August games thus far...

Misfortune is upon us. Apparently the long awaited Dirge of Cerebus is a grand disappointment rather than the expected refreshing take on the franchise. The gamplay video left the game looking promising, too.


This seems to be another instance where the in-game pre-rendered cut-scenes probably take away from the game, separating the player from the story. I've always enjoyed scripted scenes more because they help keep the player involved in the story as opposed to cutting to some beautiful but out-of-place pre-rendered video. It's even better when you have to pay attention during cut-scenes/dialogue like in Resident Evil 4 or Indigo Prophecy. I'm hoping the "Next Gen" will remove the need for extravagant non-controlled cut-scenes in games.

Maybe they should have gone more for a platformer instead of a 3rd person shooter. More Ninja Gaiden/Devil May Cry and less Resident Evil 4. I guess I'll have to actually play the game before making a final judgment. But with such poor ratings, I'm not about to drop $50; I'll wait until it's about half of that.

As for the Dead Rising Demo, it definitely has me interested in the game. The developers skillfully made it amusing even though you can't actually accomplish anything game-wise. All a demo player can do is kill/humiliate zombies and the protagonist within a specified area of the mall. Somehow, it is still amusing. DR could be considered Grand Theft Resident Evil if you will.

The main problem I have with Dead Rising are its controls. Something as simple as keeping the camera changing positions when going for precision-aiming gets really annoying. To go along with that, there are some button combinations that don't come naturally, so a non-instruction-book-reading gamer may not figure them out.

However, the available methods of madness and destruction are quite pleasing. Capcom did a superb job of providing weapons, melee, and what I'll call "hooding" (putting something in or on a zombie's head so they can't attack you). They got pretty creative, and I approve of the new take.

If you want to read a bit more, Brian Crecente at Kotaku has some interesting gripes and praises about the game.

I think Dead Rising will be a definite purchase, but I may not pick it up right away. Maybe I'm getting too money-conscious? Games without multiplayer that aren't RPGs are starting to seem like less value for the money. Then again, Tomb Raider: Legends was excellent in my opinion.

My real problem is that I'm behind on the games I do have. I'm trying to get enough out of my purchases before moving to the next game. Maybe game droughts aren't that bad. They give us time to work on the games we've slacked off on.


We'll see how I feel when Xenosaga III comes out later this month. I doubt I can resist it, especially at the low price of $40.