Over Christmas one of my co-workers got a PS3 from his wife along with a few games. One night while comparing his trophies I noticed that he had Hannah Montana The Movie the video game. I'll admit that I'm a sucker for trophies. I prefer the term Trophy Hunter while others I know enjoy likening me to a "trophy whore". In the end it doesn't matter because the trinkets are basically meaningless but to my mind add a bit of extra game play value. Hannah Montana The Movie the video game (sounds so silly to say that five times fast) is a trophy hunter's dream. The game is an easy Platinum-- Platinum being the highest trophy earned on a PS3 game after earning all others offered in a game. Some games are brutally hard to earn a Platinum trophy. In the end when you look at the collection of trophies it is pretty cool to have some a few of the higher value.
I asked if I could borrow Hannah Montana The Movie the video game. The initial reaction was, "Are you serious? That's a kids game." Hey I've got 3 kids. I'm borrowing it so they can play it. Again the response, "Are you serious?" So I had to reveal the truth and say that I really only wanted to play it for the trophies. My gamer cred (if I even really had any) was slowly dropping with my co-worker. But after a few days of pleasantly asking if I could borrow the game he relented.
Thursday night I came home with Hannah Montana The Movie the video game. I had dinner and then went downstairs to play the game. My son (who is 9) came downstairs a few minutes after I had started to play, looked at the TV and realized that I wasn't playing Assassin's Creed II or Dragon Age: Origins and with a very incredulous tone asked, "What are YOU playing dad?"
"Hannah Montana The Movie the video game"
Blank stare back from my son. He looked at the TV again and then looked at me and said, "You're such a girl sometimes dad" and promptly ran upstairs to tell the rest of the family. "Dad's playing Hannah Montana!" Several muted laughs could be heard through the basement ceiling.
Shortly after that however my son came back downstairs and asked if he could play now.
My son, being 9, has watched many episodes of Hannah Montana. As a father I'd like to think that he is watching the show for the wholesome family friendly messages that are a part of each episode. In reality I think it is a combination of him enjoying the slapstick nature of the kid centric hilarity on the show but also a bit of a young boy crush on Miley Cyrus.
Regardless of this I relented and let my son play because I had to go pick up my 11 year old daughter from dance practice. Upon returning from picking up my daughter from dance I went back downstairs to find my son was completely sucked into the game and he would let me have the controller back. My younger daughter came down to join us and after my son admitted that he couldn't figure out how to do the dance moves that are required during the musical numbers I took control and showed them both how to play.
Soon after that, we began to pass the controller round robin between the three of us and continued our time with Hannah Montana The Movie the video game.
While some might poo-poo the game because it is a kid game, I have to suggest that those nay-sayers give the game a chance. It isn't a complete wasted effort of a licensed property and tells a decent Hannah Montana story (I've been forced to watch enough of the show over the years to see the predictable formulaic outcome). It apparently is good enough that my son even commented that he wants to watch the movie now.
The game revolves around the Miley being able to collect items to decorate her touring bus, fetch items to help out friends and relatives, and perform songs at various venues as the title character Hannah Montana. (For those who don't know, in the fictional world people believe that Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus are two separate people. "Comedy gold" ensues in pretty much every episode as Miley struggles to keep the facade up). In this day and age of musical rhythm games it feels a bit odd to play one without any actual instruments, but as Hannah Montana sings throughout the game you are prompted with various movements that correspond to different stick movements with the controller. The game also utilizes the SIXAXIS motion controller capabilities as you can shake the controller to activate some of the on screen prompts. Overall the controls work fairly well as the challenge is not aimed at a parent of my age, but rather the 7-11 year old demographic that has made the show as popular as it is.
As songs are completed and items are found, credits are put into a little piggie bank. This allows for the other game play aspect to kick in. Shopping and playing dress-up. The on screen likeness of Miley Cyrus is basically a walking talking paper doll that once clothes have been purchased (don't for get the jewelry too!) you can spend hours upon hours trying on various wardrobe styles.
Overall I have to say that I'm impressed with this game. Two out of three kids in the house have really enjoyed it. While it isn't a blockbuster AAA title like Uncharted 2, it is a game that is appropriate for kids that isn't too simple, has an engaging story (to a kid), and looks and sounds good. Voice acting is done by the actual actors from the show and you can clearly tell who each character on screen represents as well. Toss in a few carnival mini games, mix with the musical numbers and paper doll dress up and you've got a solid kid game.
If you have kids that enjoy the show, Hannah Montana The Movie the video game is worth picking up.
Showing posts with label Uncharted 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Uncharted 2. Show all posts
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Monday, November 23, 2009
Uncharted 2--further thoughts.
I've previously talked about my initial impressions of Uncharted 2, but now that I've completed the game I figured I would write about my final impressions of the whole game.
The game is solid from beginning to end, there is no denying this. The dialogue is superb, the story is very intriguing, the game play is perfectly balanced between action, jumping and stealth. As the story progresses each game play element increases in intensity to end with a frenetic mash of battles over the Cintamani Stone. It's not unexpected, that the closer you get to the goal or end point in a game that the difficulty would ramp up, but I found myself getting almost hopelessly frustrated with the endgame. Knowing that I was very close to the end, but fighting off wave after wave of killer zombie/native/beast like mobs was almost a deal breaker. I played through on Normal but by the end it felt like I was playing on Crushing. I'm sure that is just my lack of experience with console games or something, but seriously if that was "Normal" hard I don't want to play it on "Crushing" hard. At what point does playing a game for challenge become an exercise in self control so that you don't throw your controller through your TV?
I enjoy a challenge, but combine that challenge with poor motor skills with a controller, which then translates to really poor aim, which translates to scads of wasted ammo, which translates to relying on the least powerful weapon for taking out said challenge, and you end up with either a shattered TV or a broken controller and a divot on the floor (or both). Games should be fun. Games should be challenging. Games should entertain and enlighten (that is debatable). But to do all those things should a game lose sight of each for the sake of being a "game"?
This is a weird loop to ponder. At what point does a game stop being a game (taking you out of the moment of enjoying the resolution to a great story) and become a series of button mashes, swearing, and unnecessary aggravation? Does a "good" game constitute great story with little challenge? Can a challenge overshadow and completely break any story that may have otherwise made a game perfect? I can think of a few games that I've played recently that fall on both sides. Killzone 2 has a moderately good story (the game play mechanics worked well), but the end boss kept me from ever finishing the damn game. Pixel Junk Eden has no story to tell and has a very simple game play mechanic, but add additional challenge as you move through gardens and the game becomes virtually unbeatable. (With PJ:E, the question begs to be asked what exactly is the ending--and that is something that is up to the individual player and whatever goals you may want to accomplish). Star Wars Force Unleashed is another game that has a fantastic story and relatively good game play mechanics, but add in wave after wave of bad guys with deadly aim, shields that block lightsabers (WTF?!?) and you break a game in order to make it a "game".
Maybe I'm too old. I don't think I am though, as my nine year old finds games that are too challenging for the sake of making a game "more game-like" a complete bore. Challenge is one thing, but excruciating exercise in frustration is another. Will I continue to play Uncharted 2? Sure. There are more treasures to find. I found 50/100 on my first play through, plus there are additional trophies to get for killing bad guys with different guns. The multi-player is a blast as well (both co-op and death match). But will I play Uncharted 2 to get a Platinum? Not very likely. Good, fun games shouldn't make you cry yourself to sleep at night. (I kid of course) That's what real life is for.
The game is solid from beginning to end, there is no denying this. The dialogue is superb, the story is very intriguing, the game play is perfectly balanced between action, jumping and stealth. As the story progresses each game play element increases in intensity to end with a frenetic mash of battles over the Cintamani Stone. It's not unexpected, that the closer you get to the goal or end point in a game that the difficulty would ramp up, but I found myself getting almost hopelessly frustrated with the endgame. Knowing that I was very close to the end, but fighting off wave after wave of killer zombie/native/beast like mobs was almost a deal breaker. I played through on Normal but by the end it felt like I was playing on Crushing. I'm sure that is just my lack of experience with console games or something, but seriously if that was "Normal" hard I don't want to play it on "Crushing" hard. At what point does playing a game for challenge become an exercise in self control so that you don't throw your controller through your TV?
I enjoy a challenge, but combine that challenge with poor motor skills with a controller, which then translates to really poor aim, which translates to scads of wasted ammo, which translates to relying on the least powerful weapon for taking out said challenge, and you end up with either a shattered TV or a broken controller and a divot on the floor (or both). Games should be fun. Games should be challenging. Games should entertain and enlighten (that is debatable). But to do all those things should a game lose sight of each for the sake of being a "game"?
This is a weird loop to ponder. At what point does a game stop being a game (taking you out of the moment of enjoying the resolution to a great story) and become a series of button mashes, swearing, and unnecessary aggravation? Does a "good" game constitute great story with little challenge? Can a challenge overshadow and completely break any story that may have otherwise made a game perfect? I can think of a few games that I've played recently that fall on both sides. Killzone 2 has a moderately good story (the game play mechanics worked well), but the end boss kept me from ever finishing the damn game. Pixel Junk Eden has no story to tell and has a very simple game play mechanic, but add additional challenge as you move through gardens and the game becomes virtually unbeatable. (With PJ:E, the question begs to be asked what exactly is the ending--and that is something that is up to the individual player and whatever goals you may want to accomplish). Star Wars Force Unleashed is another game that has a fantastic story and relatively good game play mechanics, but add in wave after wave of bad guys with deadly aim, shields that block lightsabers (WTF?!?) and you break a game in order to make it a "game".
Maybe I'm too old. I don't think I am though, as my nine year old finds games that are too challenging for the sake of making a game "more game-like" a complete bore. Challenge is one thing, but excruciating exercise in frustration is another. Will I continue to play Uncharted 2? Sure. There are more treasures to find. I found 50/100 on my first play through, plus there are additional trophies to get for killing bad guys with different guns. The multi-player is a blast as well (both co-op and death match). But will I play Uncharted 2 to get a Platinum? Not very likely. Good, fun games shouldn't make you cry yourself to sleep at night. (I kid of course) That's what real life is for.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Long Time no Post
It has been a while since I have posted anything and there are several reasons, namely Borderlands, Uncharted 2 and Netflix.
First off I finished the "story" to Borderlands and absolutely love the way that the game allows you to play through a second time from the beginning but with everything leveled up to give you a new challenge. I have to admit that I feel a bit silly for not realizing how to kill the final boss on my first attempt on the first night I encountered him, but I'll chalk that up to being tired. Borderlands is such a fun game that has such Civilization mind-set of "just one more turn" with the notion that it only would take a few more kills to fill that last bubble to level up or one more kill to finish a quest. Since I've played the game through to the final boss with the Hunter Mordecia and still haven't tried the other 3 classes there is plenty to try in this game.
Unfortunately I've become distracted for the moment and can't seem to get into Borderlands to try the game as a second play through though because due to a little negotiation I now have Uncharted 2. Thanks Andy!
What can I say about Uncharted 2 that hasn't already been said? I'm not sure that I can say anything new, but I'll give it a go. The game is so freaking amazing. The characters are phenomenal, the story (so far--I haven't finished the game yet) is griping, and the actual game play is a perfect blend of puzzles, climbing, jumping and shooting enemies. Visually the game just can't be compared to anything (except for the first Uncharted perhaps). Rich lush jungles meld with highly detailed city play. Lighting is amazing as well. Exploring caves you see sunlight pouring through cracks, illuminating details missed by many other games. Jumping from boulders or buildings is exhilarating and challenging. Many moments look like they are impossible but the animations used with Nathan Drake are done with such a level of detail that you expect Drake to miss a jump but he scrambles at the last second to pull off a true cliff hanger style escape from death.
Humor also plays a huge role in how good Uncharted 2 is. The subtle humor between Drake and Cloe as well as Elena and Drake are on par with great romantic comedies. Situational comedy also plays a huge role in the game. Whether Drake is getting the tar beat out of him from falling or the overwhelming odds against Drake, you can't help but laugh by how the game manages to put you into a situation and make it fun to survive. One of the early moments that I still get a good laugh from is when Drake is climbing around the outside of a museum and his temporary partner in crime is helping by talking through headsets to give Drake directions and alert when any enemies are near. Hanging from the edge of the roof, Drake is told to watch out, "Enemy above" and you pull the enemy down over the edge of the roof to watch him plummet to the ground four or five stories below. Your partner in the same urgent voice then says, "Enemy below". While it is dark, it is that same tongue in cheek humor that fills the cracks of the game to make every moment enjoyable.
Even though I have enjoyed playing Uncharted 2 for all of the humor, action and story, I also just received the Netflix PS3 streaming disc so I have spent a pretty fair amount of time using that feature now too. Having not used Netflix for any streaming before I have to say that this new addition to watching movies and TV shows on the PS3 is such a good thing. Navigation within each category is smooth and after selecting a movie or show the time to wait for the show to start is minimal. Some complaints have been made that the selection of streaming isn't that great, but for my money there is enough that I haven't watched to make Netflix worth the monthly fee. Another complaint that has been made is the fact that you have to put the disc in the PS3 to get the actual service to work. As a short term solution I can't complain. Granted "short-term" is still a year away before the service would be available as an installed app on the XMB, but the way I see it, if you want to watch a Blu-ray, you gotta put the disc in to watch that, so why not put a disc in to be able to access hundreds of movies to watch?
More later folks.
First off I finished the "story" to Borderlands and absolutely love the way that the game allows you to play through a second time from the beginning but with everything leveled up to give you a new challenge. I have to admit that I feel a bit silly for not realizing how to kill the final boss on my first attempt on the first night I encountered him, but I'll chalk that up to being tired. Borderlands is such a fun game that has such Civilization mind-set of "just one more turn" with the notion that it only would take a few more kills to fill that last bubble to level up or one more kill to finish a quest. Since I've played the game through to the final boss with the Hunter Mordecia and still haven't tried the other 3 classes there is plenty to try in this game.
Unfortunately I've become distracted for the moment and can't seem to get into Borderlands to try the game as a second play through though because due to a little negotiation I now have Uncharted 2. Thanks Andy!
What can I say about Uncharted 2 that hasn't already been said? I'm not sure that I can say anything new, but I'll give it a go. The game is so freaking amazing. The characters are phenomenal, the story (so far--I haven't finished the game yet) is griping, and the actual game play is a perfect blend of puzzles, climbing, jumping and shooting enemies. Visually the game just can't be compared to anything (except for the first Uncharted perhaps). Rich lush jungles meld with highly detailed city play. Lighting is amazing as well. Exploring caves you see sunlight pouring through cracks, illuminating details missed by many other games. Jumping from boulders or buildings is exhilarating and challenging. Many moments look like they are impossible but the animations used with Nathan Drake are done with such a level of detail that you expect Drake to miss a jump but he scrambles at the last second to pull off a true cliff hanger style escape from death.
Humor also plays a huge role in how good Uncharted 2 is. The subtle humor between Drake and Cloe as well as Elena and Drake are on par with great romantic comedies. Situational comedy also plays a huge role in the game. Whether Drake is getting the tar beat out of him from falling or the overwhelming odds against Drake, you can't help but laugh by how the game manages to put you into a situation and make it fun to survive. One of the early moments that I still get a good laugh from is when Drake is climbing around the outside of a museum and his temporary partner in crime is helping by talking through headsets to give Drake directions and alert when any enemies are near. Hanging from the edge of the roof, Drake is told to watch out, "Enemy above" and you pull the enemy down over the edge of the roof to watch him plummet to the ground four or five stories below. Your partner in the same urgent voice then says, "Enemy below". While it is dark, it is that same tongue in cheek humor that fills the cracks of the game to make every moment enjoyable.
Even though I have enjoyed playing Uncharted 2 for all of the humor, action and story, I also just received the Netflix PS3 streaming disc so I have spent a pretty fair amount of time using that feature now too. Having not used Netflix for any streaming before I have to say that this new addition to watching movies and TV shows on the PS3 is such a good thing. Navigation within each category is smooth and after selecting a movie or show the time to wait for the show to start is minimal. Some complaints have been made that the selection of streaming isn't that great, but for my money there is enough that I haven't watched to make Netflix worth the monthly fee. Another complaint that has been made is the fact that you have to put the disc in the PS3 to get the actual service to work. As a short term solution I can't complain. Granted "short-term" is still a year away before the service would be available as an installed app on the XMB, but the way I see it, if you want to watch a Blu-ray, you gotta put the disc in to watch that, so why not put a disc in to be able to access hundreds of movies to watch?
More later folks.
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