The "What are you playing?" topic.

[Monk]

Just Cause 2

It's always refreshing to see a sandbox game that knows what I like. Sure, games like GTA4 are amazing story devices that can really lay the groundwork for some good narrative. That is ignoring the fact, hwoever, that half the time when I pop in a sandbox, i'm going to be looking for ways to crush people's castles. In that sense, Just Cause 2 is a huge success because it knows exactly what it is, a spectacle. Any attempts to take the game serious for its story or narrative is simply impossible. The moment I did a sky-dive off a television tower I had rigged to blow up, hit my parachute to glided effortlessly down to the ground only to land ontop of a civilian car and surf my way down the high-way as the explosions kicked off... I knew why.

This wasn't an action game, it was an action movie (an 80s action movie to be exact!) - full of cliche, explosions, bad acting, stereotypes and one liners. It turned out to be an amazing ride but one I just couldn't stick with story-wise. When blowing crap up is the entire point of the game I simply got bored of the main story missions, why not just cut out the middle-man and cause chaos without a reason? The one huge downside (aside from you know, a terrible storry, bad voice acting and stereotypes!) is the game world. It's way too big. There's a fast travel system but I can't use it to visit new locations, and when my objective is over 18 km away.. that is a killer. Just Cause 2 really needs an in-game radio to help those long travel times between shoot-outs, otherwise, a fun (if a one trick) experience.


Assassin's Creed 2

You know for all the absolute craziness that surrounded this game I must say I'm completely underwhelmed by the final experience. Moreover I am unsure as to why such a mediocre game could inspire Ubisoft to go to such lengths to protect it with their intrusive "always on" DRM. Being a huge fan of the original AC isn't easy, as many people are quick to point out whenever i bring it up all the flaws the game had. And there's no point they argue that I cannot deny. The combat was bland, the story was ridiculous and mini-missions were nothing short of repetitive. Yet for all of that I immediately fell in love with the game's mechanics, it was genuine fun stalking through cities seeking out targets. Finally striking that killing blow after spending an hour or more doing the leg work really felt like you'd accomplished something. The sequel is anything but satisfying.

The story is incredibly hard to follow right from the start, I don't know half of the people involved in the main antagonist plan even though I'm killing them one by one. Characters get introduced so fast it's hard to keep your thoughts focused, specially since if you blink you'll be working for them and not understand why! The narrative is still stupid and without spoiling it, it's clear what happened. The writers at Ubisoft wanted to make this huge epic to tie into the original, only they forgot that to write a good story you need to do more than watch the History Channel's conspiracy shows. At no point in the game have I ever felt a connection to any character i've been urged to sympathize with. The mechanics are vastly improved from the first game and that, in of itself, is the real sad part to all this. Everything you can imagine was made better, blending into crowds is seamless. You climb faster, you can assassinate much more efficiently, but the mission structure combined with the lack of direction in the game really makes it feel less like a sandbox and more like a series of missions you're being herded to.

Where as Just Cause 2 is a game that after a completed mission throws its arms up and says "Find your own ride back to base!", AC2 simply drops you next to the next quest giver. I could even understand this direction if some of the missions didn't take place years apart! At around the 5th hour I went to one of my contacts for my next mission and the protaganist simply proclaims "These last two years have been good to you!" ... Thanks for telling me now, I guess? It's a game I don't think I'll be finishing nor even returning to. Just Cause 2 is a game I can come back to whenever I want for some good old fashioned chaos. AC2 doesn't even provide me that. Oh, and the combat is essentially unchanged from the first. What.


Tropico 3

I really liked this one, but once you know the keys to success its a little hard to lose. I think there's a big thread somewhere around the Arena about this one, so I wont say much. Though the tutorial is awful. If you can buy it retail, the digital copy (at least Steam's version) had no manual forcing me to learn everything the hard way. Of all the games I played recently I liked this one the most, just wish the replay value was a little better.