first person shooter

Borderlands 2 Review

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Welcome back to the planet of Pandora, Vault Hunter. If it’s been awhile, things may appear much like how you left them last time. The cell-shaded art direction is seemingly the same. Many of the friends (and enemies) make a return. And of course, your primary motivation to explore this world is to collect increasingly superior loot.

But as you play through Borderlands 2, it’s clear that this isn’t just a new coat of paint. Granted, the added polish on the graphics look great. However, almost every other aspect of the game has seen meaningful upgrades that really refine the original vision.

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Syndicate Single Player Review

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Sometimes, a product can be lesser than the sum of its parts. Even if a product contains top quality components created by some of the best minds in the business, the way in which those components are implemented will ultimately dictate the difference between a stud and a dud. Off the top of my head, the ultimate example of this phenomenon is the mid-to-late 2000s New York Knicks. Despite spending the largest amount of money on players in the NBA, their team was terrible; all because its players could not mesh into a championship team – or even a competent one.

Judged on its components alone, Syndicate is a stud. Sporting gorgeous art direction, a great soundtrack (with a contribution from Skrillex, if dubstep is your thing), and clever moment-to-moment gameplay that’s been clearly thought out, there’s a distinct level of polish that most games wish they could boast. However, throughout my time playing it, I couldn’t shake my general sense of apathy towards the proceedings.

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Early Borderlands 2 Impressions

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The original Borderlands ate me alive. I could not stop playing that game until I had done everything their was to do, and it was awesome. For the past 3 years, I’ve been fiending for my next hit. With Borderlands 2, I’ve relapsed hard.

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Bulletstorm Review

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Toting an electric whip, a mean “Sparta” kick, and a potty mouth that would make Howard Stern blush, style is the name of the game in Bulletstorm. Taking heavy cues from Devil May Cry, you’re constantly encouraged, and rewarded for creatively dispatching your foes. In one minute, you could be lassoing enemies towards you, kicking them in the air, and shooting them in slow motion as they fly away. In the next, you could be steering sniper bullets around obstacles to hit enemies in the butt – a 50-point feat that the game aptly calls “Rear Entry”.

Though style is at the forefront of the experience, there’s more to Bulletstorm than its overboard machismo. In fact, it’s this excess swagger that’s gotten everyone in this mess in the first place.

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Bulletstorm and the Economics of the Single Player First-Person Shooter

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A few days ago, I picked up Bulletstorm. It’s clear that the developers behind it really wanted to push the bounds of what a first-person shooter could be. Everything from the weapons, to the level designs, and the enemies themselves, have been tuned for you to pull off fancy juggle combos, and kills that would make Devil May Cry jealous. However, it’s also clear that their single player innovations don’t work within the context of traditional multiplayer deathmatch. Instead, the game offers its own version of horde mode that feels like a throwaway mode meant to to meet check multiplayer off as a feature on the back of the box.

Though the game was a critical hit, the it didn’t live up to sales expectations, and its sequel was shelved. Did Bulletstorm fail as a commercial product because of it’s de-emphasis on multiplayer?

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Metro 2033 Impressions

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Up until now, I’ve been fairly impressed with the games I’ve picked up at many Blockbuster closing-down sales. Split/Second, Vanquish and Enslaved have all been quality products that I enjoyed greatly. I was hoping that I’d find another surprisingly fun experience Metro 2033. Would this game win me over like the other ones did?

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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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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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