Anyone whose been keeping an eye on the games market will know that the coming next couple of months are when all the publishers release their big hitters in search of our christmas cash. Even by regular standards I think we can safely say it's a bit packed. Last year I bought nearly everything I wanted on release and rushed through them ready for the next.. This year it's too packed too even attempt that so, for your reading pleasure, I've divided them into three lists..
1, Purchase on Release
These are the one's I'll either be pre-ordering or picking up at my local game emporium.
SAINTS ROW 2
The first to blink and out of the traps on Friday. I didn't play the first game and I'm not overly keen on the bling/wanna be gangster angle. However, I'm liking the look of the gameplay. It seems to have more of the scope of San Andreas as opposed to the slightly disappointing, for me anyway, realistic nature of GTA:IV. The co-op angle also sounds fun.
LITTLE BIG PLANET
Obviously I've been following this with interest for many months. Is it going to turn around PS3's fortunes? I don't think so (but that's probably a topic for another post). Is it going to be huge amounts of 2D platforming fun? Certainly looks that way with all the reviews and previews complimenting the content on the disc. Will I be making anything myself? Probably not. Mostly I'm looking forward to seeing the imaginitive content that I think the great unwashed (Yes you at the back!) come up with.. Hopefully there'll be plenty of life in it.
BANJO & KAZOOIE: Nuts & Bolts
Never played a B&K game before but I love 3d platformers and this looks like Rare have finally made something I'm interested in. The chance to construct vehicles and perform challenges is an original concept. I'm also going to pre-order this from Play to get the download code for the original game. With the way our postie delivers it probably wont arrive for a few days after release leaving room nicely for..
MIRRORS EDGE
In a sequel packed release schedule it's another new IP that makes the essential purchase list for me. Not only did I win a Mirrors Edge T shirt but I've been following it with interest. I love the clean fresh look of the game and I really hope it pulls off the feat of making a fast free moving action game.
TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD
Loved (and I mean totally *hearted*) the PS one games. The Crystal Dynamics games have been going in the right direction but this one really looks live they've captured the magic of the early games.. Looking forward to getting lost for hours in huge levels and complex puzzles. Oh and staring at that lovingly recreated Croft ass.
PRINCE OF PERSIA
Another sequel but with it being a re-imagining of the franchise I'm hoping for something more intune with Sands of Time with the joy of movement and being amazed at what you can do with the Prince rather than the sort of Emo Prince of the latter sequels..
So that's the six essential pre-christmas purchases.. Stay tuned for the next two lists
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
The "Complete" List
John Woo Presents Stranglehold
Portal
Test Drive: Unlimited ( ALL Gold in the SP challenges.)
Loco Roco*
The Darkness (Easy)
Lost: Via Domus
LEGO Indiana Jones - The Original Adventures (Story Mode)
Battlefield: Bad Company (Easy) & (Normal)
Ratchet & Clank : Quest for Booty
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Tiger Woods 2009
A decent amount of new content makes this a worth while yearly update from EA. I particularly liked the online element where it's possible for 4 people to play simultaneously. It makes the game more fun and faster. It's also informative to see other players lines from tee to cup. The EA gamer point challenges the other plays can set that pop up as you're playing are also a nice touch.
Other than that I enjoyed the Tiger Challenge and also completed the season and won the Fed Ex Cup.
On the downside it's still not perfect. The analogue swing system has been tweaked so that you can see how your hitting the ball and hooks and slice are easily visible so you know where you're going wrong. It's also possible to tune your clubs so if you find yourself with natural slice or hook you can tune it out. However when the shot requires less than a 100% it's still difficult to judge the power.. Here you can switch to the classic 'three click' system but even then it's hard.. The ball can travel much further than mathematics suggest it should (even allowing for wind and gradiant).. Also the little picture of the ball that shows your lie seems to have gone this year.
The new dynamic stat system is also a bit hit and miss.. The idea being that you have to play consistently well to improve your stats rather than them only being able to go up.. However as they improve the level of consistency required can be teeth grindingly frustrating and often (at least for me) saw huge chunks of my short game stat dissappearing despite regularly landing within the specified 2 meters of the cup due to one average shot.
On the whole though a great effort from EA.
Portal
Test Drive: Unlimited ( ALL Gold in the SP challenges.)
Loco Roco*
The Darkness (Easy)
Lost: Via Domus
LEGO Indiana Jones - The Original Adventures (Story Mode)
Battlefield: Bad Company (Easy) & (Normal)
Ratchet & Clank : Quest for Booty
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Tiger Woods 2009
A decent amount of new content makes this a worth while yearly update from EA. I particularly liked the online element where it's possible for 4 people to play simultaneously. It makes the game more fun and faster. It's also informative to see other players lines from tee to cup. The EA gamer point challenges the other plays can set that pop up as you're playing are also a nice touch.
Other than that I enjoyed the Tiger Challenge and also completed the season and won the Fed Ex Cup.
On the downside it's still not perfect. The analogue swing system has been tweaked so that you can see how your hitting the ball and hooks and slice are easily visible so you know where you're going wrong. It's also possible to tune your clubs so if you find yourself with natural slice or hook you can tune it out. However when the shot requires less than a 100% it's still difficult to judge the power.. Here you can switch to the classic 'three click' system but even then it's hard.. The ball can travel much further than mathematics suggest it should (even allowing for wind and gradiant).. Also the little picture of the ball that shows your lie seems to have gone this year.
The new dynamic stat system is also a bit hit and miss.. The idea being that you have to play consistently well to improve your stats rather than them only being able to go up.. However as they improve the level of consistency required can be teeth grindingly frustrating and often (at least for me) saw huge chunks of my short game stat dissappearing despite regularly landing within the specified 2 meters of the cup due to one average shot.
On the whole though a great effort from EA.
Thursday, 9 October 2008
Stephen King - Duma Key
Since King finished his The Dark Tower magnum opus he seemed to have lost his way. Content to either revisit old ideas or squander new ones or worse still publish lost 'Bachman' works (His alter ego for his more violent less horror based books) that add nothing to his cannon of work.
Duma Key whilst not quite a return to his white hot form of his purple patch (Whilst completing The Dark Tower most of his work featured hints and references to The Dark Tower universe and this really seemed to fire him up) it's certainly his best work in quite a while. Not completely without another look at some of his favourite subjects (Loss, Creation of Art and it's interaction with it's audience and family) it's still a page turning read. There's some very interesting characters (Wireman I particularly liked) and whilst I probably shouldn't judge a book by it's length it's nice to see King return to something of weighty thickness.. Here he uses it to great effect as the brooding menace builds slowly but surely.
If you've not read King before there's probably a better place to be introduced to the great mans work (I'd recommend Needful Things (my personal favourite)) but if you've not read anything of his for a while then it's probably time you had another look.
Duma Key whilst not quite a return to his white hot form of his purple patch (Whilst completing The Dark Tower most of his work featured hints and references to The Dark Tower universe and this really seemed to fire him up) it's certainly his best work in quite a while. Not completely without another look at some of his favourite subjects (Loss, Creation of Art and it's interaction with it's audience and family) it's still a page turning read. There's some very interesting characters (Wireman I particularly liked) and whilst I probably shouldn't judge a book by it's length it's nice to see King return to something of weighty thickness.. Here he uses it to great effect as the brooding menace builds slowly but surely.
If you've not read King before there's probably a better place to be introduced to the great mans work (I'd recommend Needful Things (my personal favourite)) but if you've not read anything of his for a while then it's probably time you had another look.
James Blunt - MENA 8th Nov
My second MENA experience didn't get off to the greatest of starts. Having booked online and chosen my allocated seating there didn't seem to be any need to arrive too early. On my previous visit I was very impressed with both the venue and the staff. However on scanning our tickets and told we where apparently due "A Refund" we where fobbed off with two other members of staff before someone was able to tell us what was going on and then remarking that we looked "A bit worried".. Still our reallocated seats weren't at all bad.
Compared to the terrible facilities at the Old Trafford Cricket ground when seeing R.E.M. last month the M.E.N.A. was once again a great display off how to handle a huge crowd of people.. Toilets are plentiful and everything (Including happily beer and t shirts) where easy to find and a very nice lady showed us to our seats where we arrived just in time to see Teddy Thompson do his support act.. Nearly everything he played was from his new album and while he's not the most exciting stage presence it was perfectly serviceable.
My only previous experience of James Blunt live was his live album released on the back of the success of Back to Bedlam on which he sounds much like any other earnest singer songwriter. Either selling million of albums has been great for his confidence or practice makes perfect cos he was fantastically assured performer last night. Strutting onto a fairly simple stage set (you know.. band.. lights and a higher sort of walkway affair in a sharp silver suit with skinny black tie he looked on fine form.
The show ran really tightly with a great set list. Most of the first album, the best songs from All The Lost Souls and one new song. A bit of chat. A few jokes. Job very much done. The band sounded great and Blunts voice (Which can sound a tiny bit nasal on record) was fantastic throughout the night. Mid set he ran into the crowd only to leap up onto the PA section and then onto a little stage with a piano where he bashed out a couple of songs almost right in front of us.. (Here I tried to rush the stage but some jobsworth wouldn't let me onto the floor with my 'seating ticket').
He finished the encore with a fantastic version of 1973 and we left having seen a cracking concert that was all about entertainment.
Compared to the terrible facilities at the Old Trafford Cricket ground when seeing R.E.M. last month the M.E.N.A. was once again a great display off how to handle a huge crowd of people.. Toilets are plentiful and everything (Including happily beer and t shirts) where easy to find and a very nice lady showed us to our seats where we arrived just in time to see Teddy Thompson do his support act.. Nearly everything he played was from his new album and while he's not the most exciting stage presence it was perfectly serviceable.
My only previous experience of James Blunt live was his live album released on the back of the success of Back to Bedlam on which he sounds much like any other earnest singer songwriter. Either selling million of albums has been great for his confidence or practice makes perfect cos he was fantastically assured performer last night. Strutting onto a fairly simple stage set (you know.. band.. lights and a higher sort of walkway affair in a sharp silver suit with skinny black tie he looked on fine form.
The show ran really tightly with a great set list. Most of the first album, the best songs from All The Lost Souls and one new song. A bit of chat. A few jokes. Job very much done. The band sounded great and Blunts voice (Which can sound a tiny bit nasal on record) was fantastic throughout the night. Mid set he ran into the crowd only to leap up onto the PA section and then onto a little stage with a piano where he bashed out a couple of songs almost right in front of us.. (Here I tried to rush the stage but some jobsworth wouldn't let me onto the floor with my 'seating ticket').
He finished the encore with a fantastic version of 1973 and we left having seen a cracking concert that was all about entertainment.
Monday, 6 October 2008
The "Complete" List
John Woo Presents Stranglehold
Portal
Test Drive: Unlimited ( ALL Gold in the SP challenges.)
Loco Roco*
The Darkness (Easy)
Lost: Via Domus
LEGO Indiana Jones - The Original Adventures (Story Mode)
Battlefield: Bad Company (Easy) & (Normal)
Ratchet & Clank : Quest for Booty
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Not much to add to what my good friend Nish had to say about this. A very timely reminder of what the PSP can do. In fact you have to wonder why more PSP action adventures don't have fixed camera angles thus doing away with the need for a second analogue stick.
It's a short but very intense experience and probably my favourite God of War game to date.. It's certainly whetted my appetite for the long wait for the 3rd installment on PS3.
Portal
Test Drive: Unlimited ( ALL Gold in the SP challenges.)
Loco Roco*
The Darkness (Easy)
Lost: Via Domus
LEGO Indiana Jones - The Original Adventures (Story Mode)
Battlefield: Bad Company (Easy) & (Normal)
Ratchet & Clank : Quest for Booty
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Not much to add to what my good friend Nish had to say about this. A very timely reminder of what the PSP can do. In fact you have to wonder why more PSP action adventures don't have fixed camera angles thus doing away with the need for a second analogue stick.
It's a short but very intense experience and probably my favourite God of War game to date.. It's certainly whetted my appetite for the long wait for the 3rd installment on PS3.
Saturday, 4 October 2008
Trophy or not Trophy
That is the question.
I'm finding that playing a bit of WipeOut HD is the perfect way to fill small gaps in the day.. You can boot it up, play for 15 minutes, win a couple of medals and come away happy (Well as happy as you can be with you're eyes watering from the super fast HD 1080p 60 fps eye orgy anyway) and feel like you've accomplished something.
It's also the first PS3 game I've got that supports Sony's new Trophy system. It's certainly not as compulsive as Achievements and Gamerscore. In fact it's a bit something of nothing really. The Gamerscore from 360, with it's running total, has a point.. You can see at a glance of someone's gamercard how much of a life they have if nothing else.. Perhaps we'll have to wait and see how they're intergrated in Home for the full effect. I just can't escape the feeling it's all a bit half assed.
I'm finding that playing a bit of WipeOut HD is the perfect way to fill small gaps in the day.. You can boot it up, play for 15 minutes, win a couple of medals and come away happy (Well as happy as you can be with you're eyes watering from the super fast HD 1080p 60 fps eye orgy anyway) and feel like you've accomplished something.
It's also the first PS3 game I've got that supports Sony's new Trophy system. It's certainly not as compulsive as Achievements and Gamerscore. In fact it's a bit something of nothing really. The Gamerscore from 360, with it's running total, has a point.. You can see at a glance of someone's gamercard how much of a life they have if nothing else.. Perhaps we'll have to wait and see how they're intergrated in Home for the full effect. I just can't escape the feeling it's all a bit half assed.
Friday, 3 October 2008
Tropic Thunder
Went to see this film at the cinema last night. The premise sounded entertaining and the draw of Downey Jr., Jack Black and Ben Stiller (Not to mention small roles for Tom Cruise, Steve Coogan, Nick Nolte and Matthew McConaughey) made it a must see.
I loved it. The opening spoof movie trailers set the backgrounds of the main characters (which where all very funny (especially Blacks characters parody of Eddie Murphy films)) perfectly. The plot is then quickly established as british director Coogan loses control of both his stars and the F/X guy. Basically the stars think they're being filmed somewhat incognito when in fact an unforeseen accident leaves them to fend for themselves against some drug dealers.
The comedy comes thick and fast. Downey Jr once again (he seems to be on something of a vein of form this year what with this and the excellent Ironman which, for my money, tops The Dark Knight as this years Super Hero movie) steals the show. His thinly veiled portrayal of Russell Crowe is excellent both in and out of character. Tom Cruise also deserves special mention for one of the performances of his career.
Overall an excellent movie.
I loved it. The opening spoof movie trailers set the backgrounds of the main characters (which where all very funny (especially Blacks characters parody of Eddie Murphy films)) perfectly. The plot is then quickly established as british director Coogan loses control of both his stars and the F/X guy. Basically the stars think they're being filmed somewhat incognito when in fact an unforeseen accident leaves them to fend for themselves against some drug dealers.
The comedy comes thick and fast. Downey Jr once again (he seems to be on something of a vein of form this year what with this and the excellent Ironman which, for my money, tops The Dark Knight as this years Super Hero movie) steals the show. His thinly veiled portrayal of Russell Crowe is excellent both in and out of character. Tom Cruise also deserves special mention for one of the performances of his career.
Overall an excellent movie.
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