Friday, July 31, 2009
HAHAHAHA!
Adam LaRoche got traded back to the Braves for Casey Kotchman. Does anyone else think that's funny??? He goes back where he came from and is reunited with "the best player on the Pirates team", Nate McLouth
Thursday, July 30, 2009
My take on the state of the Pirates' Organization
I'd rather wait until after the trade deadline to write this since Grabow and Capps might be moving out as well, but after all the trades and random minor league acquisitions throughout the season, where does that leave us? To sum up, we have a dearth of pitching prospects, little offensive potential, and a ton of question marks. Neil Huntington and Co. have done a fantastic job of tearing down the foundation that Dave Littlefield build. One might say, Huntington is to Littlefield what Hurricane Katrina was to New Orleans - without the vandalism.
The Pirates you've come to know and love in the past decade or so are now gone, and what's left is a bargain basement collection of potential major-leaguers and fill-ins until they are ready. Clearly most of the players left on the major league roster are not in the ultimate plan for the future other than as bench players or trade bait - I am referring to Garrett Jones, Delwyn Young, Brandon Moss, Steve Pearce, Virgil Vazquez, and Jason Jaramillo. These are all quality players, but should not be everyday starting players. Decent bench players, yes, but the Bucs will probably phase them out slowly but surely. Add to them the players most likely to be gone soon - Matt Capps, John Grabow. Then you have the guys who COULD be in the future plans, but it will probably depend on their '09 and '10 seasons. These include Jesse Chavez, Evan Meek, Jeff Karstens, Donnie Veal, and Andy LaRoche. Of them, maybe 3 are still on the team in 2011. That leaves only 7 legit candidates on the starting roster to still be on the team in '11 - Ryan Doumit, Andrew McCutchen, Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Ross Ohlendorf, Charlie Morton, and Joel Hanrahan. None of them are guaranteed except McCutchen and maybe Morton. So, we'll be safe and say 13 guys on this roster will still be on the roster in 2011, leaving 12 spots up for grabs from our minor league system, because I highly doubt we will trade for anyone major league ready in the near future. So let's look at the minors.
If you have read anything about the Pirates in the last couple months, you'd already know there is a severe lack of middle infielders above High-A. That is very troubling, especially considering the unwillingness of teams to give up middle infield prospects, which has been very evident in the recent trades. However, there is a number of strong pitching prospects that could crack the major league roster and be quality starters in the future. My question is, why, when you already have a pitching staff that is at least average in the NL, with 4 potential future starters, do we need to keep acquiring unproven SP's? This is what bugs me the most about the recent trades. We now have 20, count them TWENTY, potential major league starting pitchers in the minors:
Brad Lincoln AAA
Eric Hacker AAA
Daniel McCutchen AAA
Tom Gorzelanny AAA
Ty Taubenheim AAA
Tim Alderson AA
Kyle Bloom AA
Derek Hankins AA
Jared Hughes AA
Jeff Locke High-A
Nathan Adcock High-A
Rudy Owens Low-A
Hunter Strickland Low-A
Brian Leach Low-A
Casey Erickson Low-A
Aaron Pribanic Low-A
Brett Lorin Low-A
Victor Black A
Kyle McPherson SC
Brooks Pounders Rookie
Not to mention some quality relievers:
Chris Bootcheck AAA
Stephen Jackson AAA
Juan Mateo AAA
Craig Hansen DL
And who knows what other unknowns might emerge in the next year. Now I'm not completely upset by this, because it is always nice to have a lot of options, but we can't just have pitching. True, the Giants have no offense and are winning with superb pitching, but we do not have Tim Lincecum or a Matt Cain anywhere in our system. I don't think the future of this team can just be pitching and hoping to win every game 2-0 like we've needed to lately (and haven't). Let's look at our position players in the minors who have any semblance of a chance to be a major leaguer someday:
C Robinzon Diaz AAA
C Erik Kratz AAA
C Tony Sanchez Low-A
1B Jeff Clement AAA
1B Calvin Anderson Low-A
1B Erik Huber Low-A
2B Shelby Ford AAA
2B Jim Negrych AA
2B Brock Holt A
3B Neil Walker AAA
3B Pedro Alvarez AA
SS Argenis Diaz AAA
SS Brian Friday AA
SS Chase d'Arnaud High-A
SS Jordy Mercer High-A
OF Lastings Milledge AAA
OF Jose Tabata AA
OF Gorkys Hernandez AA
OF Starling Marte Low-A
OF Robbie Grossman Low-A
OF Quincy Latimore Low-A
You can probably remove Walker and Diaz from that list since Walker sucks now and Diaz is likely to get traded because of his "defense". I think he will be a quality everyday catcher somewhere, maybe even .280 20 80 in his prime. So that leaves only 19 "maybes". Looking at that list is depressing, because most of them won't be any good even if they make it. You can see there is a VERY CLEAR lack of offense on our current team and our future team, even if Tabata and Alvarez can make a difference. So, please Mr. Huntington, can you address this before it is too late and our potentially very strong pitching staff is either old or traded away? I REALLY hate to say this, but taking all that into account, why are the Pirates not ACTIVELY, like all-out-doing-anything-they-can, trying to shop Maholm and Capps. A team like the Mets needs a SP and a set-up guy, you're telling me they don't have a quality SS or 2B in their system? The Mets are just the first team that popped into my mind - there are obviously other contenders (Mets aren't really contenders..but they have money) that need SP and RP. We have TONS! TRADE SOME! GET SOME DAMN BATS!
Please tell me you agree with this.
Also, here is a list of who I think are the top 10 prospects in our system:
Brad Lincoln SP
Pedro Alvarez 3B
Jose Tabata OF
Tim Alderson SP
Rudy Owens RP
Jeff Clement 1B
Chris Bootcheck RP
Tony Sanchez C
Chase d'Arnaud SS
Hunter Strickland SP
UPDATE (7/31): So since I posted this yesterday, as you know Gorzo and Grabow have been traded for (more pitching!) Kevin Hart (SP), Jose Ascanio (SP/RP), and Josh Harrison (3B). All are rated very well and seem to be good prospects, so I'm thrilled about it. Gorzo is a hit or miss, and Grabow is generally a situational guy that is better suited for a contending team. Hart will step right into the rotation giving us one heck of a promising top 5 for the 2010 season, and if anyone in that top 5 struggles we have a ton of prospects to compete for spots. Next season will basically be a season-long tryout for 2011, which will be fun because we have absolutely no expectations of winning. Ascanio throws hard and the Bucs will try him as a starter in Indy. Harrison will report to Lynchburg to play 3B, so we'll see how he does. Overall, now that the trading frenzy is behind us, we can start mapping out the future and watching how these young guys perform, which is pretty exciting.
Also, Jose "God of the Universe" Tabata got promoted to Indy, and "Tubby" Alvarez will stay at Altoona for the rest of the season.
The Pirates you've come to know and love in the past decade or so are now gone, and what's left is a bargain basement collection of potential major-leaguers and fill-ins until they are ready. Clearly most of the players left on the major league roster are not in the ultimate plan for the future other than as bench players or trade bait - I am referring to Garrett Jones, Delwyn Young, Brandon Moss, Steve Pearce, Virgil Vazquez, and Jason Jaramillo. These are all quality players, but should not be everyday starting players. Decent bench players, yes, but the Bucs will probably phase them out slowly but surely. Add to them the players most likely to be gone soon - Matt Capps, John Grabow. Then you have the guys who COULD be in the future plans, but it will probably depend on their '09 and '10 seasons. These include Jesse Chavez, Evan Meek, Jeff Karstens, Donnie Veal, and Andy LaRoche. Of them, maybe 3 are still on the team in 2011. That leaves only 7 legit candidates on the starting roster to still be on the team in '11 - Ryan Doumit, Andrew McCutchen, Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Ross Ohlendorf, Charlie Morton, and Joel Hanrahan. None of them are guaranteed except McCutchen and maybe Morton. So, we'll be safe and say 13 guys on this roster will still be on the roster in 2011, leaving 12 spots up for grabs from our minor league system, because I highly doubt we will trade for anyone major league ready in the near future. So let's look at the minors.
If you have read anything about the Pirates in the last couple months, you'd already know there is a severe lack of middle infielders above High-A. That is very troubling, especially considering the unwillingness of teams to give up middle infield prospects, which has been very evident in the recent trades. However, there is a number of strong pitching prospects that could crack the major league roster and be quality starters in the future. My question is, why, when you already have a pitching staff that is at least average in the NL, with 4 potential future starters, do we need to keep acquiring unproven SP's? This is what bugs me the most about the recent trades. We now have 20, count them TWENTY, potential major league starting pitchers in the minors:
Brad Lincoln AAA
Eric Hacker AAA
Daniel McCutchen AAA
Tom Gorzelanny AAA
Ty Taubenheim AAA
Tim Alderson AA
Kyle Bloom AA
Derek Hankins AA
Jared Hughes AA
Jeff Locke High-A
Nathan Adcock High-A
Rudy Owens Low-A
Hunter Strickland Low-A
Brian Leach Low-A
Casey Erickson Low-A
Aaron Pribanic Low-A
Brett Lorin Low-A
Victor Black A
Kyle McPherson SC
Brooks Pounders Rookie
Not to mention some quality relievers:
Chris Bootcheck AAA
Stephen Jackson AAA
Juan Mateo AAA
Craig Hansen DL
And who knows what other unknowns might emerge in the next year. Now I'm not completely upset by this, because it is always nice to have a lot of options, but we can't just have pitching. True, the Giants have no offense and are winning with superb pitching, but we do not have Tim Lincecum or a Matt Cain anywhere in our system. I don't think the future of this team can just be pitching and hoping to win every game 2-0 like we've needed to lately (and haven't). Let's look at our position players in the minors who have any semblance of a chance to be a major leaguer someday:
C Robinzon Diaz AAA
C Erik Kratz AAA
C Tony Sanchez Low-A
1B Jeff Clement AAA
1B Calvin Anderson Low-A
1B Erik Huber Low-A
2B Shelby Ford AAA
2B Jim Negrych AA
2B Brock Holt A
3B Neil Walker AAA
3B Pedro Alvarez AA
SS Argenis Diaz AAA
SS Brian Friday AA
SS Chase d'Arnaud High-A
SS Jordy Mercer High-A
OF Lastings Milledge AAA
OF Jose Tabata AA
OF Gorkys Hernandez AA
OF Starling Marte Low-A
OF Robbie Grossman Low-A
OF Quincy Latimore Low-A
You can probably remove Walker and Diaz from that list since Walker sucks now and Diaz is likely to get traded because of his "defense". I think he will be a quality everyday catcher somewhere, maybe even .280 20 80 in his prime. So that leaves only 19 "maybes". Looking at that list is depressing, because most of them won't be any good even if they make it. You can see there is a VERY CLEAR lack of offense on our current team and our future team, even if Tabata and Alvarez can make a difference. So, please Mr. Huntington, can you address this before it is too late and our potentially very strong pitching staff is either old or traded away? I REALLY hate to say this, but taking all that into account, why are the Pirates not ACTIVELY, like all-out-doing-anything-they-can, trying to shop Maholm and Capps. A team like the Mets needs a SP and a set-up guy, you're telling me they don't have a quality SS or 2B in their system? The Mets are just the first team that popped into my mind - there are obviously other contenders (Mets aren't really contenders..but they have money) that need SP and RP. We have TONS! TRADE SOME! GET SOME DAMN BATS!
Please tell me you agree with this.
Also, here is a list of who I think are the top 10 prospects in our system:
Brad Lincoln SP
Pedro Alvarez 3B
Jose Tabata OF
Tim Alderson SP
Rudy Owens RP
Jeff Clement 1B
Chris Bootcheck RP
Tony Sanchez C
Chase d'Arnaud SS
Hunter Strickland SP
UPDATE (7/31): So since I posted this yesterday, as you know Gorzo and Grabow have been traded for (more pitching!) Kevin Hart (SP), Jose Ascanio (SP/RP), and Josh Harrison (3B). All are rated very well and seem to be good prospects, so I'm thrilled about it. Gorzo is a hit or miss, and Grabow is generally a situational guy that is better suited for a contending team. Hart will step right into the rotation giving us one heck of a promising top 5 for the 2010 season, and if anyone in that top 5 struggles we have a ton of prospects to compete for spots. Next season will basically be a season-long tryout for 2011, which will be fun because we have absolutely no expectations of winning. Ascanio throws hard and the Bucs will try him as a starter in Indy. Harrison will report to Lynchburg to play 3B, so we'll see how he does. Overall, now that the trading frenzy is behind us, we can start mapping out the future and watching how these young guys perform, which is pretty exciting.
Also, Jose "God of the Universe" Tabata got promoted to Indy, and "Tubby" Alvarez will stay at Altoona for the rest of the season.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Goodbye Jack Flash...and the Other Guy.
As of now, only 6 players remain on the Pirates from last year's beginning of the season roster (with at least 2 sure to go still). The latest to go was Jack Wilson, which automatically means our defense will suffer. Also gone is Snelly, which is not a surprise. He will probably win 8 consecutive Cy Young's now with the Mariners. As for what we got in return, it seems OK. Clement couldn't even beat out Kenji Johjima in Seattle as catcher, Cedeno is a weak bat, and the pitchers are all A ballers. True, 2 of them have decent stats, but was it really worth it? I think it was more about saving money, but we'll see.
Go Bucs!
Go Bucs!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
fantasy football
it's about that time again...who wants to start up the league??? I don't think I'll be able to be the commissioner this year, I have a feeling a second job and work load is going to be increasing...Offord? Josh? Imler? Gideon?
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Traded: aDAM shame...
Though the expectations that came along with him were never truly satiated, it's still a shame to see Adam LaRoche go. Atleast like Jason Bay, he goes to a contender in the Boston Red Sox and hopefully he can start hitting with some pop the same way Hinske has for the yankees. Hinske by the way I believe has hit 4 home runs in 5 games for the yankees, while hitting 1 during the whole first half for the Pirates...go figure.
I'm anxious to see one of the Red Sox infielding superstars to get injured for a length of time with LaRoche filling in at first base or DH and slamming 20 more home runs by seasons end. In the mean time, Garrett Jones will cool off and finish the season with 12 home runs even though he's got 9 now with more than 60 games to go, and now the pirates fill their dead end minor league system with another jack wilson-type SS in AA and a pitching pee-on prospect in Single-A.
The plus side...? Ok, here's the goods (or my idea of goods in relation to anything relevant to pittsburgh baseball) and I believe to be the motivation behind the move. Besides the fact that Garrett Jones has been arguably the best Pirates hitter since being called up, another Pirates prospect required recently in the Nyjen Morgan deal is hitting at an above .400 clip in AAA. Milledge will now be recalled within a week to get some major playing time in the outfield, while the Pirates will let Garrett Jones play out the rest of the season at first base, getting regular at bats to see if he can truly perform at his current level consistently.
If Milledge performs to what scouts believed he was capable when he was the Mets number 1 prospect and Garrett Jones continues to slug, this could end up being a very interesting second half and maybe shine some light on hopefully a not so dim future.
Questions? Comments? Nasty Remarks?
I'm anxious to see one of the Red Sox infielding superstars to get injured for a length of time with LaRoche filling in at first base or DH and slamming 20 more home runs by seasons end. In the mean time, Garrett Jones will cool off and finish the season with 12 home runs even though he's got 9 now with more than 60 games to go, and now the pirates fill their dead end minor league system with another jack wilson-type SS in AA and a pitching pee-on prospect in Single-A.
The plus side...? Ok, here's the goods (or my idea of goods in relation to anything relevant to pittsburgh baseball) and I believe to be the motivation behind the move. Besides the fact that Garrett Jones has been arguably the best Pirates hitter since being called up, another Pirates prospect required recently in the Nyjen Morgan deal is hitting at an above .400 clip in AAA. Milledge will now be recalled within a week to get some major playing time in the outfield, while the Pirates will let Garrett Jones play out the rest of the season at first base, getting regular at bats to see if he can truly perform at his current level consistently.
If Milledge performs to what scouts believed he was capable when he was the Mets number 1 prospect and Garrett Jones continues to slug, this could end up being a very interesting second half and maybe shine some light on hopefully a not so dim future.
Questions? Comments? Nasty Remarks?
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Last Chance to Vote for this Week's Hotties
So head over to my blog and cast your vote if you haven't yet.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Garrett Jones Look alike
Anybody else thinks offord kinda looks like our best all around hitter as of late, Garrett Jones???
Just give him a hat and get rid of that impish grin and...maybe???? I mean the only difference between them is about 8 inches, 60 pounds and a few thousand dollars in salary.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Ambiorix Concepcion
Move over Albert Pujols, take a seat A-Rod, and lets forgot about Manny, the greatest player in baseball is Ambiorix Concepcion. The question you may find yourself asking is, "who the hell is Ambiorix Concepcion?" Right now he is a minor league player for the Orioles, but he is more than that. He may be the savior of this great nation of ours.
He leads the minors right now with 57 home runs, and 200 RBIs. Not too shabby. But that does not even begin to explain his greatness. I recently had the chance to sit down with Ambiorix and ask him a few questions.
Me: Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions, what should I call you? Ambi? Ambiorix?
Concepcion: Dr. Concepcion will do just fine.
Me: Oh, I was not aware that you were a doctor.
Concepcion: I have two PhDs, one in engineering, the other in economics.
Me: Wow, so my first question is how come you are not starting for the Orioles? You should be breaking all sorts of records up there, instead of playing for Bowie.
Concepcion: I asked the Orioles to allow me to stay in Bowie for the time being while I finish my work for the Obama Administration.
Me: What work is that?
Concepcion: Right now I am involved in a think-tank with physicist Reed Richards, engineer Tony Stark, and industrialist Bruce Wayne. We are working on solving some of the nations biggest problems. We believe that we will solve the energy crisis by the end of the year, and hopefully have free health care in place for everyone.
Me: Sounds like you are a busy guy. When should we expect to see you in an Orioles uniform.
Concepcion: I have told the Orioles I should be ready for the 2011 season, by then we should have those problems fixed and the economy will be turned around due to a few things I have in the works.
Me: Anything I should know about?
Concepcion: Sorry, it is a secret.
Me: Why play baseball at all?
Concepcion: It is what I love, unfortunately duty must go before my own desires. I figure that if I play from 2011 to 2019, I should be able to hit at least 500 home runs, and hopefully make my way into the Hall of Fame.
Me: Wow, those are some lofty goals.
Concepcion: Have you seen me play?
Me: Yes, I recently saw you hit a 600 foot shot over center field at Altoona.
Concepcion: Yeah, that was a check swing.
Me: Well thank you for time Dr. Concepcion, I look forward to seeing you win the Nobel Prize and the MVP.
Concepcion: My pleasure.
As you can you see, he is not just a mere baseball player, but in fact our greatest national treasure.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
An Interesting Development...
So apparently the Pirates are "pushing hard" to trade steady Freddie. I'm fine with it, since they are dumping everyone anyway, but here is my question - if they trade Sanchez before the All-Star break, that means technically the Pirates have no one playing in the game. So what then? Does someone get cut and a new Pirate gets added? I for one would be pissed if we didn't have a representative...then again..who would they take? Andy LaRoche? Not...
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
PS3 Game Review
Since I have played quite a few PS3 games now, I thought I should go over them since some are pretty awesome. Please add some more reviews for other games so I know what to buy next.
Fallout 3: A+
Graphics: A
Game Play: A+
Game Length: A+
Storyline: B
This is right up there with my favorite games of all time. While the storyline is a bit hackey and short, the post-apocalyptic world of Washington D.C. has so much to explore, and so many foes to blow the heads off of. The game doesn't keep track of hours played, but I probably got to the max level (20) in 40 hours, then played for another 20-30 just completing random quests, exploring and finding the rare items, and mostly looking for enemies to kill. I finally made myself quit, mainly because I was running out of stuff I could do, and I'd like to still want to play when all the expansions come out for PS3 in October. Also, the graphics are amazing. As a DC resident, I must say most of the stuff looks pretty good. The locations and metro stations are way out of wack, but they sort of cover themselves by saying the world went a different way in 1950. For anyone who has played Elder Scrolls, Bethesda Software produces both that series and the Fallout series. I'll get to Elder Scrolls later, but let's just say the system Fallout 3 uses for firing weapons is much, much better than Oblivion. Overall, if you have time to waste, this game offers plenty of hours of great fun.
Resistance: A
Graphics: A
Gameplay: A
Game Length: A
Storyline: B+
In the same way that Fallout 3 is one of my all-time favorite RPG's, Resistance is one of my all-time favorite 1st-Person Shooters. The graphics are amazing, the enemies are pretty cool and original, and the storyline is decent and moves well enough along. Also, for a shooter, this game has a decent length. I will be purchasing Resistance 2 soon most likely.
Resident Evil 5: B+
Graphics: A+
Gameplay: A
Game Length: D
Storyline: B
Having played most of the Resident Evils, the plotlines sort of don't matter after awhile since they are just too confusing to keep up with. All you need to know, for any game in the series, is that a virus infected people, you are trying to kill them, and there is extremely corny writing and voicing. The puzzles are slowly phasing out since the original that took place in the mansion, but I was always kind of annoyed by them anyway. As for this one, the graphics are spectacular, definitely the best I've ever seen. The difference between cut scenes and actual gameplay are quickly evaporating. Actual gameplay is very similar to Resident Evil 4 in that there is still the over the shoulder view, zombies run at you until they are about 10 ft away then slow down so you can set yourself, and you have a limited inventory. The main change is the addition of a partner, which I was hesitant to accept at first but soon came to like it. It helped that she was sort of hot too (but definitely no Jill Valentine...). About 10 hours into this game, I would have given it an A++. BUT, then the game ended. The final boss fights took about 2 hours to finish, and that was it. I was extremely disappointed that I finished the entire game in 2 days...Sure, it has an arcade mode, online multiplayer, and decent replayability (which I am now playing with the chick), but I like storyline and progression, and this game just leaves you wanted too much more. Overall, it's a decent step in the right direction for the Resident Evil series, but I would love it to last more than 12 hours...
Madden '09: B
Graphics: A
Gameplay: A
Game Length: N/A
Storyline: N/A
I have no real qualms with this game, but I just can't get into sports games anymore. I think NHL '96 for Sega was the last sports game that I truly liked, and as far as sports games, I prefer hockey to any other sport. The graphics seemed pretty good, and everything seemed the same as the others except looked better, I just never completed 1 whole season. Too many other great PS3 games out there.
Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion: C+
Graphics: A-
Gameplay: C+
Game Length: ?
Storyline: ?
I started this game before Fallout, got bored, played Fallout for a month or 2, came back to Elder Scrolls, got bored and was gifted Resident Evil, and now I'm back to having only this game to play and one other listed below. After playing Fallout, I thought I'd like this more because it's practically the same gameplay, but I just can't get into it. It's like there's so much to do that I don't know where to start, so I just don't. The graphics are a little below Fallout, and there is no auto aiming function, which sucks because I miss baddies with my fire balls way too often. I've played for probably 2-3 hours, and while the game seems decent enough, I just can't get into it. The story seems pretty dumb too, and the voice acting is ridiculous. What's with the facial expression challenges?? Meh, overall I am indifferent right now and will try to get into it again soon.
MLB Front Office Manager: D
Graphics: C
Gameplay: D
Game Length: N/A
Storyline: N/A
Realism: F
This game plays like my Sammy Sosa 2000 game almost to a T (whatever that phrase means). And that game isn't even meant to be exclusively for GM's. I preferred just drafting, trading, and keeping track of the Pirates in that game...8 years ago. I figured by now gaming must have progressed, but all that got better was flashier menus, the addition of salaries, and difficult to function menus. Lame. Do not buy.
Devil May Cry 4: ?
Graphics: A
Gameplay: B
Game Length: ?
Storyline: ?
I only played this game for about an hour before moving on to Resistance. It seemed decent enough because it was a God of War type game and I really enjoyed those games. However, I didn't get the same feel for this one, and felt like one move was the only one that really worked...something like slamming your crazy mutant arm into the ground. I felt like if you just kept doing that you killed everything..I'm sure it gets better, and once I get tired of Oblivion again I will move to this game most likely.
That's all for now. I bought a PS3 originally because I thought FF13 was coming out in May 2009. Now it's looking like May 2010 is a longshot...Damn you Square-Enix!!!
Fallout 3: A+
Graphics: A
Game Play: A+
Game Length: A+
Storyline: B
This is right up there with my favorite games of all time. While the storyline is a bit hackey and short, the post-apocalyptic world of Washington D.C. has so much to explore, and so many foes to blow the heads off of. The game doesn't keep track of hours played, but I probably got to the max level (20) in 40 hours, then played for another 20-30 just completing random quests, exploring and finding the rare items, and mostly looking for enemies to kill. I finally made myself quit, mainly because I was running out of stuff I could do, and I'd like to still want to play when all the expansions come out for PS3 in October. Also, the graphics are amazing. As a DC resident, I must say most of the stuff looks pretty good. The locations and metro stations are way out of wack, but they sort of cover themselves by saying the world went a different way in 1950. For anyone who has played Elder Scrolls, Bethesda Software produces both that series and the Fallout series. I'll get to Elder Scrolls later, but let's just say the system Fallout 3 uses for firing weapons is much, much better than Oblivion. Overall, if you have time to waste, this game offers plenty of hours of great fun.
Resistance: A
Graphics: A
Gameplay: A
Game Length: A
Storyline: B+
In the same way that Fallout 3 is one of my all-time favorite RPG's, Resistance is one of my all-time favorite 1st-Person Shooters. The graphics are amazing, the enemies are pretty cool and original, and the storyline is decent and moves well enough along. Also, for a shooter, this game has a decent length. I will be purchasing Resistance 2 soon most likely.
Resident Evil 5: B+
Graphics: A+
Gameplay: A
Game Length: D
Storyline: B
Having played most of the Resident Evils, the plotlines sort of don't matter after awhile since they are just too confusing to keep up with. All you need to know, for any game in the series, is that a virus infected people, you are trying to kill them, and there is extremely corny writing and voicing. The puzzles are slowly phasing out since the original that took place in the mansion, but I was always kind of annoyed by them anyway. As for this one, the graphics are spectacular, definitely the best I've ever seen. The difference between cut scenes and actual gameplay are quickly evaporating. Actual gameplay is very similar to Resident Evil 4 in that there is still the over the shoulder view, zombies run at you until they are about 10 ft away then slow down so you can set yourself, and you have a limited inventory. The main change is the addition of a partner, which I was hesitant to accept at first but soon came to like it. It helped that she was sort of hot too (but definitely no Jill Valentine...). About 10 hours into this game, I would have given it an A++. BUT, then the game ended. The final boss fights took about 2 hours to finish, and that was it. I was extremely disappointed that I finished the entire game in 2 days...Sure, it has an arcade mode, online multiplayer, and decent replayability (which I am now playing with the chick), but I like storyline and progression, and this game just leaves you wanted too much more. Overall, it's a decent step in the right direction for the Resident Evil series, but I would love it to last more than 12 hours...
Madden '09: B
Graphics: A
Gameplay: A
Game Length: N/A
Storyline: N/A
I have no real qualms with this game, but I just can't get into sports games anymore. I think NHL '96 for Sega was the last sports game that I truly liked, and as far as sports games, I prefer hockey to any other sport. The graphics seemed pretty good, and everything seemed the same as the others except looked better, I just never completed 1 whole season. Too many other great PS3 games out there.
Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion: C+
Graphics: A-
Gameplay: C+
Game Length: ?
Storyline: ?
I started this game before Fallout, got bored, played Fallout for a month or 2, came back to Elder Scrolls, got bored and was gifted Resident Evil, and now I'm back to having only this game to play and one other listed below. After playing Fallout, I thought I'd like this more because it's practically the same gameplay, but I just can't get into it. It's like there's so much to do that I don't know where to start, so I just don't. The graphics are a little below Fallout, and there is no auto aiming function, which sucks because I miss baddies with my fire balls way too often. I've played for probably 2-3 hours, and while the game seems decent enough, I just can't get into it. The story seems pretty dumb too, and the voice acting is ridiculous. What's with the facial expression challenges?? Meh, overall I am indifferent right now and will try to get into it again soon.
MLB Front Office Manager: D
Graphics: C
Gameplay: D
Game Length: N/A
Storyline: N/A
Realism: F
This game plays like my Sammy Sosa 2000 game almost to a T (whatever that phrase means). And that game isn't even meant to be exclusively for GM's. I preferred just drafting, trading, and keeping track of the Pirates in that game...8 years ago. I figured by now gaming must have progressed, but all that got better was flashier menus, the addition of salaries, and difficult to function menus. Lame. Do not buy.
Devil May Cry 4: ?
Graphics: A
Gameplay: B
Game Length: ?
Storyline: ?
I only played this game for about an hour before moving on to Resistance. It seemed decent enough because it was a God of War type game and I really enjoyed those games. However, I didn't get the same feel for this one, and felt like one move was the only one that really worked...something like slamming your crazy mutant arm into the ground. I felt like if you just kept doing that you killed everything..I'm sure it gets better, and once I get tired of Oblivion again I will move to this game most likely.
That's all for now. I bought a PS3 originally because I thought FF13 was coming out in May 2009. Now it's looking like May 2010 is a longshot...Damn you Square-Enix!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)