Drew Secoy
Really Great Games
I have come to Neumont University with the intent of learning Software and Game Development. Since I have yet to learn anything about the subject, I shall talk about gaming. There are four games I will talk about in particular, each with a certain aspect that I like. The four games are Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and 3, Saints Row: The Third, and L.A. Noire. These are the four most recent games that I have bought and played. These games are all great overall, but each shine in their own way.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and 3 are the second and third installments in the Modern Warfare branch of the Call of Duty series. They follow the events of World War III and the soldiers fighting in it. Modern Warfare 3 just recently won the Best Military Shooter award, beating its rival, Battlefield 3. One of the reasons that I enjoy these games is because of the characters. Everyone is always complaining about how the gameplay is terrible, how the story is full of continuity errors, and how the multiplayer is repetitive. Personally, I disagree on all fronts. However, I have never heard any insults about the characters. Now, usually I would attribute this to nobody that caresabout them; but, when I talk to others about them, all I hear is praise. Almost all of the characters in the series are loved by the gamers. The fan favorites are Captain John “Soap” Mactavish, Lieutenant Simon “Ghost” Riley, and Sergeant Gary “Roach” Sanderson. These characters are all liked because we know their background and personality. There was a journal released with Modern Warfare 3 chronicling Soap’s journey throughout his military career. Ghost got his own comic book series to explain his military experience before the events of the game. Roach’s background is still shadowy, but is extremely similar to Soap’s training during his early days in the British Special Air Service. Modern Warfare 2 and 3 shine because they make you care about what happens to these soldiers. When these characters die, you actually fell the loss. These are all irreplaceable characters. That is what sets Modern Warfare 3 apart from the rest.
L.A. Noire is a free-roam detective game set in 1940s Los Angeles. The goal of the game is to solve the various crimes that occur throughout the course of the game. I knew this game was going to be good before it came out, but I decided to wait, so that the downloadable content would come out and the price would drop. The game was worth the wait. L.A. Noire is a revolution in terms of cop games. Most games are players just going from Point A, to Point B, killing everything on the way. L.A. Noire is different because the player actually has to pay attention. Do not get me wrong, there are parts of the game where you actually have to kill everything in sight, but they are few and far between. The whole basis of the game is finding evidence, and interviewing witnesses in the cases. Depending on how well the player does will determine the outcome of the case. If one witness interview is botched, the serial killer that the player has been pursuing could be set free. This is a game that actually focuses on the quality of the game, instead of whether or not it is exciting enough to keep every person interested. This is a game for the patient gamer, who is willing to sit down and pay attention.
My last game is Saint’s Row: The Third. I will now refer to the game as SR-TT. SR-TT is the third installment in the Saint’s Row series. It follows the story of The Protagonist, or The Boss, as he tries to take the city of Steelport from an international crime ring known as The Syndicate. What really sets this game apart from almost every other game is the attitude of the game. This game takes nothing seriously. The player can literally run around in a giant cat suit shooting people out of a cannon if they wanted to. The enemy characters are ridiculous because of all their abilities. The game also spoofs a large amount of popular media. There is an entire level based off of Tron, with a weapon based off of Mega Man. This game takes all of the best scenes from books, movies, and real life and puts them in the game. There is an entire section of SR-TT where you fight an army of zombies, which is unbelievably fun. There is a scene directly out of the movie Shoot ‘Em Up. The point is that this game is completely over-the-top and does not take itself seriously. This is the exact reason that everyone loves this game and the reason for its success. They also like it because it says “The Third” in the title.
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