One Timer

Hey! They're playing One More Time at the USA vs Canada gold medal game. Fucking love that song!!

BlogoShock 2: You Can't See Me, Bitch! [BioShock 2 Second Playthrough Observations]

I'm wrapping up my Good Daddy second playthrough of BioShock 2. I've obtained the three elusive trophies for which I was gunning: Master Protector [Got through a Gather with no damage and no one getting to the Little Sister], Master Researcher [Completed all research on every subject in Rapture], and Saviour [Saved every Little Sister and spared Grace, Stanley and Gil]. There is one more (singleplayer) trophy to obtain, which is the hidden trophy 9-Irony. (Had to look that one up. I'll need to burn through the first level of a new game to get it...)

I'm not really a trophy guy, but since I was playing the shit out of the game anyways, I reckoned I'd try to catch 'em all. There is a sequence of trophies dedicated to the Multiplayer Rank, so I'll have to dedicate myself to the online if I want to achieve my first "Unlock All Trophies" trophy.

So, I thought I was crazy, but it turns out there is a glitch involving the use of the Natural Camouflage gene tonic in Fontaine Futuristics. The glitch being that it don't work. You don't turn invisible. Could have made for an awkwardly ineffective sneak attack, so, now you know.

Anyways, my final Gene Tonic loadout is noteworthy. Let's see if I can recall all eighteen:

Damage Research	EVE Expert	Sportboost
Drill Power	EVE Saver	Natural Camouflage
Drill Power 2	EVE Saver 2	Arms Race
Drill Lurker	Armored Shell 2	Cure All
Drill Vampire	Electric Flesh	Fountain of Youth
Headhunter	Walking Inferno	Medical Expert

Not too shabby, huh? Some real nice combos in there. Haven't seen any formulas like I relayed for wrench damage in BioShock (1), but my Drill Dash on an unaware and shocked opponent has got to be maximum damage.

They are not needed at this point in my game, but I did make use of Keen Observer, Keen Observer 2, and Extended Reel to complete my research in a timely manner. I believe after I maxxed out Alpha Series research, I only reemployed these when Big Sister was coming for me. I also obtained Proud Parent and Demanding Father, gifts from rescued Little Sisters that grant you 50% more ADAM from gathering and accelerate the duration of said process, respectively.

After the big three plasmids, as promised, I added Scout and Decoy, and when available Scout 2 and Decoy 3. Scouting ahead and placing a Decoy works great. By the time your return to your body and enter the room, it's like the party started without you.

I experimented some with Winter Blast 2, though I reloaded my game and opted against it. Winter Blast, Security Command, and Cyclone Trap were not appreciably missed this time around. I always have found Cyclone Trap a little awkward to use. (Although Geyser Trap in Multiplayer is kind of fun, especially when seeking the Death From Above Trial.) I have considered a Neutral run, to obtain the third ending, but I'd have to emphasize Winter Blast, Security Command, and Cyclone Trap to make the playthrough appreciably different, which isn't enticing me currently.

So, the good news is, if you don't care about BioShock 2, I have pretty much exhausted my thoughts on the subject... on the singleplayer experience, anyways. If I continue in the Multiplayer track, I inevitably will have more to relay, but for now, you're off the Spider Splicer's hook.

Tatsunically Obscure Reference [Tatsunoko vs Capcom Joe the Condor X Haunting Ground Ending]

Hey, remember when we talked about Haunting Ground?

Well, Joe the Condor's arcade ending in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom totally has him intervening in the events of Haunting Ground. Wild, huh? Doesn't get much more obscure than that.

BlogoShock 2: Hacking/Plasmids/Weapons/Research/Enemies/Multiplayer [BioShock 2 Review 2: The Return]

Now that you've had time to digest my thoughts on the narrative and gameplay of BioShock 2, please indulge my thoroughness. I have a lot to say about specific aspects and systems of the game as well, particularly in comparison to the original.

The gameplay-halting tile-swapping minigame used for hacking technology is supplanted by a realtime needle-stopping diversion that I feel is a better fit. It keeps the excitement high, and provides some options when it may be better to avoid an alarm entirely, or when the free first aid kit might be worth the risk of a more difficult needle stop. Also, the ability to hack remotely is a godsend. (I can't tell you how much EVE I used in the original to stun turrets with Electro Bolt or distract them with Decoy.)

Speaking of Plasmids, only one major new addition was included: Scout, a sort of astral projection plasmid for looking ahead. (Remind anyone else of the Gamecube game Geist?) Enrage and Hypnotize Big Daddy were consolidated into one, and the elemental powers have all been elaborated and differentiated at different levels of advancement. (Oh, there is another new Plasmid, but I really shouldn't mention it.)

Weapons likewise stuck pretty close to what worked in the original, and improved everything else. (Thankfully, the Chemical Thrower was thrown out.) Rivet Gun : Revolver :: Drill : Wrench. Rocket Spears, Phosphorous Buck, Solid Slug, and Trap Rivets all stand out as brilliant additions. The Drill and its limited supply of fuel make for a well balanced weapon; the Drill may be fucking nasty, but you can't just Drill Dash through every obstacle.

Like the less obtrusive hacking, the Research Camera is reinvented in a video format, awarding more research points for film of the subject assaulted in creative, non-repetitive ways. It flows much better with the action, methinks. But for God's sake, don't forget to research the Big Sister every chance you get. You'll thank me.

Enemies are expanded very nicely. Nitro Splcers were combined into Leadheads, which makes for a tougher foe, and a more treacherous force when combined with Thuggish hordes. Massive gorilla-like Brute Splicers, primitive Alpha Series Daddies, the new Rumbler Big Daddy, and, of course, the sleek and deadly Big Sister round out the competition. It doesn't take too long to learn the different tactics these types employ, but once you've got a Brute and an Alpha closing in while a couple of Houdinis flit about, the battle gets pretty fucking frenetic.

I've but dabbled yet into the prequel Multiplayer. I played a few rounds of Survival of the Fittest (aka Deathmatch) and found the action to be frantic and jarring. Part of this, of course, is my unfamiliarity with the levels, as well as my character's lowly status. I did win my first match earlier today, thanks in no small part to grabbing the Big Daddy Suit twice. Gameplay in the single player mode stops while you open the weapon or plasmid selection wheels, so engaging in combat in realtime suffers from a bit of a disconnect. I'm going to keep on this mode for awhile, though; I'd really like to see how the Multiplayer-exclusive Aero Dash and Houdini Plasmid play.

I'm on my second playthrough now, rescuing Little Sisters this time instead of harvesting them. My conservative habits that left me extremely wealthy and well supplied by the conclusion of runthrough one have kept me in luxurious comfort so far. I've only had to buy the odd EVE Hypo here and there to keep moving. I have an urge to focus on the Plasmids I neglected last time, like Winter Blast, but with the lower ADAM expected, I can't be too liberal with my purchases. Decoy and Scout are likely to be my first purchased plasmids now that I'm in Siren's Alley. I'm focusing on the Rivet Gun and Shotgun as far as upgrades, as they each provide a chance for EVE-free elemental damage with their final improvement. I've also got Keen Observer equipped, so that I can knock out all of my research ASAP.

Well, that's about it. I'm sure I'll have some more tidbits from the second playthrough, and I'll share my thoughts on the complete Multiplayer package once I've levelled up a bit more and have tried all the modes. In the meantime, if you're playing this great game feel free to drop me a line, you know, in case you're stuck, or just want some splicing advice.

Remember, "A Man Chooses."

Three Strikes and They're In [SSFIV Roster Third Strike Additions - Ibuki, Makoto, Dudley]

As reported on Kotaku, based on alleged scans from the new Famitsu, as expected, Dudley, Makoto, and Ibuki are confirmed to be in Super Street Fighter IV.

Not a shocker, but just to keep up on it, ja, that's they. This is still in line with the supposed roster screen I've already relayed. Hakan should be next, likely to be announced or some images leaked in late March, I'd guess.



Let's see if I can get all this FPS out of my system before the end of April, 'cause I'll have some fighting to do.

BlogoShock 2: Bigger and Daddier [BioShock 2 Review]

Also, More Morally Choicier

Oh, the ways you can kill people in this fucking game. It doesn't take long to pick up the One-Two: shock an enemy, then clock 'em with your drill. Pretty soon you'll be igniting squads of Splicers and electrocuting them when they try to douse themselves in a nearby pool. And then, later on, yes, you will subdue a room of Splicers with Rocket Spears and Insect Swarm, pick up one of the infested corpses with Telekinesis, fling it at an unsuspecting Brute, as the insects burst out and swarm, unload a headshot of Solid Slug on the poor sap, triggering the shotgun's Tesla shock, at which point he is a sitting duck for a fatal Drill Dash.

And that's a relatively ordinary enemy encounter.

I obv have a hard on for BioShock 2. So, what wasn't as good as the first BioShock?

The story, for one. It just doesn't quite have the punch, although the sequel wisely avoided following too closely in the mold of the first. In some aspects, it was a more focused and cohesive story; while many elements are initially unclear, they all ultimately follow a path to a singular point. **SPOILER WARNING** It lacks the dramatic mid-game twist of the first, though that would have been too predictable this time through. You do slowly uncover information about your protagonist's true identity in this game, but it is not a central plot device. Also, after the Big Boss-esque betrayal by your guide in the first game, having a shady, all-too-charismatic ally who eventually redeems himself (instead of stabbing you in the back) is a welcome change. **SPOILERS OVER** It may not have been quite as forceful a tale, but it is the right story for this game, and the writing continued the unfaltering quality of the first.

The other thing, that has been widely reported, is that the awe of the undersea distopia Rapture is deadened by the first game's exposure. Sure, you're seeing new parts of the aquatic metropolis, and you are seeing much of it in a new way, but it doesn't quite have the jaw drop effect. This is to be expected, and cannot rightfully be considered a shortcoming. There is discussion about whether or not Rapture would hold up for a third installment. Highly debatable, though a return would not be a dealbreaker by any means (for this reviewer, anyways.)

While there are a number of improvements, the implementation of moral choice by the player is more comprehensive and more impactful. The method by which these choices affect the gameplay is not so different, but the consequences of the player's decisions are far more profound. In BioShock, you could either rescue or harvest the Little Sisters, resulting in the Good or Evil ending, or you could resuce at least one and harvest at least one, resulting in a Less Evil ending. This time, though, the resultant fate of the Sisters is modified by how you dealt with some of the survivors with whom you interacted, and this plays out in a much more meaningful way than just, 'Hey, you spared my life, here's an EVE Hypo,' or 'Hey, you killed all the Little Sisters, what gives?'

The length of the game was just about perfect; long enough to have felt substantial, but tight enough to make me hunger for a second, immediate playthrough. They've kept the bar high for level design, and have really expanded the activities one can partake in. Besides clearing an area, hacking all security, and exploring for items, audio diaries, and your current objective, you then have to find time to kill the Big Daddies and take their Sisters. But once you've done that, have your new Lil Sis show you where the angels are, so you can defend her against a Splicer assault while she gathers ADAM. Once you've decided the fate of enough Little Sisters, Big Sis drops in for a ferocious encounter.

What's really fucking cool is that all of these activities can take place in the same area. If you know an area well, and you think you'll have an advantage, then do as much as you can in that area. The trade off being that you can deplete the resources of an area (and your own) if you dwell there too long; There are only so many explosive cannisters, turrets only have so much health, and scrounged EVE Hypos and First Aid Kits only last so long. As you play, you'll learn the pacing, and 2K Marin has really put in a lot of effort to ensure you that you can accomplish all of these things while you are progressing the storyline in an area.

Oh, sorry, forgot to mention, I've got a lot more specific reaction to plasmids, weapons, hacking, enemies, and research. I'll post that tomorrow. Don't want to overload you.

BlogoShock 2: Proclamation [BioShock 2 Done]

BioShock 2: Harvested.

BlogoShock 2: Daddy's Home [Blogging BioShock 2]

So, despite what some of you had predicted, I am in possession of my PS3 copy of Bioshock 2. Also despite the weather, which proved not to be too obstacular to me nor to Best Buy's supply line, nor to their cute Asian cashier (who has to work till 4!)

So, I'm home now. I've finished the first segment of the game, the introduction if you will. I've got the drill, the rivet gun, and electro bolt. They've already begun to open your (the player's) eyes to the flipside of the Big Daddy-Little Sister relationship. (The flipside being that of the insider, making the entire thing much less grotesque.) So far the action is tightly wound and very focused, and 2K Marin is consistently throwing fresh, bold imagery at you.

On the Singleplayer Option menu, the only change I made was to disable Vita Chambers. There is a Framerate lock feature (sacrificing detail for smoothness) that I may opt for later. I kind of want to disable the directional arrow, too, as it seems really unnecessary at this point in the game's progression.

Yeah, and I'm playing on Hard, natch. (It did say, 'Played A Lot of Shooters.')

Looks great; OMG ESPECIALLY WATER FALLING ON YOUR HELMET. The first time you move yourself to get a clearer look at one of the colorful dramatic pictures they have composed, you will begin to appreciate the effort it takes to make an atmospheric game of this depth. (Get it, depth?)

Audio is still on the brink of stealing the show. Is excellent. The music playing during the install really got me in the mood, too.

Stay tuned.

HypoShock 2 [BioShock 2 Hype]

IGN has their BioShock 2 review up now. Absolutely tantalizing. Here's a snippet:

Your Insect Swarm plasmid will initially daze and injure enemies. Upgrade it all the way and anyone killed by the bugs will turn into a kind of living bomb, spewing out more stingers at any enemies that pass by the corpse.

Motherfucking Tuesday, son.

X-Men Vs. Street Fighter 2 [New Marvel Versus Capcom Game Roster Speculation]

(This is the height of fanboy-ism, I know.)

So, Capcom has said that the response to the North American release of Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom could merit the production of a new Versus game. I personally would love to see another Marvel crossover, but in lieu of Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, I think an X-Men Vs. Street Fighter 2 would be a nice intermediary step. Sticking to only SF and X-Men properties obviously discludes a lot of favorites, but I think it would be wise to focus on a smaller roster while bringing tag battles up to date.

Marvel Vs. Capcom (1) had an interesting implementation to consolidate the roster. Ken and Akuma weren't included, but Ryu could spend a super bar to change his style (and palette) to something akin to his shoto-clones. I'd really like to see all three in a new crossover game, as differentiated as possible.

Another interesting quirk of X-Men Vs. Street Fighter (1) was that the characters from each side were generally paired up based on similarities. Ryu and Cyclops, Magneto and Dictator, Zangief and Juggernaut, etc. So, I says to myself, I says, "Self, if I were to pick a trilogism of X-Men to align against Ryu, Ken, and Akuma, who would I pick?

The Summers Brothers, natch. Cyclops is a match for Ryu's familiar stoic template, Havok shares the brash, reckless traits of Ken Masters, and Vulcan brings the same dark, mysterious elements to the table as Akuma. This would entail completely new designs for Havok and Vulcan, as they have never appeared in a Capcom fighter, which is a lot of work, but something I think would payout huge dividends with fans and fanboys alike.



That's a good start for a roster, but to expand on this...

Magneto		Dictator
Juggernaut		Zangief
Storm		Chun-Li
Psylocke		Cammy

These eight all have a history in the Crossover games, so they're a pretty solid way to flesh out the sides. And with the exception of Chun-li/Storm, it's in keeping with established pairings. Obviously the Marvel characters would need to be completely modeled, and animated, but their earlier incarnations should provide a framework for revision.

Gambit		C.Viper
Spiral		Dhalsim
Wolverine		Rufus
Sentinel		Sagat
Cable		Charlie

This next batch provides some fun pairings, and would include Rufus and C.Viper in a VS. series installment for the first time. Of the new SFIV characters, I find Ruf and Viper to be the best fit for the high-flying frenetic style of the crossovers. El Fuerte definitely has an exciting fighting stlye, but his reliance on wakeup mixups would not translate too well, I don't think. It would also mark Sagat's first outing against the Marvel universe, which would necessitate some retooling, especially if he is Sentinel's counterpart. Cable (along with Magneto, Storm, and Sentinel) is included due to his popularity and superiority in MvC2 and I've paired him with Charlie just for the hell of it.

Deadpool		Ibuki
Jubilee		Sakura
Polaris		Juri

And then here are some fun characters that aren't exactly necessary for a full game, but would always make great secret or DLC additions. Deadpool is included, of course, due to his immense popularity, and he's across from Ibuki, the best match for him in the SF world. And just as Deadpool rides in on Cable's coattails, Polaris does likewise slipping in with Havok, though I thought her and Juri shared some interesting elements. Jubilee and Sakura aren't characters I'd like to see per se, but they make for a natural pairing.

So yeah, a ton of glaring ommissions, I know. If you need Rogue in there for some reason, swap out Polaris. (It'd be less work that way anyways.) Sabretooth likewise didn't make it, though if you could part with Juggernaut or Sentinel, he makes for another big Marvel character. (Oddly, Sabretooth was paired with Dhalsim in XMvsSF, but for teleportory reasons, I feel Spiral is stronger.) If I felt the urge to include Omega Red, I'd probably make the case that Birdie (with his Murderer's Chain standing in for Red's Carbonadium Coils) should also be included.

And yes, again, this is just rampant fanboy speculation, and I haven't seen data yet on how fast Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom is moving. It may be a moot point, but I know I'm not the only one with a jonesing for a modern Marvel crossover.