Platinum Helghast

During busy work weeks I can't find the energy to play complicated mind challenging games. In those cases I need some mindless shooter fun. In this case I chose Killzone 3. I still had some trophies left to collect, so last week I've been collecting the last of them. The longest one to collect were the coop trophies. I didn't have any friends to play the coop with, so I braved it alone with two controllers. Luckily I could leave my partner standing in the back and still advance like if I was alone. During this fight I even got the 1500 Helghast kills as a bonus, so I didn't have to do that one separately. The hardest one still to collect was the 5 WASP kill trophy. First I tried it in the wrong spot with no luck, but after finding the location with the dropship I got it on the third try.

This left me with two more trophies to collect. The Multiplayer Jetpack kill and the platinum trophy. Getting the first trophy will automatically unlock the second one. One thing I don't like to use in Killzone is the Jetpack, somehow i always fumble with the controls. I feel more like a clay pigeon used for target practice when flying, instead of a deadly F16 wrecking havoc on the enemy. After playing a few multiplayer games I was finally dropped into the Turbine Concourse, one of the Jetpack maps. Luckily for me nobody on my team was using the jetpack, so I had direct acces after respawning. After fumbling myself myself into the air, I could finally try shooting some Helghast. Only to find out that I was wounding Helghast and my colleagues making the kill shot. Winners don't give up and I finally saw the words 150 points coming my way. The only thing to do now was get rid of the Jetpack and wait for the two pop-ups. Ping ... Ping ... Platinum Trophy number 3 in the pocket.

[Title]

Due to some imbeciles in this world the PSN is down. So there is no change for me to fight in the Vietnam war or on Helghan. Instead of complaining a lot on various forums I went to take a look at the stack of games in the corner. The gamer with no time I am, this stack is ever growing. Lately I heard some positive comments about one of the games that was almost at the bottom, namely [Prototype]. It's a nice change to play something in third person instead of playing in first person. In the begin of the game the controls feel really clumsy and I wouldn't think it would be a wonderful game. But after a few missions you receive some nice upgrades and you're flying over the roofs of the city in no time. Gradually you become stronger and the web of intrigue begins to feel and you're really emerged into the story. With the varying gameplay using normal weapons, vehicles and shape shifting abilities, it's a good way to keep playing offline. Hell, even if the PSN comes back online, I'll still be playing [Prototype] to get to the end of the story.

Vietnam is a classic

In February Dice finally had their stat update issues under control and I got into playing BFBC2 again. Off course the thing to play at that moment was the Vietnam DLC. After losing some quality online game time I could finally get my game on in Vietnam. And it was a blast. It took some time to get to know the weapons and the maps, but with the experience from the original it didn't take long. Due to high quality of the game you won't be missing the scopes and high-tec equipment. It makes the game even more intens. Playing the Vietnam DLC it became clear it really is worth the money. This package is an instant classic. New maps and new goals andnew weapons equals new fun. Too bad they didn't have a good start, then I would have played it many hours more, but our national shooter was released in February, so my attention shifted. But by the end of the year I will absolutely return for the third Battlefield.

Vietnam is a failure

The first few games in the new Bad Company 2 downloadable content Vietnam were great. But then came the problems with the stat updates. Levels are reset to 1, all unlockables, and awards disappear. The cause of this is that the game can't get this information from the server. This is not a real big problem because eventually these values will return when a succesful update has been done. The main problem is that your skill level goes to zero. This causes the games to be unbalanced, because players with completely different skill levels get thrown into the game with you. Nine out of ten times one of the two forces is way overpowered. Altough Dice claims no stats are lost when playing at level 1 I experencied differently. I've got some stars on weapons that are not registered. For me this killed all the fun, so I decided to put Vietnam aside and play a game from the big stack of games I still haven't played.

Rush to Conquest

Two multiplayer modes are too few? Definitely not. The Battlefield Bad Company series had 2 standard multiplayer modes. The rush mode where you are attacking or defending 2 objects and if they attackes blow up 2 objectives two new once further in the map become the new targets. This goes on until all targets are blown or all attackers are wasted. The conquest mode you are attacking and defending flags, the team holding the most flags under control will get points. The first team to reach the score limit wins. These two modes are entertaining enough to play online every day and not be bored.

Recently I've been playing Medal of Honor online, which has 5 basic multiplayer modes. To earn trophies you have to play these multiplayer modes for four hours to earn a trophy. It's a good way to get players to experience different modes. I've earned the multiplayer training trophy on all modes and realised that the Combat Mission, Objective Raid and Sector Control are the modes that I've found most fun too play. If you look more closely at these modes you can see the similarity with Battlefield: Bad Company. The Combat Mission and Objective Raid modes are the same as the Rush mode and that the Sector Control mode is the same as the Conquest mode. So two multiplayer modes is enough.

Only two multiplayer modes alos has a disadvantage. The chances of playing the same map again and again are far greather then with more modes. More modes will let you play the same map in different ways. This can easily be solved by adding extra downloadable content to extend the number of maps you can play. That's the reason I dropped the Medal of Honor multiplayer and switched back to BF: BC2. Lately there have been new map packs for BC2 that will keep me entertained way into 2011. First off all Map Pack 7 with 2 golden oldies from BC1 (Oasis!) and the new expension coming tomorrow. So see you in Vietnam.

Make Rubi Wet

Why do I want to keep Rubi wet? Because it's a great game too lose stress and it has great over the top fun. After finishing the game I've put it aside to play other games in need of playing, but last week after working a lot of stressful hour to meet a deadline, I needed a game with which I didn't need to use my brains. So i picked up Wet to just shoot some bad guys. After the first ten bodies I was hooked to the game again and kept playing it over and over again until now. This game has earned it's place on my top games list. The 'grindhouse' visuals, rock 'n' roll music and over the top shooting and jumping action make it a game with a really good mix of playable fun. Too bad it wasn't received that well by the critics, it deserved more. Why are better graphics always prefered above playability. I rather play Wet for days, than a visually stunning 5-hour FPS single player. I can't wait for 'Wet Again' or a similar style game. Until then I'll keep playing Wet or replay the Total Overdose PS2 classic or Chili Con Carnage PSP classic.

Castlevania reaches beyond shadows

Just now I've finished the Castlevania: Lord of the Shadow Demo. The first thing I found strange was to explicitly accept the 'work in progress' message. Normally it is just a notice to which you don't pay any attention. As I did until I started the demo. Then it came to mind, why did they need a notice. The games demo has really great graphics and is an experience, which got me thinking, why did I need to explicitally accept it as still work in progress? It is the best looking action adventure games made until this day. It looks better than Bayonetta (we all now why) and Dante's Inferno, so why do the developers think it doesn't have enough quality? One other thing I noticed is that the influence of Dante's La Divina Commedia can also be seen in this game. It's also about pursuing a dead loved one. But this time it is not in hell, which isn't a bad thing, but in a more worldly situation with the classic mythlogical creatures. Hope I get a change to play the full game.

Battlefield Battle Brawler

Bad Company is back in action with it's second installment. Personaly I find it the best online shooter out there. I have been playing it for the last couple of weeks and it's pretty addictive. It's the first shooter I've seen that has pretty good balanced gameplay. The four different classes really add up. Before BC2 came out I tried three of last years shooters; Bad Company, Killzone 2 and Resistance 2 and of those three BC came out on top. After playing all three, BC was the one I wanted to play because of the skill match of the players in a game. Both Killzone 2 and Resistance 2 have the problem that the balance between can be off completely and you get stuck when the opposite team start spawn camping. On the old and the new Bad Company that rarely occurs. And because of it's supperior player matching that teams are quite well balanced. So you don't have to be an elite player to have an exciting thrilling match. Almost all games can go either side. I can't wait to enter the arena again and help my squad to it's next victory and getting myself closer to level 50.

Murderous Toad

Last week the third episode from the Blue Toad Murder Files came out. A good reason to brush up on my murder solving skills. BTMF is a whodunnit puzzle game where you are part of the Blue Toad Detective Agency and you help solve crimes in a town called Little Riddle. The whole story is told by a narrator and along the way you need to solve some puzzles and anwser questions to gain clues to the person who commited the crime. All the characters in the town have distinct characteristics which make them fun to watch. Also the animations and the sounds, including the voices of the characters make it a real fun game. It gives you a real old style whodunnit feel. The game is designed to be multiplayer, which should make it enjoyable for everyone in the room. One minor thing to point out is the pricing of 8 Euro's for an episode, which will end up almost like a normal game, but you won't notice it because you pay it separated over six epsiodes. Being a game that doesn't have much replay value this can be a bit much, because the puzzles and the outcome stay the same. Then again, the special offer for episodes 1 and 2 and the free third episode make it a better deal. I really enjoyed the game so far and can't wait for the next three episodes.

Brotherhood of Master Assassins

Another Master Asassin is now part of the Brotherhood. Tonight I finished the game and obtained my second Platinum trophy. The last few weeks I've been walking and climbing around the beautiful world of Italy in Asassin's Creed 2. Racing around rooftops, finding treasure, beating up people and off course assassinating a few targets. There is always something todo or something to find in and around the cities. There are enough story and side missions to finish to keep you occupied. Just going to the next mission will make you stray from your path when you see a treasure you just need to pick up. It's a game everyone can play, it's really easy to move and climb around the city. In no time you are on top of the highest tower in Florence and diving down. The game is easier than the first Assassin's Creed game, which makes it possible for everybody to finish it. ACII is a must have game for everyone. Requiescat In Pace.