Anjin Unleashed: grand theft auto

Showing posts with label grand theft auto. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

News Filter: Grand Theft Auto V Third Trailer

Honestly, as long as Rockstar wants to keep making these trailers, I'll keep posting then. Damn, I'm looking forward to this game.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Random Shots: Things To Look Forward To In 2013

Kotaku and PC Gamer have released lists of all of the games we are expecting in 2013. Let's look at a few that I'm curious about and predict how I'll react to them. (I'm saving MMOs for a separate post since this is ostensibly an MMO blog.)

South Park: The Stick of Truth - I really don't know what to expect from this game. I know that I like South Park. I like RPGs. And I like Obsidian from an intellectual point of view. The problem is that this will probably be a huge failure and I will be super sad about the whole thing. But maybe it will be good.

Prediction: I will forget to buy this until it's been out a week, but I'll finish it (because it's short) and like the story and humor quite a bit. Also, I'll play a female character just because I can. If I can.

Grand Theft Auto V - I have a weird relationship with the GTA games. I like them up to a point, then I run aground on some terrible mission and can finish. I'm hoping someone at Rockstar saw what Volition did with Saints Row The Third because that game was amazing.

Prediction: GTA V will be a week one purchase, though I'll look long and hard at the special edition before passing on it. I will play it a lot, but I fear I'll hang it up before finishing. Again.

Tomb Raider - I don't even know what to think about this! I like Tomb Raider. At least, I've liked a couple of Tomb Raiders. This looks like it could be really good. And it looks like it could be completely gross. How am I supposed to know? Oh right, this is the Internet. Nevermind.

Prediction: After reading reviews and hearing about it on the Bombcast, I won't even pick it up.

BioShock Infinite - I've started to come around on this game for one reason only: Elizabeth. I actually interested to see whether this AI character is as impressive as they want us to believe. If she is, I think I could be hooked.

Prediction: I won't pick up Infinite until there is a price drop. I'll play it for a little while before getting bored and moving on to the next shiny thing.

Gone Home - Not sure what Gone Home is? Look. LOOK! I'm super excited to see how this game ends up. An indie suburban exploration game? Sign me up.

Prediction: Will preorder and play for a few nights before beating it. Expect one blog post and a place in my Top Five this year.

Next Xbox - This is the big one. And a bit of a cheat since it's not really a game. But if I want to make a prediction, this is the place. There is no way that Microsoft holds off for another year before releasing their next console. The signs and portents are there. The stars are aligned. It has been several years since the last generation kicked off and I'm excited that there will be something to be excited about again. One way or the other, it will be fun to talk about.

Prediction: I'm currently planning to preorder and pick it up at launch. I'll probably only get a single game at first, but then own three or four by the end of the first month. My launch date predication: November 14, 2013!

What games are you looking forward to in the new year?

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Random Shots: The Year That Was 2012

Looking back at 2012, I find that gaming has not been a priority. I've spent more time reading, listening, or watching games than I have played. Between work and parenthood, finding the time and will to start a game has been difficult. But those games that have essentially forced me to play have be extra satisfying. It's time to look back at my prediction from the beginning of the year and see which came true.
SSX - Prediction: SSX will announce another delay, but it will be a day one purchase no matter when it is released. I will enjoy the game quite a bit and make one trip through the campaign until I reach some event that my aging hands just can't get me past. It will a serious contender for my Top Five list anyway.

Result: There were no additional delays announced, but I did purchase it on day one. Unfortunately, SSX didn't click with me. The tracks were unforgiving and not a lot of fun. The campaign was annoying and the customization was a laugh. I probably could have spent more time learning the game, but life it too short.
Diablo III & Torchlight II - Prediction: Ready for the crazy? D3 will be released before TL2! Even so, I will finish Torchlight 2 first and it will end up on my Top Five next year.

Result: Even crazier, I was right! D3 did launch before TL2. But I have never finished either game. And, spoilers, neither made the Top Five.
Mass Effect 3 - Prediction: First day purchase of the standard edition. I will play and enjoy ME3 but I won't play any of the side games, like the multiplayer, even if some one were to ask me to. And at the back of my mind, I'll wonder if I got screwed out of enjoying the end of the trilogy because I didn't buy into their expanded vision of the game.

Result: I wasn't going to, but the pull was too strong. Day one purchase, standard edition. I did play and enjoy the single player game without partaking of the multiplayer or the apps. And it turns out that my enjoyment of the ending was not effected by the expanded gaming options at all. Amazing that.
Guild Wars 2 - Prediction: GW2 will be a special edition preorder and first day purchase for me. I will play as much as I can, but will have difficulty finding the time to do so, straight through the end of the year. But even then, it will be a Top Five game for me.

Result: After facing a mountain of hype, I almost didn't even buy the game. I did end up with the digital deluxe edition on day one, played for a couple weeks, and then slacked off. Tune in tomorrow for the Top Five.
Bioshock Infinite - Prediction: Bioshock Infinite will be a later purchase, either on sale or used. I will play for a few levels, but eventually get frustrated with some bit of shooting that I can't get past.

Result: Um, failure to launch this year. Will return for 2013 predictions.
Grand Theft Auto V - Prediction: I'll end up buying GTA V at a discount due to a gift card or rewards certificate. And I will play as far as the main campaign will let me, so long as I don't run into that one mission that I can't beat. But I won't play nearly as much of the side content as I did in SR3.

Result: Again, failed to launch this year. I'm a lot more interested in this game than I was twelve months ago.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - Prediction: When Reckoning comes out, I suspect that I'll have other games on my mind. But I will eventually pick it up once word of mouth spreads about how good the game is, despite its poor sales. And I will enjoy the parts of it I play before moving on to the next big thing.

Result: Well, I did wait before buying it. But since it was so recent, I can't tell if I'm already done with it or not.
XCOM - Prediction: I won't buy this game, and it will be a poor performer, sales wise. Expect to read a lot of "I told you so" posts this year.

Result: This one is amusing. The prediction was about the FPS version which failed to come out and may no longer exist. But then there was the new turn-based strategy game and it seems amazing. I just got it for Christmas and I'm looking forward to playing it as soon as I get near an Xbox.
Of my predictions, the ones about my purchasing decisions were most likely to be right. At least for games that actually released. How was your 2012?

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

News Filter: Grand Theft Auto V Trailer II

A little late, but here is the second trailer for Grand Theft Auto V.

Like the first trailer, watching this has me crazy excited. I suspect that GTAV will be the big game I'm looking forward to this coming year. Sure, Rockstar didn't take a chance by including a female protagonist (actually, now I want them to do that in a new Bully game), but that won't stop me from picking this up day one.

As a side note, I'm glad that Rockstar is moving back to Los Santos. Since they want to use the current economic problems as a backdrop, there is no better way to show that than in their Los Angeles analogue. There is few other places in the world where glamour and desperation stand alongside one another so starkly. There is a reason Raymond Chandler wrote about the place. And I can't wait to get in their and play.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

News Filter: Grand Theft Auto V: Oops, all dudes!

Game Informer revealed their December cover today featuring the lead story on Grand Theft Auto V. As part of the reveal, Rockstar announced that there will be three protagonists in this edition, all of them dudes. That means there is a tiny uproar on the internet about the lack of a female protagonist.

While I'm not going to yell or cry over their decision, I do think that this is a missed opportunity. Looking at their website, their only game that has a female protagonist is Oni, and it was originally developed by Bungie. I would love to see Rockstar stretch their boundaries a little. For as much as people complain about the ludonarrative dissonance of their games, I think they can be very effective storytellers. This is something I know they can do.

How about it, Rockstar? Are you up to the challenge?

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

News Filter: Grand Theft Auto V Trailer

It has been three years since Rockstar Games released GTA IV. So when they announced Grand Theft Auto V a couple of days ago, I was curious where they would take the new game.

I actually got chills watching that trailer.

My history with Rockstar games is not the best. I tried out all of the GTA III games, as well as GTA IV. I got the farthest in GTA IV, but never was able to get to the end. It was their other games, Bully and Red Dead Redemption, that I thought were their best. And I was able to complete each of them. I can only hope that they learn something from those games and apply those lessons to GTA V

After the drought that this year has been, I'm glad to have something to look forward to in 2012.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Listened Lately: The Idle Thumbs Podcast #4

Immersion has been a hot topic in the game blogging community of late, especially since Wolfshead's post about his lack of immersion in World of Warcraft. Tipa from West Karana made an excellent point that echoes my feelings as well. It has all been talked to death. However the topic rose from the grave again in an interesting way recently on The Idle Thumbs Podcast.

In episode four, they was a long discussion about sandbox games inspired by the recently released Just Cause 2. Chris Remo said that he liked sandboxes more when the game narrative supports all of the chaos they all players to make. Since the story of Just Cause 2 revolves around destabilizing a government, you can go completely nuts and the story doesn't dissolve.

On the other side, Steve Gaynor brought up Grand Theft Auto IV (which is why I'm talking about this at all). He said that he prefers actively avoided gratuitous random violence specifically because he did not want to break the narrative arc of the game. He knew that, so long as he played the game within those constraints that he would have a better overall experience. That summed up my experience with the game in a nutshell.

For people like Chris, GTA IV failed as a sandbox because the narrative didn't support what they specifically wanted to do in the game. But for Steve and myself, our willingness to play within the guidelines set my the story allowed us to avoid such dissonance with the narrative. We were immersed in the game because we were playing along with the designers' intentions, not subverting them.

Immersion is contingent on a willing suspension of disbelief. The game can only do so much of the job for you. It's perfectly valid if you decide not to participate. But you should not blame the game because you are not willing or no longer able to meet the game halfway.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Played Lately: Grand Theft Auto IV

A few days ago, I mentioned that I wanted to play Grand Theft Auto IV again. When it went on sale on Steam recently, I decided this was the perfect time to get back to a game that I enjoyed so much before, but never found my way back to. Having it on my current favorite gaming platform doesn't hurt at all. And I'm hooked.

The story of Niko Bellic's crime-ridden journey through Liberty City is enthralling. He starts off grundgingly doing favors to help out his cousin. Then before you know it, Niko has returned to his old ways. Some people have complained that this all seems incongruous with his professed soul-searching, I feel like the transition is gradual enough that it feels natural for him.

Some of the missions are as hard as heck, but I keep going back until I beat them. I haven't run into one that made me want to give up entirely. Some, like "Three Leaf Clover," I had to attempt several times. But I kept at it because I wanted to see where the story went.

I don't have a lot to say that is new to anyone. GTA IV is a really good game and I'm enjoying it. I can't wait to see how it ends.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Random Shots: What I Should Be Playing

I am a creature of habit. I tend to go with what is comfortable instead of trying something new. This is not because I'm worried I won't like something, but that I know I'll like what I already like. That's why I keep going back to World of Warcraft. That said, I can't help but think about everything else I'm missing out on. In this case, that's the games I'm not playing. Alphabetically, those are:

Champions Online - For a game that I have a lifetime subscription for, I don't play it often lately. Since the pressure of the monthly fee is gone, I don't feel the need to get the most out of my time. Of course, I'm not getting anything done at the moment and I have yet to reach level 40.

Everquest 2 - I've been reading about EQ2 a lot lately. People are excited about the new expansion and it's hard not to get excited with them. I've always meant to get back to the game. The bug hasn't bit yet, but I suspect I'll be back in Norrath within a few months.

Grand Theft Auto IV - One non-MMO that I've been thinking about lately is GTA IV. I really enjoyed the game and the story, though the two didn't always mesh perfectly. But I regret never finishing it. So someday I'd like to try again. Hopefully before GTA V comes out.

Lord of the Rings Online - Speaking of exciting expansions, LotRO has every hobbit on the block talking again. I really wish I could figure out what's wrong with my computer because I'd really like to try out those skirmishes.

Phantasy Star Portable - What with Phantasy Star Portable 2 already out in Japan, I can't help but think about the first game left unfinished on my PSP. I've tried out the new demo and like how it's been updated (even if it's in Japanese) so I'm really looking forward to that. But I really need do complete this one. Oh, such troubles I have, right?

Wizard 101 - Finally, I never game a fair shake to W101. I mentioned in a comment somewhere (if it was your blog, sorry) that the different pay schemes left me paralyzed. I need to get over myself and just play. No one has asked me for money yet, so why worry, right? Someday I would like see a land that's not Wizard City. Someday.