So yeah, two PS3 games I've dug into over spring break.
First is MGS: Ground Zeroes. First, I essentially got it for free since my dad gave me a PSN card for my birthday (which was Wednesday by the way, I turned 21) and the game is only $20 digitally so it all fit. Normally I wouldn't buy the game just because of how fucking short it is but for free I figured why not.
Well it's definitely really goddamn short, it's basically two small missions. There's a bunch of Side Ops stuff (think like the side missions in Peace Walker) but still it's short. Anyway, I'm kinda torn on the game.
It's a really huge difference from the typical MGS affair. Almost everything is completely different. In fact the game feels a bit more like Far Cry 3. The game starts with you outside a camp. First thing that bugs me is that there's no radar. Not even a rough radar like MGS3, just none at all. So instead you use binoculars to put markers on enemies and key targets so you can track them. The closer an enemy gets, it'll show up around a little circle, just like MGS4. Other big changes include a sprint option, more mobility (like a lot of objects can be climbed up or over), no more rations (in place of that is regenerating health which people may bitch about), and of course it's "open world". Admittedly Ground Zeroes feels like a proof-of-concept demo of "open world stealth", having a pretty small area open to you but it's still open.
I think the main issue with the gameplay of Ground Zeroes is that the whole area is too fucking dark. The game serves as a proof-of-concept for the Fox Engine as much as it does the gameplay. The Fox Engine looks nice, has lots of neat features, but the game spends so much time blaring lens flares in your face like Star Trek. It's constantly dark and raining, all the enemies where dark cloaks, so seeing anything is a pain. You have night vision goggles but seeing everything in a bright orange-yellow isn't massively helpful either, especially when the lighting varies so much.
The mission itself is basically the equivalent of two awful escort missions, since it's not even like the target fucking walks, you carry two targets to an evac zone. The only pistol you get is a tranquilizer one which takes forever to put someone to sleep unless you get a headshot so good look going combat if you wanted to.
Story wise it sets up a pretty nice backdrop for The Phantom Pain, it's pretty brutal and it really doesn't hold anything back. However you'd get the same basic effect from the game as watching a Youtube playthrough and save yourself the money because it is a real rip off. I got the game on PSN after work, downloaded it, installed it, and beat it all in the same night. I wasn't even up that late. So save your money, watch it on Youtube or read a summary. It's an interesting demo, both for the Fox Engine and the gameplay, but it's exactly that: a demo. That you pay money for.
But on a brighter note, Dark Souls. Funny story, I went to do errands the day before my birthday, which included getting a haircut and going to the mall where I got new shoes and this game. Apparently my mom went to the same store in the same mall and bought me nearly identical shoes for my birthday without knowing I would go and my best friend was just about to buy me Dark Souls before I told him I got it. So I'm slowly turning into my brother. Anyway, I'm really starting to "enjoy" Dark Souls.
It's difficult, that's for sure, but it's really just a game about patience. It takes the same idea of difficult fast paced action games but it makes it slow and calculating. It's about learning your enemy, learning their strengths and weaknesses, as well as learning your own. You can play a fast character but if you're hit, you're going to be hit hard. You can play slow but good luck dodging. There's just a ton of ways to play the game and none of them are wrong.
You'll die a lot in the game but it's more of a learning experience then a setback. Enemies will respawn, which may seem annoying but facing them again makes you learn more and more about them. Soon you'll cruise through the mobs and each death should result in more progress forward. There's also no map so the constant death and trekking will make you know the areas like the back of your hand.
It's a game that requires patience, one you have to enter knowing you'll suck at first, die a bunch, but eventually get better and better. It's frustrating at times, you'll blame the game but deep down inside you know it's just your fault. But it's fun, there's tons of content, tons of strategy, and it's a very fulfilling experience. If you haven't already played this game, it's only like $20 now so it's worth picking up before the second game. It's also, I'd say, much better than Demon's Souls, so if you enjoyed that (it was free on PS+ a couple months ago), you'll love this.
First is MGS: Ground Zeroes. First, I essentially got it for free since my dad gave me a PSN card for my birthday (which was Wednesday by the way, I turned 21) and the game is only $20 digitally so it all fit. Normally I wouldn't buy the game just because of how fucking short it is but for free I figured why not.
Well it's definitely really goddamn short, it's basically two small missions. There's a bunch of Side Ops stuff (think like the side missions in Peace Walker) but still it's short. Anyway, I'm kinda torn on the game.
It's a really huge difference from the typical MGS affair. Almost everything is completely different. In fact the game feels a bit more like Far Cry 3. The game starts with you outside a camp. First thing that bugs me is that there's no radar. Not even a rough radar like MGS3, just none at all. So instead you use binoculars to put markers on enemies and key targets so you can track them. The closer an enemy gets, it'll show up around a little circle, just like MGS4. Other big changes include a sprint option, more mobility (like a lot of objects can be climbed up or over), no more rations (in place of that is regenerating health which people may bitch about), and of course it's "open world". Admittedly Ground Zeroes feels like a proof-of-concept demo of "open world stealth", having a pretty small area open to you but it's still open.
I think the main issue with the gameplay of Ground Zeroes is that the whole area is too fucking dark. The game serves as a proof-of-concept for the Fox Engine as much as it does the gameplay. The Fox Engine looks nice, has lots of neat features, but the game spends so much time blaring lens flares in your face like Star Trek. It's constantly dark and raining, all the enemies where dark cloaks, so seeing anything is a pain. You have night vision goggles but seeing everything in a bright orange-yellow isn't massively helpful either, especially when the lighting varies so much.
The mission itself is basically the equivalent of two awful escort missions, since it's not even like the target fucking walks, you carry two targets to an evac zone. The only pistol you get is a tranquilizer one which takes forever to put someone to sleep unless you get a headshot so good look going combat if you wanted to.
Story wise it sets up a pretty nice backdrop for The Phantom Pain, it's pretty brutal and it really doesn't hold anything back. However you'd get the same basic effect from the game as watching a Youtube playthrough and save yourself the money because it is a real rip off. I got the game on PSN after work, downloaded it, installed it, and beat it all in the same night. I wasn't even up that late. So save your money, watch it on Youtube or read a summary. It's an interesting demo, both for the Fox Engine and the gameplay, but it's exactly that: a demo. That you pay money for.
But on a brighter note, Dark Souls. Funny story, I went to do errands the day before my birthday, which included getting a haircut and going to the mall where I got new shoes and this game. Apparently my mom went to the same store in the same mall and bought me nearly identical shoes for my birthday without knowing I would go and my best friend was just about to buy me Dark Souls before I told him I got it. So I'm slowly turning into my brother. Anyway, I'm really starting to "enjoy" Dark Souls.
It's difficult, that's for sure, but it's really just a game about patience. It takes the same idea of difficult fast paced action games but it makes it slow and calculating. It's about learning your enemy, learning their strengths and weaknesses, as well as learning your own. You can play a fast character but if you're hit, you're going to be hit hard. You can play slow but good luck dodging. There's just a ton of ways to play the game and none of them are wrong.
You'll die a lot in the game but it's more of a learning experience then a setback. Enemies will respawn, which may seem annoying but facing them again makes you learn more and more about them. Soon you'll cruise through the mobs and each death should result in more progress forward. There's also no map so the constant death and trekking will make you know the areas like the back of your hand.
It's a game that requires patience, one you have to enter knowing you'll suck at first, die a bunch, but eventually get better and better. It's frustrating at times, you'll blame the game but deep down inside you know it's just your fault. But it's fun, there's tons of content, tons of strategy, and it's a very fulfilling experience. If you haven't already played this game, it's only like $20 now so it's worth picking up before the second game. It's also, I'd say, much better than Demon's Souls, so if you enjoyed that (it was free on PS+ a couple months ago), you'll love this.
