Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

There are hardly words to describe it. Call of Duty gets a bad rep, but it doesn't really deserve it. As with Modern Warfare 2, I couldn't help but enjoy myself whilst playing this game. Although I finished the campaign in just under eight hours, I really enjoyed it. Nothing was wasted, although I did get a tad bit tired of replaying certain stages of the campaign over and over. You play as Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish of the SAS throughout most of the game, although in some areas you play as Sergeant Paul Jackson of the US Marines. As with MW2, I preferred playing as the SAS, because of the same inexplicable reasons. The first mission is starkly reminiscent of the Tanker stage of Metal Gear Solid 2, right down to the ship. I think this is going to be a fairly short review, but I said most of what needs to be said in my MW2 review. The stealth is tense, the action is intense, and there are even a few parts where you play as characters who serve no real purpose, but it's perfect. The damage effects on the GUI are more primitive than the ones in MW2, but I like them all the same, if not more. I pretty much like every bit of the game, because even if I tried out a tactic that didn't really work I didn't have very far to go back to respawn at. Some might say that's a bad thing, but it's not always. Not if it's used right, and this used it right. Despite the regenerating health, non-reflective mirrors/metal/water, and occasional thing that was out of place (Such as if you look down you don't see legs, you just see ground), it really does seem realistic, in more ways that just graphics. The main antagonist sounds like he'd be the leader of an extremist group. The way stuff happens in the game, it just sits well with me. I like the game, I like how it gives you stuff to do and ways to do it, I like how it ends solidly, but leaves you open for more if you want it. I like most stuff about this game. I would heartily recommend playing this BEFORE MW2, unlike what I did. I figure I can give this game a 9.9* rating, it's great, and no matter what system you get it for I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I personally played it on the Xbox 360 and I have to say that everything from the control-scheme to the GUI is great. Nowadays I find myself having to configure the controls to be as similar to this game as they can be in order to be comfortable with them. Despite its bad rep and DLC practices, Activision did a good job on this game, and it's a good enough job to earn my praise. I was thinking of something else to say, what was it...... I can't bring it to memory.... OH! There it is! I used to not like the control-scheme used in the CoD series. First game I played on the Xbox 360 was Black Ops II Zombies, and I couldn't break muscle-memory from other FPS's, but I eventually got around to liking it. The thing is, even though I don't approve of their corporate practices, the fact still remains that Call of Duty 4 is a good game, and no amount of personal bias can subvert me liking a game. I'll see you guys next week, for  now here's my CoD4 playthrough: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdzKOkebb3RAfW1GiiVgYlzbzQRdBBwY

Dillon's Rolling Western: First impressions

Well, back to a regular schedule.
Dillon's Rolling Western is a 3DS eShop game that combines elements of action/adventure with real-time tower defense. As the armadillo ranger Dillon, your job is to roll around smashing into rock monsters. Also, what happens in the artwork to the left never happens in the actual game. Now, any and all A/A games require a comparison to the series that defines that genre, The Legend of Zelda. It definitely reminds me of Zelda in the world mode in more ways that one. Considering how much I liked Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone on the PS2, that's a pretty good sign thus far. I've only played the first town right now, so I'm not sure if it does more stuff than just fight rock monsters, called Grocks. Anyways, back to comparing it to Zelda. The one I'm most reminded of is Majora's Mask, partially because of the level design, and partially because Dillon curls up in a ball and rolls around the town. Yeah, the very same mechanic that Goron Link uses to move around faster and take down enemies. You even use it to kill Grocks. It's pretty good. The game gives you time to run around collecting minerals and fruit. Then you can cash in those minerals to get money to build up the towers for tower-defense. It's minorly repetitive, in a very Majora's Mask-y kind of way. You see, even if you beat one of the towns, you still need to go back and get more stars so you can move on. I have a feeling this will become problematic in the future.
Anyways, so far I like this game. It's certainly a decent game, but I haven't even gotten into the controls yet. You use the joystick to aim in the overworld, and pull down on the touchscreen to roll. That's fine in theory, but since that mechanic was copied from Majora's Mask, which was on the N64, they could have easily use button presses for it. Now, remember how I said "In the overworld you use the joystick to aim?" Well when you go into a mine or a battle encounter you use the touchscreen to aim. This is a completely pointless control change which serves absolutely no purpose, especially when the overworld control-scheme is what the player gets used to at first. It doesn't stop there, the touchscreen is used to select dialogue choices as well. That's just fine, but they did it so strangely. You touch the screen to activate a selection, and the joystick to actually select them. You read that right, instead of putting the choices on the touchscreen, they're on the top screen and you use the touchscreen like a button...... That just makes the touchscreen control ever more pointless! I like the touchscreen as a concept, but if it functions as little more than an awkwardly placed button, just map its functions to the buttons, okay? There ARE six of them, eight if you use the circle-pad pro. I'd say I like this game, but not enough to recommend it at a price of more than, say, a dollar. Apparently a sequel is scheduled for April of next year. Cool, let's hope they've fixed the problems with this one by then.

Wii Fit U is free on Nov. 1

 Nintendo is offering Wii U owners a chance to download a full version of Wii Fit U for free. Starting Nov. 1, Wii U owners can download a complete version of the game and get a head start on their New Year’s fitness goals by trying out all the activities found in the game for a full month – at no cost. All users need is a Wii Balance Board and a Wii U system with a broadband Internet connection. Consumers can keep their trial copies of Wii Fit U at no additional cost by simply purchasing and syncing a Fit Meter to the game. Nintendo announced the special offer along with a number of items related to active gaming during aNintendo Direct video. To view the Nintendo Direct in its entirety, visit http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct.
“Wii Fit U is all about ‘fun fitness’ for everyone in the family,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s president and COO. “With this special offer, Nintendo is making it easier than ever for families to get active and stay active, making now the perfect time to upgrade to Wii U. This is another example of the kind of value and variety that only Nintendo can offer.”
The full Wii Fit U software will be downloadable from the Nintendo eShop between Nov. 1, 2013, and Jan. 31, 2014, and will work for a month from the day it is first played. During the trial period, users can stay active with 77 different activities, including 19 new training activities, many of which take advantage of the Wii U GamePad controller. Users who want to continue using Wii Fit U beyond the trial period can purchase a Fit Meter accessory and sync it to their Wii Fit U software at any time. This will allow them to continue playingWii Fit U forever. The Fit Meter will be available Nov. 1 in black/silver at a suggested retail price of $19.99.
The Fit Meter accessory is much more than a pedometer – it’s an activity meter that tracks a wide range of everyday activity. It records not only the number of steps a user has taken, but it also takes into account the intensity of those steps – for example, was the user running or walking? The Fit Meter also measures altitude, so wearers get credit for climbing stairs or walking uphill. All of these data points combined provide users with an accurate overview of their day’s activity, including a detailed calculation of the number of calories they burned. This data can then be transferred wirelessly to Wii Fit U via the Wii U GamePad with just a touch of a button. The Fit Meter transforms users’ everyday lives into workouts, encouraging them to get active and stay active.
Wii Fit U features all of the strength training, yoga and fun fitness games that have made the Wii Fit series so popular. Plus, there are new games that combine the Wii Balance Board and Wii U GamePad, including new dance routines such as hip-hop and salsa that work out various parts of the body through simple dance moves. The game also gives players more ways to create their own custom workout routines. Users can also create or join a Miiverse Gym Community to share tips and support with other Wii Fit U users who have similar goals. Or people can create closed communities made up exclusively of their friends. The communities will help people stay motivated by giving them a venue to discuss their fitness progress with others.
For those who choose not to participate in this special offer, Wii Fit U launches both as a packaged game on Dec. 13, 2013, and as a full game download in the Nintendo eShop on Feb. 1, 2014.

 Why anyone would NOT want to participate in this offer if they have a Wii U is beyond me. Besides, they could just leave it as a free download if they wanted to.

Update

I've not been updating recently, that's because I've been doing a web series with a friend of mine, called Generations Gaming, and I've been LPing lots of games recently, so my time's been eaten up by that and the hour or so webshow. I hope you understand, I'll have some reviews out eventually.

OOPS. I forgot to link you to the series playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdzKOkebb3TkEHeeKaEcOjK3l_yB3VVC