Vault Over This!

So, last time I wrote one of these, I promised that I would have something next week. It's pretty obvious by now that I didn't deliver. Well, I've been busy, and you'll just have to get over it. Don't hate the player, hate the game, baby.

Moving on.

As a gamer, I like not having to pay a ton of money for games. I have a three-way (huh huh) approach to avoiding paying more than I have to, and I'll go into a little detail here.

1. GameFly. It may sound like a shameless plug, but there is no better way to save money on gaming than renting online. This is the primary reason I get to play so many games (and wind up playing the occasional stinker). Less than half the price of one new game a month.
2. Buying Used. Games that I don't absolutely love, or came to love through #1 are so much better when they're cheap(er). In general, I don't do Gamestop. I prefer to buy from individuals when I can, they get more and I pay less.
3. Careful Choices. When I do pay full price for a game, a lot has gone into that decision. Checking advance reviews, playing the demo if one is available, or taking recommendations from like minded friends. Usually new entries in a well loved franchise are safe bets, but not always (see Devil May Cry 2). Examples this year include God of War III, Mass Effect 3, and this little number right here:

My Borderlands Stats 

• Platform: 360
• Release Date: 11/27/09 (2 months Behind, or at least I was when I started playing)
• Playthroughs: 3+ @ 120 hours
• Achievements: 1500/1750
• I compare it to: WoW with guns
• Play it again?: Depends on what you're doing tomorrow.

Last year, I played Fallout 3 from January all the way to November. No matter how good a game is, that type of longevity is rare for me, and when I find a game the has that type of staying power, it's pretty easy for me to justify dropping $60 on it. Such was the case with Borderlands. It came highly recommended to me by some friends of mine (you know who you are) and I decided to give it a try.

Something you should know about me: I don't like World of Warcraft. I just don't. Now, this isn't because it's a bad game, not at all. It's actually a great game. However, the time investment involved is just ridiculous, (back when I played, it took something like 600 hours for me to level one character to 60, which was the cap back then) especially compared to console games. 

So, with that said, the most surprising thing about Borderlands to me was that I eventually found that it resembled nothing so much as a miniature, less populated World of Warcraft. The quest structure and loot absolutely has its root in Blizzard's criminally addictive MMO, but has something that WoW will never have, a pause button! In fact, Borderlands has a lot of things that I liked about WoW, such as new gear drops, an open quest structure, and RP character progression; and few if any of the things I didn't (massive required time investment, restrictive end-game content). 

Even apart from that, Borderlands definitely stands on its own merits as a great game. It's a very tight shooter (especially when you get the awesome end-game guns), and is a ton of fun to just pick up and play, especially with friends. The art style of the world and characters is unique as well, and along with it's awesomely sardonic sense of humor sets it apart from other entries in the genre.

I usually don't blog about a game until I finish it, sometimes a month or more after (hey, the blog is called A Step Behind after all) the fact, and I still have one DLC pack to play through. However, since it's been over a year since I got it, I figured I should write it up now. If you haven't played it, do so before the sequel comes out.

My Aliens Vs. Predator Stats

• Platform: 360 
• Release Date: 2/16/10 (6 months behind!)
• Playthroughs: 1 @ 10 hours
• Achievements:  525/1000 
• I compare it to: The first two, not as fun, but with fatalities!
• Play it again?: No, fun gave way to frustration

 It's easy to be a fan of some franchises. With consistent quality and better delivery with each iteration, it's no wonder they invariably develop a rabid, dedicated fan base. Alien Vs. Predator is not one of these. The PC games of 1999 and 2001 were engaging, well crafted, and a blast to play. However, the movies of 2004 and 2007 were forgettable at best, and franchise killing trainwrecks at worst. Lifelong Aliens and Predator fans like myself have had a rough go of it the last few years. I haven't seen Predators yet, but if  2010's Aliens vs. Predator is any indication, it doesn't appear that this trend is coming to an end anytime soon.

AvP takes the expected graphical steps into this generation, but it seems the gameplay has actually taken steps backward from 2001's AvP2.  On the other hand, maybe I've become spoiled with all of the excellent narrative based FPS's of this generation. AvP actually has a decent story, it takes place in the future Aliens timeframe (which is the setting I like best), and incorporates some of the newer concepts from the AvP movies. All in all, it's serviceable. Each of the three campaigns (Alien, Predator, and marine) are part of the same story arc, and occasionally intersect, much like the two earlier PC games. However, it just doesn't reach the same peaks as those games do, and occasionally wanders into the domain of the farfetched. (Yes, I know its a game about humans battling two species of terrifying alien monsters, but still.....)

The one standout that AvP has to its name are trophy kills. These awesomely gory finishers capture the spirit of the old school Alien and Predator that nothing in the last 9 years has been able to. Sneaking up behind an unsuspecting enemy and ripping their head off, or giving them tender little headbite was easily the highlight of this otherwise lackluster game.

I broke one of my rules with AvP and gave multiplayer a shot. This I chalk up to the old days of the PC game, which was one of my very first online multiplayer experiences. As expected, this one didn't live up to the great times I had back then, but that was mostly because when I got on, only 10 people were still playing it. >(  Another victim of the Multiplayer Effect.

I only recommend Aliens Vs. Predator if you're a diehard masochist, er, fan of the franchise. It's not as hard as sitting through the AvP movies or Alien: Resurrection, but it's still not Aliens, or even Alien 3. Keep the facehugging faith, my brothers, things will get better, eventually....(Prometheus, Prometheus........)

Mega HD Replay!

Metal Gear Solid 4 

• Platform:PS3
• Release Date 6/12/08 (Not Behind!)
• Trophies: None! Still! Damn You Kojima!
• Playthroughs: 6 to date
• I compare it to: Everything I've ever wanted from Metal Gear
• Play it again? When we get trophies!

Metal Gear Solid is one of gaming's most enduring, most endearing, but possibly least accessible franchises. Case in point, my darling wife's reaction to my attempt to sum up the story so far: "What? That sounds stupid!" Yeah, it's a male soap opera, but I still love it.

And Metal Gear Solid 4 is pure, pure fan service. It's wraps up the story of one of my very favorite video game protagonists with a nice neat bow, bringing back some of my favorite players from the whole series, and giving me the chance to do something I've always wanted to do in a Metal Gear game. (REX vs. RAY FTW!) And, even better, it stands on its own as an awesome game. If you're a MGS fan and you haven't played this, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU???? If you're not, it's still a solid game, but prepare to be confused, especially because this game has over 6 hours of cutscenes.

Oh, and it's gorgeous in HD.

That's this year's blog post, enjoy! Alright, alright, I'll try to post one next week. But no promises!