It's been seven (three) long years (months) since I last wrote in you. The webpages are beginning to wrinkle and turn yellow. I's so sorry!
To all of the me reading this, I'm writing over at The Wiire (www.thewiire.com) now. Since it's the tits, go look at things that we do there. The programming is top notch, the writing is excalibur, and the food is(n't) free!
So what has been going on? I'm reviewing 4 games, and about 6 different accessories as the moment. And since I'm not a paid writer yet (pay me!) then I'm only bringing home the bacon after I sell some goods.
So here's some of what I've been enjoying (sometimes painfully) for your (the reader) sake:
- Tomb Raider: Underworld - This is actually fun. The Wii version is pretty, and the controls work fairly well. But it comes with a few issues, too. It glitches out occassionally, to the point that the game froze, blaring a single note. I had to manually turn off the Wii and play the entire first level all over again. And then it began glitching on a cut-scene, which I had to skip. I found a few fake walls, and was able to pass through them, although they were'nt "essential" by any means. Sometimes Lara has stubborn control, but it seems like that is the point of the game, in being precise. Overall, a good game so far. The DS version is pretty good as well, you just have to get used to the side-scrolling aspects. The development team did a pretty good job of making it look good as a portable version. The full Wii review will be posted at The Wiire soon enough.
- Sonic Unleashed - This is like two games in one: a good one, and a not-so-good one. The daytime stages control pretty well, and are actually fairly fun to play. In the nighttime stages, where Sonic becomes a Werehog (dumbest f'n name EVER), the game slows down, and becomes a platformer/beat em' up. SEGA breaks beat em' up rule #1 here, nearly everything is motion control. The nighttime controls are god-awful. If possible, I would love to smack the team that decided this upside the head. GAMERS DON'T LIKE THIS. If you want to make a beat em' up, SEGA, here are some tips: A) Don't do waggle. Just button presses. They are more precise, and keeps the gameplay quick. Plus, it better allows for combos. Look at the combat system in No More Heroes for inspiration. B) Create a new IP. Quit spinning off of Sonic. You are a smart group of people. But all gamers want to see in Sonic are the classic, fast-paced platform action we saw on the Genesis. And if you decide to spin-off him anyways, use Knuckles or something. A new Chaotix game would be great.
- Line Rider 2: Unbound - Not much to say, but this is a good game. The controls are excellent, and the in-game menus are fantastic. The puzzles work well, but there isn't that much incentive to play through them all. The online is trash, though. You have to register at the Line Rider site, and are not allowed to use clipart from an SD card, or uploaded from your computer. You have to create it within the game. And that would be fine, but there isn't a dedicated clipart-maker within the game, you have to use your line tools to make it. No wonder there is less than 10 cliparts available for download that users have created on their site.
Expect some exciting new video content at The Wiire. And just maybe some exciting stuff in podcasts ahead.
