Tag Archives: Video Games

The GeeksFTW- Episode 266

This episode was recorded last week and due to some personal issues as well as technical difficulty, we are just now posting it. We hope to come back with another episode on time next week!

If you are looking for more from us then check out our YouTube Page for game reviews, quick looks and more. We want to know what you think of this episode so please let us know your thoughts. You can leave feedback on iTunes, Twitter, Facebook, Stitcher Radio, send email to TheGeeksFTW@gmail.com , or leave a comment below. And remember we are still looking for writers and guest hosts so if you are interested than please contact us. Show notes will be below. We hope you enjoy!

Are you ready to enter Otherland?

otherland

Photo via IGN.com

If you’re a sci-fi/fantasy fan and you’re a reader then you’ve probably run across the Tad Williams series of books called “Otherland’. There are 4 books in the series and the majority of the story takes place inside of a “virtual world”. I’m sure that I’m not the only person who has wished that such a virtual place existed to explore.

Good news.

In 2012 Otherland will be released.

You Don’t Have to Choose a Side with your Star Wars Keyboard.

OK so E3 happened. But what you probably haven’t heard is Razor is making Star Wars: The Old Republic gaming hardware. A keyboard, a mouse and mouse mat, and a headset. Each one can be changed from Republic to Empire, so you don’t have to choose whether you want to walk the path of the light or give into your anger and go Sith.

Darkness II: Confession Comic for Free!

// //

2K Games and Top Cow Productions have teamed up to produce a free comic book tie-in for The Darkness II. The Darkness II: Confession will be distributed to indie comic book stores worldwide on May 7th, Free Comic Book Day.

Confession is a 32-page comic that serves as a prequel to The Darkness II. It introduces players to Jackie Estacado, a hitman that wields a supernatural force known as The Darkness. The comic chronicles the events of the first game and then sets up the sequel. Free Comic Book Day is an annual event in which select comic book shops around the world give away comic books to customers for no charge. This is the tenth year of the event, which is held on the first Saturday of every May. Top Cow is a Silver Sponsor of Free Comic Book Day 2011.

Amazon Deals FTW!

Amazon never ceases to amaze me on how many deals they continue to have on video games, accessories, and hardware. So for those of you who have a little change laying around or was just waiting until a certain game was going to drop in price this may be your opportunity.

Back to the Future is Back

Telltale Games has released their next point and click adventure game, Back to the Future: The Game. Only episode one is out right now but the rest are some periodically throughout the year.

Episode one takes place six months after Back to the Future part 3. Doc has been traveling during that time and the bank is selling off his house and stuff. Marty is very upset. Biff is grabbing everything in sight. However, when a time-traveling DeLorean appears, Marty receives a message from Doc, indicating that he’s in need of rescue.  Intent on finding his friend, Marty climbs behind the wheel once again and begins a new adventure.

Unfortunately Telltale couldn’t get Micheal J. Fox to voice Marty but A.J. Locascio is the best choice for the job. He does a perfect Marty. Happily Christopher Lloyd does voice Doc.

I really enjoyed the first part of the game. I haven’t played many point and click adventure games outside of the Kings Quest series. I had quite a few chuckles while playing. There are also many things that fans of the movies while recognize. The game is only a couple hours long but well worth it. I bought this game on Steam for $22 because of the mass Steam sales. I whole heartily recommend this game to all Back to the Future fans.

Gamers, get off the controller crutch

In light of the recent motion gaming releases such as the Sony Playstation’s Move and Microsofts Xbox Kinect the internets have been set a-blaze in regards to whether or not these pieces of technology are the next  push forward in interactive gaming. As Geeks, and its culture alike you would think we would want a more innovative step towards total immersion, yeah…. not so much.

“My reunion…that you’re dying to see…” – Thoughts on Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Sephiroth

In the realm of amazing CGI movies to watch, I have to beg that you check out Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

Most folks have either played or at least watched someone play Final Fantasy VII but if you haven’t you may want to go borrow a copy and spend a day or two playing it through. Advent Children, while brilliant, has the major flaw of being very confusing to anyone who isn’t familiar with that well known game from the series. If you are familiar with the game then you’ll probably be quite happy with the storyline as presented in the film.

Advent Children is set 2 years after the events of the game. It opens with a recap of the events of the game, told from Marlene’s (Barrett’s daughter) point of view. She mentions a new disease that has started to spread with no rhyme or reason called Geostigma. It weakens its victims and causes them great pain as it spreads over their bodies. As far as they can tell it’s not contagious but they think it might be the planet’s way of expressing its own pain.

Tifa still runs a bar and looks after Marlene and another orphan named Denzel. She also handles the incoming jobs for Cloud’s messenger service. He doesn’t return to Midgar as often and we finally see him after Tifa accepts a job from the remaining Turks, Reno and Rude, and leaves Cloud a voicemail with a meeting place.

And that’s how the story begins.

Throughout the film we do get to see Cloud meet back up with and join forces with his old team, even having a bit of a thought provoking discussion with Vincent after a battle at the Temple of Ancients. Cloud is still consumed by guilt over the death of Aerith and even Zack and even when he finds himself confronted with Aerith’s spirit he cannot let go of the guilt and says that he wants to be forgiven. Aerith laughs and asks him “By who?” showing that she does not find him to blame for any of the events that occurred.

The antagonists of this movie are three “Remnants”, also called the Silver Haired Men. Led by Kadaj they are on the search for “Mother” (Jenova). Kadaj is aware that some physical piece of Jenova still exists in the world and while he doesn’t seem sure what they’ll do with it when they find “her”, the compulsion to find it is strong. He also mentions Sephiroth in both a respectful and jealous way. (Who and what these men are is explained in a later animated tie-in.)

Aside from the plot, which I was sucked into from the beginning, the animation in this movie is mind-blowing. The attention to detail is so wonderful that you almost forget you are watching a CG animated movie. The action sequences are breathtaking and I’m glad that I own the movie as every time I re-watch it I see something else that I’ve missed in the past. Even if I watched it dubbed (which I haven’t and I’m terrified to) I would have to re-watch it to catch everything.

And the music. Oh the music. Fully orchestrated tracks that echo the themes from the original game with new twists. I ended up buying the two disc soundtrack because I couldn’t get it out of my head.

The interaction between Reno and Rude is hilarious and while I liked them in the game, I absolutely LOVE them after watching them in this movie. I have to break down and even say that I no longer thought Tifa was a whiny brat after watching her in this.

And I haven’t even gotten to Sephiroth. I don’t want to spoil things but let me say that if you liked his character even a little bit in the game you will be thrilled him in the movie. I go into a happy fangirl swoon every time I see him in Advent Children.

Ahhh.

Now I am aware that there are folks who didn’t really like this movie and if you’re one of them I’d love to hear why. If you haven’t seen it and you are a fan of the game, go watch it now and let me know what you think. Or if you love it like I do, what’s your favorite part?

Van Redd Reviews: Metro 2033

http://videogames.techfresh.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/metro-2033.jpg

Metro 2033 is a weird game. It is rare in the sense that it is based on a novel rather then a comic book or movie. I’m not sure if this works in favor of the narrative but for better or worse I had some memorable experiences. It gets stranger as the novel in question is from Russia and came out in or around 2005.

This game really feels like the Russian counterpoint to Fallout as you exist as a young person in a ruined world. Life as we know it has been burned away by nuclear fire and all that is left is a mutated wasteland with the buildings serving as tombs. I think Metro actually upstages Fallout as it makes the surface world seem like an absolutely horrible place and you ARE risking your life anytime you go up to it. You see the air itself is poison so you have to wear a gas mask at all times when outside, and too bad for you that the mutated life that survives up there is not going to just let you waltz by.  Neither are the various factions that control various areas just going to let you go by. Life for the most part exists underground in the old Metro stations. You get the feeling that Russia did not have a Vault program so this is the best they could do. Life is cramped and bleak but people are trying to make the most of it.

Your character will only speak in monologues between levels and realism is at a premium here. You get no map, there just aren’t any. You get a flashlight you have to manually pump up with a generator. Money is worthless, you buy things with bullets. Your gas mask can break, and if it does you either find another or you will die. It gives it a very Half-Life you against the world vibe that I sort of dig.

If that sounds harsh don’t worry, it never is too much to bear and the game seems to know just when to let you take a breather to recharge. These little things really help immerse you in the world of the Metro in the end and make for a unique experience.

The game also takes from Bioshock in a way as there is a mysterious “other” faction that seems to speak to you. Something supernatural is going on while all the human vs. human vs. mutant drama goes on. I found it mostly uninteresting though and ultimately this thread never gets quite enough explanation to really make much sense.

The graphics for the game are passable, but nothing is going to WOW you here. This is not to say the game looks bad it is just that nothing really looks that good either. Character models look very much the same and have “dead eyes” like some games from last gen. The lighting effects are nice and the texture work is good, but again, nothing is going to knock your socks off.

The voice acting is pretty good buy WHY do Russians always have to sound so stereotypically Russian in games. I salute games like Metal Gear Solid 3 for not doing what Metro does. The main character is not so bad but you literally will feel like you are talking to the spies from Rocky and Bullwinkle at points of this game. The pacing is excellent. but I was hampered by some very unclear objectives at certain points but nothing even close to game breaking. The game is fairly short though, and once you beat the game there is little reason for a repeat play. The game has a very weird morality system that never seems to come into play enough to make any sense and really should have probably just been scraped.

Bottom Line: Metro 2033 offers some great atmosphere and some unique takes on realism without being annoying, but the short length and general “Meh” -ness of the graphics places it in the rental category.

Episode 13-Red Dead Round-table

This is our Round-table for Red Dead Redemption. We are joined with Jason aka Faitios from the Talking About Gamers Podcast and Jbird360 from the Scarcasm podcast. We go in detail with this game. And we spoil the hell out of it. You have been warned. We hope you enjoy this episode. As always you can leave feedback by commenting here on the website, email us at TheGeeksFTW@gmail.com, or DM us on twitter @GeeksFTWPodcast.