Tag Archives: gamefly

PS3 Review: Knights Contract

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Posted by Rob on February 27, 2011 – 9:00 am
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Last weeks new releases were mainly FPS (Killzone 3 and Bulletstorm) and I wasn’t feeling any of that. So I decided to gamble on a action beat em’ up that was getting little attention in the gaming media. I believed that I would enjoy this type of game over a FPS, but I was indeed wrong.

Knights Contract has a very interesting story/premise, but it just is not delivered well. You play as Heinrich, a knight who was charged with executing women accused of being witches. One of the witches you execute curses you, making you an immortal who just wants to die and move on. Eventually you meet up with this witch, Gretchen (who has returned from the grave), and the two of you become unlikely allies as you team up to take down the other resurrected witches who are trying to get revenge on mankind. The two of you will travel through a variety of bland environments where you walk to an area, beat up some enemies, walk to the next area, beat up more enemies, and rinse and repeat until you reach the boss. The catch in the game is that while Heinrich can’t die, Gretchen can, so you will be defeating enemies while ensuring that Gretchen is safe. If Gretchen dies, it’s game over. If you die (ie- lose your health), you will be downed for several seconds and need to rapidly pound on the x button to resurrect yourself and hope that Gretchen doesn’t die during this time.

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Knights Contract on the Way from Gamefly

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Posted by Rob on February 22, 2011 – 1:03 pm
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I’ve been waiting a few days for Gamefly to ship a new game to me, and I think it was disrupted a bit due to Sunday and Presidents Day. So I figured that instead of waiting for them to get one of the older games on my queue shipped out to me, I would just get one of today’s new releases. I had three choices: Killzone 3, Bulletstorm, and Knights Contract.

I tried Killzone 2 and did not like it. I’m very picky with FPS, and one of the only ones I really enjoy is Resistance. When the Killzone 3 demo launched last week I gave it a whirl, and could not complete it. It’s a very intense FPS, which ends up being too intense for me. I did enjoy the Bulletstorm demo, but I wasn’t sure it was a game I would enjoy. While it was a fun FPS, it felt to me that the game concentrated too much on massing up major bonus points by performing “trick kills.” This was even more evident when I read an interview by one of the developers, in which he said that co-op was taking out of the main campaign because they didn’t want people rushing through the level and not amassing major points. Bulletstorm just doesn’t sound like my kind of game.

That left me with Knights Contract. I hadn’t heard much about it, but the name sounded good enough for me to consider it. Researching it a bit online, I discovered it was an action beat-em-up of sorts akin to God of War as far as combat and Enslaved as far as having to protect another character throughout the game. That kind of game is more up my alley than a FPS, so I decided to give it a rent. I am a bit nervous about it since I don’t know much about the game, but we shall see. I’ll write up a review after I get some time with it.

Is Gamefly Worth the Price

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Posted by Rob on February 15, 2011 – 5:39 pm
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I was fiddling around on my Gamefly account today, and I was surprised to find that they had a full log of every game I ever rented from them, started from 2008 to the present. I decided to use this information to my advantage and factor in how many games I rented for the year 2010 and, based on the yearly membership price, determine if it was worth it. Below is a list of all the games I rented in 2010: Read More »

Seventh Platinum Trophy: WWE Legends of WrestleMania

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Posted by Rob on February 14, 2011 – 1:27 pm
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This was definitely the shortest Platinum trophy I have gotten. I had rented the game when it first came out, before I was as addicted to trophies as I am now. After playing it for awhile, I decided that I had had enough of it and sent it back, with only six trophies missing. Last week I had some downtime in my Gamefly queue, and I was itching to get some simple WWE action going to get me pumped up for Allstars, so I re-rented Legends of WrestleMania to get the Platinum. I received the game Thursday from Gamefly, and about six hours later I had all the trophies I was missing and a sweet new Platinum. One thing I have to say is that while some of my Platinums were either a lot of work (Sacred 2) or tedious (Lego Harry Potter), I really enjoyed spending time with Legends of WrestleMania to get the Plats.

As for my next Platinum, I am still only one gold trophy away from completing Smackdown vs. Raw 2011, so I think it’s a safe bet that that will be my next.

PS3 Review: WWE Legends of WrestleMania

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Posted by Rob on February 14, 2011 – 1:18 pm
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I had given the game a rent when it first came out almost two years ago, and I gave it a pretty horrible review. I don’t mean horrible as in it is a horrible game, but horrible as in what I actually wrote was horrible. I was tempted to just delete it, but I would rather let it sit there to remind myself how far I’ve come with my writing.  Also, in my defense, I think it came from my old website, and I had just copied and pasted it, since I didn’t take my old site as serious as this one. Anyway, I rented the game again from Gamefly for two reasons. First, I am getting really excited for WWE Allstars and wanted to play something that would be a little similar to whet my appetite until the game is released next month. Secondly, I was pretty darn close to getting the Platinum, so I decided to go back and get it. I may have given the demo some horrid reviews, but the game is in fact pretty enjoyable.

First off, the main draw of the game, which sets it apart from the Smackdown vs. Raw franchise, is the roster. Legends of WrestleMania lets you take control of one of thirty-eight WWE “legends” or your own CAW (create-a-wrestler) as you partake in a variety of matches and modes. The roster is full of old wrestlers I’m not familiar with, such as Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Koko B. Ware, and Kamala. The biggest roster draw are probably the “classics”, such as Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Andre the Giant, Bret Hart, Yokozuna, Jake The Snake Roberts, The Million Dollar Man, and The Road Warriors. There are also current or recent roster wrestlers, but they appear as they did early in their career. For example, Triple H appears as the Greenwich-blue blood Hunter Herst Helmsley, and is nowhere near as buff as he later became, Shawn Michaels rocks a mullet, and the Undertaker looks almost twenty years younger before he was completely covered in tattoos. The youngest wrestlers to appear in the game (in terms of when they first came to the WWE) are Stone Cold and The Rock, who are indeed legends. There are also four classic managers that appear in the game, including Paul Bearer and Bobby Heenan. The ability to take control of these classic wrestlers is definitely a lot of fun and will fill any WWF/WWE fan with a ton of nostalgia.

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Nice Try, Gamefly

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Posted by Rob on February 7, 2011 – 10:16 pm
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As much as I love Gamefly’s service, I was a bit put-off today when they tried to pull a fast one on me. As I had previous said, Gamefly offered me a promotion where I could get two games at a time for the month of January for 25cents, and as long as I downgraded to one game before my next billing date, I would not be charged anything extra. I downgraded and sent my second game back to Gamefly four days before the next billing cycle, so I was set. Or so I thought…

Gamefly had sent me a second game on Saturday, which surprised me. When I went to my account on Gamefly’s site, they did show that I had a one game downgrade, but it was pending…until January 2012!!! So technically they were going to be charging me two games at a time until next year, which I definitely don’t want. Read More »

PS3 Review: Two Worlds II

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

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Scratch That…Still Have Two Games from Gamefly

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Posted by Rob on February 5, 2011 – 7:24 pm
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Ignore my last Gamefly-related post. My Gamefly plan drops back down to one game at a time on February 6, which is tomorrow. Today, I received an e-mail from them saying that they shipped my next game. So it looks like I’ll have WWE Legends of Wrestlemania for a couple of days before I have to send it back. I’m pretty sure you have ten days to return a game after you downgrade.

I’ve rented Legends of Wrestlemania in the past, but I wanted to rent it again to get psyched for WWE Allstars, which comes out at the end of March. Also, Legends of Wrestlemania is an easy Platinum, and could very well end up being my seventh. Only time will tell.

Back to One Game at a Time at Gamefly…And I’m Glad

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Posted by Rob on February 3, 2011 – 7:28 pm
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My two games at a time plan from Gamefly is now officially over. I spent a quarter to get a second game for a month, but that ride is now done with, and I’m back to one at a time. I’ve had two games a few times over the course of my love affair with Gamefly, whether from promotions or using Shell as new trial member, and to be honest, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Sure, two games is awesome, but it’s an overload.

This became very apparent with my last duo of games, Two Worlds II and NBA Jam. Two Worlds II is a huge, massive, addicting game, and to be honest, I have no need (nor a desire whatsoever) to be playing anything else but Two Worlds. Luckily NBA Jam was not a complex game that had a story or anything like that, but with each game lasting a mere twelve minutes, I was able to break away some time from Two Worlds to get a little way through the NBA Jam campaign. While having two games at a time sounds awesome, it really does result in an unnecessary distraction from concentrating on the one game. Plus, when you have to juggle your time between two games you are renting, you are more rushed to finish them off so you can send away for the next ones.  Lastly, the single game plan is expensive enough…there is no need to pay more for a second game.

Will I partake in this offer, or a similar one, that gives me two games at a time for a cheap price? Most probably. But when the limited time is up, it will be a relief to end the madness.

PS3 Review: NBA Jam

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Posted by Rob on February 1, 2011 – 7:50 pm
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When I think back on some of my favorite Sega Games that should have been remade on today’s consoles, there are a few titles which come to mind: Road Rash, Land Stalker, Golden Axe (a DECENT Golden Axe game, not the crap they did make that was nothing like the originals), and others. One of those others is NBA Jam. I was never a basketball fan, but NBA Jam had a smart idea by making a fast-paced, simple, and fun basketball game that went outside the realm of reality just a tiny bit to make it more enjoyable. I was skeptical when I heard that EA was refreshing the series, but now that I’ve spent a couple of hours with it, I can say that they did a fantastic job.

A lot of times, when a game gets a sequel, the developers tweak things that were familiar or totally replace them with something new that doesn’t do the game justice. Luckily NBA Jam does not suffer from this, and you will swear that you were playing the same game, with a fresh new look and controller. First off, the game appears the same. It’s still two-on-two basketball, with the ability to switch players during half-time. The announcer still shouts “HE’S HEATING UP”,  “HE’S ON FIRE”, and “BOOM-SHAKA-LAKA”, as well as some new lines such as “STUFFED LIKE A THANKSGIVING TURKEY” and “THE RAIN MAN MAKES IT RAIN”. You can still do ridiculous dunks, including the helicopter one I remember fondly from my Sega days. It even goes so far as to include cheats, where entering a particular initial will unlock characters such as the Beastie Boys, President Obama, and John McCain.

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NBA Jam is in the House

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

360 Demo Review: Dead Space 2

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Posted by Rob on January 22, 2011 – 12:41 pm
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I was very happy with Dead Space, so I’m definitely psyched for the sequel. It’s definitely a great survival horror game, and did give me a few creeps as far as the gameplay, sounds, creatures, and environment are concerned. I downloaded the demo to Dead Space 2 on the 360 and gave it a whirl this morning, and it’s just as eerie as its predecessor.

The demo begins with some cutscenes, bringing the player up to speed on the story. Eventually you are dropped into the game and on your way. You start the demo with four weapons, all returning from the previous game, including the all-purpose plasma cutter and the awesome line gun (I think that’s what it’s called…the one that fires the wire like all the way down the room, cutting through multiple enemies.) The extra abilities also return, as you must use Statis to slow down time and then grab and interact with objects to get through puzzles. The store also makes a return, allowing you to purchase upgrades and ammo and sell off the stuff you don’t want.

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Sixth Platinum Trophy: Lego Harry Potter (FINALLY!)

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Posted by Rob on January 18, 2011 – 4:26 pm
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I’m sure that some of you are familiar with the frustration I had with TellTale’s Lego Harry Potter game, in that I could not get the Platinum trophy I so justly deserved. For those not familiar, there were many glitches in the game, and the one I encountered stopped me from unlocking the last character in the game. This resulted me in getting a 99.9% completion for the game, and the last trophy I needed to get Platinum required me to complete the game 100%. After a frustrating time trying to get the character to unlock, I finally hung my head in defeat and sent the game back to Gamefly.

Then about a month ago, I heard rumor that TellTale had released a patch that fixed this. Actually, a couple of people either commented on my blog or messaged me on the PS3 telling me that patch 3.0 fixed several of the bugs in the game, including the “boy” glitch. I did some researching on gamefaqs.com, but that was inconclusive. Then I finally saw confirmation of this on ps3trophies.org. After seeing this, I decided to give the game a re-rent from Gamefly to see if I could finally receive my glorious Platinum trophy. Read More »

The Quest for the Lego Harry Potter Platinum Continues…

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Posted by Rob on January 14, 2011 – 4:47 pm
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I sent back Alan Wake and Mafia II on Wednesday, and I already have two new games on the way, which is pretty quick turnaround for Gamefly. Yesterday (Thursday) they shipped out Lego Harry Potter, and today they shipped out Rock Band 3, so I should have both soon.

So yes, between comments on my other post (about my troubles getting the Platinum trophy in Lego Harry Potter thanks to the stupid Boy Glitch) and researching online, there seems to be a patch out that fixes the issue I had with the game. If this is true, I should be able to pop LHP in the system, go to where I need to go, and should have the Platinum within moments.

I’m hoping it works, and either way I will definitely have an update, where I will either claim victory or curse out TellTale. Only time will tell.

Mafia II is Out

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Posted by Rob on January 12, 2011 – 5:35 pm
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I got the game in Monday, popped it in once, and sent it back to Gamefly today. I was not a fan of the game at all. I really liked the demo, but I couldn’t get into the full game. I had a few problems with it. Firstly, it was too much like GTA. I HATE the GTA series, with the exception of I and II from the PS1.I don’t like having to drive around a city, and for a good reason…I suck at it! For some damn reason, this type of game is just one that I am not good at. I have a hard time controlling the car, and I always end up wrecking it or getting chased by the police. Plus some of the missions in those games are one where you have to drive a car from point A to point B without getting it wrecked, or the mission starts over.

I didn’t get far into Mafia II when I came across one of these missions, and I was unable to complete it. I either got the car wrecked, or the cops kept chasing me. The police in Mafia II are relentless, where even if you do lose them, any cop who catches sight of you will renew the chase. Also, there are a lot of cops patrolling the game. There is an option to go to a body shop and get the plates changed and the car re-painted (which will stop cops from chasing you), but it costs a heck of a lot of money which simply isn’t available that early in the game.

When it came down to it, I simply wasn’t enjoying the game, and instead I was becoming aggravated. Games are meant to be a leisure activity, so when I get pissed off when playing one, it’s a good sign that the game is just not for me.

Alan Wake and Mafia II on the Way

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Posted by Rob on January 9, 2011 – 3:53 pm
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I received a recent deal in which I could rent a second game from Gamefly for only a quarter. I’ll be getting in Alan Wake and Mafia II, both on the 360 (obviously for Alan Wake). I’ve heard plenty of good things about Alan Wake, and I really enjoyed the demo of Mafia II…so much so that I actually played through it twice (not something I usually do for demos.) Gamefly received Fable III the same day I upgraded, so both new games should be here tomorrow.

Now the question is, which one do I start with??? Either way it looks like Gears of War II will be put on hold yet again…

360 Review: Fable III (spoilers)

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Posted by Rob on January 7, 2011 – 1:23 pm
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I had high praises for Fable II, and I couldn’t wait to get my dirty mits on the sequel, Fable III. I had to wait longer than I would have liked, since I had to choose between Fable III and Fallout: New Vegas (Fallout won), but I have finally received it from Gamefly. Fable III is definitely a step up and makes several improvements over Fable II, but at the same time there were some aspects of Fable II that were removed, and it really hurt the game. Still, if you enjoyed Fable II then there is no doubt that you will enjoy this next romp through the land of Albion. Also, since the game is a sequel, there will be several spoilers, so read at your own risk. Read More »

Getting Two Games from Gamefly for Only a Quarter!

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Posted by Rob on January 6, 2011 – 9:38 pm
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I received an e-mail from Gamefly today explaining a new promotion. For twenty-five cents, I was able to upgrade my account to two games at a time for the next month. Seeing how my billing cycle ends on the 7th of each month, I assume the quarter charge was for today, so from tomorrow until February 7th I’ll be getting two games at a time, which is mighty sweet, especially with LittleBigPlanet 2 and Two Worlds II coming out over the next few weeks.

I just have to remember to downgrade to one game at a time before the 7th next month, but that’s what the wonders of gmail calendar are for!

The Games of the PS Move

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Posted by Rob on January 3, 2011 – 3:47 pm
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I have been interested in getting the PlayStation Move for quite some time. I do like the Wii, but I was intrigued by the possibilities for the Move, particularly with the more accurate controller and the higher quality, HD graphics. However, at the price I was not about to buy it for myself. So I placed it on my Amazon Wish List, and I found out Christmas Day that my parents had purchased it for me. I already had the Eye, so all I asked for was the basic Move controller. After Christmas, I went to the PlayStation Store off of PSN and was happy to find that pretty much every Move-enabled game currently available had a demo. So I went ahead and downloaded all eight demos, and spent the next few days trying them all out. I want to share my thoughts on the demos for the games, but I’ll start with my initial view of the controller itself.

PlayStation Move Controller

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Fable III Finally on the Way

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Posted by Rob on December 29, 2010 – 12:33 pm
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My Gamefly queue has been full for almost two weeks, just waiting to ship a game. Unfortuately, of the fourteen games on my queue, apparently all of them had been labeled “low availability.” I finally got an e-mail saying they were shipping out Fable III, so I’m happy. Now I have a huge influx of games, with all the ones I got for Christmas along with Fable III, which I’m sure will be as addicting as the second one was. I’ve been looking forward to checking out the new Fable, so I guess I can excuse Gamefly’s lack of shipping since I’m getting the top game in my queue.