Critical Acclaim +: Open Mic

[regemond]

You managed to vocalise my thoughts far better than I ever could there Sly!

[HandsomeDead]

Recap!

Golden Axe

A load of ole' shite. I never even liked it at the time as I think there are so many better co-op brawlers... pretty much all of them, probably. It's ugly as sin, sounds dreadful and gameplay consists of waiting for enemies to come on the screen so you can hit them off again by accident. The only redeeming thing is the elf kicking.

It's a game in the public conscious 'cos people played it and that's it. It's just "yes, I remember playing that. Goodtimes" though I doubt the Goodtimes were a result of the game, but the memories around it... I think they call it nostalgia. The bad kind.

Pac-Man Championship Edition

It's weird this should come after Golden Axe as there is this idea that a simple game is a simple game but it's actually about the execution of it. Golden Axe is a boringly simple game. Pac-Man CE is simple mechanics just done perfectly. Even in the original they are great but CE remixes it slightly with a morphing board that gives it that natural mission based structure which makes the game move quicker; and you pair that with the awesome neon visuals and pumping soundtrack and you have an exciting and engaging simple game. The direct opposite to Golden Axe, which is waiting for an ugly-arsed sprite to slide into view.

Rock Band 3

I struggle to differentiate between the games and just think of them as one, especially since the soundtrack of the previous games can be moved to the current ones. Rock Band had the band based premise down well, RB2 made it structurally more interesting and then RB3 added the pro stuff, which I didn't try outside of the keyboard stuff so I can't quite vouch for how well that stuff was done.

But Rock Band just as a series is certainly one of the best things this gen, I agree with that.

[Hendo]

Rock Band 3 is brilliant but I think Rocksmith captured the proper guitar playing better than RB3 seemed to. It did teach me the basics of piano playing though, for which I am eternally grateful.

And I've spent a fortune on the DLC.

Fun fact: best DLC pack? The Bee Gees.

[Sly Reflex]

Gears of War is todays game. I'm expecting a certain someone to go in depth rather than say "I have this, it is good, posting from phone lolz!"

Also, if you are wanting to spill your guts on how great/shit Gears of War is you best do it here. The later games didn't make the cut when it came to compiling the list.

[TromaDogg]

For me, Gears Of War defined the Xbox 360 and completely redefined 3rd person shooters....taking some inspiration from Namco's earlier Kill Switch, Capcom's Resident Evil 4 and evolving the core gameplay expertly for the modern era. I loved the whole bleak atmosphere and setting of the game, the characters and storyline were what drew me in, but it was the gameplay that kept me there. The campaign mode was superb in online co-op, something you could really enjoy playing with somebody else who wasn't in the same room as you and the multiplayer modes were a right laugh with some very well designed maps. It just seemed to tick all the right boxes, right down to even rewarding the players for reloading their guns properly.

Obviously you often get horrible little scrotes in your game when you play against randoms, and a lot of times deaths can feel cheap if somebody caps you with a powered up shotgun, but you'll rarely have a better online experience when playing with a group of mates.

Very deserving of it's success and critical acclaim I'd say, and it's a series that they've really tried to make genuine improvements to as it goes along.

[DANGERMAN]

Gears has its problems, it's predictable, samey, subtle as a turd, and if u remember right the first had awful driving sections in it. However it deserves credit for what it got right and the influence it's had

[Manicm]

Gears, i love this series, minus the last game that wasn't so good.

The duck and cover system was perfected in gears, the co-op where i can play with my other half, some have tried Halo you just wander off in different directions then wonder where your co-op partner is. army of two they are too much tied together, gears they got it spot on.

The story was well written and believeable, the whole gears thing, just can't get enough. This could be the one game that gets me to buy an xbox one going to be 1 bloody expensive game.

[Hendo]

I think the story in the first game sucks.

It shouldn't have to rely on comics, books and other games to fill in various obvious blanks.

You have no idea why Marcus was in jail and it isn't even explained very well that it's not set on Earth unless you watch a cut scene that only happens when you leave the game before you start it.

The game itself (and series) is awesome though.

[HandsomeDead]

I think Gears of War is probably one of the best feeling shooters available. It takes inspiration from older games but it certainly makes it its own. It's a very feeling sturdy game with very deliberate actions. Like, making your way through a battle is like changing gear in a car with a stiff manual transmission, all heavy movements to the side, front and back. It's a game like clockwork, what with that active reload added to the general flow of battle. I think Gears is defined by the addition of the active reload for me. That's some mild game design genius.

On top of the gearbox feel and clockwork flow (see how good this game is thematically? homoerotic, too) is the fact that Gears feels like a sport. Maybe that's why there a a bunch of people who don't like it as I suppose it is the fratboy game. The characters have this American Football or Ice Hockey player look to them; just a load of bulk. And then you have the game which if you think about it is just like sports. The battlefields are like pitches and you have one team at one and and one at the other, and when you combine that with the way you get around these battlefields it just feels like those there sports. Sports.

But that's not bad, in fact it works really well for a shooter. It makes it very game-y which is fine by me. Folks often complain about chest high walls but it carries the same kind of logic as platforms in a Megaman game. Yeah, it's not realistic but fuck sake have you looked at the game? It's not trying to be, but it fits the game's logic.

But it's not all awesome. There is that driving bit which is one of those things that turns up in all kinds of games and you wonder just why. It's one of those pace (and fun) breakers. But you have that story. Okay, there are two components to Gears of War's story. You have the character stuff, which is great. The dialogue during battles is fun, punchy and is real high quality action film stuff, and it really adds to the locker room mentality of the game. It's well written and performed brilliantly by people who get it.

But, that story? No no no no. No. Actually, in the first game it's serviceable, only really spoiled by Marcus's story stuff where he plays the biggest, most annoying 15 year old in the world. But it mostly got worse later (at the end of the third game I was actually shouting at the TV).

Gears is definitely a cutscene skipper and thankfully the shite is just in those. The rest is great.

[RoboticMonk3y]

Gears of War?

yeah, it's alright...

[DANGERMAN]

I'm about to start something here

But that's not bad, in fact it works really well for a shooter. It makes it very game-y which is fine by me. Folks often complain about chest high walls but it carries the same kind of logic as platforms in a Megaman game. Yeah, it's not realistic but fuck sake have you looked at the game? It's not trying to be, but it fits the game's logic.

how come Uncharted isn't afforded this leeway

[Sly Reflex]

Because Uncharted is 90% shooting and the shooting is wank. Really wank. If it was doled out in more bitesized pieces maybe people would be more lenient on it. It isn't though, you have shootout lasting 10 minutes and more. Not cool.

[HandsomeDead]

I'm about to start something here

But that's not bad, in fact it works really well for a shooter. It makes it very game-y which is fine by me. Folks often complain about chest high walls but it carries the same kind of logic as platforms in a Megaman game. Yeah, it's not realistic but fuck sake have you looked at the game? It's not trying to be, but it fits the game's logic.

how come Uncharted isn't afforded this leeway

I'm not sure I know what you mean.

The thing with Uncharted's logic is that it doesn't compliment itself. It places itself as a lighthearted, swashbuckling romp that also includes quite realistic and frequent violence. I just don't think it fits tonally and makes the whole thing unenjoyable or just plain silly. As for the gameplay, I've never actually said I have a problem with what it actually is structurally on its own, its how it all comes together. And my other problem with it is how it feels to play, its basically the complete opposite to how I described Gears.

[DANGERMAN]

Do people moan about chest high walls in Uncharted?.

I was thinking more about the general ludo-narrative dissonance

Because Uncharted is 90% shooting and the shooting is wank. Really wank.

it really isn't. It's not as good as Gears' but it's better than most, and has other elements

[Sly Reflex]

The only shooting game I can think of that has worst 3rd person shooting than Uncharted is Kane and Lynch. *shudder*

As it stands now the Gears games offer the best 3rd person shooting on the market. They have the right balance between feeling like you are controlling a camera and controlling a person. Shooting and moving about in Gears feels like I am moving a playing piece. I know where it's parameters lay and I can work with that. Compare that to how the players move in Uncharted and it feels like I am moving marbles around a drinks tray. The accuracy and precision just isn't there. It's wishy washy. Sub par. Something I am not willing to put up with.

Gears games excell in their shooting. It's punchy, meaty and provides sufficient reward in popping heads and gibbed bodies. It's visceral and entertaining.

I certainly agree with everyone's sentiments of the vehicle section or on rails parts. They've always being something that bring the product down as a whole.

The musical score is generally really high caliber too. It's very distinctive, as soon as you hear those opening bars you instantly know what's coming, a bit like the music from Halo or even big films like Star Wars or Indiana Jones.

I remember way before Gears came out I dismissed it completely, looking at the screenshots in magazines it did nothing for me at all. When it eventually came out I caved in and bought it and still didn't really see the fuss. It wasn't until I played the game in co-op online with Mika Haggar that I 'got' it. There's been no looking back since. I've finished all the core games multiple times on the hardest setting with various people and loved every minute of it. I don't think it's the perfect game by any means, and I don't believe for one moment EPIC meant the game to be a shotgun fest online. It'll go down as one of my favourite games of this generation though, easily.

Nag, Gow2 & 3 didn't make it because it wasn't across the board 9's and 10's like it was for Gears of War 1. It was a pretty unanimous decision that the game was bitchin' when it came out.

[DANGERMAN]

to be fair I don't think anyone did until Spec Ops came out

[Sly Reflex]

Cheers for that Sly.... wondered how this list was decided.

The game has to have high scores from when it was released.

or

The game has to have a big cult following.

or

For older games, it must be well recognised and be well thought of as a whole.

and

The game must not have had any updates for the last 6 months, unless it is just title updates or aesthetic DLC.

There's probably some weird middle ground ones that make the list just because I say so. My decision is final and all that shite.

[Sly Reflex]

Oh.... so you've made this list then?. Tbh i thought it was pulled from some site or something.

No, there's a list. Lists are great, although not as good as piecharts or graphs.

I have to get up stupidly early tomorrow, so I'm putting up the next game now.

Shadow Complex. Reigned as one of the top games on XBLA for ages. I've never even played it...

[Hendo]

It is a great Metroid clone. There's slightly more to it than that, but not much.

Everything about it is ripped right out of Super Metroid skinned to look more like a spy thriller.

Also contains Nolan North.

[spatular]

i thought shadow complex was good fun, but no where near the best stuff on xbla for me.

rock band 3 is amazing. the pro stuff was a great addition to drums - with the bonus of pro tracks for everything. but the others were too difficult for me really, didn't stop me playing loads of pro keys and still being amazingly bad at it mind.