Tag Archives: Resistance 2

BigBadBob’s 2011 Game of the Year Awards

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Move over Spike’s VGA…you were and still are a whopping disappointment to the gaming community. Why you think I’d rather watch some jerk jump onto a Velcro wall or some deuche in a mouse helmet spin tunes rather than allowing the winning developers to give a one-minute speech that didn’t end in a tea-bagging incident is beyond me. But enough of that…this is my personal Game of the Year awards. These are the games I played and enjoyed the most this year, and some may be expected or a surprise. Just sit back, relax and enjoy.

Action/ Adventure Game of the Year: Batman: Arkham City

Batman: Arkham Asylum was successful in making a game in which you actually felt like Batman. It concentrated more on stealth, gadgets and puzzles than any other Batman game before. With Arkham City, Rocksteady Studios built on top of what it had already achieved and made it a bit better by adding a sandbox-style environment that the player could explore at will to uncover side missions and search for crimes in progress. The supporting cast of heroes and villains (and the voice actors that bring each to life) is phenomenal and despite all the baddies Batman faces the game never seems over-crowded. The combat is simple to learn yet complex to master and the urge to track down every last Riddler trophy is tempting (especially when the lives of hostages are on the line.) Batman: Arkham City makes for a fun romp through Gotham as the caped crusader and is easily the best Action/Adventure game of 2011.

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Happy 5th Birthday, PS3!

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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 »

RIP PS3: 11/8/08- 9/12/11

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It’s been almost three years and my fat 80GB PS3 has begun to show it’s age. It’s been noisier than ever, and I’ve been having quite a few game freezes and crashes and what not. Initially I attributed it to the wonky interwebs connection I have here, but then when I started to just play offline and it still happened I realized my system was just getting old and used. My biggest problems were with both Resistance 2 and Resistance 3, in that when I died the game would freeze and never load up the last check point. It also happened while playing LittleBigPlanet 2, Back to the Future, and Comix Zone.

I’m sure it’s a combination of many things. First off, it is a three year old system, and they just don’t make ‘em like they used to. Secondly, my PS3 has a ton of game time logged into it, and it definitely gets more use than the above-average system does I’d wager. Thirdly, it’s been through quite a bit. I’ve traveled with it many a time so I’m sure it got bounced around a little despite my careful packing procedures. And lastly, it did get hit in a thunderstorm in July while we were on vacation, so I think that definitely has a lot to do with it.

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Resistance 3 is Out, Dead Island Sneaks In

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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 »

Book Review: Resistance: A Hole in the Sky

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Note: Contains spoilers about Resistance 2 and Resistance 3

William C. Dietz is at it again, writing another “prequel” to a Resistance game. I had previously reviewed his book Resistance: Gathering Storm, which was a prequel to Resistance 2. It was supposed to bridge the gap between the video games Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2, but instead it was just a poor attempt at building up the character that is Nathan Hale. Dietz  never addressed the burning question of how the Chimera went from being beaten back in England (how Fall of Man ends) to having conquered not only England but the United States as well (which is how Resistance 2 opens.) A Hole in the Sky is Dietz’s attempt at a prequel to the upcoming game Resistance 3, where the main character is no longer Hale but Joseph Capelli. The problem with fully reviewing the book is that Resistance 3 does not release until September 6th, so until I play the game I cannot say if this game acts as a true prequel. However, from what I’ve read, Dietz has stepped up his game and has answered the biggest question I had…how did Capelli go from the huge muscle-man from Resistance 2 to this scrawny dude in Resistance 3.

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Dreaming of Resistance

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Now I know I usually talk about Shell’s dreams/sleep talking on here, but this time I actually experienced my own personal dream with you. I just had a dream about going on a job hunt, but it was set during either Resistance 2 or Resistance 3.

Basically I went to follow up on a job application I had submitted to this museum and ended up having to fight this giant 50ft Grim outside. It was pretty awesome…I had a Marksman and I vividly remember firing off the little electrical drone and then shooting the three-bullet volleys at him, and there were guys behind me with Laarks. This giant Grim was really weird though. It didn’t really move around, and all it did was stretch out one arm at a time to try and grab me…kind of like that “Squeeze” guy on the first season of the X-Files. Anywho, I killed it and then went inside to inquire about the job I had applied for.

I think I had this dream based on the fact that I am currently still looking for a job, and that I just finished playing through Resistance 2 and am now reading the book “Resistance: A Hole in the Sky”.

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

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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 »

New Resistance Novel, “A Hole in the Sky” in the Works

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Wow, this is funny. Just last night I was musing about my book review of Resistance: Gathering Storm, and was saying that I hoped there would be another Resistance novel written. I just happened to check out the PlayStation blog today, and they just announced this morning that there is indeed another book in the works. Titled “A Hole in the Sky”, and written by the same author as “Gathering Storm” (William C. Dietz), the new novel will take place following the events of Resistance 2, and will be a bridge for the story to connect it to Resistance 3, which comes out in November.

I’m pretty stoked for this new book, and I hope it answers some questions; the biggest one being “what the hell happened to Cole at the end of Resistance 2?!” Chances are I will be picking it up on release date, using the Borders gift card I have yet to use from Christmas.

November 2011 is Gonna Break My Wallet

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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 »

No Longer Buying Single Player Games

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I think I have some kind of crazy, compulsive problem where I have this “need” to have a media collection…I used to buy tons of games, DVDs, CDs, and books just to say “look at my collection.” Tons of CDs were never listen to, even more books were never read, and some DVDs still sit on my case in their original wrapping, having never been watched. Over the past year or two…actually since moving into my current apartment, I have severely cut down on my spending, but there is still one bad habit I maintain…buying single player games.

I really came to this realization this morning. Over the weekend I had beaten Trine, Scott Pilgrim, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, and DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue, so this morning I needed something to play while waiting for Shell to get ready. I was lying on the floor, looking at my game collection, and I realized that I had a lot of single player games that I will probably never play again. Games like BioShock, God of War, Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, and Dragon Age: Origins were all great, wonderful, classic games, but I would probably never play them again; especially since I always have something new to play through Gamefly. So I sat there, and I said “you know Rob, you paid $60 for these games when they came out, you spent less than a month playing through them, and once you beat it, you move on to the next game.” I realized how stupid it was for me to buy these games that I would never play again. I have Gamefly…I can rent any game whenever I want, and usually get it the week it releases if I plan my queue right. It’s so silly for me to be buying these single player games! Read More »

Resistance 3 Officially Announced

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Insomniac has made it official…Resistance 3 is officially in the works (though this is technically nothing new, since it was leaked many months ago.) Unfortunately, no release date is mentioned or hinted at. The announcement was made today at Europe’s Gamescom gaming convention, and as a special treat they produced a three-minute or so live-action teaser (including chimera goodness), which I have snagged off youtube and put here. Enjoy!

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Yet Another Successful Resistance 2 Co-Op Night

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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!!!

Plugging Along

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Now that the bachelor party is over, it’s been a slow week thus far. Work has been lame, with work consisting of either mind-numbing boredom or intense madness. Today I was assigned the job of typing of people notes, which proved to be a difficult task. It’s quite hard to make sense of a person’s notes, especially when they are in-depth and quickly scribbled in no particular order.

I got to watch the second episode of America: The Story of Us. It was a pretty good episode devoted to the expansion and industrialization (to a degree) of America, which plant the seeds for the Civil War (which is next weeks episode, and I’m excited.) I loved the attention they gave to the Donner party and John Brown, though I was upset with the lack of Zebulon Pike. Still, it was good stuff indeed. I’ll definitely be picking up the DVD set at some point.

I finished reading The Hobbit today. I must have read that book over ten times throughout my life. It’s just such a simple, well-written fantasy story. Plus it’s relatively short, making it a quick read. I probably got through it within two weeks, and could only read at short intervals. I’m really hoping the new movie does the story more justice than the 70s cartoon movie did (though now I feel like watching it again…). Now I need something else to read. The only thing that makes sense is The Lord of the Rings, but that is such a huge undertaking…

Nothing else really going on. The weeks coming up will begin to get chock full of last minute wedding details and whatnot, so I’m definitely going to be taking any relaxation time where I can. I’m gonna try to get some gaming in tomorrow evening (around 6-7pm), and hopefully will be able to get my Resistance 2 co-op night on Friday.

Hope everyone else is running smoothly. Be good to your mother.

Another Successful Resistance 2 Co-op Night

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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…

Friday Night = Resistance 2 Co-Op Night

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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.

New Site Page: Game Reviews

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In an attempt to make my game reviews easier to find, I have put them all in one section. Now if you go to the “Game Reviews” page, you will see an alphabetical listing of all the full reviews, quick reviews, and demo reviews that I have done, broken down by system (PS3, PSN, Wii, and DS). You may see the same game listed twice, but that’s because I wrote a quick review, and later wrote up a full review for the same game, and can’t bring myself to get rid of my older posts.

Also, as a heads up, many of the Wii game reviews really stink. These were mostly done on my old blog (thejournalofronconnery), and I didn’t really have much of a professional feel back then. Thus, many of them will only be a few sentences long and contain no pictures. I also realized that as I went through all my game review posts,  some games I never reviewed that I should have (particularly Uncharted 2, Resistance 2, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Sacred 2), and that a lot of my Wii game reviews are way to short, and don’t do some of the great games any good (like Boom Blox, Ghost Squad, and Mario Strikers Charged.)

From now on I will update this page continously as I add new reviews, whether they be for new games or full updates of the games I only skimmed over.

Enjoy!

Now I Want a 360

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So as I have saying over the weekend and today, I was able to finally check out the 360 at PAX, and I liked what I played.

First off, remember that I am not a 360 hater. I don’t necessarily believe that the PS3 > 360, or that I hate the 360 simply because I have a PS3 instead. When I was ready to jump into the current-gen consoles, I was tossed up between the PS3 and 360. My friend and I had lengthy conversations about the pros and cons of each, and for awhile it looked like I would get a 360, for the lower price and the far-superior online service. However, one of the biggest problems was that I had never touched a 360 before. None of my friends ever had an Xbox or a 360, so I never knew how it was. Also, I was skeptical of the 360′s life due to all the RROD reports, and I didn’t want to think about the chance that I would have to worry about getting my console fixed. So when Wal-Mart happened to have a $100 deal on the PS3, I was quickly sold, and that laid it to rest. Read More »

Bioshock 2 = Great Multiplayer Experience

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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.

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Thursday= Resistance 2 Co-Op Night

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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!!!

Where Have All the Health Bars Gone?

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I got to thinking tonight about the progression of a player’s health status in games. Think about it. Back on the NES, many games had a health bar of some sort. Whether it was an actual bar (like in TMNT or Mega Man) or some other series of symbols (a la Duck Tales or Legend of Zelda), there was usually a way of knowing how much additional damage you could take before you lost a life. Granted, some games did not offer a health bar, so it was either a one-hit kill, or your character physically changed as you took damage. For example, in Super Mario Bros you knew if you were small, you would die with one more hit, and in Adventure Island you would always die with one hit (unless riding the skateboard or a dinosaur.) Then there were the games with no health, where in one hit meant you were dead (ex- Bubble Bobble.) So whether there was a health bar or not, you always knew where you stood in regards to survival.

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