Current Prices for Last September's Xbox 360 Releases

Jimmy James 70 Says: Over the past year, I’ve become fascinated with how quickly video games start dropping in price. If you’re a gamer on a budget, or if you’re just stingy, then you’re like me and you don’t want to pay full retail for a game; especially if that same game costs half as much three months later.

Of the 16 games that I tracked, which were released in September 2008, half of them now cost $35 or less (if you buy them used at GameStop). I realize that GameStop is the evil empire of the video game business, so I also tracked their current value at Goozex as well.

Here are some interesting observations:

• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is the only game that did not receive positive reviews, but is still worth its original retail value.
• Out of 16 releases, only 4 games are still worth their original retail value.
• Half of the September releases dropped to $35 or lower.

Click the graph to make it bigger.

Slashing and Hacking the Hack n Slash Games

MrWeymes Says: The hack n slash is one of the veteran genres in the video game universe. Games such as Golden Axe, Gauntlet, and Diablo are all classic examples. There has always been something very satisfactory about felling an opponent with a simple x, x, x, or a, a, a combo.

Current hack n slash games have evolved to the point where they feature huge storylines and excellent cutscenes unfold as you play. The biggest innovation to hit the hack n slash genre is probably the ability to dodge and parry. These actions are available in such games as Heavenly Sword, Devil May Cry 4, and Ninja Gaiden 2. The ability to parry or evade has added challenges to more recent games and they take time to master. Anyone who has played Ninja Gaiden 2 on a higher difficulty knows the skill that is needed to time defensive maneuvers. These moves may be bothersome to some old school hack n slash fans, and for them there are still many hack n slash games with a more classic approach to choose from, but if gamers want the video game industry to grow, they should never shun innovation.

Aside from shooters, the hack n slash genre is still one of the most popular. Most action RPGs are simple hack n slash games at heart. Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2 are probably two of the most famous hack n slash games available. Regardless of how many times you "cast heal" on yourself, or level up, the combat in the Kingdom Hearts series consists of pressing the X button repeatedly to disperse your foes. Perhaps the action RPG genre is so popular because its fans simply do not have the patience to play through several turn-based battles featured in games like Lost Odyssey, Final Fantasy 10, and the Disgaea series. It's odd that these action RPGs are often praised for their "innovative" or "unique" battle systems, because as mentioned above, the hack n slash genre is a veteran.

Tales of Vesperia, and the rest of the "Tales of" series is an example of a very popular action RPG with heavy hack n slash gameplay. The battle system is very simplistic and requires simple combos to fell your opponents. Other examples are the recent Xbox 360 exclusives Infinite Undiscovery and Too Human along with Rise of the Argonauts, which is available for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

In closing, the hack n slash genre is still one of the most relevant genres in video games. This is evident by finding bits and pieces of the hack n slash in several other genres. As long as video game enthusiasts still get their thrills from both hacking and slashing enemies, it's assured that the hack n slash genre has a long life ahead of itself.

Jimmy James 70 Says: As MrWeymes just explained, the hack n slash is a tried and true genre with a long history and a prominent future. So why do hack n slash games get slashed and hacked by the critics? Looking at the hack n slash games available on the Xbox 360, only one has a Metacritic score of 85 or higher, and that is 2006’s Dead Rising. Hack n slash games are innovative, unique, and intelligent and are very well done with beautiful graphics, and challenging enemies; and yet, they are treated as the equivalent of fast food for games. You know it's bad for you but you eat it any way. Cause they're fun. So, the critics need to step off their pedestal and start giving the hack n slash genre a fair review. It’s about time they did.

I played two hack n slash games that released in 2008 this past year and I liked them both for very different reasons. While both games have great graphics and relevant cutscenes, that’s about all they had in common, except that they are not exactly keepers; which makes them great titles for game trading.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has a great story, is a beautiful game, and after you painstakingly learn the controls and combos, you can fight off dozens of enemies at once. But the game requires a very steep learning curve that takes a lot of fun out of the game. Star Wars might be the first game that I like that isn't fun to play. For example, there is nothing more frustrating than to watch your Jedi stand there paralyzed, unable to move and fight back, while enemies grind you up with combo attack after combo attack. You would think a Jedi could bounce back from taking a hit a little faster than that. Or, when your Jedi is knocked down, he takes his time standing back up, and by the time he is standing, that big giant Robot looking stormtrooper is sending another blast to send you right back to your knees. After three times in a row of not being able to stand up I am ready to throw my controller out the window. Is this Lucas’ way of adding realism to video games? Please. You can leave realism at the door as far as I am concerned. And what about when you finally climb to the top of something, only to get immediately blasted and knocked down a chasm to your immediate death? What fun is that? And fun has always been my number one defining factor for a game... So, I’m kind of torn on this title… I love the story and the graphics, and when I do remember how to execute a combo move, it’s like fine art unfolding on the screen; but all the unnecessary deaths, the paralyzed-Jedi routine, it’s just downright frustrating. Only two more missions to go and I can trade this one back. Thank goodness I didn’t pay for it and if I can trade it back for 1000 points, then I will have played the game for free. And that makes it worthwhile.

A stark contrast to Star Wars is Viking: Battle for Asgard. While it is light on story and suffers from repetitive game play, it is heavy on great cutscenes and is very easy to learn and master the combo moves. That’s what I loved about this game: the sheer simplicity of it made it tons of fun to play and you can literally hack and slash your way through the hordes. While this is a title you’ll want to trade as soon as you’re done with it, it’s still very worthwhile to play through, even if you don’t finish it.

Kube00 Says: In my opinion, games that meet the requirements of hack n slash are usually action games, sometimes dungeon crawlers, but more often than not they have little, to no puzzles and consist of killing enemies that keep on coming. Most of the games I would consider hack n slash have a top down camera of some sorts.

The best-known hack and slash game that is still played today is the infamous Diablo II. Although it could fall under Action RPG, the Diablo series is more aligned with that of hack n slash. There is a limited story line and the action gets very repetitive as you face off against wave after wave of similar enemies. There’s fun class and skill development, with several unique characters, and the multiplayer consists of playing co-op through the single player levels or dueling. Despite its age, Diablo II still has a semi-strong following and the Lords of Destruction expansion is available for cheap on Goozex (both the expansion and Diablo II are available for 100 points).

A few other hack n slash games worth mentioning are Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance I and II as well as Fallout Brotherhood of Steel. I would even go and argue that X-men Legends and Marvel Ultimate Alliance are at their core hack n slash games. Hack n slash games are still fun and they are at their best when played in co-op. Most of them have a fair amount of replay value even if their length is a bit on the short side.

The Most Disappointing Games of 2008

Jimmy James 70 Says: MrWeymes told me he was going to write an article on the most disappointing game of the year. I immediately thought of NHL—up and down the ice, back and forth—what the heck is that? This game gets glowing reviews left and right and all you do is skate around the ice flicking a puck around. Worst sports game Eva. And then there was GRiD. Overall, it’s a great game, but what’s with racing Le Mans at the end of every season? Talk about a chore. At least you can skip it.

Then I started thinking about the most unexpectedly good game of the year. Viking: Battle for Asgard was panned by the critics and loved by me. I’m glad I didn’t listen to the critics and I got a game that I wanted to play. And I liked it. I liked it a lot. It’s a good game. The critics also panned Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, but after playing the first mission, I really liked it. Yes, it has frustrating game play mechanics, but as a causal SW fan, I'm liking it.

And now, here’s MrWeymes…

MrWeymes Says: For every anticipated game that lives up to the hype, there is one that disappoints. The promises a company makes to build hype around their game often leaves gamers saddened when they realize they just paid full price for a game that fulfills only some of the promises. On Christmas day, several gamers opened games that they wouldn't wish on anybody. Of course, these people had to put on their fake smiles, and attempt to play through a few minutes of the mentioned game. As with any year, 2008 had a solid amount of disappointing games. The disappointment of the year award isn't the worst game of the year. It's the game that disappointed anticipatory gamers the most.

While it's true that 2008 had it's fair share of disappointing games such as Haze, and Too Human, the biggest disappointment of the year is a game that loyal Sonic the Hedgehog fans were dreaming about ever since they saw the first video of Sonic in a semi-2D plane. That game is the Playstation 3, and Xbox 360 versions of Sonic Unleashed. Apparently, Sonic Unleashed for the Playstation 2, and Wii are decent, but for those that bought Sonic Unleashed for the PS3, and 360, their world is no doubt upside down with despair, hate and rage. Sonic Unleashed is one of the most frustrating Sonic games released in recent years. At least with Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, there were no shining moments that made you think it was a good game. However, in Sonic Unleashed, there is a ton of fun to be had, especially for a veteran Sonic fan. The majorities of Sonic’s daytime levels are very fun, and well put together. This would be great if the rest of the game wasn't a huge, uninspired chore to play. As anyone reading this article probably knows, Sonic turns into a werewolf at night, which is dubbed the "werehog." From terrible concept to terrible execution, the werehog portions of this game will haunt you for many nights. You will be forced to battle the same 5-6 enemies from start to finish throughout the entirety of the werehog levels, and on top of that you will be subjected to some of the worst, most archaic platforming to grace your television in years. It's literally shocking that the werehog portion of this game wasn't scrapped to make room for a few more day time Sonic levels. The enemies you encounter as the werehog look like rejects from a Kingdom Hearts sequel, and the ones that don't are just as uninspired. The bottom line is that if you're having fun playing as the werehog, you either haven't played a lot of games in your life, or you're such a blind Sonic fan that you refuse to acknowledge the horror that is unfolding right in front of your eyes. This is one of the few cases where less content would have made for a better game. If you were to go through the hub worlds that piece each level together, and play all of the daytime levels, you would probably have a 4-6 hour game. That would be absolutely fine, because there is a huge amount of replayability in the daytime levels. This game would have scored much better among critics if it were to just cut out one dastardly character; the werehog. That's not to say that the daytime levels are perfect, but they show that SEGA is getting back on track with the Sonic series. Honestly, Sonic doesn't even need to have 3D portions to his daytime levels.

Another problem with Sonic Unleashed is the lack of familiar characters involved with the story. Throughout your adventure with Sonic, you will come across Dr. Eggman, Tails, and Amy. That's it. Where is Knuckles, Rouge the Bat, Blaze the Cat, Cream the Rabbit, Shadow, or Silver? None of these characters had to be playable, but it would be nice to see them in cutscenes, or at least hanging around in the many towns.

It's when the camera pans to show a sidescrolling perspective that the game truly shines. SEGA needs to listen to critics, as well as Sonic fans, and release a game that only has levels similar to the daytime levels in Sonic Unleashed. Fans do not need, or want to find emeralds with Knuckles, perform telekinesis with Silver, nor do they need to trudge through the abomination that is the werehog levels of Sonic Unleashed.

To summarize, Sonic Unleashed is another failed attempt to revive the Sonic the Hedgehog series back to it's former glory. The daytime levels are nostalgic, and fun, but the rest of the game makes a grown man weep. Perhaps SEGA will incorporate the good from this game, and release a better Sonic the Hedgehog game in a couple of years. In the meantime, Sonic fans are treated to The Goozex Report's Disappointment of the Year.

Zero Punctuation Plays Star Wars on the Wii

If anyone is paying attention to the publishing schedule, you'd know that today is supposed to be Wii day. Well, here at TGR, we are Xbox 360 fans and really don't know anything about the Wii. It was contemplated to do a Best of the Cheapest Wii Games post, but does anyone really want that? Drop a comment letting us know your thoughts on that one.

In the meantime, Yahtzee reviewed Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on the Wii. And he regretted it. The video, as always from Yahtzee, is NSFW (but it is hilarious as always).

Trading for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

I wrote awhile back that I'm planning on buying Star Wars: TFU, and while I haven’t bought it yet, I will probably have to if I want to play it any time soon. I have this game on My Request list and there’s a long wait. Looking at the Trading Info for this, I might have a VERY LONG WAIT ahead of me. There are currently 13 copies on hold and 332 requests.

Yeah, I know, I just said I hope to get this game via Goozex while earlier I said I’m going to buy the game. The thing is, my current budget simply does not allow me to go out and drop $60 on games. I know that probably sounds pathetic, but that’s how it is. So, I either to need to wait for my birthday to get this game or I need to wait for Goozex, which ever comes sooner…

Because of the numbers, I still highly recommend buying this game if you plan on playing it sometime in the near future. I think it's virtually guaranteed you'll receive the full 1000 points when you trade it in. Right now, the game is valued at 900 points, but it won't be long before it's worth 1000.

Disc + Manual versus Full Package

I always list my offers as "Disc + Manual" but I always ship the case, usually in brand new condition. In the same way, I always request to receive games as "Disc + Manual" and I always receive the case. Looking closer at the Trading Info, I see the majority of people request the "Full Package." Because of this, I should get games much quicker by requesting "Disc + Manual" as opposed to "Full Package." Let's hope this theory works and I get TFU before the 271 other people.

In the meantime, if anyone has a review of this game, I’d love to post it. Drop a comment or use the link in the right column to respond.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed; Buy or Trade?

LucasArts is releasing the newest game for the Star Wars franchise on September 16. The question for Goozex members is not if they are going to play the game, but if they should buy it in the store, or wait to trade for it on Goozex.

As a die-hard Star Wars fan, and one who did not rip on the last three movies in the saga (although I do prefer the first three like everyone else), I've been patiently waiting for a SW game on the Xbox 360 ever since I bought the console. My patience is about to be rewarded with The Force Unleashed.

I downloaded the demo last week and have played through it twice. I liked it better the second time through, because I was more familiar with how the game played and had an easier time controlling the force. I was a little surprised to see some game aspects that have been used in other games. For example, when a bad-dude dies, green orbs come out of them and race to you to revive your health. Having just finished playing Viking: Battle for Asgard, I was very familiar with this concept. I am also familiar with how frustrating it can be to lose out on these green orbs if they are out of reach. The second game aspect, also used in Viking as well as The Bigs, is the concept of hitting a button combination to combat the boss at the end of the level. The Bigs used this idea to make a big play, like catching a ball hit over the fence. While TFU did not come up with some original ideas, they are not bad ideas, and certainly won't stop me from buying the game.

That's right, I said "buying the game." Before you protest that TFU has no multiplayer and no coop, let me explain. The game will be huge if only for the Star Wars name. And judging by the demo, this will be a beautiful game with lots of destruction. Doing some simple math (Star Wars + Beautiful + Destruction = Success) this game will be worth 1000 points on Goozex for a long time.

This is why I'm employing my Grand Theft Auto IV theory. I ran out to buy it, finished the campaign and several side missions, and was done with it. The multiplayer made me long for CoD4. So, what did I do? I traded it on Goozex and got my 1000 points. I basically played GTA IV for $10. A good deal by any means.

This is my plan for TFU, I'm going to buy the game, and then trade it for 1000 points. I'll, for the most part, get my $$ back and be set up for several more games. A win-win situation for sure.