“NBA Jam” Review
by Calmer Llama on Jan.16, 2012, under Xbox 360 Game Reviews
| Game: NBA Jam Developer: EA Sports |
Basketball in its most vapid form …
If you’re writing an article focusing on why video game developers shouldn’t create arcade or “lite” sports games, NBA Jam should be one of the first games you add to your research list. A rather harsh opening sentence perhaps, but this offering from Electronic Arts deftly demonstrates how minimalist game-play just isn’t worth the price of admission.
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What I played on the Xbox 360 in 2010 (Part 3)
by Calmer Llama on Jan.12, 2011, under Xbox 360 Commentary
Here is the final installment of the Xbox 360 titles I played last year. Once again this article’s focus is aimed mainly at some particularly dated games that I thought I’d play before I got around to their sequels. Of course, I still haven’t touched Halo Reach, Just Cause 2 or Lost Planet 2 yet.
Let’s hope I complete these games before more successors are published!
What I played on the Xbox 360 in 2010 (Part 2)
by Calmer Llama on Jan.10, 2011, under Xbox 360 Commentary
Continuing on from yesterday’s post, here are some more of the Xbox 360 titles that I toyed around with in 2010. I’ll apologise in advance for all the LEGO titles that I completed, however smacking the bejeebers out of beautifully designed LEGO environments is a great way to de-stress and get in touch with your inner 5 year old.
What I played on the Xbox 360 in 2010 (Part 1)
by Calmer Llama on Jan.09, 2011, under Xbox 360 Commentary
Another year passes and once again, I find myself woefully remiss in keeping up with my writing activities. I’ve got notes on just about every game I’ve played over the last few years, as well as assorted musings and conversations with various gaming developers and industry pundits. I’m just finding it increasingly difficult to spare the time to publish all these articles. After a couple of weeks of leave and some seriously needed down time I feel suitably refreshed enough to make my annual New Year resolution: “to once again apply stylus to tablet and re-commence publication of all my gaming activities, as well as any gaming news of interest that I might stumble across.”
I have admittedly managed to break this regular promise on countless occasions in the past, but this year I feel more confident that I can follow through with my intentions!
Seriously …
No, I mean it! …
(sigh) …
Anyway, let’s start the ball rolling with a quick look at what I played on the Xbox 360 in 2010.
“Mass Effect 2″ bugs and glitches
by Calmer Llama on Apr.07, 2010, under Xbox 360 Commentary
Here’s a list of interesting bugs and issues discovered during my initial play-through of Mass Effect 2 in early February this year. While none of them are game-breaking in nature, their presence does highlight just how difficult it is to buff and polish this latest generation of role-playing games.
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“Mass Effect” review
by Calmer Llama on Mar.27, 2010, under Xbox 360 Game Reviews
| Game: Mass Effect Developer: Bioware |
Put that copy of Mass Effect 2 on hold for 20 hours. You’ll be glad you did.
I have an embarrassing confession to make. Mass Effect, Bioware’s much hyped science fiction RPG, completely slipped under my gaming radar when it was released on the Xbox 360 several years ago. For some inexplicable reason all the hype, glowing reviews and internet kudos this game garnered in 2007 failed to register at any level within my cerebral cortex. This shouldn’t have been such a drama as I didn’t own Microsoft’s recent gaming console at the time. Unfortunately, I also failed to notice the PC version that was published roughly six months later. It was only the recent spate of media releases covering the imminent appearance of Mass Effect 2 (and my impeccable skills in counting that I picked up in Grade school) that made me think “Hang on a minute … when the heck did Mass Effect 1 come out?” As a keen RPG aficionado, and with a few weeks off during Christmas, I decided to embark upon a thorough investigation of Bioware’s original sci-fi intellectual property. After 50+ hours of gaming and three complete play-throughs, I’m about to expound upon the reasons why anyone who hasn’t yet experienced Mass Effect, should strongly consider doing so, and why potential buyers of the just released sequel should fire up its progenitor first.
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“Grand Theft Auto IV” Bitch List
by Calmer Llama on Mar.23, 2010, under Xbox 360 Game Reviews
| Game: Grand Theft Auto IV Developer: Rockstar North/Rockstar Toronto |
No, this isn’t Niko Bellic’s definitive guide to dating.
One of the rewarding benefits of writing articles for your own web-site is the increased latitude and scope available to you when choosing a topic for your penmanship. You can cover any subject you wish, you aren’t restricted to following editor-enforced formulaic review templates, and you can vent your spleen about any game you wish without the threat of losing your highly fancied freelance writing position. As it has been quite a few months since my last foray into “spleen venting”, I’ve decided to write today’s article on my love-hate relationship with Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV) for the Xbox 360 … with emphasis on the “hate”.
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“Buccaneer: The Pursuit of Infamy” review
by Calmer Llama on Mar.23, 2010, under PC Game Reviews
| Game: Buccaneer: The Pursuit of Infamy Developer: Stickman Studios |
If the Caribbean had decent wi-fi coverage, this is the game Blackbeard would have played.
Since the advent of ancient sea-faring nations, pirates have existed as an ever-present threat to maritime trade routes around the world. Although contemporary piracy is almost universally condemned by today’s governments, recent popular culture has managed to give historical piracy a much rosier and more appealing aspect. Games and movies, such as the “Pirates of the Caribbean” saga, have managed to portray pirates from the late 17th – early 18th centuries as swashbuckling romantics rather than the more unflattering imagery that we tend to associate with their contemporary brethren. Over the years we have seen a variety of pirate themed PC games ranging from LucasArt’s humorous Monkey Island adventures to complex strategy games such as Port Royale and Tortuga. Industry luminary Sid Meier even managed to blend strategy, action and adventure into his acclaimed Pirates remake that attempted to blend all the colour of piracy into a highly accessible simulation. The latest contribution to this freebooting genre is Buccaneer: The Pursuit of Infamy, the debut release from independent developer Stickman Studios. Comprising nothing more than a pair of artists with a coffee machine and no coding experience, this creative pair of miscreants has managed to concoct an arcade/action game focusing purely on piratical naval combat.
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“Fallout 3″ review
by Calmer Llama on Mar.23, 2010, under PC Game Reviews
| Game: Fallout 3 Developer: Bethesda Game Studios |
The Fallout universe has never looked bleaker … or better!
Bethesda Game Studios has returned to the roots of the original Fallout role-playing game in this latest iteration with the gamer controlling the life of his alter-ego within yet another Vault-Tec Industries fallout shelter. It’s now 2277, two hundred years after the nuclear devastation caused by a thermonuclear war between the United States and China. As one of the fortunate few who dwell in Vault 101, you’ve been sheltered from the harsh existence of life in the irradiated wastelands outside, leading an idyllic (albeit mundane) existence within the cold iron confines of this bunker you call home. For twenty odd years, very little changes; the inhabitants content to be born, live their lives and eventually perish within this isolated antiseptic society. That is until one day, your father disappears mysteriously from the vault, catapulting you unceremoniously into the post-apocalyptic and perilous realm of the Capital Wasteland. It’s across the devastated city of Washington D.C. and its associated environs that you will need to traverse to locate your dad and find out why he left the safety of the vault.
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Planetside – “All Tech” Magrider Event Movie
by Calmer Llama on Apr.18, 2011, under PC Gaming Commentary