Since Audiball finished development, I’ve had a lot more time to play the games I’ve been buying over the past few months. Hit the jump for some quick impressions.
Fallout 3 – Didn’t care for Oblivion so I came into this game not expecting much. The “VATS” battle system makes it a completely different gameplay experience even though it’s the Elder Scrolls engine. Tons of character, tons of stuff to do, but I was disappointed with the rather limited scope of the endings.
Dead Space – Excellent game. As others have said, “Resident Evil 4 in Space,” and that can only be meant as a compliment to EA Redwood Shores. The focus on dismemberment is unique and somewhat refreshing in a genre that has always been about headshots.
Left4Dead – Speaking of zombies, this is the multiplayer game of the year. Versus mode is a wonderful change of pace from deathmatch and CTF.
Lips – Disappointing to say the least. The microphones are of awesome quality, but despite the addition of gesture controls, I’d pick Singstar or Karaoke Revolution over this any day. Of course, Rock Band still tops them all.
Biology Battle – A fellow Xbox Live Community Game, and easily the best one on the service. Although it’s $10, it’s a Geometry Wars clone that manages to be better than Geometry Wars in every way.
Mother 3 – Finally got around to playing the fan translation. I last played through Earthbound about a year ago, and I’m enjoying this just as much. Still clueless as to why it’s not being released on the other side of the pond.
Tales of Vesperia – At least as good as Tales of Symphonia so far, which was previously my favorite game in the series. The voice acting doesn’t make me want to shove forks in my ears, so that’s better than most JRPGs right off the bat.
Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 2 – Better than Episode 1, at least. This is turning into a better-than-average RPG, so anyone who had any interest in the first one owes it to themselves to check this out. If you like Penny Arcade and you like RPGs, you’ll love this game.
Mirror’s Edge – I can understand the negative reviews: the combat sucks, especially in areas where it’s forced. But when everything else is so good, it’s hard to withhold a recommendation. It’s somewhat anticlimactic, but it’s an amazing start. I just hope it does well enough to warrant a sequel.
Banjo Kazooie (XBLA) – I can’t believe how much this game has aged. Was I really this obsessive about collect-a-thons back in the day?
Gears of War 2 – Not a fan of the control system. Presentation is top-notch, but when every other time I die is a result of a faulty control scheme instead of a smart AI, it gets annoying. Whose idea was it to make “climb” and “roll” the same button with an unforgiving margin of error?
That’s it for now. Happy new year!