City of Heroes/City of Villains (PC)

I have enjoyed a few very good MMORPGs, (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games for any that don't know) and this is one I am continually glad I play, as well as is the only one I am keeping a current and up to date account with.

Some people get a bit apprehensive about MMOs because of the overwhelming information many of them require for you to know, but with City of Heroes and/or City of Villains (Commonly called City of or CoX by many of its gamers) you can actually relax and enjoy this game pretty well from the start! You also don't have to worry about having the time and ability to play this game for hours on end every day. I know and am one of many people that sets aside a couple hours a week, sometimes a few times a week to play, get away from it all, and have fun. This game is well made for both those wanting to have some simplistic gaming as well as those that want customization and in-depth role playing fun. You don't have to role play to enjoy this game, but if you do, you can easily find yourself becoming the next greatest hero to help save the day in Paragon City, or the newest diabolical villain to break out from jail and find safety and freedom among the Rogue Iles.

There is too much to really get into to discuss in just one posting, and I'd thought about having one post for the heroes and one for the villains, but in the end I decided to just make sure that anyone interested would get to see what the game holds for them should they decide to give it a try.

First, it is an NCSoft game, and that is pretty good for consumers. The updates are free, yes, FREE. Instead of paying another ten, twenty, or sometimes more to have more areas to explore, more powers, or even more content in general, you get almost everything for free! There are some expansions that they charge for, but those are usually quite affordable as well as very easy to decide if it's something you want or not.

Secondly, it gives you a great opportunity to play with some friendly gamers. I know that you aren't going to be guaranteed to run into the nice ones, but I play on the Virtue server and must say my run-ins with anyone that is causing trouble is rather rare.

Third, the game has a LOT to offer. Some think it is too simplified, but there are many ways to get past that, from the latest Architect Expansion that allows you to create your OWN story and heroic or villainous (or both) plot to let others play or look among what your friends have made or even what the most popular are and jump in to take a look, and with the just released 15th issue you can begin to walk the line between good and evil, though I haven't given those arcs and new add-ons a try yet, so I am just pointing out what I have read of them.

Fourth and finally, this game is very diverse. With the 16th issue update announcing that powers themselves will be customizable (something long awaited for) and other upcoming additions, this is a very well established game that has been getting the bugs out for a long time and adding the best possible things and taking away those that were causing people to not enjoy the game as much. On top of all of this, there are areas for PVP where heroes, villains, or everyone can pretty well go toe to toe to see who is the toughest, sneakiest, or just plain powerful one out there, as well as other zones that allow heroes and villains to work together to stop threats they both want to end. This really can be like playing a comic book instead of reading one!

For those that are thinking of Champions Online, I haven't looked too much into it, but did find out that it will require a bit of an update for even my computer, which I had thought was well prepared for the next year or so, as I will need a better graphics card to run it (though just barely, doh!). Still, if you aren't sure, or just want to choose one, I can say that since the same company is making both of them, you can pretty well be safe and happy playing CoX for a long time until you and your friends move on to Champions, or if you're like me, plan to move into it as WELL as having fun around Paragon City.


Overall view:
Rent? While I don't think you can actually rent this game, I have seen many offers to try it for free, and many people have codes that get them extra gaming time for someone to try the game and/or sign up, so you can likely give it a try first, and if that's what you want, I'd recommend it, but likely you'll want to get this one anyhow.
Own? Yes, it is a great MMO that doesn't require you to give it all of your time and allows for you to play more at your own liesure without the worry of everyone passing you by as much as other games can do.
Personal Rating (out of 10): 8.9

Afro Samurai (Playstation 3)

Now, I am a fan of animation and it's forms. From watching Tom and Jerry with my Daughter to watching the fully made red carpet anime movies I can find things I enjoy in the animated department. I do enjoy Afro Samurai in its shows very much, and while the game wasn't horrible, I find it a little hard to recommend too well unless a few things don't bother you.

The graphics were great for the cutscenes, and please know this is a MATURE game through and through, something I sometimes enjoy as well, so that I can lose myself in a visceral world or just watch realistic slicing and dicing. That said, the game looked good, and while cutscene graphics and voiceover work was done quite well (though I didn't play through the whole game, so I won't say it was great all the way through), the gameplay part has nice looking areas, and good animations for the VERY large variety of attacks, combos and ways to dispatch or humiliate your opponents but hearing the same dying words, and seeing the same general deaths that happened when I played was just too much after the couple hundredth or so guy I cut apart.

The game does seem to follow the show very well, so if you are into the show and love it then this may very well be something you'll like. Even the repetetive fighting doesn't have to be that way if you learn the abundant combo and attack systems. I could certainly see playing this game to see how well it sticks to the story and using it's nearly endless onslaught of enemies as a guilty pleasure, but aside from that, or perhaps having a weekend made of watching the show and playing along with the game could be fun, so I don't want to say this game is bad or unenjoyable, but I do think it is something that only a select group will want to own, even though its price drops on many sites I check, which could mean you may want it if you are a fan like I've said. On this game I still suggest a rent even if you are a fan...a couple bucks could save you a lot of sad dollars running out of your wallet. Also, I didn't like that there were no Trophies, but that really isn't a big thing.

Overall view:
Rent? Possibly, but not recommended.
Own? Only for the select few, sadly, so no.
Personal Rating (out of 10): 6.4

Ghostbusters (Playstation 3)

This game brought back some pretty great memories of the great first movie, and the okay (to me anyway) but not as good sequel, as well as the wonderful one liners, quotable quips and sayings that are still spouted to date.

Playing it puts you right into what looks to be some poor guy that was desperate enough to try and work for the Ghostbusters, and soon you realize why they don't want to know your name, as you realize if you had to do this for "real" you'd run, and fast...thankfully the game doesn't have that effect, it is in fact, quite addictive! The story is good and has a strong and fun start, though sadly the single player side of the game is a bit short, but great training for the best part yet, multiplayer! Also strong on this game are the visuals and voice acting. With the script straight from Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis themselves, and original voices returning for all the Ghostbusters, it was great to look like I really was looking at Peter Venkman and the crew as I helped them do their thing. To avoid monotany, the proton pack you get becomes upgradable and equipped with new and interesing items, all of which allow you to both destroy the surroundings, take down manifested paper ghosts, book golems, and trap full roaming spectors in traps you place.

Once you've finished the game, or even before hand, you can dive into the multiplayer, though I recommend that you play a good bit of the game first, so that you know what you're doing and don't get some other players upset with you. I mean, you could read the instructions, but who does that anymore? Seriously though, if you do want to jump into the multiplayer, I highly recommend looking them over, you'll be glad you did, even if you did play through the whole game it can help to read up on what you need to do for each of the several cooperative games you can play and rank up in.

Once you've gotten the multiplayer going I do want to warn you that the ranked matches can introduce you to some rejection if you jump into just any game you look at, though for the most part I found people to be as they tend to be on the Playstation Network, nice and civil about things. See, if you are new to the game, you aren't as much help to a team of people that have ranked up to the maximum, but you don't have to worry about that much with the very handy ways to play by either joining a quick match, or even creating your own. This makes it a great way to play with a person or two here and there that are at the top of their game, so to speak, and get some pointers. I'm usually not that into multiplayer but since it's co-op, I'm there! From plain survival to a version of capturing the flag, this game's multiplayer is really where the fun is, and it is why I had to end up buying the game!

Overall view:
Rent? Sure, if you want to play through the single player, or are lucky enough to own a GameFly account or the like so that you can keep it to play the multiplayer part until you can't stand the thought of ghosts, but be warned...it could take a while!
Own? If you like playing with others, YES! This is one of the good games to beat the summer heat with.
Personal Rating (out of 10): 8.8

Summer Games in General

Summer is a good time to play games, usually. Schools let out, people take their vacations, and for the most part it may be either too hot, too frustrating, or maybe you're even too tired to even do some outdoor activities. I always recommend them, but as good as they can make you feel and help your body and health, sometimes you just need some action.

Sadly, summer is often not the time for too many video game releases. Usually we are given the releases that accompany movies or games that have been pushed back so long that now we're just not sure if they'll be good with all the time taken to delay them, though we always hope that time will polish the games and make them better, past results and let downs have shown that waiting sometimes gives us that "oh crap" sigh that escapes our lips while a bad purchase runs off with our hard-earned money.

There are a few games that I'm reviewing now, and while I still plan to put the whole reviews down and let you in on all I've found, good, bad and otherwise, I just thought that for now, I'd list some games and summize why they're worth the time, and as always, you can rent to try them first, since everyone has different tastes!

Ghostbusters (Playstation 3) While short, the multiplayer aspect of this game is great and fun with lots of variety for you to do, and a good way to enjoy time with friends. I have found, though, that it does help if you have seen the movies (or at least the first one, I didn't hate the second movie, but liked it less, though the game has some great tie-ins with both movies and makes them both enjoyable. Basically, if you have seen the movies and liked the great one-liners and overall funny/spooky cross it had, the game could be for you. The full review is coming very soon.

City of Heroes (PC and Mac too now I believe): I have been aching to review this game, as I play it a LOT when I can and am just about to dive into Paragon City again after this post. If you can simply try it without purchasing the game (I'm not sure if that is possible, but NCSoft tends to be very good at being consumer friendly) you can definately try it out for one month free, which should be plenty of time to fall in love with this MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game for the few of you that don't know, but hey, we all learn something new every day). It's simplistic yet oddly in-depth game mechanics and cross of fighting computer enemies or even other players gets very fun. If you like to role play, then it's even better for you, though if you don't, there are plenty of others that don't do it either and use it as a fun way to get through some time. I'll be fully talking about this one soon, since it is a very good game, and an established one at that.

Downloadable games in general! Anyone that reads my blog probably has figured out that I'm a Playstation 3 kind of person. I don't dislike the other systems, it's just my particular choice. If I had the money and time, I'd own em all! They all have something that makes me just cringe that I can't play this or that game on them, but I'm very happy with my choice. Also, downloadable add-ons and games are often great ways to find amazing fun that will keep you entertained for long periods of time and can be well worth getting through either your points or dollars depending on the system you use. The ones I recommend are currently through the Playstation Network (obviously), and are: Flower for it's relaxing and beautiful use of fun and simple controls to make a world come to life and bring me into it. Zen Pinball for really bringing back some good old style pinball with a very modern feel and great online setup to challenge others and see who is doing what while you play or between matches. Finally, Super Stardust HD (the complete pack) since it really provides an old "space shooter" feel with the graphics you'll hardly believe combined with a pretty good soundtrack that can be perfect...since you can make it yourself!

I hope these help ya beat the heat and/or just relax after that trip to the wild to camp for the 4th of July weekend and will be posting more and more games soon. I'm a Daddy first, Husband second, and somewhere not too terribly far down I try to be a gamer and someone that tries to pass on some good info to others. As usual, feel free to post games you think beat the heat and we can look into them. If I don't own the system I can always look them up and tell you what others think, or just rent it and try it out myself.

Not sure? Rent it first!