F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin
Monolith Productions
Warner Home Video Games
FPS Horror
PC, Xbox 360 & PS3
10 February 2009



I am going to start this review with a quick reference to a Xbox 360 Dashboard capability: Demo and Downloads. Reason being, is because it would have taken me much longer to pick up this great game, if I hadn’t played the demo. The ability to download and play F.E.A.R. 2’s demo convinced me to not only acquire F.E.A.R. 2, but also to go out of my way to find the ’06 release of the original F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Action Recon and F.E.A.R. FILES. I highly recommend playing F.E.A.R. if you want the full experience of F.E.A.R. 2. The references, alone, from F.E.A.R. make F.E.A.R. 2’s storyline all that more profound, although F.E.A.R. 2 is easily an enjoyable game all by itself.

Now that I have gotten that out of the way, I bring you a review of, truly, one of the scariest video games I have ever played.


In F.E.A.R. 2 you take the POV of Delta operative, Michael Becket, starting along the timeline 30 minutes prior to the end of F.E.A.R.. Becket is quite literally the best of the best, his reflexes are actually so high that he caught the attention of Armacham Technology Corporation’s “Project Harbinger”. After being knocked unconscious, Becket awakens to a team of surgeons operating on himself, and soon after, discovers the fate of his other teammates. While fighting your (Beckett’s) way out of the hospital you find that you have increased reaction speed and a friend with an eye in the sky named “Snakefist”. At this point the game opens back up to the governmental conspiracy game that F.E.A.R. was. You now have to find and destroy Alma, a telekinesis inclined individual, who is attracted to your brain wave pattern and wants to absorb you, which will indefinitely kill you. The game play really picks up from here. Using the enhanced reaction speed (slow-mo), coupled with the new ability to aim with weapons irons sights, you are able to surgically cut down each of your enemies with super-human accuracy and efficiency. The other added feature that really gives you the edge, especially when you are being swarmed by Replica forces, is the ability to flip and take cover behind certain objects; i.e. tables, gurneys, couches, etcetera. While being guided through an underground top secret hospital, the ruined city above and ATC Facilities, by Snakefist and your team, you will have ample amount of time to fine tune your skills and tactics on many enemy forces.


The graphics have gone under a massive redux. If you did not play F.E.A.R. you will not notice the difference but you will definitely notice the quality. The Jupiter EX engine and crisp graphics, really bring out the detail in every surface in the game. Additionally, this is where 5.1 Dolby Digital or a really good pair of headphones come in to play. The radio chatter of replicas, scurrying of rodents and the resonance of paranormal activities will make your skin crawl with anticipation. These refined aspects of the game make it all the more easy to believe you are actually, Beckett, traversing the horror house-like environment of F.E.A.R. 2.


Some argue that the changes done to the controls were made to “dumb it down” for console gamers. The same critics also stated that the levels become repetitive or predictable and that the game is set up to have a “vehicle segment” or a “sniper segment”, etcetera. What other games does this sound like? How about, all the CODs, GRAWs, Halos and on and on. My point is that any FPSs could be criticized in this manor, some more than others. I promise you, that even though F.E.A.R. 2 may not be the best FPS, out of the previously mentioned, it most definitely is not the worst. All and all, F.E.A.R. 2 is a well rounded game. It has more than enough action for FPS veterans, scare tactic for horror fans, and storyline for gamers who want to justify all the blood they are shedding.


I give F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, 4 out of 5 Almas

Just had to post about these awesome video game themed quilts, pillows and other assorted handicrafts!!!


Yes that's right, you can get a Raccoon Luigi quilt for $90 plus $16 shipping. Ridiculous or ridiculously cool??

CNN published an article today, "Developer explores the softer side of gaming", which basically reinforces the idea that (a) games are generally perceived as hyper-masculine or hyper-feminine and (b) that news sources really are out of touch with the video game industry. But let's start from the beginning.

The article highlights Kellee Santiago, a woman with pink hair who went to NYU Tisch, who founded thatgamecompany, a game development company that has created the games "Flower", "Flow", and "Cloud", all of which were very popular and are deemed "a gentler side of gaming" by the reporter.

The article goes on to describe Flower - "In "Flower," the player journeys through an imaginary landscape where they can blow breezes, collect flower petals and enjoy the colorful landscape of what Santiago says is a "video game version of a poem"".

Not that I'm saying I have a problem with these ideas - they are all visually very pretty games and obviously popular - upon Flower's release gaming sites like IGN gave it a 9/10 and Flow, as freeware, attracted 350,000 downloads within the first 2 weeks of its download. Not bad for a game that "involves the player guiding an aquatic microorganism through various depths of the ocean to consume other organisms and to evolve their organism as the player advances".

My issue with this article is that it suggests these types of games are a new wave - a movement away from what the article unfortunately describes as "slay and spray" games. Now I'm not a huge 1st person shooter player but at the same time there are games in between gore-fests and collecting flower petals. What about classic games like Mario, Zelda, RPGs, puzzle games, casual games, social games? Why is this woman being written about when honestly there have been plenty of developers with ideas like hers (Will Wright of The Sims and of sim games???)? Is CNN just interested in this woman's story because its so extreme? "A video game version of a poem? Come on. Gross.

The point is, while those 3 games are definitely worth checking out, we as consumers of media and video game players alike need to continue supporting a wide range of games and need to help push general media to understand that gamers aren't cut out of just two cloths - hyper-masculine "slay and spray" or hyper-feminine "video game versions of poems".

Columbine, Jokela, and now Albertville-Realschule; all have been settings of poignant acts by disturbed individuals. No one ever wants this to occur to friends, family or themselves. To prevent such tragedies from reoccurring we try to understand why the events played out as they did and what caused them. The natural tendency is to point fingers, at times without properly investigating the incident, and putting an end to those variables. Unfortunately due to such hasty assertions, when this occurs, the wrong persons or things are held liable.

I was following along on CNN, the events unfurling in Winnenden, Germany, when I came across an article written by Angela Merkel. Overall she did a good job of informing the reader of what occurred and how Germans are now dealing with the situation. Regretfully though, she made an either lackadaisical or calculated comment. She states, “Police said Thursday that 15 guns had been found at the killer's home and violent video games.” To me this accusation is completely and utterly appalling, especially considering the platform as to which this “journalist” was given to tell her story. This ad lib leads one to believe that the author of the story is insinuating that “violent video games” had as much a hand in the murders committed by this individual as the firearms.

This argument has been had time and again over the past couple of decades. And instead of “wowing” you with statistics comparing studies of video gamers and violent tendencies (which are low) opposed to low income neighborhoods and violence (which are high), I am going to give you my 2 cents.

If you read my first blog here on “8 Bits” you know that I grew up playing “Wolfenstien 3D” and “Doom”. I have also played many other violent video games; ranging from spray and plays like the GTA to strategic games like Rainbow Six. But why stop at video games? Why not blame TV shows like the “Sopranos” when ever they drag a body out of the Hudson River; or books like “The Catcher and the Rye” when a musician is assassinated; or Darudes music when a speeder commits vehicular manslaughter. I have watched, read, and listened to all of these medias and I have never committed a violent crime in my life, in fact, for four years I did the exact opposite. My point is that you can not blame anything or anyone else but the individual, and maybe, maybe the parents, for the acts committed. Over simplifying the situation to something as elementary as a source of past time, whether it be books, music, or video games, is not going to make the event any less tragic. And it will most definitely not prevent a violent episode such as this from reoccurring.

So when Angela Merkel decided to write that naïve sentence she helped no one, if anything, she actually misinformed people on two fronts: Those trying to understand what happened at Albertville-Realschule high school and those who are new to or do not totally understand the world of video gaming.

H.A.W.X. 3-3-09
Publisher: UbiSoft
Developer: Ubi Soft
Category: Action, Flight
Platform(s): PC, PS3, Xbox 360




I remember the excitement and the disappointment of my first aviation game. It was an USAF simulator game that had the F-117 Stealth Fighter on the cover. I remember being so excited that I spent most of my savings on the game and a tricked out flight stick. When I got home and tried to play the game I realized that I would literally have to learn to fly a plane to have fun, I then stopped having fun. With H.A.W.X. you and I will not have that problem thanks to the Enhanced Reality System. E.R.S. is and in-game technology that helps turn you into an expert pilot. You will also have the ability to manage E.R.S., making the control interface of the plane less or more demanding. Also unlike most aviation games your surroundings have as much attention to detail as the vehicle you control thanks to help given by NASA and USGS. So when you are flying high in the skies of 2021, shortly after Tom Clancy’s G.R.A.W., you will feel like you are actually defending the US against Private Military Companies.






Guitar Hero Metallica 3-29-09
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Activision
Category: Music & Party
Platform(s): PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii






I believe that no other form of entertainment has changed the face of music like Guitar Hero. It has single handedly raised music from the grave for the current generation. Who, till recently, have only been concerned with EMO, Pop and the next ring tone they could download to their phone. GH: Metallica is no exception to my claim. Including almost 30 Metallica originals, not counting those of which you can download from their latest album “Death Magnetic”, you will also be able to choose from 20 guest star acts. In the mantra of all things Metallica, they have put their own spin on the layout of GHM; ranging from back stories as to how the guest acts are tied to Metallica to adding a second kick petal for the bass drum on difficulty levels Expert and higher.

“Now that the war is through with me,
I’m waking up I can not see,
That there is not much left of me,
Nothing is real but pain now”
--One




Prototype 6-16-09
Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Radical Entertainment
Category: Action, Adventure
Platform(s): PC, PS3, Xbox 360






In Sierra’s moral challenging, combat ladened and deeply rich storyline, Prototype, you are playing as an individual who has been genetically enhanced. You are capable of shape shifting, resisting damage and delivering devastating attacks. While exploring the most detailed reproduction of NYC, in a video game, you will be the target of an uber elite military bio-counter-op team called Blackwatch. Blackwatch will, to my understanding, be like no force ever encountered to date. They will literally adapt to the players fighting style; changing their tactics and modifying their weapons.





Ghostbusters 6-16-09
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Terminal Reality
Category: Action
Platform(s): Nintendo DS, PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii






Hunting ghosts while using a Proton pack along side Egon, Ray, Peter and Winston. What more can you ask for? I will tell you what; a quality game that has a new story line but gives props to the original Ghostbusters we have all come to know and love. Well that is exactly what you are going to get with the latest edition. Based after the events of GB’s II, you are a new recruit who has the luck of testing out Egon and Ray’s new equipment, while simultaneously fighting and capturing old nemesis and new ghosts alike. What really makes this game shine is the dedication that was placed into making it on all levels. Not only does the initial game play look great (graphics, sound and control), the original cast members returned to write and voiceover the game. The combined teamwork is going to make this addition to the Ghosbuster game list shine brighter then all the rest.





ODST 9-1-09
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Microsoft
Category: Shooter
Platform(s): Xbox 360





Stepping… er, jumping rather, into the boots of a Orbital Drop Shock Troop Marine, (ODST) you are separated from your team and then must discover what happened to them with the assistance of a maintenance AI. The MJOLNIR armor, enhanced reflexes and super human strength of a Spartan will obviously not come into play while surviving the Covenant in New Mombasa. If you are a Halo veteran you will have to realign your tactics to more of a Recon Marine then a Spartan warrior if you want to finish the fight. The icing on the cake, as with most Halo games, is the multiplayer. It will be just as expansive as the H3 m-player world with new boards and complete reign of the Forge tool. “FEET FIRST!”

Magic Ball (PS3) --- $9.99
Playstation Store saw the release of a Brick-remake this past Thursday. It is more like Brick with a boost of steroid, graphics, and sweet animation. The game's developer added the fun of going to a Carnival shooting range (if you shoot random objects, something happens, etc.) to a usually boring game of Brick. You can also go co-op or competitive with a second player (local or... ONLINE!). I haven't tried the competitive mode yet, but the co-op was pretty good --- one player got the right side and another, left.

in this game, you get to smack sharks, pirates and wolves with a soccer ball

I assume everyone is well aware of the ill effects that loads of gaming can induce over and extended period of time. Also, I feel we are all conscious of the rising obesity rates across the globe due to an increase in multiple variables. It can be attributed to the expansion of fast food chains making it easier to access empty caloric food to the advancement in technology, allowing hard labor tasks to be accomplished by machines or in some cases robots. Luckily for us there is one piece of tech that is assisting in a growing trend that mixes video games with exercise. I know this may be old news to some of you but for those of you who haven’t learned of it’s influence on health or the advancement in rehabilitation assistance it has had, let me introduce to you the Nintendo Wii.




The unique controls of the Wii are instantly recognizable. Gone are the days of dual joysticks to control the aiming reticule or pressing a combination of buttons to activate a door. Now with the Sensor Bar and Wiimote you are pointing and shooting at your enemies and using the 3D Accelerometer to mimic picking a lock to open doors. This new interface for gaming alone has gotten kids, teens and adults alike up out of their chairs and onto their feet… or at least on the edge of their seats. Almost every game for the Wii uses this new form of user interface and with the honing of this technology it’s only going to get better. The Wii remote and Nunchuk are not the only innovative controllers used exclusively for the Wii. This brings us to my next point.




With such games as Wii Sports, My Fitness Coach or Wii Fit, assisted by the Wii Balance Board, it is no secret that Nintendo is trying, and succeeding, to make more physically active games. In fact these games are doing so well at increasing kids heart rates across the globe that the International Sports Sciences Association endorsed Wii’s fitness benefits. In one instance, Al Grant, an ISSA certified trainer commented "I think any gaming system that gets the users off the couch and moving around has obvious health benefits. I saw kids using the Wii in the mall and they were working up quite a sweat playing the boxing and tennis games". Anyone who has stepped into a yoga studio knows what Wii Fit has in store for you. Wii Fit gets your heart pumping and limbs loose with a good balance of stretching, cardio and coordination mini games. It doesn’t take a certified physician to come to the conclusion that with discipline and mediation the Wii can be used as an effective physical training tool to lose weight and gain muscle.




If you have ever endured the long and strenuous activity of physical therapy you probably thought to yourself, “Isn’t there anything else I can do to help me other than this?” In medical centers from the U.S. to Germany the Wii is being used as a therapy tool for patients recovering from injuries sustained from car accidents to combat injuries. The success of, what has been dubbed by some as, "Wiihabilitation" is the mix of entertainment, challenge and physical activity. Video games are obviously a form of entertainment but what makes the Wii unique, as I have said before, is the motion sensitive control. This motion sensitive control requires the patient to execute movement, similar to therapy exercise, to play the game. Physical therapists are noticing that some patients are pushing themselves further than they would with traditional methods because they get caught up in the game and forget, or ignore, the pain. The end result is a faster recovery and happier patients.

The health benefits alone make the Nintendo Wii an attractive gaming console. Then add good games, new controls and unique game play and you have the ingredients for a fantastic entertainment system. I use the Wii mainly for FPS, Fighter and Music games but I do enjoy "getting my sweat on" playing Wii Sports or Wii Fit.

According to this article I read the other day, Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2 failed to meet industry sales expectations in 2008. Their sales were lower than their respective franchise sales in 2007 despite have many more titles in the market, which was supposedly going to offset the negative impacts of the economy.

Having played both, I can't imagine that the low sales are due to lack of improvement on the first releases - the added drums and mic for Guitar Hero really make the game way more fun (honestly though multiplayer generally has that effect) as I've spent many hours playing happily with other writers of this blog and our friends. The song selection is larger, the customizable avatars the icing on the cake.

But, despite immediately buying Guitar Hero when it came out for Wii, I've opted to wait on buying either the new Rock Band or Guitar Hero. And I'm sure I'm not the only one - there was nothing wrong with my older copies, I've yet to beat all of the songs on expert, and I don't envision myself sitting by myself playing just the drums or fumbling my way through the lyrics of many of the song options. I'd love to think it'll just take a little getting used to having my own one-person kareoke show but in reality I envision the extra equipment becoming my latest end table in my furniture-limited apartment.

(Luckily I don't aspire to be these guys...)

Declining economy or not, ultimately the latest music games (even Wii Music) all seem best suited to a multiplayer environment, possibly bringing down these new music titles' sales, and should have done a better job to equally engage the individual player to entice spending that extra $100.

We, gamers, all know President Elect Obama has not been the biggest fan of video games, stating such things as "…watching TV, playing video games and avoiding tough classes in school..." attributed to low scores in math and science across America and his stance on Bill “S.2126”, the “Family Entertainment Protection Act” doesn’t help all to much either. Naturally one would think that Malia and Sasha would thus have to spend the rest of their spare time, while not studying calculus and quantum physics, playing with their new pet dog… one would be wrong. Not only did Mr. Obama hook his kids up with the Nintendo Wii for Christmas but he also admitted to bowling a few frames himself!



Obama Predicts a Florida Victory
By John Harwood

“Mr. Obama said he’d have his hands full attempting to rescue the American economy. But he has gotten in a little practice in bowling lately on the Nintendo Wii his daughters received for Christmas. Mr. Obama, who famously struggled in bowling during last year’s Democratic primaries, said he performs better in the video game.”

Halo 3
Bungie
Microsoft Game Studios
FPS
Xbox 360
25 September 2007




Halo 3, like it’s predecessors, is a basic FPS, meaning your not concerned with collecting items and using player awarded points to upgrade your weapons and armor. Which is just how I like it. Your main sense of game play is destroying what ever is deemed a threat and therefore a target. The weapons of choice you will use to finish the fight are an assortment of human and alien pistols, assault rifles, sniper rifles, shoulder fired rocket launchers, grenades and more. Do not let my quick explanation of Halo 3 over simplify this games heavily laden story line. Case and point the following summary of H3. Skip the following summary to continue reading my review of H3.


(SUMMARY *WARNING SPOILERS*)

Master Chief is joined by Sgt. Maj. Johnson a squad of Marines and the Arbiter shortly after crashing to the ground in Africa. A failed final attack on the High Prophet of Truth led by Commander Keyes and Lord Hood allows the activation of the Forerunner artifact. After sterilizing the infected area of Earth from the Flood, who crash landed there, MC, Keyes, Johnson, Marines, Arbiter and Elites pursue Truth through the portal following Cortana’s message. Once on the Ark, Master Chief discovers that Truth can now activate all of the Halos from this location. After the rings are activated, involuntarily by Johnson, Master Chief forms an alliance with Gravemind. After disabling the installations firing sequence Gravemind turns on MC, Arbiter and Johnson who then escape. Master Chief discovers that the Ark is building a replacement Ring for the one that was previously destroyed. Master Chief decides, in order to eliminate the flood, that he will now activate this new Ring. To do so he will need an Activation Index ergo, Master Chief knowing that Cortana is in possession of said Index rescues her from the High Charity. Before MC and Johnson can activate the Ring, 343 Guilty Spark explains, that since the ring is not completed, to activate it would mean the destruction of the Ark. Johnson ignores the warning proceeding to activate the ring and is thus killed by 343 GS. In turn MC destroys 343 GS and activates the ring. MC then escapes the ring’s blast by launching himself, on a warthog, onto the frigate “Forward Unto Dawn” that is being piloted by the Arbiter. Only the first half of the Dawn makes it completely through the portal returning the Arbiter to Earth. Meanwhile the latter half of the Dawn floats through an unknown part of space. Realizing this MC enters cryo telling Cortana to, “Wake me, when you need me.” Unknown to the two occupants the Dawn is drifting towards a mysterious planet.

(END OF SUMMARY)


This series, Halo, is the reason that I purchased an Xbox 360. I remember playing Halo CE with friends on there Xbox’s. I was there with them when Halo 2 launched and thoroughly enjoyed teaming up with them, online, using fireteam tactics and being amazed that they worked in a virtual world. That is probably the moment that I truly became obsessed with Halo. I picked up my 360 and H3 on New Years Eve for 2008 and played through and completed Halo 3 on Legendary, first, then at a later date I completed Halo CE and H2. About a week later, I began playing online every waking moment my girlfriend and job would allow me to. I did this for about a month straight then in February I put on the brakes and did a reality check. I could have easily continued on playing and I wanted to, Bungie did a fantastic job at creating a well rounded video game. Not only is the story line intriguing, which is why I felt the need to include an in detail description of the game in this review, but its multiplayer system is the most advanced of its kind to date. Once you have been online for a week you will have learned the ins and outs of how it all works. Everything from climbing up the ranks, to organizing group battles or testing your ability against Halo addicts across the globe, you will become so comfortable with your surroundings that you won’t want to leave... ever.

The Xbox 360 does a wonderful job at rendering the wide multitude of graphics from brilliant explosions to deep shadows and the sound FX allows you to immerse yourself completely into the Halo universe especially when you get into those ever intensifying battles with the covenant and flood. I was also awed by the ease at which I learned the controls for Halo and continue to be amazed at how they, every time, are able to make it even better then before.


The good; story line, replay ability, online multiplayer
The Bad; addictiveness, insomnia, nightmare of the flood

I don’t play online nearly as often as I first did, obviously, but I do wander onto the battle field once and a while under the Gamertag: semperneoeon. So if you are really bored and want to play some H3 give me a shout.

I give Halo 3 5 out of 5 Plasma Grenades