Game Update 1

I got Call of Duty, its expansion, and its sequel on Steam for pretty cheap a while ago. I wrote about the first game a while ago (I haven't decided whether to throw all that stuff up here), but didn't get around to the others until recently.

Call of Duty: United Offensive (PC)


The expansion to the first game doesn't really add much to the experience and seems a bit weak because of it. They added the ability to cook grenades, which is nice but doesn't seem necessary. They added the worst sprint in the history of video games, which takes you out of the realism because of its implementation. The speed boost is only slight, but worse is that it only lasts for about a second before you have to slow down again and let the meter charge back up. One second seems like a reasonable amount of time for a highly-trained, elite soldier to be able to run, doesn't it?

The British campaign was probably my favorite part, with a cool change of pace being a gunner in a bomber plane (although the series' penchant for making you do all the real work became horribly exposed when two other gunners were killed and I had to man three positions while performing maintenance as the other survivor stayed stuck to his gun) and then later joining in some covert operations. The other sections are less inspired, as they rely on just throwing huge, overwhelming battles at you, and as fun as it is to shoot nazis, it just gets ridiculous somewhere along the way. It's an enjoyable expansion but doesn't bring much to the table.

Call of Duty 2 (PC)


The best change to the formula from the first full sequel was switching to a heal-over-time approach instead of littering health packs everywhere. It's just as unrealistic (and even seems a bit more plausible if you don't think about it too much), and works better for the kind of gameplay they're going for, where you have to stay in cover, make your shots, and then move on. If you charge the enemy, you're probably going to die, although it's fun to try.

The level design is also a little different. Often you're given multiple objectives at once, and you can tackle them however you want. Usually, you're clearing out buildings, which is fun for a while, but sometimes I would have preferred a little more variety like in the first game. There's enough interesting set pieces to keep you going, and it rarely strays into the annoying territory where it puts you in a weakly fortified position and sends endless waves of enemies at you until the cavalry comes (although it does still happen). It's still fun, although I wonder how much longer it will be.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PS2)


A new GTA game for 20 dollars new sounds like a great deal, and it is if you keep expectations in check knowing that the location is a rehash and it's a port from the PSP. It doesn't have the oomph of a normal new GTA game, since you already know the city, few gameplay innovations are present, and the story and missions are slightly dumbed down for a portable system. It's still a lot of fun though just to be in Liberty City again. The storyline missions aren't as meaty as we're used to, but it's still a good diversion. I basically used it as a backup game for a while, playing it for a bit when I didn't have anything else to do. Not a bad use of money. I got the sequel recently, I should finish it some time soon.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (PS3)


I'm not sure how well it works playing by yourself, but it's definitely a fun party game. Playing with three friends, working together, using your powers to help each other out, and ganging up on helpless enemies can be a blast. I got pretty far in the game on the Xbox, but we ended up never finishing that game, and I didn't see the end until I played it with a mostly different group on the PS3. It was just as fun, and looked better (besides the always horrid in-engine cutscenes), but the added SIXAXIS tilt functionality didn't add anything and seemed broken. Not only did it not seem to work at times, but a diagram with the controller and arrows showing where to tilt just isn't as easily recognizable as a color-coded button. It can be turned off though, so it didn't really hurt the experience. It's not the best or most polished game, but with a good group it can be an enjoyable, lengthy experience.