Geek Swagger.
Archive for April, 2009
Left 4 Dead’s Survival Mode
Apr 22nd
I'm a huge fan of Left 4 Dead, and it tends to be my go-to multiplayer game of choice because of its stellar cooperative play. Â For that reason, when the latest downloadable content for the game dropped yesterday, including the hotly-anticipated "survival" mode, I downloaded it immediately. Â Last night we had a crew of 4 ready to give it a try, but to be honest it left a sour taste in my mouth.
Survival Mode is basically an extended version of the scenario that plays out at the end of each of the four levels in Left 4 Dead. Â In the standard co-op mode the way it works is you and your 3 buddies have to defend an area while you wait for a rescue vehicle to come and save you from the zombie onslaught. Â Such a task is extremely difficult, especially on expert difficulty, but we've been able to overcome that part of the game several times with proper strategy.
Survival mode basically throws strategy out of the window. Â It's almost as if Valve made this mode just to thwart the gamers who play it. Â For example, if you ever find a good spot to hold up and defend from, chances are good that there will be some new breakable wall that will let the infected flood in from behind you. Â Not only that, but the waves of zombies and special infected come much more rapidly, and often simultaneously unlike in standard cooperative play. Â Add to that the fact that they've severely reduced the effectiveness of using melee attacks to push zombies away from you, and this mode has frustration written all over it.
The good news is that it's completely free, so you don't really have to worry about whether you'll like it or not. Â Give it a shot, you might dig it or you might think it's a little overboard. Â I'm apart of the latter group.
Fallout 3′s “The Pitt” downloadable content
Apr 19th
I loved Fallout 3 when I played through it late last year, and so when I heard about the new DLC based out of Pittsburgh I was immediately interested. Â Having completed The Pitt I have to say the 800 MS points (~$10) I invested in the game were well worth it. Â As its own bite-sized chunk of Fallout 3 this DLC delivers, and the best part is that you don't have to have completed the original game in order to access the content.
The Pitt is much more grimy, gloomy and lurid than the Capital Wasteland. Â This DLC is based on a scenario where the same nuclear fallout experienced in D.C. led to bosses in Pittsburgh reactivating the steel mills in order to produce weapons and other goods. Â In doing so they essentially close off The Pitt (as it's referred to by its citizens in the game) from outside contact and enslave its populace to do the dirty work. Â In such a dire and grotesque situation a plague quickly begins to spread, leaving many of the citizens mutated by radiation, leaving their chances of survival low. Â That's where you come in: your objective is to find the cure that the bosses are keeping hidden and free the slaves of The Pitt. Â Or don't.
The choices you make in The Pitt are much more ambiguous than those found in the Capital Wasteland. Â Without spoiling anything I can say that there are a few times throughout where the line between good and bad gets pretty fuzzy, but that's part of the fun of the game. Â As mentioned above, The Pitt is just a bite-sized chunk when compared to Fallout 3 proper, so there are really only 4-5 hours of gameplay all told. Â Still, given that there are a decent amount of new areas to explore and the new weapons and missions are fun I'd have to recommend it, especially if you liked Fallout 3.
Can’t be bothered to hold your arms up?
Apr 17th
Boy do I have the product for you! Â I saw this and couldn't help but laugh. Â What will Ikea think of next?
Red Faction: Guerilla teaser trailer
Apr 7th
If you've been a gaming enthusiast for a significant amount of time chances are good that you know about Red Faction. Â It's a series that has gotten a lot of love from its fans since it was released for PC way back in 2001, and ever since the follow-up title Red Faction II came to the PS2 there has been a lot of buzz about a next-gen sequel. Â That wait is over.
The teaser trailer below plays to the strength of the franchise: destructible environments. Â A lot of people attribute destructible environments to more modern games like Crysis, but the folks at Volition started the trend over 8 years ago. Â Red Faction: Guerilla looks to take the idea to a whole different level, but you'll have to watch the trailer to see what I mean! Â I have to say that I'm excited to play this game because even though I'm familiar with the Red Faction titles, I've never had a chance to try them.
So then, how are the destructible environments in Red Faction: Guerilla so much better than those in Crysis? Â Well, for starters, the biggest building I destroyed while playing Crysis was a hut out in the jungle. Â The buildings you can destroy in Guerilla are exactly that - actual buildings. Â Rather than running through the front door of the enemy's barracks you can instead just blow the whole multi-floor building up. Â Whereas destruction in Crysis was sort of an after-thought, destruction in Red Faction: Guerilla is your best weapon.
So, without further delay, here's the video:
A new contender enters the ring…
Apr 7th
It's no secret that I've been planning my next laptop purchase for a while now. Â Up until today I was stuck deciding between the HP HDX 16 and the Dell Studio XPS 16. Â Now Acer had to come along and throw a monkey wrench into my plans! Â I was lucky to have narrowed it down that far!
Acer announced a new line of very interesting notebooks at their event in New York today. Â The new line is branded "Aspire Timeline," and they basically amount to machines with the portability of a MacBook or Dell Adamo with a much more attractive price. Â There are three models (13.3", 14.1" and 15.6") and all three are only an inch thick. Â The prices range from $699 - $899. Â They also have incredible battery life; eight hours stock and up to ten with a solid state drive.
Since I'm looking for a machine with a screen that's larger than my current MacBook's the 15.6-incher is my most likely candidate. Â Of course details are sketchy right now and if the laptops don't perform in the end then I'll have to pass. Â Still, in the documentation Acer says that these are for "knowledgeable users who understand performance" so there's hope.
Originally found on Engadget:
Love this song
Apr 6th
I actually tweeted about this not too long ago, and at the time I mentioned I could only find the song on the artist's MySpace page. Â Unfortunate, because I like to meter my time on that website as much as possible. Â Anyways, I was jonesing to hear it again today but was both sad and delighted that Bis removed it and added some new tracks, and so my focus shifted to YouTube. Â Here it is, "Do This" by Canibus and Chino XL. Â I really like the hook in this song, and even though his verse is short I can never get it out of my head:
