I couldn't choose two. GTA4 and Mass Effect cleared, I couldn't choose two. I'd done them in my week off, and bought Bully: Scholarship Edition that week also. I liked Bully when I bought a second hand PS2 and a few non-GC/Wii titles about a year ago. I bought it for Ico, Colossus, The GTA Stories games (with a proper controller, not a PSP shoehorning), Transformers (the good one, Armada?) and Okami. This then came out for the Wii and Bully for the Wii and 360 but in any case my PS2 got about three week's love before I was paid a bonus and spazzed half of it on an HDTV and a 360 Elite in anticipation of GTA4's imminent arrival. When Blockbuster had it in mint condition for twelve quid the other week, I abandoned all thought of my fifteen percent done PS2 version, seeking the version with the achievements which also saw me trade my Wii Lego Star Wars Complete for the 360 incarnation.
Two weeks on from getting Bully 360, I'm on another week off and reached the stage in that game I had on the PS2. Obviously Bully went onto my reserve pile but as I had two spaces in my active pile, I got straight into it to ease my GTA pangs and then the panic hit. I was lucky to have nailed two titles in two days - whichever game I moved over would be a no-brainer... I just picked the one I instinctively wanted with no regrets, because I have another choice left. I can't make that next decision. Too much commitment to one game, a lack of which caused me to implement the pile system in the first place. I'm supposed to be forcing myself.
Plan B then was to reassess my tactics. I concluded that I could do the second half of Crackdown in two days. And I just did. Crackdown is the game I shelved far too quickly. It was supplanted by GTA4 in my tray and never stood a chance during my first months with the 360 - too many other titles being picked up. Despite a decent start and a swift clearance of the first island, I let my attention slip. I'd fire it up to chase more orbs when I should have been working on other skills, go meandering like Nico and get annoyed at the constant gangs and lack of interaction. This due to not having been interacting in the correct (violent) manner. With this one out of the way, I can always count one of my two as an option in reserve, never filling the gap until I am desperate. Maybe even, I might forget all abut it, maintaining a smaller active pile of games and therefore being more focused and productive in my gaming.
In just under 48 hours I've racked up many achievements, climbed and jumped from the tower, hit a few stat landmarks, pwned the entirety of both the other gangs and found many hidden orbs. I'm on about 420 agility orbs but I'm not getting the lot, nor the hidden ones. These are for players who have no other games, no jobs, no missus or anyone else living with them. No books, no washing up to do, no acquaintances, no TV or radio signal, no tiredness, no daydreams, nothing in the departure lounge of their digestive tract, no window to open or close, no mirrors, no space to pace up and down in and no past to think regretful thoughts about, nor future to speculate upon. Only then can you be the sort of person who will get all the hidden orbs, because most people are probably like me - didn't play the whole thing inside a week with a photographic memory. And if not, there'll be a point where even with a map of the things, you'll have one left from, what is it - 300? And no clue which ones you've definitely done. And it's in some building, in the basement, behind a stairwell. If you want to 100% Crackdown, you get a map and divorce your friends and do that bit in a weekend, or die trying.
Instead, I'm now researching the different weapons, will respawn the gangs and max out each of my five stats, getting the achievements. I'll do the jumps, scour the FAQs for things that seem like fun at the time. It's now living in my reserve pile, but it will visit my 360 tray from time to time. It's a good, good game.
Criticisms, though:
Targeting - once there's no point in me shooting someone, let me not be able to target them again. Make it easier to select a target because on a 20" HDTV, when there's an enemy in front of you with a pistil and another just behind and to the right of him with rockets, I should be able to aim at the dangerous one.Even when pistil bloke dies, I can swing away, then back, and still target the now crumpled pistol bloke whilst the rocket chap stands there hoying explosive death at me with impunity.
Driving - I've barely cleared the first upgrade on this. I've finished the plot though, which can only be a bad sign. According to threads on forums of repute, I'd doing it wrong, though.
Camera - be nice on the side of building to be able to zoom out a little.
Map - I realise the idea is to learn and know the city from above, but even then the map is a bit simplistic.
Boss 'waves' - or lack thereof. One of the last guys on the north island was up a big tower block. Got to get from starting point to ground, along, up next door building, then inside, each time you die. Then up through four or five distinct clear areas, before the big garden atop the skyscraper. I died right at the top three times, two due to my own stupidity. Each time I had the GTA feeling. Like I was being made to repeat something I'd earned the right to be beyond, so maybe in future such games could have the boss battles zoned?
Two weeks on from getting Bully 360, I'm on another week off and reached the stage in that game I had on the PS2. Obviously Bully went onto my reserve pile but as I had two spaces in my active pile, I got straight into it to ease my GTA pangs and then the panic hit. I was lucky to have nailed two titles in two days - whichever game I moved over would be a no-brainer... I just picked the one I instinctively wanted with no regrets, because I have another choice left. I can't make that next decision. Too much commitment to one game, a lack of which caused me to implement the pile system in the first place. I'm supposed to be forcing myself.
Plan B then was to reassess my tactics. I concluded that I could do the second half of Crackdown in two days. And I just did. Crackdown is the game I shelved far too quickly. It was supplanted by GTA4 in my tray and never stood a chance during my first months with the 360 - too many other titles being picked up. Despite a decent start and a swift clearance of the first island, I let my attention slip. I'd fire it up to chase more orbs when I should have been working on other skills, go meandering like Nico and get annoyed at the constant gangs and lack of interaction. This due to not having been interacting in the correct (violent) manner. With this one out of the way, I can always count one of my two as an option in reserve, never filling the gap until I am desperate. Maybe even, I might forget all abut it, maintaining a smaller active pile of games and therefore being more focused and productive in my gaming.
In just under 48 hours I've racked up many achievements, climbed and jumped from the tower, hit a few stat landmarks, pwned the entirety of both the other gangs and found many hidden orbs. I'm on about 420 agility orbs but I'm not getting the lot, nor the hidden ones. These are for players who have no other games, no jobs, no missus or anyone else living with them. No books, no washing up to do, no acquaintances, no TV or radio signal, no tiredness, no daydreams, nothing in the departure lounge of their digestive tract, no window to open or close, no mirrors, no space to pace up and down in and no past to think regretful thoughts about, nor future to speculate upon. Only then can you be the sort of person who will get all the hidden orbs, because most people are probably like me - didn't play the whole thing inside a week with a photographic memory. And if not, there'll be a point where even with a map of the things, you'll have one left from, what is it - 300? And no clue which ones you've definitely done. And it's in some building, in the basement, behind a stairwell. If you want to 100% Crackdown, you get a map and divorce your friends and do that bit in a weekend, or die trying.
Instead, I'm now researching the different weapons, will respawn the gangs and max out each of my five stats, getting the achievements. I'll do the jumps, scour the FAQs for things that seem like fun at the time. It's now living in my reserve pile, but it will visit my 360 tray from time to time. It's a good, good game.
Criticisms, though:
Targeting - once there's no point in me shooting someone, let me not be able to target them again. Make it easier to select a target because on a 20" HDTV, when there's an enemy in front of you with a pistil and another just behind and to the right of him with rockets, I should be able to aim at the dangerous one.Even when pistil bloke dies, I can swing away, then back, and still target the now crumpled pistol bloke whilst the rocket chap stands there hoying explosive death at me with impunity.
Driving - I've barely cleared the first upgrade on this. I've finished the plot though, which can only be a bad sign. According to threads on forums of repute, I'd doing it wrong, though.
Camera - be nice on the side of building to be able to zoom out a little.
Map - I realise the idea is to learn and know the city from above, but even then the map is a bit simplistic.
Boss 'waves' - or lack thereof. One of the last guys on the north island was up a big tower block. Got to get from starting point to ground, along, up next door building, then inside, each time you die. Then up through four or five distinct clear areas, before the big garden atop the skyscraper. I died right at the top three times, two due to my own stupidity. Each time I had the GTA feeling. Like I was being made to repeat something I'd earned the right to be beyond, so maybe in future such games could have the boss battles zoned?
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