Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Hello. We have the Sc[Physics] paper later on at 2pm, so I decided to do an early post today. I just want to get over the Physics paper faster so that we can complete Combined Science. Anyways, even if I fail this paper, I think I'll still manage to get a B4 for the combined mark. Since Chemistry was easy. But of course I'm not going to fail it. No wonder our school always has like 80%-90% distinction for Chem/Phy O level.I decided to invite people over to my house after the O levels. Anyone can come, but I think I can only call a maximum of 10 friends. We'll cater food. Hopefully some one can bring their Xbox as well, and hopefully we can get 4 controllers for each Xbox. Then we can have system link 8 player matches. There will also be Guitar Hero: World Tour and [possibly] Rock Band.
I'm not sure if my sister's friends will be coming as well. It might be on the same day, or it might be on two different days. They're coming to play Guitar Hero. Girls love that game. My sister even asked me to train her with my god like virtual guitar skills so that she can beat her friends.
Speaking of that, some people owe me a Face Off in Guitar Hero *cough*Yan Ming*cough* Remember the deal? Loser must do what? Muahahaha. It's going to be so unfair to the challenger that I almost feel bad. Well, you are the one who wanted the Face Off.
Anyways, the launch trailer for Gears of War 2 was released today. It can be described by several different words, but all of them have about the same meaning as "awesome". It's the best trailer I've seen all year. And it's the LAUNCH trailer. Launch is such a nice word. Gears 2 is so close. Here's the trailer:
So, now that I've almost completed Saint's Row 2, here are my views on the pros and cons of the game.
The Good.1) The controls
The controls in Saint's Row 2 is really tight and responsive. I feel that these controls should be the benchmark for the controls of all open world games in the future. The weapon selection ring could have been improved, as it's difficult to quickly select the weapon you want in a fire fight, but the rest are really good. The new Cruise Control feature is really innovative. It allows you to have total control of your vehicle, as well as your weapon at the same time.
2) The story
It may not be able to compare to Grand Theft Auto IV's story, and the story becomes ridiculous at some points of the game, but it is pure B movie goodness. Some cutscenes are awesome, with perfect camera angles, narrative and action.
3) The voice acting
It's really good. The main character himself has six different voices to choose from [3 male, 3 female] and the NPCs also have good voice acting.
4) The customization
The customisation options are nearly endless, allowing you to even customise little things like the width of your character's jaw or skull. If you don't like the features of your character, you can always change them in the middle of the game by visiting a plastic surgeon.
5) The missions
Every mission is action packed, and Saint's Row 2 doesn't waste our time with boring following missions, where you have to get a car and follow your target all over the place before killing him. Saint's Row 2 just makes you do the killing. There was this mission where you have to enter a pagoda shaped hotel, plant bombs on the various floors, the once you've planted the final bomb on the top story, you leap over the corridor and free fall through the centre of the hotel, before finally opening your parachute and escaping.
6) The fun and humour
Other than being extremely fun to play, Saint's Row 2 also has a lot of humour in it. It has exaggerated physics, the characters have funny lines, and funny thing tend to randomly occur on the street. For example, if a normal person punches you, you will stagger back. But if some one who's pumped with steroids punches you, you will be flung back several meters. Also, the game allows you to make your entire gang dress up as ninja, and ninja are awesome.
7) The map
The map is really good. It clearly highlights which neighbourhood is being run by which gang through distinct colours, and it clearly details all the events you can take part in.
8) The TV
GTA IV allowed us to watch pre recorded television programmes in the TV within the game, but Saint's Row 2 has a more practical use for the TV. You can view all cutscenes you have unlocked so far, and you can play the video game "Zombie Uprising", where you and your team mates have to use weapons with limited ammo to fight off increasing hordes of zombies.
The Bad.
1) The Characters
None of them are memorable. You'll forget them very quickly. Some are really irritating and it's like the game wants you to hate them, although they are supposed to be your friends.
2) The A.I
I think this is the thing that prevented Saint's Row 2 from being really awesome. Enemies often just stand there waiting for you to put a bullet through their skulls. Friendly A.I is no different. Some times they are downright idiotic. I can't remember how many times I have been taken out by a RPG fired by my own team mate. And you constantly have to revive them as they have a tendency to run into the flaming wreckage of a car, set themselves on fire, and they'll knock themselves unconscious in the process.
3) The city
While the fictional city of Stillwater is definitely better than in the original Saint's Row, but it still isn't the same standard as Grand Theft Auto. GTA IV had a living, breathing city and it really gets you into the game. Saint's Row 2 tries to do this, but some how, the city still feels artificial.
4) Inconsistent difficulty
Some missions may be really easy, while others can get impossible without the help of NPCs. Usually, the first 3 or 4 missions of any gang is relatively easy, then the difficulty really increases in the next few missions. I'm not sure if this is the case for Easy mode, because I'm playing through the game on Medium difficulty.
5) Frame rate
The frame rate is smooth most of the time, but it does slow down when the action gets heavy. There were 2 cases when my game froze on me, despite the fact that there is a cooling fan attached to my Xbox. The only other game that ever froze up before Saint's Row 2 was Assassin's Creed.
6) The graphics
The graphics of Saint's Row 2 are decent, but they're not the kind of graphics you would expect on a PS3/360. The cutscenes have better graphics, but this is only the case for the main cutscenes. There are cutscenes showing the interior of certain buildings in the game, and those are really ugly.
7) The glitches
The game is full of them. Not as bad as other games like Mercenaries 2, but they're still there. NPCs get stuck in doorways, they get stuck in cars, they get stuck in pretty much everything.
Overall, I feel that Saint's Row 2 is a game that's worth buying. It has many flaws that prevents it from being a Grand Theft Auto standard of game, but it more than makes up for it by being the most fun game you've played so far.
Ok, I'm going to end of here. Good luck to everyone who's sitting for today's paper!! Ending off, see you tomorrow.
posted @ 10:14 AM
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