Tag Archives: Xbox 360

Ruffian

Over 10 years after my interest was first piqued by it, I finally loaded up Bully: Scholarship Edition for Xbox 360. While yet another GTA 3 style open world game, I thought the unique tone of Bully would offer me a nice change from what I’d been playing lately. After researching it a little, I decided to play it using Xbox One’s backwards compatibility which I’m happy to report worked great, suffering no performance issues and only a single freeze up (which was likely unrelated to backwards compatibility, though who really knows.) Anyway, on to Bullworth Academy!

“Our hero, Jimmy Hopkins. (Yeah, don’t ask!)”

As a fan of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, Bully is an interesting title. Coming out between GTA: San Andreas and GTA IV, it runs on the same RenderWare based engine as the GTA 3 series and definitely shares a lot of its design aesthetics as well, from the wacky character designs to the loading screen artwork and even the UI. In fact, having been a while since I’ve played any of the three games in the GTA 3 series, I was taken aback by the familiarity of being back in that engine again. Even keeping in mind that the Scholarship Edition is a remastered version of the original Bully from the end of the previous generation, it was a bit like stepping into a time machine, despite being a totally different game.

Gameplay-wise, it’s obviously a different coat of paint on the same old GTA 3 formula. While there’s a valiant attempt to change its scope a bit by focusing more on smaller areas and more on-foot interaction, the structure of the storytelling, the missions, etc. are all pure GTA 3. I recall more than one person referring to Bully as “Grand Theft Auto: Schoolyard” or something similar back in the day, and that doesn’t feel too off the mark, honestly. Sure, you might be running around on foot, or riding a BMX or a skateboard around the relatively small town of Bullworth instead of stealing sports cars and gunning it through the streets of Vice City, and of course you’re giving wedgies instead of mowing down your enemies in a hail of sub-machine gun fire, but it is GTA 3.

“Welcome to Bullworth Academy! It only gets worse from here…”

Therein lies the charm of Bully, though – by taking the parody heavy humor and oddly jaded worldview of Grand Theft Auto and moving it into the much smaller world of private school drama, the game manages to capture a lot of the real (and much more so, totally fictional) nostalgia of growing up, all with a wink and a nod that feels very, very Rockstar. This really is Bully’s main strength and what sets it apart from GTA, and likely why many people rank it above any of the GTA games. Maybe if I had played it back when it was released I’d feel the same way. I did enjoy the game, overall, but I can’t say I absolutely loved it or anything. My issues?

Well, first of all, as mentioned, the gameplay and mission design is absolute GTA, but this is pre-GTA IV GTA, meaning many of the mechanical improvements that occurred throughout the development of the franchise are either absent or in a very early form here. Most notably, the inability to quickly retry a failed mission drove me just a little crazy the handful of times I failed a mission. What can I say, I suppose I’ve been spoiled by more modern, friendly game design…

“The load screens also get the GTA 3 treatment.”

Then we have the whole “school day” structure. At first I found this to be an interesting and even appealing mechanical twist, but after hours having to keep an eye on the clock to make it to classes, having to take note of the nightly curfew, having to devote half of my day to attempting to pass classes, and of course, having to sleep, it felt more restrictive than anything else, and it did nothing to help the feeling of repetition already present in the GTA mission formula. I guess feeling limited by school hours and a curfew, and the repetitiveness of school life, are quite accurate to the experience of being a high school kid, but it’s not exactly fun (again, like being a high school kid.) I also found the mini-games that represent each class largely more interesting of a concept than in reality, sadly.

Another difference from the proper Grand Theft Auto games that I found to be a negative was the soundtrack. I had noticed at some point during my playthrough that the lack of GTA 3’s awesome radio stations was noticeably detracting from the experience but when I went online to see if others had similar complaints I discovered that Bully’s soundtrack seems to be almost universally lauded. Some of the tracks are kind of neat, sure, and it’s definitely unique, but largely I found most of the songs on the original soundtrack to be a little simple, overly repetitive, and often didn’t quite fit the tone of the game. I guess I’m alone on this point?

“Well of course there’s racing!”

I also had some issues with the story. I appreciate how concise it is, that was one of the selling points to me in fact, but it felt like there might have been some missions and cutscenes left on the cutting room floor. In the fifth and final chapter Jimmy’s attempts to win over (and thereby take over) the school have progressed very nicely resulting in Jimmy ending up on top. There’s a major tonal shift, as all of the sudden everyone loves him and everything is going according to plan. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, everyone hates him. Like, really hates him. I almost got whiplash from that alone, but some of it can be explained away easily enough by pinning it on Gary manipulating everyone and general resentment from your peers, but then who the hell are the townies and why are they going through such extreme efforts to screw with Jimmy? Surely the original version of the script had several more missions, or maybe even another entire chapter or so to flesh this transition out. Maybe I’m blowing this particular issue out of proportion as I found only a few people discussing this issue online, but it really stuck out to me regardless.

“Gym class!”

Admittedly this is all a bit nitpicky. Overall, I’d say if the idea of a nostalgic journey back to the mid 2000s era of GTA appeals to you (or if you can stomach, at least) and you like the idea of playing a mostly likable teenage troublemaker raising hell in a stuffy private school, it’s likely you’ll enjoy the experience. I certainly did even if it did fall a bit short of my expectations.

All screenshots stolen from users on the Steam Community, which means they’re obviously from the PC version rather than the Xbox 360 version. Close enough!

Sabotage!

Taking a quick look at this site the other day I realized how I somehow completely skipped posting about the last Xbox 360 game I completed. No surprise, as I was busy job searching, resigning from my previous one, and preparing to move across the country. Hectic times. The weird thing is that I definitely have vague memories of at least writing a draft for it, and I’m sure I would have had a lot to say about it. In any case, it’s been so long now that I really can’t go into as much detail as I’m sure I would have wanted me, so I apologize for glossing over the details a bit.

“Sabotaging the shit out of a Nazi blimp!”

Anyway, the game is The Saboteur. Pandemic’s World War II open world game. This is also Pandemic’s very last game before being shuttered. I personally really liked Pandemic – I enjoyed both of the Full Spectrum Warrior games and both of the Mercenaries games quite a bit, and I know hordes of people absolutely adored the Star Wars: Battlefront series as well. So, is this a glorious last hurrah, or simply the last nail in the coffin? To me, despite some rough edges, it’s definitely closer to a good send off than the total mess it could have been. The ex-Pandemic guys also have to be happy about the game becoming a bit of a cult hit in recent years, as it frequently gets mentioned as a “hidden gem” from the last generation.

“Yep, another GTA clone…”

The Saboteur is, much like the Mercenaries series before it, a twist on the classic Grand Theft Auto 3 style of open world shooter/driver. The twist this time is that you’re a resistance fighter helping to liberate occupied Paris during the war, employing both ridiculous war machines like Mercenaries, and also stealth and subterfuge, including a parkour system obviously inspired by Assassin’s Creed. The more contemporary urban setting gives it a feel much closer to GTA than Mercenaries, which is a distinct difference and also a bit of a disappointment as I can’t help but daydream about what an open world game set in and around World War battlegrounds, including all kinds of heavy weapons and over the top combat, could have been like. That idea is likely a part of the original concept of The Saboteur, but only shows up here and there – there are tanks, artillery, machine guns, and big explosions, sure, but you’ll be spending most of your time driving (cars, not tanks!) around in the city and avoiding guard checkpoints and patrols.

“Causing some chaos in the streets of Paris.”

The combat in The Saboteur shined the most for me when I went full crazy, purposely waging a personal war against every Nazi I could find, quickly escalating the alarm rating, stealing tanks, shooting down blimps and planes, and embracing the total chaos. This is only likely to happen a couple of times in the main story, but chasing achievements and in-game unlocks really presented some opportunities for wackiness. The other moments for me that I really enjoyed was the free-form takedown/takeover of Nazi fortifications and checkpoints. Clearing those out could be a lot of fun and sometimes require quite a lot of strategy, and also gain you some helpful currency for abusing the game’s supply stores. Unfortunately, this became a little too repetitive due to the seemingly inexhaustible supply of the checkpoints all over the game map. Those awesome moments started to be overshadowed by the feeling the I wasn’t making much of a dent when I zoomed out the map. Pity.

“Just look at all of those fucking blips. Ugggghhhh!”

While the game can feel a little on the clunky side, particularly the driving, which you do quite a lot of of course, it’s all quite serviceable, and certainly not as rough around the edges as Mercenaries 2 was upon release. The bigger problems with the game are probably less technical, such as it’s bizarre insistence on taking place in an alternate past version of World War II, where the timeline is different, things have different names and designs, etc. Plenty of World War II games have embraced fictionalized versions of reality, but The Saboteur never goes too far into approaching the occult, zombies, and super technology of Wolfenstein, for example. Instead, everything just feels a little bit “off” for no real reason, other than a license to be lazy with the facts. Combined with the humor and overall irreverence for the subject matter, the game almost feels like something along the lines of Inglourious Basterds, without quite sticking the landing.

“Our dashing hero, Sean Devlin.”

I should also give a shout out to the protagonist, Sean Devlin, who is sort of the personification of that whole thing. Luckily I was prepared for how ridiculously over the top this Irish (yes, despite helping the French resistance in Paris, you’re actually an Irish dude) knucklehead stereotype is. Some of his one liners were actually pretty funny, and I actually think he could have been developed into a pretty cool character with a bit more effort, and maybe he would have been if this game had gotten a sequel. Regardless, I’m definitely not as bothered by him as some people seem to have been.

“Enjoying a rare Mercenaries moment…”

One of the The Saboteur’s most unique features is that the occupied portions of the city are bathed in this ultra-stylish black and white, with only flourishes of color highlighting certain things such as the red on the Nazi uniforms and banners, the blue of the resistance fighters, the orange of fiery wreckage, or the soft yellow glow shining from windows at night. While a little jarring at first, this is a really, really cool look once you get used to it. When you liberate an area of the city, the palette of the area shifts into full color. The color looks fine, good even, but it feels a little odd to reward the player by making an area’s visuals less cool. Humph! It was a good idea that only almost works. Another landing that they didn’t quite stick…

We in the killin’ Nazi business!”

That would probably be a nice way to sum up the entire game. It all sounds amazing on paper, and it is executed mostly competently, but somehow it just doesn’t gel together to reach the heights of excellence it could have. Still, if all of the elements of The Saboteur sound appealing to you, as they did to me, you’ll probably enjoy it. It’s just a shame that Pandemic isn’t around to release a sequel that really captures all of the potential that this game has with a The Saboteur 2 (and while we’re at it, a Mercenaries 3!)

(Screenshots from mostly the PC version swiped from various sources.)

Grubbin Cold War

I’m a little bit behind with my normal game log updates so this is a bit of a catch up session.

Around Halloween last year I decided to grab Double Fine’s Costume Quest 2 off of XBLA. As a side note, I don’t think they call it Xbox Live Arcade anymore, do they? Whatever man, I’m a die hard! Anyway, I gushed quite a bit about the first one on here, so I felt pretty confident about grabbing the second one.

“Dentists should be portrayed as villains far more often.”

Gameplay hasn’t shifted significantly in the sequel. It’s still basically a simplified take on classic JRPGs, with the game divided into wandering an “overworld” exploring, looting a little and talking to the odd NPC, and then moving into turn based, party versus party battles when you encounter enemies. The overworld is mostly the same, though some costumes have special abilities which are used to solve simple puzzles while navigating. Really, they’re more about gating you based on whether you have the costume or not than presenting any sort of challenging puzzle to solve though. The combat system itself a bit different, with a greater focus on timed attacks and blocks and the addition of special ability cards, but it all still feels very JRPG-inspired, and while you may prefer one system over the other, the difference isn’t all too compelling to me.

The real appeal of Costume Quest is its quaint charm and humor. Unfortunately, while the overall plot might be better realized this time around, the writing struck me as far drier. I didn’t get nearly as strong of a genuine sibling vibe from the main characters, for one, and it’s hard to put my finger on why, but I also didn’t think the game was quite as funny as the first one. Maybe I’m just in a drastically different headspace than I was a few years back, or perhaps the formula has just worn out its welcome. The gameplay also started to wear out its welcome though. In the end, the repetition of exploring the overworld and getting pounded with so many random battles really took a toll on me, and I had to drag myself to the finish line. For a game that’s only 8 or 9 hours long, that’s definitely not a great thing.

“Dream team: Gandalf, Thomas Jefferson, and a fucking pterodactyl!”

I hear a Costume Quest 3 is in development now but unless they make some major changes to the basic formula I may give that one a pass.

I started a second game from the dusty corners of XBLA at around the same time as I started Costume Quest 2; the sequel to another game that I absolutely loved, Toy Soldiers. I was actually a lot less confident about Toy Soldiers: Cold War because of what seemed like a new focus on special “barrage” attacks, especially the new Rambo inspired playable commando, who was featured constantly in all of the media surrounding the game. I’m happy to report that I was wrong, and Toy Soldiers: Cold War is about as direct a sequel as you could ever want while still allowing for some tweaks to the formula.

“Sometimes it’s just too easy…”

So about the game. Well, I’m just going to steal, almost verbatim, what I said about the original Toy Soldiers here. Toy Soldiers: Cold War takes the classic, simple tower defense gameplay, gives it an awesome Cold War/Vietnam era meets kid’s toy box theme, and adds in the ability to control towers and other special units (tanks, helicopters, and jets) by hand to up their effectiveness and/or your score. It’s a very simple concept but executed almost perfectly with an awesome presentation and a healthy layer of polish.

As with the first game’s World War I theme, the cold war era doesn’t get used too often in video games, and the variety and selection units is even cooler and funner to play with in my opinion. The fact that these are toys means how “realistic” it might be for a Huey gunship to duel a MIG-23, for example, is almost entirely irrelevant. That said, like the first game, everything being a “toy” of some sort, and the fact that you’re fighting in some kid’s bedroom, hardly detracts from the gritty war experience. I quickly forgot that my M1 Abrams tank had an radio control antenna sticking out of it, or that the mass of troops I was brutally gunning down were supposed to be toy soldiers at all.

“These (toy) BMP-1s don’t stand a chance against my (toy) Abrams.”

The aforementioned barrages, which are awarded for certain conditions, actually rarely come into play, though I suppose you could optimize your play to get awarded them more frequently than I did. Besides the commando unit I mentioned, most of these are powerful air strikes, some controllable and some not, and can really help turn the tide during a particularly nasty wave. The special controllable units, tanks, helicopters, and the occasional jet, feel more powerful in Cold War, but now have batteries, effectively meaning you can only use them for a short durations, having to wait for them to recharge between uses. Timing your use of these units can make or break your success in certain waves, and can greatly make up for a lack of certain turrets or upgrades.

I completed the entire campaign on the default difficulty, and also ran though both DLC campaigns. The DLC campaigns are short and sweet and seemed more focused on adding more maps rather than changing up the gameplay too much, despite one of the campaigns letting you play as the USSR, but if you really like the base game, perhaps more maps to play is incentive enough to pick them.

I’m ashamed to say that, like the first game, I still didn’t end up trying the multiplayer modes. One of these days. They look awesome, feature glorious split screen, and you can even play through the entire campaign co-op.

“The Commando doing what he does best, which is apparently effortlessly shooting down Mi24 Hinds!”

Signal Studios keeps knocking these games out of the park for me, and I’m already planning on picking up the latest game in the series, Toy Soldiers: War Chest. War Chest looks to really push the fun toys angle of the series over the edge, and even includes licensed toys like He-Man and G.I. Joe this time around. Seriously? Dude.

Last, and least, I’ve been playing Bungie’s Destiny 2 here and there. I know it’s been out for months already, but I’m going to hold off on talking about it until I play through the campaign a second time and can put together some more coherent conclusions on it, but I’ve definitely enjoyed my time with it so far. Stay tuned for that!

As usual, the screenshots here are mostly stolen from other places. Despite scouring Steam Community for what felt like hours, I’m not too satisfied with the Cold War screenshots. Sure, they’re cool, but they don’t represent that game’s core tower defense gameplay too well. What can I say? The flashier action stuff just makes for better pictures.