Post WWII Europe was still licking it's wounds when the Chimeran attack overwhelmed the Soviets and began swallowing up town after European town. The Chimeran threat all but wiped out every human across much of Europe, and Asia and from the looks of things, all hope was lost. Across the pond, the Yanks closed their borders and kept a tight lid on any media of this near global tragedy while providing aid to our limey counterparts overseas.
A team of U.S. soldiers participating in a supply drop to our British allies fell victim to a Chimeran ambush leaving one survivor. Commander Nathan Hale. Hale had no idea that he could very well be, mankind's only hope.
In Resistance: Fall of Man, you play as hard-boiled U.S. military commander, Nathan Hale. Set in a post WWII alternate reality, the game follows Hale's journey into the heart of Britain to the core of the Chimeran stronghold. The Chimera are an alien race that essentially body-snatches it's victims and then, depending on the subjugated human's genetic strengths, gestates them into various forms of infantry.
To say the game play in R:FoM is engrossing is to make a massive understatement. This title is what "next-gen" gaming is supposed to be. The story...great, the voice-acting...superb, the visuals and ambience...other-worldly. At any given time during play, there are alarming amounts of computer-controlled allies and enemies zipping across the MASSIVE maps. Each with their own stealthy, sneaky, spooky A.I. At some points, it seems there are as many as 30-40 enemies and 15 or so allies. Truly amazing and harrowing.
What's most amazing is this game's solid execution in all aspects. Not once did I notice frame rate slow down, environment generation, or arms an legs floating through walls. I mean NO BUGS! It's truly unbelievable! Even in two player split-screen co-op, everything is rock solid! It's a marvel. Every game should hold itself to these high standards.
As the story-line progresses the frantic feel of the game progresses as well due to some great plot twists. As if the story mode wasn't enough to vault this game into the stratosphere (which it was, trust me), the multiplayer and online capabilities are some of the best I've seen, and being an old PC gamer, that's saying something. Granted, it's not a crisp vibrant bunch of levels because post-war alien invaded Europe shouldn't be. The servers are tight as I've ever seen and the competition is fierce.
Overall, R:FoM is one of the best games I have ever played. It's Call of Duty/Beginning of Saving Private Ryan, meets Independence Day/Aliens vs. Predator/Split Second. An easy 9.75 out of 10!
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
My new PlayStation 3 - Week 1
Holy damn sh*t! I have played pretty much every system ever released, last-gen, current-gen, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th-gen. And I can say, without question, that there has never been a piece of home entertainment equipment like the PS3, gaming or not, and it will definitely drastically change the market and your living room forever.
Gaming aside, the PS3 replaces nearly every piece of equipment in your entertainment center and does it with style and power. Your photos, video files, music, and internet all at your finger tips in stunning high definition. Granted some of the PS3's functionality needs some work, such as filing systems, format issues, the inability to create subfolders, etc. but these will all come soon through frimware updates. This PS3 instantly becomes a part of your home entertainment life with ease and pinache.
Now onto the games. Of course the graphics on the PS3 are both breath-taking and beauftiful. No words I can type can truly convey this point. The real treat with the games I've played to this point is not the graphics but the enthralling gameplay. I was afraid that the focus on knock-out graphics would equate to sub-par game experiences. I couldn't have been more wrong. On more than one ocassion in the last five days I've had real human spectators cheering me or other players on enthusiastically from seats in my living room. Grown men with no interest in video games, yelling and getting involved without touching a paddle. Every game I've played has evoked that white-knuckle adrenaline rush feeling that a great game should. Admittedly, there are some bad games available for the PS3 and even some of the good ones have apparent bugs, but for first wave releases, overall these are very acceptable in-game flaws.
The machine itself is a marvel and should be budgetted for purchase within the next year by anyone claiming to be a technophile. My favorite part is the online PlaystationStore. Worrying about content? Well don't, right out of the box you have free access to at least 15 free playable demos via PS Store download. And when I say demo I don't mean some bullcrap 4:3 aspect ration low-end rendered graphics version of the real game, I mean balls-to-the-wall 1080p fully rendered and operable playable levels of the release version of the title. Aside from demos, the PS Store gives you access to free HD movie trailers, HD BluRay trailers, HD promos for upcoming games, and best of all fully downloadable original HD games for purchase as well as PS1 and PS2 classics. The variety of available fully functional games on the PS Store range from an HD rendered full version of Tekken: Dark Resurrection to an original game for children called Super Rub-a-Dub where you play a rubber duck in a tub trying to save her kids from a wind up plastic shark. My point is there is alot to choose from. The downloads range in price from $4.99 to $19.99 although some of these games are free.
Overall, I am extremely impressed by the PS3 so far and it seems as though the sky's the limit as far as capabilities go. Oh yeah, and keep in mind, I feel this way and I haven't even put a BluRay movie in it yet.
Gaming aside, the PS3 replaces nearly every piece of equipment in your entertainment center and does it with style and power. Your photos, video files, music, and internet all at your finger tips in stunning high definition. Granted some of the PS3's functionality needs some work, such as filing systems, format issues, the inability to create subfolders, etc. but these will all come soon through frimware updates. This PS3 instantly becomes a part of your home entertainment life with ease and pinache.
Now onto the games. Of course the graphics on the PS3 are both breath-taking and beauftiful. No words I can type can truly convey this point. The real treat with the games I've played to this point is not the graphics but the enthralling gameplay. I was afraid that the focus on knock-out graphics would equate to sub-par game experiences. I couldn't have been more wrong. On more than one ocassion in the last five days I've had real human spectators cheering me or other players on enthusiastically from seats in my living room. Grown men with no interest in video games, yelling and getting involved without touching a paddle. Every game I've played has evoked that white-knuckle adrenaline rush feeling that a great game should. Admittedly, there are some bad games available for the PS3 and even some of the good ones have apparent bugs, but for first wave releases, overall these are very acceptable in-game flaws.
The machine itself is a marvel and should be budgetted for purchase within the next year by anyone claiming to be a technophile. My favorite part is the online PlaystationStore. Worrying about content? Well don't, right out of the box you have free access to at least 15 free playable demos via PS Store download. And when I say demo I don't mean some bullcrap 4:3 aspect ration low-end rendered graphics version of the real game, I mean balls-to-the-wall 1080p fully rendered and operable playable levels of the release version of the title. Aside from demos, the PS Store gives you access to free HD movie trailers, HD BluRay trailers, HD promos for upcoming games, and best of all fully downloadable original HD games for purchase as well as PS1 and PS2 classics. The variety of available fully functional games on the PS Store range from an HD rendered full version of Tekken: Dark Resurrection to an original game for children called Super Rub-a-Dub where you play a rubber duck in a tub trying to save her kids from a wind up plastic shark. My point is there is alot to choose from. The downloads range in price from $4.99 to $19.99 although some of these games are free.
Overall, I am extremely impressed by the PS3 so far and it seems as though the sky's the limit as far as capabilities go. Oh yeah, and keep in mind, I feel this way and I haven't even put a BluRay movie in it yet.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
In case you blinked
These are exciting times for gaming. In a matter of a week, look who's hooped on board the gaming bullet train. Check out the list of big hollywood names that are currently working on games. Crazy.
Steven Speilberg - director E.T., Jaws, Saving Private Ryan, Indiana Jones, Catch Me if you Can, ETC.
Current VG Project: Unknown Wii project
Peter Jackson - He's known for directing King Kong, The Lord of the Rings Saga, Dead Alive, ETC.
Current VG Project: Halo 3 episodic release endeavor
Clive Barker - He wrote all of the Hellraiser series and various other awesome macabre novels, the movies Night Breed, Candyman, ETC.
Current VG Project: Jericho, http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=41371&mode=thread&order=0
John Woo - director of Face Off, Broken Arrow, Mission Impossible: II, Windtalkers, Hard Boiled, A Better Tomorrow 1, 2, 3, etc.
Current VG Project: Stranglehold, http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/748/748381.html
Bryan Singer - Writer/director of the latest Superman, the X-Men series and so on.
Current VG Project: Unknown
James Cameron - Titanic, Terminator, Total Recall, ETC.
Current VG Project: MMORPG based next film, http://www.gamespot.com/news/6143676.html
Sam Raimi - writer/director Evil Dead 1, 2, Army of Darkness, Spider-man movies and how could we forget Darkman.
Current VG Project: Unknown
Steven Speilberg - director E.T., Jaws, Saving Private Ryan, Indiana Jones, Catch Me if you Can, ETC.
Current VG Project: Unknown Wii project
Peter Jackson - He's known for directing King Kong, The Lord of the Rings Saga, Dead Alive, ETC.
Current VG Project: Halo 3 episodic release endeavor
Clive Barker - He wrote all of the Hellraiser series and various other awesome macabre novels, the movies Night Breed, Candyman, ETC.
Current VG Project: Jericho, http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=41371&mode=thread&order=0
John Woo - director of Face Off, Broken Arrow, Mission Impossible: II, Windtalkers, Hard Boiled, A Better Tomorrow 1, 2, 3, etc.
Current VG Project: Stranglehold, http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/748/748381.html
Bryan Singer - Writer/director of the latest Superman, the X-Men series and so on.
Current VG Project: Unknown
James Cameron - Titanic, Terminator, Total Recall, ETC.
Current VG Project: MMORPG based next film, http://www.gamespot.com/news/6143676.html
Sam Raimi - writer/director Evil Dead 1, 2, Army of Darkness, Spider-man movies and how could we forget Darkman.
Current VG Project: Unknown
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Sam Fisher: Man of the Year
Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher is easily one of the greatest characters the medium has ever had. He has brought a depth and realism to gaming, and has helped bridge the gap between the real world and the game world.
In Double Agent the writing has finally caught up to the character. Hopefully some of the half-asses wiritng storylines and characters for other games will play Double Agent and step things up throughout gaming. Like F.E.A.R. for instance, toilet paper characters, flea market dialog, and a story that can't hold a drop of water. When will game companies realize the story is the most important part of the experience and the fastest way to mass appeal.
In Double Agent the writing has finally caught up to the character. Hopefully some of the half-asses wiritng storylines and characters for other games will play Double Agent and step things up throughout gaming. Like F.E.A.R. for instance, toilet paper characters, flea market dialog, and a story that can't hold a drop of water. When will game companies realize the story is the most important part of the experience and the fastest way to mass appeal.
The Console Whores
Let me start by saying, I hold no allegiance to any company or product. My purchases are based solely on research and value.
In hunting for the right console during these console wars, I've stumbled across a ton of anti-Sony sentiment. The material coming mainly from sites that claim to be journalistic and opinion pieces that are based in some fantasy world where the PS3 doesn't beat the DVD doors off the Wii and XBOX 360 in potential and value.
It's really sad to see such immaturity in the reporting for an industry with such potential. The Gaming industry is held back by the foot soldiers representing it, the reporters, reviewers, store clerks, and so on.
As far as the PS3 console goes, it truly is the best value of the three.
Consider the Wii's lack of system power, Nintendo will most likely replace the Wii within a few years. At $200-250, there is a total expenditure of $4-500 for old technology with limited capabilities.
XBOX 360, now this is a powerful console, a powerful console that was rushed to market. Remember when the XBOX 360 was to include, TiVO, HD-DVD, HDD, 802.11G, etc., etc. Now they are all peripherals ranging anywhere from $40-$200 a piece. Doesn't anyone realize that puts the cost of an XBOX 360 well over that of a PS3, therefore making the PS3 a better value? And XBOX Live is a pay per month service, need I continue?
PS3 includes all the next-gen gaming must-haves and offers its online service for free. Making it a value well beyond its price tag.
Let's grow up and quit with the biased reporting, it's childish and petty. No wonder this industry isn't taken seriously, when it's eyes and ears are those of a bunch of twenty or thirty-something children.
In hunting for the right console during these console wars, I've stumbled across a ton of anti-Sony sentiment. The material coming mainly from sites that claim to be journalistic and opinion pieces that are based in some fantasy world where the PS3 doesn't beat the DVD doors off the Wii and XBOX 360 in potential and value.
It's really sad to see such immaturity in the reporting for an industry with such potential. The Gaming industry is held back by the foot soldiers representing it, the reporters, reviewers, store clerks, and so on.
As far as the PS3 console goes, it truly is the best value of the three.
Consider the Wii's lack of system power, Nintendo will most likely replace the Wii within a few years. At $200-250, there is a total expenditure of $4-500 for old technology with limited capabilities.
XBOX 360, now this is a powerful console, a powerful console that was rushed to market. Remember when the XBOX 360 was to include, TiVO, HD-DVD, HDD, 802.11G, etc., etc. Now they are all peripherals ranging anywhere from $40-$200 a piece. Doesn't anyone realize that puts the cost of an XBOX 360 well over that of a PS3, therefore making the PS3 a better value? And XBOX Live is a pay per month service, need I continue?
PS3 includes all the next-gen gaming must-haves and offers its online service for free. Making it a value well beyond its price tag.
Let's grow up and quit with the biased reporting, it's childish and petty. No wonder this industry isn't taken seriously, when it's eyes and ears are those of a bunch of twenty or thirty-something children.
Welcome
My names Marcus Darpino. I started this site to offer my opinion on the latest gadgets, movies, video games, music and anything else I find interesting. Please don't hesitate to request a review or ask me any questions. I plan on updating this site often so feel free to check back.
Sincerely,
Management
Sincerely,
Management
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