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Tag Archives: competitive

What’s the Deal with “Online Passes” in Today’s Games?

Posted by Rob on October 20, 2011 – 2:43 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, competitive, dlc, gamefly, Gamestop, lord of the rings, multiplayer, online, online pass, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, rental, resistance 3, Sony, used, war in the north

Within the past few months, more and more games are requiring an “online pass” to play online. Granted, the code is provided in all new packages of the game. So you run into this problem when you either buy a game used or rent a game, in that you will have to pay $10 (every one I’ve seen has gone for $10 so far) in order to play online. Is this fair to gamers? The game companies think so.

The Defense:

Game developers believe they have a right to charge people who did not purchase the physical game $10 to access the online co-op and multiplayer features. They argue that they should be properly compensated for the time and effort they put into creating and maintaining these modes.

My Argument: Read More »

Resistance 3 is Out, Dead Island Sneaks In

Posted by Rob on August 31, 2011 – 8:13 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as amazon, big bad bob, bigbadbob, borderlands, co-op, competitive, dead island, dlc, gamefly, insomniac, left 4 dead, multiplayer, online, PlayStation 3, pre-order, PS3, Resistance, Resistance 2, resistance 3, zombie

Believe it or not, after thinking about my choices and talking with friends, I’ve decided to scrap my pre-order of Resistance 3, and instead go for Dead Island. That may be shocking to hear, seeing how I spent so much time talking about Resistance and I’ve barely said two peeps about Dead Island. But in the end, it came down to replay value, and Dead Island will give me more game for my money than Resistance 3 will.

Resistance 3 offers a campaign that can be played either solo or with a friend, as well as a couple of the usual competitive multiplayer modes. That’s right…the awesome eight player co-op mode from Resistance 2 has been scratched. Now everyone should know by now that I’m not a fan of the multiplayer scene (because I suck), so I won’t be touching that at all. That just leaves a campaign, and it’s probably not too time consuming at all. So all in all, I’ll probably go through two playthroughs at most and then be done with it. Then it will just sit around, collect dust, and eventually be traded in for less than half of what I paid for it.

Then there’s Dead Island. Read More »

Gearing Up for Resistance 3 by Going Trophy Hunting in Resistance 2

Posted by Rob on August 9, 2011 – 10:58 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as amazon, beserker, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, competitive, credit, insomniac, killing machine, omgwtfbbq, online, platinum, PlayStation 3, point man, PS3, Resistance, Resistance 2, resistance 3, salute me, trade-in, trophies, trophy, xp

I’m a huge fan of the Resistance series on the PS3, and played the heck out of both games…especially the co-op missions in Resistance 2. With Resistance 3 less than a month away (comes out September 6th) I decided to trade a few games in to Amazon so I could use the credit to pre-order the brand-spanking new game and have it in my hands on release day. But it is a month away, so what am I to do in the mean time?

I decided to revisit Resistance 2 for two reasons. First, I wanted to re-immerse myself in the game’s campaign mode, and have begun working my way through that. Secondly, I’m on a trophy quest to snag a bunch of missing trophies! I picked up most of the ones I was missing between yesterday and today, so now I only have a couple left. Unfortunately, most of those missing ones are for the competitive modes, and I’m just not a fan of those! The last few trophies separating me from Platinum Paradise are: Read More »

Closing in on Two More Platinum Trophies

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 »

PS3 Review: WWE All Stars

Posted by Rob on April 3, 2011 – 11:05 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, acrobat, andre the giant, big bad bob, big man, bigbadbob, brawler, caw, co-op, combo, competitive, fantasy warfare, game review, grappler, hogan, kane, mysterio, online, path of champions, PlayStation 3, PS3, raw, shawn michaels, smackdown, smackdown vs raw, Star Wars, stone cold, svr, tag team, the rock, the simpsons, thq, triple h, trophies, wwe, wwe allstars, xbox

This game is one heck of a slobber knocker as THQ redeems themselves for WWE Legends of WrestleMania with their newest title, WWE All Stars. I have been following this game for quite a few months now, and the end product was as good as I expected. First and foremost, this is NOT a wrestling sim like the Smackdown vs. Raw series. All Stars is a fighting game in every sense of the word, from having insane moves, devastating combos, tons of lockables…and the simple fact that it’s easy to pick up and play but challenging to master. That being said, I did not intend to make this a comparison of All Stars and SvR, but I ended up doing just that. This game is definitely on the radar of any SvR fan, so I think it is inevitable to compare the two at some points as a means of giving examples of what to expect.

The roster of characters is pretty darn expansive for a fighting game. There are thirty wrestlers to initially choose from, with at least thirteen more revealed as future DLC. They are divided by old school legends and today’s current roster, and this really does make it the best roster for a WWE game ever. Tons of old favorites are represented like Stone Cold, Rock, Hogan, Macho Man, Andre, Ultimate Warrior and more, and they even have their classic attires. Then you have some of today’s hottest stars including Undertaker, Triple H, Edge, Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio, John Cena, and others as well. Together, it is a very well-rounded cast of wrestlers and is definitely one of the biggest selling points for the game.

But I’ve talked enough about all this basic info over the past three months, so now I’ll go more into what I got out of the actual game. Read More »

Finally, The Rob, Has Come Back,To…Albany

Posted by Rob on March 17, 2011 – 12:47 am

Filed under My Personal Life
Tagged as albany, big bad bob, bigbadbob, call of duty: black ops, casino, competitive, family, flying, FPS, henderson, job, las vegas, lucilles, multiplayer, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, raising canes, sonics, southwest, st. patricks day, the strip, the yard house, ufc, ufc 2009, ufc 2010, vegas, work

It’s been a very busy, yet relaxing, couple of days, as I have been visiting with the in-laws in Las Vegas, NV (well, technically Henderson, NV, but it’s pretty damn close to Vegas.) Both of Shell’s sisters live out there so we don’t really get to see them too often…the last time we were out there was almost two years ago. So we decided to take a bit of a break and head out there for a five day weekend. We left from Albany on Wednesday at 11:55 EST and arrived at 2:20ish PST (thanks to Southwest it was a direct flight), so what was a five and a half hour flight technically got us to Vegas in under three hours.

Since this was more of a visiting family trip, we didn’t really hit the Strip. Shell and I did head down on Tuesday for a little while and checked out some of the casinos and what not. So while there wasn’t any gambling, there was a lot of good eating, as we went out for every lunch and almost every dinner. Some of the highlights included Sonic’s (I really wish one would open up near Albany…the closest one to us is in Kingston), Lucilles, The Yard House (which had quite a large collection of beers on tap…I went for the Spaten Oktoberfest), Raising Cane’s, and many more. Read More »

PSN Review: Hoard

Posted by Rob on February 17, 2011 – 4:51 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as a dance with dragons, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, competitive, game review, gold, hoard, multiplayer, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, smaug, twin-stick shooter

Who doesn’t love the simplicity of top-down stick shooters? Now take that genre, and replace the gun-toting hero with a flying dragon, and you have Hoard. Hoard is a really easy to learn, challenging to master downloadable game that lets one to four players take control of a dragon and rain fire down on villages, castles, knights, and other dragons as well.

As the title suggests, one of the main goals of Hoard is to collect as much gold as possible. Using your fire breath (and a few different power-ups), you fly about the map and burn down structures for gold. You can burn down fields, towns, castles, human enemies, carts of goods, and more that all drop gold. You then pick up all the gold you can and fly it back to your lair, where you can safely deposit it to add it to your score (and regain any lost health), and then head out and get some more. As your score increases, you gain xp which can be used to upgrade your speed, fire breath, maximum amount of gold to be carried, and armor. Your stats start at the very beginning each match, so there is no need to worry if you assign xp to a stat you didn’t want. There are a few different modes, and each one is a little different, so it will probably be best to go over each one separately.

Can’t Play Two Worlds II Online

Posted by Rob on February 7, 2011 – 11:16 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, competitive, deathmatch, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, server, two worlds II

I finished up the single player campaign in Two Worlds II today, and I decided that I would spend tonight and tomorrow further exploring the online co-op and competitive modes. As I mentioned in my review of Two Worlds II, the couple of times I tried to get on the servers the week the game was released, I was unable to get any online games going. Seeing how it’s been over a week, I figured I would try again.

I was again unable to get any games going. The competitive multiplayer is totally non-existent, and not one game was available on either deathmatch, duel, or crystal. I did manage to find one co-op game running, but my lowly level one character could not join in a game with the hosting player, who was level thirty-five.

I hate it when games with online features have horrible online availability, whether it’s due to cruddy servers on the developers end or the fact that no one plays the game. I don’t know which is the problem with Two Worlds II, but for a game that’s not even two weeks old, it’s sad to not be able to find an online game to play.

PS3 Review: Two Worlds II

Posted by Rob on February 7, 2011 – 8:21 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, class, co-op, competitive, dragon age: origins, elder scrolls v, game review, gamefly, oblivion, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, RPG, skyrim, two worlds II

Before it was released, Two Worlds II was getting a bad rap due to the failures of the first game in the franchise. Having never played the first game, I had none of these thoughts in my mind. What I saw was a massive RPG that had many similarities to Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and that was enough to catch my interest. I have spent about twelve hours on the single player campaign, and I think I can now give an accurate review of it. I had a semi-complete review ready to go last week, but I ended up writing way too much and it was too in-depth. Instead, I’m just gonna have a list of the good and the bad aspects of the game, and this should help paint an accurate account of the game, while hopefully being more condensed…because there is a lot to say about it!

NBA Jam is in the House

Posted by Rob on January 29, 2011 – 3:45 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as basketball, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, competitive, gamefly, move, nba jam, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, sega, sega genesis, two worlds II

With less than a week to go on enjoying my “two games at a time” Gamefly plan, I decided that the last game I rent would be a quickie, seeing how there is a heck of a lot to do in Two Worlds II. I had some Move games on my queue, and some other simple single player games, but I ended up getting the new NBA Jam in.

Now I don’t follow basketball, and I doubt that I could name half of the NBA teams, but I do know that I loved NBA Jam’s simple controls and quick, fun gameplay back in the day on the ol’ Sega Genesis. Many of the reviews said that the new one is a step back in time and will fill players with nostalgic reminiscence of classic gaming, and that was enough to pique my interest. I’ll definitely be giving more thoughts on the game once I get to check it out.

On a side note, as far as Two Worlds II goes, I’ve been meaning to sit down and give a review on it, but the single player game is so addicting that I haven’t even touched the co-op or versus modes yet. I might just do a separate review for single player and multiplayer, since neither mode is connected (ie: your single player character cannot travel to multiplayer).

November 2011 is Gonna Break My Wallet

Posted by Rob on December 12, 2010 – 10:06 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 1000 Ways to Die, 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, competitive, drakes deception, elder scrolls iv, elder scrolls v, fall of man, fallout, gamefly, joystiq, mass effect, mass effect 2, mass effect 3, multiplayer, new vegas, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, Resistance, Resistance 2, resistance 3, skyrim, Uncharted 2, uncharted 3, vga's, video game awards, video games, xbox

So I was kinda watching the VGAs last night, and what I didn’t watch I followed on joystiq’s live blog, and the game announcements for next year were epic. It’s not like there were one or two game announcements to get me excited…there were FOUR! Four games which come from some of my most adored franchises, and they all come out in November. This Fall season didn’t offer too many must-haves for me, aside from Fallout: New Vegas, but next year is a different story indeed.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception will be released on 11/1/11. I love the Uncharted series, and Uncharted 2 took the franchise to new heights by adding in some awesome co-op and multiplayer modes, which really added to the life and replay value of the game. I’ve got my fingers crossed that there will finally be some campaign co-op, especially since there are almost always two characters on screen at any given time in the games. Read More »

PS3 Review: WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011

Posted by Rob on October 27, 2010 – 5:53 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as amazon, big bad bob, bigbadbob, catman, caw, co-op, competitive, crazysteve, game review, hell in a cell, ladder, lag, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, road to wrestlemania, shawn michaels, smackdown vs raw, smackdown vs. raw 2011, svr, svr 2011, tag team, thq, triple h, undertaker, wwe, xp, yukes

I got SvR 2011 in from Amazon last night, and after the first twenty four hours of ownership, I’d like to share my impressions of the game. This isn’t a true review, but more like a laundry list of my likes and dislikes, as well as plenty of my own personal pics, since I get tired of having to scour the interwebs for pics of the game.Though as a side note, since I took these pics from my TV with my camera, the quality is not 100% awesome, as the rest of the game actually looks. A second side note, as always, is that I do not watch WWE programming…I am simply a fan of the games, and view them as the best fighting and co-op games ever made.

My Likes

For me, the most important part of any WWE game is the ability to “create-a-wrestler”, which will henceforth be called CAWs. CAWs are the backbone of the SvR games, since this is where every fan of either WWE or just fighting games in general can come and create their own custom character. This year’s edition is no different, with plenty of customization options for you and your friends to create. Ever since owning WWF War Zone back in the 90s on my PS1, I have always made a “BigBadBob” character to represent myself, and this year is no different.

PS3 Review: Transformers: War for Cybertron

Posted by Rob on July 8, 2010 – 8:31 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as Autobot, campaign, co-op, competitive, death match, Decepticon, escalation, game review, megatron, melee, online, optimus prime, PlayStation 3, PS3, robot, third person shooter, transform, transformers, vehicle, war for cybertron

First off, yes, I know the above image is for the 360. Oddly enough, it was the best picture I could find for the game’s cover art, so I had to make due. But enough of that…onto the review!

When I first heard about the game, I was nervous. There had been a few Transformers games previously, and they all sucked. I assumed that this one would also. Then I heard that it was an original story, independent of the films, and set before the Transformers ever set foot on Earth. That was interesting, and got my attention. Then I heard that there was going to be co-op and other multiplayer modes, and I made sure that my Gamefly queue was totally empty so that I could have it shipped out release date. In the end, Transformers: War for Cybertron totally lives up as a great, engaging game and also removes the stain left by previous movie-based games. I can only hope this is the start of a whole new series of games!

War for Cybertron is a third-person shooter which takes place exclusively on Cybertron, thus there are no humans to be seen…only awesome robots. The game’s campaign mode is short but very, very sweet. There are ten chapters, and each chapter has a several sub-chapters, and each chapter ends with a boss battle. The first five levels are Decepticon levels, where you control Megatron and his minions as they strive to develop the ultimate weapon, kicking Autobot butt along the way. The fifth chapter ends with Megatron acquiring his weapon, and it appearing that all is lost…until a new hero emerges. Chapters six through ten of the game are played from the Autobot point of view, as Optimus Prime and his allies fight to stop Megatron’s plans by staging a series of counter-attacks. It is done very well, in that there are two totally different campaigns (not just different versions of the same stage for each side.)

PS3 Review: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Posted by Rob on April 13, 2010 – 1:29 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as among thieves, big bad bob, bigbadbob, campaign, co-op, competitive, Drake, gold rush, online, ps3 review, siege, survival, trophies, uncharted, Uncharted 2

I got Uncharted 2 in from Gamefly early last week, but I had a busy schedule and had little time to play it. Luckily with the weekend spent at home, I was able to get in a few hours in the mornings, and got a good feel for the game. All I can say is, like the first Uncharted, it is a must-have!

The game continues the adventures of Nathan Drake, pro treasure hunter. The story takes you from Africa to Nepal and other locales as you search for clues to lead you to the lost treasure fleet of Marco Polo and eventually to the fabled city of Shang-ra-la. Along the way you meet up with some old friends from the previous game (Sully and Elena) as well as some new buddies. The game is totally beautiful, and boasts the best graphics you have seen yet on the PS3. The game uses cutscenes not just to help tell the awesome and in-depth story, but also serves as loading time in between levels. Thus, once you start up the game, you will never have to suffer though a load screen, which I was very pleased with. The voice acting is also top-notch, and does a lot for moving the story along. Read More »

Bioshock 2 = Great Multiplayer Experience

Posted by Rob on February 22, 2010 – 6:29 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as adam, atlas, big bad bob, big daddy, bigbadbob, bioshock 2, civil war, co-op, competitive, deathmatch, FPS, multiplayer, online, plasmid, PlayStation 3, PS3, rapture, Resistance 2, ryan, xp

Now I know that in the past Ive said that I hate playing FPS in online competitive matches. This is due to the fact that I tend to just really suck. I don’t have enough experience playing against other players, and that leads to me generally getting killed more than I kill others. Now I received Bioshock 2 when it came out, but I had not checked out the multiplayer mode since I hate playing online. But I was bored last night, so I decided to give it a whirl. I was not disappointed.

Between last night and today, I have logged in close to two hours online. I have definitely been doing well, and often come in within the top three places in the team-based deathmatches. Since I do fairly well, I enjoy playing it. There are a few traits to the online mode which I think are what attract me to it.

PS3 Review: Aliens vs. Predator

Posted by Rob on February 20, 2010 – 5:27 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as alien, aliens vs predator, avp, campaign, co-op, competitive, demo, facehugger, FPS, gamefly, marine, online, PlayStation 3, predator, PS3, ps3 review, sega, survival, trophy, Uncharted 2, xenomorph

As you may know, I had some real issues with the AVP demo that came out two weeks ago. While the demo proved the game had a good premise and some great ideas, complex controls and the fact that it was impossible to get a game going left me a bit concerned for the final product. Well, I received the disc from Gamefly on Thursday, and have since then given most of the different game modes a whirl. Unfortunately, the demo gave a very accurate pretense on how the finished game would be…a game with great ideas, but executed badly.

First off, the story/background to the game is virtually non-existent. The game takes place shortly after the events of Alien 3, but I would not have known that had I not read it somewhere online. There is no background story at all, and the cut scenes, while looking and sounding good, do little to explain what the heck is going on. Im going to take a stab at it and say that humans find some ancient Alien/Predator temple and start creating mutant Aliens. The Marines and Predators come in to put a stop to it, resulting in a three-way battle royale to be the last species standing. There are three single player campaigns (Marine, Alien, Predator), and each three tell the same story through the respective species point of view. For example, as an Alien you are defending the hive from the invading factions, and as a Marine you are called in to clean up the mess. That being said, I’ll start this review up with the single player campaigns.

PS3 First Impressions: Bioshock 2

Posted by Rob on February 10, 2010 – 1:07 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, big daddy, bigbadbob, bioshock, bioshock 2, competitive, death match, online, ps3 review, ps3. playstation 3, rapture, trophy, video games

Yes, the long wait is over as Bioshock 2 was released upon the world today. I was really looking forward to it, as the first game really blew me away like no other game had done in such a long time. Also, because I was so interested in the game, I refused to watch trailers and read in-depth reviews since I wanted to wait and experience everything as fresh as possible. Im a little under two hours into it, and thus far I am pleased, and I can honestly say that Bioshock continues the trends started by the first game.

The game takes place ten years after the first, and you play as a Big Daddy. Thats all I will say about the story. Right off the bat, the controls and the look of Rapture itself take you back to the first game. If you played the first, you will feel right at home, as the game looks and plays just like its predecesor. If you never played the first one, then why the hell are you reading this? Go out, play the first one, then get back to me.

Finally Got Some Alien Time in Aliens vs. Predator PSN Demo

Posted by Rob on February 8, 2010 – 8:20 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as alien, aliens vs predator, avp, competitive, death match, demo, FPS, marine, online, PlayStation 3, predator, PS3, PSN, xenomorph

As I mentioned earlier, I had a bit of a hard time getting a match going in the AvP demo that launched on Thursday. I tried throughout the weekend at random times, and was unable to get another match going. Today I tried again, and I finally got into a match. I basically set it up and while it searched for a match, I walked into the other room and played around on the computer. After about six minutes, I began to hear other people on their head sets, which meant that I had finally gotten into a game.

First off, I must correct a previous statement. In my other post, I complained that you were unable to choose your character in the demo, and that both times I was assigned to be a Marine. That is only half true. You are able to choose your own character, but you have to be quick. For some reason, the developers didnt want an 8-Alien or Predator battle royale going down, so once the first few Aliens or Predators are selected (I do not know the exact number), the remaining players are automatically assigned to be Marines.

PSN Review: Critter Crunch

Posted by Rob on February 2, 2010 – 3:47 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as bigs, co-op, competitive, critter crunch, food chains, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, ps3 review, PSN, psn review, puzzle

I played and enjoyed the Critter Crunch demo. It was bright, colorful, cute puzzle game with a unique premise. However, I wasnt enjoying it enough to pay full price. But once PSN put it on sale for $3.49, I jumped at the chance to snag it. I mean, $3 for a new game is pretty sweet.

So Critter Crunch takes place on an island. You control an adorable little “critter” named Bigs. The main premise of the game is following the island’s food chain, in that the smaller creatures get eaten by the larger creatures. You have to keep this in mind as you play each stage. The stage is set up with several varying roles of creatures coming down at you. To the left is Bigs hunger meter. The point is to feed little creatures to big creatures. Doing this makes them pop, and they drop an item that, when collected, will increase your hunger meter. Once you fill up the hunger meter, you complete the stage. However, if one of the rows of creatures hits the end of the row, its game over.

Thursday= Resistance 2 Co-Op Night

Posted by Rob on January 29, 2010 – 3:25 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbabadbob, co-op, co-optimus, competitive, medic, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, Resistance 2, resistance 3, soldier, spec. op, Uncharted 2

Just finished a four-hour co-op session of Resistance 2 with a few of the folks over at co-optimus. We started at around 10pm, and I was the first to bounce at 2am, but the rest were still going strong. There were five of us total, plus the occasional guest who joined in for a round or two. I got my Solider raised up to level 14, but the Spec Op is still stuck at level 10. Man, I really dont play the Spec Op very well.

I really do enjoy playing Resistance 2 online, for the co-op. Im not as big a fan of the competitive. I hope that Resistance 3 (whenever it comes out) borrows from this, and establishes a good online co-op mode. So I just figured I would write a quick little post up to calm down before hitting bed.

Tonight was a success, and I hope we have more organized game nights in the future. I believe that Tuesday night next week is going to be dedicated to co-op and competitive Uncharted 2, which should be fun since I havent delved too much into it. If you read this and have a PS3, just add me. You know the PSN name: BigBadBob113!!!

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