Holiday Gaming Marathon

Well, "marathon" by my standards, anyway…

Here are some incongruous thoughts on the games I've played during my sporadic time off over the Christmas/New Year's season. I still have a four day chunk of time left later this week, too, so I hope to add to this in the near future.

NCAA 2K8
I absolutely LOVE the player controls. There's so much you can do with the stick, triggers, and the "B" and "Y" buttons, some of it based on your skills, and some if it based on the player attributes. Plus, there's a tutorial and a gaming mode that has challenges specific to using these controls, so it's a fun way to learn to play the game. The ability to throw different kinds of passes really adds to the realism, as you can make the same kind of passes that you would on a real court, especially in transition.

The atmosphere is outstanding! Although the courts aren't 100% accurate for all 300+ teams, the venues seem realistic based on the schools involved. I also like the flow of the game, because at times, your team can just go bone dry on offense, while your opponent takes the momentum. It feels just like watching a real college basketball game, and most teams don’t have a player that can just take over, so you really need to work to stem the tide and get back in the game. I still have to work on some settings to get the stats and fouls where I want them, but I'm pretty close.

I'm a bit overwhelmed by the dynasty mode so far. Man, there are just tons of players to recruit. It seems deeper than NCAA 08, which means it will take some work for me to feel comfortable with it. I've spent most of my time just playing exhibition games, but once I get comfortable playing on and off the floor, I think this game has the potential to be among my all-time favorites.

NBA 2K8
The game looks great, and it's especially deep in the "Association" mode. You can schedule specific items for your team to work on during practice, and also try to improve player attributes by participating in skill-specific drills with a specific player. You have to reach a certain score to get the bonus. I don't know if the adjustments are permanent, and fortunately, you're very limited in how much you can do this, so you won't have a roster of "99's." The player roles are also a refreshing addition. You can basically set the playing time and role that each player plays. If you deviate, it could hurt team morale.

On the floor, I don't like the controls as much as I do in NCAA 2K8. You don't feel as "in control" with the isomotion moves. Plus, there's not tutorial detailing how to execute them, and there's nothing in the manual. I realize many are player-specific or attribute-specific, but I'd like to at least have some control over the animations I'm triggering. Previous versions of this game seemed to have much more information on player control, so I might have to look at some old FAQ's, or something. That said, the game play is very smooth, and seemingly realistic. I do like how the play diagrams show up on the court when you're on offense. It's much easier than memorizing plays, and it's really not intrusive at all. The animations are excellent, as are the arenas and crowds. It just feels like NBA basketball, which is a high compliment.

I'm playing using nine minute quarters, and I've adjusted most of the foul sliders upwards. I'm happy with the statistical results so far. I'm especially happy with the frequency of fouls called when you drive to the basket. I allow the AI to make substitutions for me, using the roles I've established, and I also let it call time outs. Nine minute quarters take a awhile to play out, especially with the increased fouls, so this speeds it up a bit for me.

I even got a bite when I put Larry Hughes and his anchor of a contract on the trading block. I was pleased that the offer was a player with a longer contract, slightly less in value, but with a similar rating. There apparently won't be any fleecing of my fellow AI GM's.

All-in-all, I'm impressed so far, and I haven't had this much fun with an NBA game since NBA Inside Drive 2004.

FIFA 08
The last few versions of FIFA have had an excellent Manager mode ("dynasty" mode), and this year's version seems to have the quality on the pitch to match. Honestly, playing on the field with FIFA 08 reminds me of how I felt the first time I played Winning Eleven. The graphics and animations are excellent, the pace of the match is spot-on, and I feel like I'm in control of the action. The ball doesn't feel chained to the players, and it seems like the canned animations are shorter in length, and far less invasive. Right now, I'm playing at the "Amateur" level, just so I can compete!

There are a few problems, though. I don't like my lethargic back line. It seems like I can't count on them to step up and stop the dribbler as regularly as they should, so I have to try to take control and switch too often to keep the offense out of my penalty area. Also, the set pieces aren't as user-friendly as they should be. It just seems to hard to figure out where to place the ball, and I can't see enough of the pitch to know where my guys are making their runs. Lastly, where are the fouls? There just aren't enough called over the course of a match for my liking. Routinely, I get less than five fouls a game, using ten minute halves. It should be double that, at least. Those complaints are relatively minor, though, compared to some of the problems that have haunted the FIFA series historically.

Off the pitch, FIFA continues to deliver, with the sponsorships, transfers, retirements, scouting, cumulative fatigue, team chemistry, pressure from the club owner, and so forth. It's by far one of the most "polished" dynasty modes in any series. With what I'm hearing about the next 360 version of WE, I may be skipping it, which would've been unthinkable just a year ago for me.

Call of Duty 4
This was an unexpected purchase for me. I stumbled across it for $38 at Best Buy, and since I'd heard so many favorable things about it, I picked it up. And I'm glad I did.

The first thing that struck me was how easy it was to control my soldier. I don't have to manage a squad (which I like), and only a couple of the buttons are context-sensitive. In a game based upon quick reflexes, it's nice to be able to play without thinking "which button does this now?" Plus, the first mission is basically a tutorial, and it does a great job of introducing you to the action.

That said, in a lot of ways, once you've played one quality military shooter, you've played them all. The only differentiation is truly the story and the environments. So far, COD4 has delivered! It is linear, like most shooters, and you basically have to stay with your squad to survive and advance, but the second mission was a white-knuckling action movie-esque thrill ride! I absolutely loved trying to get off of the listing ship before it sank, and jumping into the helicopter just as it was taking off! Yes, I got "left behind" a couple of times, but the checkpoint system didn't send me back very far at all.

My only complaint so far is that they've adopted Halo's healing system, where you can seemingly recover from bullet wounds just by resting behind some cover. I know that makes the game more playable, but I prefer the much more realistic death that games like Ghost Recon deliver.

And, I haven't even touched multiplayer, which is the mode that is getting all the raves in the forums I visit. Of course, I couldn't over the last few days, since Xbox Live has been spotty at best.

Elder Scrolls: Oblivion GOTY Edition
This is the anti-linear game. Everything about it is customizable. The character creation combinations are seemingly infinite, although those choices definitely have consequences. But, it's nice to be able to tackle the challenges with basically any type of character you'd like. And, it's nice to be able to play the game any way you'd like. You can follow the main quest, pick up side quests, or just wander around the incredibly expansive world doing whatever strikes your fancy.

Although I've just begun, there are literally hundreds of hours worth of things to do. I honestly could see myself starting the game several different times with different kinds of characters, and using a different approach, just to see what it's like. I really like how life seems to go on around you, no matter what you do, and that your actions or others' actions have an impact on that environment. It just seems much deeper and more realistic than coming upon the goblin who's doing his AI pacing routine. The NPC's and other AI beasties really seem to be living, not just follow a script.

The story is rich, and the environments are just gorgeous. This may be the most immersive game world I've ever been in. The best measure of a good game, in my opinion, is that the hours fly by when you play it. It feels like you've just started, yet three hours have passed on the clock. Oblivion is this kind of game.

I like it so much that I bought the 450-page strategy guide. I don't want to miss a thing, although I know I'll probably never ever come close to seeing all of it!

Fight Night Round 3
I'm a little late to the party on this title, but man, I've been having fun with it. The graphics are jaw-dropping. And, the boxing action is as good as I've played. It moves a little slowly for me, but I think that's to allow defense and counter-punching to play a big role in the fights, as opposed to just button-mashing. I love how parrying a punch kind of freezes your opponent for a second, allowing you to counter. With my aggressive style, I've been the victim of a few of those myself!

I also love how the fighters espouse a variety of different styles. I've seen maulers, counter-punchers, boxers, etc. in my brief career. My only complaints are that it's just a bit easy so far, and that the accuracy of the punches is about twice what it should be (although the number of punches thrown seems about right). The training games are fun, but I usually max out the results, making me significantly better than my opponents, unfortunately. I could skip them, but I like playing them! When I start a second career, I look to play it a little more "realistically," I think. I have 11 KO's in 12 fights. I did hit the canvas once myself, and I've been cut a few times (darn counter-punchers!).

Where this game lacks is the career mode. Why oh why am I fighting Oscar de la Hoya, Jermaine Taylor, and Bernard Hopkins in my first ten fights? Why don't they have their real records and realistic attributes? These guys should be at the top of the mountain, not on the way up! Plus, where are the rankings? What do I rank? Where do my opponents rank? I really want to climb the ladder, but you get no sense of that part of the boxing world in FN's career mode. That said, it's still a blast to play, but man, this game would be the dog's balls if it actually mimicked the real fighting game.

Dare I say that I hope Don King's boxing game will deliver? Knowing Don, probably not, so the quest for a great boxing game that puts it all together continues…

I also have Forza Motorsport 2 that I really haven't spent much time with, but I watched my son play it for a while, and it looks great. Hopefully, I'll get some time in the next few days to play it. Plus, I'm slogging my way through my NCAA Football dynasty, and I want to get a Madden franchise up and running, too. So much gaming to do, so little time! Isn't that always the story?

Happy New Year, and most of all, be safe tonight!!