The last of 2007’s fourth quarter blockbusters has landed. Like Assassin’s Creed, BioWare’s Mass Effect was a flawed game filled with promise and intrigue. Mass Effect 2 is a realization of the many ideas put forth in the original, but it is also a sequel which made some of the most dramatic changes from one installment to another. Many of the changes moved the franchise forward. Some were more lateral while a small handful felt like complete degradations. The end result, however, was the most satisfying science fiction experience I’ve ever had.
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I did not find Assassin’s Creed to be the ideal first step for the franchise. With it, and the subsequent release of Far Cry 2, I was weary with how Ubisoft Montreal developed their open world games. Their games had solid core mechanics, but were far too repetitive and stale after the first three hours.
With that notion, I wasn’t going to give Assassin’s Creed II the time of day. But when I heard the assurances that it was an improvement over its predecessor, how could I resist? Especially when I could nab a copy for a mere $29.99. Low risk, high praise. This was going to be an awesome deal or another year where Ubisoft wastes my time.
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Simulation racers were not my cup of tea for quite some time. I’ve tried playing Gran Turismo 4 and Forza Motorsport 2, but dismissed them shortly afterwards. I’ve also tried the Project Gotham Racing series which skewed more towards the arcade style racer. I’m more of a Need For Speed fan, I guess. Need for Speed: Most Wanted was the last racer I finished which featured licensed cars. And why is that? Why can I race in Phantom speed class in a Wipeout HD, but can’t find the heart to tackle the Nurburgring in a McLaren SLR in Gran Turismo? The answer is simple; I hate wasting time.
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I never intended to pick up Halo 3: ODST primarily because I was “Halo’ed” out after Halo 3’s campaign I didn’t want to see or hear the Master Chief again. I wanted no more Cortana and no more of the Flood either. I guess Bungie felt the same way by the looks of ODST. With this installment, Bungie took the successful Halo 3 formula and remixed it for another adventure. This prequel to 2007’s multi-million seller may feature a shorter campaign and questionable pricing, but I liked it. You could say that I liked it more than Halo 3 itself.
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Super Metroid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Flashback, Bionic Commando and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. If these games got together and had a baby it would look like Shadow Complex. Chair Entertainment’s second Xbox Live! Arcade outing was, in a single word: amazing. Even though I’ve already collected every single item and uncovered all, but one percentile of the world map, I still want to play more it. It’s one of the few games which left me wanting more and for many good reasons.
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LTTP or ‘late to the party’ pieces are opportunities for us to catch up and write about games we missed out on the first time around. They may contain spoilers.
Tackling a lengthy role playing game with a flaky disc drive is not a good idea. This was why it took so long for me to play Sakaguchi’s Final Fantasy equivalent for Microsoft. I wish I could have shaken off the Final Fantasy comparisons though. Was it my fault for seeing them? Or was it Mistwalker’s and Feelplus’ for dressing this game with such familiar garbs?
I lay the “blame” with the developers, but not because of appearances. Aside from a few special affects and menu similarities, Lost Odyssey established its own visual identity with some of the most peculiar designs decisions I’ve ever seen. There were soldiers with giant looped helmets, guys wearing armor with exposed mid-drifts and the ability to dress said guys with the most effeminate accessories possible. Still, I liked the designs of the core party members themselves; I’m particularly fond of Seth and Sed’s.
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Crytek’s Far Cry for the PC was quite the first person shooter for its time. A giant tropical island backdrop for Jack Carver and his adventure against mercenaries and conspiracy was a refreshing experience compared to the rest of the shooter pack. Far Cry 2 doesn’t star Jack. In fact, it wasn’t even developed by Crytek who went onto create the incredibly gorgeous Crysis. Far Cry 2 is its own game and only shares its namesake and the open world concept with its predecessor. Well, how did I like it? For better (and worse), Far Cry 2’s construction reminded me of their 2007 title, Assassin’s Creed. Now that I’ve got you scratching your head with intrigue, allow me to elaborate.
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