On Sunday’s post about Freedom Fighters i mentioned that you are given control of up to 4 squad mates. I am currently commanding 5. How is that possible? You can actually have up to 12. It says so on the back of the box cover………..
As part of my always play a “retro” game alongside the current gen fetish, i started Freedom Fighters on the original Xbox (Developed by IO Interactive and released in 2003). It’s a third person shooter which also gives you 4 more fighters under your command which adds squad based combat. It’s so much FUN!!! Big explosions, a lot of ammo and a large number of enemy troops make for a good blasting fun recipe. The controls are mostly simple and responsive (if not perfect - especially using the two thumbsticks to access inventory) and the story is on the light side with some funny, if cliche, jokes about the Soviets/Communists.
I managed to finish it today. The game is simply magnificent. Interesting and refreshing gameplay elements with a good solid story to give you even more incentive to make progress. Add to that some of the most memorable characters in games. Jade and Pey’J especially but also agent Double H. A real shame it did not do well commercially at the time.
Loved it. Big thumps up!
One of my gaming resolutions is to play BG&E. Luckily enough soon after this decision Brainy Gamer and his Vintage Game Club voted to make this their next game. That gave me the incentive to start playing it along with them and read, if not join, their discussion of the game. I am playing it on the original Xbox (not 360 compatible) and the years have been good to it (released in 2003 by Ubisoft). You will read it in every article you encounter about BG&E. It has two of the most unique characters and relationships to ever grace the video game screen. Jade and Pey’j’.
Not to mention gameplay. Making photography the most significant gameplay part of the game is refreshing in a medium dominated by weapons and killings. I was planning to write something more about it at some stage but i just saw Eurogamer had a retrospective article about it. It contains spoilers so be warned ( i stopped reading it after a point) but it’s a good read.
I really encourage you to play the game. The PC version might be the most easy to find/download and has the better graphics. Another of those great games you never played probably.
Backwards compatibility has always been a problem for the games industry. It is one of the limitations that has kept and still keeps videogames from becoming a form of entertainment or art even to rival music or movies. The cyclical nature of the industry with each upcoming generation rarely supporting the previous generations does not help either. Sony promised a while back that its own systems will always support backwards compatibility. Of course as with many promises this one proved empty and the company introduced a cheaper non-PS2 compatible Playstation 3 which will eventually be the version that sells the most.
This meant that if you wanted to play an older game, like Super Mario Bros, you needed to have the NES console connected to your tv alongside the current generation’s consoles. Not very practical is it. The porting of games from console to console was a mixed blessing as the quality of the game always varied so it could never really considered a substitute. Then we had the emulators with which you could play NES games on your PC or arcades on hacked Xbox’es. But it was never going be the manner in which old games would re-establish their presence.
Thankfully now with downloadable content this is about to change. All three consoles have online stores where you can download either NES, Mega Drive, PS1 or Xbox games. There is no need to own all consoles ever made in order to play them. I know that videogamers are usually more concerned with current generation games as they are attracted to shinier graphics and more online capabilities.
But there is a legacy. And it is a strong one. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, Sonic: The Hedgehog, Metal Gear Solid, Halo: Combat Evolved the list goes on and on.
Some of the biggest entertainment classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Star Wars and (Led Zeppelin) were all created before i was born and yet i have read, watched and listened to all three. The majority of the greatest games of all time are not of the current generation consoles. Aren’t you interested in playing them?
Now we can.
Indeed, as i mentioned to you in a previous Games i have missed post i was trying to get hold of two old-gen games i had my eye on for some time now. Finally they are now in my collection. I got Metal Arms: Glitch in the System (XBOX) and Gregory Horror Show (PS2) for a total of CYP16 (incl p&p) on Ebay. Both sealed and in mint condition. I think Christmas season is great for some retro gems alongside the next-gen games. Will get back to you for my impressions.
Every now and then i try to get a copy of a few games i was thinking of about but never actually did. Games i sacrificed from other titles. This is how i got my Ico game and SW:KOTR. I played both of them years after their release and i am glad i did. Fantastic games.
Right now i am trying to get my hands on the following two games.
The first is Metal Arms: Glitch in the System (XBOX edition) which although i had read the good reviews it received at the time i never crossed my mind to buy it. None of my friends had ever heard about the game so i left it at that. After reading an article about it again in last month’s Edge issue and listening to the guys on the Totally Rad Show podcast talking about how good it was i finally made up my mind to hunt for a copy.
Gregory Horror Show on the PS2 is the second game. To be honest i tried to get a copy on ebay a couple of times before but the bid went over my maximum offer and just left it there. I think this time i will try and get a copy even at not a bargain price.
Any games you missed and now you wish you had bought?
