I finished another of my backlog titles yesterday, Assassin’s Creed. I even wrote up a critique here, but then it turned out to be entirely too long for a blog post and I decided to hold on to it for GameSpite Issue 4. (Which should go up within the week.) So, if you happen to be one of the handful of people who receive email autonotifications of updates to the site… congratulations, you’ve just seen a very sloppy rough draft.
Sadly, while I’m one title down on the pile I added two this past week: Burnout Paradise and No More Heroes. I’m on Heroes for EGM, so that should go down pretty quickly. I’d be done with it by now, of course, except that Ubisoft wasn’t kidding about taking their ball and going home in tears because our reviewers had the audacity to call Creed on its (I can now say with confidence) palpable shortcomings. It’s so strange to see large corporations acting like cranky children at playtime. I mean, I know Creed is a “sandbox” game and all, but I’m pretty sure that’s not what it’s supposed to mean.
Anyway, once Heroes is out of the way I guess I’ll go after something on Mac-based. Baldur’s Gate, perhaps? Deus Ex? No One Lives Forever? So many options, so little time.
I’d suggest playing NOLF first, if only because you can then play Deus Ex as if you were the girl in NOLF.
Baldur’s Gate and it’s progeny (do you know about the hi-res wide-screen mod?) will hopefully take so long that you might as well start it whenever, and play it moderately on the side while your life goes on.
If you’re talking about Tutu, I’ve already looked into it. The process of making it work on Mac is so abstruse (bordering on impossible, given that half the source site are offline) it makes me want to kill myself.
If you ever get the feeling that you’re lonely in Paradise City, the Tyrants have been playing what seems like every night since launch. You’re more than welcome to join.
Hey, it is saying spam is not appreciated for me. Is that because I was banned for my crazy No More Heros rant, or because my writing is machinelike?
So that’s why the NMH review is so late in coming. I should have put 2 and 2 together. Despite having one of the worst first impressions ever (The first stage is terrible) I am warming up to No More Heros.
Some quibbles, loads too often, bosses have 3X too much healh. I hope the story goes somewhere, even if it doesn’t reach the crazy depths of Killer 7. I guess it’s more Taranino than Lynch.
If you’re doing oldschool/somewhat-outdated-mechanicly/cheesy shooters try out Cliver Barker’s (I know, I know, a dirty word) Undying. Its kinda cheesy and outdated but holds up better than Dues (maybe not intellectually but from a gameplay/setting perspective). Recomending shooters is tough; thats a field that constantly progresses forward and turns its predecessors into dinosaurs. The ideas behind the games are still there but they aren’t nearly as enjoyable as where the genres at now. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a good example of what can happen (it has other problems beyond being outdated but being super old isn’t helping it). Company of Heroes runs like a parapalegic on Macs, right? I know thats probably not a game you would be too much into but seriously the game is nuts.
Theres always Planescape, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (vastly superior on PC), Icewind Dale, KOTOR, the Baldur Gates, the Jedi Knights, Half-Life, Ghost Master, or the dreaded Dwarf Fortress.
Hey Jeremy, have you ever played The Adventures of Little Ralph for the Playstation?
I just beat No More Heroes today. The middle parts are pretty “eh” (most of the later missions take about 5 minutes to complete, and sometimes you don’t even get to fight the boss), but the ending makes it all feel worth it.
The game feels alot like Grasshopper’s answer to God Hand, if alot more uneven.
Any reason at all to put No One Lives Forever or Baldur’s Gate back on my computer are welcome.
I guess I’m not the only one comparing NMH to Godhand. They’re both cheesy and outdated in very calculated ways that work splendidly. Except Godhand is basically unplayable, whereas NMH is a blast.
I thought you didn’t like the high fantasy games, which makes me wonder why Baldur’s Gate seems to be higher on your list than Planescape Torment (don’t get me wrong – I love BG (although BG2 is better) but i remember you ranting about the standard D&D setting before.
“Mac-based” was the key term, there.
No One Lives Forever is great. Brilliant mod aesthetic and great music, voice, and level design. Its sequel, somewhat less so.
You can play those games on Mac
I know I’m one of about seven people in the world that actually enjoyed God Hand, but I will still defend it to my dying day. I can perfectly understand why the rest of the world hates it, but I thought it was great fun. More enjoyable overall than No More Heroes, in fact
However, time and place!
You cannot play Planescape: Torment on a Mac (without installing Windows).
Hey Jeremy,
Does it feel like Ubisoft is trying to censor you guys at Ziff? I mean it’s one thing not to send you advance copies of games but to shut you out completely of all press events. Obviously, the reviews you gave Assassin’s Creed didn’t hurt the sales of the game so why throw a fuss now? This whole thing aggravates me to the point that i’m boycotting all Ubisoft games in protest.
You’re boycotting after No More Heroes, I hope.
sonofa . . . I thought there was a Mac version. Anyway, I recommend you play BG2 instead of BG. it’s prettier, has a deeper story, and is larger in almost every way (which is a good thing).
I haven’t decided if i’m going to pick up No More Heroes or not. I love Suda 51 and all, but I picked up Yakuza and Devil May Cry 1 today.
Baldur’s Gate or Deus Ex for fun club, plz.
Glad to see other God Hand supporters here. I haven’t played NMH yet, but I don’t think any brawler will every match God Hand’s mechanics.
I noticed that No More Heroes got a nine in Edge. Something that used to guarantee a game was triple-A but since they gave one to ghosts n’ goblins I’m not sure anymore. I would so recommend Deus Ex if you haven’t played it. It is ugly as sin but it does so many things that make you think ‘wow, games are amazing. I feel moral now’. It was the first game where I killed a regular npc and felt terrible about it. I sat there in a state of horrible remorse and disgust.
Deus Ex’s strength is not in its shooting gameplay so much as it is in the writing and the versatility you’re given to actually build a character and explore the scenarios. Is shooting clumsy? A bit. But it feels like the first REAL system shock successor, to me, in its overabundant atmosphere and freedom to play the game the way you want to. NOLF has brilliant comedic writing, but not half the versatility or atmosphere.