Sunday, June 9, 2013

Review: Borderlands 2 (Xbox 360)

On a bus in the middle of nowhere? Let's do a review! Today I'm taking a look at Borderlands 2 for the Xbox 360.


Gameplay: 9/10
Fundamentally, this game is a first person shooter. Normally, I would shy away from another Call of Duty clone, but Borderlands isn't just a first person shooter. The game is classified by developer Gearbox as an "FPSRPG," or a first person shooter role-playing game. Sure, you run around shooting people up or beating them to death with melee attacks, but there are so many other options to choose. The game has a level system. If you get levels, you get skill points to spend on upgrading your action skill. There are 4 characters, not including 2 DLC characters, and they all have a different skill. For example, the Gunzerker class can dual wield, so you can enjoy running around killing people with twice the amount of guns. (That'd be two, for those of you who aren't math inclined.) The Commando drops a turret that can do a bunch of things with skill points, from sticking to walls and ceilings to exploding like a nuke when deployed. The amount of ways each character can be customized is huge. The one problem I had with the game was the difficulty. This is probably because I'm bad at shooters, but there are two more playthrough yet to go through, each harder than the last. I don't think I'll last very long. The game has nice checkpoints that you respawn at when you die, and the transition is seamless, which helps for people that happen to have a knack for dying.

Story: 10/10
This is what sets the Borderlands series apart from other generic shooters. There is actually a very good story behind the series. Borderlands 2 takes place on the fictitious planet of Pandora, a hellhole of bandits, psychos, and murderers. You play the role of a Vault Hunter, a special kind of bandit that seeks treasure and is generally more badass than the normal rank and file of Pandora. After the discovery of the Vault at the end of the original Borderlands, a priceless element called Eridium started growing at a ridiculous rate. Unfortunately, now that these Vault Hunters (that are not you) have found this Vault, you're out of a job. But fear not! The growth of Eridium has sparked the interest of the Hyperion Corporation. While they get busy mining the shiny purple rock, they discover evidence of yet another Vault. Yay! The company then begins to hire Vault Hunters to help them find the new Vault and uncover its secrets. Come to find out, the owner, Handsome Jack, wants your kind dead. He blows up the train you're on and leaves you for dead in the middle of the frozen tundra. That's how the adventure begins. The story is very well written and the cast is hilarious.

Controls: 8/10
The controls lay out just like your typical shooter. You can adjust anything on the controller to your liking. Wanna shoot with the B button and crouch with the right trigger? Sure, why not?

Graphics: 8/10
This franchise is known for the controversy surrounding its graphics. The original Borderlands was shown with realistic graphics when it was first introduced, but the developers decided to scrap that and go with cel shading. The game looks beautiful. Enemies are diverse and you can see all the blood and dirt caked on their skin. The only thing I don't like is the blur that occurs when levels are first loading. Occasionally, this blur stays in place for minutes at a time, which is rather distracting when playing a game where sight is everything.

Music: 4/10*
This series is not known for its music. The only songs people remember are the ones that play during the opening cutscenes, which aren't even original. If there was any good music, I didn't hear it over the sounds of enemies screaming and things exploding. 

*I'm not including this in the final score, since it really brings the average down.

Replay Value: 10/10
This game has a ton of replay ability. If you finish the main story, you can go on to the True Vault Hunter mode, which is the same story, just a higher difficulty. After completing that, there is the Ultimate Vault Hunter mode, which is harder still. Alternatively, Borderlands 2 has a ploethera of side missions to occupy your time. If you like DLC, there are also downloadable campaigns to enjoy as well. As far as multiplayer goes, there isn't much on the competitive side of things, but up to 4 players can join together in a game and do missions or just screw around together.

OVERALL: 9/10
Borderlands 2 is a game that redefines the first person shooter genre. From an amazingly well written story to intuitive gameplay, the series should enjoy a good future. Without trying to spoil anything, the ending seems to hint towards a Borderlands 3, which I am anxiously awaiting.



June 9, 2013: Sonic Heroes Beaten; PlayStation2 Finished!

Last night, I forgot about sleep and determined to finish Sonic Heroes and be done with the PS2. 
This was actually the first game I got with my PS2, so I actually find it a little ironic that it's also the last one I'd beat. This is probably one of my favorite Sonic games, which is a very difficult series to get into and enjoy. Of course, as with any 3D Sonic game, the camera was difficult and the voice acting was god awful, but I was usually able to see past those things while playing these games.

So now we've got another console finished off. I think when I get back from Boys State this weekend, I will work on my Nintendo DS...

As of 6/9/2013 at 8:44 AM:


Saturday, June 8, 2013

June 8, 2013: 2 iPhone games beaten; iPhone finished off!

I've been sitting in a car for quite a while today, so I took advantage of my time and finished off two games on my iPhone, Symphonica and Infinity Blade II.


I never thought I'd actually finish either of these games. I got an iTunes card yeaterday and used it to BUY the rest of Symphonica's chapters and an awesome sword for IB2. I wish that I didn't have to buy my way through a game, but that's just how the industry is starting to change, I guess.

No status update today, since I am posting from my iPhone and the pictures of my Backloggery won't look very clean. I am so glad to be finished with my iPhone games! Now which system to move onto next...

Friday, June 7, 2013

Review: Super Mario World

I decided since I seemed to have a bunch of free time today, and since I will be gone for the next week starting Sunday, I am going to write another review tonight. Tonight's super special review covers Super Mario World for the SNES.


The system that I used to review Professor Layton seemed to work very well, so I will leave that as the standard for all of my reviews.

Gameplay: 7/10
This game is basically just another tried and true Mario game. Run left. Jump. Stomp on an enemy. Repeat. However, what was new for this game was that it introduced Yoshi, Mario's new dinosaur...horse...pet...thing? Ah, whatever. All Yoshi really did was eat and serve as a jump pad in some sticky situations.

Story: 2/10
In Japan, this game was named Super Mario Bros. 4. That means that this princess has been kidnapped at least two other times. (She was actually a playable character in SMB2.) Anyway, Mario and Luigi go on vacation to Dinosaur Land with Princess Toadstool. The princess gets captured (surprise, surprise) and Mario has to go rescue her yet again. As fun as this game was back in the era of the SNES, it hasn't aged well; there are at least twenty other games that are just like it.  As much as I love stomping the crap out of Bowser until he has arthritis, it gets old after a while.

Controls: 9/10
Sometimes, tried and true is actually a good thing. With the new controller of the SNES came some new abilities for Mario, such as spin jumps and even flying. Most all of these abilities are in modern Mario games, and they have held up quite well.

Graphics: 8/10
Back when the SNES was just taking off, the graphics were considered some of the greatest things anyone had ever seen. Super Mario World had a lot of vibrant colors and quirky sprites which I personally love to this day.

Music: 9/10
Mario games have always had beautiful scores, and this game is certainly no exception. From the quirky Title Screen to the depressing Game Over jingle, every song and noise in this game just adds to the effect.

Replay Value: 7/10
As is the norm with many games, there is not much of a postgame in Super Mario World. However, the game has just the touch of magic and nostalgia that keeps gamers of all ages coming back for just one more playthrough.

OVERALL: 7/10
Super Mario World is a title that really changed the way Nintendo made Mario games. From new abilities to vibrant graphics, it really set the stage for later titles like Super Mario Galaxy. Even though the story is a bit dry and overdone, this game is definitely a must for gamers, young and old.


June 8, 2013: HOLY CRAP I COMPLETED THE IMPOSSIBLE GAME

WHAT?! It's supposed to be impossible! How did THIS happen?

This is just a random screenshot, mind. I did complete it.

Anyway, I thought this would be one of the most difficult games for me to beat or complete. It literally took me about ten minutes total to do all three levels. I'm shocked and very pleasantly surprised. 


This makes my total of unfinished games now only 13! Unfortunately, I discovered a bunch of GBA, SNES, and NES games that I probably haven't finished yet. I'll be logging those later. See you then!

As of 6/7/2013 at 10:00 PM:





June 7, 2013: Will's World Beaten!

Today I completed Will's World, one of the many pesky iPhone games on my list of games to complete. As it turns out, I knew a password that took me quite a ways down the game without even realizing it. Not complaining, since I still have 14 games to go. Trying to decide what I should tackle next...
Dear Will,
I hate you. I am deleting you after I finish this post.

We're getting closer! See you soon.

As of 6/7/2013 at 7:03 PM:

Review: Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Hello again, everyone. I would like to take this time to review a game I have recently completed, which is none other than Professor Layton and the Curious Village.

I will be giving this game a review based on a scale of ten. There are six different factors that will be averaged into the final score, some of which I have adopted from a fellow NSM member, blueflower999. (He does reviews as well. Check him out!) These factors are:

  1. Gameplay
  2. Story
  3. Controls
  4. Graphics
  5. Music
  6. Replay Value
So without further ado, let's get started!

Gameplay: 7/10
Okay. I am not a big brainteaser person. However, I will say that Professor Layton has quite the variety of puzzles. I got stuck many a time, but a saving grace for me was the hint coins, which help out quite a bit. Unfortunately, the biggest problem with this game is that if you miss the puzzle a bunch, but get it eventually, you can simply turn off the system and turn it back on. From there, you can solve the puzzle on the first try as if nothing had ever happened. It seems like a huge exploit, and I hope that it doesn't show up on later Professor Layton titles.

Story: 10/10
This whole game is all about the story. It's fantastic. The cutscenes are all fully animated, and even include voice acting. I found myself pleading with God to give me answers to some of the puzzles so I could see what happened next.

Controls: N/A
If this was a game where controls REALLY mattered, I would probably give a score. All you do is use the touch screen to select your answers, basically.

Graphics: 9/10
As I said previously, the cutscenes in this game are fully animated, and they look great. Pretty much all of the game follows this nice, cartoon-ish style. This game also probably has the funniest looking NPC's I've ever seen in a game.

Music: 6/10
I find a lot of the music in this game to be repetitive. It might be just me, but a lot of it sounds the same. Also, there is such a thing as too much accordion.

Replay Value: 4/10
Once you finish the main game, there's really no reason to keep playing. Sure, there are post-game puzzles, but most of them copy the puzzles in the game anyway. There are also some Nintendo WiFi Connection puzzles that you can download, if you can manage to get on to Nintendo WiFi Connection.

OVERALL: 7.2/10
Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a great game for those who enjoy puzzle games. A brilliant story, beautiful graphics, and challenging puzzles really push a player forward if they are willing. However, if you play this game, be prepared for an abrupt end to your enjoyment after the main story. You also need to be prepared for lots of accordion.

June 7, 2013: I-Ninja beaten!

Hello again, readers. If you're reading this, thank you for viewing my blog. I hope you'll stay a while and read about my gaming escapades.

Anyway, this is my first post announcing that I have beaten a game on my Backloggery! (If you don't know what that is, there's a link in the sidebar.) Today, about an hour ago, I beat I-Ninja for the PlayStation 2. This game was a lot of fun back when I played it, but I had gotten stuck one mission before the final boss and put it away for a while. As soon as I went into the last mission, I knew it would be a breeze. My number of unfinished games is now down to 15!

Now, I'm looking for another game to start. I'm thinking I may just finish out my PS2 games and move to Sonic Heroes. I don't think I had too much left on that one.

As of 6/7/2013 at 10:49 AM:

An introduction...

Hello, world!

My name is Marty Balmer. I'm a soon-to-be senior in high school in small-town Iowa. I've recently discovered this website called Backloggery (here's a link) where you log all the games you've played. I signed up just so I could get a cool looking forum signature at this forum (check it out!) Eventually, though, I ended up getting obsessed with logging all the games I had played, beaten or otherwise. I'm nowhere close to finishing, and I am already at 166 games. That's a lot of games, more than I thought I had. But in truth, the main purpose of Backloggery is to find games that you haven't finished and complete them. That way no game goes unfinished. (Also, you stop a demon or something.) Once I finished logging all the games I could find here in my house, I discovered 18 games that I had not finished. As of last night, that number has gone down to 16. As I finished my most recent game, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, I thought to myself, "What if I made a journal of all of these games that I have left to finish?" Thus, this blog was born at about midnight last night.

So, what do I intend to do with said blog? Well, for starters, I'm going to document the completion of my Backloggery. Once that's finished, I'll move on to other projects, such as reviewing games, consoles, and other types of video gaming equipment. I may even find the time to do a Let's Play or two in there somewhere. Hey, it's summer, so anything is possible.

Anyway, I'd like to share just a little bit about myself before I start anything. As I said before, I will be a senior in high school starting next school year. I live in Northwest Iowa. My interests include gaming, music, soccer (football for any of you UK types), and sleeping. I keep very busy during the school year with my music, so I'll probably be making a second blog about all of my musical escapades. That's probably about all you need to know at this point. I'm just a kid that loves music and video games.

I'm excited to start this project, and I hope you all will follow me on my journey to beat my Backloggery!

As of 6/7/2013: