Posted by Rob on January 20, 2012 – 8:06 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, beast mode, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, co-optimus, cole, cole train, dungeon defenders, gears of war 2, gears of war 3, headset, horde mode, marcus, online, payday: the heist, PS3, px21, ticker, xbox
One of the best games of 2011 that I didn’t get to play til 2012
I picked up Gears of War 2 for my birthday last April. By then most people weren’t playing it as much, so I just ran through the campaign on my own. I never touched the Horde mode or any other online mode. But I felt like it was something that would be a lot of fun online. So for Christmas Gears of War 3 was on the top of my list, and Santa ended up delivering. However, I didn’t really start playing til this week after figuring out how to hook up the PX21 to the 360. Now that I started playing Gears 3 online, I’m pretty much hooked.
I met up with four other guys from Co-Optimus last night and they walked me through my first Beast Mode. I really, REALLY had a blast. If you’re not familiar with the game or mode, it’s basically a survival mode with a twist…YOU’RE THE BAD GUYS! You and up to four friends can team up playing as the Locust. You earn cash for beating up the good guy soldiers and heroes (like Marcus and Cole) and use that cash to purchase respawns of different Locust units, ranging from the usual grunts with guns to gigantic centipedes and beserkers. I’ve grown quite addicted to the Tickers, which are pretty much running suicide bombers. You use these little beauties to run up to enemy troops and with the tap of a button you explode, taking anyone nearby with you. Unfortunately there is a slight delay as you ignite, and it’s easy for enemy troops to evade the explosion. With some more practice I think I’ll get better at guesstimating their reactions and plan my explosions so they are more devastating.
Nothing’s more satisfying than blowing yourself away for the good of the collective
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Posted by Rob on January 11, 2012 – 2:20 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as co-op, co-optimus, combat, game review, knight, online, physics, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, puzzler, thief, trine, trine 2, wizard, xp
Better than the original
I enjoyed playing Trine, but with it’s lack of online co-op I was forced to play it single player. When Trine 2 came out, I was hesitant to make the purchase even though I liked the first game and the sequel sporting a shiny coat on online co-op. However, when two buddies of mine from Co-Optimus purchased it and told me they needed a third, I gave in to the peer pressure and made the purchase. I’m glad I did, because Trine 2 is definitely one of the best downloadable titles of 2011.
Let’s get a few things straight. Firstly, it is a sequel to the original game, so the knight, thief and wizard return to once again save the kingdom. As I already mentioned, Trine 2 supports online co-op, so up to three players can meet up online to take on the puzzles that the game throws at you. In case you’re not familiar with the Trine series, let me give you a brief rundown: there are three characters who each have several distinct skills that are needed to get through the puzzles littered about each level. Along the way you are on the hunt for XP potions which will enable your characters to level up and unlock addition skills that are needed to get through levels. The knight has a sword, hammer and shield and is good for blocking projectiles, breaking down walls and beating down the baddies. The thief has a bow which can be used to take on enemies safely from a distance and she also has a grappling hook which can be used to access areas that other characters cannot. The wizard is not what you would expect, as his spells are limited to creating wooden objects (boxes and planks) and levitating objects, including obstructions, other players, and enemies. The three characters have to work together to make it to the end of a given level, and often times a single puzzle may require several different abilities from each character. A great example I encountered when playing is that the thief (me) had to grapple onto a platform of water to make it spill to one side. Then the wizard player had to levitate a box he created to angle the water flow off to one side. Finally the knight had to use his shield to further direct the water onto a tiny little plant that then grew, allowing us to climb it to the next section.
The game is much prettier but this is the best image I could find with three players
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Posted by Rob on December 31, 2011 – 2:25 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-optimus, collectibles, dead island, gamefly, platinum, skyrim, trine 2, trophies, trophy, wwe 12, x-men destiny
I would say that not only was X-Men: Destiny the easiest Platinum I ever received, it is also one of the “unplanned” ones. I rented the game because I knew it had a short campaign, and I wanted to get something nice and light from Gamefly. This would allow me to devote only a limited time to it and then I could get back to playing my own games while waiting for Gamefly to ship the next game on my queue.
I finished my first playthrough in under six hours, and I found it to be a pretty entertaining super hero button masher. I decided to keep it around for a second playthrough on the hardest difficulty just to get the gold trophy, check out the other faction (my first playthrough was with the Brotherhood) and to rock through the new game +. So eleven-twelve hours later I finished my second playthrough and looked at the trophy list. Much to my amazement I had 92% of the trophies, and was only missing some of the “kill X amount of Y enemies.” I jumped in to the level selects and played some of the later levels through just to kill the required number of enemies, and then bam! I was in Platinum paradise.
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Posted by Rob on December 30, 2011 – 11:13 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, amazon, big bad bob, bigbadbob, bluetooth, christmas, co-op, co-optimus, headset, mac, microsoft, official, online, pc, PlayStation 3, PS3, px21, socom, Sony, trine 2, turtle beach, voice chat
When I first picked up the PS3 and was in need of a headset, I went with the Official PS3 Bluetooth (since for some bizarre reason Sony refuses to box even the lowest quality headset with consoles like Microsoft does) At the time it was bundled with some SOCOM game, and I immediately traded in the game once I had the Bluetooth in my possession. I’ve been using it for almost three years, and it got the job done. However, over the past year I have begun to find it uncomfortable in my ear. With Christmas over, I decided to use up some cash and treat myself (and my ears) to a new headset. Enter the Turtle Beach PX21 Headset!
Here are the things I like about it:
- It’s versatile: It works with my PS3, 360 and PC (and a Mac if I was silly enough to blow my money on such an overpriced piece of junk)
- It’s comfortable: The official PS3 Bluetooth was extremely uncomfortable when I had to jam the bud into my ear hole. The PX21 is a nice comfy set of headphones that fit nicely over my entire head and are made of a much softer material. And while the headset is wired, the wire is long enough (16 feet) where it’s not an issue at all. Read More »
Posted by Rob on December 7, 2011 – 5:22 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, amazon, arrow, art book, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, co-optimus, collectors edition, lord of the rings, map, middle-earth, quiver, skyrim, sticker, ups, war in the north, xbox
I love the folks over at Co-optimus. Not only have I met a ton of online friends through the site, but they also have pretty frequent contests. For the approximately three years that I have been a regular on the site I have won an Xbox 360 console, a copy of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga and now, as of today, I am the extremely proud owner of a brand-spanking new copy of Lord of the Rings: War in the North for the 360. And it’s not just any ol’ copy…IT’S THE FREAKIN’ COLLECTOR’S EDITION!!! I was anxiously sitting by the door all day waiting for the UPS dude to deliver my precious…
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Posted by Rob on November 17, 2011 – 11:59 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, bioshock, birthday, castle crashers, co-op, co-optimus, dead island, elder scroll, infamous, oblivion, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, ps4, Resistance, Resistance 2, Sacred 2, skyrim, Sony, trophies, uncharted, voice chat, wal-mart
On November 17, 2006, the PS3 was released here in the United States. I wanted one pretty badly back then but the price at the time was astronomical. I had went from the PS1 to the PS2, and I was intent on going for the PS3 once the price was right. And on November 8, 2008, the price was indeed right. I had $400 saved up and Wal-Mart had a promotion where if you bought the PS3 (which was $399.99 at the time) you got a $100 gift card. So I went to Wally World early that morning, waited on a line for over two hours, and eventually snagged my PS3. I’ve now had the PS3 for three years and I have to say I’ve really enjoyed it as a system. It introduced me to so many new features like online play, trophies, wireless controllers, affordable downloadable games and voice chat that I hadn’t experienced with the PS2 (no, I never played PC games).
Before the PS3, I only had a small handful of friends that I knew that played video games, and it was always a local co-op affair. With the PS3 I was able to play with people from anywhere and I made some new online friends. In my quest for finding co-op partners I happened across C0-Optimus which is a site dedicated to co-op games and meeting fellow co-op gamers. Now I never have a shortage of gaming buddies to hit up when I jump online for a co-op game.
Of course, the biggest part of the PS3 are the games. I will now regale you with tales of some of my favorite ones: Read More »
Posted by Rob on May 3, 2011 – 4:05 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, champions of norrath, co-op, co-optimus, dungeon crawler, dungeon hunter: alliance, game review, hack and slash, lag, local, mage, online, PlayStation 3, ps+, PS3, PSN, rogue, RPG, Sacred 2, skills, spells, voice chat, warrior
Anyone who truly knows that my favorite genre of game is not FPS or wrestling or even RPGs…it’s the good ol’ genre of hack-and-slash dungeon crawlers! Nothing is better than sitting down, choosing a class, and then spending fifty or more hours grinding that character by killing endless streams of monsters over and over again while searching for more xp and loot. The PS2 had quite a few excellent games in this genre, but the PS3 has been relatively lacking…the best being Sacred 2. Then along came Dungeon Hunter: Alliance; a PSN-exclusive that really scratched my itch for a genre that has been severely under-represented in this generation of home consoles.
There is a basic story in the game. You play as a dead king who is resurrected by a fairy, who needs your help to stop your wife (the queen) from resurrecting a dark fairy who will destroy the world. There are three classes to choose from; warrior, rogue, and mage. As with most dungeon crawlers, each class depends on different stats (ex- warrior uses strength, rogue uses dexterity) and combat skills to take on the forces of evil. There are twelve acts, each one made up of a couple of different dungeons/maps that offer their own enemy type. While the lack of class choice is a tad disappointing (I compare most hack-and-slash dungeon crawlers to Champions of Norrath: Return to Arms), it works just fine for a $9 PSN title (the PS+ price, of course.)
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Posted by Rob on April 19, 2011 – 5:02 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, co-optimus, dungeon crawler, dungeon hunter: alliance, exclusive, hack and slash, mage, marvel ultimate alliance, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, rogue, RPG, Sacred 2, skills, untold legends, warrior
If anyone knows my gaming habits, they know I’m a sucker for the hack-and-slash/dungeon-crawler/RPG genre. Ever since getting the PS3 I’ve been itching for something that equaled the awesomeness of Champions of Norrath and Baldurs Gate on the PS2, but that has been a challenge. The closest game was Sacred 2, which is incredibly under-rated in my opinion, but I do acknowledge the limitations it had. There were a few other games that tried to squeeze into the genre, but just didn’t cut the mustard (Untold Legends didn’t have online voice chat and was otherwise mediocre, and the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series just didn’t have as much replay value as I would have liked.)
Then I started hearing about Dungeon Hunter: Alliance; a PSN-exclusive that enables up to four players to raid some dungeons. Being a PSN title, I was initially skeptical for the replay value, particularly in the number of maps and the max level. After reading co-optimus’ review on the game, my worries were tossed aside as there are over twelve levels and the character level cap is set to 75. So I jumped on the PSN and put my birthday money to good use, and had some time to check the game out. Read More »
Posted by Rob on April 14, 2011 – 1:46 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 3B, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, co-optimus, dead nation, genocidiary, grim, highway to hell, morbid, online, platinum, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, romero would be proud, trophies, zombie
When I first picked up Dead Nation on PSN, I never dreamed I would get the Platinum trophy, titled “Romero Would Be Proud.” There were some really challenging trophies to get; one involving having to complete the game on Morbid difficulty, and the other being to collect 100% of the loot in every level. Playing solo, I knew I would never have achieved these trophies. Thanks to a buddy over at co-optimus, we spent the past three weeks or so busting through the game after I got off work each day. In the end, we were rewarded for our hours of time and dedication to the game with a shiny new Platinum trophy.
To start off, we had to unlock Morbid difficulty by playing through on Grim. It wasn’t too challenging, but it still took a few days as we encountered problems here and there. After that was complete, we moved on to Morbid difficulty. This was where the real challenge began, and some of the levels required not only many, many deaths to get to the end, but also many hours. Some levels took over two hours to complete. In fact, the final level (suitably named “Highway to Hell”) took us over three and a half hours to complete, as the final section of the level was swarming with countless zombies. Once we completed that, we just had to complete one level on the hardest difficulty (Undead) to claim that trophy, and then we moved on to two of the final trophies. Read More »
Posted by Rob on April 4, 2011 – 4:25 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, co-optimus, competitive, dead nation, grim, morbid, multiplayer, online, path of champions, platinum, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, triple h, trophies, trophy, ultimate warrior, undead, wwe, wwe allstars
I’m getting close to unlocking two more Platinum trophies, but I’m not sure which will be hitting first.
In WWE All Stars, I’ve unlocked the vast majority of the trophies. The only ones remaining are the online ones (win 10 matches, win 25 matches, win 50 matches, and win 10 matches in a row) and two massive ones; one requiring me to defeat the entire roster with Triple H and one requiring me to not only defeat the entire roster but also clear all three Path of Champions with Ultimate Warrior. Once I snag these, I will be in Platinum paradise. Read More »
Posted by Rob on October 19, 2010 – 2:11 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, achievements, batman, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, co-optimus, contest, gamefly, harry potter, indiana jones, lego, PlayStation 3, PS3, rock band, Star Wars, the complete saga, trophies, xbox
During September, the fine folks over at co-optimus held a month-long Lego video game contest. They basically had some on-site voting to see which of the Lego video games was the best in the eyes of fans. Each week there was a different winner selected, and I won the first week’s prize. The prize was my choice of any Lego video game, aside from Lego Harry Potter since that was week two’s prize (not that I would have chosen it, based on my feelings about the game.) So my choices were Star Wars, Batman, Indiana Jones, or Rock Band. In the end I went with Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga for the 360.
I had rented Lego Batman and both Indiana Jones games through Gamefly, and did not really them. As for Rock Band, I wasn’t all that keen on the set list for the game. As for Star Wars, I had played through the game previously on the PS2 and loved it. I chose the 360 version for the achievements, and because the PS3 version does not support trophies for some odd reason.
So thanks again to the guys over at co-optimus, who are always putting out plenty of contests while also giving up to the minute news on all games co-op!
Posted by Rob on September 14, 2010 – 11:33 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, co-optimus, downloadable, game review, lara croft, lara croft and the guardian of light, local, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, tomb raider, twin-stick shooter, xbla
I recently received a free copy of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light from a Good Samaritan I know from the co-optimus site. I’ve been rocking through the game and enjoying every minute of it. Initially I wasn’t interested in the game, since I never played any of the previous Tomb Raider titles. However, when I found out that this game was a top-down twin-stick shooter, I was watching it closely. Now that I’ve had some time with it, I think it’s safe to say that it is a very solid downloadable title.
The basic premise of the game is that Lara Croft chases some dudes into a temple and they all end up awakening an evil spirit, who will destroy the world at dawn. Lara teams up the the Guardian of Light, and the two of them set off through the temple, attempting to track down and stop the evil spirit from making his move. Thus, the game is initially a co-op title, with a player able to control Lara and one to control the Guardian. Sadly, the online co-op is not available yet, and since this is one game I won’t be able to get Shell into, I have not been able to try out the local co-op yet. That being said, I have not been able to personally play as the Guardian yet, as the single player campaign only has you playing as Lara. So this is mostly a review of the campaign, from a single-player perspective (though I will update this entry once I am able to get a shot at co-op.)
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Posted by Rob on August 21, 2010 – 12:32 am
So as if winning a brand new Xbox 360 and a copy of Crackdown 2 wasn’t enough, I just got Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (a fun twin-stick shooter), a $15 purchase on XBLA, for free. I received a message from one of the “regulars” on co-optimus.com, explaining that he had an extra game code. Just to clarify, this was a random regular like myself, not one of the staff members. He saw that I had mentioned that I was interested on the forums board, so he offered his extra code to me. Now that was down-right decent of him, and I look forward to checking out the game tomorrow (I would have tonight but I was playing Resistance 2 at the time).
Posted by Rob on August 5, 2010 – 7:21 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, amazon, arcade, black, castle crashers, co-optimus, controller, crackdown 2, gamefly, headset, left 4 dead, mass effect, microsoft, PS3, tmnt, Wii
I received the 360 in from UPS today, and I’m pretty pleased. I’m taking a quick break from set-up to put up some pics and whatnot.
The package:
The package opened:
The package contained more than just the 360, as the dudes over at co-optimus.com also sent over a t-shirt and stickers.
Also included was a brand-spanking new copy of Crackdown 2:
The system looks pretty sweet with the black finish. It’s like a matching pair for my PS3. Now all I need is to trade my white Wii in for the black one…
Also came with matching black controller and headset. It’s kind of sad that the headset is wired, but I’m not complaining, since the price was right!
So there you have it: my 360! I’m pretty excited to get playing. As of right now I have Crackdown 2, Castle Crashers, and TMNT Arcade (the awesome 1989 one!!!) By tomorrow I should have Left 4 Dead (from amazon) and Mass Effect (from Gamefly), and in a few days, once I get some credit in from amazon, I’ll be ordering Gears of War 2. I think these games are going to be a great start to my 360 experience.
Posted by Rob on August 4, 2010 – 10:24 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, amazon, castle crashers, charging station, co-optimus, contest, fable, gamefly, gears of war, halo, left 4 dead, mass effect, microsoft, PlayStation 3, PS3, slim, Sony, wireless, xbla, xbox
Last week, the good folks at co-optimus.com had a contest to celebrate the fact that their database now contains over 1,000 co-op games. As I was getting ready to eat breakfast Sunday morning, I received a PM from the owner of the site, with the subject being “Grand Prize Winner.” I got excited and started cursing, and Shell was confused. I ran into the computer room and went online to read the PM, and sure enough, I had been selected as the grand prize winner. The prize is a 250gb 360 slim, as well as a copy of Crackdown 2. I gave my info to the site owner, and I should have the 360 in my possession by the weekend.
I never talked much smack about the 360, and I was actually on the verge of buying one when I was ready to purchase a current gen system back in 2008. However, in the end I was diswayed from the 360 due to the RROD problems, as well as the high start-up cost (having to buy a system, a $90 wireless device for it, and having to purchase a Gold account just to play online.) These issues, coupled with the fact that I got a PS3 for $100 off, caused me to go with Sony over Microsoft. However, I always wanted to get a 360 as well, especially within the past year as I have made friends with people online who only have 360s, and not PS3s. Read More »
Posted by Rob on May 15, 2010 – 12:57 am
Filed under My Personal Life, Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, butcher block, classes, co-op, co-optimus, iron man 2, mall, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, red dead redemption, Resistance 2, soldier, xp
It’s Friday night, which meant it was time to play some Resistance 2 online with some of the folks over at co-optimus. I got a little under three hours when when the fatigue started to hit me, but in that time I was able to get my Soldier from level 15 to 17, which is pretty good. Leveling up characters takes one heck of a long time in this game, which only adds to the great replay value.
I really want to start playing this game more, to get more xp for my classes, but it’s tough with all the other games I have, especially with Red Dead Redemption coming my way Tuesday!
I headed off early since we have a busy day tomorrow. After grocery shopping in the morning, we are heading over to the mall to do some shopping, then hit up Butcher Block for dinner, and end the night by finally getting to see Iron Man 2. I’m pretty excited!!!
Posted by Rob on April 24, 2010 – 1:14 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, co-optimus, headset, medic, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, Resistance 2, soldier, spec. op, xp
I met up with some of the folks over at co-optimus, and I played for about three and a half hours, until I was near exhaustion, while the rest of the guys carried on. I’ve been enjoying getting back into Resistance 2 these past few Fridays, and look forward to continuing this trend on a nightly basis, if I’m available. With my medic being maxed at level 30, I have been working on getting my spec. ops up in levels. I’ve been getting better with him, and have been getting some nice xp. He is at level 12 now, and I also have my soldier at level 15. I doubt I will ever max either of them, since it took me long enough to get my medic maxed, but it’s fun to play a different class than I used to.
However, on a down note, my headset seems to be acting up. I can communicate just fine in the lobby, but later in the night my headset wasn’t allowing me to talk during missions, but it was fine once we got back to the lobby. I don’t know what’s wrong with it, but it’s pretty sad…
Posted by Rob on April 17, 2010 – 12:20 am
I joined up with a bunch of guys from co-optimus.com to play some Resistance 2 tonight. It’s funny…I always forget how great the co-op in this game is until I play it again. A total of six of us joined forces to drive back the Chimera horde, and we definitely ended up having one of the toughest missions I’ve ever been privvy too (probably since a few of the guys characters were maxed out at level 30.)
Still, a good time was had by all. Resistance 2 may not have campaign co-op, but the missions really breath unlimited replay into the game. Even though I always forget to mention it, I think Resistance 2 is one of my favorite online games to play on the PS3. And now that it’s become a greatest hit for $30, there’s no excuse for any PS3 owner to not get in on the fun.
Posted by Rob on February 24, 2010 – 9:14 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, co-optimus, communication, elimination, lost, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, Uncharted 2
The past couple of weeks, after Lost (which is 10pm), I have been meeting up with a couple of guys from co-optimus, and we have been playing Uncharted 2 online. For the last two-three weeks there have only three or six of us, so we broke into teams of three to play either the survival mode or the gold rush mode.
Last night started out with just three of us, and we played through one mode of survival. After that, four others joined us, and we started playing a variety of different team elimination matches. Unfortunately, all the true co-op modes only support up to three players, so with seven we had to abandon co-op for the greater good of everyone playing together.
All in all, Tuesdays prove to be a fun night where I get to play with some fun people. I have been having a blast playing Uncharted 2 online (which I haven’t been doing so much before I started playing with the crew), and it is a great game to play online with friends. The co-op modes are definitely best played with people who you know and can talk to, because communication is key.Whether you need to be saved from a “ninja attack” or you need to be warned of incoming chain gun-wielding enemies, communicating with the others is the only way to successfully survive the co-op modes.
