The gaming diary

[Tynstar]

I wanted to play my 2600 or NES but was to lazy to hook them up.

[phoenix1967]

Played the Crackdown demo on the 360.

MAN! There's so much to do...and so many creative ways of doing things, that it doesn't seem like it would get old.

I'm thinking that this game will definitely stand on its own and become a new franchise. Halo 3 Beta aside, this is one to check out!

The game is definitely sandbox-style, as it's created by Dave Jones, the maker of the GTA series. What adds to the fun is the mechanic/concept of "orb" collection to upgrade skills; it provides a welcome diversion and a layer of depth of challenge throughout the course of play.

I found myself driving down a street after some gang members and on some rooftops there were some orbs; to which I said to myself "Hey, there's some orbs...gotta get 'em", pulled the car over, got to the orbs, and then resumed kicking ass.

This game is some flatout fun!

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

I hit 60 in WoW. The once momentous occasion now just another bump in the road.

Onward to 70!!

[Tan]

I wanted to play my 2600 or NES but was to lazy to hook them up.

I have the same problem too, i ususally rotate the older systems, hook up a few, then every couple of months put them away and grab a few different ones.

[phoenix1967]

Def Jam: Fight for NY on Xbox. Getting another character ready for the next multiplayer session.

[James]

Half Life 2 seems to keep going on and on.

I've started playing Sim City 4.

[ApolloBoy]

I've been playing quite a few games since I got my new room done last week. I played some Astrosmash, Ninja Golf, Food Fight, Mega Man 3 and Rescue on Fractalus yesterday, and today I played Sonic 1 and Kenseiden on the SMS, followed by Sonic 2 and Super Hang-On on the Genesis.

I really feel the urge to play some Space Dungeon on my 5200, except that my second 5200 controller needs to be rebuilt...

[Tynstar]

PSU - Xbox 360

Demon Attack - Atari 2600

Astro Warrior - SM

Night Stalker - Intellivision

[Izret101]

Played Lost Planet for all of 5 minutes today.

Also tried out Kirby & the Amazing Mirror. What i got to play of it was fun. Looking foreward to playing that one again

[Tan]

Played the Crackdown Demo, still on the fence about it, not sure if the demo is holding back more gameplay or not that I may be missing out on.

[captain_nintendo]

PSU

Got to the level cap this past weekend. (lvl 70)
Now I just need to work on leveling my spells.

[phoenix1967]

Played the Crackdown Demo, still on the fence about it, not sure if the demo is holding back more gameplay or not that I may be missing out on.

From what I understand, levelling up is accelerated on the demo. Also, we're only allowed to explore Los Muertos, there are 2 other cityscapes as a part of the entire city that will be in the finished game. It also has 3 or 4 difficulty settings. I've also heard that the achievements are very well designed to get a lot more out of the game.

So I guess I would ask what do you mean by "holding back more gameplay"?

I'm picking up my copy today. Let's not forget that it also gets you into the Halo 3 beta.

[Tan]

Played the Crackdown Demo, still on the fence about it, not sure if the demo is holding back more gameplay or not that I may be missing out on.

From what I understand, levelling up is accelerated on the demo. Also, we're only allowed to explore Los Muertos, there are 2 other cityscapes as a part of the entire city that will be in the finished game. It also has 3 or 4 difficulty settings. I've also heard that the achievements are very well designed to get a lot more out of the game.

So I guess I would ask what do you mean by "holding back more gameplay"?

I'm picking up my copy today. Let's not forget that it also gets you into the Halo 3 beta.

So your telling me the whole game is running around shooting generic gang members that all look alike driving different cars that have the physics of a game like Vice City? Yeah I think I'll pass on this one, the demo can satisfy anything I may have gotten out of paying $70-80 for. 

[Izret101]

Strangely enough for me what i played of Crackdown has made me want a 360 more than any single game out yet.

[phoenix1967]

It seems that Crackdown is one of those love/hate games.

Granted, the premise is simple and the story is very watered down. However, the execution and gameplay are incredibly fun, imo.

The unfortunate thing about it is that it's a difficult game to defend in an argument BECAUSE of its simplicity. And that's where people will likely be skeptical of it and not bother with it.

Note that my take comes from someone that never was dedicated enough to play a GTA-style game all the way though. For some reason, Crackdown appeals to me due to its straightforwardness.

Plus, you can afford to get pretty creative with the sandbox this time around without being worried about "getting busted" or anything.