Bits and Bytes: Old school games make for new batch of fun
Let's start off with a quickie: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The Arcade Game is now on Xbox live. For five bucks, you're an idiot if you don't purchase this one even though you can play through it within an hour. This game is a classic early 90s/late 80s side-scroller with lots of action, good cartoon-y graphics and room for up to four people to play simultaneously (and on Xbox Live). We need to support these types of games so other classics like the upcoming old-schooler Double Dragon, the old WWF Wrestling Games as well as the cult-fan favourite: The Simpsons Arcade Game.
Splinter Cell: Double Agent for the Xbox 360
I know this one has been out for a while, but I never had the chance (or money) to get around to playing it. I have to start off by saying that this is hands down one of the best Splinter Cell games ever.
Sam Fisher is now an undercover double agent working for both the US and the terrorists. This makes for some great moments in the game because the choices that you make affect the rest of the game and your relationship with some of the key characters. I will say that making the right (and most ethical choices) are in your best interest, because it unlocks a bonus level at the end to reward you for having the best ending.
The control scheme is practically the same as “Chaos Theory” and although I haven't played my copy of the game in well over a year-and-a-half, I have no problems whatsoever picking up the controller and getting back into the Tom Clancy world.
The graphics, while I know they can look even better (thanks, Gears of War), look pretty damn good here. The lighting effects are amazing, like always, and the character models are almost lifelike. Zoom into some of the character's faces and you can actually see the moistness in the eyeballs and the lighting coming from around the room in them.
The one thing that I didn't like about this edition is the list of “to dos” while in the terrorist camp. You usually have two main priorities that you have to do before your 25 minutes runs out, but during my second time through, I thought, “why am I doing this again?” Don't ask what I was thinking during my third run through of the complex.
After playing through this (and not even touching the widely praised online component yet), I'm so stoked to get my hands on Splinter Cell 5 (exclusively for the XBOX 360). With more time to polish the beauty of a series even more, I can't imagine what the boys at Ubisoft are going to do next. This game is about 35 bucks now, so make sure you get it. Hell, I would have recommended it for the full $60 price point. Happy sneaking!
Splinter Cell: Double Agent for the Xbox 360
I know this one has been out for a while, but I never had the chance (or money) to get around to playing it. I have to start off by saying that this is hands down one of the best Splinter Cell games ever.
Sam Fisher is now an undercover double agent working for both the US and the terrorists. This makes for some great moments in the game because the choices that you make affect the rest of the game and your relationship with some of the key characters. I will say that making the right (and most ethical choices) are in your best interest, because it unlocks a bonus level at the end to reward you for having the best ending.
The control scheme is practically the same as “Chaos Theory” and although I haven't played my copy of the game in well over a year-and-a-half, I have no problems whatsoever picking up the controller and getting back into the Tom Clancy world.
The graphics, while I know they can look even better (thanks, Gears of War), look pretty damn good here. The lighting effects are amazing, like always, and the character models are almost lifelike. Zoom into some of the character's faces and you can actually see the moistness in the eyeballs and the lighting coming from around the room in them.
The one thing that I didn't like about this edition is the list of “to dos” while in the terrorist camp. You usually have two main priorities that you have to do before your 25 minutes runs out, but during my second time through, I thought, “why am I doing this again?” Don't ask what I was thinking during my third run through of the complex.
After playing through this (and not even touching the widely praised online component yet), I'm so stoked to get my hands on Splinter Cell 5 (exclusively for the XBOX 360). With more time to polish the beauty of a series even more, I can't imagine what the boys at Ubisoft are going to do next. This game is about 35 bucks now, so make sure you get it. Hell, I would have recommended it for the full $60 price point. Happy sneaking!
