Caffeinated Dreams

Finally getting to play Shadow of the Colossus! I was drooling over it when only previews were out. Having a US Playstation 2 and living in Europe means I can’t get new games… but we have a Test PS2 from IOI right now (to play Hitman: Blood Money actually… which was pretty cool!) so regions don’t matter. :) Last night I was exploring the area around our new apartment and found a Game shop… Lance saw an arcade cab he was interested in buying so we went in. Saw SotC on the shelve and bought it.

Shadow of the Colossus… is epic. Not much of an obvious plot, you’re thrown into the middle of one and there is very little dialogue (it’s in the games own unique language with english subtitles), but you slowly get the feel of what’s going on. It’s very non-traditional, and those who like a straight defined storyline would probably get bored. This is more of a work of art, in that it tells the story with your actions… even the music. I’ve only beaten 4 Colossi since last night (got home around midnight and went to bed after beating 2 of them) and just got to the fifth, but you can’t help and almost feel something for the beasts you’re killing. Am I playing a good guy, or a bad guy?

I can’t easily fit it into any genre. While it’s obviously a fantasy, it is also a puzzle and adventure, with tons of action while fighting the Colossi. I can’t help but feel like motha-fuckin’ Gandalf when I raise my sword high up to help lead me to the next Colossi.

The controls bugged the hell out of me for a long time, but I’m now getting the hang of it. Controlling my horse is a different matter though… not difficult, but can be troublesome. The camera is lazy and bothersome too often, except when fighting a Colossi. There the controls shine, so I can’t really nitpick about it outside of that since… well… those ARE the game.

It’s a beautiful game, full of stuff that serves no purpose other than to look pretty. I explored for a good hour (while learning the controls) before going after the first Colossi, and found some heavenly looking places. Massive waterfalls, serene forests with streams and leaves falling around me with bits of light shining through the canapy… I love the environment. The games world is huge, I’ve covered only a 1/4 of the map… and probably half of that 1/4 in detail looking for suprises.

There are no enemies besides the Colossi, which makes it a peaceful place (except when fighting one, all hell breaks loose!). You can kill lizards for stamina and shoot down fruits from trees with your bow to make your life bar larger. Or play (or kill, if I feel like it) with the wildlife. What makes it better… it’s all streamed right from the disk. No loading times at all.

Framerates can slow down to utter crap, but the gameplay makes me completely ignore it, so that no longer matters to me.

Man, I love this game and not even half way through.

Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. A huge group of my friends back in Phoenix played this all the time. It was hard NOT finding someone willing to play.

I stopped playing for awhile because my video card didn’t support 3d graphics (rocked at everything else, was great for photoshop/gimp) but last month I got a card that does play games. So I’ve been playing it. Only now it seems most people forgot about the game, or the time and location difference makes it difficult. It would be nice to have a personal server again so everyone can play once more.

Quake Wars is looking really nice though…

Better living through video games?

… Before you assume gadgets and video games fry the minds of the future, consider this: Canadian researchers are finding evidence that the high-speed, multitasking of the young and wireless can help protect their brains from aging.

Full story here. Us gamer-types will keep a young mind longer.

Because I’m learning a 3rd language now, and I play games everyday, does this make me superhuman? >:)

I played and beat Star Ocean: Till the End of Time when it was released back in August 2004 (I had it on reserve :D). It quickly rised up to being possibly my favorite game and RPG ever.

I am now replaying it for Battle Trophies, Universe difficulty, and the 4D difficulty. When I first played I forgot to create an extra save slot for them, I pressed cancel at the time thinking “whatever I want to play the damn game!” Bah, shouldn’t have been in a hurry. No matter, now I can enjoy it all over again. I just got on the second disc and holyshitdamn, I almost forgot how great the story is.

Star Ocean 3 never left my top RPG spot, but after not playing it for a year I lost the initial impact from the game, and now it’s all coming back. I miss my beautiful shiny poster that Babbages gave me when I reserved the game. It’s the same image used for the box. It’s still hanging on my wall back in Phoenix.

God I love this game. Must get to the 4D difficulty!