Friday, June 22, 2007

Legitimacy: A Lesson in Neglect

So, I've neglected this blog outside of B-Side News for a long while. I still intend to post here, though, that's for sure. Okay, so legitimate response time, I've got some things to discuss!

I've picked up a freelance reviewing job. I'm being sent review copies of games, so that's a definite plus. Only downside? I gotta bite the bullet and review some PC games, too. I think I'll live, though. This will be my first "real" job reviewing games, since what I was doing previously was just hobby work. I'm pretty excited, but I'm not an expert at reviewing, so it'll take some work. I'm excited, though, and I think it'll bode well for the future. If anyone's wondering (lolol), I'm still a news editor for my other site, so this job won't be interfering with my other work.

I finished Metroid Prime after owning the game for four years. I'm really fickle with games, and I think it's going to be a problem while reviewing them. Playing through it, it felt pretty repetitive and didn't seem to exemplify the Metroid ambience the 2D titles are renowned for. However, upon finishing the title, I came to the realization that I had really enjoyed playing it.

As such, I need to finish Metroid Prime 2: Echoes before Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is out. I've got a long list of titles I need to finish before the summer's done, and reviewing games on top of it isn't going to make it any easier of a task.

Oh, and Metroid Prime has a fantastic soundtrack. Given Metroid Fusion's and Metroid Zero Mission's mediocrity in the sound department, it's refreshing to know that there are still some good compositions left for the Metroid series.

I picked up Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition. You know, I started playing it and thought, "this game is beginning to show its age." But, then, I started progressing further, and I began to realize how well it still holds up. The character models are just dripping with detail, high poly count, realistic expressions and animation, it's really aesthetically pleasing to look at. Much of the atmosphere is excellent, too. The Village at the beginning isn't that great, but once you're at the cemetery, or the burning barn, or the castle, it's just really nice looking.

On the subject of Wii controls, I think it fits the game real well. Initially, I had about a 20 minute adjustment period where I was really perplexed with them. Now, though, I'm really content with them, and it's far, far, far superior to controlling it with the analog stick. So, really, still the same great game from two years ago, with better controls and the PS2 extras. A $30 asking price is a bit steep, but I, personally, feel it's worth the price.

I ended up typing more than I had initially thought I would. Okay, I guess this makes up for the lack of updates in the past couple months. Now, to neglect this blog until September!

No, I'll try to keep updating a bit more often. Not that anyone cares, but it's still something I'd like to do. Maybe I'll post excerpts of reviews I've done, we'll see.