Left 4 Dead DLC Coming April 21st

This may be old news for some, but I was at a buddy's last night and some of the people there did not know that the DLC for Left 4 Dead is coming on April 21st. Called the "Survival Pack," the free update will include a patch to play maps "Dead Air" and "Death Toll" in Versus Mode and include a Survivor mode where players are pitted against wave after waves of zombies as long as they live.

Once again, keeping you all in the loop. Oh, and J's right; I do have some stuff to say about Nintendo's GDC keynote, natch. Stay tuned.

The Macho Man is everywhere you want to be. (if everywhere is Left 4 Dead)

People that know me know that I have a unhealthy relationship with Mr. Randy Savage. Something about him reeks of awesomeness. He's oozed his way into every media outlet, and now he's made his way into video games. apparently, someone has modded the PC version of everyone's favorite zombie shooter (sorry COD:WaW) so all the zombie voices are replaced with the man, the myth, the legend. Check out this myspace vid to witness the madness. thanks to Damian Ward for the hookup. Oooooohhhhhh Yeeeeeaahhhhhhh!!!!

All Max Wants for Christmas…A Game Wishlist

After tackling my massive Wii Holiday Game Guide, I wanted to take a moment to list off some of the games I’m hoping to get under the tree, even though there are some I have no chance of getting. J did this awhile back, and I thought it’d be cool to do my little list. I’m kinda burnt out on hunting down screenshots after doing the Holiday Guide, so use your imaginations.

Left 4 Dead - Xbox 360

Luckily, my brother game through for me and got me Left 4 Dead as an early Xmas gift about a week ago. Although I haven’t played it every night (as many of my friends are) I’ve still sunk plenty of hours into both the campaign and versus. Now that I’ve played the final version, I gotta say that it is really fun to play as zombies in versus (my favorite is vomiting on opponents as Boomers), and very intense to play as survivors in either mode. This is definitely a must have game for Xbox 360 owners!

Wii Fit - Wii

I was really hoping to score a copy of Wii Fit for Xmas, but the price and its limited availability made that pipe dream go up in smoke. Seriously, people are eBaying copies of the game for boo coups bucks, and online and retail stores are selling out of them as quickly as they get them. The lucky folks are people who are getting Wii Bundles with Wii Fit included—which is about the only way the game is readily available. Ah well, maybe next year…

Chrono Trigger - Nintendo DS

This is the game I absolutely want the most for Christmas, and I’m pretty sure it’s already under the tree. I haven’t played Chrono Trigger in some twelve years, and I cannot wait to play this epic time-traveling RPG again, with bells and whistles added such as animated cut scenes, a new dungeon, a new ending, and last but not least, the portability.

Animal Crossing: City Folk - Wii

Call me crazy, but even after playing the first two Animal Crossing games, I still want more. Especially because both my sisters-in-law have the game, and there’s a good chance Dustin will get it too. Playing online is one of the few things seemingly expanded upon in this version of AC, not to mention the new chat function, provided you have the microphone. I really hope to get AC:CC so I can play with Maureen and she can play with her sisters, and if I’m really lucky (though I’m not counting on it) I may be able to score the Wii Speak Microphone for the game too.

Wii Music - Wii

Like I said in the Wii Holiday guide, despite all the negative press surrounding Wii Music, after seeing videos about the game week after week on the Nintendo Channel, I’m interested. I don’t think there’s any way I can get this for Christmas, but I may end up picking it up in the early days of 2009, or at least give it a rent so I can try it for myself.

Personal Trainer Cooking - Nintendo DS

Yeah, I know this is an unusual request to make of Santa, especially when there are games like Fallout 3 (which I have no time for unfortunately) to be had. Still, Personal Trainer Cooking is an all-in-one game to boost your real life cooking skills, providing step by step recipes, a shopping list you can take to the store and several other neat functions that made me want to get it. Maureen did look for this as a holiday gift for me, but couldn’t find it anywhere. This will be something else I’ll have to get in the New Year.

Omega Five - Xbox 360 XBLA

I don’t know if this counts, but after buying Maureen Banjo Kazooie for XBLA as an early Xmas gift, I bought Natsume’s Omega Five with the remaining Microsoft Points. I did want it for a really long time. It’s a great sidescrolling shooter, where you fly around the screen. The really neat thing is that you shoot by pressing in the direction you want to fire on the second stick—pretty slick! The game is hard, but fortunately by increasing your play time, you work your way up to earn more credits and eventually unlock Free Play. There are also two characters to unlock. A really fun, well designed game; I guess it was a little gift to myself!

So that’s that. Any of these games would be great to get, and since I already have a couple of them, anything else would just be sweet. Here's hoping you get the game(s) you want for a holiday gift!

Max

Achieveables: Zombie Style

in a rare move, an outside contribution has hit my inbox for all you Achievement Whores out there. it's Left 4 Dead Achievement tips from Ms. DOOMstein, Rose:

Now, I am not the most gaming-est chic you'll ever meet, however, I have logged quite a bit of time playing this addictive shooter. I don't have all the achievements, and I probably never will. I do, though, have the somewhat coveted 'Stand Tall' (or the Karl Marx achievement as I like to call it).

If I may, I would like to share some tips and/or tricks for grabbing this achieveable, so you too, at the end of the campaign can here the 'Bleep Bloop' of new gamer points!

-First things first, go after this achievement and only this achievement. Do not attempt for cr0wnd, Akimbo Assasin, Man VS. Tank, Unbreakable, or any of the other big ones. It will only lead you to the heartache of kissing this Bleep Bloop goodbye.

-Play with other REAL people. The A.I. is good, but they don't care about you and your gamerscore. They WILL let you get incapped. Don't let the game dialogue fool you. Louis will leave your ass and Francis doesn't care if you live or die.

-Don't get discouraged if a Hunter pounces you or a Smoker snares you or you are dangling from a window sill. These do not count as incaps, just minor inconveniences.

-Stay with the pack. Don't take point, don't be a scout. Use your ears. The main baddies make distinct noises. The Hunters growl and scream. The Smokers cough and hack. The Boomer has a bad case of acid reflux. The Tank has some scary, thundering theme music, as well as the Horde. And the Witch cries.

-Speaking of the Witch, don't disturb her. Let someone else do that and then just save their ass. Honestly, the A.I. will almost always bother this whiny bad ass. Let'em. They don't get achievements.

-As soon as possible, pick up the M16. This weapon is best used with short bursts rather than all willy-nilly firing blindly into the massive horde of zombies. Only hold the trigger down when you find the point of origin of the Horde. This will take them ALL out as they file in through the hall/doorway/broken wall/ceiling tile, etc.

-When the mass is too great, if you have one, throw a pipe bomb. The zombies flock to this, as it is shiny, and they like shiny. It will save your ass everytime.

-If you are going to use a molotov or blow up a gas can, make sure it is strategically done. Place it where the zombies are coming from, but far enough away from your point of defense. Zombies still run when they are on fire, and they will pounce and snare you and catch you aflame as well. Remember kids, fire is not a toy.

-When you hear the Tank music, find a good place for defense and stay there. Let him come to you. When you see him in your sights, aim at his chest and fire at will. If everyone is concentrating their fire, you'll take him down without having to reload. I promise. He's big, he's fast, he's undead, but he isn't immortal.

-In the finale, find a spot with a good view that is near the ammo, and crouch there. Your aim is almost dead on in a crouching position. Also, have your back to something solid, and remember, not all walls are solid.

-I have found that the best 2 levels for getting this achieveable are No Mercy and Blood Harvest. Keep your back to the gun cabinets, next to the ammo. Keep your eye on the doors and windows and stay where you are.

- Defend your point AND your people. There should be 2 waves of Zombies as well as 2 Tanks to live through. After this, run like hell to the escape vehicle. In No Mercy it's a chopper, in Blood Harvest is an armoured military vehicle. Get your ass there and get inside. You can still shoot Zombies, so lay down cover fire for your team.

Remember, throughout all 5 levels, heal BEFORE you get in the red. If you have pain pills, use those before you use your med kit. If you see that an A.I. has a med pack and you need health, wander around them and most likely they will heal you before they heal themselves. They will also hand pain pills off to you.

Last, but not least, let your team mates know what's going on. Let everyone know if you hear a hunter, a smoker, a boomer, etc. If you are pounced or snared, tell someone. You need to work together to get this achievement.

Now, I can't promise that all these tips will get you your Bleep Bloop. But, they will get you damn close. Pay attention and KNOW the level you are playing. You'll get it. And when you do, you'll say, "Man, that was easy."


Rose

Where ARE Those Darn Kids...? (And Things to Come...)

Since we've all been busy, even if it's just being busy goofing off, we haven't had many posts since the last edition of "Those Darn Kids..." So because I missed posting the segment on Tuesday (again) and I don't want to post another installment so soon, this week the kids are taking the week off... Little Bastards!

In the meantime, I've been working hard on a Wii Holiday Game Guide, which is almost finished and will at least come in handy for those last minute shoppers among you. I also want to post sort of a "Max's holiday wish list" for games I will get, might get and probably not get (but still want) that I am hoping for under the tree. I also may try to devote a day to the blog to post some installments in other segments. So more to come soon, no "Darn Kids" this week, and thank god Dustin has shown back up on the blog!

I will say that in a Christmas miracle, I may be getting Left 4 Dead as a gift thanks to a certain generous brother of mine, so I'll be playing it much sooner than I thought! I can't wait to play a Boomer and throw up all over Dustin in multiplayer!

Stay frosty!

Max

In Deck/On Deck/Poop Deck

Well, its been a while since my last post (other than the one right before this one). The last few weeks since school has been out I have managed to catch up on some much needed gaming. It all started on Turkey Day...

Left 4 Dead
Dearly departed, your rotting flesh and bile filled innards give me many happiness to blow holes through! My, how the zombie killing genre has gotten a boost due to your extremely satisfying game play and visceral carnage! Epic 13+ hour gaming sessions have ensued and any lack of sleep has gone unnoticed! 28 Days Later style zombies combined with some interesting new infected corpses have risen from the grave to wreak havoc on your poor fresh meat.

There's no explanation as to where they came from, why they are here or which scientist had screwed which rage infected lab monkeys and then had unprotected sex with a random hooker to cause such a widespread case of literal crotch rot upon the the inhabitants of the city you are escaping from. All that you know (and need to know) is that these things want to tear you limb from limb and you need to get from point A to point B while kersploding as many zombies a you can and not becoming a pile of zombie-jerky in the process. This is the raw meat and potatoes of the game and you never really stop for a minute to think about why this is because the "Director" of the game has it out for you and you will not get more than a moments rest. That's fine since that is part of what makes this game so engaging. There are plenty of shit your pants moments and if you have some friends online or sitting next to you on the couch they'll probably shit theirs too!

Maybe all the fun I'm having is because I don't have to play with random dousche-bags online (although that is an option). Just about everyone on my friend list (that has l4d) is playing this non-stop which makes for plenty of fun gaming sessions. Whether it's campaign or survivor vs. infected, you just can't go wrong with this kill-fest.

Gears of War 2

Overhyped? Maybe. Fun? Yeah. Ridiculous plot twists? Definitely! (Warning! Plot spoilers abound ahead!) What do you think of when you are battling hordes of insane ground dwelling mutants that want to destroy your entire race 'cuz they got nothing better to do? Do you ever think that you might want to destroy the only refuge your civilization has left to kill the underground bed-wetting ninnys you hate so much? Maybe you were thinking that it would be a great idea to get swallowed by a giant city eating worm and then get chased Temple of Doom style by a giant chunk of city block through it's digestive track and then give it quadrupple artery bypass surgery on all 3 of it's hearts? Perhaps flying a giant squid on rails while shooting at predator-wanna-be on an even bigger flying squid with pointy teeth in near complete darkness while bobbing back and forth and up and down at a ridiculous rate so you that you can't really aim at the thing? What if I told you that you could do all of this followed by blowing up an epically huge, tentacled, mutant demon boss with a pen laser and magic beam of light that takes all of a minute to accomplish? Well, that's exactly what you are going to get when you pop this disc in and glide through the campaign portion of the game. Seriously. I couldn't make this shit up if i tried. WTF was going through Cliffy B's mind when he thought this shit up? Sure, it was fun to play through, but I don't think I could deal with the plot again! (End of Spoiler alert)

Once again, the multiplayer has to save your sanity by allowing up to 5 people to take on endless waves of baddies in the new Horde mode. Definitely a great way to make your brain work again after all the non-sense you just endured. No matter where you go on the map, tons of Locusts will be swarming you from every which direction until you eventually get mauled to pieces! The other multiplayer modes are pretty interesting as well, including the new MeatFlag mode. It's basically capture the flag only the flag doesn't want you to capture it cuz it's alive! You just have to run up, slap him like the bitch he is, and then drag him back to your base. Oh, and unlike just about any game since Perfect Dark and Time Splitters, you can play a friendly game with a bunch of connivingly evil bots that are even better than those 12 year olds that kill me in Halo all the time! I can at least deal with the constant murder of me if it's a cpu as opposed to a stinky little spoiled brat that eats his own farts!

So there you have it, Campaign = Queers of War, Multiplayer and everything else = Gears of Thank-God-It's-Not-the-Campaign-Mode-Again!

Super Street Fighter II Ultra Mega High-Def It Hasn't Been Re-Released Enough Edition

Why did I even download the demo for this? I should have know it was just going to kick my ass from here to Thailand on Uber-Wuss difficulty again just like the last version I downloaded. At this version has Cammy in it and looks like it crammed 20lbs of high def in a 5lb bag. If you can actually fight the computer or know people who suck at fighters more than you do that are willing to just let you beat the shit out of them for 42 rounds straight, pick it up. If not, Capcom will still get your money somewhere else around May 5 of next year.

Dr. Steel

Sure, Dr. Steel isn't a game, but he's made quite a few of them in his time! More importantly, he makes some pretty kick ass Mr. Bungle-esque, Industrial Rock/Hip-Hop/Whatever kind of music mad scientists make styled music. If you're in the mood for some music to help you make evil toys and robots that will one day help you rule the world with an iron fist, check it out. He makes his own action figures as well!

Netflix

Thanks to the evil persuasions of Ed the Head, I managed to sign myself for a Netflix trial account last week. It's pretty awesome to have an almost unlimited supply of (mostly B-grade) titles to stream directly to your 360, especially if you don't have cable or even an antenna attached to your tv. It'll be almost worth the $8 it'll cost to have it every month.

Castle Crashers

It's still around and getting play-time and maybe one day they'll release a patch so I can play an entire game with some people online! It's good people other than that, so buy it already!

DoomStein

New Xbox Experience Initial Impressions

Well, I’ve spent a few hours this afternoon just dicking around with the NXE, and I have mixed feelings about it. First off, I was greeted by a new Terms of Service agreement, which I earnestly tried to read in full. However, it was FOREVER LONG, and I ended up just skimming the parts I thought were important. Then there was a little animated video of flowers blooming, race cars racing and a giant (yet thin) mountain growing and spawning the 360 logo. Oooookaaaaay…. I thought there was some instructional video once you booted up NXE, but I think this was it. Then it was off to pick a starting point avatar. After that, I had to leave for an obligation I had made earlier (getting through the ToS took waaaaaaaaaay longer than I thought).

Coming back later in the afternoon, I booted up again and tweaked my avatar to make it look a bit like me. While there’s way more customization than Miis in terms of body parts and clothes, which is cool, I have to say (for now) I still prefer Miis. Making Miis you can rotate and move around facial features on them to make some cool (and twisted) stuff. Plus, sometimes simple is better. Still, I did like reading that Microsoft will be adding more clothes, for free (it looks like at least) in the coming weeks and months.

After that I joined a Party with my buddy Mike and Dustin’s fiancé, Rose. I guess Parties allow up to 8 people to chat together, even across different games. It also shows all your avatars together on your friends’ list, all of whom are also represented by their avatars, and the avatars of people they’re partying with…interesting. The three of us basically chatted about what we thought of NXE, and Mike gave us detailed Left 4 Dead impressions (which it doesn't look like I'm getting this week). There is of course the ability to watch Netflix movies from your queue on your console right away, though I’m not a Netflix member so no big whup to me.

Instead of blades of old, they have several different menus that scroll vertically, each with small picture boxes of the different things you can do, which scroll horizontally. It’s a lot more to deal with, and a little less user friendly. There are also several more advertisements. The upside is that there is a Events menu that advertises several upcoming events on Live; this will definitely increase the presence and strength of the Xbox Live community, which I think is good.

Hitting the giant “X circle” in the center of the controller brings up pretty much the same things, though a “quick launch” has been added to where you can fire up your arcade games right away (maybe console too, wasn’t sure how that worked unless the game was in the tray). Audio and video menus are similar to the old ones, which made me happy.

One thing I especially didn’t like was that the Batman theme I paid for awhile back was obstructed by over half the screen covered with the top of a giant grey circle. What the fuck! I don’t understand why; is it supposed to be ground for my avatar to stand on? Mike, Rose and I all agreed this was a gyp. Another problem is that it seems you can’t share music anymore; however, there is a channel called “Photo Party” where you can share pictures with people in your party. This worked for me at first, but I got disconnected, and as more friends joined our party, it was impossible for me to reconnect. When I did, I was separate from the group and couldn’t see their pictures or added any of my own. This seemed to be a problem in several other aspects of NXE, with network errors popping up for several functions. I don’t think it’s bugs in the system, it’s more likely just due to probably every Xbox Live account fucking around with NXE like I was today.

It’s new, and different, but increasingly less exciting to me. Microsoft is trying to do some cool things here and that’s great, but until network traffic slows a bit and I figure out all the ins and outs, I’m still lukewarm on it all. Rose pointed out that after it’s no longer new, it may not seem that special. I dunno, only time will tell… Either way, I guess it’s what we’ve got now.

Max

Left 4 Dead Multiplayer Impressions

With Left 4 Dead hitting stores today, I figured I better get my multiplayer impressions up ASAP. Of course, if you’ve been reading lately, you probably already know that this game is the shit and you should be getting it if you have an Xbox 360 or a PC. I’m really glad J got to play a little, as they’re not making a PS3 version and he needs more reasons to get a 360.Since trying out the demo solo, I’ve gotten a chance to play with my brother in a two player match, and other friends in a few three player matches.

Let me just say the obvious: the game is more fun with friends. The not so obvious? It is scarier too. Not only are you watching your own back, you need to help your team out too, which becomes a lot more urgent when it’s a real person playing (who can scream in terror for help over Xbox Live) over a computer player. I’m not surprised to read in J’s impressions that even when playing with random people, other players don’t act like selfish funhats. It’s most likely tied to the need for mutual survival; the more of the team that stays alive, the more likely you’ll stay alive. Not to mention, the more human players there are, the more threats there are too; more hunters, smokers (tongue guys), boomers (fat exploding guys)—so it’s best if every one works together.

The other interesting thing I noticed while playing is that things so INTENSE that occasionally other players may be so wrapped up in the grim situation that they won’t respond right away because they may not hear you; a few times both playing with my brother and in three player matches, things needed to be repeated. This is no fault of the online chat servers; instead it’s because of the amount of fear that overwhelms you.

Team tactics work a lot better in a group too. Plans can be made up and executed, and sometimes, more ground can be covered as the team can split up. However, I learned very quickly that you should never leave the group to go somewhere alone. There will be undead threats to face anywhere and everywhere you go, and if you don’t have at least one other team member with you, there won’t be anyone to save you once things go bad. But sticking in a tight knit group while patrolling the area, there are few challenges you won’t be able to fend off successfully.

With real players, you’re able to plan as a team, verbally call out for rescue, and hear other people in the group freak the fuck out. It also makes the sense of accomplishment much greater when everyone makes it out of a level alive. With the demo being only two levels, I’m sure things get even more intense and the need for cooperation increases. And in the final version, there’s also multiplayer matches where you can play as zombies hunting humans.

Multiplayer puts an already great game over the top. Don’t miss out on Left 4 Dead; again, it’s out today.

Max

DEMO-LITION: Left 4 dead edition

you may have heard about a game called Left 4 Dead. catchy little title. i first heard about this at E3. in between fallout 3 and gears of war 2, was a game i'd never heard of called Left 4 Dead. being a valve game, i didn't pay it much mind since my laptop isn't as awesome as it should be to run a valve game and head honcho Gabe Newell doesn't think that certain gaming systems are worth the headache of programing for.

i didn't pay much attention to the title since there wasn't much chance that i was going to play it. months go by. fallout 3 comes out and is awesome and huge. then i start hearing about this game, left 4 dead again. i see videos. it looks cool. a new take on survival horror and co-op. whatever. "i'm not going to play it." i said.

so, i opened up my steam account because i like to justify still having it on my laptop since no games i like to play will run on it, and i found that i had 23 hours to play the demo for L4D. hmmm. so i go to canyourunit.com and found that i could run it, on very low settings. so i DL'ed it to see what the fuss was about.

first off, the game is FUCKING SCARY!!! i jumped out of my chair more than a few times. and playing it in the dark isn't the move. the whole point of the game was the feeling of being alone with three other people and the fact that at any moment, you could possibly get ripped to shreds by half dead freaks. it was insane! playing with other people was very interesting. the people i played with weren't the normal, out for self, ass clowns that don't help when you're getting pinned down by gunfire. they healed me when i was down, shot boomers and smokers when i was about to get wasted while my back was turned and they yelled for me to hurry up when i was getting to far away from the group. the sparse music only added to the fright. string stabs and general droning ambiance mixed with the silence made hearing the oncoming footsteps that much more dreadful. you know they are coming. you don't know how many there are, but you know there's going to be alot of them. i quickly got sucked into to game. something i wasn't planning on.

i now see what Max was going on about. it's shaping up to being a really good time and with the possibility of a 360 showing up in my house this x-mas, i could be jumping out of my skin more often than playing the last level of manhunt.

Left 4 Dead is out tomorrow. demo is available now. and the original manhunt is really good. not like that other manhunt.......


J.

DEMO-LITION: A Taste of Bird, Bear, & Zombies

While I usually don't take time to delve into demos unless I'm really curious about a game, or want it and can't afford it, I've checked out a couple demos lately and am here to report on 'em.

Banjo Kazooie: Nuts N' Bolts


I enjoyed the original BK, but my wife Maureen was an absolute fanatic about the two N64 games in the series. She played them non-stop, has a stuffed Banjo-Kazooie plush (which compliments my Mumbo Jumbo plush quite well) and used to draw several cartoony pictures of the bird and bear duo. You'd think we'd both be excited about the new Xbox 360 version, but we're not. We've been skeptical about the whole "Nuts N' Bolts" part, as while building a variety of vehicles may be cool, it seemed too much of a deviation from the original formula. Still, over the weekend when I was looking for the Left 4 Dead demo and couldn't find it, we downloaded this and gave it a try.

The game is beautiful and the character models have been updated and redesigned well. The music is true to form and initially, the gameplay seems fairly intact. Unfortunately, Nuts N' Bolts is one of those annoying Xbox 360 games where only HDTV owners can actually read the in-game text. This was a major bummer, as the game starts out in a town, where a computer screen faced robot, Mumbo Jumbo (in overalls), Grunty the witch and several other anthropomorphic animal characters all have something to say—including how to play the game and build vehicles. This doesn't make the game unplayable, just confusing, as only by leaning in and squinting and working together could we get the essential instructions on what to do. You’ll need to follow instructions too, as initially, the town is blocked by some red force field looking thing which only opens up for exploration after you complete an assigned task. After some fiddling around, it seems Kazooie now has a tractor-beam ability, which allows her to pick up various parts in a level, and flip them or place them elsewhere (like a designated area). There are also vehicles, which presumably you can modify to be a variety of things, but without textual instructions, we had no way of knowing how to do this (plus there weren't too many parts in the opening area).

There is some small amount of good platforming to be had, and the one vehicle we found controls well, though figuring out what to do seemed to be too challenging, because everywhere we went different instructions were being told to us in lengthy text increments, and it got to be too much. The game, at least the opening, is very heavy on dialog. This reminded me of Kameo, which I was excited about ever since it was announced for GameCube but found it disappointing when I finally played it on 360. It was an amazingly put together game, but it just seemed like there was too much of everything. I could wander around the town and talk to people multiple times with them saying different things each time; there were so many moves; so much story... It was a little overwhelming. Of course I only played a little of Banjo Kazooie: Nuts N' Bolts so I can't say it's like that for certain, but it kind of feels like that already. Rare has seemingly (and increasingly) always been about “more of everything” though sometimes less is more. Again though, I only sampled BK: NnB so I should shut the fuck up.

We did make it to the customization part of the game, which is a garage run by Mumbo, and it seems like there are a plethora of ways to customize your vehicle from parts you acquired down to the color scheme. Seemed neat, but there was too much tiny text to try to make sense of it.

Bottom Line: Even if I had an HDTV, I don't think I'd be interested. There's a little bit of the old stuff in there, but it's too different and (apparently) too vast to pull me in. New is good, but I’m not a fan of the little I played and could not understand. Take that as you will. But please, we'll take those XBLA downloads of Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie ASAP!

Left 4 Dead

Dustin called me Tuesday to inform me the Left 4 Dead demo was finally up, and though the jerk never called me back after work to try out the multiplayer, I still put the demo to the test. If you haven't seen the opening film yet, go watch it right now. The game plays out very much like the cinema which establishes the story, as zombies are literally everywhere. Just when you think you’ve killed them all, one (or some) will pop up from behind you, burst through a glass window, or wrap its super long tongue around the neck of one of your teammates (or you!) and start dragging them off—seemingly from completely out of the blue. Sometimes, a zombie mob will come running out from areas you have just come from, meaning there’s no safe angle to turn your back to. On top of all that, these aren’t the slow ass Romero shuffling zombies either, these fuckers run, and climb and jump so you’re really going to need to be on the look out at all times.

Along with the mad amounts of zombies, there are a couple specialized types of undead, like the giant tongue ones previously mentioned. There are orca-fat zombies who will explode if you get too close, spewing zombie-horde-attracting goo all over you, leaving you and your team to be pretty much fucked. However, these fat bastards can be taken out with a single shot from a distance, providing another incentive to proceed carefully. There are also guys called “Hunters” who can jump very high and come at you very fast and ferociously. And don’t be fooled by the cries of what sound like a sad little girl sobbing… The swarms of undead themselves can be a lot to tackle at times too; get too far away from your group and you could be surrounded, with several teeth gnashing at every side of you.

That’s where teamwork comes into play. Again, I was only playing the single player mode with my teammates all computer controlled. Their AI was pretty good though, as they stuck together in a tight knit group unless I boldly led them forward, and would cover my back and each others’ quite well. Having four people on your team means you can fend off the seemingly endless waves of zombies pretty well as long as you work together and cover different sides. It also means you can heal each other after particularly intense fights or give out pain pills that temporarily boost health. I presume there are opportunities to switch weapons with your cohorts as well. Any time you get too far away from the group, you’re asking for trouble; Left 4 Dead is definitely a game that requires you to progress slowly and cohesively as a team if you’re going to do it safely.

The graphics are really excellent (even without having an HDTV you can see the immense detail that went into this game), and depict the action very well. Music is minimal, jarring notes, which is perfect. Gameplay is spot on, as there isn’t just killing undead, there’s times when you want to avoid them, by turning off your flashlight or being careful not to set off car alarms. It’s a really good FPS and I can only imagine it gets four times as sweet once you get a crew together to play. If I’m able to do that soon, I’ll definitely post impressions.

Bottom Line: I didn’t need to play this to want this game. Now that I have, I at least I know the money will be very well spent. It is awesome and exceeds my expectations, despite the fact I’ve only played single player so far. I can see my friends and I playing this one a ton in the coming weeks and months.

Max

Taking Zombies out Co-op Style!

With Halloween not too far behind us and me just having finished the Max Brooks’ masterpieces The Zombie Survival Guide and its pseudo-sequel, World War Z, I’ve had zombies on the brain. Since the original Resident Evil and House of the Dead games, zombies have been antagonists and cannon fodder in many a video game since, with gamers having satisfying results killing swarms of undead. (My brother is playing Fallout 3 and tells me one of the cool things about the game is that the mutant enemies look a lot like zombies). And so, with new games coming at us from all sides, it’s inevitable that some of them feature shambling corpses out to eat our brains.

However, this time around, there are a couple offerings that capitalize on what makes zombie movies so awesome: co-operation. What’s cooler than seeing a group of survivors working together to hold their own against onslaught after onslaught of undead? Both Left 4 Dead and Resident Evil 5 will feature online co-op for their main games, and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

Left 4 Dead

In Left 4 Dead you control one of four survivors. Each one has a specialty and team work is desperately needed if you plan to survive the attacks of the undead. You’ll need all the teamwork you can muster, as the zombies in the game are anywhere but in pre-determined locations, allowing you to get used to the scares. No, in Left 4 Dead, zombies manifest randomly in the levels, meaning you’ll never know where or when you’ll be attacked. This is worth the price of admission alone for me. Not only that, zombies are everywhere and can come at you at any minute. Because of this, it’s not a good idea to run and gun carelessly ahead of the group. In L4D, you’ll have to establish team tactics to work through each fight, all the while being careful not to accidentally shoot a fellow survivor. This gets tricky when quarters get tight, like crossing a rope bridge or working your way through derailed subway cars. Teamwork also comes in handy for rescuing beleaguered teammates who are overrun by zombies, or being dragged away by certain members of the undead with enormously long, snakelike tails. You’ll also have to rely on team members for healing, or the occasional pick-me-up. It looks like making it through the game is anything but easy, so it’ll be good to have not only one person watching your back, but three.

Resident Evil 5

While we won’t be seeing RE5 until the middle of March of next year, I know it’s on the top of just about everyone’s “Must Have Games in 2009” list. One of the things that makes RE5 so exciting is that it features online co-op via a partner for Chris Redfield, a woman named Sheva, who can be controlled by another player online. The two will work together in fighting off the “not-quite-zombie” infected townspeople that fill the game. They can do a co-operative attack moves if players can pull off the timing, and also both players will be able to keep track of one another at all times, so if things get too hectic for one of them, coming to help won’t be a scavenger hunt. Keeping each other alive will be essential, as if one of the characters dies, it’s Game Over. Another important aspect of the co-operative play in the game will involve sending one character off to accomplish something to continue progress through the game. For example, there is a part where Chris boosts Sheva across a roof so she can go down and unlock a door from the other side. All the while of course, infected townsfolk are out for blood and the two characters will have to fight them off to succeed, one from a distance, and one up close and personal.

It’s really great to see teamwork aspect of zombie-crisis movies make its way to the interactive medium. The zombie apocalypse is something we definitely shouldn’t face alone, but something friends should join forces to combat, to kill, strategize, and scream with one another!

By the by, the Left 4 Dead demo has just become available online now on Xbox Live, and includes multiplayer. Booyah!

Max

RE: Re: Chaos Chaos You Don’t Stop!

Today’s been long on blog posts and short on homework. It’s going to be a late night…

Samba De Amigo for Wii may be at Super-Fly Comics & Games waiting for me tomorrow and I’m mildly excited about that. My sister-in-law tells me it plays differently than the Dreamcast maraca version, and that the way to play is with two Wii-motes, not a Wii-mote & nunchuck. I’m really looking forward to it, though Maureen has promised to hate it (she justifies this by saying she hates Sega and hates monkeys). It should definitely be a good game for playing in short bursts. I also pre-ordered Left 4 Dead and hopefully it will arrive not long after the release date (which happens, but it’s a small price for supporting my local comics shop & not GameStop or other big businesses).

I talked to Dustin a little earlier in the evening and apparently he is suffering under the wrath of college as well. He’s apparently so bogged down with homework and his job that he has had virtually no time for gaming. I guess the one night he got off work early and came home and actually had time to play a video game, he loaded up a demo and promptly fell asleep playing it. It’s crazy, innit? New game releases are building to a frantic pace and for the moment, we don’t have time to soak them in.

I told Dustin I had been posting a lot on the blog today instead of doing much school work and he said:

“Something didn’t blow up, did it?”

I guess I bitched quite a bit about my Xbox 360 problems online here, eh? I don't know if I can say it wasn't justified, but I guess I did carry on a bit!

Ah, midnight. The homeworking hour! (For me anyway...)

Max

Chaos Chaos You Don’t Stop…

I just had to post something on the blog this morning, because I have a little time and because I haven’t had a chance to lately. I’ve been overwhelmed with so much other stuff; mainly school, which I’m behind in, and work which I’ve had other issues with. I was also pretty stressed about the election.
Good thing that worked out! But with Obama president-elect and
Law & Order back on the air with a new season (it’s my favorite show), I’m a bit more relaxed about everything. Now there’s only about a week and a couple days left for my quarter, so it’s going to get even crazier, but I thought I’d stop and take a couple moments to post whatever I can for a bit. I’ve had a couple things on the back burner and I have lots of ideas for posts, but I’ll just continue to concentrate on school and try to end it on a high note and do what I can for the blog when I can do it. Once school’s out for the holidays, I’ll definitely be posting a ton more.

Of course, on top of my own craziness, there’s the fact that we are now in the period of the year before the holidays where there are an overload of game releases. There’s so much stuff I want, the new DS Castlevania on the left, Dead Space on the right… Of course, out of the three of us “Drivers” at the Driver I.D., I feel for Dustin the most because he has all three current-gen systems. J does have a DS and PSP, but I’m sure most of his game purchases are going to the PS3 (though it sounds like he’s pretty tied up with Fallout 3).

Me, I’m planning on picking up the new Samba De Amigo game for Wii (don’t ask, the original was pretty special to me for a couple reasons) and hopefully be able to score a copy of Left 4 Dead in the next couple weeks for its multiplayer mayhem—my brother and I are already planning a zombie hunting party. Then I’ll probably just hold out hope for a couple of games under the tree (I’m looking at you Chrono Trigger). In this recession coupled with the fact most of my spending money is devoted to an insane amount of comics, I don’t expect I’ll be picking up too much during this crazy ass outbreak of games. That’s not all bad though, I still have a backlog to work through (and I will do it too, by god!).

Meanwhile, while my Xbox 360 is the picture of health, my buddy Aaron’s system is having lock ups galore. It started out as happening every time he’d get ten or twenty minutes into a game, but now it happens seconds into starting up the system, often distorting the round X symbol to where jagged edges come shooting out of it so it looks like it has a spiky haircut of Dragon Ball Z character caliber. Not good. I finally got him to call “my beloved friends” at Xbox customer support (yeah, I know they’re just doing their job), who told him because he doesn’t have the red rings of death, it’ll be $99 to fix it and he has to ship it out on his dime. Hopefully, it will red ring, and soon. Both my brother’s and my 360 red ringed not long after lockups started. So instead of just leaving his system unused, I’ve encouraged him to load it up as much as possible. I'm sure he’ll see those red rings before long though. I know all my blogging about 360 nightmares have probably scared off any potential owners of a 360, but it is a great system, and I’m happy to have mine working again at least. You just might have to deal with a truckload of bullshit owning one...

So chaos abounds.

(Props to anyone who recognized the headline as a line from a Luscious Jackson song…They were a great group).

Max