first person shooter

Portal Review

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The original Portal has already cemented itself as one of the landmark games of this generation. Though it was originally positioned as an add-on to the Half-Life 2 Orange Box that could be beaten in about 3 hours, Portal has taken on a life of its own thanks to its revolutionary game design that does something truly new. Critics loved it, fans bought into it in droves and elements of the game, such as in-game lines and ‘the song’ have worked their way into popular gaming culture. While it’s sequel may not have the cultural cache as its predecessor, the game is still one of the best of the year and it sold extremely well.

Portal is without a doubt, a must-play game if there ever was one this generation. With that said, I’ve been ducking this game for years. I tried it in passing once, but I made the mistake of trying it out on my brother’s file, when he was over half way through the game. Needless to say, I was immediately overwhelmed and thought I was too stupid for Portal. Only recently did I put my initial impressions aside and try the game from scratch.

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Let’s Talk About Duke Nukem Forever

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I remember first reading about Duke Nukem Forever in EGM magazine back in 1997. That feels like it was a lifetime ago for me. While this game was going through development hell, I hit puberty, graduated college on two separate occasions and have worked six different jobs before settling into a stable position in the digital advertising industry. It’s crazy to me to think that 14 years later, this game has officially gone gold and is supposedly coming out in a matter of days.

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Pick Up Post: Fallout 3

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For a game I’ve never played before, I know quite a bit about Fallout 3. I know that it’s a first-person RPG made by the same guys who did Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I also know a bunch of weird story details, which I’ve heard through a few of my close friends, who love this game to death. They’ve always tried to talk me into playing the game, but for one reason or another, I’ve passed on it.

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Pick Up Post: Red Steel 2

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The original Red Steel was supposed to showcase the awesomeness of the Wii remote. It was supposed to show the world that you could use the Wii remote as a sword and a gun like you would in real life. On paper, this game sounded amazing. Instead, we got a mediocre game that highlighted the controller’s weaknesses more than anything.

Based on hype alone though, Red Steel sold really well. Hoping to right the wrongs of the predecessor, Ubisoft released Red Steel 2, which was one of the first games that required players to have a Wii Motion Plus. While critics agreed that Red Steel 2 was a much better game than the original, consumers didn’t care. No one bought Red Steel 2.

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Random Observation: The Ballad of Black Ops

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Earlier this evening, I wanted to download something on XBOX Live while waiting for my turn in Super Street Fighter IV on PS3. I had them both going thanks to picture-in-picture. It was crazy to see that everyone on both of my friends list was playing Call of Duty: Black Ops.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops Glitch

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As of right now, Call of Duty: Black Ops is officially a thing. Did you go to a midnight launch to get your copy? Did you get one in advance? Is it any good? I’m most intrigued about the latter. As much as I like Modern Warfare 1 and 2, I’m avoiding anything made by Treyarch until they prove to me that they can make a game that doesn’t suck.

In the meantime, I’ll be keeping an eye out on any coverage that may sway my opinion. The following glitch isn’t helping me change my mind.

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Early Impressions of Killzone 2

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With the Killzone 3 beta having recently started, me starting Killzone 2 is either just right or horribly late, depending on how you slice it. I must confess that I had little interest in this game going into it and only bought it because I was able to get it for really cheap alongside Infamous.

All I knew about this game going into it was that it was hyped to be a Halo or Call of Duty killer. I still dislike the Halo series, but I really enjoyed the Modern Warfare games. I haven’t played nearly enough to say one way or another, but from what I’ve played so far, it appears to have a lot of potential.

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Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me – Why I’m Reluctant to Join the Call of Duty: Black Ops Hype Train

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Call of Duty: Black Ops is set for release in the next few weeks and based on the pre-order numbers alone it’s almost certain to be a monsterous success. Could it outsell the Infinity Ward developed Modern Warfare 2? It wouldn’t necessarily be out of the realm of possibility.

Will I be jumping in on day one, contributing to its success? Ha. I really enjoyed Modern Warfare 2, but that game was awesome thanks to the developers at Infinity Ward (before 1/3rd of the company bailed). Call of Duty: Black Ops is being made by Treyarch, who made Call of Duty: World at War, which I was less than impressed by.
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Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front HD Impressions

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For someone who is tired of WWII games, has never played a Brothers in Arms game before and already has too much to play on the iPad, I sure did scoop up Brothers in Arms 2 really quick when it hit $1. I picked it up because it was a brand name, the screen shots were pretty and it was $1.

I haven’t played too much of it, but so far, it’s made a good impression with me.

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To Infinity and Beyond? BioShock Infinite Announced

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BioShock 2 was a real letdown to me. I’ve never played the game, but everything I have seen and heard about it has completely turned me off. The game’s main selling point was that it was a return to Rapture, but the first game ends in a way that doesn’t give you a reason to go back. The game lets you play as the Big Daddy, but what made Big Daddies cool were the fact that you had to fight them, not be them. The game featured multiplayer, even though multiplayer wouldn’t have fit within the context of the BioShock universe. I understand that the video game industry is a business like movies and music, but it seemed like all the creative in the first game was funneled out by business teams that wanted a quick sequel that would improve on the predecessor through lots of focus testing and marketing dollars. Ugh.

BioShock Infinite was just announced today and it’s coming from Irrational Games, the creators of the original. This post won’t be a thorough preview or a breakdown of the trailer. There are places that will do a much better job of that than I. The following are just a few gut feelings about what I know as of now.

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