Grab the Loot

Hello, My Name is Sicari, and I’m a StarCraft II Addict and a Noob.

sicari — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:22:08 +0000

StarCrack II

Oh. Em. Gee.

In all seriousness, RTS (real time strategy) games never appealed to me. I don’t know why but they just didn’t. I always liked FPS games and MMORPG’s because you just go in, do your thing and whoop ass. I thought RTS’s are just so much work. Until now.
With all the buzz and excitement surrounding StarCraft II I just had to buy it. I’ve been in sort of a gaming funk. I’ve grown completely bored of World of Warcraft, the shoot em’ ups are all basically the same game, and I just needed something different and fresh for me that would hold my attention for longer than a couple of days.
I never realized just how much went into playing a game like these. I mean, there is A LOT of stuff you have to pay attention to. Most of the time I’m like “whaaaaaat?”. I barely have anything together and the opponent has like a full company of soldiers, massive land and air force and there am ready to just cry and clench my butt cheeks.

when I'm at this point......

they're at this point....

You gotta make your gatherers, gather your minerals and gas, build your buildings, decide on what type of forces you want which are dependent on what forces your opponent has, in order to know that you have to scout all in the while still making gatherers, gathering minerals and gas, building things, expanding to other places because your minerals and gas will run out, make more forces, still scouting and……………I’m exhausted. But I have to say I LOVE IT!
Since I’ve never played these games before I played the campaign mode on “Casual” difficulty. I was afraid to try multiplayer as I’m not that much of a masochist. It did a good job as it taught me the basic mechanics of everything. Just about all my gaming friends are playing SC2 now and it’s been feeling like a big reunion as I think a lot of people have been in game “limbo”. They dragged me crying and whimpering into the Multiplayer world. First being gentle to ignore my base to let me play, but eventually I’d end up in the corner sucking my thumb whimpering for mommy. But as time would allow I’d practice, practice, practice. They have so much faith in me as I have Korean blood in me and it seems the Koreans rule this game with their 200-300 APM. But unfortunately I am handicapped by the caucasion side of me and my 12-20 APM. But still…I LOVE IT!
Since I’ve been playing Multiplayer I’ve cooled off the Campaign. I’m on the last mission but it can wait. I love getting together with my other addicted friends and battle against AI, other people and sometimes eachother. Personally I’d rather get my ass handed to me by strangers or AI. My friends are much better players than I. They’ve played StarCraft and Warcraft III. I’m barely learning hotkeys and such but I can hold my own…at times. Well ok, as long as the opponent is noobier than me. heh
I’ve played quite a bit as the Terran race, as that’s what you play the majority of the Campaign. In the last couple of days I ventured into playing Protoss. Which I’m finding I love, either because it just seems things go faster or it’s just blingy and shiney. Either way, I play Protoss now. I have NO IDEA what to do with Zerg. Those creepy crawlies and floating ugly round things that crap all over the ground. I guess I’ll eventually venture into that race.

Kerrigan, the nasty Zerg Queen thingy chick

I have to say well done to Blizzard for putting out this fantastic game. The story is engaging, the graphics are phenomenal and it’s awesome that they put in that “Casual” difficulty for people like me who have never played an RTS. It’s no wonder that people were STILL playing the first one until this one came out. It’s incredible fun.
As an aside, I watch a lot of replays on the HD StarCraft 2 channel on YouTube. I know there are a lot of channels out there but I just prefer his style of commentary. Watching the replays with commentary totally help me learn strategies, especially what to pit against what, or how to defend.
This post wasn’t meant as an actual blow by blow of the game, just an RTS noobs little journey into it. If you’ve never tried RTS games before I would definitely say THIS is the one to bust that RTS cherry with. You won’t be sorry. Except when you realize you’re up until 3 a.m. playing…but oh well. COFFEE!!!!!
So it’s official, I am addicted. And then he said:

It's about time!

Grab The Loot Podcast Episode 013

Colm — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:14:36 +0000

And were back! Ese, Sudds, and Colm return to talk about this week in gaming. They discuss Monday Night Combat, Madden, iPad games, and The Incident. Enjoy the Show! Please send your questions and comments to gtlpodcast@gmail.com or follow the show on twitter @grabtheloot. Remember they do the show live on video so check the tweets for time and location. Tweet it out.

Scott Pilgrim VS The World: The Game Review

Kurse — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 03:31:24 +0000

What do you get when you take a series of books with an epic story that is heavily influenced by video games and well make a video game out of it? The result is an awesome game that is not only a blast to play, but it serves as a refreshing trip down memory lane with its retro look and sound. The premise of Scott Pilgrim is simple, Scott is in love with Ramona Flowers and he must do battle with her seven evil exes before he can claim what is rightfully his in this download-able beat ‘em up action game. The game takes you through seven different stages via a world map, each featuring a different boss to overcome before moving onto the next. Players are able to choose from Scott or three other characters each with their own moves and abilities that increase along with various stats as you gain levels while playing through the game. There’s also tons of weapon pick ups at your disposal, and in game money you can use to purchase items that will also increase your stats. The game itself has a very pseudo 8-bit look and sound to it, everything from the music to the sound effects has a retro feel that will appeal to gamers both new and old. There are three difficulties to choose from and I found that the “Rough & Tough” difficulty feels much more rewarding. Make no mistake, no matter what difficulty you choose from there will be a challenge found. The game can get tough at times but never unfair.

As I’ve already said, the game has amazing style. The stages all vary with different locales, and the enemies come in a wide variety. While the visuals won’t blow you away, you’ll enjoy the presentation and the music is very nicely done. My only complaints are the fact that there were times when the enemies would hit each other for no reason on multiple occasions, and also this game could have benefited a lot from online co-op, while there is local co-op which is a ton of fun, online co-op would have made this game that much more fun. Other than that there isn’t much else to say about this game, whether you are a fan of the graphic novels, the movie, or you’re just looking for a good beat ‘em up game then I highly recommend this to anyone.

I give Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game an 4 out of 5 Gold Bars.

Deathspank – Video Review

ese — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:48:25 +0000

Ese and Colm begin their video review series by talking about Deathspank. What they like and don’t like and what’s the point of the block button.

Grab The Loot Podcast Episode 012

ese — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:05:24 +0000

And were back! Ese and Colm return to talk about this week in gaming. They discuss StarCraft 2, Madden, iPad games, and tons of other stuff. Enjoy the Show! Please send your questions and comments to gtlpodcast@gmail.com or follow the show on twitter @grabtheloot. Remember they do the show live on video so check the tweets for time and location. Tweet it out.

iPhone games are my new addiction…

Sudds — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:29:16 +0000

Skin of the back of an iPhone 4 as a Gameboy

Not that this is a new topic in my life but with the iPhone 4.0 playing games on my phone has gone from good to great. The speed and processing power has made the load times almost non-existent and the clarity of the screen makes for a visual splendor while playing. I’ve always been addicted to iphone games due to the low price points and the one touch purchase and play aspect of it all. Now that I own a phone that offers a simply and convenient way to game on the go … bring on the Fruit Ninja’s of the world!

I love my iPhone and I love the games that are available and I can’t wait to see what else will pop up on iTunes. Once the Apple gaming community (think Xbox live on your iPhone) is up and running that will add to pure bliss that is gaming on the iPhone.

Grab The Loot Podcast Episode 011

Colm — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:15:07 +0000

And were back! Ese, Sudds, and Colm return to talk about this week in gaming. They discuss StarCraft 2, Limbo, Madden, and tons of other games. Enjoy the Show! Please send your questions and comments to gtlpodcast@gmail.com or follow the show on twitter @grabtheloot. Remember they do the show live on video so check the tweets for time and location. Tweet it out.

Limbo Review (spoiler: don’t buy it.)

J-Lai — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:43:04 +0000

Okay, the title is misleading. This isn’t so much a “review” as it is my opinion on Limbo. I’m going to start this “review” with what will be an unpopular stance. Do not buy Limbo for the Xbox 360. Period.

Dumb.

Okay, that opening paragraph was misleading. This isn’t so much “my opinion” on Limbo as it is me telling you why I was neither impressed nor pleased with the game. Hell, even as I’m typing this I’m seething at how under-whelmed I was by the game.

Having said that, Limbo is good. Not great. Not even very good. Just good. If you like a simple puzzle-platformer that demands trial and error and timing skills, this might just be the game for you. Now, don’t get me wrong…when I say “simple,” I don’t mean “easy.” I mean your average tried-and-true formula of walk right, jump, climb a ladder, flip a switch…

…die seventy-eight times within the first hour of gameplay.

Funny every time.

You’re going to die a lot. So many times it’s comedic. Every death is hilarious. They’re not supposed to be; the little boy’s deaths are gruesome (for being in black and gray) and a bit squeamish. You’ll start to wonder why bear traps aren’t used in more video games. The deaths are so immediate and shocking that they’re funnier than they are disturbing. That’s not to say you won’t cringe at a few deaths, but it’s still funny every time the boy gets impaled by a spider’s leg. Oh yeah, there’s a spider in this game. Sorry for spoiling the main antagonist of the first hour of this less than four hour game.

Oh right. Did you know that the game takes less than five hours to beat? It took me less than four hours with a good thirty minutes of retrying timing puzzles. If you’re a better platform gamer than I am, you’ll be able to beat the game in three hours. (I have a thing against expensive, short games regardless of the quality of the game; but that’s for another article on another day.) When you beat it, you won’t feel any sense of fulfillment. You’ll feel one of two ways: 1) like me, you’ll roll your eyes at how predictable the ending was, but be pissed that the game was so short that you couldn’t say it out loud and claim that victory, or 2) ponder the spiritual and metaphysical implications of the boy’s journey.

Here’s the thing about the people who had the second reaction…you’re retarded. People who try to interpret this game are digging way deeper than they need to. There is nothing deeper than “oh shit, bear traps!” *SPOILER ALERT, but not really.* You’re either both dead or you were both never dead to begin with. (Fucking gasp!) But you’ll never know because there is NO GOD DAMNED STORY TO THIS GAME.

At all. Oh, wait. I’m sorry. Here’s the story: “Uncertain of his Sister’s Fate, a Boy enters LIMBO.” There are no words in the game. There are no relatable characters (unless you’ve been skewered by spikes and been in an anti-gravity chamber before). There is only a mood that PlayDead Studios shot for and, for me, completely missed. I laughed more than I was pensive. I shrugged more than I scratched my head. I didn’t care about the boy.

Hey, you might think this game is a masterpiece. I’m just here to tell you that all the dick riders are wrong for hyping this game so much. I’ll repeat, before you get on my case: it’s good. But it’s not purchase-worthy. Here’s the lesson you should take from this article: you should definitely sucker a friend into buying this title so you can play it at his house. Some J-Lai’s I know might have done that. I know that if I had spent 1,200 Microsoft Points on it, I would have hated myself.

Buy this instead.

To you guys who did download this game, ask yourself: “would I have bought this title were it a retail store-only title?” Also, chew on this: Portal cost less than Limbo, was just as short, but was better. In closing, what I’m saying is that there is no way to justify dropping $15 on this game. It’s not that good. Save those Microsoft Points for Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. You’re welcome.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane Review!

evildeathsyth — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:24:14 +0000

In case you missed Hydro Thunder in arcades its back in full glory in this week’s Summer of Arcade release. Hydro Thunder was a boat racing game to the extreme with tons of boost and tons of jumps and is considered an arcade classic. Now the folks over at Vector Games have created Hydro Thunder Hurricane for the 360. But does it live up to its arcade brethren?

First thing to get out of the way is that this feels like old school hydro thunder. It controls very simple with you moving the boat about a track trying to collect boost or some other objective until you reach the goal. There are a total of 8 tracks but in order to unlock them all you will need to complete them numerous times in the one of four modes in order to obtain enough points to unlock them. This is how you unlock pretty much everything in this game.

The game itself looks very pretty with its water physics and environment moving about and changing throughout races. You can be traversing into an artic cavern and the next thing you know an avalanche will occur causing the water to rise and fall making it so you can launch off a wave. The environments feel familiar of the original but have flair to them to make them also stand out. The sound could have been better but has that arcade feel to it.

The main issue with the game is its AI. The computer offers up a challenge sometimes but most of the time it can be a pushover. They don’t seem to do much other than the basics during a race. It would have been nice to see some knock you out of the way or try to steal boost and such more often. But that is also why this game offers online multiplayer.

Overall this is definitely a must buy for Hydro Thunder veterans and new comers to the series. It has some fun gameplay and the online will keep you coming back more and more. Having the ability to do split screen 4 player racing or even take all of that online is a great package for those that want to have a Hydro Thunder Party! Plus with new DLC possibly coming in the future it will certainly be one to come back to after finishing.

3.5/5 Gold Bars

Street Fighter x Tekken! Tekken x Street Fighter? And 3rd Strike!

Kurse — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:55:49 +0000

Announced at Comic-Con today, the highly rumored Street Fighter x Tekken game is now a reality. Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono and Katsuhiro Harada announced at a panel that they were indeed working on a crossover game, and they had some game play footage to go along with the announcement. Street Fighter x Tekken is a 2 vs 2 fighting game and looks to be running on something similar to the Street Fighter IV engine. The trailer shows Ryu squaring off against Kazuya in a series of fireballs, uppercuts, and EX moves, not long after Ryu and Kazuya tag in Chun-li and Nina Williams respectively. We’ll find out more in the coming months but Ono urged fans to “enjoy Marvel Vs Capcom 3 while you wait” so Im guessing we won’t see this game for another year.

Harada also went on to announce that Namco is developing their own crossover game which will be different, not much is known other than the title Tekken x Street Fighter. Also announced today was an online version of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, no word on release date or platform but Ono said he’s going to take his time and do it right. With all these fighting game announcements it’s looking like a great time to be a fighting game fan!