en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2555910 Comments by Dylan http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/04/homefront-singleplayer-review-ready-for-editing/#IDComment148423088 I enjoyed Homefront's SP campaign. It is unquestionably the 'high' point of a terrible design trend towards absurd levels of linearity, and it's insultingly short, poorly told and just plain stupid. The ending sucked, and over half the game is spent with your characters' actions out of your control. All those criticisms are valid. However, I thought certain set pieces were really cool (escaping the burning minimart springs to mind - great use of environment and scripted events), and I really liked the setting even though I concur with the criticisms that it's underused and devolves into generic gameplay despite opportunities to go elsewhere. I loved the scene where you discover the victims of the lynch mob in the survivalist camp, that was pure horror film. Plus I love pretty much anything set in rural America, I'm a sucker for that landscape, particularly when it's invoking all of the southern gothic twisted farm machinery and creepy old barns and churches, the whole setting just works for me and lets me see right past all those awful, awful flaws. It's not something I would particularly recommend to people, but overall I had more fun than I expected. Although it was brutally linear, the actual gameplay was less linear than CoD. In Blops, I felt as though I might as well have not been there at all, but at least I was there. In Homefront, I felt as though I actually wasn't there for most of it - my presence was entirely unnecessary, even resented by the game, which would have got things done quicker if I hadn't been throwing spanners into the works by standing in the way of NPCs or running to the wrong door at the wrong time, but at least during the rare occasions when you can actually play it yourself, it behaved somewhat like an FPS, instead of a strange stilted skill/reaction minigame dressed like a shooter as Infinity Ward/Treyarch have been putting out. I would say it's more of an FPS than CoD is, but less of a game than anything calling itself a game should be. But it had a creepy rustic setting and and so earned my love the easy way, like so many poor products before it. Oh, and it has fantastic music. Tue, 3 May 2011 11:15:21 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/04/homefront-singleplayer-review-ready-for-editing/#IDComment148423088 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/04/an-open-letter-to-ving-rhames/#IDComment144452884 When in doubt, punch. If punch isn't strong enough, run a lot and then punch. Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:24:10 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/04/an-open-letter-to-ving-rhames/#IDComment144452884 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/04/an-open-letter-to-ving-rhames/#IDComment143900303 Dude, what?! Man, insulting Cornershop is not cool. NOT cool. It seems to me someone is in serious immediate need to learn some lessons from Rocky I - III. Perhaps some heavy soup would help. Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:07:46 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/04/an-open-letter-to-ving-rhames/#IDComment143900303 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/04/qotw-cheap-as-chips-ready-for-editing/#IDComment140967009 This message is an automated response to a thread which mentions Resonance of Fate. Do not reply to this message, just buy Resonance of Fate instead. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 10:39:46 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/04/qotw-cheap-as-chips-ready-for-editing/#IDComment140967009 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/04/you-have-gained-a-task-adventures-in-torchlights-hardcore-mode-pt-2/#IDComment140966357 Yep, that's right, there's a shared chest and a non-shared chest. The shared one is at the top centre of the town map. Might want to google it first though, I heard there are bugs with it but I can't remember what, and I never used it myself. Fri, 8 Apr 2011 10:35:18 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/04/you-have-gained-a-task-adventures-in-torchlights-hardcore-mode-pt-2/#IDComment140966357 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/04/qotw-cheap-as-chips-ready-for-editing/#IDComment140189489 Shadow Hearts 2. Admittedly with no manual or box, floating in the Gamestation 'whatever bin', but it was SHADOW HEARTS 2, after the point where it was very very hard to get, before the point it became impossible to get, which was before the point where it became reasonably challenging but quite possible to get. Also, this is ridiculously picky, but Planescape: Torment didn't come on a CD, it came on some CDs or a DVD. I will feel shame now forever. Tue, 5 Apr 2011 16:09:38 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/04/qotw-cheap-as-chips-ready-for-editing/#IDComment140189489 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/03/qotw-do-you-like-your-games-untidy-or-neat/#IDComment138338630 Errrrrrmmm... both. Figuring stuff out for yourself is the clear better option for me, but only if you successfully do it. It's a high risk/high reward thing, cos if you fail to learn it, that sucks. A couple of days ago in Crysis 2, I realised that pressing 'left' on the D-Pad changes your ammo type. This made the game a hell of a lot easier and much more fun. Great success. However, two days previously, I was frustrated and not enjoying the game much. That is one of the many things it could have told me to help alleviate that. Great fail. 'tis all about the balance. I don't think players should have to figure out control schemes themselves, that should be laid out clearly and openly, unless somehow it's factored into the gameplay (can't think of an example of that - oh, yes I can, the original arcade Street Fighter), but some stuff is a joy to discover. I remember finding out about the secondary fire mode in Blood by just playing around, basically the same example as above. Unlike Crysis 2, I hadn't been disadvantaged until I discovered it. Once I tripped over that button by accident and realised the possibilities, the game didn't get any smoother or easier, just more fun and varied. That's the kind of discovery that should be left up to us to stumble upon. Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:37:50 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/03/qotw-do-you-like-your-games-untidy-or-neat/#IDComment138338630 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/03/mr-karoshi-review/#IDComment138336724 Keep me updated, I'm intrigued as to what others think. 'Strange' definitely sums up the most noticeable element of its personality. Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:28:47 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/03/mr-karoshi-review/#IDComment138336724 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/03/qotw-yippee-kay-ay/#IDComment135190818 Anyone ever play Arc: Twilight of the Spirits? It's an awesome PS2 JRPG, one of the few from the Arc the Lad series to make it all the way to the Englands. In that you alternate between playing the character who would normally be the antagonist and the character who would normally be the protagonist, basically doing each chapter twice - once from each perspective. At first I had sympathy heavily balanced towards the 'good' one, but ended up really invested in both, they had different abilities, different party members and different sides of the same pretty decent storyline, but mostly they were just memorable characters. Very smart and engaging combat system too. Ugh, just googled it and first result is from Gamespot's review: "a solid RPG that doesn't take many chances". Suppress rage; suppress rage; reeeellllax. OK. Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:25:20 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/03/qotw-yippee-kay-ay/#IDComment135190818 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/03/review-stacking/#IDComment133151979 This game takes repetitiveness to a new level from Costume Quest really. It's the same thing but 'do it ten times' instead of 'do it once'. It also doesn't have the battles or the fun of discovering new costumes, so there's nothing but the repetitiveness. Always worth giving it a demo though, it might just work with you... Mon, 7 Mar 2011 17:08:54 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/03/review-stacking/#IDComment133151979 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/03/something-for-your-ears-its-friday/#IDComment132983674 Gamers With Jobs takes the crown for me. Funny, informative, trustworthy reviewage, smart people doing the talking, awesome guests. Is alllll good. Sun, 6 Mar 2011 23:15:14 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/03/something-for-your-ears-its-friday/#IDComment132983674 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/03/something-for-your-ears-its-friday/#IDComment132983463 I hate it too. Not enough to make a gawker account just to hijack a news story into a 'redesign bitch fest' by writing an epic post about how I've read it for years and now I can't stand it anymore, but enough to understand why people do that. Sun, 6 Mar 2011 23:13:51 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/03/something-for-your-ears-its-friday/#IDComment132983463 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/02/rise-from-your-grave-it-is-friday/#IDComment128940166 Not only that, but one does not 'rise' from one's grave, one 'wises' from it. What are they teaching you over there in Canada? Fri, 18 Feb 2011 23:01:07 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/02/rise-from-your-grave-it-is-friday/#IDComment128940166 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/02/baba-yetu-yetu-uliye/#IDComment128610509 Meh, the Raskulls end-credit song is better. I jest, I jest... very nice tune, and an inspired choice for a Civ game, really brings the imagery in the video to life in a more pronounced way than the usual 'epic music' would have done. Makes me want to watch The Lion King though... Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:17:02 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/02/baba-yetu-yetu-uliye/#IDComment128610509 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/02/year-of-the-rabbit-games-that-have-got-us-hot-and-bothered-part-2/#IDComment127983436 DAMN! I forgot Alice: Madness Returns. Not just in my contribution to the article, but also in my general day-to-day life. Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:36:41 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/02/year-of-the-rabbit-games-that-have-got-us-hot-and-bothered-part-2/#IDComment127983436 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/02/qotw-fck-your-space-elevator/#IDComment126971282 Never played it, but the article and comments make me wish I had. It feels like a past thing I've missed rather than a future thing I have control over. Wed, 9 Feb 2011 19:57:46 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/02/qotw-fck-your-space-elevator/#IDComment126971282 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/02/dead-space-2-review/#IDComment126719477 It had a terrible multiplayer. It was dead within a month of release though, so unless a group of hardcore players have latched onto it, you'd be lucky to get any action on it now. Tue, 8 Feb 2011 17:25:02 +0000 http://www.arcadianrhythms.com/2011/02/dead-space-2-review/#IDComment126719477