Mercs and Demos

So.. J3nn got a copy of Mercenaries 2 from the book repository. I vaguely remember enjoying Mercenaries for the Xbox, but I also remember hitting a spot in the game where the difficulty ramped up to an unpleasant level.

Mercs 2 has got poor reviews based on bugginess, but I have faith in developers and patches. That being said, I've seen it as cheap as $35, so whether or not they're going to bother putting in the time remains to be seen. I don't have much knowledge of Mercs 2, other than the fact that it has 2 player, online co-op, which is my favourite game feature ever!!

I did play a demo briefly when it first came out, but for me, it suffered the same problem that the Crackdown Demo suffered. In an effort (I assume) to illustrate the level of action present in the title, the developers opted to throw you right into a hellastic, insane gun battle, without giving you a chance to find your feet. Very few games, especially shooters, first or third, do this. There is usually an adjustment period in which they show you the controls, let you learn the environment, etc. I understand that in a demo they want to utilize their limited space and grab you while they have your attention, but it backfires for me. I don't want to play a game where I'm constantly being shot at from all places, at all times. Saints Row 2 is a good example of what a sand box game should be. When things get hectic in SR2, they get real fucking hectic, but for the most part, that hecticity gets brought on by your own actions. If you want to, you could just mosey about town on a shopping spree without fear of having your body and vehicle bullet holed.

I'm hoping Mercenaries 2 is similar in actual retail game play. I don't mind being in the middle of a heated war zone, especially considering the setting and theme of the game, but I would like a few moments of downtime in between. I think thats why I was able to get into Fallout 3 quicker and easier than I was Bioshock. They both have a similar, faux 50's, creepy as fuck vibe, but in Fallout, if I'm feeling like the wasteland is getting too unpleasant, I can mosey on back to big town or Megaton and visit civilized people. With Bioshock, I was constantly being accosted by creepy dna junkies, giant lumbering robots, and scary as fuck little girls. There was no reprieve, no breathing room. Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, but I can't stomach a high tension, creepy environment constantly, for hours at a time.

In other news, we're planning a saw marathon soon. YAY JIGSAW!

J3nn has never seen any of them, and I'm really excited about Saw V.

I'm out.

Also, J3nn is talking about marriage.

(Pretend I made a scared face emoticon here. I don't know what one looks like)