Madden NFL 2010

So it's Sunday and it's the Superbowl and I'm going to play a short bit, so here goes Madden NFL 2010.  Developed by Electronic Arts and published under their brand of EA Sports, Madden 2010 was released in August 2009, in preparation for the 2010 season.  It is the first Madden game with two plays on the cover: Pittsburgh Steelers Strong Safety Troy Polamalu and Arizona Cardinals Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald. 


The Madden franchise has been releasing NFL football games since 1990 with updated rosters each year.  Instead of just playing one of the game's many features (from Superstar Mode to the Franchise Mode), I'm starting the simple Exhibition between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers.  The Steelers are a much stronger team in the game (seeing as they won the Superbowl the year this game was developed) while the Packers are a good, but not great even though they got to the playoffs.  Here we go!

So I win the coin flip and get the choice of kicking or receiving and seeing as I'll be playing for a short time, I'll be receiving.  As the fact that we're in Green Bay, it's snowing in the game, which should make the passing game more difficult.  It makes me wish that Green Bay had a better running game or at least that the Steelers didn't have such a strong defense.

But anyways, I get a good return: my blockers open a large space and I'm able to get to the thirty-three before getting taken down.  At this point I have to call my first real play, but the game has the Ask Madden feature where the computer chooses a set of plays for you to decide from, so I can very plays without having to worry too much about it.  That in fact doesn't make the game any easier as my drive still stalls out with some incomplete passes and a halted run force me to punt it away. 

Perhaps I'll be better at defense.

Nope!  Roethlisberger throws a great pass to a wide open Hines Ward for an easy touchdown and they are up by seven.  So I try again for a better drive but I actually do worse, the first play is an interception that gets them close to another score.  But the bad news isn't up yet... they hit Aaron Rodgers as he threw the pass and he's injured.  So doing my best, I hold the Steelers from a first for the first two downs before getting the bad news that Rodgers will in fact e out for the rest of the game with a lower back strain.  It isn't all bad though, as I'm able to sack Big Ben on the next play to force a field goal and only be down my ten.

So the next drive starts and my quarterback is now Matt Flynn, so my options are highly reduced.  I decided at this point to go to what I'm good at and start throwing lots of short passes, picking up small chunks of yardage.  After five in a row, I'm feeling good, but then three misses causes my drive to stall out yet again.  Another pick and the Steelers are now up 17 to zip as the first quarter ends.

So it's time to go now as I'm off to see hopefully a much better game.  Adios for today though.

NFL Street 2

So I know I said I was going to play All Pro today but NFL Street was far too fun so I've continued with NFL Street 2. Developed and published by Electronic Arts, NFL Street 2 was released in December 2004, not even a year after the original. 

The fact that it came out only ten months after the original caused a bit of complaint as very little was updated or changed except for mostly the roster.  The biggest changes from the original was the addition of the jump and wall maneuvers.  You could run up walls, jump off then to make and catch passes, making your players more evasive.  There is a bit of the problem when your player really doesn't want to go up the wall and just runs into it, which will usually cause you to get caught up to or hit by the defender, but you don't even have to use the wall half the time (with the exception of a few challenges).

Another change was the expansion of the Gamebreaker with the dumbing down of the Gamebreaker and the addition of the Gamebreaker 2.  The Gamebreaker was weakened to the point where it was no longer an automatic touchdown or turnover so there is a bit of a chance with it there while the Gamebreaker two is truly a game changer.  When you activate a Gamebreaker 2, a cut scene starts where the defense stylishly gets the ball back or the offense passes the line of scrimmage and leaves everyone behind.  Afterward you enter a God-mode where you cannot be tackled and you have unlimited turbo.

So instead of playing a pick up game this time I started with a Quick Game using the team I created for the NFL Challenge against the randomly chosen Ravens.  I start off the game using my running back to break tackles and push a first down, pushing my way towards the end zone.  I try mostly rushing plays at this point, mostly because I had built the team around the running back, but I screw around a bit too much and get stopped at the end zone right before scoring.  So instead of letting the Raven's score first, I start to blitz, getting a safety and going up by two to begin the game. 

The game continues and I push the ball down the field much quicker and easier by passing around a bit and get a touchdown.  Now at this point you can go for one or two (there is no kick) and this has also changed from the last game.  In the first Street, you got one point if you ran it in and two if you passed it.  This time you get to choose which you go for and one point starts you five yards away and two points starts you ten yards away (as oppose to always five away with the last game). 

I continue to do very well on defense and now want to see if I can actually shut them out, stopping them with a nice sack once more to turn over the ball on downs.  On their next drive a lucky bounce into the hands of Ray Lewis gets them down field and they have a good chance at not allowing a shut out.  But with four lucky downs I do get the stop and my dream is still alive... until I flub up and don't move down the field at all and give them an easy score.  But I keep moving and score the number of times to finally finish the game and it's over, their unfortunate score making it not a shut out but oh well.

So I've played another game and another day is done.  On to real football tomorrow and it will be a good game.  Adios for today though.  

NFL Street

I'm continuing with my football weekend today with the spiritual sequel to NFL Blitz: NFL Street.  Developed and published by Electronic Arts, NFL Street was released in January2004.  NFL Street is one of EA's Street series with varied rules and smaller rosters (as well as in basic clothes). 

Unlike regular football, NFL Street is only seven on seven with all players playing both offense and defense.  The game puts an emphasis on taunting your opponent to build your "style" meter until you can use a Gamebreaker.  The gamebreaker literally breaks the game, your offense or defense becomes unstoppable for the rest of the drive and it becomes easier to score or force a turn over. 

So there are a few modes of play and the closest to a story is the NFL Challenge where you create your own team and go through many challenges to make them better and play against NFL teams.  But I've already done that and I'm just going to play a Pick Up Game.  In a pickup game you get to draft your team from a list of random players from all teams (you can choose to include Legends and your created players as well). 

So I choose to pick first and let the computer get the ball first so I can grab good players in each position.  The seven positions on offense are quarterback, runningback, two receivers, and three linemen; while for defense they are two corners, a saftey, a linebacker, and three linemen.  Because you only get seven people, some of them have to overlap.  The simplest overlaps are overlapping your wide receivers with the corners.   So I start looking through the players, choosing the Legend Cornerback Lester Hayes.  The teams build pretty well, I end up with a stronger defense (the cornerbacks can defend and also catch while the receivers aren't good at defense) with players such as Ty Law, Cletidus Hunt, Fred Taylor, Takeo Spikes and Tim Couch as quarterback. 

So I start the game on defense and am doing my best just to hold them back.  You get style points for doing different things, but it's a bit more difficult to do it on defense (you can get some for stopping them behind the line and also to force turnovers).  Also, it isn't just a matter of getting ten yards, but there are set intervals on the field (30 yards apart).  I successful hold them back for a bit, but they eventually score a touchdown.  I'm a bit stronger at offense then defense though, and score easily.  We trade scores until I break through with Takeo Spikes and force a fumble to go up.

So I've played another game and onto the weekend.  Adios for today though. 

Tecmo Bowl

So I decided to move back to the Nintendo Entertainment System and start off the football celebration with Tecmo Bowl.  Developed and published by Tecmo (now you know where it got its name), Tecmo Bowl was released on the NES in February 1989.  Though originally in arcades, Tecmo Bowl became increasingly popular when ported to the Nintendo. 

The game does have a limited roster, only have twelve of the twenty-eight teams of the time.  It didn't even have two of the teams with the best records of 1988 (Buffalo and Cincinnati), the year which the teams are based on.  But the teams it does have some well known players from the era: including Lawrence Taylor, Joe Montana, Mike Singletary, Ronnie Lott and Bo Jackson.  Tecmo was unfortunately unable to procure the rights to use the NFL teams, so the teams are only use the home town and no actual team name.  Nor does it use real mascots or colors, but it doesn't really matter. 

And now it's time to play.

I've choosen Washington to start my game (I'm a Redskins fan) and the computer randomly decides an opponent and picks New York.  So the game starts with a kick off and I'm off.  New York's kicker is pretty weak so I get a shot kick and am stopped on my own 45.  So at this point it's time to choose a play and there aren't that many to choose from: four.  Yes, there are only four plays for each team on offense and defense.  Each team has two running plays and two passing plays (the exceptions are San Francisco and Miami, who have three passing and only one running).  But I decide to start the game slow with a run and here we go. 

It isn't bad but isn't great and I pick up three yards and it is second and seven.  I decide to try once more and break off a solid run for my first first down.  The running seems to be pretty good, so I continue it and get hit hard behind the line to go to second and twelve.  So I might as well try to pass and get another first down and I'm on the twenty five.  And the game goes sort of like that, I get hit trying to run and then get a huge pass for a first down and eventually a touchdown. 

After scoring I get to kick off the ball and begin my defensive game.  It's much like offense, only four plays, but you get to choose from your opponent's plays and you will set up a defense to answer that play.  So it's a guessing game, but it's still enjoyable.  New York tries two passes up from and get sacked twice, but then break a run to get a few yards before punting it away.

As they punt the ball away, there isn't much time left on the clock and I'm greedy and want to be up 14 to 0 before the end of the first quarter.  So I'm passing to try and move down the field, but this game gives you an advantage because the clocks only moves when the play is being run.  So I throw my first pass and move down to the 50 (I got a first down, but that hardly matters at this point).  With only 24 seconds left on the clock, New York decides that they don't want to guard my receivers and leave them wide open to let me get to the five yard line.  One quick run later (yeah, I changed it up) I go up 14 to 0 and New York is all but done for. 


So another game is played and another day is done.  It's about to be a nice weekend for football and the Super Bowl will be a good game (I hope).  You all have a good weekend though, I will continue gaming as it goes on.  Adios for today though. 

Strider

As I said yesterday, I'll finish the section of the series I have with Strider.  Developed and published by Capcom, Strider was originally released in the arcade in March 1989 but was re-released as a second disc on the PlayStation with Strider 2 in July of 2000.

The game's story is much like Strider 2, the evil dictator Grandmaster rules over the world and Strider Hiryu takes on the task to assassinate him.  So he glides into the Grandmaster's capital at the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic.  And so the mission starts and you control Hiryu through the Russian city.  The controls are very simple, as it did come from an arcade game, with only two real buttons: attack and jump.  You can hold down with jump to slide as well, but the controls aren't much beyond that.

So you move across the Russian roofs, having very little difficulty with the starting enemies, it's just some random soldiers with guns and bayonets who charge at you without pause and some floating robots that are simple.  The soldiers do try and spear you if they get too close, but they telegraph it so you usually know when to make sure to attack them.  Of course, the game is an arcade game, so it is purposely difficult to eat your quarters: you can only take three hits.  That means that any mistake can take you out and you really have to be careful.

The game also has a few nice power ups which are pretty easy to get.  The flying robots (some of the simple enemies I mentioned before) sometimes carry these boxes that you can slash to open and get a boost from.  There are straightforward ones such as one that heals you and another that increases you maximum health.  Then there are some "options" which give you advantages.  The first is this mushroom like enemy which circles around you and shoots blasts every time you press the attack button.  Another one of the options is a hawk, though to be very honest I'm not quite sure what it does besides circle around in the screen and look cool. 

Now unlike Strider 2, this game has a lot less bosses (or at least I fought fewer, but I didn't complete the first mission).  Each of the bosses is very interesting, and though seems simple, can still destroy you since it only takes a few hits.  The first boss is a large guy with yellow spikey hair and a lot of muscles who starts off by breaking away from a medical tank he's in and rips off his shirt.... yeah.

So he's a bit of a wrestler (and by a bit I mean very much so) and he starts by diving at you and then rolling across the floor until you either slash him or he grabs you.  If he grabs you, he flings you against the wall behind him and starts his process over again.  He's not too difficult once you realize you just have to wait for him to attack and slash him to stop him.  The problem is when he's defeated, fire suddenly rains down from the ceiling and covers the floor except for under the platform he started on and I lost most of my health to it.

So I continued further on through the level having difficulties with a new enemy: a robotic spider.  The enemy isn't that difficult, the problem is he's on a major slant either going up or going down so there is no direct line to him.  And when you are on a direct line with him, he shoots a laser at you.  Ouch.  So I finally get over the peak of the roof and into the building I've been climbing all over and I find another boss.  This one is a head looking thing that shoots a pair of lasers that bounce around the room and you just stay on the floor and slash at it until it blows up.  From there an opening appears in the floor and I fall in to get a face full of bullets from a random guy with a Gatling Gun who seems like he'll also be a boss.  I'll never know though because I took this opportunity to take a break. 

And so I've played another game and another day has passed.  This one, though while difficult due to the minimal amount of hits you can take before dying, was enjoyable.  I'll continue tomorrow and start to make my way towards Superbowl weekend.  Adios for today though.

Strider 2

I have started the month of February with a more recent game then those I have been playing with Strider 2.  Developed and published by Capcom, Strider 2 was released in the United States in July 2000.  It was released with a second disc which held the arcade game Strider, but they were mislabeled and displayed as each other. 

So the story of Strider 2 is very simple: the evil Grandmaster has taken over the world and it is up to Strider Hiryu to defeat him.  And the game begins with giving you the choice of three missions to accomplish, so I of course start with the first one: Destroy the militia group.  I'm given the orders to take out the terrorists who are occupying the city.  So your sent into the city to free it from the terrorists grasp. 

And one thing you learn quickly with the game is there isn't all to much to it.  You move through the level for a bit and then face a mini-boss.  Go a bit further... face a mini-boss.  And while some of them don't even justify being looked at, there are some that are actually very entertaining.  Such as the first mini-boss in mission one: the terrorist.  He's just this fat guy standing in a robe with a hand that looks like a a giant wrench... because it is.  He starts off the fight by raising his second hand (a gatling-gun) and shots off a few shots at you.  I took the opportunity to jump in and slash a few times before he lifted his wrench hand and tried to smash me.  The battle continues like that until you've taken half of his health where he begins to use a new attack: where he lifts his shirt and shoots rockets out of his belly. 

So the game continues on like that, a bit of level and then a mini-boss.  Most of them are simple in both name and appearance and difficulty: Spider Form and Tiger Form being two of them.  Neither are that impressive so I'm going to move past them.  The most entertaining mini-boss of the level are a set of three obnoxious girls who leap into the air and try and kick you a lot.  They attack as a team and throw kicks towards you with blasts to attempt to knock you out.  The entertaining part isn't actually the girls, but more correctly the area, you are riding across some flying vehicles in a self-scrolling section of the level.  The most likely way to lose a life is by falling off, but it becomes fun to crawl under the cars and hang on the bottom of them. 

But the level still isn't over, there is one more "big" mini-boss and then the final boss.  The final mini-boss goes by the name of Solo.  He is a guy flying around in armor with an arm-cannon that shots a spread shot at you as he hovers around.  Defeating him is simple, a single hit does a lot of damage so he's simple to defeat.  But he's not done yet!  After moving a bit further you get to face Solo version two... the only different that is initially noticeable is he has two energy rings around his shoulders.  Solo now moves faster, has more defense and throws the energy blades at you. 

And then there is the final boss of the level: the Emperor Dragon.  It's a flying dragon which you are on the back of.  It has a few moves, but it is a very simple one.  It turns and shots fireballs at you as a main attack.  Also, when it is horizontal, it runs electricity down its back to try and damage you.  Finally, when it's vertical, it turns and swings some clubbed fists at you to try and damage you when you're near its head.  And of course, the head is the only place you can damage it, so you are likely to take a bit of damage, but never enough to warrant any worry. 

And so I've started a new month and have played another game.  Keeping with how I have been playing, I'll go with Strider tomorrow and finish what I have of the series, and then it will be even closer to the weekend and the Superbowl.  Adios for today though. 

The Second Month

It's been a long month, but the year has only just now begun.  I've got so many games that it just has been a random choice of which game to play each day.  With the exception of continuing through series, I've put very little thought into what comes next.  The only thing I have put thought into is actually what doesn't come next.  I have actually been looking at games and deciding that they need to be played at certain times during the year, either to celebrate a holiday or to honor game designers and their creations.  The first of these semi random selections is actually coming up this coming week... want to guess what it is?

Yup, the Superbowl.  And while I have no stock in either teams playing, it is a time to celebrate and enjoy yourself (and myself for that matter).  So this coming weekend I'll be playing two football games: All Pro Football 2K8 and NFL Madden '10 (Madden on Sunday with the obvious game: Packers and Steelers). 

But of course this won't be the only game I'll be doing on a specified day: I have a few others I've thought of.  And hey, I'll let you in my head (though I'm not sure you'll want in).  So I'll give you the few I've decided on and then a few more as they pop in my head.  Seems good to me, hope you like it to.

April 24: Easter Sunday.  It's one of the few times that Western and Eastern Easter fall on the same day.  I figure I'll play a "religious" game: Bible Adventures.
October 31: Halloween.  Originally celebrated as the festival of the dead so I figure I'll play one of my few horror games: Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. 
November 16: Celebration of the game developer Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of many of Nintendo's franchises.  I'll be playing on of his earliest creations: Mario Bros

Pikachu Week (February 27 - March 5):  Spawning endless television shows and movies due to a silly yellow rodent: Pokemon.  It is one of the largest scale roleplaying franchises allowing more customization then most games ever consider.  The week is based around the original release of Pokemon Red/Green in Japan, which will have its American version played on its release date: February 27. 

Sonic Week (June 19 - 25):  Replacing Alex Kidd as the mascot of Sega, trying desperately to dethrone Mario: Sonic the Hedgehog.  After Sega dropped out of the console wars, it was one of their only franchises to continue after.  The week is based around the original release of the first Sonic, which will be played on its release date: June 23.  

Jumpman Week (September 11 - 17):  Easily Nintendo's biggest franchise: Mario.  While originally known as Jumpman, he took on Donkey Kong before being given his own name and becoming Nintendo's mascot.  The week is based around the original release of Super Mario Bros, which will be played on its release date: September 13. 

Rockman Week (December 11 - 17):  One of Capcom's big three, the first of their multi-million dollar franchises: Megaman.  He's spawned seven different titular series and more games then most video games characters can even dream of.  The week is based around the original release of the first Megaman, which will be played on its release date: December 17. 

And so you know a bit about what the future shall hold, I'll play a game sometime later, but for tonight I'm out.  Adios for tonight though.