Sleepy Gamer » pcgaming

New IPs That Desperately Need A Sequel

Garret — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:32:04 +0000

Brand new game series’ are usually few and far between, and good ones are even more unlikely. The current generation has seen it’s fair share of potential new franchises, but many new notables have yet to have produced proper sequels. The cycle of innovation, refinement, then innovation is the foundation that the games industry is built upon. So, here are some recent gems that are definitely worth revisiting.

Dead Rising (Xbox360)

You, trapped in a mall with thousands of zombies and the freedom to use practically anything as a weapon. It’s no wonder we haven’t seen this game concept done earlier. The zombie playground idea could be applied to almost anywhere too. Amusement park, airport, or even a small, open-world town would all be great locales. Throw in a bunch more interactive objects for creative, new ways to kill the walking dead and you’re all set. Oh yeah, how about some online co-op, please?

Zack and Wiki (Wii)

It’s the brilliant, Wii, point-and-click adventure that was a critically success, but a retail failure. Sadly, we probably won’t ever see a sequel any time soon. Some of the later puzzles were down right diabolical, but when you finally did figure it out, that “eureka” moment was pure magic. The cute, lovable animations, the multiple solutions, and the clever use of items and enemies all worked to create an experience that could only be compared to the days of playing an old-school, LucasArts adventure game. More of the same is all I ask.

© garret for Sleepy Gamer, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: DS, pcgaming, ps3, PSP, wii, xbox360

Fallout 3 Review

Garret — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:42:58 +0000

The gamble that Bethesda made in acquiring the rights from Interplay seems to be paying off. The fanatical outcry from the incredibly vocal Fallout fans has died down. The game is finally out and available for the masses to judge for themselves. And yet, as I log yet another hour in this wonderfully crafted, post-apocalyptic vision of Washington D.C., heading into the credits of my second playthrough, it’s apparent that the game lives up to every bit of the hype and then some.

Destroyed Beauty

There’s just something about the meticulous attention to detail of Fallout 3, how the environment was lovingly created and just as lovingly destroyed, that gives it that personality that is so rare to find in games. The Fallout series has always had a brilliant art style, mixing old 1950’s-inspired culture with the futuristic technology of tomorrow. With Fallout 3, Bethesda truly outdid themselves by presenting a world of hauntingly beautiful structures that spell a cautionary tale of nuclear war at every turn. Every corner of the game’s world is enriched in amazing little touches; torn-down walls, pieced together suits of armor made of shopping carts and old tires, tons of humorous, fake products and advertisements. There are even a handful of in-game radio station broadcasts with a wonderful selection of music from the ’40s and ’50s that help in immersing you in the alternate-history dystopia that the series is known for.

The characters themselves offer an incredibly rich selection of voice-acted dialog, whether or not you recognize the Liam Neesons or Malcolm McDonalds of the bunch. And just like Oblivion, there are naturally some repeats here and there (for example, three ghouls outside a vault all had the same exact voice and slightly different thing to say), but it’s never quite as noticeable, possibly due to the smaller amount of settlements and survivors that the Fallout setting lends itself to.

© garret for Sleepy Gamer, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bethesda, pcgaming, ps3, xbox360

Spore Review

Garret — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 03:49:35 +0000

It’s no big secret that Will Wright’s next endeavor would be an incredibly ambitious project. The game, which has won countless trade show awards over the past several years, was aptly called “Sim Everything” for a reason.

Creature Creator.. A Game In Itself

While you don’t immediately start off creating your creature, it’s an activity you’ll find yourself coming back to again and again, throughout your playthrough. The software tool is easy enough to use for most novice players. Adding body parts is as simple as clicking and dragging body parts to wherever your twisted mind wants them. Each added part has several sliders to adjust orientation, size, and length, while the main body can be molded like clay to become longer or shorter, fatter or skinnier. The only restrictions come in form of forced symmetry by the editor. Regardless, the sheer amount of user-generated creatures that have already been made is a testament to the power, ease, and usability of the tool. It should be noted that a free, standalone version of the Spore Creature Creator is available for anyone to try. You won’t be able to test out your creation in-game, but you can tinker with the tool and get a small taste of what the creative aspect of Spore is all about.

5 Games In 1

Spore is divided into five evolutionary stages (Cell, Creature, Tribal, Civilization, and Space), based on mostly distinct gameplay types. You advance through the game either by spending a predetermined amount of time in the current stage or by filling up an experience bar at the bottom of the screen, although each stage has its own way of awarding experience points (XP).