andrew's HardestLevel

A Change of Direction

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:28:57 GMT

Change can suck, but whoever said it has to? In our efforts to bring more exposure to Hardestlevel and appeal to a wider range of audiences, I had to take some time to seriously reconsider how the heck I was going to continue writing about games. For me, I'm a hardcore gamer at heart and always have been.

Some people daydream about about buying those new shoes on their next payday, or taking a trip to Europe with their great-grandmother Bethany. I dream about games. I dream about the games I've played in the past, the game I'm playing now and the games I want to play in the near future. I'm constantly working out schemes to budget my video game addict...er...habit, and always looking forward to getting my good ol' 360 controller in my hand.

I don't know much about retro Nintendo gear or people making cakes that look like Pac Man. I never looked forward to Wii Motion Plus (what a rip-off, give me a break) or the next Pokemon game. Go ahead, skewer me and burn me at the stake. But my world is about story-telling, cutting-edge graphics and pushing my gaming skills to the limit. I don't want to flail around in front of my television or struggle to play Call of Duty with a cheap light-gun.

I want to mod PC games and share the fruits of my labor with a gaming crowd. I want to stay up at night and drool (quite literally) over games like Diablo III, God of War III, Fable III and any other title with a III in it apparently.

So I say unto you, readers, to cut me some slack. For the remainder of my time at HL I will do my best to tone down my antics and think up of some awesome stuff we can all relate to. For now, this has been my rant, may your thumbs never ache.

Does the PS3 Slim Change Your Mind?

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:25:37 GMT

So, as most of us probably know by now, Sony unveiled its 360 killer this Tuesday: the PS3 Slim. Being, well, slimmer than the original PS3, the system remains relatively the same in all other aspects. You still get the same Bluetooth capability, WiFi, and that down-home "new console" feeling with each and every one. Of bigger note is the price. Sony finally decided to cut things down to a manageable $299, a price drop that is sure to attract more than a few new gamers (myself included), especially with awesome titles looming in the near future such as God of War III.

Sadly, though, the rumored backwards-compatibility I was hoping for is notably absent. Apparently the emulation software that Sony is using isn't really up to par quite yet, and folks over at IGN are speculating that the emulation will come in future firmware updates. Personally, I sure hope it does, as I would not be willing to spend more big bucks just to gain a feature that should have been implemented at launch.

Now that the PS3 is out, how many people has Sony finally won over? Maybe we'll finally get to see the PS3 enter the ring as a true contender in this iteration of the Console Wars.

Are Re-makes Cop-outs?

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:55:48 GMT

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled. Banjo Kazzoie and Banjo Tooie.

We've been seeing a rash of re-makes of classic games this summer, and part of me has to wonder at what has brought about this relatively recent phenomenon. Gamers have become rabid over some of these releases in the past couple of months, and they're not even new games! Simply put, these are games we've played before with minor tweaks and graphical updates. TMNT did go a bit further with the graphics sprucing, but it generally remains the same game.

Why do we need this? Have we all suddenly become so nostalgic for games we've played hundreds of times before? Banjo Kazooie was a great game when I was in middle school; I would play that sucker for hours on end, completely sucked into the world and collecting those, well, everything! But is it really worth shelling out (excuse the pun) more cash to play something I've finished before?

Companies like Rare certainly seem to think so, and with the success of Nintendo's retro games on WiiWare, we probably won't be seeing an end to this anytime soon. Is this rash going to fade with time? Don't make me break out the lotion, people, spend more time on your new games rather than throwing stuff at us from the way-back machine.

Difficulty Level

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:27:45 GMT

So you open the disc tray of your favorite console and slide in that shiny new game you just bought. Controller in hand, you take a step back as the anticipation builds for the gaming experience of your lifetime. The intro blows you away and even the title screen looks awesome; this is going to be good.

But then you hit a brick wall and are forced to stop everything to contemplate a serious question: which difficult would you like to play on?

Easy? Probably not, my reflexes are a little more developed than a three-year-old's, thank you very much. Normal? I don't know, what exactly is "normal" these days? Hard? Am I going to get served every five seconds, making me absolutely hate the game that I was enjoying only a few moments ago?More Here...

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:15:08 GMT

Get to Know the Hardest Level Interns

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:30:21 GMT

The dark days. Brothers killing brothers, babies killing babies. The world was in chaos. Mankind cried out for hero.

It wasn't me.

The darkness returned. Gaming became main stream. People waggled sticks at screens and stood on cheap plastic boards. Games became loose collections of poorly-programmed mini-games aimed at unwitting children and non-gamers. Again, mankind cried out for a hero.

And I emerged from my slumber to fight the beast.

Name: Andrew

Age: 23

Gaming alias: rallydefault

Your video game style: I honestly enjoy anything other than sports and racing games. No offense to any who greatly enjoy those genres, but they just don't do it for me. I'd rather be wielding a sword or shooting up zombie Nazis rather than driving a car or catching a digital football. Upon further review I don't even know if that was what this question is asking. My video game style? Well, I guess some would consider me hardcore, it takes up a good chunk of my life aside from work and family/friends. I'm confused.

Console that you can't live without (and why): This is tough and I really had to sit back and think about this for a while. I know many would jump back to the NES or SNES, but I'm gonna skip that old stuff and say the PS2. You just can't go wrong with it. It has one of the largest (if not the largest) game libraries of any console ever launched, and to this day it is still being developed for. Some of the greatest RPGs of all time are exclusively for the PS2, and series like God of War, Sly Cooper, Ratchet and Clank, and Jack and Daxter are some of my all-time favorites on any console. This is why Sony needs to get its act together and release a backwards-compatible PS3 already! It frustrates me to no end, people. Also, the controller is super comfy and remains my favorite for games other than shooters.

Why are you passionate about gaming: For starters, I've always believed gaming gets a bad rap compared to other hobbies. I grew up in a household where gaming was somehow viewed as being worse than watching the television. Please, explain to me how using hand-eye coordination, logic skills, and memory components while playing a video game are somehow "worse" than sitting in front of the television like a zombie. Gamers are some of the most intelligent and dynamic-thinking people around; we're just trained to think of all sorts of solutions to problems. We've seen and been involved in worlds from the craziest of imaginations, and we've saved the those worlds more times than we can count. We know what a halberd is and we're not afraid to flaunt it. To put it simply, I compare video games to books. They both do relatively the same thing; engage the audience (us) to take us out of our lives and put us into different shoes. Books are great in that the world lives on inside us long after the pages end, but the same is true with video games. Our adventures can conceivably continue forever, and non-gamers just don't understand the places we've been and the things we've done. Games are amazing. Period. Next question, question boy.

What can you do without in the gaming world?: You guessed it: motion controls. Please, for the love of all we've accomplished in the past few decades, stop it with all these cheesy motion-control games. Yes, some of them are a little cool and have some actual polish to them, but the vast majority are simply churned-out excuses for games trying to capitalize on unsuspecting parents and old people. That's right, I said it. On top of that, I just can't stand playing a "normal" game like Zelda:Twilight Princess while holding that darn stick towards the screen the whole time. I'd rather the feel of a controller in my hand, rather than constantly swinging that piece of plastic back and forth like some kid having a temper tantrum. Sometimes you just want to curl up with a good game late at night (just like a book, as per my previous response), and motion control just is not conducive to that. In fact, it's the exact opposite. Now I'm angry.

And finally, what is your hardest level?: If you've looked at my profile or personal page at all, then this answer will be repetitive and I apologize. My hardest level was definitely fighting General RAAM on Insane difficult in the original Gears of War with zero help. That fight really reminded me of the good ol' days of gaming. You had to be spot on with your timing, reflexes, and accuracy to beat that guy. Mess up once and you're toast. Those bats or whatever will swarm you and destroy you in under a second on that difficulty, not to mention the freaking huge gun he carries. I vowed I wouldn't resort to co-op mode to get by, and after a few days I finally downed him and did my awkward victory dance around the room. My roommates talked about it for months to come. Then I went and beat Call of Duty 2 on Veteran without a breaking a sweat.

Homogenization is the Bane of my Existence

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:53:36 GMT

It's everywhere. It's in our game producers, our game developers, and even our games. It's the all-enveloping blob-like fad that is sucking up and destroying what a video game is supposed to be.

Homogenization: the silent killer.

Let's start on a large scale. Take Electronic Arts. Looking back only a few years you can't even count the number of smaller game companies they've absorbed on one hand! Take Origin for example. A great little developer that brought about the phenomenon of Ultima. Once EA snapped them up everything went to you-know-where in a hand basket, and the last two Ultima titles produced under the direction of EA were nowhere near as polished and successful as the previous ones. Just one of the examples that lead many to call EA the Evil Empire. (Some people still dare to call them this, but only do so in dark corners or long-forgotten woodland groves; EA will hunt you down and deal with you otherwise. You've been warned!)

As for game developers, they're losing their ability to work within their own time constraints and creative vision. This problem is mostly due to those huge game publishers like EA, but lately it seems more than a few developers just want to get their product on the shelves as quickly as possible, no matter the sacrifices they have to make. We've all been seeing more and more DLC lately (downloadable content), but what ever happened to taking the time to release that content with the game in the first place? On top of that, we don't have nearly as many independent game developers out there anymore. Most people have been bought out or even put out of business, further narrowing the field concerning who makes our video games.

Finally, we have homogenization within the games themselves! No where is this more evident than in many MMOs. They start out strong, with races and classes that are truly different and make you feel like an individual playing a character that you created. Lately, classes and character models are becoming more and more like the next, just to save time and money on the other end. This is happening in many games, though the most obvious is World of Warcraft. Need a tank? No problem, almost half of the current classes can now tank! How about a healer? Again, almost half the classes can fill that role as well. There's nothing wrong with having a couple classes able to do the same thing (it cuts out the necessity of having specific classes present), but when they all do the same exact thing in the same exact way it's just laziness on the part of the game developer.

All this ranting is making me tired. My plea to the world is to stop cutting corners. Game development is tough, so give developers a break and let them program what they want and with the passion they have. Yes, people may complain about slower release dates, but when quality games do come out they pack an experience that is unique and dynamic, and will hold your attention for months to come.

Start Making Room in Your Life for Modern Warfare 2

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:43:30 GMT

The clouds have parted and a beautiful beam of light is shooting down out of the gaming heavens. Is The Simpson's arcade game finally getting a console port? Heck no, it's been at least a decade, people, might as well give up on that one. Has Sony finally lowered the price of the PS3? Again, no, but I'll continue my awkward daily "price lowering dance" in hopes the black box will one day be available to the common folk.

So what gives? Infinity Ward gives, and seems to be set to continue giving for the next several months until the release of Modern Warfare 2. I've talked about MW2's upcoming launch before, so you can probably guess that I'm more than a little stoked about it. I'm also willing to wager more than a few of you have your panties in a twist over the frosted chocolately goodness of this next incarnation of one of the greatest shooters ever.

Fan or not, panties twisted or regular, check out this video released today by Infinity Ward of MW2's multiplayer streak rewards.

Two words. Gunship. Or one, whatever. Still, you get to fire from a freaking gunship in multiplayer matches. I'm officially sold, and I don't even need to delve into how completely awesome the game looks. Being familiar with the original streak rewards of UAV, airstrike, and helicopter, the gunship seems like the perfect way to shake up some online matches. The coolest thing about this addition is that you are in control. With the airstrike and helicopter in MW, you basically handed over the reins to the computer and hoped everything turned out alright. For instance, even if you think your airstrikes were spot on, sometimes something as simple as the angle would allow your enemies to live through what seemed like a direct strike. As for the helicopter, well, we all know how frustrating it is to have it shot down immediately, and you're also not directly in control of it. Now you are.

And fine, I just can't resist commenting more on the gameplay in general. MW looked great, but MW2 seems to up the visual polish. Everything seems more fluid and there are definitely more effects flying around as well as objects in the environment reacting to the bullets. Specifically, I always thought the CoD games were the best in the FPS genre of producing direct effects on your first-person "thereness". That's right, I just made up a word. Honestly, I can't think of any other way to describe it. You know on the tanker level in MW when the ship starts to sink and your vision gets knocked around and blurry? Well, that's the game messing with your thereness. Flashbangs going off? Thereness. The final scene on the blown-up bridge? Yea, you get the picture. Well, now there seems to be more of it, and in multiplayer! Completely awesome.

So please, share in my excitement or proceed to try and distance yourself from the FPS masses. Honestly, I love reading all of your comments, good or bad.

Take a Chance, People!

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:42:02 GMT

Today I was at work going through my usual brainstorming routine for what I would write about tonight. And when I say routine I really mean eating unhealthy amounts of animal crackers whislt having a staring contest with the wall. But let's not get picky. Possible topics included: MMOs? Too much about those lately. Yet another look back at some nostalgic game or gaming moment? Definitely not and beaten to death more than a proverbial horse.

Then it came to me: gamers need to wake up and take a chance on something different every now and then. I'm not talking about jumping on the Wii bandwagon, that's not a chance anymore, that's now classified as joining the masses. I'm talking about good old-fashioned controller-based games that dared to be different in our recent market. Take a look at the video below without scoping the title. Try to think of the name before it pops up at the end. I hope and pray that many of you know this game (or better yet, played it!) without having to search for it. If not, well, that simply proves my point.

Did you know it? You just scored some awesome points in my book if you did, and if you didn't I highly recommend you download the demo immediately. That's right, we're talking about Mirror's Edge and games like it that dare to be unique in a mostly uniform game environment.More Here...

Marvel Universe Levels Up

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:20:31 GMT

An epic clash of the proverbial titans is on our hands. With Champions Online, DC Universe Online, and Marvel Universe all set to release in close proximity to one another, the heat in the MMO kitchen has been kicked up a notch. I apologize to Emeril Lagasse and anyone muttering under their breath about "getting out of the kitchen." No, I will not get out of the kitchen. I will stay and sample this wondrous soup.

What soup am I speaking of? Well, it turns out that Marvel Universe may have just received a huge boost to its team with the addition of Battle.net and Diablo fame, David Brevik.More Here...