Can You Dig It?

Waaaaaaarrrriorrs... Come out to plllllaaaaayyy!!! 

The Warriors is a great PS2 title. Developed by Rockstar, it captures the violence, the gritty feel and accompanied by an epic soundtrack. It was released last year on the playstation network and I ended up buying it on my trusty PS Vita. 

The game takes places some months before the meeting with Cyrus. You play as all the Warriors throughout the game but start as Rambrant during his initiation. This phase is solely a tutorial of how to bop some heads. It has co-op and a rumble mode, but I never really played that mode. As a Warrior, you'll face off against The Turnbull A.C's, The Orphans (who are the worst gang in existence) and obviously... the 5-0! Can you survive the onslaught and make it all the way back to Coney Island? 

PLOT. 

If you don't know the plot to this...then you are a sheltered child. The game follows the Warriors on how they are invited to the meeting with the Gramacy Riffs. There's also historic mission on how each of the main members of the gang joined which helps the to give the game more layers and depth. The game also has side missions in each level which is usually to tag over that gangs colours. There is also bonus missions at the Warriors HQ which help boost stats.

GAMEPLAY.

The controls don't change much from the console to handheld, the only difference is to move the camera you have to hold a shoulder button and the left analog. I'm adamant it was the right analog for the consoles! X and Square attack, circle grabs, triangle picks up weapons and jumps and the left shoulder button lets you run. You can mix up the attacks to create different combinations. 

Each of the Warriors has their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, Fox attacks aren't to powerful but he has a larger rage meter. The rage meter gets filled after landing so many attacks and allows the player to have stronger attacks. If you grab the enemy and use square and X together, the player will put together an head smashing combo. Ajax will gut punch, pick up and slam AND - as if that wasn't enough - stomps on their head! 

The health bar is shown by a small circle round the players feet and can be replenished by purchasing Flash - the quick fixer-upper. It's good that it doesn't cover the screen and is in view enough to see when your health is low. You can also use weapons which break after (roughly) 5 shots. 

The combat is some of the best I've seen for a beat-em up. Then Rockstar made it co-op. And blew my mind. There's something special about holding a Moonrunner as your mate throws a knee that would send a chimp into space! 

To give the game more depth and to add to your high score, you can rob people and steal radios you earn money. The money helps buy the Flash and spray paint. The game mechanic's for stealing or breaking into a shop are simple enough but still provide a challenge to the player. 

PRESENTATION.

Not much to say here and that isn't a bad thing. It's a PS2 title so think of Manhunt or San Andreas and you're on the right track. The frames and animation for the fighting have very few problems. I don't think I ever played this and seen it glitch. The presentation is always dark though but it's understandable considering this is a game about the armies of the night...

SOUND.

The classic songs and sounds from the film have been used. They even used some of the actors to re-record lines and to do additional ones also. It certainly captures the feel of the time and helps create the atmosphere. 

CONCLUSION.

For those that haven't played or seen The Warriors. You must. A free area beat-em up that works is rare and there is more to this game that meets the eye. Even after you complete the story, Rockstar added a side scroller - much like Streets Of Rage - and kept all the controls. It works. Incredibly well. The music from the 79' classic, transport the player into the shoes of one of The Warriors and some of the mission are memorable. The Warriors gets a 9/10. 


Cheers for Reading, 


O.E.G. 
@TheOEGamer
Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment. 

Top Ten Games with Awesome Music

The basis of this is as follows:
The theme has to be from a game first so no crossovers like Naruto or DBZ.

Only one tune from each game series.
It is a personal opinion of mine, but its probably right and better than yours.
I'm going on how memorable each tune is to me and of I can recall the majority of it. 

I'll leave a link for each one so you can have a listen.

10. Final Fantasy VII: Boss Battle Theme.

Okay so you've been whooping ass all over Migard and you've been hearing that same old music for a while. Then BAM! In your face with a giant mech robot on wheels with some killer guitars to open up the battle. This shit always got me excited to fight anyone in the game. It made the boss battles that more personal when they were accompanied by this cracking tune. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U84zAfb4b58

9. Super Mario World.
Want a happy cheery song to hum and sing when you're playing possibly the happiest and best game ever??? You do!? Good! Super Mario World's music was like chocolate for my ears. It's Happy, colourful and fun. Just like the game! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH8mQRXemuo

8. Battlefield 1942. 

You're in a trench and see the enemy 200 metres to your front. Above you a dog fight is taking place, with machine gun fire like the humming of birds. You look through your scope and take aim on the enemy. You press the trigger and down goes your target just as an explosion rattles to your left. Just before all of this was the hammering of drums and meaty bass. If Battlefield 1942's music didn't make you feel like you were about to step into a warzone...you're in the wrong game son. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq0iRO7rH_0

7. Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty.

I have nothing to say except. Snake?? Snake?? SNAAAAAAAAKE????

... Cool tune bro. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiPon8lr48U

6. Halo: Combat Evolved.

I love the halo music. When the London Philharmonic Orchestra did this, I listened to it intently for about a week. It manages to capture that feel of being in space and fighting for survival. It genuinely is a great piece of music. Listen and you'll know what I mean.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjvo0SPAOiQ

5. Elder Scroll V: Skyrim.

Skyrim was an epic quest, delving into the deepest parts of fantasy. Dragons. Trolls. Wolf men. So when I saw the trailer and heard,"in his tongue he is dovakin....dragon born!" accompanied with the music. All I wanted to do was pick up my shield and sword and go and slaughter the troll king...and dragons! And explore all that Skyrim had to offer. Obviously though the first thing I did was scream "Fus-Ro-Dah!" At everything in sight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clcHxg9l5Bk

4. Megaman II.

Fast paced and constantly on the edge of your seat. The Megaman game and music has always been a personal favourite of mine. I'm not going to explain... Okay maybe a little. The developers -only using 8-bit bearing in mind - still manage to give the feeling of a faced paced game solely by the music. Also... look how funny the box art is! Hahahah! He doesn't look remotely like that!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiGbAC7f4Ro

3. Pokemon. 

I wasn't going to add this but remembered that this came before the anime so it counts! Every person who's played pokemon can remember this tune. Everyone. It's just so...cool! A big part of my - and many others - childhood. Definitely deserves a top spot!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvKoBnv96PM

2. Donkey Kong Country.

This could be a nostalgic thing but I don't care. It's cooool. To those that have read my previous blogs will know I love this. My favourite tune is definitely against King. K. Rool. But even the opening song, as the intro - played on a phonograph - reminds us of old school sound and  is interrupted by fresh new beats from a boombox! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA5Wc1_Zghk

1. Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past.

Here it is. This game. This fuuuuucking game! Its just perfect for me. And the music is nothing short of a masterpiece. Even though made with 32-bit sounds still manages to (here's the word of the day) convey (sexy ain't it?) of fantasy, peril and some hardcore questing! UGH. Take it Zelda!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkH2zETKqws

Okaaaaay. There's a top ten of musical epicness. I'm sure a lot of you will agree and thanks for reading. If you don't...leave a comment, and tell me YOUR top ten!

Cheers,

O.E.G. 

@theOEGamer 

My Top Five Games I Hate...With Additional Swearing

So I know I call myself optimistic and I suppose I am. But sometimes I lose my shit with games...like completely. Just to make you aware I am gunna be swearing my tits off here solely for the fact I'll wind myself up about each game. This was also a ball ache and took me ages because I was trying to rack my brain so I had to search EVERY game on the PS2 (yes every title AND I couldn't even find one!). Also you'll have to bear with me on some of them, I will explain! So... here we go. Hold on tight. (Warning: Spoilers).


5. James Bond 007: Nightfire - GameCube/ PS2/ Xbox.

This is only being placed at no. five because it came with the GameCube I acquired and I don't like trying to rate something without seeing/playing it all the way through...however. This game sucks. I could only withstand 15 minutes- TOPS - before I turned it off in a rage. The graphics are fucking awful! I've seen better Playstation games! And for that matter a SNES games! The cars look like literal squares. And the sounds....the FUCK!!!!! I'm done.

To sum up. It is awful.








4. Deus Ex. Human Revolution - Xbox360/ PC/ PS3.

Right. So Deus Ex. Its an awesome game. I loved upgrading my character into a stealthy dealer of death, and attempting to just ruin everyone's day by playing as a complete bastard. Whats that? You've been promoted to "crummy desk Sergeant?" GIVE A FUCK! So like I said its awesome. What isn't awesome and actually changed my entire perspective on the game was the ending. Eidos you cheap bastards. Instead of some brilliant cut scene where I thought I'd see Jensen killing himself or choosing whatever, I'm "treated" with black and white footage of Earth???? No no no. I play games to get away from this shit, not to be dropped right back in it during the fucking game!!!!!!
Ruined.







3. Rise of the Robots - SNES.

If you haven't seen any footage of this, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYUeO_yk9To
Continue sum this up perfectly, "nothing about this game was entertaining or fun at all". Yup. I remember my dad getting me and brother this. The title screen had me super excited! We then had a fight and my smiling face went straight to a "da fuq is this??" The game uses pre-rendered C.G.I sprites rather than pixel art or digitized sprites. Essentially it just looks buals (balls!). There is limited moves and even then it feels super slow. My problem with this game is....why was it made?








2. Rage - Xbox360/ PC/ PS3.

 This follows the same trend as Deus Ex but it wound me up even more, if its even possible (hence why its no. 2). Same applies, this game is a sexy looking game and they even got some decent folk to do some of the voices (like John Goodman!) and considering it was sold as a similar game to Fallout and boasted about Mad Max style world, which it did. But in my eyes it fell short. Super short. Yes, there was opens worlds but they seemed linear. How do you manage to make something openly linear??? HOW? The game was put onto two discs which I expected to make the game huge, and it did. But wait, the player wants to go back and explore the first area? Na fuck that, limited freedom is where its at! Like I said, the game is amazing but like @mattaconda (https://twitter.com/Mattaconda) said,"there's only so much lipstick you can put on a pig."
When I finished it I just stared at the credits and genuinely thought,"well that was a fucking waste, think I'll go outside." And it didn't even take that long and I was attempting to make it last...Fuck you Rage. I'll show you some RAGE!!!!!





1. Red Faction: Armageddon - Xbox360/ PC/ PS3.

Here it is. Possibly my most hated game. THIS FUCKING GAME! I don't think I've ever been so disappointed at a game. This is probably because I was, and maybe still am, a huge fan of the first two on the PS2 and Guerrilla on the 360. The first two for the ability to smash the environment and getting the rail gun to shoot through walls and kill enemies. Guerrilla because they took the destroying environments to the next level. They gave you all of Mars to go crazy with. Here's a giant hammer. See that building? You can flatten it! One of my favourite things was just wielding this super hammer and just fucking shit up. Then they released this one in 2011. And ruined everything!!!! Why the fuck would you decide to put the player back in the ground on a linear path after giving them the freedom of the world?! I know the first two where underground but they worked because they probably didn't have the capacity on the PS2 to attempt what they did with Guerrilla. But seriously. Even at the start they give the player a little teaser. "Oh remember all that cool shit like blowing up buildings and smashing pipelines with hammers? Yeah none of that anymore." If I had to compare this to anything it would be a stripper. They both had me super excited when they started but at the end I'm left disappointed. And all alone...again.

Addendum: If you haven't notice I do like open games, so when a games is labelled as such, I will probably try it out. But when it undersells like the above, I tend to lose it.

Now I know the majority of the games on the list are from the "next-gen" era, but it's because I couldn't find many from the retro era that I hated. Maybe because there wasn't as much choice and the developers had to make sure the game was perfect so they could make a profit. Or maybe because back when I was a young'n, I thought everything was amazing and colourful (except Rise of the Robots). And now I'm older and wiser and can see more faults and I'm more skeptical. Or its that the game developers don't seem to spend as much time on certain games. Whatever it is these games above...pissed me off massively. 

If you have any different or agree with me let me know!

Cheers,

 

O.E.G.

@theOEGamer.

Back to the Murder.

So after playing Viva Pinata and the past few reviews/ blogs I've been doing have been about happy happy games, I've decided to get back to my manly routes and play a game full of shooting, and killing. And chainsaw guns!

Gears...of...WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone's played this right? Unless: a) You're a Playstation fan boy b) You've been living under a rock  c) You're dead. G.O.W came out in 2006 a year after the release of the Xbox360 and this was solely the reason I (and I assume many others) bought a 360. The game is a sci-fi shooter for those of you that don't know...you know what? I'm pretty sure you all know the fucking plot! Made by Epic games it was, in my opinion, the first decent next gen game.

The story can be played singularly, local and online co-op. The game starts with Marcus Fenix (played by the great John DiMaggio...he did Bender as well!) in a prison cell being busted out by his long time buddy Dom. They are part of these nails mo' fuckas called the Gears. Kinda like the Special Forces of this universe. And then it's up to the player to control Marcus through the world stopping the Locust (sci-fi orcs?) using a wide array of weapons. The set pieces in the game were amazing. The combination of the over the shoulder camera, the sound effects and the areas just made me genuinely feel nervous! All I was thinking when getting chased is," I can't turn round to look because you have to stop to do that...so fuck that."

                 "Surprise! Cock fag!"

Presentation wise the game was, and still is sound. Sure there's a few frame drop issues but apart from that I can't complain. This ruined world, surrounded by death and war was beautiful to look at. Every time you fought in an area it felt like truly daunting, due to the seer size and scale of the place. I enjoyed the parts where the game slowed down for the plot and to show off the designs of certain areas. The character models were all unique and the Locust characters, especially the grenadiers, were fucking terrifying! But when you're controlling a dude wearing power armour wielding a chainsaw gun and you've cut that brute in half? That fear gets replaced with excitement (errrrrection!). And when you do it for the first time...you feel unstoppable. 

So with that in mind we shall delve into the combat. It's cover system was awesome. Simple to use. Hard to master. If there were two of you on co-op, you could have constant fire barraging the enemy. Obviously Epic covered the recoil of each weapon, so on extreme difficulty, your shots had to count! They developed a reload system that if you pressed at certain point, you would reload faster and have a small damage boost, which could be the decider in a multiplayer match. Then the best part. The fucking melee!!!!

                  "DOOOOOOOMMM!"

I know I already mentioned this but only briefly. In G.O.W's you can shoot the enemies legs to cripple them so you're able to get close (story and multiplayer) then, depending on the weapon, you can kill them in a sort of fatalility. Clearly the best was cutting someone in half with a chainsaw. Or you could equip a shotgun and smash their head in with a golf swing! Or attach a frag grenade to them and watch them blow up! OR execute them up close with a bolt pistol which made their head explode! 

Now if you aren't aware (but I'm sure the last paragraph has made it clear) the game was brutal. Limbs flying all over using grenades or the hammer of dawn (sorta like a light beam weapon from the sky). Heads left in pieces from a headshot from a sniper rifle or bolt pistol. It made playing online that more sweeter when you won, watching your foes explode or collapse from gunfire. 

So Playstation fan boys, and dead people/ ghosts/ zombies, with the release of the Xbox One the first Gears should be relatively cheap to pick up. Go out and get it and play through an Epic (no pun intended). I should also mention this is one of the very few games I played online so I highly recommend it to anyone! 

Hope you enjoyed! 

Leave me a comment! 

O.E.G. 

Naughty Dogs and Evil Weasels.

Last year I bought a PS Vita. It's a really good bit of kit and I enjoy playing and its design...oh and the games are pretty decent. So far I own four games for that system. I own two games from downloads. Now the problem with this is I prefer the games that I've downloaded. One being Final Fantasy 7 (http://theoptimisticenglishgamer.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/memorable-memories.html ,mentioned in last month's blog) and the other being Jak and Daxter.
If you've noticed, I have a running theme with these blogs. Its that I love old school games. I do like new games as well, don't get me wrong. G.T.A. V and Red Dead are fucking awesome games. As well as Sleeping Dogs and XCOM: Enemy Unknown. But at the moment I'm stuck in this loop of playing older games. So without further adieu!

 Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy! Released in 2001 by Naughty Dogs and one of the first games I bought/ got with my PS2. It gives me that same sense of innocence that games give you at a young age, as well as the exploration factor that comes with these open world games. Jak and Daxter opens with Jak (crazy haired boy) and his buddy Daxter traveling to the mysterious Misty Island, despite warnings from this old dude with clogs. They end up seeing an army of Lurkers (bad looking gremlin fuckers) and attempt to escape the place. But not before some plot happens! Jak's buddy gets knocked into some dark eco which transforms him into... da da da daaaaaaaa... a ferret with a mouth on him. Or weasel, whatever.
The player takes over after the duo get a bollocking from Clogs McGee (old man), and are told to collect power cells to advance and help the old man. From the get go the player gets a sense of how big the world actually is. Even the first area - where you're told there is more places to explore - is still pretty big. A little thing I like is if you try and swim off the island a giant fish comes and eats you. This idea is used in Banjo Kazooie and is much better than the invisible wall bullshit!
You can speak to the locals who have some fantastic accents and witty dialog, which I still find funny to this day (I am a big kid though...not fat. I meant in the mind). The locals give you tasks to do and in return give you a power cell. This can be anything from rounding up sheep, to bringing them 50 orbs (the egg thing on the box art).

Da Fuq is that Brah!!?!!?

The controls feel quite tight as well and has the usual controls you'd expect on a platformer. Jump, two types of attacks, sprint and you can launch objects during certain areas with the shoulder button. There is also a power up station, where you are able to run faster and do more damage to enemies. There's some boss battles as well which are well thought out and good fun. There's even a build up to them which makes it that more special! The main focus of the game is to collect things though. Now you may think this sounds a bit boring, but I enjoy it! Even playing it now I find a compelling urge to collect everything in an area.
In certain areas you have to ride a hover bike whilst attempting to collect orbs and not die (I suck at these parts and find some of them difficult or maybe its just me). This ranges from the grassy plains to skimming over lava and trying to keep the engine cooled at the same time by flying through water balloons...yeah...It's legit. You even ride a giant bird like thing (sort of ostrich-esque) which is epic fun!

"DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNKKKKKK!"

Lastly is the graphics and how the game looks. Once again I have to mention the scale of the game. The vast green on the plains looks stunning. The vibrant blue and yellow of Jak stands out in all the backgrounds, even the underwater level. And the strong reds of the volcanic areas are lush. Essentially a good looking game, especially for its time. I don't remember thinking at any part that this game looks shitty and I was literally playing it five minutes ago (it was on the remastered edition though).
I have to admit I don't really pay attention to the soundtrack on this game so I can't comment. Maybe I'm too engrossed in the game. Or maybe I turned the music off, I can't remember.

For those that haven't played Jak and Daxter (any of them) you should! They just re-released it on the PS network. They're good fun and remind me of the old school bests like Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot! And I think they're up the top with them!

Like and comment and tell your friends!
Cheers.

O.E.G.

Insert Funny Comment...............

Random Nostalgia.

If there's one thing I love, its monsters. Another thing I love is wars...If these two joined forces in a video game I'd probably lose my shit...What? It's been done? You're shitting me!?! 

No I am not avid fans (all 3 of you) or random reader who enjoys monsters beating the hell out of each other through cities. Have I got a surprise for you! So after watching Pacific Rim a while back my love for monsters and giant robots was re-ignited, then like a light switch, my brain reminded me of a classic.

War of the Monsters! 

Look at that box art! I think that was actually the sole reason of my purchase as a kid. I'd heard nothing about it but the box art was so mesmerising to me I bought this instantly. A gorilla fighting a robot...what's not to like?! The initial cut scene is more or less shot like an old school sci-fi film, where aliens have invaded so them good ol' science like folk have made something which can make bugs and animals grow and use them to fight their battles! What ensues is ultimate carnage like that of a giant electric eyeball (legit) fighting a preying mantis in, what essentially is, Vegas!

So the fundamentals of this game is that its a beat em up. There's a single player where you play as each of the characters fighting all the others and when you complete it, you unlock a new character! After the single player we have multiplayer! Obviously the screen splits into two, or four if you had the adapter..and friends (I didn't) when the game starts. However when the characters get close to one another, the screen merges seamlessly into one. Now I'm sure this has been done this before in a game previous to this, but this was the first time I'd seen it and it blew...my...mind!

The graphics for a game which in now about 10 years old isn't that bad. The character models are well done and thought out and all different in their own way, just like us! You have eight characters to choose from, plus two unlockables. There is a few homages towards some classic sci-fi monsters, like Godzilla and King Kong but the developers manage to make them their own. Even the character select screen is well thought out. When you click on each character it appears as a movie poster. Then the loading screen IS a movie poster, accompanied by a witty pun. Where would a movie poster be without a pun? Am I right?!?

"Fus-Ro-DAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Another reason why I love this game, is the soundtrack. It's badass! It manages to portray the epic battle that is unfolding in front of you're very eyes! It uses the classic sounds from the movies but with a twist of electric guitar and other accoutrements. I'm actually listening to the soundtrack as I write this! The link below is just one of the songs which helps make the game awesome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jopmhcK_TOY

Like most fighters, we have a jump button, a grab button, attack and a shoot. The player can combine certain ones to make a special move. You can also hold the attack button to charge attacks, which you can use to create combos (x, x hold x to slam for example...disclaimer: that isn't a combo...it's the jump button). You can also pick up objects and hurl them and a 110 ft insect until there's nothing left but guts and glory. But unlike most beat-em-ups, the player can move freely in the levels, to say, oh i don't know, climb a building, pick up a radio antenna and impale your foe! This used to be one of my favourite things to do. It also pissed off my brother and one friend when playing cause I used this tactic a fair bit. Another one of my favourite things in this game is the destructible environment. What would a monster game be like if you couldn't throw someone through a building? That's right, a shit one! There is nothing more satisfying than picking up a giant gorilla and launching it into buildings until they crumble.

So to sum this game up.

Monsters + Destructible buildings/ environments + impaling fools + kick-ass soundtrack = One sweet mother fucking game which everyone needs to play! I had so much fun as a kid and even 10 years later when I revisited (and re-bought) it, I still managed to have so much fun and not from nostalgic glasses. It's a good and well thought out game, one that needs to be done again!

O.E.G.