That Really is Heavy

I finished Heavy Rain in two days, four sittings. That may sound extreme but my friend did it in one single session the day it came out because as he told me, "I could NOT put it down." I felt much the same way. I've never played any game where I was so completely invested in the characters and the outcome of the story. Heavy Rain offers a cinematic experience with a level of interactivity that few games can hold a candle to. There are minor hick-ups with controls, camera issues that are few and far between, and some dialogue isn't delivered with proper emotional emphasis but nothing that disrupts the gameplay to large degrees or dampens the overall experience. There are a few minor plot holes that don't seem to be resolved by the time the finale plays out but they may be disclosed in one of the hundreds of possible sequences that can progress the game based on the player's choices. You will be forced to make decisions you don't want to make: your life or your child's, a man dies or you lose everything, giving up the case or fighting the entire police department to defend the suspect. There are plenty of rewards in the forms of trophies and other payoffs that allow for replayability on a level rarely seen in modern games. With all that said, Heavy Rain receives a highly deserved 4.5 out of 5 stars and a place on my list of greatest games of all time. See you next week for God of War III, more on Dante's Inferno and Final Fantasy XIII.

That's Heavy

Heavy Rain is something of a mystery. It can't be defined as a specific genre and can seem dull to some but those who attempt it will be engaged in the cinematic scope of this thriller. I'm only two chapters in and I have already had to stop to recollect my thoughts on what has happened. I can't even count how many alternative methods I could have pursued while handling each scene. Maybe I should stop now before I gush too much about a game I just started...how fair would that be? So let's just say Heavy Rain is amazing and that's that...kidding. Some of the mundane tasks that happen early on like taking a shower and brushing your teeth are fillers but still fun and oddly fulfilling. It lead me to create this comic about the very tasks like drinking coffee and opening a letter. Anyway, I'll have more info on the game after it's done and a better review along with it. See you all next week!

Groundhog Day

This whole thing is thanks to the amazing and random rantings of one of my best friends. He has the ability to control the stream of thoughts that come into his head and convert them into a coherent dialogue that is absolutely hilarious. Most of the time he requires alcohol but this one came out while he was completely sober. Who knew? We somehow got on the topic of PETA and what was going on with Pike Place and Phil. A little far removed from the gaming world but something I think people can understand. I just feel that PETA has lost touch with what it stood for: a special organization that protected animals from cruel treatment and needless slaughter. Now they just seem to be the equivalent of kid who can't get his or her way and the best way to shut them up is to give in the idiotic whining...but that is just me ranting again. I'll be posting another comic today as well more towards the video game genre: Heavy Rain.

Addict Gamer

This is old news but I was asked to make this comic for another story on the Pulse website. I know people get way too into this sort of game, myself included. Modern Warfare 2 is still one of the leading games out on the market and only gaining popularity. Matches can get heated and people become the personal property of someone else. I wanted to make a comic with Andy and Brett that showed this element. I hope the joke comes across in the strip, Andy flipping on the lights and all. I know I had said last week that I was going to comment on the new Aliens vs Predator but this sort of took precedence over that for the moment. I'm hearing good buzz on the game for fans of the series but nothing good in the field of a quality experience on its own. I can expect to be further thrown off schedule with Heavy Rain being released on Tuesday. Thankfully my tax refund can cover the expense so I'll have enough to also pick up Final Fantasy XIII in March. OMG.

Out of Gas

I love Mass Effect 2 right down to the sparse little issues that are few and far between. The comic above reflects one of the minor issues I have with how the Illusive Man works. He can finance missions and acts as your boss and yet gas for the Normandy always comes out of Shepard's pocket. Even if it's only a simple 1,500 credits, I don't know why the guy can't fudge a little spare cash for his team to actually reach the areas he intends them to. Just one of those random things that caught my attention. Check back in next week when I look at the new Aliens vs Predator for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. "Game over, man!"

Plugged In the News

According to a report on Yahoo!'s Plugged In, heading the Yahoo! page, there is some sort of controversy over the advertisement for "God of War protege" Dante's Inferno released this past Tuesday. The commercial ran during Super Bowl XLIV featuring a rendered CG scene of what the game would entail. Apparently some people are becoming confused as to what the game looks like in-game versus the ad. Really? Are we really going to have a "controversy" over THIS? It's like saying I saw the Matrix and thought it was a documentary. The commercial even uses a disclaimer on the screen stating that images are not representative of the actual product. Isn't this true of all merchandise advertised on TV or anywhere else? It will do this or do that, they say. So can we please just find something legitimate to b&#@! about this year...like maybe why Uwe Boll is still allowed to make movies or why a girl with a rare condition can sleep for 14 days when I can't even get six hours.

Old Bat

Glad to be back bringing you the next installment of Andy and Brett. For the record, I don't hate ign.com but I don't find them to be the best source for gaming news, reviews, etc. That being said, I was excited to see that they had taken time to really look at the teaser trailer for Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham Asylum 2...and then they made that comment about believing it to take place in the future because they saw a zeppelin over Gotham and Joker appeared to be wrinkled. In my opinion this was a poor estimation considering the characters featured in the trailer retained their wardrobe from the previous game suggesting to me that it was no more than a matter of months since the original. Regardless, I am excited about the prospect of a new Batman game taking place in the city though I still have no clue how the development team will pull this one off. Hope you enjoy the Back to the Future reference. Stay tuned for Thursday's comic on the finer points of Mass Effect 2.
SPECIAL UPDATE: I have just read on ign.com that after speaking to the voice of the Dark Knight, Kevin Conroy, members of ign.com staff are still saying it takes place in the future...because Conroy said the new game will be dark much like the animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker was dark. Get it?! Beyond, as in, the future! That argument has NO FAULT whatsoever, right?

Video Game Retirement Center

Update

Hey everyone following out there. I am sorry to say I couldn't manage a comic for the week. Between class projects and the whole getting my car fixed after the accident, I'm sort of occupied with other matters. I'll do what I can to have TWO complete comics lined up for the next week, one for Tuesday and the other on Thursday. The subjects will be Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 as mentioned before and the other on Mass Effect 2. I just figured something out about that game and I know it has already been featured in the Andy and Brett series, but this is something I need to share. I'm sure fans will enjoy it. Thanks again and hope to show off some great new video game humor with you all. Later!

The Real Liberty City...Ellensburg

Check it out people. If you haven't already read the Observer or been a victim yourself, things are getting pretty rough in the quiet community of Ellensburg. Car prowls are up and today while walking to out of the Subway restaurant I watched another car back into mine, causing a small cave-in on the rear bumper. Son of a b@$#! Now I can understand why some people hate GTA so much for its lack of morals and over-the-top violence. Not that I'm going out there in the same fashion as GTA 4's Niko but I am super vexed. Just be safe out there everyone because we can't reset this little thing we call life.