BF3 Rent-A-Server Update

I think I'm a bit behind the times in posting on this update to the console version of Battlefield 3, but I needed to weigh in on it today due to the amount of BF3 that I played, or rather tried to play, over the weekend.

For those of you that don't know, the Rent-A-Server update basically took all of the servers that were publicly hosted and placed them on a list for private users to rent and use as they see fit.  So for x amount of Microsoft Points you can rent a server, that you customize the games on, for a day, week, or month.  This is a great deal for anyone that wants to shell out the money to play the game they already paid for, but for the rest of us it blows.

The first time that I attempted to do a quick match to get back into playing BF3, I ended up on a server with a description of, "snipes or pilots only."  When I spawned as an Engineer I was immediately booted.  To avoid this type of garbage I was able to go into the Server Browser and pick and choose what I wanted to play there, but with a controller that takes about 15 minutes and feels like a waste of my time.  I want to be able to jump into the game and play within ten minutes, not look around for a server that I'm going to be able to tolerate.

A few other issues that I've had with people and their servers are games having too many tickets and lasting too long, no variations in maps, and a lack of players.  When a game has 900 tickets the game is just unbearable.  After the first half hour, you're weeping to just have the thing finish.  You'd leave, but then you'd have wasted that much time for no points.  Even if you're dominating the match, the amount of tickets that owning all of the capture points bleeds from the other team is too minuscule to speed up the end.  Combine that with playing the same map over and over, because you don't want to leave a decent server that won't kick you for no reason, and you end up with a pile of shit. 

Finally, the lack of players on some servers is disturbing.  I started a few games where it was just me and my friend, and some where it was just me.  I think that the lack of players just sums up how awful this whole update experience has been.  Like myself, I would bet that most players are getting fed up with how this whole game has been handled.  If the servers are going to continue to be set up like this, Battlefield 3 is going to suffer a huge lack of me, not to mention other people that are pissed off at the changes.

Why Most of Today's MP Modes are Awful

I was playing some Battlefield 3, for the first time in awhile, the other day and realized why I don't play it as often as I do Halo: Reach.  Not only do I enjoy Halo: Reach more, but there is a skill difference that it has from those other "modern" multi player games.  For the purposes of my explanation, let's pit Call of Duty against Halo.

Call of Duty's ranking system and it's guns, kill streaks, and death streaks to buy makes for a pretty fun game if you're looking for something where your ranks allow you to develop your MP experience on a hierarchical level.  The higher your rank, the better stuff you can buy and the better you will end up being at the game. 

Halo's ranking systems are just to group comparable players together in matches.  Rather than allowing you to buy better and better equipment, this game has you rely on only your skill and wit when playing against others.  The ranking system may have higher numbers than others, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you have a greater chance at beating a lower number than that lower number has of beating you.

Since both of those are pretty terrible explanations I'll solidify my point here:  Call of Duty's ranking system allows the best to get better.  When you have large amounts of credits, you can buy the best equipment and start with the best load outs, most of the time.  So when you start a game on whatever map, those players with the best stuff have a greater chance of winning than those players just starting out.  Skill can be beaten out by better equipment or a chance kill streak from a care package.  When you look at a game like Halo, without the option to buy better stuff or get a random, awesome kill streak reward you can see a huge difference.  Since everyone starts off with the same weapon and the better stuff is lying on the ground, where all players have an equal chance to get at it, the game is much more balanced.  The only division between players in Halo is skill, and that's what it should be across the board.

Balance is the key word here: Halo is balanced and CoD isn't.  Halo stays balanced all of the time while CoD can only have brief moments of it when all of the players have the same load out, and that mostly happens never.  If we take the load outs out completely and eliminate that factor, we still see that CoD allows the best to get better.  How is that?  Because of the damn kill streaks!  It's ridiculous that the best player on the map is allowed to call in an air strike and just increase his/her lead.  Shouldn't the least effective players be getting death streaks that are huge air strikes and the best player get kill streaks that aren't as effective to balance the game out?

So as you can tell, I'm horrifyingly biased against CoD, but for good reason.  I don't want to play a game where there's no balance.  That makes for a flawed game experience.  To tell you the truth, I'm not even half-bad at CoD, I just can't stand the game based mostly on principle.  It just makes me sick...Makes me fucking sick!

PS Store or Xbox Live Marketplace?

In recent months I've been able to experience the PS Store.  Since my main console of choice at the moment is still the Xbox 360, I can't help but compare the two online stores to hopefully come to a decision on which is better.  It also has to be said that the version of the PSN that I'm using happens to be on the Vita, so the features of the network are limited by a mobile version so I won't be comparing the Xbox Live features to the PSN ones, that just won't work with the discrepancies in the versions.  Hence, we'll just talk about the shopping experience.

I think the biggest item on everyone's mind when it comes right down to it is the price of the games.  Full-fledged video games, those released in stores and as a downloadables, are priced the same as what they are in stores.  A brand-new 360 game hits the $60 price range while a PSVita game lands at about $40.  Since both networks seem to price their download games at the same rate, equal to that of a physical copy, neither have an advantage.  However, when we come down to the prices of other games, things change.  Advantage: Neither

On the Vita there's the option to download full PSP games, the prices on these range from $5-30 depending on how recent the release was.  The most common games hit the $10-15 amount.  When we look at how the 360 compares, we see that the original Xbox games that are out there don't get quite as low priced as the PSP games.  Though we're looking at the difference between a console game and a portable game, I still think that the PSN gets the advantage here.  I'd much rather get FFT for $10 than some crappy original Xbox game like Prince of Persia.  Advantage: PSN

PS Store on the Vita.

I want to talk about Apps even though the Xbox 360 is a console and the Vita is a new mobile device.  Essentially I'd just like to compare Netflix, since both systems have that as an option.  Neither really beats the other, Netflix is Netflix, and I'm sure we'd see the same when we compare the two Facebook apps to one another.  Advantage: Neither

Let's now talk about Safety and Security...  The PSN track record is awful, we all know that.  I've had my Xbox Live account hacked into though, while my PSN account is still perfectly fine.  Even though my Live experience has been worse than my PS Store one, I have to give the advantage to the Marketplace here.  Even when I had problems, my issues were resolved successfully with my money being returned within a two week time period.  On top of all of that I got a free month of Xbox Live for the issue.  The PSNs recurring issues and vulnerabilities are just too much.  Advantage: Xbox Live

How the Marketplace is organized is pretty aggravating.  You have to figure out what category the game you want is in; Indie, Arcade, full, etc; and then navigate there to find it.  The PS Store is essentially the same way, so there's really no deviation between the two.  I find that both frustrate me unless I know exactly where I'm going, and browsing is usually out of the question.  Advantage: Neither

Last, but not least, let's talk about content.  What do both of these network stores contain?  Obviously we're looking at games the whole time, but what kind of games?  The PS Store has cross-play, PSP, PSVita and Mini games.  The Marketplace has Arcade and Full.  Now, the PSN may have some more variety, but the Arcade for Xbox Live is a powerhouse for games like The Simpsons and X-Men.  However, both systems have a large amount of Indie games, and I hate Indie games...violently hate them.  So with the Indie games balancing out, I have to give the Marketplace kudos for content; bringing back awesome Arcade titles just can't be beat.  Advantage: Xbox Live


Okay, so I can't come up with a clear winner, but, hey, who cares?  I'll have fun getting demos and games from both of the networks and take advantage of the best of both worlds.  Did you really think there'd be a different outcome?

Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational

If you've read any of my earlier posts, you may have learned that I have little tolerance for the Sports genre.  There are few exceptions to this sweeping generality, and one of those is the Hot Shots Golf series.  I barely consider golf a sport, sorry golfers, and I usually don't even acknowledge that there are video games that replicate it.  The mere thought of wasting my time on a golf course, virtual or real, is just horrifying.  Why is Hot Shots different, you ask?  Because I said so.

My introduction to the series was on the PS2, and its cartoon characters and easy to use controls lured me in.  What made me stay was the unlockables and career mode.  A career mode makes everything better.  Rather than unlocking everything within the first couple games that I played, I needed to progress and get better than the AI.  It's maddening when you get to the point that you're really good, but the computer is still better.  That frustration makes you just irritated enough that you have to beat it no matter what; even if you hate the game itself.  To add to that frustration is that set of clubs or music track that awaits once you clear the game.  It doesn't add any replay ability, but just the feeling of satisfaction that you have once it's attained is enough to sate any achievement hunter.  All of the above is included in Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational and gets an added bonus with the DLC and online tourneys.

Actual cartridge size.

This game was hailed as one of the best launch titles, if not the best, for the PSVita.  I tend to agree.  The game isn't too deep in itself, but the online tournaments really add a whole other level.  The same could be said of the downloadables.  It's pretty generic in its goal: golf until you can't golf any more.  Be better than everyone else and get more points to spend on unlockables.  Pretty basic stuff, but it's well done.  Each course that you play on is broken down into 9 holes front and back, as well as 18 holes and mirrored, which makes for a lot of ways to play each course.  The good thing about the 9 holes is that, like we've seen with all the Vita games so far, you can play the game for short periods of time and move on to other activities.

The controls on the Vita are great, I've never had any problems with using the touch screen or the regular buttons.  It's a little tough getting the good shots to work when you have to shake the Vita just as you hit the ball, but after working on it for awhile you can get it down.  The only real issues that I have with the entire game is that some of the rules are just awful.  For instance, there's a rule that if you wait longer than 15 seconds to take a shot, you get a +1 on your hit.  What a bunch of crap!  What if I have to run to the bathroom or get the door?  I can't set the game down for 15 seconds or I get penalized?  I know the game is designed to play quickly, but we don't need to play speed golf and screw over people who happen to have to take a short break without pausing.

The game looks really sharp.

I don't really have any other complaints about Hot Shots Golf.  Like I said above, it's really basic, and since it's designed well, there's little that really grinds my gears.  The customizability with character clothing, clubs, and balls allows you to adjust to any style of play.  Whether you like to curve the ball or just hit it really hard, there's a set of items for you.  As far as the collectibles are concerned, there's a ton of them.  Songs, concept art, characters, clubs, and the list goes on with stuff to get with the points you earn after each course.  The weirdest thing in the game is this little freakish character on the main screen.

In the shop there's a slot machine where you enter some points and get back a random piece of the character.  In the design modes you can change this main screen character by selecting pieces to put together.  There are some really fucked up designs you can throw together, like an insane Mr. Potato Head.  I like to play with the random and see what abominations the game can come up with for me to stare at every time I have to go back to the main screen.

While I don't like sports games, Hot Shots Golf just has those few qualities about it that really make it a good game to play, no matter what genre.  For what it's worth, this game could be a starting point for any gamer that's never really been introduced to a sports game with content, instead they've just been blasted with Madden games all their life until they've been desensitized to how fun a sports game can actually be.  You don't need all that real-life crap, just throw in a crazy-ass Mr. Potato Head; some fun, easy-to-learn game play with an addictive career mode; and you're good to go.  My suggestion is to put down that baseball simulator and pick up Hot Shots Golf, you won't be disappointed.

He's out of control, but he can still go the distance, fairly.

Dynasty Warriors Next

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a fictional novelization of the story of the Three Kingdoms warring for control of China after the fall of the Han Dynasty.  Few people have read this wonderful tale, I highly recommend it if you are an avid reader and are looking for something different, but most gamers on the planet have heard of Dynasty Warriors; the seemingly never-ending game series spawned by the story.

There are so many Dynasty Warriors games it's mind-boggling.  Not only are there seven games from the main series, but there are countless spin offs:  Dynasty Warriors Xtreme, Dynasty Warriors Gundam, Samurai Warriors, Warriors Orochi, and the list goes on.  Today we're going to focus on one of the newer titles, and one of the few games of the series to be created specifically for a mobile device and it's also the game that I first purchased when I got my PSVita.

Dynasty Warriors Next doesn't really differ from the rest of the series too much.  The game pits you as one of the notable warriors from the Three Kingdoms, based upon whichever campaign mission you are currently playing, against the other kingdoms and their armies.  The moves are basic button-mashing combos, just simple things like square, square, triangle.  Each one hits a different range of enemies and has some specific uses like block breaking or status effects.  Once you've defeated enough soldiers your Musou gauge will fill up and you'll be able to press circle for your special attack.  This hits a large area of enemies and deals considerable damage, but the changes to it in Next versus the other games is that it can be adapted to a secondary type of attack.  If you tap the touch screen with two fingers when your Musou is full, you do a different type of special attack that involves touching one of the touch screens in some way or shaking the PSVita.  These touch attacks do a bit more damage and last longer than the normal Musou attack so using the latter is basically worthless.

Other changes to Next involve the Break gauge.  Once you fill the bar you can tap the map and instantly capture the base that you're currently in.  Bases are capture points that can affect the battle in a variety of ways such as giving items or calling reinforcements, so as you may think, they are vital to the success of any battle.  Normally the bases are captured by lowering the base's defense to zero, which can really take some time on the harder difficulties.  Noting that, you can tell how helpful the Break gauge can be.

The duels break up the monotonous combat.

Another of the PSVita's adaptations to this series is a series of touch mini-games.  Not only do these occur intermittently throughout the campaigns, but they are also available to be played whenever in the Gala mode.  These range from a duel with officers to a game where you trace calligraphy using both touch pads to uncover and then fill in the characters.  Honestly, these could have easily been left out of the game.  All they really do is break up the game and try to cater to the more gimmicky aspects of the Vita.

Edit mode has too few choices to be really great.

A few other notable aspects of the game are Conquest and Edit mode.  Conquest allows you to play a custom game with or without friends and using any characters that you've created in Edit mode.  I feel like both of these could have been more robust, there are limited options in Edit mode, and Conquest leaves a lot to be desired in it's risk-like, turn-based game play.

Dynasty Warriors is a wonderful series, and I can never get enough of it.  It's great to be a warrior in the Three Kingdoms era and stand against the ebb and flow of destiny while you cut down thousands of soldiers.  The odds are always against you as you struggle to end the conflict and bring peace back to the land.  The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, hence your epic legend, begins with the fall of the Han.

Touch My Katamari

If you aren't familiar with the Katamari series, than the title of this post is probably just dirty-sounding.  If you are familiar with the Katamari series, than the title of this post is dirty-sounding. 

This just looks insane.

What is there to say about this game series?  You control the Prince of All Cosmos and carry out the bidding of your father, the King of All Cosmos.  What does the King want you to do?  The main goal varies in every game, but the idea is that you need to make stars or planets.  How's that accomplished?  Of course, by rolling around a giant sticky ball, your Katamari, over everything and everyone on earth until your time runs out our the ball reaches a certain size.  I'm sure this sounds simple, and stupid, but it's really not.

As you roll around each stage and gather items, your ball grows larger in size.  As you get larger, you can pick up bigger items.  Eventually you get to the size where you can pick up buildings, giant monsters, and even entire islands.  Like I mentioned before you need to get your Katamari to a certain size within the time limit for each level, but you also need to gather specific types of items, like hot things.

Moving on to the specifics of Touch My Katamari, the King has become sort of a bum and the world is worried about him.  As Prince, you need to collect a bunch of items to restore the King's coolness, power, child-like qualities, royalty, etc.  The game play in this title doesn't change much from the rest of the series, but you do have a few new options.  You can use the touch screen to stretch out the Katamari to make it really skinny and tall or really wide and short.  This is used to get previously unreachable objects by making your way behind that pesky vending machine or under that food cart.  The only problem with this is that it can make it easy to get stuck and forces you to lose a lot of time becoming unstuck by hopping around a lot and just trying to force your Katamari through the opening.

There's really nothing else that makes this game stand out from the rest of the Katamari series, but it's just as fun as them.  Some of the criticisms that it's received are based on the fact that it's really short and lacks some of the flair of the previous games.  Also, many people claim that the games are just too childish with simple objectives.  To that I say, "Of course it's shorter and and isn't as robust, it's on a freaking handheld!"  I agree that the game can be pretty childish, but adults can find the game and humor both very fun; it just takes a certain type of person.



I've always wondered why Prince's head is shaped so oddly.

 Overall, I would have to say that the Katamari series transmitted to the PSVita very well.  The short levels allow you to pick up, play, and put down the system all in a matter of a few minutes.  Sure the touch screen isn't utilized often and the cameras are useless, but the game has adapted very well to the device's portability and sharp graphics.  Those aren't what make or break a game though. 

Even after I've found all of the collectibles, gotten all of the music tracks, and unlocked all of the clothing options for both Prince and King, what keeps me coming back for more is the addictive game play.  Nothing can really beat a well-designed game...and, hey, if after beating the entire game the title still sounds dirty, that's just a little something extra for everyone.



Go ahead and Touch My Katamari.



X-Men Arcade

Whether you're new to the arcade scene or are a veteran of the cabinet gaming world you've likely heard of the X-Men Arcade game.  It's one of those few that everyone has heard about, but not everyone has played due to the limited quantities of the cabinet and it's age.  X-Men ranks up there with the best beat 'em up arcades out there including The Simpsons and Turtles in Time.  So when it was ported to the Xbox Live Arcade, I jumped at the chance to own this title.



What a beast.

 I remember back in the day playing this game and just marveling at the fact that it had such a large screen and six players could be on it at the same time.  Nowadays that's not so impressive, which means I'm no longer awe-struck simply by the game's look and feel, but since the core mechanics are still here in full force the game still has that arcade edge to it that you just can't get out of console titles.  The objective is to rescue the professor by moving right and beating the living shit out of everything that's in your way.  Your main enemy is Sentinels, but along the way you meet lizard men, man-eating plants, and other strange-looking robots.  Of course there's also a cast of bosses plucked right from Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants.

The bosses can be a bit of a problem; they're either too easy or too powerful based upon your difficulty choice, there seems to be no middle ground.  Also, the fact that your mutant powers take away your life after you use up your items is another annoyance, especially when you're down to the wire fighting the Blob, but it's a trademark of the beat 'em up so I don't have much of a problem with the special attacks. 

The levels are really diverse and nicely detailed with Sentinels bursting through the walls at random intervals.  On the Xbox Live version, the game is really sharp and everything looks great on a graphical level, but I'm disappointed that the only extras included were the Japanese version of the game and difficulties.  Why were there no extra costumes or new characters?

Regardless of X-Men's lack of special features and the issues that I've experienced with the difficulty, I still love to play this with a group of friends.  In my opinion, this is a must-buy on the Xbox Live Arcade, especially at the low price.  800 Microsoft Points is nothing to hear Magneto tell you to, "Welcome to die!"

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Besides my PS Vita, the latest and greatest game that I've been playing is Kingdoms of Amalur.  When I first read about this title I imagined that it would be just another Skryim knock-off and not worth my time.  I was wrong.

Boggart

I later learned that the character design was done by the great Todd Macfarlane, creator of Spawn.  That alone was enough to draw me to the game, but the story was also written by my favorite author, RA Salvatore.  After I knew both of those facts, I was freaking sold.  Before I knew it I was immersed in a brand new fantasy world with fantastic creatures and new exciting visuals.

No longer was I limited to realistic scenery like in Skyrim, the design leans more towards WoW and has a semi-cartoon feel to it.  Many point that out as a flaw, but I call it blessing.  We have too many games that are looking towards real-life as inspiration.  I say screw it and go for the wackiest shit you can come up with; we play video games to escape, how can we escape if we create our world within the game?

Comparing the game to the current RPG king, Elder Scrolls V, is difficult but can be done...and overall Skyrim is definitely a more well-designed game as far as the mechanics are concerned.  KoA has less customization for your character and the combat trees are pretty limited.  Sure there are three different ones to work with and you can combine any of the skills you want, but all of them are pretty lackluster after you beat the game a few times.  The crafting is sub-par, but can be fun and makes for some easy achievements.

My number one complaint with the game is that it all comes down to button mashing.  Now I love button mashing as much as the next person, but that's all the fights amount to if you're not on the hardest difficulty; and there it's all button mashing save for the occasional potion drink.  I found myself beating the living crap out of every single monster every time I saw one.  I couldn't walk 30 feet before I had to fight the next stupid wolf or sprite, and the battles were never particularly rewarding.  The good loot was very scarce.



Niskaru

 Even though I'm harping on the game quite a bit, I still enjoy playing it.  I'm on my third run now and the environments still feel fresh.  Along with a story that I can really get into, the character and environment design gives a really good game experience.  No longer are you fighting Draugr or skeletons or goblins for the 700th time.  Instead, you're given a chance to look at some really crazy creatures like the Niskaru or simplistic, yet fanciful creatures like the Boggarts.  This is what this game all comes down to for me: a good, fantastic world.  I'll take that over a snowy mountain any day.

A Next Gen Handheld for Spring

So here I am once again, attempting to get back into a schedule of posting.  I don't think I'll set such ambitious goals as I did before, but instead I'll free form it;  pposting when I want to rather than when I think I should.  In any case, it's going to be good to get back to writing and forcing my opinions onto the interwebs.

For Christmas, I asked for a PSP.  Lo and behold, I got a PSP and a bunch of games, including my favorite game ever: Final Fantasy Tactics.  After putting about 100+ hours into FFT and over 50 some into the collection of other games that I gathered I realized that my PSP was kind of a terrible choice since the PSVita was just around the corner.  Come February I was staunchly against getting one as the articles piled up praising it's hardware and good-looking launch library.  I started reading the news feeds and buffing up on PSVita until my brain had re-wried itself into thinking that it was the most amazing device ever created...ever.

Of course at this point I was stuck with my PSP.  Flash forward to today, a few months later, and I'm sitting here with a PSVita while my PSP is in some god-forsaken pile in the back of Gamestop.  Today I just want to analyze the PSVita on an overview level, but as I post more I'll get into the games.

The system itself is designed to reflect the PSP, the thing looks pretty much exactly the same.  Sure the screen is better on the PSVita, but the layout is all the same.  Of course, that's not what draws people to the device and is mainly to create some consistency between the once users of the PSP and the now users of the PSVita.  One thing that is nice about the new design is the absence of the UMD drive.  That thing was far too sensitive.  Now I can gingerly set my PSVita down on a table without threatening it's vital innards.

Obviously the main gimmick with the Vita is the dual touch screens.  While this may seem like it's complete overkill, it's only because it really is.  Okay, that's a bit harsh, but it really doesn't come in handy all that often; many of the launch games could be played without the functionality, and it seems that you oftentimes hit the back touch pad when you're not meaning to.  It's annoying, but it does create some neat effects especially when combined with the motion control.  One that really caught my interest, for whatever reason, is picking up the tee in Hot Shots Golf.  What you have to do is pinch the system like you were picking up the tee and move the character to the right or left to move where you're shooting from.  It's not vital, but it's a neat way to utilize the resources that the Vita has to offer.  The responsiveness of both screens is excellent, and the front screen is used more often than the back.  Although it seems pretty gimmicky, the touch screen idea for the PSVita was done really well and adds a new level to your games.

Besides the touch screens, there are also two more new additions to the Vita from the PSP.  Two cameras allow for pictures and video to be taken, shared, and stored.  One of the cameras is on the back, while the other is on the front.  Neither camera should replace your actual digital camera, but they can be useful additions when you're playing a game like Little Deviants.  For one of the mini games there you point the Vita in whatever direction and shoot at enemies.  Wherever the device is facing is being captured by the camera so that your backdrop is whatever you want it to be rather than being game-defined.  The system really could have gone without these two cameras, but they can be a fun addition.

So with the absence of a UMD drive, we're left with tiny little carts to use as games.  First off, I'm in shock that Sony is actually using a cartridge as opposed to some disc technology.  Second, holy hell are these things small!  Sony sells some cases for them, but even then I can see little kids losing them left and right.  Ditto for the memory cards.  Also, don't lose anything for the system...Sony's using proprietary equipment for everything and it's mother.  No third party bullshit here; Mad Catz will just have to churn that garbage out for the 3DS.

I may have forgotten to put in some details here, like the HD resolution and the PS Store, but those aren't what make this a unique system...and that's just what it is: unique.  What other system can you name that has two touch screens, two cameras, and motion control?  Even though all of it could be chalked up to gimmicks, because who really needs anything other than a controller and a screen in the first place, but all of those elements make for the most unique and gaming experience that I've had on a handheld in many years.  Let's just hope that the system's uniqueness doesn't take it down the path of the Virtual Boy.