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 06:59:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]


LOL

 All in good fun :)

by GearsChrisB on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 07:52:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]


Hahaha! I feel the same way , Suns!

LOL

Gears is my Star Wars! Wooohhh!!!

by Blankman on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 12:45:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]


I wound up returning Army of Two.

Since I purchased it used at Gamestop, they have a seven day return policy on opened/used items.  The game simply doesn't have enough depth to warrant keeping & replaying it multiple times, even with a friend.  There are flashes of good aspects that are good about the game, but too many negative things are too glaring to ignore.  I'm got going to get into detail about the cons about the gameplay since there are so many on-line reviews about the game already out there.  Well, the reviews are spot on.  After the initial wow factors, the gameplay just gets old & you start nitpicking or wiching EA would have done this or that.  I'll parlay the money refunded from Army of Two toward GTA 4.  Like I've said in other posts about the GTA franchise, I've never really bought into the greatness of the past titles despite the fact that they were really good.  GTA 4 has me sold.  I'll definitely be seeing this game from start to finish.

Gears is my Star Wars! Wooohhh!!!

by Blankman on Sat Mar 22, 2008 at 05:14:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]


Thanks for the review

and looking forward to going for a cruise and listening to tunes in Liberty City.  I don't care whose drivin', let's just go!

Gears is my porn.

by 3Suns on Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 07:14:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]


I went to Fry's yesterday..........

Looking for RSV2 after work but all copies were gone, I set my mind on that I will buy it only if I get it at Fry's, since were mixed reviews about the game I tought that people will not run to get this time around.
Also I jump very late on the bandwagon on the first one  and then Halo 3 came out and I just never touched it.
I will wait for STAR WARS: Force Unleashed or my favorite fighter Soul Calibur, I want Ninja Gaiden as well but I will not buy it until I finished the first one. I get army of two when it goes dirt cheap but in the meantime I just get the new maps for my abandon copy of Halo and my new found hobby COD4

Sorry, blankman I only have a digital watch!!!!!

by ObiJuan on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 09:56:38 AM EST


Here's what I did

Best Buy matches pricing.  So I took the Fry's ad to Best Buy and they matched their price for RSV 2.

I'm actually excited to see some of the reviews of Dark Sector.  It looks pretty fun to me.

Porn is my porn. Gears is pretty awesome, though.

by papi blez on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 11:57:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]


Hey blankman and JohnE

We should play Army of two sometime....

I heard it is better with 2 on-line people...

Poland...

You will meet your maker, the "chainsaw" and POLANDSTYLE

by Polandstyle on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 10:28:17 AM EST


Only thing is

You CAN'T play against people like me and 3Suns

by HELLFIRE V1 on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 04:55:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]


Yea!

I had to vote for turning point fall of liberty since i'm getting all of those games or have some already....

Trying to work on Bully.

Poland...

You will meet your maker, the "chainsaw" and POLANDSTYLE

by Polandstyle on Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 10:29:12 AM EST