Left 4 Dead

Well I am back with a game from 2008. A decent year for a few impressive titles. Metal Slug 3, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles, Devil May Cry 4, Silent Hill: Origins and Grand Theft Auto 4. Released in November 17, 2008 bring a co-op first-person shooter developed by Valve Corporation. Following a full on apocalyptic pandemic, four survivors against a scourge of the infected dead. This is Left 4 Dead.

Eh, screw this.  Let's get a beer.

With an outbreak of "Green Flu" in Pennsylvania creating aggression, destruction of the body's cells and the depletion of higher brain function. Two weeks after the first case, four survivors seem to be immune to it being our protagonists. Bill Overbeck, a Vietnam vet, Zoey, a college student, Louis, an IT guy and Francis, a bike gang member...cause nothing says bad ass like the name Francis.

Each character makes his or her way into Fairfield only to find the infection has spread creating bizarre and horribly warped mutations roaming the streets. Hordes of the undead are out and about quite out of their minds. Making one's way to the Mercy Hospital's helipad you narrowly escape on the passing copter only to find your pilot is also infected.

Hmm, this might be a bad idea but...

Surviving the crash you find a slightly battered light armored truck to maneuver through the town of Riverside until the road is clearly blocked, forcing the team to hoof it on foot. With travel problems tended to via small fishing boat they make their way to Newburg to only see the city gone mad and on fire.

Let's talk game play over all. Now I played this on the computer so no idea how it handles on Xbox, Now you assume one of the four survivors and can manage additional players but it can also be played by AI. This game works mostly on teamwork and has more realistic physics but each teammates are visible through the walls and buildings allowing players to stick together and coordinate their movement and attacks. A survivor falls off a ledge, the others can pull them up. A survivor's health meter is empty they can be revived by another.

Firearm muzzle flashes are a bit blinding, melee attacks will bounce enemies back easily. Pistols, SMGs, shotguns, auto assault rifle and hunting rifles are easy enough to find but ammo is scarce with the exception of unlimited ammo for a semi-auto pistol at starting level. Melee attacks are better when the infected are no more than 3 at a time. The sound of gunfire attracts the infected and they do move quickly but zero tactics. High pitched noise attracts them fairly well so adding a beeping noise to a pipe bomb or car bomb ensures a decent body count.

There are five types of infected. The Boomer is a gas filled that can throw up some sort of bile to blind the survivors, attracting infected and explodes loudly spreading the bile in the nearby area. The plucking of a bass guitar hints a Boomer is around. The Hunter can leap and tear at his victim until he is either knocked off, killing his prey or is outright killed. They will emit a screech or roar when you are close by. A high pitched piano cue is your only signal followed by the low pitch snarls when you are in proximity. The Smoker is covered in boils and has six tongues to snag and drag a survivor to him. These things will attack head on, allow a scourge or horde to attack in waves or just leave your survivor suspended over a cliff or rooftop.

The Tank is a huge, built infected that can swipe wide and knock survivors off their feet. They can chuck rocks, knock over cars and other debris into the survivors. Cue by a loud orchestral score. The Witch is always a female infect with claws and starts crying to lure you in. You can avoid her usually but she is easily disturbed by light, loud noises and gunfire. An eerie choir tune plays when she is near.

Instead of the standard fixed spawn points for enemies the game has more roaming creatures as a direct attack and difficulty, the AI is referred as "The Director". It will place creatures and items in various places based on player's situations, status, skill set and locations. It also creating mood and tension with music cues, lighting and character confabing. With four game modes: Campaign, Versus, Survival and single-player. Campaign has up to four human controlled players attempting to make their way around crazed Pennsylvania attempting to get to safe houses and eventually to safety. Versus gives each team of 1 to 4 players to play either as survivor or infected and is point based giving points and bonus points based on health and health items in inventory. Survival consists of timed challenges against swarms of the infected must try to survive as long as possible. Single player is almost identical to Campaign but it can be played offline with the AI bots.

Fast paced, eerie lighting and sounds along with music cues offering a macabre vision of a world gone mad. I was stunned with how scary and fun this game is.

YOU KIDS KEEP IT DOWN!!!

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

Back again kiddies. I know you missed me. It's okay to admit it. So I think this week felt needed some more video games. Lego has been a staple in households for the last 30 years, and since 1997 64 video games Lego construction system have been released by Mindscape to later Giant Interactive Entertainment to show of Lego-themed video games. In 2006, bringing the original trilogy bringing an action-adventure platform and bringing a Lucasart/ Traveller's Tales Games hybrid that brought joy to many. This is Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy.

Oh dear, I am still overtly effeminate!

Based on the original story-line of the Star Wars series, this particular creation sold over 8.2 million copies since May 2009. Many of the critics love the game for its adorable or jocose appearance of beloved heroes and villains of this universe. 46 different characters from the films are available to play, some require play-throughs leading up to a total of 114 playables. The lack of difficulty is the biggest complaint for most critics with the platforms that Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Microsoft, Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox and Xbox 360.

That's no moon...um..it's a spaceship you see.

The game plays various cut scenes retelling the movies without any dialogue, the player takes on the role of the films' characters each having specific weapons and abilities with single-player and multiplayer option. Third-person view giving puzzle genres and action-adventure allowing 20 bounty hunter missions allowing all the available characters. Power-ups are spread throughout all the levels of the game invulnerability, turbo speed and power attack damage, the power is limited so use it sparingly.

Most of the control allowing training in Wii with the Jedi Lunge, Jedi Slam, Force Throw and Force Push giving the Jedi moves to commit to memory. 2 bonus levels considering 5 levels in Episode IV, 5 levels in Episode V and 6 levels in Episodes VI. I am told there are additional mini-games in the portable game systems but I don't have any firsthand knowledge. With the standard slapstick routine giving a lot of tongue-in-cheek gags, this game gives any fan some fun takes on spaceship battles, lightsaber combat, blaster fights and typical sci-fi joy. It is not as hard to beat but I feel a sense of nostalgia for the series.

Hey, we got medals.  Suck it Chewie!

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Welcome back for the week! Well my fine collection of readers I decided we have not covered video games in far too long. TV and Movies come a tad bit more natural for me to go on and on about. Between loading screens, cut scenes of dialogue the modern day video game can drag on, make you loss interest and give off a story line that convoluted and boring. Many franchises have suffered thanks to rewriting and tinkering. The Resident Evil games were enjoyable up to the third one. Four and on has too many cooks in the kitchen spoiling the simple recipe. Thankfully that isn't always the case. British games developers Rocksteady Studios release of with a first-person shooter called Urban Chaos, a riot response squad dealing with an arsonist gang called the Burners, taking on paramedics, firefighters, civilians and the cops. This project brought them notoriety, some credibility and much needed revenue. Founded in 2004, Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker, the studio was scooped up by Time Warner to bring about a new look at the Dark Knight. This is Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Hiya kiddies.  Guess who's back??!!

Written by Paul Dini (Tiny Toons Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series. The New Batman/Superman Adventures, Batman Beyond and Duck Dodgers) brings us the constant struggle between Batman and the Joker. Reprising their characters since Batman: The Animated Series is Kevin Conroy for Batman, Mark Hamill for the Joker and Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn. Our game operates as a third-person single-player action-adventure.

After the Joker attacks City Hall, Batman beats the crap out of him and drags him to Arkham Asylum, which is stocked with members of Joker's gang due to a fire at Blackgate Prison, Batman senses Joker's capture was far too easy and is not sure if there is something else going on decides to accompany Joker to lock up. Just before the ghost of Admiral Ackbar can warn anyone, the trap is sprung, Harley has taken over security and a bought guard kidnaps Commissioner Gordon. Joker points out there are bombs all over Gotham City ready to be detonated if anyone else tries to enter Gotham leaving Batman to handle this insanity all on his on.

Where does he get those wonderful toys?

With the captured Bane working alongside with doctor Penelope Young (Cree Summer of Inspector Gadget, A Different World, Tiny Toons Adventures, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Moonbeam City, Dawn of the Croods and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy) who has been working on Titan, a stronger formula of Venom to allow patients to recover quicker from strenuous therapies but unbeknownst to Young, the Joker has been secretly funding her with the idea f creating an army of super humans at his beck and call. With no sidekicks, Justice League or even help from the cops, Batman must face all his rogues gallery on his own.

A few words on gameplay. Now I was playing this on Xbox so bear with me. The game's graphics hails from NVIDIA's PhysX, a realtime physics engine allowing classic Newtonian physics.

A linear opening allows some tutorials of gadgets, fighting style and throwing weapons that can be programmed to attack from sonics and remote detonation. A Detective Vision- a visual that lets you pull up information, show objects like walls that can be destroyed, grates that can be removed, and a how many number of enemies in an area and their vitals. This mode is also used to find footprints, odors and even a puzzle solving capability. The combat designs allows Batman to anticipate criminal fighting given a control scheme to Batman's fighting style.

Aww Bats is rocking him to sleep.

Free-to-Play Reappearance: Marvel Heroes 2015

How do all and welcome back for Day 2 of Free-to-Play Reappearance. Yeah that didn't feel extremely long-winded at all. Well I wanted to see more of a dynamic in the sense of teamplay, storyline and maybe even voice work for the characters. My opinion the right voice for some of these games just sets the tone that much better. David Brevik (creator of Diablo and Diablo 2) presents a free-to-play MMO set in the Marvel Universe with our heroes combining not only game-play of a Action style RPG but MMO in using the rather substantial library of heroes in the verse.

Teaming up to defeat Doctor Doom from the horrific side effects of the power of the Cosmic Cube (SHIELD really needs to lock that way) following the story written by Brian Michael Bendis (The New Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man, Daredevil and Mighty Avengers), just find a favorite and get in the game. This is Marvel Superheroes 2015.

BEHOLD!!! THE COSMIC MCGUFFIN!!!

After thwarting the Utau the Watcher (Huge ancient bald guy that has proceeded over Earth since its creation) Doom proceeds to remake the Earth in his image...yet this somehow didn't alter all the heroes...PLOT HOLE! That being said, our heroes rally to do battle with Doom and his villainous allies (Ugh, this type of writing is why I am not making a comic book title), repair that which has been done to Mother Earth and kick the crap out of a tin-plated overbearing dictator with delusions of godhood. So I chose Johnny Blaze a.k.a. The Spirit of Vengeance: Ghost Rider. Thought a wee bit of Hellfire, guts and some soul searing was in order...also someone already laid claim to Doctor Strange so can't have the Sorcerer Supreme, go with the Supreme Supernatural Ass-Kicker.

Okay before we go into the standard game-play pros and cons, let's hit my favorite, the voice cast.

You can't pit a decent set of pipes to the character then who wants to play them?

Yeesh, feels like Ghost Runner rather than Rider.

For example: Steve Blum (Wolverine of Wolverine and the X-Men, Hulk Vs Wolverine, Batman: Arkham Origins, Lego Marvel Super Heroes, Transformer Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising), Christopher Daniel Barnes (Spider-Man of Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Secret Wars, Malcolm & Eddie, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Spider-Man: Edge of Time) one of my personal favorites the gravely and downright sinister Keith David (Nick Fury in Marvel Heroes, Gargoyles, Spawn, The Thing, Platoon, Community, and Sons of Liberty).

Say aren't there superheroines as well? Oh yeah we have: Julianne Buescher (Black Widow in Marvel Heroes, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Naruto: Shippuden, Guild Wars 2, XCOM: Enemy Unknown,Sid the Science Kid and The Muppets), Kat Cressida (Elektra of Marvel Heroes, Dragon Age: Origins, Guild Wars 2, Skylanders: SWAP Force, Elder Scrolls Online, Skylanders: Trap Team, Batman: Arkham Knight and Fallout 4) and Kat Higgins (Scarlet Witch/Jocasta/Firestar in Marvel Heroes, Monster High: Freaky Fusion, The Last: Naruto the Movie, Sailor Moon Crystal, and Son of Nor)

Okay, I could name names all day but let's get down to the game mechanics. So we have a lot of mouse control her with left button down to move to your location of choice, cursor on an enemy and click for attack. Right click for a different power and the optional keyboard (A,S,D,F,G,H) for the other powers. This is mostly about teamwork with other players that you can simply end up joining in your collective quests.  MMO community that aids the newbies and gives flack to the noobs. Newbies are polite and confused on the mechanics of the character, environment and game. Noobs claim to know everything and bitch excessively. Bottom line: Don't be a noob.

We got Team-Ups, Patrolling regions, Holographic simulated battles to better train you in your powers, we have characters within each classification or group. Hell form your own group. Make an Avengers of the Supernatural if you feel so inclined. Doctor Strange, Satana, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing and maybe Magik. Maybe an all bruiser squad with Hulk, She-Hulk, Thing, Wonder-Man and Thor. The options are open. Yes X-fans plenty of mutants with tortured souls and nifty powers to partake in the action. Hell I saw a Cable running around gunning creatures down and a nice TK takedown. I however am not a nut for avid gaming for longer than 4 hours so pass on me for raids. 

Rocket Racoon blowing up...ninjas?

Free-to-Play Reappearance: Neverwinter

Greetings all as we explore Free-to-Play Reappearance Day 1. Well I promised we would take a peek at some of these games and see how they roll. I thought we should start with a very popular title and none more popular than the ever expanding MMORPGs. Yeah these glorious graphics and eager amounts of wasting time have been a staple since 1997 with Ultima Online and ran via LANs providing hours of entertainment until up to Everquest. Typically speaking this would involve players to log on to a client and then allow them access to the world which would change, update even when no one is on.

Now several MMORPGs charge a service fee of monthly or annually like Warcraft does with 10 dollars a month but extra effects like class or species changes like DDO does can get a bit pricey. Not to mention additional magic items, tomes of power and creature companions. That can eat up your checking account toot sweet. Why am I speaking of costs on a free to play week? Well some games are free to start but eventually you will want gear that gives you not only an edge in a dungeon but in PVP (Player vs Player for those are not hip to the term.) So let's see if today's game is any different. This is Neverwinter.

Are you digging these graphics as much as me?!!!

Developed by Cryptic Studios and released in 2013, Neverwinter is based on the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop universe as well as the four novels by R.A. Salvatore (Gauntlgrym, Neverwinter, Charon's Claw and The Last Threshold), the City of Skilled Hands or Jewel of the North is a spiraling metropolis of the northwestern Sword Coast of Faerun. The games Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2 get their name from the city itself. The land is deemed the most civilized and cultured city in all of Faerun and has a unique diversity among the races. While being way up in the mountains (picture Greenland) the Neverwinter River flows and many believe that fire elementals living nearby in Mount Hotenow deep in the woods heat it.

Okay with that bit of babble out of the way, let's get on with the game overall. You start off shipwrecked on Neverwinter due to the city, its guards both warriors and wizards are having a massive throw down with of all things a blue dracolich (Undead dragon with the abilities of a spellcaster that somehow avoids death through dark arts of magic.) blasting the very ship you were on. Rummaging around the wreck you find subtle clothes and whatever weapons your class depicts and make your way on your very user-friendly map to the icon NPCs to correct this awesome evil.

Sgt Knox here is voiced by the late Sir Christoper Lee, which makes him that much more awesome.

Classes range from: Control Wizard (crowd based death dealing as well as protection) , Oathbound Paladin (Armored Warrior that has blessings, buffs and limited healing as they are holy warriors) , Devoted Cleric (Holy man/woman granting stats boosts, temporary hit points, healing and protections from evil), Hunter Ranger ( Archer/Fighter adept to firing multiple arrows to handling duel weapons), Great Weapon Fighter (Heavy weapon fighters with no regard for a shield use a two-handed weapon and brute strength on the enemy), Guardian Fighter (Protector and defender, this warrior relies on cunning, tactical analysis and usually the leader), Scourge Warlock (Magical practioner of the dark arts ranging from necromancy, thaumaturgy and grimores of dark magic) and Trickster Rogue (Stealthful fighter, thief, assassin and official treasure finder). Finding your weapons and dealing out some decent damage you team up with the existing army of the Winterguard and make your way to the city encountering tons of zombies, skeletons and even a few slain warriors from the dead.

With the private NPC red shirt you make your way to the gates with the lich Valindra leaves her own gate guardian to deal with you both. The dude is massive. Fallout 3 fans, imagine the Behemoth and you know where I am coming from. So I chose Hunter Ranger and managed to kill that monstrosity after 2 attempts of the leveling up with new powers option. My arrows had to hit him facing me period. This guy turns his back and you cannot even damage him.

After that, you are in Neverwinter. Yup everything I just described to you was all outside the city walls. Let's talk game control dynamics now. The standard W,A,S,D, for directions via PC gamers along with the mouse right click for weapons overall and F is your main interaction with loot, conversing with NPCs and treasure chests. Behind the city walls the game is very fluid and open ended. There are quests, dungeon delving(exploring underground caverns or sewer regions) and campaigns galore. Special powers and items come by very quickly and for all you DDO purists, leveling happens SooOOoOoO much quicker. Overall story lines seem to arc very nicely and in general I have enjoyed it thus far and I am quite impressed with it.

Give me your pump, the oil, the gasoline, and the whole compound, and I'll spare your lives.

Free-To-Play Reappearance

Hello and welcome back to Rotten Reelz. We had a week off due to needing to make some serious funds. My apologies but I do not get paid to write 4 to 5 times a week on here and believe me if I did I wouldn't miss a beat as writing is one of the greater gigs out there. That being said we have had zombie films, horror films and some sci-fi as of late but I am thinking it is time to hit Steam up again for some free-to-play games and find out what the big fuss is about it. As many of you know, Steam engine maintains several games ranging from multiple genres, tastes and ratings. I myself enjoy the ones I have downloaded and CANNOT WAIT for Fallout 4. That game will be my jam!

Jake's G/F is in the shower.  I'd give details but I am sworn to only watch.

I thought I would focus on different titles, genre and play and re-play-ability. From the continuation of Ghost Recon: Phantoms for hardcore FPS to trying my luck at team building, adventuring action of Neverwinter after its now 6^th expansion. Who says I don't get my geek on?

'Tis a battle greater than getting on DDO's hub.

Oh FYI to all you Phantom players, the pricing guide for updated weapons just got a whole lot more reasonable costs so enjoy that. I have been trying out Neverwinter since all of...well last night. I will get my co-star of Rotten Ramblin' On Shawn on the horn and get his take on Neverwinter vs DDO.

Who knows, maybe I will even give the massively unnecessary reboot of Marvel Heroes 2015 a gander but I am a wee bit sick of revamps, reboots and re-imagining.

One and all are welcome to join me as I burn out my retinas and blow my ear drums on some old school PC gaming goodness. Ta ta!

Ew, he is peeping in that girl's shower...lucky bastard.

Return of the N64: Rainbow Six

Okay and welcome to Day 1 of The Return of the N64. I thought we should get some of the system's better known titles out there so we can do some serious nerding out. With the love of the films coming to life on the big screen, it was only natural that the tactical approach to his novels would make way for games. The late author Tom Clancy (The Hunt for Red October, Red Storm Rising, Patriot Games, Net Force, Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon) with more than 50 titles under his belt paved the wave for this tactical shooter. This is Rainbow Six.

Select your Mystery Date!

Tactical Shooter or Soldier Sim, is any game requiring caution, care cooperation, planning and execution striving for realistic approaches and scenarios. Now I know the sim hack and slashers have no idea of any of these terms given they are gutting werewolves on Bloodborne or battling the forces of darkness in Dark Souls and Dark Souls II but, some folks like to work together as a team and take out opponents as a unit.

Developed by Red Storm Entertainment(now Subsidiary of Ubisoft) for the PC in 1998, its original inception of the multi-national NATO covert special forces teams consisting of USA, UK, Spain, Canada, Italy, France, Germany and Israel. The concept was one director and one deputy director with missions planned and executed. Total black ops and off the books. The game takes off so well that an expansion is made and low and behold it is made for Mac, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Dreamcast and even Game Boy Color.

Camo again?  Come on, I want the Umbrella all-black outfit!

Using stealth and simple breaching tactics for walls, doors and windows rather than mowing down everything and anything in your path, sadly only a two player co-op but overall still as enjoyable as the PC.

The sound effects are completely believable, the weapons ratings are awesome and the graphics are a product of their time and frankly still hold up well enough. There is no magic re-save button, you lost a man in your group, that guy is dead. The N64 version controls are a bit more simplistic than I was used to doing the PC and sadly playing it on Playstation but that is okay. Cutting down on the complexity of controls means more focus on the game and levels.

Caution is key. That terrorist who just passed by you as you crouch in the darkness, maybe he has decent hearing. You don't know for certain. While games like GoldenEye allowed more head-on gunplay and healing, this game gives you a one shot one kill option. Take them out quietly and effectively. Flashbangs are your friend when you have to go hot and heavy (Man, that still sounds dirty) causing your enemies to be blind and deaf at the same time.

The downsides are the c-buttons are used to move. Analog stick used to aim so now you feel like you are in Turok but give it a few tries and you will be dead on. Almost that tank steering effect of Resident Evil but it can't be helped, only through trial and error will you perfect it. Loyal to the PC game and its source material I had a blast playing this considering I have downgrade or mod a version for the PC. 

And...blam!

PS2 Week

Welcome back readers! Today I was going to go into a volley of a specific film genre when it dawned on me I would rather cover some video games again. I know, I know. I did cover the Free-to-Play not long ago but it got me thinking there are several of a particular console I have not gotten to go into detail on and this week as good as any. I speak of the PS2. Manufactured in 2000, Sony's second installment of the Playstation boasted better graphics, more complex games ranging from racing, RPG, Co-Op, Action, Horror and the introduction to the Rock Band and Guitar Hero games.

I have a need.  A need for... oh, you get it already.

With more than 3,000 titles this sixth-gen console was competing with Nintendo Gamecube and Xbox for popularity churning out more than 150 million units during its release and worldwide sales of the console up to 1 billion. Even with its successor PS3, the PS2 is still one of the most preferred game consoles and units were still being created up until 2013. With that in mind, I wanted to discuss what I thought were some of the most definitive games throughout its inception, cover the pros and cons of gameplay for each and try to give the back story on each title.

So please enjoy the gamer geek's ideal entertainment of the PS2 and its most impressive array of games of various genre and I hope this will be fun for us all. Those of you that are sick of game blogs, hey I am sorry but gotta break away from the movies and TV now and then.

BMGs sure do clear a path!

Free to Play Week: Dungeons & Dragons Online

Avast me hearties and welcome to Day 1 of Free to Play Week. We have chills, spills and thrills awaitin' ye brave enough to journey forward but make no mistake! For death awaits you all with big, sharp, pointy teeth and breath that could concuss a cow. Ahem... excuse me but it is just fun to dramatize now and then.

From the humble beginnings of TSR (Tactical Studies Rules) and from the hands of Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson this realm was devised for table top gaming in 1974 to being a staple in the Wizards of the Coast publications, Dungeons & Dragons has seen four decades in as one of the first role-playing games available. But what if you cannot get all your friends around a table, have soda and rip off famous sci-fi fantasy and horror movie lines?  Enter Turbine's development of Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach.

Death from above!

Beta tested in August 1, 2005, Turbine sent mass emails and invites to a public alpha testing this open ended fantasy game allowing parties to be formed, bonds to be forged and even dragons to be slain as the party learns teamwork and proper treasure sharing... or so we are lead to believe. Within the first hour of being on the attitude of the massive server seems to be XP (experience points) Fantatics, 8 Hour Gamers (Hopping from one long campaign to the next) , the lost NEWBIES (New Person)and the rude NOOBS (New Person who is ignorant, swears and in general demands all the knowledge without any experience). Quests ranging from 20 minutes to up to hours on end can be a hassle to lower appendages, bladder and hunger issues.

Avengers Assem... oh wait, that is a law suit waiting to happen.

After 4 hours on here as I have not frequent it as often as I had in the past, this was a steep learning curve. Fortunately for me, I came across a party of easy going folk that simply wanted to take out goblins and later tackle some orcs. All this for more experience points in order to level up their characters. Our wizard was a bit whiny on needing potions and demanded someone stay by him in order to cast spells and watch his back so he was not jumped but all in all a fun time of hack and slashing evil creatures and looting the bodies.

Now, the hook. Other adventures can only be added to your existing collection if you have either Turbine Points or simply a credit/debit card or Paypal purchase to these different modules. You can even do a monthly charge of 9.99 and there are items, weapons and spells at cost. Make no mistake, guys and dolls this is a money pit if you are not careful. "Hey, where did that guy get that flaming broadsword of many hurts??!!" "Why, I bought it at ddo.com," Events are held through out the months offering prizes, funds and treasure for the hard hitting dungeon divers as well as the casual player.

Overall, the game play's camaraderie is pretty sound. Yes, there are some rude people hiding being enmity but you will have that in any form of electronic media and these trolls sadly you cannot slay with silver but simply ignore. The graphics are sound, the audio is most impressive but take it from me, if you do not want to hear every town, campsite or dungeon babbled about via narrator or Dungeon Master, go to audio and tweak the sounds. Chatting and IM codes differ from some games like Warcraft but essentially the same. Combat can lag only if you are swarmed by beasties or the servers is overloaded with so many folks onboard. This system will only cost what you put in it, so mind your spending like any other nonessential purchase.

I'M HUGE!!!  Dig me.

Ghosts of N64 Week: Spider-Man 64

Welcome, welcome welcome my console comrades to Day 5 of Ghosts of N64 Week.  As I should have mentioned in my last blog, a family emergency needed met and all is well now.  I was a bit scragged due to crappy sleep prior to do a blog for yesterday.  But enough of that!  We need to observe this N64 game that swept the nation...  to playing it on Playstation instead.  Seriously though, the Playstation version and Game Boy Color got better love than the N64 but what can you do?  So let's catch up with Stan Lee's intro and bring about our favorite wall-crawling, web-spinning, sensational, spectacular Spider-Man.  This is Spider-Man 64.

Hah, take that, Daredevil!

This game brings about the visual representations of the characters as they were portrayed in the 1994 Spider-Man cartoon but with a story-line more closely to the comics.  Using a few voice clips from the cartoon, drawn animations for cut scenes and the voice cast of the cartoon, our game begins with Peter Parker taking pictures for the Daily Bugle as Doctor Octavious (Doctor Octopus) has reformed and is prepping a demonstration of his new scientific wonder under a tarp when Spider-Man swoops down and steals this priceless trinket.  "But Jake, how can Spider-Man do that, if Peter Parker is still in the crowd?  Clone?  Rogue Robot?"   Well, good questions all around as Venom assumes the impostor is the real deal and chases after him when Spidey impostor break his camera...  cause the Bugle just keeps an insane wacko like that on staff.

A city-wide manhunt is conducted by NYPD for Spidey's head and the stolen tech.  I swear this guy never truly gets a break.  Spidey, with the help of a few allies, has to find the device, prove Doc Ock is still a schmuck and clear his name once again.  Heh, Jonah is gonna love that detraction from the papers.  Heck, he should be used to it by now.

Hmm?  Sorry, I was gawking at your breasts. You were saying..?

Just a few points on the game now.   With training modes of time attack (drop the baddies in such a span of time), speed training, item collection (for power ups and power improvements) and of course a cheat menu for different costumes and powers, this single-player beat 'em up action platform is based in time trials, puzzle solving and tough baddies looking to put the hurt on the web-slinger.

With 30 levels of quick thinking, tactical approaches or just leaping in and smacking lackeys around, coupled with boss levels it is easily understood you want the Controller memory card Pak or you may lose your game easily. You may want food, a social life and sleep so saving the game in this fashion is while frowned upon but the hard core gamers, hey I understand the need for all the above.

An unusual pairing of anti-heroes such as: The Punisher and Venom in the game as well as heroes the like of: Captain America, The Human Torch of the Fantastic Four and cat burglar turned adventurer Black Cat throughout the game assist Spidey in one facet or another but never directly fighting side by side with him.  Missed an excellent two-player option there.  Using the same game-engine as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, the easter egg in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, was an option to shred your deck dressed as Spider-Man.  Level restarts are pretty common given the finite amount of web fluid, the failure to save a hostage, health bar running out or my personal favorite, falling to your death.

With power-ups such as Spider-Armor (increased strength and defense) and different webbing creations, Fire Webbing was the coolest and most effective against the symbiotes, the baddie AIs are pretty limited and have no tactical advantages like hiding, using cover or sneaking about.  The gunsels are pretty slow on the trigger and are easily pummeled Spidey style. The details in the graphics give a decent 3D effect of buildings, surroundings and vehicles, heck even the people have decent detail for the day.  Spidey cuts a mean and lean figure as he punches the lights out of his rogue gallery.

Spandex wedgie! Ow, ow ow.

One other amusing concept which PC and Consoles have kinda done to death now because of this game is the alternative costumes.  Each level completed has the chance of a new costume with different abilities with the looks of the black and white symbiote, Spider-Man Unlimited nano-tech suiit, Parker street clothes, Spider-Man 2099, the Scarlet Spider (Parker's clone) the Clone Ben Reilly's Spider-Man costume and the cosmic power Captain Universe costume.  Yeah, the web head has had his share of goofy threads and adventures but all in all the game is still enjoyable to the day and has some great memories attached to it

Ghosts of N64 Week: Nightmare Creatures

It was a dark and stormy night and…oh wait that’s not right at all.  Lemme start again.  In 1997, this game was produced by Activision for the PC, Playstation and the Nintendo 64 in 1998.   A tale of darkness and woe strewn across the history of London, from the shadows and catacombs under the great city.    A secret society known as the Brotherhood of Hecate wanted to create a race of superhuman beings to poise in dominating the planet and wreaking havoc and destruction for whoever dare interfere with their sinister plots.  The Brotherhood went about creating this new breed of man by stealing corpses, utilizing plagues, rabies and other components only to find out the viral agent did not make supermen but ravenous beasts.  Through the acts of one of the Brotherhood, Samuel Pepys set a fire to the warehouse that held the laboratory, the notes, the creatures and some of the Brotherhood that were mad with dreams of conquest went up in The Great Fire of 1666.  This is Nightmare Creatures.

Oh, take the girl. Her butt looks better in breeches than mine.

All knowledge of this unspeakable evil had been wiped out with the exception of Pepys’ meticulous diary.  170 years later a disrepute scientist finds said diary and proceeds to gather funding and powerful allies allowing him to re-create the Brotherhood’s abominations.  Only through the efforts of Father Ignatius Blackward and Nadia F, London and the world itself, stands a chance against the nightmarish creatures.
While this game was originally formatted for Windows 95, 7 handles it rather well.  Mind you I had to use a CD-RW to even install the antiquated game but hey at least I didn’t need a SCUMM drive.  After testing this older game out again I am certain to enjoy jumping back into this particular horror but with the lights on.  Yes I am a sissy and I live with it quite well.  But, today we are on the 64 version so I will give the highlights of creatures, offensive weapons, healing and general gameplay.

Monsters

COMIN' THROUGH!!!

Okay so this is a horror based action/adventure game.  Defeat the creatures and move on to the next level after trouncing the level boss right?  How bad could they be?  Well I am glad you asked.  Let’s get started shall we?

Zombies 

You have two types of zombies.  One is the standard slow shambling creature and the other moves faster and is stronger by far. A real Romeo or Synder package deal.  They usually travel in duo so stay alert.  Save the slow one for last kiddies. Did I mention they are just out and about for a quick meal of brains?  Hmm, must have skipped my mind.

Werewolves

 Lycanthrope.  Loup Garou.  Call it what you will but know this, they are mean, fast and damn impressive fighters.  Defending against your best strikes, they can also counter-strike back and bound after you rather well. A series of slight kicks and roundhouse sweeps about all that can take them down.

Demons

Yes winged, fire breathing creatures from Hell.  Swoop attacks from above and fire breath seems to be their cup of tea, assuming you have the nerve to serve them one.  Surprise, surprise they are resistant to fire attacks.

Pepys’ Monsters

No true definition of these behemoths other than they stand about nine feet tall, have three heads as well as 3 arms, equipped with razor sharp talons and have more teeth than the entire Osmond family.  By far, the ugliest creature you can encounter and one of the deadliest. Hope you have a freeze spell handy for this bugger.

Docker
Strong as an ox and as bright as one, this creature prefers to bash the victim severely with its massive fists or pound hands into the ground creating a miniature quake.  Not particularly fast so slash or strike as quickly as possible.

Insects

Bugs?   Who is worried about a bug?  Well mate this bug is armor plated, about 3 feet tall and lightning fast with its stinger.  Put your can of Raid and fly swatter down, grab a pistol or better still a good blade.

Thames’ Monsters

These foul octopi would put Jacques Cousteau off his lunch.  With a reach of almost 50 feet, razor sharp teeth and dwelling down by the docks.  Late night swim could be one’s last. Dynamite or a proximity mine are about the best course of action here.
Harpies

Fast flying winged wenches with a shrilling voice so loud it could rival Mariah Carey.  Using fly-by attacks or banshee like wail they are quite difficult to defeat. Aim carefully with a pistol.
Faceless Men

Shrouded in long coats and armed with knives, these men are whispered to being original members of the Brotherhood of Hecate mutated by the viral agent against their will.  Standard beat down with punches and kicks will do the trick

Spiders

Remember the bugs and do not judge it solely by its name.  Approximately 9 feet tall and barely in the rear as ugliest creature of this game, the six-legged monsters dwell in tunnels and passageways but look around town.  You will find more than one web or two. Fire is a pet peeve of theirs but use it sparingly.  The webs are quite flammable

Giant Rats

R.U.S.’s?   In London?   I don’t believe in their existence either.  Just to be on the safe side you will spot one of these brutes rather easily.  They are about the size of a mini-coop. Dislike fire a lot.
Gargoyles
 Composed of living stone, pretending to be statues these monstrosities wait for the right moment to catch their prey unaware and swoop down and back killing very effectively.  They are also pack hunters.  Repulsive smoke is a handy one so you can get your bearings and take a few pot shots at them.
Hellhounds

Not meek little puppies that just need a hug.  These fire-breathing demon dogs need a fire extinguisher and a serious neutering.  Of course good luck finding suppressant foam that puts out hellfire, let alone a vet willing to clip them.   Incredibly agile, vicious and just all around nasty, hellhounds are a force to be reckoned with.  By some miracle you do not get slagged from a column of flame, mauled by claws or fangs you clearly just annoyed a Rottweiler and will have to explain yourself to the owner.  Rumor has it, hell hounds are invulnerable to fire and ice.

I'm voguing!

Powerups

Hey, where are you running off to?  Oh relax, you didn’t think we were going to arm you with a rapier or a fighting staff and say, “have at it, kid.”  Did you?
This is a complete list of all the power-ups you can find throughout the game.
Proximity mines are dropped on the floor and will explode and do severe damage to anything that gets too close.
Repulsive smoke will keep monsters at bay.
Freeze spell will deep freeze all monsters in sight.
Dynamite will damage and create knock back to all monsters in sight.
Flash will confuse and blind monsters for about 10 seconds or so.
Firebombs will roast any nearby monsters
The Gun allows you to pick off a single target from long range
The Multi-gun can be used several times at several monsters
Berserker allows you hack your monsters into pieces
Healing gives back a bit of life to your character
Super-Healing restores all health lost
Chaos turns monsters against one another
Heart gives you an extra life

Now on to the downside.  Like Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and Spider-Man 64, the 360 spin around and viewing of 3D environment can take a toll on your eyes and character as you cannot automatically spin and face danger.  The standard A B button combo does solve most of these issues but the Z button will spin you around faster and target the closest creature.  This can be a disadvantage if it is a shambling zombie versus the breakneck speed of the werewolves.  Cycling through additional weapons is D pad right and it can take a few but it will be quicker than the analog stick for similar games as the analog is completely for movement in this game.  I stressed this in my upcoming podcast that Nadia (accidentally calling her Sonja) is a faster weapon based attack with her rapier but less strength.  Ignatius' attacks are much stronger with his quarterstaff but significantly slower.  Too much upper body strength I guess.

Keep an extra pair of shorts to change in.... kidding.... or am I?

Ghosts of N64 Week: Castlevania 64

Welcome back lovers of byte and graphics to Day 3 of Ghosts of N64 Week.  Today we tackle a title franchise from Konami (Frogger, Contra, Gradius, Metal Gear, Silent Hill and Dance Dance Revolution)  and join in the quest to eliminate (yet again) the minions of evil and their master Dracula for the umpteenth billionth time but this time with the option of playing two different protagonists Carrie Fernadez a sorceress and Reinhardt Schneider, heir to the Belmont clan of the Castlevania legacy.  Bringing about the more realistic graphics of yesteryear in the N64 creation our heroes visit these horror stricken lands and must right these many wrongs.  This is Castlevania 64.

CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT, SHUT UP!!!

For nearly sixty years of isolation, chained in his coffin, Dracula reemerges to bring about his destructive wrath.  The year is 1852 and our two heroes sense his arrival and head to the Transylvanian lands of Wallachia to do battle.   Meeting with Charles Vincent an elder vampire hunter in his fifties (God only knows how he has lived this long in this profession), Rosa a freshly turned vampire that does not seek to be evil and Renon I think is supposed to be some demon salesman lead our heroes into this dilapidated villa and volunteer to show them a secret path through Dracula's estate garden maze to an underground path to the castle.

 Before they can make their way through, Dracula's lackeys Death and Actrise try to pit the heroes versus these new-found friends.  Carrie must dispatch her own family now turned vampires while Reinhardt destroys Rosa and then it is up level by level to the castle keep.    Will our heroes reach Dracula in his still weaken condition or will they succumb to the dark prince's powers?

AHHH!! I have 90's superhero shoulderpads!!!

And now just a few comments on the game and gameplay.   This follows the typical action adventure platform with decent enough controls but the camera angles giving the 3D experience is a little wonky so keeping track of enemies is all based on which target gets captured by the recital.  Cycling through additional weapons, acquiring treasures and secondary weapons are easy enough to understand, it is just remembering if you haven't played in a bit can be a hassle.  With the real feel of a story line opening up we get to learn more about the characters in this game than we have the entire franchise up to this point.   With the ability of alternative costumes improving your game either character is acceptable to play unlike that of Nightmare Creatures because the monk was slower than Congress on public opinion.

I like the introduction to a story rather than just slaying monsters because they are evil aspect.  We get a handle on both Carrie and Reinhardt and show they are not infallible and human to the core.  For Reinhardt, he is carrying on a legacy he is loosely attached too, while Carrie is avenging her family that was used as tools for her destruction and Dracula's amusement. This game also shows real time events based on the speed and alacrity that the player has, puzzle solving and even in-depth exploration providing hours of entertainment and frustration.

 I have also noticed a bit of confusion to this title mixing it up with another Castlevania title called Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness.  That particular game is more rare and harder to find and it may use the same graphic engine and levels of its predecessor it is a different game altogether with a different lead character and story arc not commonly stemmed away from the Belmont clan.

How are skeletons beating me up?? They have no muscle to back it up!