@GameDealsCanada Round Up – 2010-09-02

No_Style — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:55:00 +0000

Wager Mode itself makes BlackOps worth looking at (at the very least) – http://youtu.be/kg_8mPoloBo #
There's only 1 thing left in BlackOps that could potentially spoil it for me: stupid killstreaks. #
I was reminded by the fact that killstreak kills don't contribute to other killstreaks. Damn awesome, Treyarch. #
Butts Arrested in Boob Murder Case – http://wearecentralpa.com/wtaj-news-fulltext/?nxd_id=203465 #
Lil' Wayne and The Office Theme – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_2xAhvtiqQ – Silliness abound #
Metroid Other M is here. Will play this weekend. #
URL shorteners weep – http://bit.ly/bq4TSN #

So that ‘Black Ops’ Game Sounds Promising

No_Style — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:04:59 +0000

First, I suggest you watch this little video:

Less is More

On the surface, Call of Duty: Black Ops doesn’t seem that different from last year’s Modern Warfare 2. I don’t blame you, because I felt the same way. But after last night’s events and all the tidbits came pouring out, I was beginning to see what’s making Black Ops worth a damn.

First, let’s take a look at the perks list (modified from Kotaku):

Tier 1
Lightweight – Move Faster (Pro)
Scavenger – Pick up ammo from fallen enemies. Replenish lethal grenades. (Pro)
Ghost – Undetectable by the Spy Plane and the Blackbird.
Flak Jacket – Reduces explosive damage.
Hardline – Killstreaks require 1 less kill.

Tier 2
Hardened – Bullets penetrate better.
Scout – Hold breath longer.
Steady Aim – Increased hip-fire accuracy.
Sleight of Hand – Faster reloads.
Warlord – Equip two attachments to your primary weapon.

Tier 3
Marathon – Longer sprint.
Ninja – Silent movement.
Second Chance – Pull out your pistol before dying.
Hacker – Ability to detect enemy equipment and explosives.
Tactical Mask – Reduces the effect of flash and concussion grenades.

You’ll notice a few things are different; most notably the absence of “Commando“, “One Man Army“, “Stopping Power” and “Juggernaut“. The first two were the foundation of exploitation and abuse while the latter two were known to stagnate the meta game. A lot of people relied heavily on Stopping Power or Juggernaut — I’m guilty of the former. Hopefully this change will shake things up a bit.

I still think Marathon should be a Tier 1 perk alongside Lightweight, but at least it’s not unlimited sprinting like it was in Modern Warfare 2.

Next, take a look at the killstreaks (modified from Kotaku):

Killstreaks

3 – Spy Plane

3 – RC-XD (remote controlled RC car with a bomb)

4 – Counter Spy Plane

4 – SAM Turret

5 – Care Package

5 – Napalm Strike

6 – Sentry Gun

6 – Mortar Team

7 – Attack Helicopter

7 – Valkyrie Rockets

8 – Blackbird

8 – Rolling Thunder

9 – Chopper Gunner

11 – Attack Dogs

11 – Gunship

First thing to note: kills from killstreak rewards do not contribute to your killstreak. So if you want to summon that pack of attack dogs, you need to obtain 11 kills in a row with your own arsenal. So in theory, this game should be toned down significantly — even less chaotic than COD4 since that game allowed you to use killstreaks to build another killstreak in your next life.

More is More

Some of the Black Ops features include:

Theater mode for saved replay editing
Offline multiplayer with bots
Wager Matches

Wager Matches? Quite possibly the #1 reason for me to pick up Black Ops.

Gun Game is in Black Ops. I loved Gun Game in CounterStrike: Source and seeing it in Black Ops made me more excited than I should have been. I hope there’s a way to play that mode exclusively on consoles. I also hope that you’ll be able to do reverse order. (Start with top weapon and work your way down to the knife)

Other Noteworthy Tidbits

Shotguns are back as primary weapons which will hopefully allow people to use anti-air launchers more
You can customize a lot of things in Black Ops including your gun’s decal and reticle
There’s are a number of interesting equipment choices available including a camera which replaces your radar, but allows you to monitor an area until somebody takes it out
There’s a new unlock system which involves COD Points. I believe this means you no longer have to grind X amount of kills to obtain certain attachments/equipment/weapons; you can just buy it if you have enough CoD Points.

My Take Thus Far

Black Ops looks very promising. It looks like Treyarch looked at what made Modern Warfare 2 tick and absorbed those traits while discarding what made it a bitch to play. They’ve learned and I’ve learned from Modern Warfare 2′s mistakes and thus I’m not looking for “bad ass” additions; I’m looking for carefully thought out decisions and I’m seeing a lot more of those decisions than I was expecting.

Will I pick it up? Yes, because my brother is already forking out the money for my copy. We’ll be picking it up for PS3. Hopefully, I’ll play it for more than three months. I doubt it’ll break my Bad Company 2 playtime, but you never know.

@GameDealsCanada Round Up – 2010-09-01

No_Style — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:55:00 +0000

My thoughts on the Vanquish PS3 demo – http://bit.ly/9TqCk1 #
RT @ConanOBrien: I announced the name of my show today right here: http://bit.ly/cc3jhU #
There was a MW2 Gun Game mod for 360?! – http://youtu.be/oapK3gDMZSo – Rumor is that BlackOps might feature Gun Game! Plz be true! #
A/C repaired. Capacitor was replaced. #
Bubbling? – http://bit.ly/bBRy1v #
I had no idea Rick Astley made a new song – http://youtu.be/rgUrqGFxV3Q – Not bad if I'm honest. Not a classic meme… yet? #
Another new Rick Astley song. Goodbye, but not the end – http://youtu.be/EiE__eaOpIA – I like this one better #
I don't know where this is from, but I am very amused – http://bit.ly/cFtcja #

PSGroove – Open Source PSJailbreak

No_Style — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:58:59 +0000

Look what we have here. An open source version of that PSJailbreak hack is now available. All you need is a compatible programmable USB microcontroller, a bit of know-how and you’re on your way to enabling unsigned code to run on your PlayStation 3 — all without coughing up $130+

The folks who released this open source version of the hack disabled the ability to play backups, but people have already re-enabled it. However, on the plus side, it looks like the dongle requirement was arbitrary and a pathetic attempt to extract more money from people with multiple PS3s.

If you don’t want to buy a USB microcontroller, according mathieulh (well known PSP hacker) there is a possibility of a PSP version of this hack.

So what’s my opinion on all of this? It’s still too early. First of all, since there hasn’t been any worthwhile homebrew applications released yet, there’s no compelling reason to jump on board yet. In addition, we don’t know how Sony will respond to this. Will they be able to plug it? Will I be instantly banned from PSN? Still too early to tell.

Also, I’m not sure who to feel sorry for with this one. Sony? The original PSJailbreak hackers? Or maybe all those retailers which bought all those overpriced PSJailbreak dongles?

@GameDealsCanada Round Up – 2010-08-31

No_Style — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:55:00 +0000

The difference between PC demo threads and console demo threads on GAF is startling. #
It's time for another installment of Good Idea/Bad Idea in Gaming – http://bit.ly/d6CSWc #

Vanquish PS3 Demo Impressions

No_Style — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:01:46 +0000

Update: It actually has 2x AA.

I want more Vanquish. That 711 MB PS3 demo wasn’t enough! I haven’t felt this bad ass since the original Max Payne. Vanquish is slick, stylish and a reminder that there’s more to shooters than an M16A2 burst to the head.

Platinum Games knows its audience and the options menu is a testament to that. An option for improving the visibility of text on standard definition TV’s? No problem. An option to use L1/R1 for shooting? Of course. It runs well on PlayStation 3 hardware? Absolutely.

It doesn’t looks like it features 2X anti-aliasing and it is a bit blurry (possibly running 1024×720 as well?), but it’s fine because I’m too busy sliding on my knees and unloading bullets into the the face of robots. The slow motion slide reminded me of the diving bullet time shooting of Max Payne. It’s a very uncommon perspective and sensation.

The voice acting is solid and — I want to say — deliberately cheesy. The techno ramble fits and it somehow helps sell that awesome high tech armor the main character, Gideon, is wearing. I love watching that suit transform and morph; it’s quite possibly the neatest looking suit of armor I’ve ever seen in a game.

I died once in the demo. It was during the boss battle. I don’t know why, but I feel that this game should have a jump function. It seems weird to see Gideon sliding with rocket propulsion and not be able to jump. I also felt sliding with L2 and holding L1 for the slow motion while pressing R1 to shoot was pushing the limits of controller comfort. I’m sure I’ll get used to both those quirks, but it’s still worth noting.

Nitpicks aside, I’m sold on Vanquish. It runs well, looks good and it’s a barrage of fun. Looking forward to October 19, 2010!

For more information on Vanquish, visit the official website.

Good Idea/Bad Idea in Gaming #006

No_Style — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:09:53 +0000

It’s time for another installment of…

Good idea:

Introducing improvements to the Xbox 360 controller’s directional pad.

Bad idea:

Making it available exclusively with a Play & Charge kit bundle for $64.99 MSRP.

The end.

@GameDealsCanada Round Up – 2010-09-02

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