Posted by: Snafzg
On: Jun 01, 2009 at 01:14pm
With the wife out of town I had a bit of time to play Team Fortress 2 and BioShock this weekend. Here are my impressions.
Team Fortress 2
I hadn't been receiving notice when I picked up new special items for some reason, so I was a bit surprised when I checked my inventory and found a Huntsman's Bow and Jarate for my Sniper and an Ambassador and Cloak and Dagger watch for my Spy on Friday night. I've picked up a Backburner for my Pyro, a new rail gun for my Tank, and a new shotgun for my Scout (sorry, can't remember the names). These new items truly add a new dimension to the game and I'm quite enjoying them.
I really am an alt-aholic in TF2 and usually jump on to what's most needed or just flip characters when I get a string of frustrating deaths. My favorite character is the Spy by far and least favorite is probably the Engineer. I realize they are extremely necessary and powerful when played well, but I don't like being confined to a particular space. I play TF2 for the gratuitous action and violence, not lay and pray.
I really like the new Lazytown Lazynite map but to be honest I haven't tried all the new ones yet. And yes, I'll admit that I did spend about 10 minutes on an Achievement server lamely boosting up a bunch of achievements on my Spy and Sniper. I didn't fully exploit it, but I did unlock about 12 new achievements as a result.
More on this game later.
BioShock
The game has been out for like 2 years now but this weekend was my very first experience. So far, my feelings are a bit mixed.
I like the story so far and it is definitely challenging on medium difficulty. The graphics are cool and atmosphere is totally creepy when playing late at night. My only complaints are the interface and the motion sickness I numbly feel while playing.
Granted, I haven't actually looked throught he manual but some of my character attribute menus aren't very intuitive. Also, I find it strange how some FPS games give me a headache while others cause me no issues at all. BioShock is unfortunately one of the former games, and it's a bit of a struggle to play it for long sessions. It may be a result of playing TF2 first and BioShock second.
Most of this weekend started with me playing TF2 for an hour or so and then jumping into BioShock after only a few minutes break. Maybe there's soem sort of pacing and graphical issue. The graphics in BioShock are much more rich and detailed so I tend to focus in on them a lot more (looking for clues, items, etc.). In TF2 I barely notice the object textures at all because I'm so focused on the enemy. Also, I find the movement pace and combat speed in BioShock a bit different than it is in TF2 - almost faster, which is a bit strange considering one is PvE while the other is PvP. Usually, it's the other way around.
I don't know how many hours I put in this weekend but I just recently killed the surgeon boss. I fought him once and used a tonne of ammo because I accidentally let him get healed by the basement healing station. I reloaded and tried again killing him with two telekenetic throws of the propane tanks. Much more efficient! :P
I also just "saved" a Little Sister rather than take all her Adam. I was going to go all evil but the animation of her scurrying away from my outstretched hands made me feel reeeeeeally weird and creeped out, and I just couldn't do it. The very last thing I did before logging out was I got steamrolled by one of those tank guys that protect the Little Sisters. Any idea how to kill him? I noticed some sort of tank on his back, so maybe I need to electrify him shoot that part of his body with armour piercing handgun rounds?
So that was it for my weekend. How was yours?
Team Fortress 2
I hadn't been receiving notice when I picked up new special items for some reason, so I was a bit surprised when I checked my inventory and found a Huntsman's Bow and Jarate for my Sniper and an Ambassador and Cloak and Dagger watch for my Spy on Friday night. I've picked up a Backburner for my Pyro, a new rail gun for my Tank, and a new shotgun for my Scout (sorry, can't remember the names). These new items truly add a new dimension to the game and I'm quite enjoying them.I really am an alt-aholic in TF2 and usually jump on to what's most needed or just flip characters when I get a string of frustrating deaths. My favorite character is the Spy by far and least favorite is probably the Engineer. I realize they are extremely necessary and powerful when played well, but I don't like being confined to a particular space. I play TF2 for the gratuitous action and violence, not lay and pray.
I really like the new Lazytown Lazynite map but to be honest I haven't tried all the new ones yet. And yes, I'll admit that I did spend about 10 minutes on an Achievement server lamely boosting up a bunch of achievements on my Spy and Sniper. I didn't fully exploit it, but I did unlock about 12 new achievements as a result.
More on this game later.
BioShock
The game has been out for like 2 years now but this weekend was my very first experience. So far, my feelings are a bit mixed.I like the story so far and it is definitely challenging on medium difficulty. The graphics are cool and atmosphere is totally creepy when playing late at night. My only complaints are the interface and the motion sickness I numbly feel while playing.
Granted, I haven't actually looked throught he manual but some of my character attribute menus aren't very intuitive. Also, I find it strange how some FPS games give me a headache while others cause me no issues at all. BioShock is unfortunately one of the former games, and it's a bit of a struggle to play it for long sessions. It may be a result of playing TF2 first and BioShock second.
Most of this weekend started with me playing TF2 for an hour or so and then jumping into BioShock after only a few minutes break. Maybe there's soem sort of pacing and graphical issue. The graphics in BioShock are much more rich and detailed so I tend to focus in on them a lot more (looking for clues, items, etc.). In TF2 I barely notice the object textures at all because I'm so focused on the enemy. Also, I find the movement pace and combat speed in BioShock a bit different than it is in TF2 - almost faster, which is a bit strange considering one is PvE while the other is PvP. Usually, it's the other way around.
I don't know how many hours I put in this weekend but I just recently killed the surgeon boss. I fought him once and used a tonne of ammo because I accidentally let him get healed by the basement healing station. I reloaded and tried again killing him with two telekenetic throws of the propane tanks. Much more efficient! :P
I also just "saved" a Little Sister rather than take all her Adam. I was going to go all evil but the animation of her scurrying away from my outstretched hands made me feel reeeeeeally weird and creeped out, and I just couldn't do it. The very last thing I did before logging out was I got steamrolled by one of those tank guys that protect the Little Sisters. Any idea how to kill him? I noticed some sort of tank on his back, so maybe I need to electrify him shoot that part of his body with armour piercing handgun rounds?
So that was it for my weekend. How was yours?
I haven't played WAR in ages and don't see any reason to log in until 1.3 launches. Once it does, I still don't see it holding my attention for long, so I've pretty much resigned to choosing a new primary MMO. The trouble is, I have no interest in any of the current MMOs. I am interested in a few upcoming titles, but they're still months away from release. This leaves me in a position where I'm looking for a hold-me over game.
