Virutal Soapbox: Call of Duty every year!?

Hey all,

Well its been about a week or so since the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops and I thought I would toss in my two cents regarding the series and such. To begin I want to start by saying the series as a whole is great for gaming. Now more than ever there are more players getting into my favourite pass time. It's games that build bridges between gamers and well....Everyone else in society. For we gamers are a seclusive society and we need all the help we can get when interacting with others.

So why am I standing on my virtual soapbox today? Well Activision is having another Call of Duty coming out next year and there are rumours that they plan to release yearly editions of the games. Don't get me wrong it will still be a great game in a long proud line of games but when will it become stale? When will people start to groan the fact that they are gonna have to shell out $60 dollars for the same game with new character skins and similar multiplayer maps? But some of you may say "Justin people will still buy the game because it's Call of Duty. It's just like those gamers willing to dish out money for a new Madden or NHL game every year." I simply reply but the guys who buy the new sports game every year are a rare breed. They are a niche group and their game needs updates due to players coming and going on teams. Yet even some of those gamers still feel reluctant to buy purchase a new game every year. There is only so many Maddens can have in their collection before they get sick and tired of the series. The same can happen to Call of Duty.

I get that people enjoy first person shooters but they also enjoy their money. So how can developers like Activision still keep the Call of Duty buzz alive without launching a new game every year? Simple, DLC expansions baby! Just look at what it did for games like Red Dead Redemption. For around $15 you can add a zombie apocalypse to a Western and BAM! The game seems fresh and new. Companies like Bioware release new quests, story arcs and expansions to their games like Dragon Age and it drives the game. Sure Activision released map packs online, but they can do more. They can give players mission packs that are outside of the main game, like you can play a few missions from the eyes of the bad guys from the main game. This opens up the story more and can lead to some really interesting ideas and discussion. Also you could throw in what if Call of Duty was set during an alien invasion. I know not the most original idea but still, it's something.

This could be fun to play in a FPS. Now I wanna watch Starship Troopers...

So when the next Call of Duty launches next year, I hope Activision will take the series on a break and let people enjoy the game without constantly thinking about the new game on the horizon. Release expansion packs to build on an existing experience and not just give us a "new" one. I know that this article may sound like I don't like the series but trust me, to this day there is nothing that makes me smile more than hearing the wails of an 11 year old on xbox live as I snipe them from the other side of the map. Check out our review of Black Ops coming out soon from Sam.

Justin

Fallout:New Vegas Review

Fallout: New Vegas is the follow-up for 2008’s smash hit Fallout 3. The game was released on October 17, 2010 for Play station 3, Xbox 360 and PC. This review covers the 360 Version.

Xbox 360 Cover Art

Story: Fallout: New Vegas follows the typical format of a Fallout game; your main character is someone by the name of the Courier. Of course, Courier doesn’t have to be the standard name you can change it to anything you want. As well, the character can be customized to look however you want and can be male or female. The Courier basically is someone who was tasked with delivering a package he/she gets ambushed by Benny (voice by Friends Star, Matthew Perry) who promptly puts a bullet in your head, yet for some reason the courier manages to survive and basically has to track down Benny during the first part of the game after that the game offers you four different ways towards an ending, how you decide the game ends is totally up to you.

Gameplay: To put it simply the game feels a little more linear this time, there are some side-quests that will earn you achievements but what’s most interesting is that there are so many ways you can go about ending the game, will you side with Mr. House? The NCR? Caesar’s Legion? Or will you perhaps go your own way. The game play this time around has very little difference from Fallout 3, except there are more locations and a much bigger map to play with so you will definitely be putting some hours into this game. There are a couple new add-ons, the addition of Hardcore Mode, I admit I didn’t choose this mode because it sounded Very Hard but if your able to complete the game on this difficulty my hats off to you. The other add-on is that you are now working on a faction system, every mission you do won’t just have an effect on your karma but it will also have an effect of where you stand with Opposing factions meaning trying to do everything in One play-through may be impossible, However that is why the Game Gods invented the save option, so you can save multiple files. One place this game loses marks on is the glitching, it’s still a very glitchy game, and I’ve seen the hilarious: dead enemies twitching like crazy and the infuriating: whatever you do, resist the urge to jump to the top level of a bunk bed! You will never get down and likely will have to restart from the auto save position, which is not completely bad since it would likely be only the last place you entered the room, still nothing is as frustrating as it is waiting for this game to load. The loading screens in this game are painful, sometimes it feels as if it's taking an hour to load, Bethesda seriously needs to fix this it's completely irritating.

Visuals: Of course, this is the Fallout series major strength, its visuals are downright beautiful, but how can you call a game that sets you into an apocalyptic world beautiful? It's pretty much the minor touches that really make this game standout, The most amazing moment in this game for a lot of players will be when you reach the Vegas Strip, as soon as you step into the Vegas Strip you feel like a million dollars, I admit I felt like a little kid at Christmas when I got to this place, I couldn't wait to gamble.

Re-playability: This is why Fallout ranks among some of the Best Video Game series of all time, you can easily spend over 60 hours on this game, to get all the achievements you really need to do at least two playthroughs or at least save at the appropriate time.
With 4 different endings that require you to please different factions, you will definitely be putting in a lot of time on this one.

Last Thoughts: Overall, Fallout New Vegas is a real Kick in the Head (as Dean Martin would say), it does suffer from some poor programming at certain times but that is why God invented Patches, There is a patch that came out for the game to fix all sorts of errors just a few days after launch. However, do not let this deter you, this is still an A+ game and even really good games have glitches.

Rating: If you play fast like me you can rent it and easily get two of the four Endings, but to truly get everything this game has to offer I recommend you buy this one.

Jack

We got a Guest Writer!

Hi Everyone,

I'm thrilled to be joining Justin and Sam on the blog, I have been gaming for about 16 years, It started when I was 6 with Legend of Zelda for the NES, I've played mostly great games, I've played some bad ones to be honest as well but I have managed to stay away from a lot of the stinkers out there. I honestly can't give a definitive answer to what my all time favorite game is. I think one of my favorites was Final Fantasy X, I remembered that I spent quite a lot of time on that game and I still remember it fondly. I will be sharing reviews both classic and new on this blog and I hope you will enjoy it because your going to see my first review very soon.

Jack

Black Ops is Out!

Hey everyone,

Call of Duty: Black Ops just launched today, at midnight to be exact. Many fans waited outside, just to get their hands on the game. Later this week we will post more about the game, depending if we get time for a review. Though I will be sure to post about the Gamestop that got robbed of over 100 copies of the game. Anywho we have a new writer who will introduce themselves later in the week as well. Stay tuned and be sure to visit the blog during multiplayer breaks.

Justin

Top 5 Playstation 2 Games

Last Week was the 10th anniversary of the Playstation 2. So we here thought it was fitting to list off our top 5 PS2 games. Keep in mind these are our opinions and let us know in the comment section your thoughts.  All of these you should be able to find with ease and get your bang for your buck. So let us begin!

5) Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando – What do you get when add platforming action and out of this world weapons? You get Ratchet and Clank. You play as a man…dog…cat…thing and as a robot attempting to save the galaxy one planet at a time. With such weapons the sheep ray gun (turn your foes into sheep that blow up), how can this series not be an instant classic?

4) Okami – With a game so rich with Japanese mythology, people were curious to see how well it did out of Japan. Well when the game launched it was very quiet even though it received great reviews. It now is a cult classic and has a sequel coming for the Nintendo DS next year. This is an adventure game similar to the Legend of Zelda series but it’s art style and the source material that the story is based on really sets it apart. Thanks to its beautiful cell shaded graphics and the fact you play as a god makes sure this game is on our top 5 list.

3) God of War – When you think of Sony, you instantly think of murderous “hero” Kratos from God of War. This is where his journey of revenge and rage begins. Before the game came out we have never really seen any game like this. For example besides very obscure adult games we have never seen sex mini games. Sure they are graphic but they just had to the hilarity of the game. Also never before have players tackled a Minotaur and proceeded to stab the ever loving snot out of it. With a easy to learn and hard to master combat system and a story that takes Greek mythology and shows it on a larger darker scale, it is easy to see why still to do this day people play this game. Be sure to pick up Ghost of Sparta for the PSP to get even more information on the back-story of Kratos.

2) SSX- Up to the point of the PS2 launch, snowboarding games were few and far between. They were fun but they lacked the graphics to really hook someone. Well along game the PS2 and EA Big’s SSX. This game provided the outrageous gameplay that we love and backed it up with amazing graphics. Every rider was different from each other due to their country of origin and their preferred style of boarding. This game always tossed curve balls at you while played. One minute you could be grinding off a pole and the next minute you are off a jump and soaring 100ft in the air with fireworks going off everywhere. Not only did this game have deep single player modes but it also had split screen multiplayer. Where you and a buddy can race to the end or see who can pull of the most tricks. Still to this day Justin finds himself cracking this game out for when him and his buddies get together.

1) Twisted Metal Black: It is a time of chaos and Calypso is back with his Twisted Metal games. Players pick a contestant of their choice and blow cars, buildings and anything else up to become the champion and get their wish granted…Though be careful what you wish for. Calypso takes joy in screwing you over. You get various drivers like the Grimm Reaper on a tricked out motorcycle or a psychotic clown named Sweet Tooth and his missile launching ice cream truck. Gamers first experienced this series in on the Playstation, now with a graphic overhaul and more drivers. This game got catapulted to classic hit. If chaos and explosions is your thing, you need to pick up this game! Just know you can run but you can’t hide from Sweet Tooth…He will always get you…

Say hi to Sweet Tooth kids...

So there is our list for your gaming pleasure. Pick up any of these games and your shall be pleased. Heck pick up any PS2 game and you will have a great time. Thanks to a huge game library you are sure to stumble upon something that you love to play, even if that is Barbie’s Horse Adventures. It is a classic system that shall always been seen as a treasure to everyone here at Student Gamers.

PS3 Move Breakdown

Trying to decide what to pick up this weekend? Well, we've got the new Ps3 move In Town!

It's probably wise for Sony to have been cooking PlayStation Move slowly since its introduction 15 months ago to become with such thing so accurate. Many people who have been played the Wii since its release and knowing that it is the most successful games system to combine fitness and gaming, we knew the Wii system would be hard to beat. The PS3 has something for everyone. Although, PS3 has Blu-ray movies, and with playing the latest games, and now working out while gaming at the same time. Why shouldn\t Sony have that  feature as well!? Something that could attract the hardcore gamer, and we believe PS3 Move is that accessory for the job!

Technically the PS3 Move controller also comes with a camera combination as well that lets the player do things the Wii could only dream about!

One of the Games released for PS3 move was:


Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition was much more involved and took some time to get used to the controls, and certainly not something for the kids. After some practice this showed a game with graphics not possible on a Wii, and controls that took things that much further. After an hour of game time I decided that a normal controller far suited this game, which may not be the case for everyone.

I also bought move was quite excited about it, and I can say it's amazing, so accurate, colourfully and fits snugly in the hand, plus the camera is the future of motion control!!

Have you had time with PlayStation Move yet? What are your first impressions?

Sam

Shout out for PS3 CoD: Black Op Players

Hey guys,

The game is around 10 days away and we here at Student Gamers are spreading the word of the game. So Sam is hitting the ground running and wants to play multiplayer on launch day. So add dodoo1989 on your PSN and let the gun fights begin.

Justin

Review: Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)

Our first review is Kirby’s Epic Yarn for the Nintendo Wii. This is Kirby’s first game on a next gen console and the game was released on October 17, 2010.

Story: This new entry in the Kirby series is very much like all the other ones. It is like a children’s fantasy story book. It began with Kirby stumbling upon the wrath of an evil sorcerer named Yin Yarn and for that he is sent to Patch Land. It is there that our hero comes across Prince Fluff who is trying to sow the pieces of Patch Land back together. Upon hearing the trouble Kirby  vows to help his new friend and save the world any way possible. Don’t eat yellow snow.

Gameplay: Like most of the Kirby series this game follows the 2d platformer genre. Though there are major changes in the game that may be a little weird at first for most Kirby fans.  First off our hero no longer eats enemies to obtain their powers. He now wields a piece of yarn like a whip. With this whip he is able to unravel his foes or roll them up and use them as projectiles. Yet the Kirby fun doesn’t end there. In certain sections of the game he is able to transform into many different forms. From a giant tank that shoots missiles at foes or even a space shoot to control the star above the world.  The point of the game is to reach the end of every level but there are treasure chest and beads to find and collect. Finding and collecting more of things these lead to new mini games and other exciting things.

Visuals:  The Wii hase never been known as a graphic powerhouse but the developers make up for that with sytle. Here the game looks like it is made out of everything you would find in a sewing kit. Everything is made of out yarn and different fabric patches. It seems weird at first but then it grows on you. Thanks to the new style everything seems more alive. The colours and textures just pop from the screen.

Re-playability: So in every level you can collect treasure which leads to you unlocking new mini games, music tracks, etc. So that adds plenty of length, some of those chests are pretty difficult to get at. Also there are beads to collect around the level. The more beads you collect, the higher you end level score goes. The higher the score the faster you can unlock hidden levels and other various goodies. These goodies and mini games are a lot more fun with a buddy. Well Epic Yarn has instant drop in two player co-op. At any moment a friend can jump in the game and play the story or any of the mini games. Playing with a buddy leads to many great moments and helps making you wanting to come back to the game.

Last Thoughts: So overall this is a great game, a little on the easy side. Yet the visuals, co-op and engaging gameplay makes this a must own for any Kirby or platformer fan.

Rating: Must buy for fans, but a rent for those who this is their first Kirby game.

Justin

Review Structure

With our first official review coming up I thought it would be time to outline our review ranking system. So our system is not done with numbers, because numbers can’t tell someone if they will enjoy a game or not. So we have three ranks and all of them are easy to understand. 

Rank 1: Buy it

Rank 2: Rent it

Rank 3: Use your money for food...(a.k.a don't get this game)

So each of us cover anything in the game we deem important and then we give it a rank. Easy as that.

First review is Kirby's: Epic Yarn expect it later today.

Justin

Kirby: Just a Pink Puff or a Knight in Shining Armour?

What are the first things you think of when you see this image?

Do you think a hero of an entire world? Do you think of someone that looks death in the face and still goes into battle with a smile on his little face...body...thing. On first reaction more than half of you would say no. When you think of classic gaming heroes you think of Mario or like Sonic. Yet there is such a hardcore following for this little pink puff called Kirby. I have two ideas that of why there is a following. The first idea is that the franchise provides variety through level design and game mechanics ever since his first appearance on the NES in 1992. My second idea is that we were raised on fairy tales and the Kirby lets us guide a character through such a tale. So in the end, one will be able to understand why any person of any age and of any gaming stature can love the pink hero Kirby.

Let’s start with the game. The franchise has always been a sidescroller, the object is to get from one end of the level to the other. In between there are many enemies, traps and other nasty things to try and end your game. This is where I find that Kirby breaks the mould of sidescrolling games. To begin the way the levels are set up, rarely does one feel like “they have been here before”. Kirby visits worlds and each of the world’s levels fit into a common thing. A classic level theme from the 8-bit era is the ice world for example. There is always something different in the levels either it be a giant cannon that shoots you to the clouds or a race to the finish whilst dodging numerous traps and other things.   Now most sidescrollers you just have the power to jump and if you lucky, a few weapons. Well with Kirby...You have unlimited weapons. How is this possible? Kirby has the ability to copy enemies powers...Through eating them...You want to wield a sword?  Well find a guy carrying a sword, swallow him and well there ya go. Kirby gets a sword (watch youtube video review below to see the mechanic at work).  So with these simple ideas carrying over from game to game it is easy to see why gamers enjoy the franchise so much.

The second piece to the puzzle is our fascination with fairy tales. From a very early age were raised on stories of princes rescuing the princess from a dragon. Or a little boy that lifts a magical sword from a stone and becomes a king. The character Kirby fits perfectly into the fairy tale hero archetype. He is innocent and pure but then some villain threatens the land and Kirby rises to the challenge and takes on any foe to save the world of Dream Land. He is the perfect example of a knight of the round table from Arthurian myth. Those knights were willing to fight what they believe in and they were always there to help others out no matter how big or small the task was. There is something enduring about a story about a knight rising to the challenge. It strikes an inner cord within all of us. We live in times of great change and to have a solid idea of what makes a hero is something that we need to hold on to, even when the hero is a pink puff.  We can relate to his struggles and his ideals, though we really have to delve into more in character behaviour and mythology to come to that conclusion. 

Some of you reading this may be saying, o Justin your looking into this way too much. Well then I retort by saying just pick up a Kirby game and try it out yourself. I bet after just a few levels you will be hooked and you will get to understand why the series is so popular.  Maybe you won’t ever get how Kirby is like a knight from myth but you will understand why so many people of different ages love this little pink puff. To that I say mission accomplished on my and the developers part.

For your viewing pleasure, here is a youtube video done by a father and son. They both enjoy playing and reviewing video games. In this video they take a look at a Kirby game (be sure to listen in and pick out what they like about the character). After definitely check out their channel, they are very casual with their reviews and primarily focus on the Nintendo Wii. Thanks go to the Wiiviewer for letting us here at Student Gamers spread the good word of video games and more importantly Kirby.

Justin

The UFC Undisputed 2010

Indeed, Another PS3 game for PS3 fans who are into UFC “The UFC Undisputed 2010 one of the games that I enjoyed, and still enjoy playing” However, for those of you haven’t heard about UFC yet!?


Indeed, The Ultimate Fighting Championship is known to be is an American mixed martial arts promotion company based in the United States that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the world!! produces numerous events worldwide. The UFC has five weight divisions.

Since Showing fighters of different styles of fighting including boxing, Brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling, Muay Thai and other styles the UFC seeks to identify the most effective martial art in a real fight and put it in to the show what you want more!!

So ... you want to be a fighter? UFC Undisputed 2010 delivers the action, intensity and prestige of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Step into the Octagon to experience the most advanced and commanding play with more than 100 of the best UFC fighters in the world. Experience intelligent and, increased fighter customization, robust career progression, challenging new game play modes and explosive online gaming as well. UFC Undisputed 2010 embodies the ultimate essence and supremacy of a UFC fighter. For example, you can create a fighter and put all your best moves to him. All you have to do is keep training your fighter to make him look in his best shape. The Game was released on May 25, 2010, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3. It’s been a while since the game came out so the price for it should be affordable now. Ready to be a fighter!?

Sam

My week as a Tyrant!

Over this last week I was able to delve into the gaming franchise of Civilization with its latest entry in the series Civilization 5. The core idea of the series is to take a civilization and a famous ruler and lead to through the ages. You may win through diplomacy, winning the space race, culture and of course war. You have allies and enemies. You have nothing but your brains, your mouse and a lot of guts to lead you to victory.

The latest version of Civilization launched September 21, 2010. I (of course being a fan of the series) picked up the game one the first day. I ran home, installed it on to my computer and I didn’t sleep for the first night, for I was hooked. Talk about bad timing....I had class the next day

So I decided for my first run that I would lead Montezuma and the Aztecs through the ages. My story started with such hope and then I fell into damnation... We begin at my first turn when I had nothing but settlers, some warriors and a dream in my heart.

Ahhh my humble beginnings...

I was trotting along through history, making cities here and laying the foundations of my technologically advance empire. It was then that I received a message from one of my allies saying that they need a city to be “taken care” of. So I raced with my army to the city and began my siege....That was when the Russians attacked. Apparently they too were sent to destroy the city. So the city, the Russians and myself were locked in a trifecta land war of chaos and destruction. It came to the point where it was just the city (its broken walls), and the Russians and I each had one catapult. It was a race to finish of the city, which I of course won.

That is when I began my dark road... The Russians tried to stop my taking of the city, their deed shall not go unpunished. I raised an army for the sole purpose of taking over the Russians. Long was our war but it ended with a broken peace treaty (I did that on purpose) and their entire civilization wiped out. O I kept their cities and people under my rule. I needed to make gold off them some how. The French and Japanese found out about my"activities" and began to offer treaties and trade agreement terms. Though the French showed me attitude...So I destroyed them and liberated a city they took over. The Japanese were always hovering around my borders. So I crushed them. I then turned to the dark side. I knew I wanted to win through war and no way else. I discovered the Romans and we went to war over a land filled with many resources. So I killed them all...Then I found the Arabian empire. They were the last bastion of hope against my tide of evil. If I wanted to win, they would need to be gone. I ended them swiftly and without mercy. Thus there I was triumphant and victorious, but at what cost? My sanity and morals shattered, all over a game. I was a fragment of my formal self. I was Montezuma!

Yeah that was me for a bit...

That will of course change this week. I shall go for a more peaceful path to victory and hopefully not be seen as a tyrant. I mean with Civilization...Anything is possible and the world truly is my oyster.

Justin

Best two games on a Budget

Call of Duty

    The first person and third-person shooter video game. A series began on the PC, and later expanded to most people's favorite video game system.


Indeed, modern warfare 2 has the best multiplayer of 2010 games. first it runs at 50fps "50 frames per second"(real life speed). Indeed one of the reasons why this game have got famous is because no other first person shooter has done that yet!! and it never glitches. For example, by using cheats etc.. It has awesome guns perks and everything. how can you say this multiplayer is boring or not fun. is probably..!!

 To not take much from your time we'll be uploading coupons for the new call of duty black ops on Ps3 coming 11.09.10 for who ever's interested, so all you just have to do is buy it and come join us playing it online!!

Assassin's Creed

    Another third person action-adventure video game as well. The game was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft team from Montreal. It was released worldwide in November 2007 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and April 2008 for Windows. The game centers on the use of a machine named the "Animus", which allows the viewing of the protagonist's genetic memories of his ancestors.

Through this plot device, details emerge of a struggle between two factions, the Knights Templar and the Assassins, over an artifact known as a "Piece of Eden" and the game primarily takes place during the Third Crusade in the Holy Land in 1191. The game received generally a huge positive reviews, and won several awards in 2006

The Third Crusade "1189–1192". It's also known as the Kings' Crusade. It was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin "Salāh ad-Dīn".

The game has most of the weapons at that time that you can use them too while playing the game. Very interesting game!!

Here's a screen cap for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood just cause we can.

Sam

Used Games Sales are at Risk!

The picture to the left is your typical view of one of the many walls of a video game store (such as EB Games). All of those games you see are used video games. Living on a student budget this very section is your best friend. You have countless choices for such a good price. Yet all may be at risk thanks to a case ruling the US Courts of Appeal.

The whole case began when AutoCAD (computer software company) wanted an ebay user to stop selling their software over the site. They basically stated that the “software user is a licensee rather than the owner” (http://games.ign.com/articles/112/1120315p1.html).  This truly is a shock to most people. We purchased the software, we registered the product, yet that doesn’t give us the right as an owner. According to the ruling we are not the owners and now software companies, etc have the right to deny the customer’s ability to resell their products. So what happens to us students that rely on used products just to get through a semester of school.There also has been speculation that this case could also affect the ability to sell used  books, cds and dvds.

Luckily this is only in the US but since most software companies are international it will most likely come up to the north. So course programs aside how does this affect gamers? It affects us because most retail video game stores are owned by US companies. So that means they could pull the used game program in all stores. That means our gaming selection just got a little bit smaller. On top of that our choices just got a little more difficult, food for our fridge or a new game for our system.

Feel free to educate yourself more by visiting http://games.ign.com/articles/112/1120315p1.html. This is generally a great site for gaming news and they have links to lead you into a further investigation.

Justin

A Brief Intro

Hey Everyone,

I am Justin of Student Gamers. I am just one brain behind the blog, my partner in crime is Sam (who will introduce himself in a later post). I thought to start off this blog with a brief intro about what we are here for. So to begin this blog is for Sam and I come together and to share something about one of our passions with the rest of the world. We are covering things from game launches that we are excited for, to reviews of used games that help any gamer get a bang for their buck. So our writing may be a little random and borderline chaotic, but keep in mind we are college students, we got to balance our work and got get some rounds of Call of Duty in there. Expect an "official" first post  within the next few days.

Justin