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PS3 Review: Dead Nation

Posted by Rob on April 3, 2011 – 8:15 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, Chimera, co-op, dead nation, game review, grim, left 4 dead, online, platinum, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, Resistance, trophies, twin-stick shooter, voice chat, zombie, zombies ate my neighbors

When it comes to zombie related games, my two favorites used to be the Left 4 Dead series, followed by Zombies Ate My Neighbors. However, I do believe there is a new contender in Dead Nation, the PS3-exclusive top-down, twin-stick zombie shooter. I had initially shied away from it based on it’s difficulty, but once it went on sale I jumped on it…and have been kicking myself for waiting so long to enjoy the game!

There are two characters to choose from in Dead Nation…a guy and a lady. The only difference between them is the color of their clothing and gun’s laser sight (to help you differentiate between the two when playing co-op). The general story is that zombies have taken over the world, and for some reason these two characters are immune from the zombie virus. The two characters then embark on a mission to help a scientist trace the cause of the virus outbreak while surviving increasing hordes of zombies.

WWE Allstars Demo Available Now on XBLA…Later Tonight on PSN

Posted by Rob on March 22, 2011 – 11:03 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, amazon, big bad bob, bigbadbob, demo, marvel vs. capcom, mortal kombat, mysterio, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, Sony, street fighter, thq, ultimate warrior, wwe, wwe allstars, xbla, xbox

It’s almost here…only seven days to go until the release of THQ’s WWE Allstars video game. Today THQ released a demo on XBLA (and later tonight via PSN) that allowed players to check out a singles match as either Ultimate Warrior or Rey Mysterio. Since I hate Mysterio with a passion, I selected Ultimate Warrior and took Mysterio to school. I should note that I downloaded the 360 version because I didn’t feel like waiting for some random time tonight whenever Sony decided to update PSN.

Since it’s a different style of game, the controls are nothing like SvR’s, and I was hoping that the demo would come with a tutorial of sorts, which it does not. So there was a lot of guess work as I punched, kicked, and slammed Mysterio around. The first match went back and forth, and eventually Mysterio was able to squeak a win from me after hitting the 619. The second match I did better, and was able to give him a Gorilla Pres Slam for the win.

PSN Re-Releasing Sega Classics…With Trophies!

Posted by Rob on March 2, 2011 – 11:56 pm

Filed under Randomness
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, golden axe, online, PlayStation 3, playstation plus, ps+, PS3, PSN, sega, sonic, sonic the hedgehog, sonics ultimate genesis collection, streets of rage, trophies, trophy

Yesterday (for some people), Sonic the Hedgehog, one of the most notable accomplishments from the Genesis era, was released on PSN. “Wait a minute, isn’t Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega’s Ultimate Genesis Collection game disc” you ask? It sure is, but with the PSN re-release of the game you will get two things you don’t get in the retail disc…full on trophy support as well as online leaderboards. And Sonic isn’t the only game getting this re-release treatment.

Every two weeks, a new old-school Sega game will be released, including the awesomely classic Streets of Rage 2 and Golden Axe II. These games will also have extra trophies and online leaderboards. Personally, I’m hoping that these two games will also receive the ability to play with others online…something that can’t be done on the Ultimate Genesis Collection disc. Read More »

PSN Review: Stacking

Posted by Rob on February 18, 2011 – 1:26 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, costume quest, double fine, game review, nesting dolls, PlayStation 3, playstation plus, PS3, PSN, puzzle, stacking, trophies, xbla

Have you ever played a video game where the medium involved Russian nesting dolls? Neither have I, so when I heard about Double Fines new downloadable game Stacking, my curiosity was piqued. I had enjoyed their previous work on Costume Quest, but the steep price of admission stopped me from going beyond the demo. When I saw that Stacking had a price sticker of $15 I knew I wouldn’t even consider purchasing. Then when it was released, I was shocked to discover that the full game was free to all PlayStation Plus members. Since that includes me, I was able to sit back and enjoy this little puzzler.

You take control of Charlie, the youngest member of the Blackmore family. An evil industrial baron has kidnapped the family, and it is up to Charlie to rescue them all and thwart the Baron’s dreams of organized child labor. Charlie does this by solving puzzles across four different levels. Unfortunately, Charlie is pretty darn small, so he relies on the help of other nesting dolls to get things done. To break up the game a little bit there are cutscenes that play out like old silent movies. So you will have the characters moving around and doing basic actions (they are not very animated since they are nesting dolls) and then it will cut away to a screen with a line of dialogue, and then back for more action, and then more dialogue.

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.

Penny Arcade Adventures Finally Affordable

Posted by Rob on February 15, 2011 – 11:39 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, George Washington, On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, penny arcade, penny arcade adventures, PlayStation 3, playstation store, PS3, PSN, RPG, turn based

I love Penny Arcade. I love turn-based RPGs. Thus, one would think that Penny Arcade’s “On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness” (which is as elaborately titled as some of their tri-weekly comics) was a must-buy for me. But one thing turned me off…the price of admission. The Penny Arcade Adventures were going for $15 each, which is extremely steep…especially for a downloadable title that was short and had little replay value.

Well, good things do indeed come to those who wait as with today’s PlayStation Store update, both of the Penny Arcade Adventures (Episodes 1 and 2) are bundled together for a measly $3! That’s nothing compared to the fact that just last week it would have cost you $30 to buy both episodes.

If you’re a fan of RPGs and the folks over at Penny Arcade, do them a favor and send three George Washingtons their way.

PSN Update 3.56 Ruins my Gaming Plans

Posted by Rob on January 26, 2011 – 10:03 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, droid, eureka, fallout: new vegas, netflix, online, PlayStation 3, playstation blog, PS3, PSN, Sacred 2, trophies, trophy, two worlds II, update, update 3.56, wwe smackdown vs. raw 2011

It was 9:30. Shell was sleeping soundly on the couch, and I was ready to get my game on. I was hoping to dive into Two Worlds II some more, or meet up with Steve for some Sacred 2. Instead, when I went to sign in to PSN, it stated that I had to download the newest update, 3.56. I tried to ignore it, but I could not sign into PSN without this update.

So I clicked on the button to install the update, and I saw it was going very slow. I googled it from my Droid, and on the PlayStation Blog, tons of people were complaining that the update did indeed install slow, and would eventually abort after reporting an error message. After reading the tons of complaints I decided to cancel the update myself before receiving the error code.

So I can’t play online, and I can’t even watch Netflix! I would love to play Two Worlds II, but I don’t know how not having this update will effect things, particularly the trophies (and you all know me for the trophy whore I am.) So I think I’ll just pop in something else, maybe some SvR 2011 or New Vegas. I’ll try again in the morning.

Thanks for costing me a sweet gaming night, Sony.

Edit:

I’m going to play it safe and just watch some Netflix on the 360…probably some Eureka. See what you did Sony? You made me turn to the arms of your competitor!

The Games of the PS Move

Posted by Rob on January 3, 2011 – 3:47 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as amazon, aragorns quest, archery, beat sketch, big bad bob, bigbadbob, bocce ball, Boom Blox, bowling, controller, demo, ea, eye, eye camera, eyepet, FPS, frisbee golf, gamefly, gladiator, hd, kung fu rider, mini-game, motion control, move, navigation, nhl, nunchuck, PlayStation 3, ps move, PS3, PSN, psn store, racket sports, rail shooter, shovelware, sports champions, start the party, tennis, the fight, the shoot, tumble, tv superstars, volley ball, Wii, wii sports, wiimote

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

XBLA Review: X-Men (1992 Arcade)

Posted by Rob on December 17, 2010 – 3:09 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, achievements, arcade, beat em' up, big bad bob, bigbadbob, bing rewards, castle crashers, co-op, final fight, game review, magneto, online, PSN, scott pilgrim vs. the world, Simpsons, sonics ultimate genesis collection, teenage mutant ninja turtles, tmnt, x-men, xbla

Anyone who knows me as a gamer knows I’m a sucker for beat ‘em ups. I think I own most of them that are available digitally on PSN or XBLA like Castle Crashers, Final Fight, TMNT, Scott Pilgrim, and probably some others as well. Heck, I even pop in the ol’ Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection from time to time to play some Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, and others. So when X-Men, an awesome arcade game I used to play growing up, came out last week, I bought it first thing when I woke up. I was a bit tossed up on whether to buy it on PSN or XBLA, but in the end I felt that I needed some more 360 games, so I went with the XBLA version. Also, I had some free MS points thanks to Bing rewards!

The game is pretty much a direct port of the arcade version. Unlike Turtles In Time Reshelled, the graphics are the same as they were when you were popping quarters into the dual-screen, six-player cabinet. And yes, the game does support up to six players, with drop-in/drop-out co-op, and you can choose from classic X-Men Wolverine, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Storm, and Dazzler. This is a great feature since it makes it easier for you to join in a game, and others can join or leave your game at their leisure without affecting the flow of your game. The other thing that remains unchanged is the ridiculously horrible/corny dialogue. Pyro will still threaten to turn you to toast, nothing will still be able to move the Blob, and Magneto will still proclaim “welcome to die” and call you an “X-chicken.”

My Thoughts on DC Universe Online Beta

Posted by Rob on December 16, 2010 – 9:19 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as batman, beta, big bad bob, bigbadbob, dc, dc universe online, gamefly, hdtv, joker, Marvel, mmo, online, PlayStation 3, playstation plus, PS3, PSN, pvp, Sacred 2, spider-man, superman

First and foremost, the DC Universe is not exactly my forte…I am much more familiar with the world of Marvel comics. However, I think that the DC canon makes a better backdrop for a game than Marvel, and I am enjoying my time exploring it within the beta, thanks to good ol’ PlayStation Plus.

The game begins with a very decent “movie” depicting many key DC heroes and villains battling it out. Eventually, a third party enters the fray and defeats both heroes and villains. Lex Luthor then travels back in time to warn the heroes what will happen, and that the world needs to be ready for this invasion when it comes. So Luthor releases some nanobot-thingys into the atmosphere, and when regular people make contact with them, they develop super powers. Thus, this is the basic origin of your character, who will then be mentored by one of the six main heroes or villains. Read More »

PSN Review: Shatter

Posted by Rob on November 18, 2010 – 9:34 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, boss, brick breaker, game review, PlayStation 3, playstation plus, ps+, PS3, PSN, puzzler, shatter, space invaders

Being a proud member of PlayStation Plus, I am one of the lucky few who get a bunch of cheesy games shoved at us for free every two weeks. I try them all, and end up deleting most. However, this week we PS+ members got a bit lucky, and we received free copies of the PSN game Shatter. When I first saw it, I yawned and said “I do not want to be playing a brick breaker game on my PS3.” Still, my curiousity got the best of me, and I gave it a whirl. I must say that I was quickly blown away by the refreshing breeze of awesomeness that was blown into a game that has been re-done over and over and over again.

As I mentoned, Shatter is a brick breaker-esque game. You control the moving platform (called a bat in this game), and use it to hit a bouncing ball into bricks. Once all the bricks are gone, the level is complete. While Shatter definitely delivers this common experience, it spices it up by adding in a multitude of tweaks that will really shock you if you aren’t prepared. Read More »

PSN Review: DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue

Posted by Rob on October 19, 2010 – 1:53 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, deathspank, french, game review, guns, hothead, level, north pole, orcs, pirate, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, quest, RPG, santa claus, sparkles, thongs of virtue, xp

I was a huge fan of the first DeathSpank game, so when I heard a second one was following shortly behind, I was sold. The DeathSpank series was initially going to be episodic, but in the end they decided to pop the series into two different installments. What this means is that DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue is practically the same game as the first DeathSpank, with a few minor changes here and there.

The first DeathSpank game ends with DeathSpank recovering one of the Thongs of Virtue from an evil dude who was kidnapping orphans. The sequel continues this storyline as DeathSpank heads after the remaining Thongs of Virtue. There is an all-new world map to explore with new areas and environments. Most notably is the fact that the person who controls the Thong of Generosity is none other than Santa Claus, who is actually controlling the orc army from his mighty North Pole base.

PSN Demo Review: Sonic 4

Posted by Rob on October 13, 2010 – 6:37 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, chaos emerald, demo, episode one, game review, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, sega, sonic & knuckles, sonic 4, sonic and the secret rings, sonics ultimate genesis collection, Wii, xbla, xbox

Sonic 4 is yet another classic game revamp with today’s hardware to give it the nostalgic feel while still looking damn good. Mega Man did it, Super Mario did it, heck, even Earth Worm Jim had a tweeked game (mind you it was still the original game for the most part), so popping out a Sonic game along the same wave length was a great idea. Sega has been claiming from the start that it picks up where Sonic & Knuckles left off, and maintains the same look and feel. Once the demo popped up the other night, I couldn’t wait to check it out. Sadly, the demo only allows you to play through Act 1 of the first stage, so there isn’t a whole lot to do, but you do get a feel for what’s in store.

First and foremost, I have to say that the game is beautiful. The graphics are simply amazing, and you can really tell that it incorporates today’s technology while still sticking to a classic 2D Sonic game. It really feels like you’re playing an HD remake of the classic Genesis game, except that the world and enemies are different. The game plays the same as the originals, where you run, jump, and roll around collecting rings and busting up robots to release little woodland critters on your way to the end of the stage. Of course, there are a few things that are different.

X-Men Arcade Game Coming to PSN/ XBLA!!!

Posted by Rob on October 9, 2010 – 6:08 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, arcade, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, comicon, joystiq, Marvel, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, x-men, xbla

You read that right folks…the classic 90′s arcade game X-Men is coming to the major consoles via downloadable goodness. I first heard about this in an article from Joystiq, who are currently covering Comicon, and the game was announced by Marvel today. In case you forgot or don’t know, this was an amazing unit, as most of the arcade cabinets were shaped oddly to allow for two screens, so that six players could squeeze together much easier than if it was a standard cabinet. However, I do remember playing this game once or twice on a normal cabinet that only allowed four players.

That being said, it has been confirmed that the game, which will be available over PSN and XBLA “soon”, will feature up to six players online. The article I read did not mention how many players will be allowed to play locally. This is a day one purchase for me, no questions asked. Well maybe one question…”WHY THE HELL DID IT TAKE SO FREAKING LONG?!” Oh, and make that another question: Do I pick this up on the 360 or the PS3?!

I will definitely be keeping an eye for when the release date and the price are made official.

Upcoming October Gaming

Posted by Rob on October 6, 2010 – 7:33 am

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, amazon, bethesda, big bad bob, bigbadbob, deathspank, Fallout 3, fallout: new vegas, gamefly, lara croft and the guardian of light, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, scott pilgrim vs. the world, smackdown vs. raw 2011, svr 2011, thongs of virtue, trine, Wii, xbla, xbox

October is now upon us, and there are quite a few decent games coming out this month. It took me awhile to sort through what I really wanted, but there are two titles coming out that I will definitely be playing in Octoer. Luckily, with Fable II on it’s way back to Gamefly, I am able to select any of the October releases to play. The other I have already pre-ordered.

With Fable II shipped back, I could pick any of the releases of 10/19 and 10/26, and there were four large tempting ones: Smackdown vs. Raw 2011, Fallout: New Vegas, Fable III, and Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2. I loved the other games in each of these games’ series, so it was hard to decide which was best. I loved Fallout 3 to no end, and played through it three times, and would probably love going through a fourth. I enjoyed Fable II, and am really curious to see if Fable III is successful in improving upon what it’s already accomplished. As for Star Wars: Force Unleashed, I never got the full experience; I played through it on the Wii and never the PS3 or 360, but I still enjoyed the general story and looked forward to the sequel. But in the end, I decided on New Vegas.

PSN Review: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Posted by Rob on September 26, 2010 – 1:16 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as beat em' up, co-op, demo, ex, game review, local, multiplayer, nes, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, ramona, river city ransom, scott pilgrim vs. the world, super mario bros. 3, xp

I was pretty unfamiliar with the whole concept of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I had never heard of the graphic novel, and was not really interested when I heard about the movie. When I first heard about the game, I ignored it thinking it would be another cheesy movie/game tie-in. But then I started hearing good things about the game…it was a multi-player beat em’ up with retro-esque graphics and soundtrack. The more I heard about it, the more interested I got, and after playing the demo it wasn’t long before I made the full purchase. I can’t say much about the graphic novels or the movie, but I can say that Scott Pilgrim vs. the World makes for one hell of a great downloadable video game!

The game does follow the basic storyline of the graphic novel and (I’m guessing) the movie: Scott Pilgrim is a kid in a band who meets and falls for a girl named Ramona. However, in order to date her, he must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends. Thus, you take control of Scott, Ramona, or two other friends who are in Scott’s band, and you take to the streets of Toronto to track down and defeat the ex’s. Right off the bat, from the main menu, the display, music, and sound effects all take you back to the hayday of the NES and Sega Master System. In fact, the game feels like you are playing River City Ransom, as you walk through town, beating up bad guys with your fists or weapons, and walking into shops to purchase health and stat upgrades. The main world map is extremely reminiscent of that of Super Mario Bros. 3. Each level ends with you taking on the boss of the stage, who is one of the seven ex-boyfriends, and each one has some kind of unique power/ability that makes each fight a little different.

PS3 Review: Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

Posted by Rob on September 19, 2010 – 10:57 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 2099, activision, amazing, big bad bob, bigbadbob, carnage, comics, doc ock, dr. manhattan, dr. octopus, electro, game review, gamefly, Gamestop, goblin, Juggernaut, kraven, noir, PSN, sandman, scorpion, shattered dimensions, spider-man, spidey, ultimate, vulture, watchmen, web of shadows

Spider-Man (or any super hero game, for that part) games tend to be hit or miss. If it’s a movie tie-in, chances are the game will be limited due to having to work within the terms of the film, and will also need to be rushed in order to meet deadlines. If the game story is not following a movie’s script, then there is a chance that the game will be pretty decent. I was a huge fan of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows and the other Spidey games that allowed you to move about in a sandbox environment. Sadly, Shattered Dimensions drifts away from this by offering 14 different stages rather than an open area to explore and find missions to advance the story. Still, despite this huge limitation, Shattered Dimensions proves to be a very pleasant Spidey experience…so long as you don’t mind playing a game that only lasts nine hours.

The plot is pretty straight-forward: Mysterio steals a tablet that gives the user great powers, but the tablet is shattered, and the fragments go flying across four different “realities/dimensions” and fall into the hands of Spidey’s villains. Thus, four different Spider-Men explore their world as they track down each individual villain to reclaim the fragments so that they can repair the tablet and stop Mysterio. There are four different Spider-Men to take control of. The Amazing Spider-Man (the one I’m used to…his storyline is the classic one) is the main one and his levels are pretty straight-forward and basic. Ultimate Spider-Man (similar to Amazing, but has some differences in the environment and story) is a Spidey with the black suit, so he has some different “aggressive” abilities. Spidey 2099 is a Spider-Man from a future world. Finally, Spidey Noir is from a 1920s-themed era and is a bit more “realistic”, in terms of the abilities of himself and his enemies. Each Spidey has three levels, and then all four are playable in the final level. Each level is a different environment, and the different Spideys have different abilities, making each character a tad different (with the exception of Spidey Noir, who is completely different IN A GOOD WAY.)

XBLA Review: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

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.)

PSN Review: Deathspank

Posted by Rob on August 21, 2010 – 2:53 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, deathspank, dungeon crawler, game review, hack and slash, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, quest, RPG, sparkles, xbla, xp

I am a huge fan of hack-and-slash, dungeon crawler RPGs, so when Deathspank came out and I saw that it fit the genre nicely, I just had to check it out. Deathspank is a solid game for the PSN…that being said, it would not have held up well if it was a PS3 disc-based game. While the game succeeds in many ways, there are a few factors holding it back from being an extremely epic RPG experience.

You take on control of Deathspank, a hero for hire (who wears a magical purple thong) who sets out to claim a magical artifact, which he believes will make him the strongest hero in the world. Deathspank will explore a somewhat small world that does have a few unique environments, but at the same time is limited in the amount of space given to play in. Like any good hack-and-slash dungeon crawler, Deathspank will dispatch countless hordes of enemies with a wide variety of weapons, armors and magical potions. Up to four weapons can be equipped at a time and are hotkeyed to the controller, and potions and other items can be hotkeyed to the directional pad. As enemies are slain and quests are completed, you will gain xp. When Deathspank levels, he is given a choice of three stats and can raise one of them up a level. For example, at level 2 he may choose to raise his melee damage, ranged damage, or speed at which he moves by 5% (this is just an example, I don’t recall what the exact three choices were at level 2.) Other stats to be raised include amount of money dropped by enemies and the ability to equip weapons and armors that are up to two levels higher than your character.

My First 24 Hours of 360 Goodness: The Technical Stuff

Posted by Rob on August 6, 2010 – 5:06 pm

Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, analog, avatar, battery, controller, directional, genesis, God of War, headset, left 4 dead, mass effect, microsoft, PlayStation 3, plug and play, PS3, PSN, quick charge, Resistance, snes, Sony, uncharted, xbl, xbox

I’ve had the system for a full 24 hours, and I wanted to lay down my first impressions of the system and the games I’ve checked out so far. Firstly, I would like to address the controller. It’s nice, and is very comfortable in my hand. I like how the left analog stick is slightly higher than the right one, giving you a more natural feel. I was also glad to see that there was a sync button, like the PS3 controller has, to get to the main menu, and to turn the system on. Good stuff! However, there were two things I’m not as big a fan of. First, I don’t like the directional pad. It feels kind of wobbly, as it is on a raised, circular platform of sorts. The PS3 controller has the directional just as four separate buttons, while the 360 has it as one big button. It works fine and all, but just feels a little odd. Secondly, I was disappointed in the controller power situation. I like how the PS3 controller has a battery installed right inside the controller, and to charge it you just plug it into either the system or a computer…wherever you can find a nearby USB drive. The 360 controller CAN do that, but only if you purchase a separate device that hooks it up to do that. Otherwise, your two options are to use two AA batteries per controller or to purchase a battery charging station, which is the path I chose to go. Don’t get me wrong, this is not going to kill me or anything, but I just liked the convenience of being able to use my PS3 controller out of the box and never have to worry about changing batteries. The 360 controller is still pretty awesome.

The PS3 Directional Pad:

The 36o Directional Pad:

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