The Gamer

SPLINTER CELL CONVICTION IS HERE FOLKS. And it is  everything I could have asked for. I will tell you right off the bat though, it is not the Splinter Cell you know of past. That Sam Fisher is dead. Instead, a new Sam has taken his place, one that is aptly known as the Panther. The game play is faster and you always seem to have the leg up on them.
One of the major new changes is the mark and execute system. To earn it, you must first perform a hand to hand take down. Once that happens, can mark targets. The number of targets depends on what weapon you are using. Once you have the targets in range, Same will perform head shots taking all targets down. While this could be used as a win button, it is not in the least. You must earn it and it is hard to maximize your marks is you are not positioned correctly.
I really love this game and highly suggest picking it up NOW.

So what video games take the most skill to play?

Ill tell you right now my answer to that question: RTS. The RTS genre as a whole is probably one of the hardest game genres to master vs a computer and a human player alike. Let me tell you why primarily for two reason...


1. Multiple unit management. Any RTS you play, one of the hardest parts is unit management. At points in the game, depending which game it is, you can have upwards of 20-40 units. What is remarkable is that the best players will utilize every unit to its max. Many RTS' follow a rock paper scissors format, each unit is good against one unit but poor against another. Then usually each faction focuses in on different strengths and weaknesses as well. For one player to manage this all is quite amazing.

2. Economy and Build Management: In Most RTS', you build what units you want. This involves managing a base as well as an economy. Simple choices like whether to buy a stronger unit or a cheaper one can be life or death. Do you go for mass of troops or the most elite? This in every way affects the army you have at any given moment. Did I mention you also have to produce resource units to keep your economy going as well as create a blend of attack and defense? In an FPS all you have to worry is about the bad guys, your ammo, and where you are.


These two alone create SO many opportunities and strategies. Each unit also usually has a special power that you have to look at as well. I just do not know any other types of games that take that much planning and move as fast as RTS' do. If you have any idea please feel free to comment, but I think it is pretty hard to top an RTS player in skill.

Major Nelson has confirmed that that USB storage will be available to Xbox owners in the pending update. His blog states that flash drives as well as external drives will be supported; although he specifically states that flash will give you a MUCH better experience. The cap on any device is 16gb and everything from my previous article still stands. I am so glad I do not have to shell out cash for a hard drive now. I must say though, this is a little strange considering they just started selling the 250gb hard drive by its self. But they're the sales reps, not me.

Today a new video has been released showing live action footage of the new installment of the Ghost Recon Series. This video shows off some of the features of Ghost Recon like the cloak feature from the first teaser and some SWEET new toys the ghosts have. Watch the video yourself here to see what I am talking about. This has REALLY got me hyped for this game. If you pick up a copy of Splinter Cell, which I know I am, you get access to the beta. And last but not least, it would not be a Ghost Recon video without the classic "LETS LIGHT EM UP." I AM PUMPED PEOPLE!

                                               So I came across a piece of news that sounds very good to me. It seems that rumors have surfaced saying that Microsoft is going to add USb support to its Spring 2010 Firmware update. The following is from a Game Informer article: "...store their XBLA games, DLC, and installed disc-based games on an external hard drive. The obtained documents and trusted sources allege that the storage device must be a minimum of 1GB, allowing room for a 512MB system partition. After the USB device is formatted, up to 16GB can be used for Xbox 360 storage." This is HUGE for all Xbox owners. The ability to keep that much info off your hard drive is more than convenient. The standard 20gb drive on earlier models would be sufficient to hold a lot of data, most of it gamer score and game saves. 


Also Microsoft has announced that the 250 gb drive previously available only through hardware packages is now being sold by its self. If this USb rumor turns out to be false, then the 250 hard drive seems the next best option

Since the rise of video games, they seem to be a staple at college dorms everywhere. Most dorms are not complete without at 360 or a PS3. Eastern is no exception to this rule. 

So as my heart beat with anticipation, I downloaded the demo of Splinter Cell Conviction the other day. Now I say this because in the post, I would like to talk about the franchise of a game vs. the gameplay vs the story. I will use the example of Splinter Cell to explain.

 Splinter Cell at its core is a stealth game. Sam fisher is the main character and he is trained to slip into a target and slip out, leaving minimal amount of damage and bodies behind. Shadows are your friend in older Splinter Cell games (the original through Double agent shall be grouped as "old") and you move very slowly and deliberately. You can choose to knock out enemies or kill them and you rarely ever fire a bullet. The game play works and people love the franchise. But lets look at the new one.

The new Splinter Cell is fantastic. From a gameplay perspective, this game works. The gameplay is amazing and I really feel like a predator. When playing you always feel like you have the edge and that you decide your own destiny. When clearing out a room it can be devastating if done correctly. Enemies have no idea what is happening  until they lie dead on the floor, shot by a "shadow." The game, just looking at the demo so far, seems to have really delivered. But, from a franchise view, many can say it hasn't.

SC CA is set up to so that you have the power to kill everybody in a room. The basic idea is that you plan and attack. In the older installments, you could beat entire levels without knocking out more then two people. Also gone is the knock out and kill buttons. Every time you attack someone your aim is to kill. There is only one melee button. You cannot hide bodies or OCP a light either. From a franchise view, some might say this game sucks, but from gameplay there are little to no issues to be found. Now, the third view: story.

Following the SC story, Sam is not working for Third Echelon anymore. He has no reason not to kill. There is no body governing his actions except him. It makes sense for him to leave a room full of dead bodies behind. He is trying to find his daughter's killer and nothing is going to stop him. Why should I sneak into a room and avoid everyone when I can kill all of them for what they did? The story has developed in a logical way and the gameplay reflects that. Looking from this aspect, the game once again puts its self in a positive light.

The ultimate question is how much of each goes into each game. I would say there should be an equality between all three. Either way a video game reviewer should be aware of these three views when looking at games.