Jeff Hoy, American

OMG!!!OMG!!!OMG!!!OMG!!!OMG!!!OMG!!!OMG!!!OMG!!!OMG!!!OMG!!!

The Resistance series is superior to the Halo series in nearly every way.  There, I said it.

Halo wins in the music department and probably the multiplayer department, I haven’t played Resistance multiplayer though, so I don’t know.  Resistance games win on everything else.  Nathan Hale could take Master Chief any day of the week.

Speaking of Resistance 2 specifically now.  I’m loving it.  It’s not perfect though.  The boss fights are formulaic, but that they are just so big makes them very entertaining.  In fact, the overall scale of the game, especially the first time you walk outside in San Fransisco, is something to see.

I am particularly enjoying the excellent pacing of R2, it makes it very easy to get into and out of the game while still feeling like you’re making a lot of progress.  I usually only play it an hour or so a day and in that hour usually something big, like a boss fight or major battle, happens.  That usually signals the end of my playtime so I turn it off and get on with my day.  I can’t remember the last game I played that had such great pacing.

I’m greatly looking forward to the end of Resistance 2 and eventually moving on to Resistance 3, when it is finally released.

…to pull the wool over Sony’s eyes, Gabe Newell, but I am not fooled.

Wow.

Great graphics, awesome sound and music, a beautiful story, and epic gameplay all add up to one of the best games I’ve ever played.  It’s no wonder that Okami was chosen as game of the year by so many in the games press back in 2006.  What is a wonder is that it’s still languishing in relative obscurity.

If you haven’t played Okami yet you really need to.  It’s only about 30 – 40 hours, so a couple of weeks at a few hours a day is a great use of your time to play it.

Get it on the PS2 to see it in all it’s original glory, or get the Wii version and enjoy a new level of immersion as you waggle your stick around to paint with the celestial brush.

If you missed this one and you’ve been needing a good adventure go buy Okami now.

3D Dot Game Heroes will probably be the only game I buy at retail for the forseeable future.  It’s just got a charm about it that makes me must have it.  Check out this latest trailer packed full of Zelda references.

I love Shenmue, a lot, and I’m finally taking the time to play Shenmue II on the Xbox.  I’m about half-way through, in Kowloon right now, and I only have one thing to say about this game.

WHY DID THEY TAKE AWAY THE REAL JOBS?!?!?  Why can’t I get a job driving a forklift or doing something else fun?  Why must I toil away in these insufferable Lucky Hit stands?!  This has got to be the worst mini-game of all time.  Not only is it stupid, but it can be a huge waste of time as you don’t always get paid for your work.

If you make Shenmue III, please Sega, include some real ways to earn money in the game.

I finally got around to finishing Vandal Hearts today.  Overall I enjoyed the game, but I’m not a hardcore RPG player, so I’m not comparing it to other RPGs.  It’s only about a 15 or 20 hour game, you could probably extend that to 30 hours if you spent more time exploring.  Does it stack up to Disgaea or Final Fantasy or any of those other popular RPGs?  No.  But it’s not really meant to I don’t think.  It’s a $15 game on the PSN, so consider it in that light.  Flames of Judgment is kind of hard to compare to the previous Vandal Hearts games because of that, but I think I enjoyed it as much as I did the first in the series.  It certainly has made me want to go back and play the first two, so I guess it was good enough.

If you’re a fan of tactical RPGs, but don’t want to invest a ton of time into one, then buy Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment.  If you’re a hardcore RPGer that thinks anything less than 50 hours is a ripoff, then skip it.

Now I can move on to Trine and give it my full attention.

…over at Big Squid RC.  Go check it out.

I’m blogging for Big Squid R/C!  I have a real audience!  So go there for all the R/C news you used to find here.  Not to worry though, I’ll still be blogging here about all the other stupid junk that I usually blog about.

Robitronic, the makers of the excessively cool 1/18 scale Scalpel pan car, have decided to branch out a litte bit.  They have announced a new 1/10 scale RTR stadium truck targeted at newbies called the EST- BL.  But just because it’s a beginner’s truck don’t expect it to skimp on performance or high tech goodies, it’s brushless powered and includes a 2.4GHz radio.  As with most RTRs you’ll need a battery (2S LiPo or 6 cell NiMH) and charger to complete the package.  Unfortunately there’s no word on MSRP or ship date, check with your local hobby shop or keep an eye on Stormer Hobbies and Tower Hobbies.

Features & Specs

• RTR – out of the box
• Brushless Motor
• 2.4GHz Radio
• 2WD
• Painted Body
• Oil filled shocks
• Ball Bearings
• Wheelbase: 11.4″
• Length: 17.7″
• Width: 12.6″
• Height: 6.7″