First Couple of Hours With Halo:Reach

Immediately after booting up the game you are prompted to start customizing your armor.  The armor customization is very similar to Rainbow six Vegas 2.  The options are very limited at first and increase as you level up playing multiplayer and the campaign.  However, your armor appears to do nothing for you in the game except make you look like a bad ass.  I was a little disappointed by this.

I was only able to play a couple hours of the main campaign but what I saw I really liked.  The story felt strong, there was tension and suspense, and because of the initial customization (spent 30 minutes just playing around with colors for my armor and checking out future unlocks) you feel more drawn into the story.   A huge improvement over previous Halo titles.  The game play is typical Halo, controls and all.  The addition of armor abilities that add a single skill ranging from sprinting to a holographic decoy is a nice touch.  The weapons seem to be the same as in previous titles.  The friendly AI seems really smooth except when you let them drive, which can be entertaining and frustrating at the same time (especially when they try and run you over).  Checkpoints seem reasonably spaced and the levels feel epic in size.   Can't wait to see what the rest of the game has in store.

All in all, from my first impressions,  I would say that if you have never played a Halo game and like first person shooters involving killing aliens in the future then this is your game.   If you have played the other games in the series then go out and buy this game, it is THE best Halo to date.

The Game That Started It All For Me Turns 25!!

As a good friend of mine pointed out, today is the 25th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros, making it one year younger than myself.  Pretty cool considering it was my first venture into the video gaming world.  In honor of the plumber I will be busting out the NES this week to play some good old fashioned super Mario bros and Super Mario Bros 3.  

First Person Shooters Finally Starting To Embrace Customization?

This is my first official blog so bear with me. 

I was surfing the Internet checking out video game sites and landed on an article talking about Halo:Reach and the game's incorporation of customization.   It got me thinking...Its about time!  And then I had a wave of questions: Can we expect more and more First Person Shooters to incorporate character customization into their games?  If so, to what extent?   Can we expect them to incorporate classic RPG elements such as strength, agility, endurance, etc.?   

The driving force behind these questions has been the game Borderlands, one of my favorites.  The first game to blend RPG elements with a FPS to create a truly unique game and experience.  The game has opened the door and shown that FPS's with RPG elements can be successful and a heck of a lot of fun.  Does that mean that this success will cause other game studios to jump on the RPG/ FPS bandwagon?  I sure as schnitzel hope so!  

 

Stay tuned for my first thoughts on Halo:Reach.

A side note:  Is it just me or would it be cool if the rainbow six series mated with borderlands to create a modern day first person shooter with RPG elements and Missions in a war torn country???