Smoke Genade Issue in Gears of War 2

There's been some talk on the interweb the past couple of days about the smoke grenade issue in Gears of War 2, and the possibility that Epic may be making some changes with the effects of them in their next title update (Title Update 4).

In the first Gears of War smoke grenades were just that, smoke grenades.  In the sequel, Epic decided to add some kick to the smoke grenades by adding a concussion effect to anyone within a certain radius of the grenade.  Many fans of the blockbuster franchise have not taken well to the change in their beloved game and have been outspoken on the topic since it's release in November of last year.  Well the good people at Epic have heard the complaints and listened to the requests.  This Memorial day weekend, Epic has announced that they will do a test run of stunless smoke grenades to see what kind of feedback they will get from fans.  Then they will decide whether or not to remove the stun feature all together, or eliminate the knockdown feature and have your character become dazed for a second or two.  It all depends on the feedback from gamers and whether or not they enjoy the classic smoke grenades from the first Gears, or the smoke/stun grenades from Gears 2.  

Personally I would like to see them remove the stun feature from the smoke grenade all together and swap the ink grenade for a stun grenade.  If they did this I think they could make people on both sides of the spectrum happy.  Everyone would still spawn with a smoke grenade, but if you wanted the stun grenade you would have to pick it up on the map just like a frag.  

One thing is for sure, no matter what the outcome of the smoke grenade, it's clear that Epic is dedicated to their game.  The fact that they are still trying to improve it six months after it's release is a testament to how much they care about their fans, and how badly they want it to be perfect for them.

Resident Evil 5 Review

For going into Resident Evil 5 never having played any of the previous games, my expectations were not that high.  But after playing this game a few times through and unlocking the infinite ammo capability, it has surprisingly become the best game I’ve played so far this year.

     Resident Evil 5 brings some new things to the renowned franchise.  It adds the ability for 2 player co-op in the campaign and does it extremely well.  Usually when you have someone else join in on the campaign it becomes rather easy and loses some of the game’s entertainment value.  With RE 5, this is not the case.  When playing in co-op mode the enemies you and a friend will face are larger in numbers and more difficult to take down.  Just about everything about the co-op mode in this game is great.  The only downside to playing with a partner is that if you don’t have a friend to play with, you still have to play with an AI controlled partner; this is where it all goes downhill.  Sheva (your female partner in the game) is not artificially intelligent like she should be.  When playing by yourself on the harder difficulties you will find her getting in the way of your bullets all the time, dying almost every chapter, and never being close enough to save you when you get hurt.  She is more of a hindrance than a help when playing by yourself.  If at all possible, you should play this game with a human partner, whether online or in the unique split screen.

      The graphics in RE 5 are stunning to say the least.  They are up there with the other high grade graphical titles on the market right now (Gears 2 and COD 5).  I never experienced any pop up or frame rate issues during my 40+ hours of playing.  The graphics really shine in the form of boss battles and interactive cut scenes (which I don’t really care for).  During certain cut scenes you will be prompted on the screen to press a button or a combination of multiple buttons rather quickly or you will die or sustain immense damage to your character’s health.  This seems like a way for the developers and creators of the game to force you into watching every cut scene regardless of whether or not you care about the story or just want to shoot some zombies; which brings us to the gameplay.

      RE 5 does some great things and some bad things in the gameplay area.  The laser sites on the weapons are great and are visible from pretty far away.  There is a wide array of weapons to choose from once you’ve picked up enough gold and jewels to be supplied with them, but if you’re in this game for the long haul, money won’t be a problem.  Shooting zombies feels natural, and blowing off their heads with a triple barreled shotgun is awesome!  The one thing I had a problem with right off the bat with this game and most people won’t stand for is being rooted in place when you use a weapon.  Whether shooting or using your handy knife you can’t, “Run and Gun”.  It was definitely a deterrent when I first started playing it, but after a while I just got used to it and didn’t really notice that I was planting my feet and shooting anymore.  It’s not a flaw in the game by any means, but some just won’t care for it and will not want to play it based on that fact.

      To compare Resident Evil 5 with other shooter or survival horror genre games on the market right now would be doing this game an injustice.  It is action packed, has lots of replay value, and is extremely entertaining.  RE 5 is a great game that deserves it’s time in your console. 

                 

G1 BABY!

I am now the proud parent of a Tmobile G1!!  I'm super excited, I bought it on Ebay and it should be shipping on Mon or Tues.  My dad told me if  I bought a new phone then he would take away my car and anything else he could, I'm a little nervous to see if he follows through with what he says, but I know that if I do what I need to do around the house and help out with the little stuff (make momma happy) then he will have no reason to fly off the hook.  I know he's just looking out for me and doesn't want me to spend my money on, "worthless crap" as he likes to call it.  But to me it's not worthless, and it's not crap.  I'm a tech geek and enjoy this kind of stuff.  I know it's a want and not a need, but it was on the top of my want list and I had the money, so I went for it.  I researched and thought about it and then researched some more and decided to buy it.  Now all I need to do is show him that I'm a responsible adult who's capable of making my own decisions whether right or wrong, and learn to deal with the outcomes/consequences.  

I wish I blogged more often, It really helps to say these things out loud instead of just thinking about them.