Craig Ostrin

I’m still planning to write up my thoughts on why people don’t finish games, and why it matters, but this week is incredibly hectic for me. So, instead of leaving this page barren for almost two weeks, I’m going to bang out a quick article on what I’ve been playing (answer: mostly demos). I hope this gives you a sense of my perspective and taste in games.

Killzone 2

The first of two big demos dropped last week, and while the gushing reviews are rolling in, I can’t say I’m so impressed with the snippet we’ve received. Although, part of it could be that I can’t stand the DualShock 3 for first-person shooters. (The sticks are too loose and too close together.)

Aside from general complaints about the PS3 controller, it was the little things that disappointed me in Killzone 2. I’ve always liked it when your character reaches out a hand and turns a door knob or pushes a button rather than the object magically operating itself when you press X. It grounds you in the world. So, how can Guerrila nail that one aspect of immersion, but then completely neglect to give your character feet?

That said, the jumping animation almost makes me wish you were actually foot-less. I was fine with first-person somersaulting in Mirror’s Edge, but KZ2‘s spastic down-up jumping motion kind of made my stomach twinge.

However, my biggest frustration with the game came when I realized you can’t switch out the pistol for another gun. Besides the fact that the pistol is terrible—I mean, it’s usable, but not fun in the least—Guerrila has basically crafted a one-weapon system, which discourages experimentation with other guns and destroys any potential for tactical weapon management. Why commit to the rocket launcher when I’ll only have a pocket revolver to fall back on? May as well stick with the middle-of-the-road assault rifle the whole game.

Game’s pretty, but it’s not all about looks, y’know? In any case, I’m going to wait and see what people are saying once the buzz calms down. With all the high-profile games receiving glowing praise the last couple years, I’m not sure I trust the average game reviewer to resist the hype anymore.

F.E.A.R. 2

I enjoyed the demo on 360, though my initial reaction was to wish for a dark room and a large monitor three feet away from my face. While it felt great with a controller, the game cries out to be played on a PC.

I still don’t care about the story, though it was refreshing to see Monolith’s trademark AI back in action. Also, letting the player flip over tables and open car doors for cover was a nice touch. It sucks when the enemy can perform simple tasks that you can’t.

So tired. Must sleep. Will add more tomorrow.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 at 1:02 am and is filed under Games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.