So I got a lot of games for Christmas. Some new, some old. I got the following games:
- Link's Crossbow Training + Wii Zapper
- Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles
- The new Simpsons game
- Geist
- Manhunt 2
- Indigo Prophecy
- Martian Gothic
- Rule of Rose
- Kuon
- Second Sight
- The Lost Crown: A Ghosthunting Adventure
I've only played a few of them so far.
I've gone through all the levels of Link's Crossbow Training. It's fairly short, but definitely fun. For $20 it's worth it, and it comes with the Wii Zapper.
I give the Wii Zapper 3.5/5 stars. It can be hard to aim properly. You really have to find a balance between TV height and chair height. I haven't had much luck being able to stand and play while aiming down the "barrel" of the gun. The stock of the gun is also too short. If you try to hold it up to your shoulder, your arm will be sore pretty quickly. Because you'll be holding the gun closer to your body in that position, your right wrist will bend backward a little too much to be comfortable for extended periods of time. The gun is fine when held with one hand or at your side. It seems like this wasn't put though as much ergonomics testing as it should have.
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles is a great game for fans of the series. It's like playing an arcade game set in the RE world. It's also a great summary of the main plot of the story. In the game you'll be taken through RE 0, Remake, 2 (although not as much), and 3. The environments are excellent, and nearly match the prerendered quality achieved in 0 and the Remake. It's fun seeing those places brought to true 3D.
The Simpsons game is surprisingly good. I expected an average game out of it, but I think it should rate a bit higher than that. The art style is amazing. For the most part it is like you are watching the show. The gameplay is solid, and reminds me of the Legend of Zelda series. Each character has special abilities that actually contribute to gameplay, and aren't just tacked on. The minigames are fun and lend themselves well to the Wii controls.
Geist is an interesting game. It's a paranormal FPS, which is a great premise and lends itself to creative gameplay. I happen to have had several conversations with the president of N-Space, the makers of the game, so I was interested in trying out this one. I shouldn't have waited so long. It's the most satisfying FPS game I've played in a long time. Being able to possess objects, animals, and people adds a new sense of control over the game. At one point there was a boss that would throw grenades. The best way to beat him was to stun him as he was throwing a grenade, then possess and explode the grenade. The best part of the game for me is scaring people so they can be possessed. Also, the guns feel like guns. They're nice and powerful, and very satisfying. A single head shot, or two body shots, is usually enough to kill an enemy. Not like today's FPS games where often times you can shoot many rounds into the enemy without much of a reaction. It also means it is easier for your host to die, meaning you have to find a new one in the heat of combat. Too bad I forgot my memory card at my dad's, so I couldn't save my progress.
I'm hoping to test out at least one more game tonight.
I also got an Xbox 360 controller that I hooked up to my PC. I want to experiment with it, and hopefully integrate Xbox 360 controller support into the upcoming input system.
[EDIT]
I played the first level of Second Sight tonight. I must have been the only person ever who has died in the first level, a tutorial level. I was getting used to my psychic abilities when I exploded a computer on myself. It seems to be an interesting game, but I hear the ending is really bad. The camera work could be better too. There is a static camera view, like the Resident Evil series uses, but the gameplay doesn't lend itself to that view easily. There is also a chase cam view that can be controlled with the right thumbstick, but it feels like it is constantly pulling, forcing the player to readjust.