Blast from the Past: N64′s Perfect Dark

Seeing Perfect Dark, a remake of the classic first-person shooter Perfect Dark for the Nintendo 64, on Xbox Live Arcade (“XBLA”) brought back memories. The original Perfect Dark 64 came out in 2000 and I remember it like was yesterday: I was a freshman in high school, Diddy was still called Puff Daddy, and my friends and I spent our entire spring break playing Perfect Dark split-screen multi-player. I think we only slept 10 hours that entire week, and coincidentally, I had to get prescription glasses soon after. So yes, I nearly shed a tear when I saw one of my favorite games of all time remade with high-definition visuals.

Cassandra deVries is still a bitch

The great thing about Perfect Dark XBLA is that very little has changed since 2000. All the game modes are still intact: solo campaign, co-operative, counter-operative, and multi-player. But now they have online capabilities, something the Nintendo 64 was incapable of, so you can play with other nostalgic fans from all over the world.

The new and improved look great in 1080p

Back in the day, the joy of playing PD was sitting in a room with three other friends, so playing the multi-player online took me a while to get used to. When I was a kid, if one person was being really cheap and camping with dual-Cyclones while playing as Elvis the Martian (the equivalent to playing as Oddjob in Goldeneye), you could physically beat the crap out of that person for being so cheap since he was in the same room as you. Those were unspoken rules. This isn’t possible when playing online since everyone on Xbox Live is relatively anonymous. This means that everybody plays like a complete a-hole during online multi-player, which sucks.

Split-screen FTW!

The controls haven’t aged so well, even though they have been retooled for the Xbox 360 controller. Don’t expect them to be as tight or responsive as Halo or Call of Duty, so be prepared to dumb yourself down and kick it old school.

This weapon is a real bitch to play against online

If you were ever a fan of Perfect Dark as a kid, than purchasing Perfect Dark XBLA is a no-brainer. The graphics are solid, the game play is decent, and the game’s ten-year old charm is still the same. And to top if off, it only costs ten measly bucks so your cheap ass has no reason not to buy this classic. That’s like one meal at Chipotle that you have to give up.

Life in the Fast Lane: Blur

The best way I can describe Blur, a new online racing game for high-definition consoles,  is Need for Speed meets Mario Kart meets Call of Duty 4. Let me explain.

I think they're entering The Matrix

On the surface, Blur is an arcade racer similar to the Need for Speed games –it offers players race care action that focuses on the speed and intensity of racing, rather than the simulation aspect of it (something Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport are known for). This should come as no surprise since the Blur developers, Bizarre Creations, are also responsible for the Project Gotham Racing series on the Xbox. The game offers over 50 real car models to choose from and take to the virtual streets.

Yeah, races can get intense

The second dimension of Blur is the use of vehicle power-ups that are found on the racetrack, a la Mario Kart. You can set mines (like banana peels), release shockwaves (like the POW box), fire homing energy beams (like the infamous red shell), or utilize several other items that will lead you to victory.

Road rage

The third and final comparison is to that of Call of Duty 4‘s reward system. CoD4 would entice gamers to continue playing by rewarding them with new weapons and perks every time they gain points and level up. Blur is no different. The more items and special maneuvers you use during races, the more points you get. After you reach a certain amount of points, you level up and unlock new cars and perks. These perks give the game extra depth because they have different affects on the items. For instance, an offensive perk can make your energy beams stronger.

One of the unlockable Beamers

Playing Blur for the past week has been a blast so far, which is a real compliment because I’m usually not fond of racing games (because I suck at them). The online multi-player can get very intense and using the right items at the right time takes a lot of strategy. Each race is just as crazy and unpredictable as a game of Mario Kart. The RPG-leveling aspect borrowed from CoD4 has kept me playing the online multi-player for hours. Arcade racing fans won’t be disappointed.

Check out Blur here

The 5 Best Games to Look Out for This Fall

If there’s one thing you definitely need more of, it’s video games. But after seeing all the nonsense at this year’s E3, figuring out which games to spend your precious, hard-earned dollars on can be quite a challenge. So to help keep you from blowing $60 on some butt-sucking sequel, we’ve narrowed it down to the five must-have games due out this fall. Read more