I felt like my last month of school has been way too controlled. I finished everything so fast I thought for sure that I'd messed something up. But everything seemed to be fine. I had an entire week to chill. I worked on extra work and work from other classes but I still had plenty of time left over. I hate to jinx myself, but I think I've gotten the hang of this. I really disliked Adobe Illustrator when I started but it has a simplicity to it that I can't deny. Now that we're moving to animation, I'm pretty sure the struggle will resume in full force.
In the games industry, the hype for next year is boosted to an all time high while people have pretty much completely forgotten the games of this year. It makes me sad that the games that were so popular in the last couple years were uber simplistic and completely multiplayer, meaning that when they fade away they won't be playable anymore. This was the first year that a Star Wars video game came out and not only was it leagues better than the last two but people didn't care anyway. What a sad year in the games industry.
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Dead Rising Two: Off the Record (or as i'm going to refer to it DR2OR) was originally released October 11th 2011. It is a version of Dead Rising 2 with the main character, Chuck Greene, replaced with the main character of the first game, Frank West. the reason I'm reviewing this version over the original is because it's got little changes throughout that make me like it more. The original Dead Rising 2 was another revolutionary game and is actually my favorite of the series (which also means it's my favorite game of all time).
Enjoyment: Yet again DR2OT has remained timeless and a product of the times. It definitely suffers a lot less than the first one and the original DR2 but it still has some problems. DR2OT has fully embraced the wacky side of the Dead Rising and focuses more on crazy characters and zombie killing. This means that one second you could be rescuing a karate master in an ice cream truck and the next you'll be fighting an insane version of the protagonist from the original Dead Rising 2. The addition of combination weapons makes this game non-stop fun. Even the most tedious quests can be loads of fun. This is a definite step up from the first game. With twice the story, side quests, weapons, map size, and zombies, the game is one of the most re-playable games I've ever played. Considering the game's low price and amount of content, I would suggest this game to pretty much everybody. Narrative: DR2OT is technically non-canonical, but I appreciate the attempt to tie it to the first game anyways. Since it's non-canonical the story is so ridiculous I laughed at pretty much every cutscene. But it's shift to a more comedic tone lost some of the relatable characters the first and second game had. I feel like that's a loss but that's probably just my love for the other games. Gameplay: The gameplay in DR2OT is the most refined of the entire series. The AI (artificial intelligence) is much smarter and companions and enemies are now competent and highly responsive. The map is more interactable than pretty much every game I've played. The restrictive time limits, although still prominent, are much less limiting. My biggest complaint is that controlling your character is pretty clunky. The game has become easier for newcomers and still integrated enough challenge to be fun. Visual: This game looks pretty good for when it came out. Objects and enemies (other than the zombies) manage to stand out in an already bright and colorful environment. Character design is much more interesting than Dead Rising and actually gives you an idea of what the characters can do. The whole environment looks explorable and easy to comprehend. These changes fit right in with the change in tone. Compared to the dark and sometimes boring designs of Dead Rising this is certainly an improvement. My too complaints are that, to fit the the clunkiness of the controls, your character moves awkwardly. Also, the game has a hard time showing zombies in far away locations, meaning you could encounter a horde where you'd previously only seen two or three zombies. Audio: I don't have a lot to say about the games audio. It had helpful in game sounds, good voice acting, and very good music. Interface: The menus were very organised and easily readable. The controls were massively improved from the first game and completely customizable. The inventory is clear and helpful. The audio and visuals were changeable and accommodating. There are very few hints, but the ones that appear are cryptic and more so there for comedic affect than actual usefulness. My one complaint is that the game mixed the map and watch mechanic, which is actually more useful, but as a Dead Rising fan it seems like an unnecessary addition. Accessibility: There were no accessibility issues throughout the game. Everything was customizable, text was legible and professional, and the game was much easier than it's predecessors. Technical: I had quite a few problems with this game. For one, everytime I open the game from my desktop shortcut it crashes, but I think that's a problem with my computer. The game lagged a few times and had some minor glitches. although again it could be a problem with my computer. These were annoying, but not game breaking. Conclusion: The game is great, but has some off-putting problems that make the experience annoying. |
Cole ThomasInto video games and the likes. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools. Archives
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