Left 4 Dead and other stuff

So I have not written in here for a while. Let's rectify that, shall we? Left 4 Dead came out and the game does not disappoint. It has the most incredible blend of shooter with co-operative game play. Playing it over and over with only the same chapters does not seem to matter. The levels are so well designed that playing them over and over doesn't get boring. The key to it is that each level is randomized. The witch is not always in the same place and you don't always get a tank when you go into a certain room. The director decides what enemies get thrown at you and when. And even if you die within the same chapter, every time it is different. This helps the game maintain its freshness. Another key thing that L4D does right is that it is designed around co-op and team play. If a survivor runs off by them self, they will die. There is no way that they can survive all the hunters and smokers that are continuously thrown at the party. Survivors are not the only team that needs team work. When playing as the infected, you need to coordinate your attacks. Just going one at a time will not work. This intense team work will satisfy most of the gamers out there. Gamers that like to lone wolf it will not find L4D as enjoyable as Call of Duty 4.

Wrath of the Lick King also came out recently. I have not been playing it as intensely as I have been playing L4D. But Wrath is good. The quests are very similar to what they were in classic and Burning Crusade, but if something's not broke, don't fix it. The quests are better than they were however. A lot of them are more compelling and have things to do that are more fun. I've been taking it slow, doing a couple quests at a time then logging off. I'll get to 80 eventually, but right now I'm taking the time to smell the roses. I think that this will lead to a more highly enjoyable experience. I'll probably raid over either winter break or over summer break. I won't have time to do it while in school.

Playlist:

1. Left 4 Dead
2. World of Warcraft
3. Call of Duty 4
4. Company of Heroes
   

The coolest song in Audiosurf

So, in celebration of one thing or another, Steam decided to put Audiosurf for $3. Audiosurf is this game that generates a track, based on a song you choose and you ride the track, collecting points. I chose on old favorite, "Lip Gloss and Black" by Atreyu. And oh mi gawd. That song is amazing. Both by itself and as an Audiosurf track. It generates tunnels when things are intense in the song and when Atreyu is yelling "Live. Love. Burn. Die", tunnels appear. And it's just a cool feeling.Other than Audiosurf, I've basically been playing WoW, Geometry Wars, World of Goo and Call of Duty 4. I decided to play COD4 again on a whim and I really enjoyed it. It's not so much a shocker on why the game is so popular, because it is intense and unforgiving.
Playlist:

1. Wow
2. Geometry Wars
3. World of Goo
4. Audiosurf
5. Call of Duty 4
   

World of Goo!!!!

I went out on a limb the other day. I bought World of Goo. I tried it out as a demo and absolutely loved it. It is a wonderful creation blending imagination, art style and humor into one game. For people who have not played it, the game is an engineering game. You start out a level with lots of goo balls and a basic structure. You place to goo balls near the existing structure and it adds to it in a way stated upon screen. You are always building toward a pipe that you will "escape" the level from. Your goal is to build to the pipe in the fewest amount of goo balls possible, with each one you get increasing your score. This sounds sounds easy (well it did to me) but the game of course throws in curve balls. You have to build over obstacles, some which will pop your goo balls. This game is so different from all the other games I've played recently. I don't really spend a lot of money on games and this game is actually a reason why I do not. The vast majority of games are all the same. Sure, a lot of them are like "Oh oh! look at how our game is so much better! We have 500 player multiplayer and introduce this new gameplay mode called Traffic, where you are all in cars and you try to get to a building to go to work. The more damage on your car, the worse your score". Okay, so? World of Goo is so much different that any other game I know. World of Warcraft is very similar to Runescape, Ultima Online and Everquest. Team Fortress 2 is very similar to most other First person shooters. I cite these examples because I label them my most played and therefore favorite games. The reason WoW and TF2 escape the current of mediocrity is because they do so many things right and their little things are what save them. WoW is such a polished game in so many respects that it differentiates itself from the pack in that way and TF2 's classes go that extra length to make it feel that a scout plays very differently than a heavy. World of Goo is such a departure from modern gaming in general. It's graphics are not stunning although they do add tremendously to the feel and atmosphere of the game as a whole. It's concentrates on a game that asks you to use your mind. Portal is actually an example of a game that was so unusual that people were really taken aback by its quality. 

I also bought Geometry Wars and a wired controller. I don't know where my wireless connector went and so I decided to splurge and pick up a wired one. Geometry Wars is very rare because it is such a compelling game. You just want to play it over and over again. It gets you hooked and doesn't let go. I also found out that my roommate plays Geometry Wars, and so he has been playing it too. He beat my high score :(. O well, that means I'm going to have to practice and beat that. I think 1,500,000 will do. ;).

Playlist: