GTA IV DLC: First Impressions

I downloaded The Lost and the Damned GTA IV DLC today. It clocks in at 1.78 GB but only took about 45 minutes to download. It costs 1600 Microsoft Points($20). I've only played a few missions(I'm apparently 8.6% done), but I thought I'd give my initial impressions.

First off, maybe there should be a little onscreen tutorial or hints as to how to play because I have apparently forgotten how to control my character in GTA IV. I died a few times in the first gunfight because I had to relearn how to do things in the game.

Secondly, my character seems extremely slow. Even when I hold down the run button. Was Nico this slow? He didn't seem to be, but maybe Saint's Row 2 spoiled me.

I also seem to have a problem being in a gang. My problem being that all the bikers look the same to me so when I'm in gang warfare, I sometimes shoot my own guys or I don't shoot the enemy because I think they're in my gang. I'm a lone wolf, baby! I can't handle this gang life! (And when I spend time looking for the red carrots above enemies I tend to get shot a lot more.)

The bikes seem to control better in the DLC than the game so my character isn't flying off every two seconds. You can still get thrown pretty far, but I think the handling for bikes has improved.

So far, it does have a pretty good GTA IV feel to it. The areas are the same. I have contacts. I have a base of operation. When I sleep, it saves my game and advances the timeline six hours. I can watch TV or surf the web.

I think I'll like it when I play more, but the beginning definitely didn't suck me in.

E3 Welcomes Back Booth Babes!

A couple of weeks ago, I got an invite and a code from the ESA for this year's E3. E3 will be June 2-4 in California. I'm still torn as to if I'm going. I've got my real job plus cost of the flight, hotel, food, etc. (Not to mention the slight manipulation of the system.) But the ESA has announced one thing today that has swayed me towards going- Booth Babes are back!

The ESA wants E3 to return to the glamor and glitz of the old days with lots of razzle-dazzle, mobs and massive consumerism. Now, they aren't requiring booth babes. They are leaving it up to the companies which will probably mean everyone will have booth babes once again! Yay!

I personally think this will be the economic stimulus we've been looking for. Now booth babe jobs will be saved and more will be created!

Halo Wars Impressions

So, the Halo Wars demo came out on Xbox Live(at 1.4 GB) today. I've had some doubts about this game for a while now. One of my main problems is simply that RTS games don't hold my interest for long. But I booted up the Xbox and downloaded the demo anyway.

Halo Wars takes place 20 years before Halo. It's a time of great battles between the humans and the Covenant.

I played the Basic tutorial and the first two missions on campaign. I'm not sure how much more is included in the demo. That's just where I stopped.

It's not a bad game. It's fairly fun for an RTS, and the controls aren't bad. I did have a problem for a little while where I was selecting every unit on the map instead of just on my screen, but the game let me know what I was doing wrong with helpful little reminders in the left hand corner.

I beat the two missions without too much problem. My hero did go down during one fierce battle, but then he later got back up when I had another unit stand near him for a while. I earned Silver on the first mission and Bronze on the second.

Is it put together well? Seems to be. I don't have to worry about peons or workers or what have you to collect my resources. I simply build Supply Pads and supplies are shipped to me. There are also crates of supplies scattered around the map that my troops can pick up. They don't even have to bring the supplies back to my base. They just pick them up and they appear in my coffers. So that's nice(although die-hard RTS players may dislike this).

Apparently there are also skulls hidden on some of the levels, but I didn't find any.

I do, for the most part, like that when you group your troops together they all travel at the same speed(which would be the speed of your slowest unit). This, of course, is annoying since it slows down some of your troops, but it's good for combat because I don't have to worry that my Warthogs are way ahead of my Scorpion or Infantry. The only time I really don't like this is when I'm running away from enemies. (Although even when fleeing, the Warthog's gunner still shoots at the enemies.)

And pretty much every unit has a secondary attack. Warthogs can run over enemies. Infantry can throw grenades.

Will it do well? Hmmm.... I don't think it will. I know that some game executives think that simply putting the name Halo on anything will make it sell. But Halo 1-3 are first person shooter games. They may have helped revolutionize or revitalize the FPS, but they were still first person shooters.

Most FPS gamers aren't RTS gamers and vice versa. When I was playing the Halo Wars demo, it actually made me want to play Halo 3 so that I could get in there and shoot some Covenant instead of just clicking on units and letting my troops battle.

I also have problems really distinguishing what the various Covenant troops are. I know there were Grunts, Elites, Jackals, Hunters, Ghosts and ... those Covenant transport ships. But most of them look pretty much the same from way up high. There were a number of times when I'd have Hunters on me, but I'd be concentrating on the Grunts.

In the end, this game may sell because of the Halo name. But I don't think it will truly be popular.

Capcom Reports Major Losses

More economic bad news in the gaming industry - Capcom has reported that their net income has dropped a whopping 95 percent since last year.

Personally, I don't really understand how their net income dropped so far since their net sales are only down 13.4 percent.

All of these gaming companies posting such losses recently could be bad news for gamers. With profits down, companies tend to be less willing to try new IPs which means more sequels and more franchise games.

EA Delays February Game Releases

Electronic Arts announced that they are delaying the release of Godfather II and The Sims 3, both of which were supposed to be released this month.

No official word was given as to the reason for the delay, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the massive quarterly loss EA also just announced.

These games, along with Dragon Age: Origins (a game previously delayed by EA), are now expected to be released in the fourth quarter. The Sims 3 now has a June 3rd release date with the other two not having confirmed release dates.

EA Loses Money

Electronic Arts has posted a significant loss for their third Quarter - $641 million! Last year, EA posted a $33 million loss in their third quarter.

With the loss, EA plans to lay off 1,100 workers(11% of its employees) and close 12 of its facilities.

Analysts say that EA actually made more money this year than last, but they had predicted a much bigger gain and had increased their spending as well - leading to the loss.

February Game Releases

Not a lot of game releases so far in 2009, but maybe this month developers will show gamers some love. After all, it is the month of Valentine's Day!
 

DS Titles
February 3
• Math Blaster in the Prime Adventure
• My World, My Way

February 10
• Retro Game Challenge
• Rollin' Rascals
• USA Today Puzzle Craze

February 15
• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon

February 17
• Brave: Shaman's Challenge
• Dragon Quest: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride
• Dragon Quest V
• Roogoo

February 24
• Avalon Code
• Blue Dragon Plus
• C.O.R.E.
• Legacy of Ys: Books I & II
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

February 28
• Gauntlet

PC Titles
February 2
• Prisontale 2: The Second Enigma

February 5
• Burnout Paradise

February 10
• F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
• Perimeter II: New Earth
• Warfare
• X-Blades

February 13
• Celetania

February 18
• Drakensang: The Dark Eye

February 19
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2

February 20
• The Sims 3

February 24
• The Godfather II
• Shellshock 2: Blood Trails

February 25
• Age of Booty
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

February 27
• East India Company

PS2 Titles
• Nothing. Seriously.

PS3 Titles
February 5
• 3 on 3 NHL Arcade

February 10
• F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
• Ski-Doo Snowmobile Challenge
• Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
• X-Blades

February 12
• Flower

February 17
• Street Fighter IV

February 19
• Noby Noby Boy

February 24
• 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
• The Godfather II
• Shellshock 2: Blood Trails

February 26
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

February 27
• Killzone 2

PSP Titles
February 10
• LocoRoco 2

February 17
• Mana Khemia: Student Alliance
• Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?

Wii Titles
February 3
• Battle Rage: The Robot Wars
• Tenchu: Shadow Assassin

February 9
• Deadly Creatures

February 10
• The House of the Dead: Overkill
• NASCAR Kart Racing
• Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers

February 17
• Roogoo
• RoogooTwisted Towers

February 24
• Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop

Xbox 360 Titles
February 4
• 3 on 3 NHL Arcade

February 10
• F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
• Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad
• Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
• X-Blades

February 17
• Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned
• RACE Pro
• Street Fighter IV

February 24
• 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
• The Godfather II
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
• Shellshock 2: Blood Trails
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope
• Stoked