K, who do I have to do to get a weapon upgrade?
Well, we have been back from Seattle a bit over a week now and I still haven’t completly landed. It was a great time up there, sure beats Texas weather, but I think we win on alcohol because we brew Shiner beer! And Shiner is one of many, many cool things that come from the Longhorn state. So since I’m talking about things I like, I’d like to talk about some of the highlights of the trip for me. These are totally one sided but that’s what makes them kick ass. Yes, crutch in the ass. Take it.
My top 5 Games at PAX09:
1. Mass Effect 2 by BioWare – This title is fantastic. The graphics and re-skins look even better than its predecessor. The addition of the heavier weapons is a nice boost to your arsenal. The look and feel is dark, very ‘Blade Runner’-esque. It appears there is still a lot of dialogue going on so if that was didn’t catch your fancy before, then maybe skip this one again. I’m not all about tons of lines of boring stuff but the story was great in ME 1 and we want to know what happens to our Shepard now. So let’s go and ruffle some feathers, maybe we get another sexy alien scene, who knows? I’m down.
Star Trek Online - it's whats chillin for dinner!
2. Star Trek Online by Atari – I’m a straight up pre-NGE Star Wars Galaxies fan and that’s what this Star Trek MMO reminded me of. The look of it may heat up your graphics card a bit but if you can run this baby (even on low res settings), I’m sure you will lose a large chunk of your life to it. It’s a hard choice choosing between Star Wars and the Trek but, considering what we have to work with in Sci-Fi MMO’s, I really want to give this one a go. You can combat on your ship (and with your ship), land on planets, team up with other players in co-op play (as with all MMO’s), pretty much all you expect in an online massive multiplayer. Play as a Klingon or other alien species, all in a very polished interface. Now I really couldn’t dig into an MMO in a 20 minute demo but this game is going to pack a solid punch. Sci-Fi nerds will play because of what it is and how it will immerse us in the Trek-Verse. The character design at the beginning is awesome. The screens literally gave me chills.
Brink - My outfit looks way tuffer than yours...Puss.
3. Brink by Bethesda – Guns. Chiseled tough guy soldiers. FPS. And more GUNS. Oh, plus some role-playing levelin’ up action. Bethesda really put on a spectacular demo for this game. Just their presentation had their booth filled and others standing watching from the back. I am such a sucker for stylized art and in depth character creation. And Brink has both. You can take on the role of a freedom fighter archetype or police riot trooper bad ass. Both with a varied assortment of weapons. With several types of classes available on both sides of the law, this game looks tough. You can co-op play online with friends through the missions and actually switch classes during gameplay via a command terminal (depending on what type of carnage the mission requires). My favorite is the unlockables. The outfits and customizing features change as you progress through the game. So online, you won’t look like every other mercenary mofo out there. Individuality and creativity are awesome in this game plus being a first person shooter/co-op make this a unique experience indeed.
Dungeon Fighter Online - Screw casting, I'm shooting!
4. Dungeon Fighter Online by Nexon – Arcade. Say it with me, arcade side scroller. Old skool. But let’s add a twist to it, RPG leveling system. You mean I can level up, walk away, come back and my character is still the same level and I can join in some dungeon pillaging with my friends? Yes. Several classes are available from summoner to brawler to priest, to specialty classes that open up as you progress through the game. Tough as iron this game looks and the system requirements look pretty sweet, too. During my demo they said any average laptop will run it fine. Up to four players online can rock this title out (co-op, player vs. player, and all out battle modes) with new dungeons being added, of course, after launch. Oh, and guess what? It’s free to play. Snap!
LNOE - Zombies, Prom Queens, Explosives. Nuff Said.
5. Last Night on Earth by Flying Frog – Did I say they all had to be video games? Well, Last Night on Earth is one helluva board game. Heroes vs Zombies bash it out or really try and outdo one another in this superbly done horror movie styled game. I demoed this game last year, and with the several new expansions that have been released since then, it makes a great way to spend your eve, Xmas or Halloween! Each unique character has its own perks and neat abilities. Whether it’s the Priest faith being able to cancel out a zombie’s effect cards or the Prom Queen’s hiding from all the action while the male characters around her gain pluses to their attack rolls (we all love that). Whatever your role is (ha roll, like dice), there is something for you in this game with cards, awesome sculpted pieces, the ever changing game board and multiple add-ons and game variations. Even being the zombies is great because there is pleasure in foiling the escape plans of the heroes and finishing the night off with a bucket of brains right? Yup.
So there you have it, I really could not go into the depth of what all these titles can offer, it’s just quick blast of my time in Seattle, and with all the alcohol we consumed during the trip (thank you Dead Space Extinction party, Eve Online and Hudson Soft for all the food and drinks we could down), I needed to write them down while I still remembered them.
Anyhow,
Crutchboy – Out
