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Take it out in trade...
I really, really hate trading in my videogames. The big problem is that I can't shake the feeling that I'm going to want to play these games again after I've traded them in. Given this worry tends to translate into thoughts about what I've just done, then I inevitably end up thinking about these games, and of course, want to play them.
Still, I have no money for the next week or so, and red dead redemption must be mine.
To that end I've sifted through my pile of games and picked out a few that will hopefully net me enough cash at trade in to get RDR. Below is a list of the titles that I will be parting with, and why.
Battlefield bad company (£5 trade in?)
This is relatively recent purchase for me. I don't like FPS games but this one came very highly recommended for its strong characterization and story. It's not bad if you judge it by videogame standards, but honestly the characters are just walking clichés. The redneck, the geek, the hotdog and of course, the black sergeant. Now, it's staple in bad action/horror movies and games that the black guy always dies first (ever seen the comedy evolution? If not, GET IT), but another standard that people always seem to miss is the fact that in movie-world, there are more black sergeants than white ones. And yet, the rest of the ranks (both commissioned and non commissioned), are all filled up with white guys. I suppose it's due to some sort of equal opportunities thing, trying to post racial minorities into positions of power, displaying that we are striving towards and equal society. Anyway, I'm not complaining about it or anything, just making an observation.
Back on topic though, Battlefield bad company was disappointing. The destructible environments where poorly done with buildings never actually falling down, I don't like the health bar mechanic, there was way too much meta going on, and while it did make me laugh from time to time I just found it very frustrating and dull.
Banjo-Kazooie, nuts and bolts (expected trade in, £5)
'Family' videogames are often overlooked by most gamers. But seriously, you don't need buckets of blood and entrails to make a good game. Banjo-Kazooie, nuts and bolts had some really good ideas, but was also crammed full with lots of peripheral crap that it didn't need to be. All it needed was a shop screen, level selection and the garage where you build your vehicles. The premise of the game is simple enough, you have a series of puzzles in which you use vehicles. However, you BUILD these vehicles specific to the puzzle. The degree of freedom involved is brilliant, and a sarcastic twist of self referential humour permeates the entire game making it a joy to play. The vehicle building mechanic and engine rivals that of spore's creature creator. So, why am I getting rid of it?
Well, the aforementioned peripheral crap just wound me up to no end. The game clings to the idea that it is still a Banjo-Kazooie title like Gordon Brown clinging to a seat at number 10. This means lots of exploration and pointless dead time. If you can stand the endless wondering around between levels then you will have a blast with this game, provided of course you have a mind capable of doing more than twitch shooting. Sorry to see this one go, but rare needed to make it a game in its own right.
IL2 Sturmovik, Birds of Prey (trade in, £10?)
Started out fun, but got dull pretty fast. To enjoy a flight sim, you really do need a joystick. The other problem was a single mission where I was flying a Russian plane that was essentially a barrel with wings tied to it, loaded with more machine cannons than it had any business to fire. This bitch of an air plane stalled at the worst moments (as in, engine failure), rocked like punching figure on a rowing boat in the middle of a hurricane, and consequently I couldn't hit shit with it.
The problem with this title was that it was trying to straddle the line between hardcore flight sim, and arcade style flying game. It was very fun for most of the time, but got dull and downright frustrating during the soviet campaign. IL2 Sturmovik is worth a look, but it's too picky for flight game fans, and too arcade like for flight sim fans.
Prototype (Worth f### all probably)
Darksiders (£10 maybe)
It's hard not to like Darksiders. Okay, it's a rip off in every sense of the word, stealing EVERYTHING from the zelda N64 games (Seriously Vigil, did you think we wouldn't notice?) but it's good clean fun. It's over the top action, dripping in cliché, machismo and cheese, all wrapped up with solid control and great level design. This game is just mindless fun. There's no real depth, the story is inconsequential, the characters are pulled from B rated action movies (and are all the more funny for it)... it's just sheer, mindless, instant gratification- and in its own way that's just as rewarding as new ideas, deep plot or interesting characters.
So why part with it? Well to be honest I'm never going to play it again. Out of all the games in this list, this is the one I'm most certain to never come back to. It's brilliant, but it's a one hit wonder with no replay value whatsoever. There just isn't anything to do. I mean there are collectables, but I've never given a hoot about them, so why bother returning to the game? Sorry to see the back of Darksiders, but it's had its time.
Dante's Inferno (£10 maybe?)
Meh. Not arsed about the new level editor, no reason to replay it as I can't be bothered grabbing all the collectables, and the game itself is passable. It's not a bad game, and provided me with a weekend of solid entertainment, but beyond that there's just nothing here to warrant playing Dante's Inferno again. Like Darksiders, Dante's inferno just doesn't have anything to draw me back.
Prince of Persia, the forgotten sands (£15 hopefully)
This was another easy choice. Criminally short, lacking any ingenuity and having no replay value whatsoever. It was a rather expensive few evenings of entertainment, and not worth paying full price for. There is no reason to go back and play it again, so I'm getting rid of this one while it's still worth something. Again, not an awful game, just didn't bring anything new or interesting and dear GOD was it short.
A few that nearly made this list:
Tales of Vesperia: I may want to play through it again. Plus Namco JRPGs tend to end up fairly rare.
Wet: Still good for a cheap thrill.
Resonance of Fate: I want to play it. I just can't bring myself to get past the schizophrenic writing.
Dead rising: Owning an xbox 360 without owning this game would just be wrong.
Armoured Core For Answer: I need at least one good mech game in my library
GTA IV: It's GTA IV! Why did I even consider this?
Still, I have no money for the next week or so, and red dead redemption must be mine.
To that end I've sifted through my pile of games and picked out a few that will hopefully net me enough cash at trade in to get RDR. Below is a list of the titles that I will be parting with, and why.
Battlefield bad company (£5 trade in?)
This is relatively recent purchase for me. I don't like FPS games but this one came very highly recommended for its strong characterization and story. It's not bad if you judge it by videogame standards, but honestly the characters are just walking clichés. The redneck, the geek, the hotdog and of course, the black sergeant. Now, it's staple in bad action/horror movies and games that the black guy always dies first (ever seen the comedy evolution? If not, GET IT), but another standard that people always seem to miss is the fact that in movie-world, there are more black sergeants than white ones. And yet, the rest of the ranks (both commissioned and non commissioned), are all filled up with white guys. I suppose it's due to some sort of equal opportunities thing, trying to post racial minorities into positions of power, displaying that we are striving towards and equal society. Anyway, I'm not complaining about it or anything, just making an observation.
Back on topic though, Battlefield bad company was disappointing. The destructible environments where poorly done with buildings never actually falling down, I don't like the health bar mechanic, there was way too much meta going on, and while it did make me laugh from time to time I just found it very frustrating and dull.
Banjo-Kazooie, nuts and bolts (expected trade in, £5)
'Family' videogames are often overlooked by most gamers. But seriously, you don't need buckets of blood and entrails to make a good game. Banjo-Kazooie, nuts and bolts had some really good ideas, but was also crammed full with lots of peripheral crap that it didn't need to be. All it needed was a shop screen, level selection and the garage where you build your vehicles. The premise of the game is simple enough, you have a series of puzzles in which you use vehicles. However, you BUILD these vehicles specific to the puzzle. The degree of freedom involved is brilliant, and a sarcastic twist of self referential humour permeates the entire game making it a joy to play. The vehicle building mechanic and engine rivals that of spore's creature creator. So, why am I getting rid of it?
Well, the aforementioned peripheral crap just wound me up to no end. The game clings to the idea that it is still a Banjo-Kazooie title like Gordon Brown clinging to a seat at number 10. This means lots of exploration and pointless dead time. If you can stand the endless wondering around between levels then you will have a blast with this game, provided of course you have a mind capable of doing more than twitch shooting. Sorry to see this one go, but rare needed to make it a game in its own right.
IL2 Sturmovik, Birds of Prey (trade in, £10?)
Started out fun, but got dull pretty fast. To enjoy a flight sim, you really do need a joystick. The other problem was a single mission where I was flying a Russian plane that was essentially a barrel with wings tied to it, loaded with more machine cannons than it had any business to fire. This bitch of an air plane stalled at the worst moments (as in, engine failure), rocked like punching figure on a rowing boat in the middle of a hurricane, and consequently I couldn't hit shit with it.
The problem with this title was that it was trying to straddle the line between hardcore flight sim, and arcade style flying game. It was very fun for most of the time, but got dull and downright frustrating during the soviet campaign. IL2 Sturmovik is worth a look, but it's too picky for flight game fans, and too arcade like for flight sim fans.
Prototype (Worth f### all probably)
Darksiders (£10 maybe)
It's hard not to like Darksiders. Okay, it's a rip off in every sense of the word, stealing EVERYTHING from the zelda N64 games (Seriously Vigil, did you think we wouldn't notice?) but it's good clean fun. It's over the top action, dripping in cliché, machismo and cheese, all wrapped up with solid control and great level design. This game is just mindless fun. There's no real depth, the story is inconsequential, the characters are pulled from B rated action movies (and are all the more funny for it)... it's just sheer, mindless, instant gratification- and in its own way that's just as rewarding as new ideas, deep plot or interesting characters.
So why part with it? Well to be honest I'm never going to play it again. Out of all the games in this list, this is the one I'm most certain to never come back to. It's brilliant, but it's a one hit wonder with no replay value whatsoever. There just isn't anything to do. I mean there are collectables, but I've never given a hoot about them, so why bother returning to the game? Sorry to see the back of Darksiders, but it's had its time.
Dante's Inferno (£10 maybe?)
Meh. Not arsed about the new level editor, no reason to replay it as I can't be bothered grabbing all the collectables, and the game itself is passable. It's not a bad game, and provided me with a weekend of solid entertainment, but beyond that there's just nothing here to warrant playing Dante's Inferno again. Like Darksiders, Dante's inferno just doesn't have anything to draw me back.
Prince of Persia, the forgotten sands (£15 hopefully)
This was another easy choice. Criminally short, lacking any ingenuity and having no replay value whatsoever. It was a rather expensive few evenings of entertainment, and not worth paying full price for. There is no reason to go back and play it again, so I'm getting rid of this one while it's still worth something. Again, not an awful game, just didn't bring anything new or interesting and dear GOD was it short.
A few that nearly made this list:
Tales of Vesperia: I may want to play through it again. Plus Namco JRPGs tend to end up fairly rare.
Wet: Still good for a cheap thrill.
Resonance of Fate: I want to play it. I just can't bring myself to get past the schizophrenic writing.
Dead rising: Owning an xbox 360 without owning this game would just be wrong.
Armoured Core For Answer: I need at least one good mech game in my library
GTA IV: It's GTA IV! Why did I even consider this?
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