Deal Hunter 06/27/2008: 79th Street GoodWill

Any good cheap ass knows that some of the best places to find deals are secondhand stores and flea markets. But finding all of these places are combing through their piles of crap can be very time consuming. Luckily for you, there is a resident Deal Hunter for Big Apple Gamer, ME! In this weekly column I will visit a GoodWill, Salvation Army, or flea market and rate the store based on how many potential deals they offer. For the first edition we took a visit to the GoodWill on 79th Street in Manhattan. Do they have anything to offer? Lets see.

The Upper Westside GoodWill, located on 79th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues, has been a one stop shop for all of your second hand needs for many years. I remember buying my first super soaker there when I was just a wee lad. So when I decided to start this weekly colum I thought what better place to write my first review on then my resident GoodWill?

Anxiously walking into the store, it is immediately apparent that it is your run of the mill thrift store. Clothes, books, toys, and other dirty, broken goods line the floors and walls, waiting to be rifled through by the many keen-eyed shoppers that inhabit the New York area. Searching through the store, I was alarmed when I saw absolutely NOTHING pertaining to video games. No old NES. No coffee stained power gloves or cracked Genesis cartridges. Nothing. I sifted through bins, shelves, and racks, coming up empty handed every time.

As I walked away, feeling defeated and a shell of my former deal sniffing self, I eyed a familiar white DVD case in the display glass in front of the counter. I bent down for a closer inspection, hoping that it was perhaps a deal on Boom Blox or Mario Kart Wii. My hopes were quickly murdered as the words "Super Monkey Ball" appeared. I didn't dare look at the price as no value could be right for that game. I looked around the case, seeing if any other games might have been hiding along with this one, but to no avail.

I can;t imagine how a place that provides so many great tales from fellow Cheap Ass Gamers could bring me nothing but freaking Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz Either it was raided of all goods buy a faster hunter, or it just plain sucks.

For providing nothing but absolute failure, I give the 79th Street GoodWill 1 out of 5 apples.

Rating:

A True Experience: MGS4 Review

Usually, when I write a video game review, I break the game down piece by piece, explaining what is good and bad about each aspect. Playing Metal Gear Solid 4 changed all of that. If I were to break this game down, not only would it take several pages to explain everything, but it would do this work of art no justice. Instead, I will let my emotions write this review for me, while my brain reflects back on what is not only a game, but an experience.

For those who have followed the Metal Gear series since its inception, you can skip this paragraph. For those who haven't, let me explain the premise for this game as best I could. You play as Solid Snake, who because of a genetic coding when he was cloned from his father, is way older than his age number indicates. Struggling with life, Old Snake, as he is now known, is thrown into a war of the near future (2014) that is driven by war and technology. His final mission is to find Ocelot, and old foe now controlled by Snake's brother's arm (yes its confusing if you've never played the sequels) and stop him from taking over the world. Do yourself a favor and at least read up on the stories of Metal Gear Solid 1, 2 and 3, as well as the original Metal Gears before playing this game. If you haven;t played the previous games, the emotions and fan service strewn throughout the game will be almost completely lost.

For those of you who have played the other games, Metal Gear Solid 4 is the complete ending and fan service that a true hero such as Snake deserves.
The game is a true masterpiece, and there is no other way to describe it. The world it is set in is filled with grittiness, depression, confusion, and sorrow. Graphically, it is one of the most beautiful games you will ever see, past and future, on any system. The environments show the effects of a war torn world at every corner, Rubble riddles the streets of the Middle East as explosions go off around every corner. The grand and forests rivers of South America are darkened with the blood, sweat, and tears of the rebels, and the Private Military soldiers they are fighting against. The curfew stricken Eastern Europe feels empty and eerily stagnant, as it should with no one but soldiers wandering the streets. And finally, the old areas of Shadow Moses Island and Outer Haven from previous Metal Gear Solid games are masterfully recreated into the cold, heartless environments that perfectly represent the direction of the story as the game comes to its conclusion.

The story itself is told in a series of cutscenes, totally around 10 hours, which is to be expected from a Metal Gear Solid game. What is truly amazing is that while 10 hours of doing nothing but watching movies in a game may seem wrong, these scenes are so wonderfully narrated, acted, and realized that you will be engulfed completely by the story, the emotions, and the cinematics of this final chapter. Lifelong fans such as myself might even shed a tear at several times during the game, as characters that fans have followed for 20 years have their stories changed and completed. I won;t spoil anything here, but be prepared for a few surprises, lots of emotional anguish, and a feeling of completeness as the Snake's saga comes to a gripping end.

The gameplay is everything a Metal gear Solid game was, with everything it could be added on top. Present are the traditional stealth mechanics, with the added support of an oh-too-sweet Octo-Camo suit which changes to look like the environment around you in an instant, letting you blend in seamlessly. Added on top of the usual sneaking gameplay is the ability to finally Run and Gun in a Metal Gear Solid game. This adds a whole new dimension, and opens the game up to almost every game player there is. Don't want to sneak around? Pull out a machine gun and blast your way through every level. More of the silent type? Each level can be completed by not being spotted by a single enemy. Boss fights are also strewn about. Each and every one is unique and memorable, keeping you trekking forward, waiting to see who your next big foe is. To simply put it, the gameplay is one of the best in any game ever made.

Also added into an already spectacular game is a simple Online play mode, with your standard deathmatch modes, as well as the ability to play as Snake online, and to capture bases while competing against other teams.

This review may seem short and vague, but that is by design. There is simply no way you could describe Metal Gear Solid 4 in words. It is simply something one must experience. For fans of the series, I would go as far to say that if you don;t already have a PlayStation 3, buy one just to play this game. You will cry, you will laugh, feel depressed, confused, and relieved all by the games conclusion. Metal Gear Solid 4 is a masterpiece of modern art and must be experienced to be believed. It provides unmatched gameplay, a gripping narrative unsurpassed by any game to date, and complete closure for fans of the series. Do yourself a favor, and go play this game NOW.

Catching up on old times...

So, you may or may not know that I have the tendency to start writing game reviews, and then never complete them. Part of the reason I'm starting this blog is to force me to keep all of you informed on whats hot and whats not, therefore making me write reviews no matter what.
But that's not to say I haven't published some comprehensive reviews in the past. Most of them are sports titles as that was my job in a past blog. Here is a list of reviews I have published. Feel free to read them and comment, and expect a steady stream of reviews to appear on the blog as the games roll in.

Reviews:
Madden 08 Xbox 360 Review
Madden 07 Xbox 360 Review
Madden 2005 Collector's Edition Retro Review
NCAA Football 08 Xbox 360 Review
Fight Night Round 3 Xbox 360 Review
MLB 2k7 Xbox 360 Review
Guitar Hero II PS2 Review
Microsoft Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows Product Review
Microsoft Quick Charge Kit Product Review
Microsoft Play and Charge Kit Product Review
Turtle Beach Earforce X1 Gaming Headset Xbox 360 Product Review

Expect many more as we try and build this community of Big Apple Gamers.

May the games begin!

Just got home from GameStop with MGS4 safely in my hands. Now its time for the longest installation process since GTAIV. I'll update you guys after I've played some with initial impressions.

Oh, here is a grainy picture of the festivities:


About 50 people showed up before Midnight. Nothing like the GTA IV release, but that was multiplatform, so it understandably had twice the customers waiting for it.

Cya soon!

The calm before the storm...

We are officially 24 hours away from the launch of Metal Gear Solid 4 here on the East Coast. I know some of you have gotten the game early (which has kept me off of message boards, damn spoilers), but most of us are still waiting patiently, yet anxiously, for the game that most of us purchased a PS3 for. On one hand, I cannot wait to get my hands on it, pop it into the system, and watch the sure-to-be epic opening sequence. On the other hand, I am worried that, as many games today, Kojima's final journey into the Metal Gear Solid universe might not live up to the crushing hype. If history of the series would teach us anything, its that I have nothing to be nervous about, but history also reminds us that nothing is a sure thing. Either way, I know these last 24 hours will go by in what seems like 24 days.
So for now, I sit here with you, patiently awaiting the game that can either make or break this generation for Sony.

PS: I hear its amazing when the famous purple stuffed worm in flap-jaw space with the tuning fork does a raw blink on Hari Kiri Rock. I need scissors! 61!