Well, sometimes.
Yes, it’s another Xbox 360 post. I apologize to those of you who find this constant geek-talk boring, but this is what I’m grooving on at the moment, so it’s what I’ll be writing about.Now, where was I?
Oh yeah, combining geek powers!
I picked up my first full-fledged 360 game today – Perfect Dark Zero. It’s a first-person shooter, which isn’t a genre I usually go crazy for, but I’m really liking this one. I never got into the original Perfect Dark on the Nintendo 64, but this one’s pretty nice. Scads of cool weapons and play modes, an okay storyline and challenging missions (well, challenging to somebody like me). And it’s got online play.
Man, does it ever.
Sure, there’s your usual deathmatch and capture the flag (and all their numerous variations), but I’m not much of one for just running and gunning. I want something a bit meatier. (Probably why Half-Life and its sequel are more my thing than games like Doom 3.) PDZ really delivers here. Some FPS’s allow you to play the single-player missions co-operatively, but only if your buddy’s sitting right next to you.
PDZ takes it online.
Yup, you can play co-op over the Xbox Live network, complete with full-on voice chat. Why no other game has done this yet is beyond me. I tried this out with my friend Jon tonight and we had a blast with it. (Okay, I did. He’s more of a deathmatch type player.) Being able to talk and co-ordinate your actions while playing online is quite slick. It was awesome to take out guards with silenced pistols in unison. “On zero…3, 2, 1, zer-BANG!”
^.^
I’d love to see every FPS (or adventuring style game, like Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance) include online co-op.
Of course, it’s not always great.
When the person you’re co-opping with (some other dude who invited me to join a mission with him after Jon and I had finished some multiplayer games) won’t talk to you and just runs all over the place, not even trying to do things together.
You know, co-operatively?!?
Granted, every partner can’t be a winner, and you’re better off sticking with your friends, but the option to hook up with somebody for some co-op is nice.
Anybody up for a game? ^.^