Posted by Shawn M. on Feb 27th, 2008
What I Said: Halo 3 features a so-so story, mediocre graphics and sound, decent on-ground but horrible vehicle controls, and a rather fun and addictive multiplayer experience. Overall, I called it mindless fun.
Second Thoughts: After spending time with the other top-tier games from 2007, I realized how poor of a game Halo 3 is. The story is sub-par and your characters, from the random Marine all the way up to Master Chief himself, are unconvincing and boring. On the graphics side, I still think that it looks generic and uninspired. My opinion of multiplayer has fallen drastically as well — it wasn’t long after my initial review that the typical Halo crowd made their presence known. That is to say, the racist, homophobic ten year olds and college brats. I know, it’s not fair to judge a game by the company it keeps, but the actual multiplayer is horrible — unbalanced weapons, far too many camping spots, and boring maps. It’s very frustrating that you can empty an entire clip from an Assault Rifle into somebody and they still live, while they shoot you once with a shotgun and you die.
If you’ve not played Halo 3 yet, or are on the verge of getting it, don’t bother — there are much better options out there. In fact, one of them happens to be…
Original Call of Duty 4 Review
What I Said: CoD4 has an adrenaline-pounding campaign mode, the best graphics to date for the 360, amazing sound, and a deeply satisfying multiplayer mode. Overall, I called it the best shooter available on the XBox 360.
Second Thoughts: Not much has changed. The more I think about the story, the more I appreciate the characters and plot points. This game makes the British S.A.S. look like the ultimate badasses, which they may very well be. I’m continuously impressed with the atomic detonation scene as well — it hits you from out of nowhere, and does something that very few games do. Here’s a YouTube video of that scene, if you’d care to watch. The real treat of the whole package is the online multiplayer. You can customize your character as you see fit, and are given an experience-building setup that’s somewhat similar to MMO’s — you gain XP for kills and accomplishing certain tasks. It’s extremely well-balanced as well, as even the newest player can hold their own against seasoned players. Most importantly, it’s just plain fun. Hopping online with CoD4 has become a near-nightly experience for me, and every time is a blast.
What I said: BioShock features a complex story, hauntingly beautiful art direction, and second-to-none sound. Overall, my favorite game of 2007 and proof that video games can indeed be considered an art form.
Second Thoughts: After another playthrough, I felt really disappointed with BioShock’s ending. I’m not the only one, as series creator Ken Levine has essentially stated the same. But despite the story structure of the last twenty-five percent of the game falling flat, it’s the visual storytelling that really drives this game. If you take the time to really examine the surroundings, you’ll notice a lot of bits and pieces about Rapture’s downfall. For example, you may run across a corpse sitting in a corner. Your first thought might be that this poor soul was attacked by the Splicers, but if you pay attention, you’ll notice that they’re holding a shotgun, and there’s no sign of a battle. There’s all sorts of little clues scattered about that really lets in in on the story.
However, as good as BioShock is, there’s no real incentive to replay it beyond the first time. Once you know all of the scare-points and story secrets, a second playthrough loses a lot of “oomph”. The lack of online multiplayer also hurts as well, as even the most basic shooters features some type of online mode.
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If you liked that, try...
- The Halo 3 Review
- It Came From Live Arcade: Marble Blast Ultra
- The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Review
- Review Round-Up: Gears of War & Tomb Raider Legend
- The Soul Calibur IV Review
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