While I understand the need to add copy protection to games, I have a special hatred for SecuROM, which comes with a number of different games, including Prey. I received Prey as a Crimble gift, but didn’t realize it had SecuROM protection until I tried to install it on my laptop. I popped the first install disk into my drive, where it decided to spin rapidly and do little else. This happened multiple times, and I was concerned that I had a faulty disk. I decided to switch of the real-time AV check, and disabled a few other programs, but to no avail.

That’s when I checked online and found that Prey used SecuROM in its retail incarnation. Great! Then the strangest thing happened, and the games started to install. I have no idea why, but the game managed to install eventually. I popped online to the Prey support site and found that the latest set of patches REMOVED the SecuROM protection. So, quick as a fiddle, I downloaded Patch 1.4 and installed it, took the disk out of the drive and loaded the game. Lo, it worked, allowing for the following piece of justice about 3-5 minutes into gameplay, just before Tommy got sucked up into a giant spaceship, and after he went to town on them with a wrench for hitting on his girl. These guys obviously can’t quit each other.

Now that the game is installed, and I’ve got the settings optimized for a decent, albeit three year old, laptop, I can enjoy the game, and knock some aliens on the head. I’ve played into the third scene, and the game really does deserve the M for Mature rating that it’s got, and not just for language. This game has gore in it, and lots of it, and it’s got that whole Doom 3 creepy monster-in-the-closet vibe going on, but with portls. I have a feeling I’m really going to enjoy playing this game all the way through.

Tags: First Impressions, PC Games, Play by Teh Bagder
7591 Comment »http://iam.tehbagder.com/2008/12/26/preying-for-no-securom-pays-off/Preying+For+No+SecuROM+Pays+Off2008-12-26+06%3A01%3A34Teh+Bagder

I’ve been sitting on playing Tomb Raider: Legend for a while, simply because I’ve been busy with school and other things, but I’ve been yearning to play it for a while, partly because there have been an abundance of ads for the newest game in the series Tomb Raider: Underworld. I’ve always been a fan of the Tomb Raider games, even in their dim and non-anti aliased past, and the technology in the games and gameplay has come on leaps and bounds over the past few years. I decided to play the first levels of Legend over the weekend.

The addition of a PDA and weapon switching add to the gameplay, but they take a little bit of getting used to. I still found the camera to be a little problematic, particularly on lining up for jumps, but the core gameplay that makes a Tomb Raider game a Tomb Raider game is still there. I’m looking forward to completing the game, and then getting the newest game for the Wii and seeing how well the franchise translates to that system. Most people tend to ignore the storylines in Tomb Raider games, but I rather enjoy them, and think that they add a depth to the game that people miss out on if they consider the game only a 3D platformer. With the mysterious disappearance of Lara’s mother at the beginning of the story, I can only wonder how this game is going to end.

Tags: First Impressions, PS2, Play by Teh Bagder
700No Comments »http://iam.tehbagder.com/2008/11/30/loving-lara/Loving+Lara2008-11-30+18%3A49%3A00Teh+Bagder

Yesterday I picked up my copy of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for the Wii. I was helping a friend move yesterday, so I had to put it aside until I finished that, and got home from work. As soon as I got home from work, the disc went into the Wii and I loaded it up.

I was thrown for a loop, because at the beginning you get to play Darth Vader first, as he hunts down a Jedi on Kashyyyk, but this gives you a chance to get used to the controls and some of the Force powers. Once you confront and defeat the Jedi (which takes a little bit of time as you’re still getting used to the controls), the main story breaks open and you get to to play Vader’s errand boy.

I’m only about 2 hours into the game right now, but I’ve already had a couple of “Oh Sh!t” moments, particularly in boss battles, which are incredibly cinematic. I’ve gotten used to the control scheme now and am able to manipulate the world around me quite well with my force powers, which are incredibly powerful if you chain them correctly. There’s something just quite awe-inspiring about slamming stormtroopers backwards through doorways and into the cold of space using your mind, and taking down AT-STs is child’s play when you’ve got a lightsaber in your hand. Kicking Rodian butt is also rather fun (and allows me some payback for Lucas changing it so that Han didn’t shoot first).

My major issue with the game is that the camera seems to be borked at times, and it’s easy to get caught behind scenery and not be able to move. Enemies also sometimes cluster around you, and you can easily be swarmed and unable to get moved, but other games such as Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time suffer from this as well. Controls at times can also be unresponsive particularly if you’ve just executed a sequence of attacks, but the game is reasonably forgiving. Taking a leaf from other games, if you die, you restart at the last quick save point, less some gained Force Points. This means you can take on boss battles and not get kicked to the curb too much, and you don’t feel the game is punishing you. It’s also easy to level up some of your Force powers early in the game, which means you can do even more impressive moves. My favorite so far has been doing a Force Dash by running forward to meet oncoming enemies and then performing a couple of Force Pushes in sequence, which throws them backwards, usually taking them out completely – it’s a great way to clear corridors and enclosed spaces of enemies. Heal units are also scattered well throughout areas, so you can always recharge before moving into a new area, giving you at least have a fighting chance if you stumble into a boss.

Overall, the game is awesome, and even although the Wii version has less depth in graphics than the 360 or PS3 version, the gameplay is intact. I’ll be playing more later today, just as soon as I manage to let my left arm heal, which is sore from moving an overly-heavy bed sofa yesterday.

Tags: First Impressions, Play, Wii by Teh Bagder
670No Comments »http://iam.tehbagder.com/2008/09/17/first-impressions-star-wars-the-force-unleashed/First+Impressions%3A+Star+Wars%3A+The+Force+Unleashed2008-09-17+12%3A23%3A18Teh+Bagder